Sometimes you have to make a change. Nikolaus Gruenwald found himself in the legal profession while passionately taking photographs on the side. But over time, his talents overtook the comfort and convenience of a predictable career. So he jumped ship and dove head first into photography. The outcome was spectacular. Among many stunning photographs, we came across one particular set that made us want to visit every dense, futuristic city we could think of. Check out, Fragments of Urban Living. It’s a beautiful series capturing the quiet beauty of mega-cities. We posted a few examples below, but visit Nikolaus’ site to see his full body of work.

Words: Taj Reid
Photos: Nikolaus Gruenwald

NIKOLAUS GRUENWALD
BEHANCE

INVISIBLE BRIDGE
CLOUD CITY
BERLIN’S RAPPORT

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Forget walking over water. How about walking through it? A little ingeniuty provides a fresh take on bridges. The Invisible Bridge by RO & AD of the Netherlands and Belgium is a sunken walkway that sits at water level providing access to Forte de Roovere, a 17th Century Dutch fortress. Not only is the bridge an optical illusion, it also benefits its natural surroundings by staying out of the way. The visual impact is nearly zero until you approach it. But when you do see it, it’s absolutely beautiful. The bridge is constructed with processed timber to prevent decay and the way it cuts through the landscape is awe-inspiring. We have a few images posted below for your enjoyment.

Words: Taj Reid
Photos: Courtesy of RO & AD

DEZEEN
RO & AD
INHABITAT

BERLIN’S CLOUD CITY
SUZUKAKE HONTEN
BERLIN’S RAPPORT

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Cloud City is an imaginative exhibit on display at the Hamburger Bahnof Museum in Berlin. It’s fantastical and interactive. Upon entering, visitors roam through bubble-like structures and suspended gardens to discover the artist’s real intent. Tomás Saraceno wants to challenge architecture’s status quo. He was inspired by soap bubbles and spider webs to create this exciting exhibit which introduces new shapes and support techniques within the realm of architecture. It’s on display until January 15, 2012 and we highly recommend checking it out. Click Read More for additional information and photos.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Jens Ziehe & Tomás Saraceno

Location: Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50-51 – 10557 Berlin Germany

HAMBURGER BAHNOF
CONTEMPORIST
TOMAS SARACENO

BERLIN’S RAPPORT
NEW YORK MAINTAIN
LONDON 2012

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Bold black and white shapes greet visitors at the entrance of Berlinishe, Berlin’s Museum of Modern Art and Architecture. The dramatic installation entitled Rapport was created by the acclaimed architectural firm, J. Mayer H. They’re easily one of our favorites and well known for their unconventional structures.

Rapport is on show for the next year and reveals JMH’s approach to spatial norms and how they create dynamic structures by experimenting with space. As the museum describes, “The work’s space-consuming concept negates the strict geometry of the entrance hall. The considerably enlarged, repeating patterns produce a flickering impression and transform the white cube into a playful scenario of inter permeating forms and structures.” See more below.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Courtesy of Berlinishe Galerie

Location: Berlinishe Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124-128, 10969 Berlin

DESIGNBOOM
BERLINISCHE GALERIE
J MAYER H

NEW YORK MAINTAIN
LONDON 2012
SAMITAUR TOWER

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Thankfully New York survived Hurricane Irene with minimal damage. While things return to normal, we’re reminded of a photo collection showing the city’s architecture and skyline. The sheer size of the city and its maze of skyscrapers is awe-inspiring. Sometimes when you’re hustling through the corridors or tending to a busy schedule it’s easy to forget how beautiful the city is. Hopefully these images will help remind us of what is there and what we have. We’ve posted a few images below.

