Archives for 2012

Survey: Housing is Part of the American Dream

online-surveysAmericans are getting more optimistic about their financial future, and they believe housing still plays an important part in that, according to a poll of 1,000 to 2,000 people conducted by FTI Strategic Communications.

Sixty-two percent of Americans say they expect the economy to improve within the next year. What’s more, 73 percent of those surveyed say home ownership is part of achieving the American Dream.

According to the survey, Americans believe they increasingly hold their financial fate, with 60 percent saying that they can be comfortable financially by working hard and being savvy with their investing.

What’s more, 44 percent say they believe they’ve had more opportunities than their parents.

The survey found that the chief worries among the public is paying for health care, losing a job, and the high costs of education.

Source: “Consumer Corner: Americans Still Optimists,” Bloomberg Businessweek

Modest Modern Multi-Family Industrial Vernacular Dwelling

multifamily-housing-diagramMulti-family housing poses unique challenges, as do the budgeting constraints of owning and running a factory in China with living quarters for workers. With a rather elegant and earthy simplicity, this project tackles these problems with aplomb.

KUU architects (with images by Jeremy San of StzernStudio) made this multi-functional residence out of modular three-by-three-meter, brick-walled spaces, split between worker spaces and weekend quarters for the owners.

The white-brick theme is carried throughout at a comfortably human scale, with dark wood and red clay accents adding material contrast.

No single point stands out as the pinnacle piece, which is part of the purpose or the decentralized plan: to have egalitarian, functional and cozy areas for living and interacting. For something made so simply, it is remarkably well-detailed and resolved.

Is Today The Day That Case-Shiller Finally Goes Positive?

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The above chart shows the year-over-year change in the Case-Shiller House Price index — usually considered the gold standard of home price indices.

On a year over year basis, analysts expect it to come in down 0.05% when it comes out later today. Even a modest beat could see house prices rise on a year-over-year basis. Note that there was growth in early 2010, but that was only off the epic collapse of 2008-2009… house prices quickly resumed their fall that year.

CAVEAT: Here in “Seattle”, this report uses King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties to represent “Seattle”.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/case-shiller-june-preview-2012-8#ixzz24rFACj8v

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

cabinCabins have re-emerged in modern designs and now can function as houses in their own right. The architects and designers are creating not only functional but also stylish and beautiful. A cabin can make for a great retreat, a home office, a studio or a guest house.

Mountain Hill Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Mountain Hill Cabin designed by Fantastic Norway is going to be located in the mountains. Norway in the area that can only be reached in winter on skis. The building has a sloped rooftop which makes it suitable for skiing. The cabin will be installed late this summer.

Cabin Verdehaugen

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Another creation from Fantastic Norway is a Cabin Verdehaugen also located in the Norway. The cabin’s architecture responds to the environment and has complex shape and form.

Log Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Log cabin by Thomas Mayer is a prefab music studio cabin designed by Piet Hein Eek. This log cabin is a fresh modern take on traditional wooden log cabins. It has retractable windows designed to closed the cabin entirely.

Dalene Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Dalene Cabin by Tommie Wilhelmsen in Norway is made of wood and has an interesting architecture. Read and see more of Dalene Cabin.

Urban Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Urban Cabin designed by Fábio Galeazzo located Brazil used to be an abandoned house remodeled into a colorful cabin with timber and granite. The cabin is located at a great site surrounded by greenery.

Sunset Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Sunset Cabin by Taylor Smyth Architectsa is a stylish retreat that stands on a lake shore in Canada. The glass structure is covered by cedar slats through which the natural light, sunsets and sunrises can be seen. The interior is made in birch veneer plywood and includes a bed, storage and a stove.

Vashon Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Vashon Cabin by Vandeventer + Carlander Architects was constructed on a limited site but it turned out very stylish. The glazed walls provide the cabin with plenty of natural light while the wooden wall provides with privacy.

Mountain Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

This beautiful cabin by John Maniscalco Architecture in cedar and glass looks simply grand and stunning. It is a bit elevated thanks to a platform on which it stands. The cabin has two levels the first one covered with wood while the second in glass opening the views on snow landscape.

False Bay Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

False Bay Writer’s Cabin is a great personal retreat designed by Olson Kundig Architects. The glass-box square structure opens up to the surroundings while featuring retractable wooden panels that enclose the cabin when it’s not in use.

Vermont Cabin

10 Stylish Modern Cabins

Vermont Cabin by Resolution: 4 Architecture is a stylish prefab dwelling with no electricity or cell phone service which makes it an ultimate family getaway. The cabin is shaped as L dividing the public and private areas and features an outdoor terrace and big windows to let the natural light in.

Housing Market Shows ‘Sustainable’ Improvement

Housing-Market-ImprovementHome sales and prices are ticking up, despite a sluggish economy. In fact, the rebound has economists predicting that housing will likely add to economic growth this year for the first time in seven years.

Existing-home sales increased 2.3 percent in July and are up more than 10 percent compared to year-ago levels, the National Association of REALTORS® reported last week. What’s more, home prices soared 9.4 percent in July compared to last year at that time—to $187,300—marking the largest price gain in six-and-a-half years.

New-home sales also have been inching up, rising 3.6 percent in July and up more than 25 percent compared to last July, the Commerce Department recently reported.

The "evidence that the housing market is recovering…is fairly clear across a wide range of reports," John Ryding, an economist at RDQ Economics, told the Associated Press. "[Housing] is now becoming a small positive for the economic outlook."

Economists say the rebounds appear to be sustainable and will likely climb even higher, particularly with modest economic growth, future job gains, ultra low mortgage rates, and housing affordability hovering near record highs.

Source: “Rise in U.S. Home Sales Reflects Steady Improvement,” The Associated Press

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

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Australian based artist Scott Marr has created a collection of carved vinyl records. Old vinuyl 78’ records that were manufactured in the early 1900’s to play the sounds of clasical music, have now a new purpose – to be visually communicative remade with a method of carving by burn-markings whit a heated pocker, known as pypografy. The texture of Marr’s carvings on the vinyl records now results in an amazing visual reminder of an era from which they were created, but with a twist, tempering them with natural components such as fire, bones and time gave these old vinyls a touch of our time.

‘What do you do when you have a whole heap of scratched up 78’s? You carve in new information, and hope that the people understand.’ Scott Marr   

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

‘records bones’ carved record and ochre by Scott Marr

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

‘records dark matter’ carved record

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

‘records fire’ carved record and ochres

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

‘records strings’ carved record and ochre

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

‘records time’ carved record and ochre

Remade Vinyl by Scott Marr

‘records revert to time’ carved record and ochre

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The Refrigerator of the Future [video]

Could this be where the future of refrigerators is heading?

Four times smaller than a conventional refrigerator, the Bio Robot cools biopolymer gel through luminescence. Rather than shelves, the non sticky, odorless gel morphs around products to create a separate pod that suspends items for easy access. Without doors, draws and a motor 90% of the appliance is solely given over to its intended purpose. At the same time, all food, drink and cooled products are readily available, odors are contained, and items are kept individually at their optimal temperature by bio robots. The fridge is adaptable — it can be hung vertically, horizontally, and even on the ceiling. Different sizes and dimensions allow it to perfectly fit the accordant dwelling.

Online Video Marketing through Google and YouTube

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Ecommerce and tablet users on the rise

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