Europe’s first music hotel is here - in the heart of Berlin. Located directly on the banks of the river Spree, and at the epicentre of the music, fashion and creative scene, a new lifestyle hotel that has yet to meet its match in Europe: the nhow Berlin. The nhow Berlin is located right next to Universal Music and MTV Europe.
Read MoreBig thanks to my big homie, Zvi Belling of ITN Architects in Melbourne for sharing project imagery of his End to End Project which the second of three architectural projects based on hip hop culture. The first in the series, The Hive, has received acclaim around the world as Zvi used graffiti as a permanent, structural element as opposed to a temporal, surface application serving aesthetic purposes.
Read MoreBig thanks to my homie Zvi Belling at ITN Architects in Melbourne for providing me with images of The Hive. I applaud Zvi for using graffiti as a structural element within the facade transitioning it from a temporal, surface application typically serving aesthetic purposes only.
Read MoreWhat happens at the intersection of urban culture and architecture? How can the four elements of hip hop (DJing, MCing, Breaking and Graffiti) inspire the built environment? Participants are encouraged to create a sketch using mediums of their choice to depict new building forms, urban design concepts, and/or architectural products inspired by the four foundational elements of hip hop.
Read MoreA conceptual design competition has been launched for visualizations of President Barack Obama's Presidential Library. Competitors are limited to the site area located on the west bank at the confluence of the North, South and Main Branches of the Chicago River. Please see the attached Site Plan A for details. Join Today!
Read MoreIf you want to know what hip hop architecture is all about, I suggest you start with one of the first individuals to do extensive publications on the concept, Dr. Craig Wilkins. His article, "Warped Space: The Architecture of Hip Hop" published in the Journal of Architectural Education was heavily quoted during my graduate design thesis titled "Cultural Innovation: Hip Hop Inspired Architecture" completed almost ten years ago. Click the "download" link below to read the article.
Read MoreBig thanks to my friend Emily Iremonger at Asif Khan, located in London, for sharing images of the "Beatbox" project ompleted for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Khan and his team created an tectonic representation of what KRS-One describes as the essence of hip hop, the ability to remix. Although Asif Khan made no attempt to directly connect this project to hip hop culture, and as it focused more on the creation of music in general, it's impossible for me not to see it as a precedent for hip hop inspired architecture both programmatically and aesthetically.
Read MoreDetroit native, Erik Howard, explains how The Alley Project (T.A.P.) came to be what it is today, in Southwest Detroit. Merging the artistry of graffiti and street arts with the practice of architecture and social justice, Howard and his organization, Young Nation, has provided more than just an artist outlet for Detroit youth, he has provided them with a structure which helps develop their craft and achieve their dreams.
Read MoreI'm sure you've heard people say you must always "cite" your sources, well, I'm taking it one step further as I "sight" my sources during this continuous series titled, "Hip Hop Book of the Week". This impromptu shot was taken with a group of daring, unknown skateboarders. The guy jumping overhead actually wanted to read the book as he made the jump, my conscious would not let him do it. Side note...I miss my high top fade!
Read MoreOn September 24, 2014 I was invited to lecture at University of Detroit Mercy's School of Architecture as a part of the 2014 Detroit Design Festival. Here is a time-lapse video of attendees filling the lecture space.
Read MoreAfter each Hip Hop Inspired Architecture lecture, I'm always faced with the same question from attendees after they learn how the projects necessitated the creation of hip hop.
Read MoreCheck out some of Paris' graffiti legend, Legz's latest work during Art Aux Gant 2014. This video below shows the piece from start to finish.
Read MoreDr. Craig WIlkins' "The Aesthetics of Equity - Notes on Race, Space, Architecture and Music"
"Architecture is often thought to be a diary of a society, filled with symbolic representations of specific cultural moments. However, as Craig L. Wilkins observes, that diary includes far too few narratives of the diverse cultures in U.S. society. Wilkins states that the discipline of architecture has a resistance to African Americans at every level, from the startlingly small number of architecture students to the paltry number of registered architects in the United States today.
Read MoreThe mayor of my hometown was there! The City of Highland Park's Mayor DeAndre Windom attending my Hip Hop Architecture lecture at the University of Detroit Mercy during the 2014 Detroit Design Festival. I appreciate the time that Mayor Windom has taken from his busy schedule to show me support over the years. He has a vested interest in hip hop, as he is married to one of the dopest female MCs to ever touch a mic, Yolanda Whitaker (YO-YO).
Read MoreArchitect, Rainy Hamilton Jr. attended my Hip Hop Inspired Architect lecture at University of Detroit this past week. Mr Hamilton is the first African American architect I ever met and he gave me my start in architecture at Hamilton Anderson Associates following my completion of graduate school at UDM. He also pushed me to evolve my concepts and lecture style by sponsoring various trips to present at NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) Conferences around the country.
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