Mechanical pencils are a good alternative to conventional wooden ones. Without the need to deal with messy wood and lead shavings, mechanical pencils can truly be convenient. Using lead as an extendable and replaceable core, users get an instant drawing tool for any purpose. This makes it popular among artists and other professionals who constantly…

Everyone needs to relax every now and then, and what better way to do it with some good old-fashioned snooker? But while most people would go to their local bar or arcade, the creators at Tube Unique Wilderness would rather make a pool room of their own. Using nothing but wood, their hands, and some…

Famous for his mesmerizing magnet build videos, aptly-named YouTube creator Magnetic Games is back with yet another giant magnetic project. This time around, he’s set his sights on one of New York’s most prominent skyline structures: the Empire State Building. Built using at least 20,000 magnetic balls (according to his count), this towering magnetic skyscraper…

It’s easy to burn 5,000 matchsticks to the ground, but you know what isn’t easy? Making a 600-piece home for your pet. Rather than going to a pet shop to buy one, YouTube creator The Q did just this to build a new home for his pet rat. Using tongue depressors for the “2x4s”, The…

The New Story charity organization may have beaten them to the first punch, but that sure won’t stop the Eindhoven University of Technology, contractor Van Wijnen, real estate company Vesteda, materials company Saint Gobain-Weber Beamix, and engineering firm Witteveen+Bos from setting up five 3D printed concrete houses in Bosrijk, a relatively new residential district in…

For most, the most significant, most practical expense they’ll ever make is a house. But considering how substantial and costly a home can be to maintain, some homeowners go through some crazy remodeling projects and insurance policies just to keep their house afloat. Hover isn’t an omnipotent solution to remodeling problems, but it does make…

At first glance, the Velux Cabrio looks like an absurdly large window. It could even pass as a solar panel. But see it in action, and you’ll soon realize why its size seems so ridiculous. Just take a look at this video: Simply put, the Velux Cabrio is an ingenious window design that converts into…

Thanks to killer set design in movies and television, almost everyone wants their own secret room. And who wouldn’t? Having your own private sanctum sounds like a blast: peace and quiet, the freedom to do what you want, plus the rooms are usually sealed off in the coolest way possible — waterfalls, anybody? Creative Home Engineering…

Marcus Bree knows buildings. The engineer and architect fan has been creating highly detailed models of prominent buildings and landmarks since 2008, including the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim. He’s now setting his sights on the iconic Farnsworth House designed and constructed by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe back in 1951. The…

It’s been years in the making and one of the last dreams of Steve Jobs before his passing in 2011, but the new Apple heaquarters—Apple Park—is finally set to open next month. As one of the most future-forward buildings in existence, the ring-shaped headquarters is a modern marvel in sustainable architecture and operations, with solar…

A new docu-series on design is set to premiere February 10th on Netflix. The title, Abstract: The Art of Design. Now for those of us who like to peek behind the scene or tap into the minds of the creators, the series should be a doozy! As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing the episode…

As conventional casting methods have taught us, the best way for reliably manufacturing multiples of any object is to start with an accurate and sturdy mold. For their recent Fabric Forms explorative material study, however, architects Joseph Sarafian and Ron Culver wanted to do something that was anything but conventional. Working with the Grasshopper plug-in…

It’s not easy to take on the task of improving upon one of the world’s most simple and well-loved toy building block designs – particularly if that building block is LEGO. For Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, however, creating their modernist “Japanese LEGO” wasn’t just about building a new toy; it was also about communicating an…

When it comes to model making, every architect, designer or engineer has their own proven method – whether it starts with a simple sketch and moves to foam core or with various found materials. Regardless of how they got there though, the model that client sees is likely to be considerably more polished – and…

Back in 2013, many of the world’s best architects and designers attended the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Among other concepts being presented for the first time, this was where “Blockitecture” was introduced to the world by James Paulius. Paulius, a product designer who…

Back in 1965, neo-futuristic designer, architect, philosopher and all-around badass Buckminster Fuller designed and patented an “autonomous dwelling machine” that he coined the Fly’s Eye Dome. The designer, whose fascination with material usage and energy efficiency in design and architecture led to a career highlighted with a variety of geodesic dome designs, sadly passed away…

