Grupo Cuatro! Here is what our international super-squad came up with in 5 days. Not too shabby, I like how bold the proposal is and that it at least gets a reaction. It was a lot of fun learning from the different group members and sharing with them as well. Hopefully we'll get a change to go back. download PDF for full presentation.

Felipe Carrasco of Clap Arquitectos has been working on a number of "pallet houses" and other creative works using the often overlooked and cheap material. They are beautiful pieces of architecture that do not come across as kitch or one-off attention getters. Felipe and his office have a lot of good energy and talent and I am sure we will see a lot more from them in the future.
Not to mention, he is a fantastic guide to all things Chilean and Santiago! Thnak you Felipe and crew.

Up until last week Kintaro Sushi in Kapaa was my all time favorite spot for Sashimi, Nagiri, and all things fishy. Then came Chile, and now we have a new champion. Add in ceviche with a Japanese twist and it can't be beat. Maybe I will have to go back to Kintaro for a rematch....

4 days down here in Chile and it has been a blast so far. Always good to come back down to South America, and so far, always in a different place. We have taken a number of trips with the Workshop and Friday's was to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar where our site is. It's a beautiful place and I would love to come back in Summer. The Workshop starts in earnest tomorrow and then its sprint until Friday. And all in Spanish, I might add. This is going to be exhausting!

Nope, didn't get it. But had a good time putting together the proposal and thinking about what i could do and where i could go with all those green backs. Submission below.

I have always been a little wary of the excitement over "concept" in an architectural project, probably because I have a hard time coming up with them. I'm a little too detail and efficiency oriented. However, this blog post from the up and coming studio of Visiondivision could pursuade me otherwise.

There has been a steady stream of Starchitect "Make It Right" homes coming out of Louisiana, some pretty great (atta' boy Blackwell in Biloxi), some a little questionable (Frahk O., I'm lookin at you). Just saw this one on Archdaily from Morphosis and it ticks all the right boxes for me. Cohesive design? Maybe not, but the brief and exposure down there sort of asks for that. Affordable? The claim of complete energy independence form solar panels and a geothermal mechanical plant makes me think otherwise. But beyond the hype, its a really thoughtful, comprehensive, and livable house. They have a strong and well explained concept throughout the house, and as a machine it appears very advanced. Check out the Float House on Archdaily.