Art: REALIZE

This is a tribute to one of the greatest Boxers of all time. Watch the video. Figure it out!

p.s. pause the video around the 19 sec mark and take in what Michael Kalish and the Oyler Wu Collaborative have created

New Cobo Renovations Revealed!

This all looks great.  Glass facades, Dallas Cowboy sized exterior televisions, beautiful views that apparently were worthless in Cobo's original conception... 

But, wait.  What about the struggling city services?  The police, fire, emergency, garbage, snow removal and street sweeping services that make a city livable.  

Look at it like this: why would you live in a beautiful, historic, two story colonial when you can't even get your trash picked up on a regular basis, and when you called the police to report on a fight happening on your the street, they and the EMS sent to respond to the battered victim take over thirty minutes to respond?

I love what is being proposed here, and I think it will bring a lot of positives to our city.  However, I'm wondering why the REAL issues are not being addressed.  The kind of issues that keep good, law abiding, hard working, prideful people out of the city.  The quality of life issues that are the real deal breaker when it comes to settling in a new area - let alone taking the financial/health risk of moving into Detroit.

Look, I'm more of a Detroit slappy than anyone I know, however, its not hard to tell when things are going a little ass backwards.  I would be happy if Bing and the rest of the city government at least popped their heads into and addressed these quality of life issues while proceeding with the current plans at hand.  At least make some effort to curbing the MASSIVE and DOMINATING factors that are keeping good people out of the city:

1. Quality of life services

2. Schools

3. Emergency response systems

4. Police vigilance in tough areas 

And here's a novel thought: The city needs money, yes? Great, why don't we fine and fine and fine and fine the careless, self-centered and "speculating" property owners in the city that take no pride in ownership and allow their buildings, homes, and lots to be polluted, trashed and remain dilapidated.  Why don't we ticket and fine people disturbing the peace at all hours of the night, and ticket those who find it appropriate to walk the streets and impede traffic.

Where there is a feeling of lawlessness there will be lawless behavior.  We need to retrain citizens that do not know how to fall in line and do what is right.  And yes, I am aware of the fact that some will never come around, and yes I am in full support of sacrificing for the greater good.  We have to be able to make the hard decisions.  The time is now, people.

At any rate, here is the video and a bullet list from DET News on what is included in the renovations:

"The $221 million renovation project also includes:

• The creation of a new three-story glass atrium "signature space" for Cobo Center that links the main floor of Cobo with a new entrance. The glass atrium surrounds most of the building, allowing for a view of the Detroit River and linking the facility to the city's RiverWalk.
• Major renovation to Cobo's primary façade facing downtown, which will include a high-tech, computer-generated "media mesh" billboard announcing current and future conventions and other bookings.
• Reconfiguration of meeting and breakout rooms along Cobo's south side, the area facing the Detroit River. Most of the exterior walls of the meeting and breakout rooms will be replaced by high-efficiency glass walls.
• Twenty percent increase in parking spaces.
• Construction of an additional loading dock ramp to street level.
• Additional electrical provision capabilities in exhibition areas."

Architech: 2012 Yeuso Pavillion proposal

via: ArchDaily

from ArchDaily:

"The pavilion is prototypical architecture, drawing from the multidisciplinary source of product design- urban planning-architecture and naval design. The pavilion is resolved as a vessel – a floating exhibition space that can be sailed to other cities. It’s an evolution of architecture- a futuristic adaptable living building that can adapt to suit an unknowable future. Its ingenuity will encourage multidisciplinary problem solving through sustainable solutions."

Ameirca = Last place in the architecture race :(

Harbour Isle Apartments by Lundgaard and Tranberg

Location: Denmark

Architech: LA Gas Station

Would you feel better about $4 a gallon here?

Architech: Raffles City, Bahrain

Architect Rafael Vinoly is simply magnificent. He's been pumping out great designs since the sixties and is now leading the way into the future of architectural design.
check out his firm: www.rvapc.com

Architech: The Mansion by Harrison Varma

From: The Contemporist

Okay, so this is probably the dopest house I've posted yet! Check out the back!!!!
If I read this right. You can buy this if you happen to have £35,000,000 laying around!
See interior pics HERE

Architech: Pedro Gadanho Home

from: Fabrik

Minimalist+Color=DOPE!

Architech: No Rules Just Architecture

While the past has left us with mostly bottom line obsessed, soul less, boring commercial architecture and suburban mc mansions, the future generation is looking just great.

what is NRJA? from nrja on Vimeo.

Architech: Cape Shank House

via: Design Milk

Cape Shank House, Australia, by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects

Architech: Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Architech: East Side Penthouse by 1100 Architect

from: Daily Icon

This penthouse was designed for an art collector... can you tell?

Architech: Project 116

Architect: AZDarch
Location: Michigan

Architech: Rembed House

from: Arch Daily

Architects: Quim Larrea y Katherine Bedwell
Location: Barcelona, Spain

Architech: 56 Leonard Street

I've been keeping my eye on the 56 Leonard st. project. It is going to be one of the most beautiful residential building/skyscrapers ever. This is a marketing video put together to sell the building. It may look like it can't be built, but it will. If you wouldn't want to live here you're crazy!


56 Leonard Street from david basulto on Vimeo.

Architech: Los Silos Youth Centre

from: Arch Daily

Absolutely dope! I'd use it as a crib, but a youth center is the shit too!

Architects: Lavin Arquitectos - Alejandro Lavín della Ventura, Francisco Miguel Lavín della Ventura