View Gallery

Words: Taj Reid
Source: @RAGHAV

VIRAL BLENDER
IRENE NYC
VIA @RAGHAV

LONDON 2012
SAMITAUR TOWER
DEMTERIA HOTEL

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The one-year countdown is on. The 2012 Olympics in London are just around the corner as the world excitedly awaits its arrival. In usual form, England is preparing the finest facilities for the event. All-star architect Zaha Hadid recently completed her work on the Aquatic Center and the remaining construction on Olympic Park is quickly following suit. Among the various structures, we’re looking forward to the completion of Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond’s sci-fi observation deck entitled the ArcelorMittal Orbit. It’s guaranteed to accent the event’s already impressive architecture. We’ve posted a few photos below, but check out Wallpaper Magazine for the full gallery.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Courtesy of Wallpaper Magazine

WALLPAPER MAGAZINE
LONDON 2012
ZAHA HADID

SAMITAUR TOWER
DEMETRIA HOTEL

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The Samitaur is a spiraling tower standing tall at the edge of Los Angeles’ Culiver City on Hayden and National Boulevard. Mixing industrial grit with a hint of futurism, the structure serves two purposes. On the inside it’s an office for new media companies and graphic designers. On the outside the tower displays relevant community information for passing commuters. Smart architecture is powerful and the Samitaur marks a bold step for the re-developing zone of Culiver City. If you’re in Los Angeles definitely check it out.

Words: Taj Reid
Location: Hayden Avenue and National Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232

ERIC OWEN MOSS
THE CONTEMPORIST

DEMETRIA HOTEL
LA VILLE INTELLIGENTE
VIENNA LIVING

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Industrial design gets us every time. It’s understated. It’s uncluttered. And Demetria Hotel does an impressive job of combining these virtues into one classic accommodation. By combining concrete and stained wood, the hotel’s exterior is softened with massive glass panels, allowing for light to easily shine through. Also, keeping with their industrial-earthy aesthetic, the suites are decorated with colorful accents and bedding that brighten up the space. One of our favorite features are the contemporary oversized tubs and rainfall shower heads. Plus the floor to ceiling windows offer the best of both worlds by eliminating the separation of the outside from the interior. We have a few photos posted below for a closer look at Mexico’s Demetria Hotel.

Word: Marsha Reid
Location: Demetria Hotel, Avenida La Paz 2219, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

DEMETRIA HOTEL
TABLET HOTELS

MEXICO’S TUBE HOTEL
KAWS AT THE STANDARD
HOTEL PULITZER

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Paris welcomes another fantastic installation by Jakob & MacFarlane. La Ville Intelligente is a vibrant structure serving as a visitor’s center representing the futuristic hopes of Paris. Located within the Parc de la Villette you can’t miss it as it sits boldly along the Canal de L’ourcq. Jakob & MacFarlane describe its conception as “…a future ‘Paris’ or structure into which arteries are connected to a metropolis of the future – a new space where people can rediscover within an urban network, peripheries, streets, and places.” Click Read More for a closer look at La Ville Intelligente.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Nicolas Borel

JAKOB & MACFARLANE
OPEN BUILDINGS
DESIGNBOOM

VIENNA LIVING
ZAHA’S RIVERSIDE MUSEUM
NANJING SIFANG ART MUSEUM

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Annabell Ritschel is a great story teller. We discovered her work yesterday and have been lost in it ever since. Her Vienna series illustrates a quiet and introspective take on the unique European city. As she describes it, Vienna’s urban areas distinguish themselves from other European cities in two ways. On one hand they had numerous social housing programs that emerged from the Red-Vienna policies started in 1923. On the other hand they developed many garden plots to compensate for the food shortage. By dealing with the lack of food and housing, there was a development of two forms of housing that are an integral part of the city. Click Read More for a closer look at Annabell’s Vienna Living. We posted a few samples below. But you can view her entire body of work here.

ANNABELL RITSCHEL
VIA FUBIZ

ZAHA’S RIVERSIDE MUSEUM
NANJING SIFANG ART MUSEUM
HOTEL PULITZER

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Zaha Hadid extends her architectural work to Glasgow, Scotland. Opening this month, The Riverside Museum of Transport sits confidently in its new location – Glasgow Harbour. As part of the city’s effort to reingiforate the Clyde area, Zaha took a bold approach by using water and flowing energy as an inspiration for the building’s exterior design. Inside you’ll find attractions like the oldest surviving pedal cycle, 250 model ships and other interesting transportation exhibits.

