Sky - design

Hanging Temple photos

View 悬空寺 photos (shared by Swee Fun)
(link to a Google Doc slideshow, hit spacebar for navigation)

The Hanging Temple (simplified Chinese: 悬空寺; traditional Chinese: 懸空寺; pinyin: Xuánkong Sì) is a temple built into a cliff ( 75m Above the ground )near Mount Heng in the province of Shanxi. The closest city is Datong, 65 kilometers to the northwest. Along with the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple is one of the main tourist attractions and historical sites in the Datong area. Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is unique not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it includes Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian elements.

Related: 悬空寺 (百度百科)
Wikipedia 悬空寺 (Hanging Temple)

Tags: China, history, Photos, religion, architecture, design

Posted in Chinese-中文 , Buddhism , Photos , World

Posted by skyleecm at 06:08 AM no comments

Sustainable Towers in Malaysia

From inhabitat. (photos)

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A stunning new residential development is planned for the Putrajaya waterfront known as Precinct 4, just 30km south of Kuala Lumpur. The design, however, is a refreshing and original with unique, marine-inspired structures - which also draw from traditional Islamic designs - arranged in a permeable, radiating block of bioclimatic architecture.

The winner of a recent contest, the design for Precinct 4 comes from Studio Nicoletti Associati and Malaysian architects Hijjas Kasturi Associates, who provided the masterplan of Putrajaya. The goal of the designers was to provide a model for sustainable residential design that was inspired by the city’s unique landscape which includes an expansive artificial lake. The biggest inspiration came from the sea and the entire development resembles a fleet of ships.

The architect’s goal was to design buildings that tell “of its place of origin which is culturally modern, Islamic and tropical in nature.”

Tags: Malaysia, architecture, Photos, design

Posted in World , Photos

Posted by skyleecm at 00:21 AM 1 comments

Natural Architecture - an Emerging Art Movement

From designboom. (photos)

the natural environment still manages to fill us with a sense
of awe and amazement. despite the amount of scientific
knowledge mankind has gathered, nature still holds great
mysteries that we may never be able to unravel.
this complexity has continually daunted man. in frustration, we
try to control nature by enforcing order. as a result,
we have distanced ourselves from the earth, even though
our survival is completely dependent on it. we are now trying
to regain our close connection to nature.

there is an emerging art movement that is exploring mankind's
desire to reconnect to the earth, through the built environment.
referred to as 'natural architecture', it aims to create a new,
more harmonious, relationship between man and nature by
exploring what it means to design with nature in mind.

the core concept of the movement is that mankind can live
harmoniously with nature, using it for our needs while
respecting its importance.

all of the works in the movement share a central ethos that
demonstrates a respect and appreciation for nature.

these works are meant to comment on architecture and provide
a new framework to approach buildings and structures.
they aim to infuse new ideas into architecture by subverting
the idea that architecture should shelter nature. instead,
the structures deliberately expose the natural materials used
in the building process.

the designers aren't suggesting that architecture must conform
to their vision, they are just providing ideas that they hope will
inspire us all to rethink the relationship between nature and the
built environment.

natural architecture (the book) by alessandro rocca.

Tags: art, Photos, nature, design, relationships, book, environment

Posted in Photos , World

Posted by skyleecm at 12:36 PM no comments

Game Design Essentials of 20 Difficult Games

From Gamasutra by John Harris.

The impulse to make video games easier can be traced to a fundamental change in perception over what a game should be. The older school of thought, which dates back and beyond the days of Space Invaders to the era of pinball, is that a game should measure the player's skill. Arcade games, in fact, must make it difficult for a player to last for any great length of time in order to keep money coming into the coin box. The newer concept is that a game should provide an experience to the player. The player is to feel like some character, or like he's participating in a story, or that he's making some difference in a fictional realm. ..

The article covers the following games: