Mobile houses were a pretty common thing in the past, if you consider nipa huts. But what makes this one different is because it’s made up of more than just wood and some leaves and trunks and is comprised of more than just a room or two.

NEAPO’s three-story office building weighs about 440,000 pounds, and measures almost 40 feet tall. It has been moved around by transporting it on a raft. It’s currently planted on Turku, which is located in the southeast coast of Finland, but the owners of the mobile building are planning on having it moved it another location pretty soon.

The building’s mobility is all because of how it was constructed (obviously). It was built using special, patented steel panels that provide the building with an equal amount of sturdiness that a cement building has, at just a fraction of the weight. It also makes the building more or less earthquake-proof.

[via Gizmodo via Coolest Gadgets]

One of Wright’s most famous designs was the Robie House, which is now over a hundred years old. The actual home was one of the first homes to be declared a National Historic Landmark. The home is in Chicago and was designed and constructed for a bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer. LEGO has now immortalized the Robie House in little plastic bricks.

The home is being offered in a giant 2,300 piece kit for about $200 (USD). The house is one of a series of architectural kits LEGO is offering, which include another of Wright’s creations, Fallingwater among other things.

[via MocoLoco via Gizmodo]

See those guys arc welding there? I have it on good authority those are Imperial forces behind all those flying sparks.

For some reason, though, I can’t imagine Stormtroopers using port-a-potties, or driving a Prius. But I have been known to be wrong from time to time.

Now that I’ve got you all worked up, I hate to burst your bubble. What they’re building isn’t a Death Star at all. These guys are actually building this giant steel orb as part for the new Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. While the structure won’t be painted to look like the Death Star, it will eventually be finished to look like the Earth:

No Stormtroopers either, but it’s still pretty cool, eh?

[Photo Credits: Brian D. Crawford and The Raleigh Connossieur]

So what happens when you cross Usonian houses with PC Cases? Well, see for yourself. The design features design elements from the Backman-Wilson house which was designed by the man himself.

This Usonian case mod is the work of Jeffrey Stephenson, who has done many other mods in the past with his material of choice: wood. You can view more photos, specs and details on how Jeffrey created this Usonian mod case on this page.

You can find the rest of his mods in his gallery at his website, Slippery Skip.

[via Geeky Gadgets]

The tiny sliver of land was made to park a car on. The owner of the home is 39 and lives with his mom in the three story one bedroom home. The house was built at what is a bargain price for Tokyo of appx. $500,000 (USD). Despite being so small, the house has the tech necessities we expect today with computers, washing machine, AC, and flat screen TVs. The house is tiny, but it’s actually very cool.

Of course, this single man won’t be getting any action at home since he shares a bedroom with mom. I would bet you could fart in the bathroom upstairs and cause a methane explosion in the kitchen on the ground floor the house is so small. Check out the video below to see just how small this house is.

[via CNN]

Han Solo won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian, so maybe he’s to blame for the fact that there are only five oxygen masks and four vacuum suits. Needless to say that the ship was built for speed, not safety. This means that in the case of an emergency, they probably left Chewie behind. Wookiees do require oxygen, don’t they?

Naturally, a lot of space was dedicated to making the ship fast and good for moving illicit goods through the universe. . What’s missing? A lot of comforts that you’d find on any ship this  size. Although there is an area designated as the ‘grill’, but for some reason I doubt that they were cooking up burgers and steaks.

Check out the detailed blueprint here.

[Furious Fanboys via DVice]

The rooms look too professional for my taste; I’m sure Spider-Man’s feeling mighty awkward in his room. If not for the monitors with the Level-5 logo on them, you’ll never guess that they’re video game offices. But if that’s what works for the people who work there, more power to them.

Again, you can view the rest of the pictures at Level 5′s website. I like the chair-less meeting room the best. It’s obviously a Japanese tradition, but I still can’t help but be surprised when I saw the room. I wonder what Atlus’ offices look like. I bet theirs is crazy.

