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As the website states, PARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good. Park(ing) Day started in 2005 when San Francisco design studio, Rebar, transformed a single parking meter space into a temporary public park. Since then, Park(ing) Day has grown to over 700 parks in more than 140 cities across 6 continents. This latest Park(ing) Day took place last Friday, the 17th.

I personally first learned of Park(ing) Day a few years back when my friend’s landscape architecture firm did their own “park.” I always want to participate am never able to. Some of the parks are just so awesome. Take a look at the truncated gallery I created from the very large Flickr Pool.

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I often marvel at tiny space apartments. I recall once looking at in awe of the 300+ sq. ft. mock up they had in the Ikea showroom. I could never fit all my crap into that kind of space. I have far too much extraneous stuff. To live in such a small space requires precision. Precision not only on the level of how every perfectly chosen piece of furniture fits together, but precision of how you live your life. That old newspaper clipping of when you came in 5th for the state fair science competition in 3rd grade — don’t need it. We can all attest to having lots of useless stuff, but Steve Sauer definitely does not. His 182 sq. ft. space has a place for everything and everything in its place.

Inside this tiny space Sauer has all the things you need to live including two beds, a full kitchen with dishwasher, a bathroom with shower, closet and storage for two bikes. His TV is larger than mine at 37″ and he has a dining table which I don’t. And my apt is 1000 sq. ft. Where am I going wrong?

Sauer has the benefit of being able to build pieces when he can’t find what he’s looking for after hours upon hours of searching. He is an interiors engineer for Boeing and holds a master’s degree in whole-systems design. He also has a separate nearby one-bedroom condo that he deems “too large” for himself. He said his dream is to “put 300 of these in a building and not have it be a tenement.”

Santander’s Group City in Madrid is the location of one of the largest banks in the world, and is employed by about 5,500 people. Because the grounds are so massive, visitors say that it can be a bit overwhelming to navigate. That is why robots were brought in.
Dozens of red, round, 2-foot tall robots known as “Interactive Guest Assistants” greet new visitors with a screen in front of them to ask the visitor where they want to go. They will then escort you wherever you wish to go and with 1000′s of daily visitors, these robots must be agile and alert in order to navigate the crowds.
Robot guides are not the only impressive technology available here, there is an interactive map that is highlighted by the user’s proximity, and a scale model that uses augmented reality.
All of this is the product of Ydreams.

Photo via NHM’s Flickr

Do not adjust your monitor. Besides being shot in 3D, the image above is indeed a man working a sound board for a rock show amidst the naturally historic exhibits of L.A.’s Natural History Museum. See More

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It is with great regret that I must admit I forgot my camera when traveling to Seattle for a recent trip. I underestimated the photo opportunities provided by this stunning city by the sea. Having been there for work meetings, I felt I had seen it all before. I was wrong. Seattle has grown up to be an amazing city flush with technology cash and visual innovators. The landscape is evolving and the interplay between natural and man-made is breathtaking. If you are looking for a reasonable getaway and want a visual feast filled with diversity get yourself to Seattle immediately. And, don’t forget your camera!

Below are some recommendations for seeing and experiencing all that is urban and natural in this sometimes overlooked modern city by the sea.

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Julius Shulman had a keen eye, not just for the angles of the modern structures he photographed, but also for the spirit and life of the structure and everything surrounding it. Known for some of the most beautiful architecture photography  ever captured, Shulman provided visions of a magical era in Southern California of clean lines and poolside bliss. See More