Rammed Earth and Cactus Gel Make a Haven for a Family Outside Mexico City

Valle de Bravo was a Covid escape for the couple, but then they decided it was the perfect place to live in nature and raise their kids.

When architectural photographer Camila Cossio and her husband, architect Luis Carbonell, ended up in Valle de Bravo during the pandemic in 2020, they didn’t know the idyllic region surrounding the town—a lakefront retreat two and a half hours west of Mexico City—would become their year-round home. At the time the couple, who were living in the capital and had both done graduate work in New York, were consummate city dwellers. “We loved socializing with friends and were always out and about,” says Camila. Their apartment in Mexico City’s Condesa neighborhood suited their lifestyle. But the arrival of their first child, Juliana, in July 2019, drastically changed things. “Becoming a parent was hard for me. It meant getting away from my friends and the life I knew,” recalls Luis, whose jovial manner makes it easy to imagine him in a hip Condesa bar.

Further disrupting the family’s rhythm was the extended Covid standstill. At first, Valle—as everyone calls the town, and where Camila’s parents own a weekend home—was a temporary refuge where they could wait for the world to go back to normal. But soon it became clear that lockdown had upended norms permanently. “No one used to live here. It was a weekend destination,” says the soft-spoken Camila. “That shifted, and more people were leaving the city to move here full-time.” A big incentive to settle in Valle was a renowned Waldorf school in the area. “We were drawn by this idea to dedicate ourselves to a life centered around parenting. Finding a friendly, family-oriented community and a great school convinced us to stay,” says Luis. He and Camila looked for land, finding their dream site in the suburb of Acatitlán in 2022.

There are bigger plots in Valle—historically a getaway of the capital’s elite—than the 12,900-square-foot parcel Luis and Camila picked, but not many are nestled next to Monte Alto, a towering-oak-filled state park, or have views of the Nevado de Toluca, one of Mexico’s highest volcanic peaks. Similarly, more extravagant houses exist than the one they started building for themselves in early 2023, but few as tailored to a particular family and their idea of kid-focused domesticity. (The couple’s second daughter, Josefa, was born in October of the same year, just months before they moved into the new home.)

See the full story on Dwell.com: Rammed Earth and Cactus Gel Make a Haven for a Family Outside Mexico City
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They Bought a Weird Beach House—and Decided to Make It Weirder

Boxy expansions to a 1970s Cape Cod home preserve its quirks while making it more livable.

Scott and Meredith Lipnick have a few theories about the eccentric 1970s vacation home they bought on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. With angular shed roof-lines and weathered cedar shingles, the 2,500-square-foot structure read as modernist from the outside, but in spirit “it looked like a big-time party house,” Meredith says. Among the clues? A cutout between the kitchen and entry area where martinis might have been passed through, a wraparound deck, a promenade extending from the second story, and a series of puzzling ladders in the hallway that let you peek down through the oversize bathroom’s clerestory windows. The couple fell for these details, but the house’s quirks soon went from charming to frustrating, especially the meandering layout, lack of privacy, and minimal storage. With two children, they needed something more family friendly. “Even though we had so much space, it wasn’t usable for much,” Scott says.

An addition seemed to be the answer, but the Lipnicks worried that an architect would give them a cookie-cutter one that wouldn’t respect the house’s unconventional spirit. They knew they would need to hire someone who could honor what was there, and they found that in Ted Baab, a childhood friend of Scott’s.

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Why This Squeaky-Clean Sponge Collection Hasn’t Ever Touched the Dishes

Accessories impresario Calley Benoit Belli explains how she started seeking out the cleaning objects not for chores, but for decorating.

My obsession with sponges started when I moved into my own tiny New York apartment in 2014. I didn’t have roommates for once, so everything in the apartment was there because I chose it. I’m very particular about the curation of objects, even down to dish towels and soaps. So, naturally, that trickled down to sponges.

In looking for one, I thought, I don’t want just any sponge. I figured there had to be better options than just the green-topped yellow ones. I wanted something unique that would bring me joy and that was more colorful or a little bit unexpected. Then a good friend of mine who grew up in Seoul traveled back to South Korea and got me a colorful crochet sponge. I was like, My God, this is beautiful! It was red with a blue pinwheel shape in the middle. Later, I went there myself and kept an eye out for sponges—I had to get another suitcase because I got so many!