[via Siliconera]

Still, it kind of looks awesome. Just imagine, sitting in your office and peering out to the other screen of this gigantic DS pad.

The photos are part of a series focusing on video game consoles. They include some 3D work by Antoine Mairot. While they look cool, some of these look a bit awkward. The DS and the classic NES don’t make very practical or good-looking buildings. The PS3 office building on the other hand…

[via Fubiz]

As you can see, the codes provide a good view of the building. Teradadesign and Qosmo propose that in the future, the codes would allow people to view the tweets of the shoppers inside the building, as well as view shop information and even download coupons to their mobile phones. 3D ads or graphics are an option as well. I’d like to think that we’ll have some sort of implant or wearable tech that will allow us to “read” QR codes. It would be cool to see augmented reality graffiti, or “read” books with 3D content.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Can you imagine your city plastered with QR codes instead of big and colorful billboards?

[via Buzz Beast via Notcot]

Matsuda’s stunning video clip was created as part of his Masters’ program at the Bartlett School of Architecture, and envisions a future in which augmented reality has embedded itself into our everyday lives, transforming the way we interact with our living and working spaces. A wondrous world of heads-up displays show contextual information for everything from dishwasher status, to tea kettle temperature updates, to an inventory of the items in your fridge. Oh yeah, and lots and lots of ads.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I, for one do not want my kitchen walls covered with banner ads – even if they are targeted to my midnight cravings for Krispy Kremes and Grape Tang (unless Kozmo was still in business and could deliver those items in 30 minutes or less.)

Ah, the future’s so bright, you’ve gotta hope the AdBlock Plus guys are working on an augmented reality version of their app.

[via bldgblog via The Awesomer]

The bridge’s design takes into account the wonderful scenery, which means that instead of merely being something to pass through, people can actually chill out on the bridge and enjoy the view, turning the bridge itself into a destination. To that effect the bridge has curving benches in the middle of the pathway.

Here’s an excerpt from World Architecture News’ article on the bridge: “The boards run longitudinally along the bridge and over the benches (with anti-slip strips on the edge) and are fitted together by a unique concealed clamped-fixing system, tailor made for the project. This system avoids invasive drilling and minimises disruption to the bridge’s slender deck and streamlined form. It presents the maximum timber surface to walk on, while allowing the wood to expand, contract and weather naturally.”

Castleford bridge’s safety features were also integrated without sacrificing aesthetics. Lighting is embedded into the handrails that span the length of the bridge. The supports are curved to discourage stupid people from climbing them, and as you saw above, the benches are divided by arm rests. The arm rests not only create “personal space”, they also deter skaters from grinding on the bench. Castleford Bridge is just one of the structures built in the revitalization of Castleford. One other cool bridge that was made is named Tickle Cock Bridge. I kid you not. The design must be so cool that when you enter the bridge I am going to stop there.

[also via square magazine and dezeen]

The Digital Beijing building takes its inspiration from a circuit board, so the concept is certainly well-suited for containing a computer. Modder Nick Falzone (aka Greensabbath) built this beauty out of ebony and maple from a design rendered by a friend… who also happens to be architect Gert Swolfs, who did the original renders for the building design itself.

This is quite a case, but with a powerful team behind it, we can expect no less. Falzone named the completed case Chiaroscuro, an Italian term used in art for work that strongly contrasts light and dark. It’s a name that works here on several levels.

[bit-tech.net via Hack n Mod]

At first glance, it’s hard to get over the ridiculously suggestive shape of the Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower), but it’s the cool light show that’s really the eye-catcher here.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The 474-foot tall, 38-story office tower has over 4,500 LED devices that can be computer synchronized to display massive, colorful images wrapping the entire building. The building was designed by noted French architect Jean Nouvel, whose designs include the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and Tokyo’s Dentsu Tower among others.

[photos via flickr]