Modern Compact Homes

Decent shelter is a major problem here in the Philippines. Due to poverty a lot of families here have little access to a decent home. I've always wondered if there was a way to provide decent shelter at a minimal cost.

Micro Compact Home - Designed by: Horden Cherry Lee Architects

To achieve the least cost, the design of the house should maximize every inch of space. I've found a lot of ideas from the works of different architects.  Although designed by foreign architects, their designs are ideal for the shelter problem here in my country. Mobile homes or trailers are also a good inspiration to maximize space. These mobile homes are limited to the size of the roads.

Tutorial: Selective Noise Reduction

Shooting at high ISO can result in noise. Most of the time noise both color and luminance are found at dark areas of the photos. Applying noise reduction to the photos will also result in reduction of details. I've devised a method in selectively reducing noise on my photos shot at high ISO. Below is step by step guide to my selective noise reduction work flow on photoshop. (Click on the images to view full size)

1. Open the file

2. Create a duplicate layer of the file

3. Apply Noise reduction to the entire photo. You may use any noise reduction filter you like. I prefer the Reduce Noise Filter.

Old Structures Converted into Exceptional Homes

I've always enjoyed designing. Since I was in college, I've always preferred to create designs from scratch.  I wanted to explore different possibilities without any constraints. One advantage of being a student is that there are no limitations.

We have always been given the freedom to express our creativity. Our school encouraged us to explore new designs. After becoming an architect, reality has crept in. Restrictions and budgets have always been present in almost all projects. In order to accomplish my projects, I had to adjust to reality.

Barn to House adaptive reuse Designed by: Bjarne Mastenbroek (SeARCH)

Larger than Life Sculptures by Ron Mueck

Photo By: Peregrinari

I came across this unique sculptor Ron Mueck online. He creates realistic but giant sculptures of people. At first glance, I thought his works were digital art since some of his works looked like photoshop paintings.

Photos By: Veronique Debord

After staring at his other works, I realized that these were real sculptures. Something I didn't recognize was the scale of these artworks. The enormity of these works of art can only be comprehended once you see a person stand right beside it.

8 Unique Restaurant Designs to Inspire your Creativity

I have been doing some research on some unique restaurant designs recently. I found a lot of excellent designs that are eye-catching. Their designs inspired me to be more creative. Some of these designs use common construction materials, but the designers still manage to create extraordinary results. Below are some of the beautiful restaurant designs that inspired me the most.

1. Banq Restaurant Designed by Architect Nader Tehrani

2. Nobu Dubai Designed by Rockwell Group