Now, I’ve become the person who likes sponges, and I often get them as gifts. I love how common yet overlooked they are. As the president of lifestyle brand Edie Parker, I’m involved in product development, so I’m always thinking about how to make everyday objects visually fun and unique so that, rather than shoving them to the back of a drawer, you want to proudly display and share them.

When my husband, Ryan, and I got married at our home in Pasadena three years ago, I had to bring out my sponges. They were all in a closet upstairs, so I picked some loved ones and put them in the sponge rack behind our kitchen sink. It was a special milestone, and I thought the things I felt special about should be included, in a way, to create a “me” feeling in our home.

For my birthday this year, Ryan actually surprised me with a shelf in the living room that he made for my sponge collection. And that’s the thing—sponges don’t have to remind you of a chore; they can be something you just appreciate. They might be functional, but they don’t have to be mundane.

—

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Outward Mobility: Clever Campers, Trailers & DIY Mobile Home Conversions

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

The 20th-century American dream of suburban houses and picket fences unfolded in parallel with another vision: freedom to roam, embodied in camper vans and other mobile housing designs. The increasing costs of city living and desire to escape nine-to-five life has since led to a new generation of creative solutions, ranging from converted camper vans and buses to space-saving sleeping trailers that can be towed behind cars or even two-wheeled vehicles.

DIY & Professional Van Home Conversions

Many mobile living creations of this new millennium are actually adaptations of existing vehicles, including do-it-yourself van rehabs as well as professional remodels.

Some are cheap, simple and use recycled materials while others feature more luxurious amenities and higher levels of finish — as with most things, you get what you pay for, whether in dollars or sweat equity.

The more modest exterior appearances of some such livable vans can be deceiving – many stealth campers and DIY RVs include solar-paneled roofs, custom wood trim, flip-down window covers and even flip-up computer desks designed for digital nomads. Many of these features can be all but invisible from the outside.

Livable City & School Buses Transformations

Wanderers requiring more room for extravehicular activities may require something bigger but presumably still street legal, making buses a natural option for larger-scale mobile makeovers. A city bus has its advantages, including expansive windows for those seeking extra sunlight.

Meanwhile, plain old yellow school buses offer benefits as well, including more standardized design elements to work with. These can be turned into expansive pads of all kinds, whether they are fitted with elegantly curved plywood or sliced, diced and topped with rustic timber frames.

Modular Sleeping Trailers Make More of Less

Not everyone can afford the time or money to buy or convert a van or bus. For those who need something smaller that can be hitched to a more traditional vehicle, there are still a lot of clever ways to get the most out of limited trailer space, including pop-outs and auto-expanding rooms that deploy on demand.

Flaps, wings and other folding elements can help bring more outdoor space in, extending interiors to include sheltered zones beyond the limits of whatever one has in tow.

Even a surprisingly small trailer can pack a lot of utility, including running water, power outlets, USB ports and LED lights — some even feature a full modular kitchen for a bit of light glamping. Mounted toolboxes, roof racks and cargo decks can help expand their functionality as well.

Bicycle, Motorcycle & Other Small-Space Trailers

Choosing to ride a bike instead of driving a car doesn’t have to mean foregoing the convenience of a camper trailer, though such options may require especially clever construction (not to mention physical endurance) in place of motorized assistance (or at least: an electric assist bicycle).

Bigger Rig Renovations & Off-the-Rails Creations

There may be rules to the roads, but there are practically no limits to the creativity of people who want to live their lives on them. Beyond the realm of conventional conversions are all kinds of creative cars, vans and trucks that are effectively inhabitable art.

Rolling Master Plans & Dreams of Nomadic Futures

It goes without saying that no one knows what the future of mobility will look like, but imagine for a moment a kind of city on rails made up of modules that could be moved from one place to the next, all running on existing train tracks. Consider the advantages for migratory seasonal markets, mobile concert venues and other businesses and events that benefit from moving around throughout the year, embracing a sort of perpetually nomadic urbanism. Hotels, restaurants and other commercial operations see changes in demand throughout a given year and and could conceivably pull up stakes to seek out better opportunities.

