Floating Umbrellas Line The Streets of Águeda, Portugal

Public art installations are always a great find, and this outdoor incorporation of ‘floating’ umbrellas has got our jaws dropping. Located in the municipality of Águeda, Portugal are a whole slew of umbrellas in various colors looming above the streets in a vibrant art installation.

Not only do these open umbrellas provide a beautiful scenery to look up at as you’re strolling through the promenade during a sunny day, but they create much appreciated shade and some visually interesting patterns on the floor. The parasols are strung above from wires and their shiny material provides a bit of sheer, colored light to emit through the suspended shades.

(Source: inthralld.com)

Plastic Garbage Art Installation by luzinterruptus

Recycling is a huge part of today’s world, and there are all sorts of reminders posted in every place one can think of. The latest? That would be ‘Plastic Garbage Guarding The Museum’ is the latest of street interventions by a spanish art collective ‘luzinterruptus.’

There are 5,000 bags set up in various dumpster locations surrounding the exterior of the museum. All of these were collected by offering up free museum tickets in exchange for the bags. They were then inflated and arranged in bins resembling dumpsters. What better way to draw attention to recycling then to light up a bunch of colorful trash?

(Source: inthralld.com)

Gorgeous Plant Life on Vertical Garden Building by Kengo Kuma and Associates

Located in Kanagawa Perfecture, Japan– this building a a multi-use shell with an organically designed exterior complete with a vertical walled garden. There are aluminum panels on the building’s facade that help to create the ‘garden’ with irrigation and ventilation just behind the panels.

Massive 440 Pound Tiger Rug Made From 500,000 Cigarettes

This 440 pound tiger rug is constructed of nothing but cigarettes. That’s right over 500,000 cigarettes were used to create the massive rug you see here. The project was the third installment in Bing’s famous Tobacco project which “explores global trade, packaging, marketing, and the irony of subliminal seduction in advertising for a potentially life-threatening product.”  Bing has been heavily involved in tobacco related art projects for over a decade, and continues to mesmerize with projects such as this one.

Probably the only cool use of cigarettes.

(Source: inthralld.com)

$19 Million ClockTower Penthouse in Brooklyn, New York

After originally hitting the market as the most expensive condo in Brooklyn history, this stunning ClockTower Penthouse has recently been reduced from $25 million all the way down to $19 million, and rumor has it actor Jim Carrey is eyeing the property.

The incredible 7,000 square foot penthouse is located in the Clock Tower building in downtown Brooklyn, and is nothing short of breathtaking. This stunning triplex features 14 foot tall clock faces that allow plenty of natural light to enter the dwelling, while also providing amazing views of the Brooklyn Bridge and New York Harbour. The triplex penthouse is equipped with a glass walled elevator for easy access to each of the floors. The very top of the building is finished off with a beautiful crow’s nest.

This is so perfect.

(Source: inthralld.com)

‘Fallen Star’ Cottage House

San Diego, California residents are in for a treat as the highly anticipated ‘Fallen Star’ project by famed Korean artist Do Ho Suh has officially opened to the public. The artist will mesmerize locals and tourists alike with a built from scratch, 70,000 pound cottage like house that is partially suspended over the edge of a seven story building at the campus of University of California San Diego. The ‘Fallen Star’ home is completely furnished and even includes a beautiful garden.

(Source: inthralld.com)

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by Bortolotto Design Architect

A Canopy of Man-Made Solar-Powered Supertrees Flourishes in Singapore

A national park filled with electrified, man-made trees sounds like a paradox. But Singapore’s latest landscaping project, a 250-acre site calledGardens by the Bay, mixes nature and mechanics with an “artificial forest” full of glowing trees, globally-sourced plants, heritage vegetation, and a conservatory built around a 35-meter mountain complete with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. The project is pushing the boundary of what an urban park can be.

The man-made canopy, much like its natural counterparts, will serve as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, collect rainwater, and provide shade to park tourists. Eleven of the Supertrees are adorned with photovoltaic cells that will harvest solar energy to light up the trees in the evening, providing energy and lighting, to conservatories throughout the park, and serving as air and temperature regulators.

The massive structures are also vertical gardens, dressed in a living bouquet of climbing flowers, ferns, and bromeliads from around the world. Come evening, these trees will regale the park with light and sound shows. Visitors can look on from a new “Skyway” bridge connecting two 25-meter trees.

(Source: GOOD)

Amazing Mosaic Tiled Staircase in San Francisco

Large metropolitan areas typically have something great and interesting about them– whether it’s art, food, architecture, people, nightlife or all of the above. San Francisco tends to embody so many of the qualities that make cities so fun to explore, and this staircase is just the tip of the iceberg.

This amazingly detailed mosaic set of 163 steps is covered with beautifully patterned tiles from all around the neighborhood of 16th Avenue with the help of more than 300 local neighbors. The ‘tiled steps‘ as they are referred to, are located between 16th Avenue and Moraga and the beautification was sponsored by the San Francisco Parks Trust back in 2003. It took about a year and a half to complete but is now adorned with thousands upon thousands of amazing name, animal and patterned tiles from around the city.

(Source: inthralld.com)

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Studio Weave Designs Longest Bench In West Sussex, England

If there’s one well appointed space that plays off of the structure and surrounding nature itself, it has got to be the Tea House by Archi-Union Architects. The Shanghai based tea house is a contemporary dream come true while still maintaining green roots– all while keeping a tree and its location intact.

Roughly 3,200 square feet, this magnificent piece of architecture is constructed from salvaged parts of the firm’s originally collapsed office roof.  It’s been divvied up into three parts all on the back lot of their office. There is an enclosed tea house on the ground level and a cozy library on the first floor. The artwork and furniture all blends seamlessly with the gorgeous architecture and its natural surroundings.

There are also various outdoor areas, one of which is complete with a stunning tree coming up through the center of a triangular balcony. In addition to the main attractions, more private spaces exist including a lounge, reading room and service room which are arranged towards the rear of the building.

Musical Rain Gutter Funnel Wall in Dresden, Germany

n the artsy neighborhood of Neustadt Kunsthofpassage within Dresden, Germany, lies one of the most artistic inspirations we have ever encountered.

A large, multi-story blue building houses the funnel wall attraction designed by three collaborative artists including Christoph Roßner, Annette Paul, and Andre Tempel. The three artists knew that the building needed to have rain gutters, so why not get a bit creative? This system of mousetrap drain and gutters features various sized metal cones that play music when it rains.

(Source: inthralld.com)

Paris’ Boulevard Diderot Gets What Is Probably the World’s Best Bus Stop

At the Diderot station, you can grab a sandwich, charge your phone, listen to music, rent a bike, borrow a book—or, yes, get a cup of coffee.

Building a lot of these stations might be pretty financially impractical. Or who knows? Maybe it’s not. There are probably some sponsorship opportunities here and apparently there’s retail space for rent. At any rate, it puts the average bus station to shame.

A ‘Vertical Greenhouse’ Could Make a Swedish City Self-Sufficient:

The greenhouse will serve as a regenerating food bank, tackling urban sprawl while making the city self-sufficient.

The greenhouse is a conical glass building that uses an internal “transportation helix” to carry potted vegetables around on conveyors. As plants travel around the helix, they rotate for maximum sun exposure. Hassle says the building will use less energy than a traditional greenhouse, take advantage of “spillage heat” energy companies cannot sell, digest waste to produce biogas and plant fertilizers, and decrease carbon dioxide emissions while eliminating the environmental costs of long-distance transportation. And growing plants in a controlled environment will decrease the amount of water, energy, and pesticides needed. 

(Source: GOOD)