The Schlicken Empire

Don’t adjust your monitors, people. Pictured above is a rendering of the Rays’ proposed $450 million waterfront stadium in St. Petersburg. The photos of this plan have been available for some time, but the team just released this image yesterday, which features the park with the roof in the “closed” position. As you can tell from the photo, translucence is king. And after seeing those Lindsay Lohan photos in New York magazine, I have to ask: Who doesn’t love translucence?

The roof is supposed to resemble a sail and I suppose it does. But it also kinda looks like a kids’ pillow fort. Not to mention that the long post in the outfield originally reminded me of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.

Still, I really like this plan, which could be completed as early as 2012. It’ll be unique to the Bay area and it’s obvious that anything has to be better than Tropicana Field. The sad truth is that until the Rays and Marlins get new stadiums, I’ll never attempt to hit every ballpark in the bigs.

This design would make the Florida swing worth it, though.

Now if only they could figure out how to equip it with A/C.

Article Source: Yahoo.com
Picture Source: Yahoo.com

Construction began Monday on what was expected to be the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, which will soar 680 feet (207 meter) over the Chinese capital when it is complete.

The $99 million Beijing Great Wheel was supposed to be open to tourists at next summer’s Olympic Games, but the project had been delayed by a number of design changes.

The Ferris wheel was being built in eastern Beijing’s Chaoyang Park, which is also the venue for beach volleyball in the Aug. 8-24 Olympics. It will have 48 air-conditioned compartments each of which can carry up to 40 passengers.

It is expected to be completed in 2009.

[Source: spluch]

The Lace Fence designed by Demakersvan is a security fence unique in its design by its craft and assembled patterns. The patterns come in a variety of themes, showing how something which was meant purely functional can also be decorative.

For some time, designers, architects and builders all over the world have tinkered with the idea of turning excess standard shipping containers into living quarters. Some of the incarnations of the lowly metal box are downright chic, including artist-architect Adam Kalkin’s Quik House for which he apparently has more orders than he can handle.

But these metal containers have also drawn the attention of some leading brands that have started to use the eye-popping ideas to full advantage. Holiday shoppers milling about the Time Warner Center in New York will have a fabulous chance to experience one of these soon. Between November 28 and December 29, 2007, they can rest, relax and sip a perfect cup of illy espresso in one of Kalkin’s creations, the temporary Push Button House cafe that the Trieste, Italy-based illycaffè will install there.

The European premier of this concept by Alan Kalkin and illy took place at the 52nd Venice Biennale where illy continues to partner with the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia by providing the visitors each year a space to relax and enjoy their complimentary espresso. This was illy’s fourth year of establishing the refreshment area at the Biennale but the Push Button House version created an unprecedented buzz.

With the push of a button, the house opens in 90 seconds like a flower and transforms from a compact container into a fully furnished and functional space with a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, bedroom, living room and library. All materials used in the Biennale house were recyclable or recycled. As Andrea Illy, chairman and CEO of illycaffe, has been quoted as saying, illy was initially interested in Kalkin’s idea as an examination of “home as one continuous mouldable surface, a relief against which human activity would pop out.”

[Source: The cool Hunter]