Arch.itect.us

When a city’s economy begins to fail, those in charge have some choices to make. Should they pump money into local businesses? Should they let the public see just how bad it’s getting? One town in England is taking a novel approach to the scores of closed-up shops on its main street: they’re putting up [...]

Model cities aren’t just the stuff of kids’ toys. They’re used all over the world for urban planning, architectural proposals and research. But while miniature cities are useful, they’re also a unique kind of art. Older models give us a very real glimpse into what cities looked like in past generations, while new models can [...]

If there’s one toy that can transcend cultural, age and geographical barriers, it’s Lego. The timeless toy has been enjoyed by children all over the world and from all walks of life. But it’s not just a child’s toy – Lego is a full-time hobby for plenty of adults, too. These impressive works of Lego [...]

One of the oldest and largest cathedrals in the world hid a fantastic secret for centuries, one that was often rumored but not confirmed. The vast, splendid Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum, sits atop an ancient series of underground tunnels said to connect the cathedral with the Basilica Cistern, Princes’ Islands and Topkapi [...]

The term “off the grid” has been proudly used for many years by those who choose to produce their own electricity or live without electricity. But there’s a whole other perspective to living off the grid: those who do it out of necessity. The majority of these can be defined as squatters: people living in [...]

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but a Subway sandwich shop made of shipping containers is helping workers at the World Trade Center building site get their noontime grub on more efficiently. The shop will rise along with the building’s construction to its eventual 108-story height, making it easier for construction [...]

With much of the East coast of the US under a heavy blanket of snow, it’s starting to look (and feel) almost like the cold wilderness of Siberia. Luckily for us, spring and summer will eventually return. But in Russia the winters are even longer and harsher, and military operations can be hindered by meter-deep [...]

Ruben Brulat hasn’t been a photographer long; the French artist picked up his first camera just two years ago. But since then, he’s been exploring what it means to be a human and how we interact with our environment. His series “Primates” places him – both as photographer and as subject – in inhospitable terrains [...]

Google’s Street View has made it easier for us to find our destinations, but has it influenced us in other ways as well? When Google sent out a fleet of automobiles armed with GPS units, laser rangefinders, and multi-eyed cameras, their goal was to make it easier to navigate places around the world. But the [...]

It’s common knowledge that living in a city as large as New York can be chaotic, and the laws meant to provide order and protect citizens can be beyond confusing. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a user’s guide for navigating key NYC laws? Artist/graphic designer Candy Chang is doing her part to help make [...]