Those cross shaped buildings look absolutely awful. I bet half the people who live there (if they ever got built), committed suicide. They look very oppressive.

How usable we feel a product is does depend on how it looks/sounds/feels to quite a great degree.

You’re right. Just to complicate things, this is covered in the study of ergonomics. How a product is used, its ‘useability’ if you like, often dictates how the product looks.

Wow. Some sense. Thank you JP.

People so often think that ‘design’ is ‘dressing’ an object rather then deciding how it works, how it’s manufactured, how it’s used, how it’s disposed of, how it’s transported, how it integrates with other objects, how it’s stored, how long it lasts, how people connect to it…

Jon, while I agree with you to a great extent, what we now do instead (estates of boxes) divorces people from each other and from amenities and green space just as much.

Not sure if it fits in this thread , but i came across Balcombe viaduct the other day and thought it looked amazing:

I can’t believe this thread has had so many posts from people claiming to know about design and no one has even noticed that the op’s wire chair is a Harry Bertoia side chair not an Eames. 🙂

I went to the public library in Amsterdam it was a fantasic building, like a huge Ipod inside brilliant design, lighting etc, so many neat design ideas too many to list, definatley worth a visit.

Good for you, hope you’re happy in your iLife. A couple of decent designers doth not a fortune cost. The products are simple – cuboid with a few fillets. Not expensive to make. The sofware development – maybe. But the materials? No way. Like I said, it’s just fashionable.

I rarely understand this argument in the mac vs pc etc. You’re right, it shouldnt be hard for other comapnies to make good looknig, simple products, yet none ever seem capable?! (please give some examples) So apple simply exploit the market…good looking, yet simple, technology. Cos lets face it, not many want to look like some uber geek with some plasticy P.O.S with red neons….

mtt – that’s stumped me, I’m going to take a guess at Spain?

Villa Radieuse – pah! kids stuff. I can’t see it ever really working, and rather think that he knew that as well.

How ’bout this…..

[img]http://cadc.auburn.edu/soa/rural-studio/images_from_andrew/glasschapel2.gif[/img]

Harry Bertoia side chair not an Eames

You’re absolutely right. 😳

Here’s the Eames one. Looks way more comfy and practical. 😛

mtt – that’s stumped me, I’m going to take a guess at Spain?

and i am the one out of a job… 😉

I think you have thrown me a curve ball, it almost looks temporary so I am going to go with Scandinavian public building/visitor centre. No idea.

you should get this one, now this is good architecture (don’t look at the image title)

Not getting the H&dM signal box is poor form 😉 as for the coloured facade, i’d guess something by Alsop or maybe one of the Berlin practices whose name escapes me right now, the miesian detail on the previous page I dunno. That viaduct is stunning Horatio, thanks for posting it. And to keep with the rail/signal theme, how about this one..?

As someone doomed to spend a lot of time riding the much despised field edges, every time I see one of these I can’t help but admire the design.

Opens both ways, selfclosing by the offsetting of the two hinge pins. Simple, elegant, reliable.

These

and this

Both ageless design classics which just do what they’re supposed to very well.

mtt – try Rural studio…
will think about that facade tomorrow after 60 miles on the cx bike. Its not our favourite son of a diplomat is it?