You may remember Dutch designer Jolan Van der Wiel’s Gravity Stool when it hit the internets a couple years ago. His unique take on the centuries-old seating design used the simple concept of magnets to sculpt the stool upwards rather than turning, blow molding, injection molding, or any other fabrication method seen thus far. The…

We’re always talking about the future of design, the future of technology, the future of MAKING. In a world where auto-balance bikes can teach kids how to ride without training wheels, a world where heat signatures can turn any surface into a touchscreen…how do we find the next ‘big thing’? MakerGalaxy is a show that…

As a dog owner, I am constantly on the lookout for dog products that aren’t your run-of-the-mill, ‘bought it at PetsMart’ variety. Sadly, very few products actually exist for dog owners that reflect rock-solid design ideals (and no, I don’t need a Gucci dog collar). For those looking to step outside of the realm of…

Living in 150 square feet doesn’t sound appealing to a lot of people, but for ultra-minimalists and those looking to pinch their pennies, downsizing their living space has been a liberating experience according to recent news stories over the past few years. With the rise of such couch-surfing/house rental sites such as AirBnB, micro-houses have…

Neri Oxman just can’t help being Neri Oxman. Always on the forefront of the next big thing, she famously revealed a line of runway-ready 3D printed apparel before 3D printing was even a buzzword. Revealed this week, the latest project to come out of Neri’s innovative Mediated Matter program at MIT centers around the intersection…

Among the best ideas to take away from modern architecture are new studies in materials and applications. The Bloom installation is one of those new and rare architectural pieces that begs the question: What the heck could I do with thermobimetal?

Creating amazing looking structures using SolidWorks… Many doubt it, others toy with it and still others know just how to blend the capabilities to make it possible. Project Frog, out of San Francisco, CA, is one of the later. They’ve got sweet looking, highly efficient, modular building systems down in a big way. They do…

Yes, you read that right. SolidWorks Live Buildings, not Dassault Live Buildings. SolidWorks. Live. Buildings… as in the kind that you design and layout in 3D, as in the kind that is usually dedicated to programs like Revit, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD or other AEC software packages. SolidWorks is officially in the market and it’s all happening…

You could stab the stuffing out of the SolidWorks documentation, but you won’t find the mention of BIM or AEC anywhere. What you will find is another cushiony three letter acronym synonymous with both, IFC. In fact, for SolidWorks 2011, you’ll see a little .IFC format compatibility, the addition of walk-through visualization, and special reference…

There are a whopping 500 apps in Apple’s AppStore for architects and contractors. This includes apps categorized as “games,” “lifestyle,” and “entertainment.” While SimCity Deluxe might alleviate stress on the job site, it’s not going to help create layouts or access floorplans. So, Software Advice has slapped together a list of the best iPhone and…

Quick! Switch your screen from the SolidWorks model of your house back to the spreadsheet that updates Mr. Manager coming round the corner on your task status. Yep, you know what I’m talking about. Modeling your house in SolidWorks. Many have done it in their ‘spare time’. Or, maybe you actually work for a architect…

The last time I saw something this lovable and all together creepy, Sigourney Weaver was watching mama Alien get sucked through a quarter-size hull breach. Shown at the D3 in New York as part of the FUTURE.city exhibit earlier this month, the ‘Autonomous Living Unit’ by Eduardo McIntosh, is the all-in-one The idea? That this…

“That storefront looks spectacular. I’m tellin’ ya, it looks like it’s sizzlin’ right up from THE GROUND.” Yes, the colors are mesmerizing your eye holes and you grasp for word to explain how structures can seemingly float curvaceously in front of you. Steel, screws and a little SolidWorks magic, I say, and Feature Factory has…

Every once in a while I’ll come across some really nice looking images of models created with SolidWorks on Flickr, but finding exceptional Architectural Design created with SolidWorks is rare. It’s not that architecture can’t be done in SolidWorks, it’s justs been focused primarily as a solution in the MCAD market. Architecture was my first…