I am really drawn to live/work spaces like these ones here in Oklahoma City’s new Wheeler District. (Additional project info can be found over here.) We have some examples of this in Toronto, but I wouldn’t say it’s commonly done. And oftentimes they don’t work… Read More
Monthly archives of “May 2023”
Density is good, but let me explain
I tweeted this out last week: Not surprisingly, the responses were divided. Some responded saying that beauty is more important than density, and a lot of people were quick to point out that there’s good density and there’s bad density. And because I can appreciate… Read More
I love narrow streets
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I’m a fan of narrow streets. It’s one of the reasons I have been such a supporter of laneway housing here in Toronto, and why I think they should ultimately allow for some non-residential… Read More
The nomadification of cities
One common way to measure affordability is to look at the cost of things relative to local incomes. But the world is getting increasingly more complicated than this. Here, for example, is an interesting article talking about the “nomadification” of cities such as Medellín. What… Read More
Pill-shaped prototypes
Back in 2020/2021 when we were getting ready to launch sales for One Delisle, the team came up with the idea of pill-shaped kitchen islands for our residences. What that means is we wanted to use perfect semi-circles on both ends. We didn’t want oval… Read More
Scavolini’s pasta sauce test
Today I learned that one of the most important quality assurance tests you can run on a kitchen is this one here: It is the “pasta sauce test”. And it involves repeatedly boiling a cauldron of water underneath some cupboard doors for at least several… Read More
Which is more “sustainable”?
These two residential buildings: Or this one here? Both are located in the Porto Nuova district of Milan. And from what I could tell when I walked by them yesterday, they’re pretty comparable. They have similarly deep balconies. And they even appear to have the… Read More
Fashion and design capital of the world!
The first and only other time that I have visited Milan was over 20 years ago. I was 19 or so, and a close friend and I decided to take the train into Centrale without a place to stay and without a plan, other than… Read More
A few observations about Venice
We are on the train headed to Milan this morning, so as is customary on this blog, here are a few observations from the last few days in Venice:
Harnessing air conditioning condensate
We spent yesterday and today at the Venice Biennale (both the Giardini and the Arsenale). I really enjoyed it and I’m glad that I was finally able to attend. One of my favorite exhibits was Bahrain’s. It is called “Sweating Assets”, and it’s a demonstration… Read More