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Water and sediment swirl through San Francisco Bay, mixing with the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of California. The Bay, which covers roughly 1,600 square miles (4,000 square km), drains water from approximately 40% of the state — including the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Surrounding the Bay are the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.

See more here: https://bit.ly/3xCP2VF

37.670000°, -122.270000°

Source imagery: ESA - European Space Agency

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The Hlaing River passing through a neighborhood in northern Yangon, Myanmar. Also known as the Yangon or Rangoon River, this waterway drains into the Andaman Sea and is navigable by ocean-going vessels, giving it a critical role in the economy of Myanmar. The river has also helped Yangon grow into the largest city in the nation, with an urban population of about 5.1 million.

See more here: https://bit.ly/2T2jN7F

16.925027°, 96.075614°

Source imagery: Maxar

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Athens has long had a conflicting relationship with its polykatoikias. In a city where you can’t swing a cat without hitting one of these unsightly multi-story residential cement masses, Point Supreme has gotten very good at turning their interior pitfalls into advantages.

Situated in a sunken position with light penetrating only one side, their latest project looked to embrace the interior’s magical cave-like feeling transforming this unfinished, semi-basement space into a richly tactile delight.

Located in Ilioupoli, in the south east corner of Athens, this eclectic and captivating home clocks in at a compact 56sqm. In order to harness the volume’s full potential, the architects opted for an open plan layout, maximising the natural lighting and establishing a sense of spaciousness. Creating a positive from its unfinished state see-through, light-weight partitions and steel and glass sliding panels were incorporated to delineate the various zones in lieu of internal walls.

Related: Trikoupi Apartment in Athens by Point Supreme Architects.

Further visual and spatial filters such as sliding partitions, curtains and hanging shelves were added creating the illusion of depth while providing ample storage and privacy between areas.

Rich in textures and colour from the warm burgundy joinery and kitchen cabinets to the robust ochre and seagreen velvet curtains and light cork wall, these vibrant accents are a playful offset to the neutral scheme of the exposed building shell. The original steel windows and door interplay with the new stainless steel shelves adding a cool charm to the already diverse materiality.

Considering the small footprint, the most miraculous part of the project tends to be the moments of surprise from the crisp white corner bookcase to the floor to ceiling baby blue bathroom, extended to fit in a walk-in shower that transports you to a beachside villa.

Quelling the urge to cover the raw, industrial backdrop of concrete columns, beams and ceilings the practice instead left them intact along with the visible cable ducts and water piping adding an edge to the whimsical furnishings.

From lacklustre to lush, this unpretentiously chic refurbishment showcases the best of Point Supreme’s lateral thinking to reimagine the polykatoikia for contemporary living.

Related: Nadja Apartment in Athens, Greece by Point Supreme.

| The article From Lacklustre to Lush: Ilioupoli Apartment Athens by Point Supreme Architects. appeared first on Yellowtrace. |

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Hundreds of vehicles sit on a lot at the Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. This facility covers nearly 1.4 square miles (3.6 square km) and has an annual capacity of 640,000 cars — more than any other automobile assembly plant in North America. Many of the vehicles seen here are covered with a white plastic film to protect their finish from dust, dirt or other damage in transit.

See more here: https://bit.ly/3hwArpr

35.961578°, -86.476875°

Source imagery: Nearmap

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Check out this drone shot by our founder, Benjamin Grant, of the Tegallalang Rice Terraces in Bali, Indonesia. Farming with these graduated steps makes it possible for farmers to grow their crops on hilly terrain and effectively decreases both erosion and surface runoff.

See more here: https://bit.ly/3jWV7IK

-8.433013°, 115.279781°

Source imagery: Benjamin Grant

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The construction of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, involved the removal of the top half of Capital Hill — the mound on which the structure was built. After the project was completed, most of the displaced earth was replaced on top of the building where a lush, green lawn now grows. While much of Canberra was designed by Walter Burley Griffin in 1913, this specific complex opened in 1988 and was designed to look like two boomerangs. Parliament House contains approximately 4,400 rooms.

See more here: https://bit.ly/3qXEY7t

-35.308056°, 149.124444°

Source imagery: Maxar

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Memory and metamorphosis interplay in this contemporary home by Ralph Germann. Behind the impressive stone facade of a traditional family barn, the architects inserted a wooden and glass cube, transforming the interior for the modern context while retaining the structure’s authentic and historic integrity.

Handed down through four generations, the building has undergone various evolutions since its erection in 1854 — from hay barn to stable, wine storage and most recently a wooden extension added in 1950.

While the outside bears the marks of time, the inside feels timeless. Highlighting the mineral character of the original construction, Ralph Germann plays with volumes and light to create fresh twists and a new perspective on the classic vernacular. With a freshly brushed timber frame, the glass box has stunning views of its stone masonry envelope and the vista beyond.

Related: Barn Conversion in Obstalden, Switzerland by Lilitt Bollinger. 

A concrete staircase leads to the upper floor, with direct access to the main room and terrace. Acting as a perfect balance between two eras, the minimalist allure of this new construction enhances the raw aspect of the bygone building, bridging the gap between old and new.

Bathed in a luminous glow, natural light shapes the space dictated by the rhythm of nature. With four new skylights installed they work in tandem with the original narrow windows of the barn to circulate indirect light throughout space. Subtle down to even the smallest detail the owner articulates it best — “There is something musical. The light punctuates the space, vibrates in crescendo.”

Related: Art Barn by Thomas Randall-Page for his Artist Father.

Reinvesting back into the structure, wooden boards from the old barn were used to design custom furniture for the bedroom and kitchen. The cosy wood cabin vibe extends to the bathroom with an inspired movable bookshelf that opens to the living room for relaxing baths in front of the fireplace.

Steamrolling this barn firmly into the present while taking cues from its past, this new addition sparkles like a jewel in the sun, a welcome intervention in what will hopefully be another 100 years of evolution.

Related: Hourré House in Labastide Villefranche, France by Collectif Encore.

| The article House CCB in Valais, Switzerland by Ralph Germann Architectes. appeared first on Yellowtrace. |

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Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia, with just over 430,000 residents. It is located in the geographic center of the country amid the many hills and valleys of the Khomas Highland Region. As a result, the city contains many undeveloped open spaces, including the 27-acre (11 hectare) National Botanic Garden seen near the top-right of this Overview.

See more here: https://bit.ly/3hmyqMc

-22.570000°, 17.083611°

Source imagery: Airbus Space
© CNES 2020, Distribution Airbus DS

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Today is Independence Day in the United States so we wanted to celebrate the beauty of the National Parks in America. This Overview gallery includes:

1. Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone / Wyoming
2. Everglades / Florida
3. Glacier Bay / Alaska
4. Crater Lake / Oregon

In total, the United States has 62 national parks which cover a total area of roughly 52 million acres. We take great pride is the varied, awe-inspiring splendor of these natural landscapes and cherish that we have made a point to protect them. What’s your favorite national park?

Source imagery: Maxar

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Key West is an island and city in the Straits of Florida, USA. It is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States and the westernmost island connected by highway in the Florida Keys. The island, which is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, has a population of approximately 25,000 and was visited by 2.25 million tourists in 2016.

See more here: https://bit.ly/2DsQm3v

24.564635°, -81.815648°

Source imagery: Airbus Space
© CNES 2020, Distribution Airbus DS