Here's a weekly round up of links and articles that you may find interesting. The topics cover the sorts of things that we usually talk about on this blog.
The latest Mackay Laneway House update is now live on the Globizen Journal. The ground floor steel is complete, with framing currently underway. The post has some background on the challenges faced in order to get to this stage.
Brick comparison. Here's a recent tweet of mine. I'm curious if any of you can tell the difference between these two brick finishes and if you have a clear preference. One of them is stamped concrete and the other is real brick (precast concrete with brick slips).
Pools as art. Apparently this is a trend right now, but it's not necessarily a new one. Pablo Picasso accidentally created one when he "signed" the bottom of one in Spain back in the early 1960s. A pool would be fun right now. [FT paywall]
Alley house in King's Cross by architect David Adjaye is currently on the market for £6.5 million. Lots of black. I love the mint green room with the exposed concrete ceiling. Oh, and there's a pool.
Nightclubs are, not surprisingly, really struggling. Most have been closed since March. Unlike restaurants, you can't really hack together a solution with outdoor dining, heat lamps and takeout. They're predicated on people being proximate to each other. [Sorry, another FT paywall]
SPACs are so hot right now, particularly in the world of Chamath Palihapitiya and Social Capital. A good follow-up to this week's earlier post about $IPOB's merger with real estate startup Opendoor.
Monocle has just published a new book about "gentle living." It's a guide to "slowing down, enjoying more and being happy." I'm trying to do more of this, or at least be more mindful about it. It doesn't always/usually work. Perhaps I need this book.
"Decade of the home." Opinion piece about the current desire for suburban over urban locations. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I am steadfast in my belief that urban life is going to prove to be incredibly resilient on the other side of this.
McKinsey report about the impact that lockdown is having on digital adoption, e-commerce penetration, and the overall customer experience. You'll need to enter some information in order to download the PDF, but it's free.
Photo: Lost House by Adjaye Associates via The Modern House
The most recent episode of The Urbanist is about the role of private developers in shaping public spaces and public life within our cities. How do you balance private and public interests?
Much of the discussion focuses on the redevelopment of King's Cross in London, which is generally considered to be a successful example of large-scale, developer-led, urban regeneration. Andrew Tuck is less complimentary of Hudson Yards in New York.
One point that I found interesting was the remark that modern zoning tends to force buildings apart. It creates more in-between space. The result is that we are losing some of the more intimate public spaces found in older neighborhoods.
To listen to the full 30 minute episode, click here.
Photo by Josh Edgoose on Unsplash (King's Cross, London)
A new retail district called, Coal Drops Yard, opened this week in King’s Cross, London. The architecture is by Heatherwick Studio and the project is absolutely stunning. I love the idea of taking the roofs of the existing buildings and delaminating them to create the new spaces. It is a good example of old meets something new and cool. Here is a short video that I think many of you will enjoy. If you can’t see it below, click here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLUGxPP0iNw&w=560&h=315]
Image: Heatherwick Studio