Light sculptures

Not quite your average Christmas lights display, Japanese artist Makoto Tojiki takes lighting displays to another level by creating these amazing holographic sculptures. 

His "No Shadow" series, animal and human sculptures made from hanging strands of LED lights, shows how the interconnectedness of shadows and light can be controlled and manipulated to create these emotion-evoking illusions.

Makoto Tojiki, a 1998 industrial design engineering graduate of Kinki University, uses light as his primary medium of expression. Whilst being employed as an industrial designer, he devoted his personal time to experimenting with light, starting his creative process by breaking down the light and the shadow to capture the essence of their symbiosis resulting in fleeting images that are as ephemeral and enigmatic as shadow itself.

The Pierre by Olson Kundig Architects

The Pierre (the French for stone) is one of my favorite buildings by Olson Kundig Architects. A secure and unexpected retreat nestled into a rock, over looking the San Juan Archipelago, the house truly celebrates the materiality of the site. A combination of rough materials, encompassing stone, green roof it blends with the surroundings, making it almost invisible from certain angles.

With an open plan kitchen, dining and living space, the house functions on a single main level, with the exception of the guest suit. A large pivoting steel and glass door opens for access to an outdoor terrace.

Think 'green'... re-use old pallets

Check out these  interesting and very creative pieces of furniture created from old pallets...

Awesome park bench

This has to be the best park bench design ever! A very clever and playful piece of art by German artist Cornelia Konrads. Schleudersitz, one of her more recent sculptures is an enormous slingshot made from a common park bench.

Life-sized pin toy

 Just plain awesome! During the Clerkenwell Design Week held in the UK,  fashion designer Lulu Guinness took a popular desk toy and made a life-size version of it, encouraging people to be “pin-ups.“ The interactive installation was commissioned by the British designer and placed beneath St. John’s Gate in London where passers-by were encouraged to step up to the screen and press their bodies against the pins to set an image of themselves.

McDonalds

When we think Mcdonalds, some of us think "yum", some think "grose" and some think "I really shouldn't, but i really want to...", but we never think architecture. With the exception of a few unique versions, such as the one in Roswell, New Mexico, McDonalds restaurants are characterized by the golden arches of the gigantic 'M' in front of the building and we hardly take notice of the building itself ... although in most cases that is probably because there isn't much to take notice of ... Well not any more.

A brand new Mickey D's has opened in Batumi in the republic of Georgia. Constructed using 460 glass panels and with a combination of fuel station, McDonalds , wonderland boasts pools, cantilevered glass walls, and a raked indoor garden, it may just be the ultimate achievement in fast food architecture. Designed by the Georgian firm Khmaladze Architects, the building was completed in October 2012. Architizer reports the designers' goal was "to create an iconic urban node."