The Riverside Museum of Transport
1 Bunhouse Road
Glasgow, Glasgow City G3 8
United Kingdom

GLASGOW LIFE
THE GUARDIAN
THE ARCHTRACKER

NANJING SIFANG ART MUSEUM
HOTEL PULITZER
A FORGOTTEN FUTURE

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This fall we’re looking forward to the opening of the Nanjing Sifang Art Museum located in Nanjing, China. This isn’t your usual gallery space. Instead of developing something more traditional, Steven Holl Architects considered the museum’s overall curation. Knowing it would house 13th Century works, they identified ‘perspective’ as a central theme. Interestingly, the major difference between Western and Chinese paintings during this era was how each group treated the vanishing point. While western painters identified one single vanishing point, the Chinese rejected that ideal and produced landscapes with parallel perspectives. Hence, the cuts and turns found on the exterior of the Nanjing Sigang Art Museum. As Arch Daily describes, “The museum is formed by a ‘field’ of parallel perspective spaces and garden walls in black bamboo-formed concrete which a light ‘figure’ hovers.” It’s a beautiful structure. Be sure to check it out this fall.

Photo Credit Iwan Baan

IWAN BAAN
ARCH DAILY

A FORGOTTEN FUTURE
CHINA’S GHOST CITIES
A PORTO SUBWAY

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During the 1960 and 70s Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito commissioned elaborate structures to be built in recognition of various WWII battles. He hoped these monuments would represent the strength and longevity of the Social Republic. They were popular during the 80s and collectively attracted millions of visitors. But after the dissolution of the Republic in the early 90s many of them were completely abandoned and forgotten. That is until photographer Jan Kempenaers set out to photograph all the structures for his series entitled Spomenik – The End of History. We posted a few photographs below. While each of them have hyper futuristic qualities, it’s interesting to view them in their lonely and dilapidated state.

JAN KEMPENAERS
THE FOX IS BLACK
CRACK TWO

CHINA’S GHOST CITIES
A PORTO SUBWAY
PROJECT 27

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News of China’s economic boom and overall growth is unrelenting. They recently surpassed the US in manufacturing; They’re building 10 new cities every year and when you match that against America’s debt crisis, the race is surely on. But maybe everything isn’t what it seems. For China, their rapid development could be sitting on a bubble. Thanks to our friend Diana, we came across this interesting video about China’s ghost cities by SBS Dateline in Austrailia.

A PORTO SUBWAY
PROJECT 27
HADID’S HOUSE

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Philly Tech Week is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation in Philadelphia. The annual week of events is intended to grow the impact of this innovative region through programming focused on technology, collaboration and improving Philadelphia. The inaugural week takes place April 25th to April 30th and will feature events from partners like The Franklin Institute, Independents Hall and First Round Capital. Each Philly Tech Week event is independently organized. Get involved today.

We love these images of Porto, Portugal’s subway system designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura – this year’s Pritzker Prize winner. There’s a lot of discussion about Eduardo’s award. One of the most interesting comes from Architizer. As they point out, “A relatively unknown Portuguese architect, working mainly within his own country and almost entirely within the Continental sphere, has won architecture’s highest honor. Localism is back. Our question? Is the Pritzker Jury’s mission to promote regionalism the nostalgic ramblings of a group of luddites, or, alternatively, the brave promotion of meaning, value-systems, and thought (zing!) in architecture?” Personally, we like the idea that architects are being encouraged to tell the long story of a culture through their work, whether they are from the culture or have lived there for a very long time. Below we have a few photos of Porto, Portugal’s subway station. Click Read More to view.

Photo Credit: Fernando Guerra & Sergio Guerra

ARCHITIZER
PRITZKER PRIZE
NOTCOT

PROJECT 27
HADID’S HOUSE
IMMATERIAL LIGHT PAINTING

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Philly Tech Week is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation in Philadelphia. The annual week of events is intended to grow the impact of this innovative region through programming focused on technology, collaboration and improving Philadelphia. The inaugural week takes place April 25th to April 30th and will feature events from partners like The Franklin Institute, Independents Hall and First Round Capital. Each Philly Tech Week event is independently organized. Get involved today.