It may be an exercise in fantasy, but one has to wonder: what would the world look like if more people could take their architecture with them as they traveled? Between food trucks and container homes and other modular living solutions, not to mention the rise of autonomous vehicles, this prospect is in some ways already grounded in the real world around us. As more and more people move ever more often, working remotely and take their homes and businesses on the road, new typologies for portable spaces will no doubt continue to emerge and surprise us along the way.

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Localvore Revolution: Vertical Urban Farms Promise to Deliver Greener Produce

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

In Newark, New Jersey, a large and deceptively nondescript building is redefining the Garden State, producing millions of pounds of food per year just outside of Manhattan. This 70,000 square foot facility has the equivalent yield of over 5 million square feet of traditional farmland. Inside, a year-round, closed-loop aeroponics system employs no pesticides and requires 95% less water than field farming. This branch of AeroFarms is not alone — it’s part of a food production revolution with projects ranging from at-home and in-store micro-farms to massive facilities set up in old factories and warehouses around the world.

Technically, vertical farming can be done outside, too, by stacking planters in natural sunlight, but indoor vertical farms offer a range of advantages. Inside, there are no seasons and specialized LED lights make it possible to grow plants continuously and cycle through various crops more easily. The controlled environment and standardization of these systems also makes automation easier. In Japan, approaches have gone predictably high-tech, with endeavors like the Vegetable Factory, which is operated entirely by robots.

Spatial containment makes recycling more efficient, mitigates spoilage and reduces the risk of diseases and pests spreading beyond a specific facility. Transportation costs and energy requirements are also reduced for farms that move into old factories and warehouses right in and around cities, putting them closer to consumers. Aeroponics in general also require less material input — mainly mist and air with minimal water and soil — leading to a lighter footprint.

What started in large and independent facilities has begun to spread into mainstream grocery stores and supermarkets, too. A few years back, Target started testing direct retail micro-farms, beginning with leafy greens before moving to tomatoes, peppers and more. Since these kinds of retail spaces are climate-controlled already for the sake of both shoppers and products, less added energy is required to maintain ideal conditions.

In Berlin, a company called INFARM recently partnered with local shops to provide similar in-store services, cutting down on farm-to-table distance right in the heart of a major European metropolis. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, vertical creepers, rice paddies and broccoli fields were integrated into the design of an otherwise Modern-looking office building, brightening up the place while also providing food for the employee cafeteria.

Taking vertical integration a step further, projects like the ReGen Villages aim to incorporate stacked farms directly into residential communities. It may sound impractical or even Utopian, but at its root the idea is relatively traditional: backyard gardens and community gardening are nothing new. Coupled with walkability and density, these kinds of green-centric towns have a lot in common with New Urbanist ideas that go back decades.

Still, it is generally wise to maintain a healthy skepticism when it comes to fresh green architectural trends and technologies and eye-catching renderings. Skyscrapers covered in greenery (or treescrapers), for instance, have proven to be popular but also problematic in practice (catchy conceptual earthscrapers, groundscrapers and sidescrapers, too, for that matter). Sometimes, more practical organic solutions are hiding in plain sight. Take wood, for instance, a historically popular green building material now finding new forms and reaching new heights in tall buildings around the world. Newer is not always better.

Some extreme vertical farming ideas may indeed prove to be far-fetched and unsustainable, but market movements suggest there is a future in these kinds of facilities and approaches. Investors are putting their money where people’s mouths are, buying up disused urban real estate and developing new indoor farming technologies. Already, vertical farming is a $2,000,000,000 industry and experts project it will grow as much as 30% per year over the next decade.

Vertical farms are of course not a complete solution to ongoing threats like climate change and mounting global food crises, but they do show promise — these endeavors are slowly breaking down urban and rural barriers, reconnecting cities with the food sources that sustain them and shortening that critical distance from farm to table.

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Acoustic Defense: Photo Series Reflects on Derelict British “Sound Mirrors”

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vintage & Retro. ]

In the wake of World War I, the United Kingdom developed a powerful yet relatively low-tech architectural system for detecting incoming enemy airplanes, the remnants of which can still be found across the countryside.

Starting in the 1920s, these concrete sound mirrors were built to passively gather, reflect and concentrate acoustic waves, directing the sound to listening posts on the ground — key infrastructure in an extensive early warning alert system.

