January 14th, 2010 | Posted in: technology
Augmented Reality is becoming bigger and bigger. After introducing you Layar earlier (and the issues it brings with it) and Zugara, my latest find, SARA, shouldn’t be missed either.
SARA was created by the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) in partnership with IN10 Communicatie and Layar, is the world’s first mobile architecture application featuring augmented reality with 3D models. Simply hold up your smartphone to see photos, video, 3D models, scale models and other details about buildings, whether already there gone or planned to be there. The app currently only shows the new Market Hall in Rotterdam’s Blaak district. Although it’s still under construction, those with the app can view a 3D model of the finished building.
SARA also allows users to add their own information about any building or map tours of their favourite architecture. Beginning next month, the entire city of Rotterdam will be viewable through SARA; within five years, NAi expects the whole country to be covered. The technology was launched last month on the Layar platform and will be downloadable from the Apple App Store and Android Market beginning next month.
Amazing isn’t it? I hope they can get enough data to fill the app to an interesting level which I think is critical for app’s like these. But compliments for pushing the boundaries!
Through: Springwise
tags: app, architecture, augmented reality, institute, iphone, layar, mobile phone, nai, netherlands, rotterdam, sara
November 9th, 2009 | Posted in: art, photography
Today, the 9th of November it is 20 years ago that the Berlin Wall fell, marking the end of the cold war and communism. At that time I was just 7 years old so I couldn’t grasp what was happening then But sometimes you just knew it was important, moreover because my parents let me stay up and watch the late night news with them. Ever since, these images of celebration have always stuck in my mind.
Twenty years on, the larger part of the wall has been removed. However, Berlin still bares the scars of decades of separation between east and west. Photojournalist Kelly Gorham has studied the wall, and other DDR buildings looking at the structures as modern architectural ruins.This has resulted in the amazing exhibition The Stones Have Memories.
“My guiding creative principal was to let the architecture speak for itself,” Gorham says. “Is it possible to document emotion without photographing a human face?” Looking at the results I think it is. Beautiful and striking, truly capturing the history of the city. Amazing.
I have made a small selection of images, but be sure to check out the entire gallery here!
I don’t know about you guys, but every time I pass a wall of Lego boxes in a toy store I get this urge to buy one. I remember standing staring at these walls for hours as a kid. Building complete villages, castles and pirate ships. Unfortunately I would be interrupted roughly by my mom or dad dragging me out, sometimes buying me (only) one of these boxes. Now that I can afford it, the temptation is still there and sometimes it almost irresistible. That why little nephews are so much valued I guess!
But Lego is going to serve us! After the techie Mindstorms they are now going to put put the Lego Architecture series. Great architects’ work and famous landmarks will be Lego’ed. In the Lego Architecture series you will be able to buy sets for building the Empire State Building, Chicago’s John Hancock Building and Sears Tower, and the Seattle Space Needle.
Perhaps the most exciting release are two buildings by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd buildings: The amazing Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Rumors are that the next series will include work by another achitectural legend Le Corbusier. Great stuff!
As Lego has proved before they are one of the companies succesfully tapping into their user communities. This series was created in collaboration with a Lego fanatic called Adam Reed Tucker. He is a part of Brickstructures Inc who have been building some amazing stuff. (Check it out here). Again, a great example of Lego turning into a platform for the creations of its users. Brilliant.
tags: adam reed tucker, architecture, Brickstructures Inc., crowdsourcing, emipire state building, fallingwater, guggenheim, john hancock building, le corbusier, lego, mindstorms, platform, sears tower, web 2.0
May 7th, 2009 | Posted in: misc.
Hey all!
As you can see, there are some changes going on here. I have decided to drop the focus on Nike, and start posting on everything that interests me. Expect to see a lot more on Marketing, web 2.0, Advertising, Fashion, Design and Architecture soon.
Keep in touch!
Matt.
