Tag Archives: architectural design

The Beautiful Space at Mohawk Bend … Los Angeles

We recently stopped by the restaurant Mohawk Bend in the Echo Park neighborhood near Silver Lake in Los Angeles. The restaurant lies at a spot on Sunset Boulevard near Mohawk Street and where Sunset curves or “bends,” hence the name. The space is beautiful, especially the back room, a cavernous space that’s filled with natural light during the day and by night glows with a beautiful fireplace flanked by stacked firewood. The place is a combination of contemporary high design, industrial patination, California beachwoodiness and 1970s-retro vintage modern. The food is pretty damn good, too. Their burgers were super yummy.

Massive Street Art Mural by ALEC in the Lobby of the W Hotel in Seminyak, Bali

We were pleasantly surprised to find this massive street-art mural by the American artist and street-art rockstar Alec (a.k.a., “Alec Monopoly”) in the lobby of the outrageously epic and luxurious W Hotel in Seminyak, Bali, in Indonesia. The artwork includes many of the iconic characters and celebrities Alec has included in many of his street artworks over the years, including actor Jack Nicholson, 1960s fashion model Twiggy, and Rich “Uncle” Pennybags (sometimes called “Monopoly Man”), the character from the Monopoly board game and the image Alec is most associated with.

Cool Architecture … Oliver Peoples Store In Malibu

This has got to be the most stylish and the only stand-alone shop of super-stylish eyewear brand Oliver Peoples we’ve seen. Its architectural design aesthetic is so fitting for its location in Malibu, near Los Angeles.

In Amsterdam … The Design at Room Service by Droog

Topped Out Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center … New York

The spire was finally added to the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site in New York City last week. The photos below show the Tower, with its newly added spire, as seen from SoHo. The addition of the spire was a momentous occasion, a milestone charged with the symbolism — the building is now 1,776 feet tall, which is an important date in America’s history of independence. The event makes the Freedom Tower the tallest building in the western hemisphere.

The Buildings of Japanese Architect Tadao Ando

Our “Visual Culture of Japan Series” continues with this post on famed Osaka-based Japanese architect Tadao Ando and some images of his buildings, including the the “4×4 Houses,” “Church of Light” and Awaji Yumebatai in Japan. Ando is one of the world’s leading architects. His Osaka firm has designed buildings through Japan and around the globe.

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4×4 Houses photo and copyright: Hiromitsu Morimoto / HET Gallery

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“Church of Light” photo and copyright Buou / Chris He

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Awaji Yumebatai photo and copyright kwc

Chatham Towers

Many of the residential buildings in Chinatown are old low-rise tenement buildings tightly crammed next each other along narrow traffic-choked streets. That makes the Chatham Towers apartment complex pictured here a stand-out in the neighborhood. The architectural design, with its concrete facade and alternating balcony scheme, is a sophisticated example of the 1960′s international Brutalist style. The 25-storey Towers are surrounded by a landscaped plaza and leafy park grounds that make the complex seem like it’s a world away from Chinatown’s cramped chaos a few meters away. Chatham Towers were built in 1964 and each building has 120 apartments. The design was by Kelly & Gruzen. Since 9/11, the area surrounding (and including) the Towers has been barricaded and closed to non-residents due to the proximity of the structures to New York City Police headquarters and heightened security concerns.

Ivan Corsa Photo