Incoming sounds were amplified by microphones and listened to by operators wearing headphones. Today, the remains of these mirrors are largely abandoned and in various states of disrepair, though some are protected with walls or fences and accompanied by historical plaques.

Based in Basel, photographer Piercarlo Quecchia discovered the existence of sound mirrors thanks to an album cover featuring one such structure. From there, he began the search out, find and photograph them — 13 in total (all that remain), most of which are located along the southern edge of England.

They may look monolithic and simple, but the curves of these structures were carefully calibrated. The designs were specifically calculated (and sound mirrors accordingly engineered) to pick up aircraft engine noises in particular.

“They represent an incredible demonstration of how sound can generate a physical form,” explains the photographer, in which “both the curvature radius and the dimensions of the dishes are studied and designed according to the sound frequency that they must reflect,”  He hopes the series will continue to raise awareness of these artifacts and bolster preservation efforts.

Like the airmail arrows that once guided planes from coast to coast across the United States, it can be easy to overlook such geometrically simple leftovers, at least until an understanding of their historical origins leads people to spot and appreciate them.

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Backyard Aeronautics: Chinese Farmers Who Also Make Flying Machines

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

According to photographer Xiaoxiao Xu, the Chinese farmers and other rural hobbyists building flying machines from scratch are not in it for fame or fortune. Mostly working out of their own backyards, these creators are simply trying to find ways to lift themselves up into the air. Some build choppers, others build planes, and others hybrids and experimental aircraft that are tricky to classify.

Xu moved to The Netherlands as a teenager, graduated with a degree in photography, but traveled back to her home country to work on Aeronautics in the Backyards, a book of drawings, photos and stories of these self-taught hobbyists, mainly working on remarkably small budgets and scrounging for scraps and parts.

For the project, Xu traveled across China to speak with and photograph eight different farmer-aeronauts working on different projects. “Some of these aeronauts have worked for decades but never achieved to get airborne,” says Xu. “Although that might sound like a waste of time, they see it differently. For them, the game is not about how far or high they can fly, it’s about pushing their boundaries in order to achieve the impossible. They call it real-life science-fiction.”

One man she interviewed recalled how he got started: “My first aircraft cost me less than 10,000 CNY and all the materials and parts I made to build it were just one-offs, because I knew the first aircraft wouldn’t be perfect and would end up as firewood like the model airplanes I made before. I used the money I earned from the first aircraft to make my second aircraft, Wang Qiang No.2.” Others tell stories of midair stalls and watery crash-landings — the stakes are high when flying.

As for why they do it, the answers vary — one sums the mystery of motivation up well: “I cannot give a reason for why I want to fly. Maybe this is just how human beings evolve: we ride horses, ride bicycles, drive cars, and then fly an airplane. I fly as best I can. It’s my dream, my joy. It’s pretty much my life.”

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Durable Self-Balancing Scooter Boasts Better Battery Life & Higher Speeds

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

A combination of rugged and road-worthy, this self-balancing electric scooter boasts quick-start functionality and speeds of up to 25 mile per hour, perfect for scooting through (and around) traffic in congested cities for hours on a single charge. For those already into Bird, Lime or other private scooter share programs (but frustrated with hunting for them in the wild), this device represents a potential leap up in durability, maneuverability, customizability, acceleration and speed.

Developed by California-based product designer Nathan Allen, the Stator has oversized wheels connected to a single-tube frame and a single, wraparound handlebar with an electronic control unit (turned on by a wireless RFID tag or standard key.

Modularity is part of the design’s charm, which is made up of components that can be swapped out and customized, including the seat, headlights, brake lights, phone chargers and holders, custom racks and rack bags.

It’s powered by a 1000W geared motor and a 20-Ah, 48-volt, lithium-ion battery pack tuckedi not the baseboard. Different power settings can be used to achieve better performance or balance energy usage.

At 90 pounds, it won’t be easy to lug around, but if you’re cruising urban streets that shouldn’t be an issue, and the extra weight helps provide extra features, like: regenerative brakes paired with front-wheel hydraulic disk braking. For now, it’s still a prototype, but its creator hopes to roll out models for sale in the near future.

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