Imaginative Architecture. The Fiction Series by Photographer Filip Dujardin.

above: one of Filip Dujardin's architecture composite photographs

Fast Company ran a post the other day on their Co.Design site, inspired by the wonderful design blog, Dezeen, about the work of Victor Enrich. Enrich is a Spanish photographer who photoshops together various pieces of architecture together to create surreal buildings shaped like french fries and guns, an example of which is shown below.


above: Victor Enrich's Defense, a gun shaped building, is one of the images in Co.Design's article.

This instantly reminded me of the work of Belgium commercial photographer Filip Dujardin, who basically does the same sort of digital collage, only in a less whimsical or humorous fashion and with a better eye for composition.

Since many of my readers also browse FastCo. and Dezeen, I thought they might like to see another - and in my opinion, better- version of similarly constructed photographs.

Shown here are the 22 images (including the one at the top of the post) from the Fiction series by Filip Dujardin.






















all images courtesy of the photographer

Filip Dujardin

Container Homes That Open In 90 Seconds. Push Button Houses by Adam Kalkin.

Architect Adam Kalkin's Push Button homes are fascinating. A shipping container that unfolds with the push of a button in 90 seconds to reveal a living space complete with a bedroom, a bathroom, kitchenette, and living area.

The first Push Button House was originally displayed at Art Basel Miami in 2005. Built in a standard shipping container, the home, by architect Adam Kalkin, expands like a flower blossoming to reveal a modern and minimal living space.











Kalkin’s concept uses hydraulic power to lift and lower the sides of the shipping container, expanding the usable living space.



photographs by Peter Aaron.

The Push Button House was adapted by Illy for use as a temporary café at the Venice Biennale in June of 2007, and at the Time-Warner Center later that year (images courtesy of Tree Hugger).






His Push Button House 2, a revised version of his Push button House 1 was documented in the 12 minute short, shown below, by Snag Films.

Push Button House 2:


Part performance piece and part sculpture, the Push Button is an engineering and artistic feat that captured the attention of both the artistic community and public as a bold, yet playful vision on the intersection of art and technology.

This award winning short film has been featured at over a dozen international festivals including AFI Dallas, Newport Beach Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and featured preview footage at the Museum of Modern Art.

Adam is also the owner and designer of Quik House, a series of purchasable and customizable prefab shipping container homes.



Kalkin’s Push Button Houses are one of many shipping container concepts and homes that he has designed. See all his amazing work here.

Images courtesy of Adam Kalkin and Peter Aaron

Smart & Stylish Modular Housing. The House Arc By Bellamo Architects.

The House Arc is a modular off-the-grid housing solution where the pieces are shipped (ideally, fabricated locally) to the site and erected by the user or community. The future goal of the House Arc is to house people in devastated areas after catastrophic events and replace housing that was not built to withstand such forces.





The House Arc could be utilized in locations where natural disasters have displaced people, such as Haiti and New Orleans. Hopefully, organizations dedicated to finding the most affordable off-the-grid modular housing solutions will consider the House Arc.



The first House Arc was permanently installed on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2010 (a time lapse video of that construction can be seen at the end of this post.) Large windows provide natural light, maintain views, and funnel in ocean breezes to cool the interior while the shading trellis limits heat infiltration.





The raised structure allows air to flow underneath for cooling, functions with the site terrain, and maintains the permeability of the site.




The House Arc’s simple and modular design allows it to be assembled extremely quickly. Construction assembly is much like building modular furniture with a kit of parts and an easy-to-follow, graphic installation manual requiring no special training.



Time lapse video of the House Arc being constructed in Hawaii:


Bellomo Architects