Examined Life, Directed by Astra Taylor

“THIS FILM IS GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL!

So engaging, hopeful and against-the-grain that it becomes a must-see cinematic tonic for these confusing times.”

– Scott Macaulay, Filmmaker Magazine
 
In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor (Zizek!) liberates philosophy from the halls of academia through entertaining and thought-provoking excursions with some of today’s most famous and influential thinkers. Peter Singer’s thoughts on the ethics of consumption are amplified against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue’s posh boutiques. Slavoj Zizek challenges current beliefs about the environment while sifting through a garbage dump. Michael Hardt considers the nature of revolution while surrounded by symbols of wealth and leisure. Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor stroll through San Francisco’s Mission District questioning our culture’s fixation on individualism. And while driving through Manhattan, Cornel West—called “a genius” and “an oracle” by President Obama—compares philosophy to jazz and blues, reminding us how intense and invigorating a life of the mind can be.
 
Offering privileged moments with great thinkers from fields ranging from ethics to cultural theory, Examined Life reveals philosophy’s power to transform the way we see the world around us and imagine our place in it.

A square world: the “Water cube” by MVRDV

After Aichi in 2005 and Shanghai 2010, yet another World Exhibition will be staged in Asia. “The Living Ocean and Coast” is the theme of the 2012 International Exposition in Yeosu, South Korea. It asks for a greater recognition and awareness of the oceans and marine resources, and their importance to mankind.

MVRDV’s design for the thematic pavilion interprets the Expo’s focus by ‘extracting a block from the ocean’: a central void, the Hall of the Oceans, is surrounded by water basins which are stacked in the shape of a cube, based on the structural capacity of the glass facades and floors. According to the architects, “each water basin displays a specific aspect of the ocean – the deep sea, the tropical waters, the mangroves, reefs - turning the cube into an encyclopaedic museum, the library of the oceans!“

The entire structure is placed within the walls of the cube leaving the void column-free. The structural elements are integrated in the walls, between the basins, in the form of a world map: thematically, each ocean, continent and coastline can be identified on the façades; structurally, the coastlines and continents together with a ramp circulating up the walls for accessing higher levels form the structural frame in which the water basins are inserted. Structural support elements are positioned in the solid parts of the continents. Beams with a depth of 5m support the roof structure.

One Person Camper APE

Do you know about the Piaggio APE 50? It’s the cutest little three wheeled vehicle you’ll ever set your eyes on. Do you love camping? How about totally on your own? How about camping totally on your own inside an APE? The project you’re about to set your eyes on is called the “Bufalino,” and it’s a one-person camper using the APE 50 as its platform. Made for absolute flexibility, the Bufalino contains all the elements needed for living. Only the engine, frame, chasis, and parts of the cab were kept perfectly APE.

The APE is a unique vehicle in that it is exempt from taxes in some countries because of its extremely economical working nature. It is also allowed in certain metropolitan areas that larger cars are not. It uses only a tiny amount of gas. It’s super cute. Inside the Bufalino you’ll find a bed, two seatings, a cooking zone, basin, relatively lots of storage, a refrigerator, and more.

Designer: Cornelius Comanns

Breathing Buildings, A ventilated-wall system, popular in Europe, holds great promise for existing buildings here. By Kristi Cameron

They’re an all too common problem in cities: older, structurally sound buildings with ratty facades and poor thermal properties. New York, for example, is littered with underperforming towers in need of an update. But tearing them down is costly, wasteful, and time-consuming. That’s why the Italian manufacturer Marazzi hopes its ventilated-wall system with porcelain stoneware—a kind of designer coat for architecture—catches on here the way it has in Europe.

A spiralling concrete slide connects the kitchen and child’s bedroom of this family house near Jakarta designed by Indonesian architects Aboday and photographed by Happy Lim

3XN design a multipurpose arena that blends functionality, flexibility and sustainability in one iconic structureThe centrifugal power of the whirlwind is interpreted into this dynamic and vibrant Arena design, reflecting the energy and growth of the Middle East region. The metaphoric Arena generates a strong architectural and visionary icon defined by the idea of the whirlwind. The ‘jet streams’ from the whirlwind form integrated shaded corridors, which meet and extend the lines of the area and thereby create a close connecting between the building and its surroundings.

Manhattan's iconic skyline at risk. Change is good. But not all change is equal. And this is precisely why New Yorkers are largely opposed to a 67-storey office tower to be built in the shadow of the Empire State Building, where it will dramatically alter the city’s iconic skyline and sadly not for the better. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli for Vornado Realty Trust, 15 Penn Plaza, which was approved Wednesday by the City Council by a vote of 47 to 1, is a giant office building with few redeeming qualities other then the 6,000 jobs and the $15m in transportation improvements it promises to bring to the city. And yet, with yesterdays’ approval, it is all but guaranteed a prime spot on the city’s storied skyline where it will compete with the Empire State Building for top billing.

HADID COMPLETE WORKS 1979-2009 Limited to 200 numbered copies, delivered in a luxurious clamshell box and each signed by the architect, the Art Edition features a special cover custom made by Zaha Hadid, a cast and high gloss polished black acrylic plate inspired by the design of the new MAXXI in Rome. Zaha Hadid is a wildly controversial architect, who for many years built almost nothing, despite her designs winning prizes and critical acclaim. Some even said her work was unbuildable

NORMAN FOSTER WORKS 1, This volume, the first in a six-part catalogue raisonne, surveys the early career of architect, Norman Foster. It covers the period from the establishment of Team 4 to the formation of Foster Associates, offering project histories and thematic essays which contextualize Foster's work

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DETAIL IN CONTEMPORARY RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE McLEOD, VIRGINIA This comprehensive reference work contains scale drawings of every type of detailing used in contemporary residential architecture. Each section contains at least 50 drawings drawn to a set range of scales: 1:5, 1:10 or 1:50, with detailed keys explaining construction and material. Each drawing is cross-referenced to other details from the same house.

CityCenter, Las Vegas Pelli Clarke Pelli, Rafael Viñoly Architects, Studio Daniel Libeskind, Murphy/Jahn, KPF, Foster + Partners

Burj Khalifa, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Shedding Light on the World’s Tallest Building: Three firms illuminate the Burj Khalifa with alternating restraint and spectacle.

New Swedish brand RVW will present their inaugural collection during the London Design Festival next month.