A co-founder of the firm Design, Bitches and her architect husband have completed the latest iteration of their family home in California, which features ample daylight and the "feeling of being in the trees".The house belongs to architects Rebecca Rudolph, a principal at local studio Design, Bitches, and Colin Thompson, who works at Gensler. The married couple both graduated from SCI-Arc in 2000.Atwater House is the home of Design, Bitches co-founder Rebecca Rudolph and her architect husband Colin ThompsonThe same year, the couple bought a bungalow in LA's Atwater Village neighbourhood for around $150,000 (11,711). The 500-square-foot (46-square-metre) house was rundown and sat on a long, slender barren lot.Since that time, the house has gone through various renovations and additions, as the family has grown the couple now have two sons and their needs have evolved.Exterior walls are clad in fibre-cement panelsThe current house totals 1,875 square feet (174 square metres) and also has a 275-square-foot (26-square-metre) detached office/pool house.Much of the construction work has been done by Thompson, who is licensed as an architect and contractor.The couple decided to replace the original building with a new, two-storey structureIn the early years, significant changes included the conversion of a garage into the standalone office in 2004 and the creation of an extension in 2006.Years later, when the need for more space arose, the couple considered adding a second level to the original structure but it couldn't support the extra weight.The new structure was designed to offer a "fluid arrangement of spaces"So the couple decided to replace the original building with a new, two-storey structure.Rectangular in plan, the new structure was designed to offer a "fluid arrangement of spaces, where the inside and outside zones are given equal importance and are designed with change in mind".It is nestled amongst trees"The result is a house that encourages abundant natural light and a feeling of being in the trees," the team said.Exterior walls are clad in fibre-cement panels that have a blue-green hue. Two round windows add an exuberant touch to the house.Inside, one finds a careful consideration of proportionsAlong the southern and northern elevations, the structural walls were pulled back to make way for long stretches of glass. Atop the building, an angled light monitor ushers in daylight.Inside, one finds a careful consideration of proportions and a balance between fluidity and spaces for retreat.The layout was informed by existing conditions"It was important that the ceilings be the right height for the rooms, and that the spaces flow into one another while still leaving space for cozy nooks and areas to be alone," the team said.The layout was informed by existing conditions and the family's experience living on the site.A door with a geometric pattern was designed by Rudolph"Because the design evolved in stages, the final layout was the result of the way the design work was phased and what they learned about living on the property over the years," the team said.At ground level, the new structure holds a kitchen and dining room. The adjoining addition from 2006 contains a living room and primary bedroom.Bedrooms feature upstairsOn the upper level, the new structure allowed for the creation of two bedrooms, one for each of the couple's sons, along with a bathroom. The bedrooms are divided by a non-structural wall that can be removed in the future, enabling the space to be converted into a primary bedroom.The house also features a planted roof atop the 2006 addition."The couple has experimented with a number of different plants over time, from natives to grasses, vegetables to succulents," the team said.The home has an eclectic mix of materials introduced over the past two decades, all meant to come together into a "coherent whole".A kitchen and dining room feature inside"The materials all share some combination of durability, uniqueness and earthiness or connection to nature," the team said.Flooring includes black-polished concrete, encaustic cement tile and engineered oak.Read: Design, Bitches creates eclectic LA restaurant filled with retro video gamesThe kitchen features IKEA cabinetry, a polished marble backsplash, and an island made of Italian lava stone. The island is faced with concrete panels that were made by Thompson.A door with a geometric pattern was designed by Rudolph, based on a print by the English artist Ron King.The landscape has been reworked several times and a pool was added in 2023. The couple said the house is not yet complete, noting: "The plans continue to evolve to this day."Flooring includes encaustic cement tileOther projects by Design, Bitches include a Venice Beach bungalow that is designed to be "not too precious" and a restaurant in Nashville that features pastel colours, plantings and plenty of natural light.The photography is by Yoshihiro Makino and HANA.Project credits:Architects and owners: Rebecca Rudolph (Design, Bitches) and Colin ThompsonInterior design: Rebecca RudolphLandscape design: Rebecca Rudolph (Design, Bitches) and Colin ThompsonStructural engineer: Tuschscher Engineering GroupGeneral contractor: Colin ThompsonThe post Architect couple creates Atwater House in Los Angeles over two decades appeared first on Dezeen.

This G-Series 18L Water Tank, by 4x4 accessories brand Vaast, was designed by Australian ID consultancy Tricycle Developments. The idea is that you mount it to your roof, providing a gravity feed. The orange circle is the tap outlet, which you open by rotating. The black cap up top is their Auto Breather cap, which you can fill with a garden hose once it's up there. (As opposed to hoisting a heavy, full tank onto your vehicle.) There's a valve in the Auto Breather cap that does what the name suggests; you don't have to open a separate breather valve when you use the tap.The tap has a quick-connect fitting, allowing you to attach a hose or an optional Magnetic Faucet Kit that you can stick to your vehicle. You can carry the tank in three different ways.The company says that removing the caps provides "two huge openings for easy cleaning inside." They sell spare parts in case you lose anything, and state that the rotomolded plastic will handle 20,000 hours of UV exposure. As for the looks, "The product is deliberately bold in its appearance," writes Tricycle. It's designed to create intrigue, inspire and excite through a bold primary colour. Key touch points are highlighted to assist with understanding product use at a glance. Strong industrial forms and textures are used to support rugged use of the product."

Designed by Alejandro Vazquez, the Levitae House is perched on a mountain, and creates the impression of levitation through its large and imposing volumes. The home is made using contemporary materials, and it exhibits an impressive level of complexity and detailing. The house seems to float in the air, while simultaneously tapering into slim columns that seem to harmoniously integrate with the natural topography.Designer: Alejandro VazquezThe Levitae House is located on the southern slope of La Paz, Mexico, and it faces the north, which allows sunlight to stream in throughout the day while ensuring it doesnt get too hot either. The design of the home ensures there is constant access to the lovely views of the city, while certain spaces have been oriented to ensure more panoramic views. As you look at the external structure of the home, you will be quite impressed, as it showcases a certain uniqueness and complexity of character that we do not easily witness in modern architecture.The architectural style of the home is called Neo Deconstructivist, and it is highlighted by an innovative structural system, and a detailed morphology. The Levitae House is built for a couple with cats, and it is equipped with a garden, music studio, barbecue area, parking space for two vehicles, and green spaces both inside and outside the home. It is also integrated with double and triple-height spaces, which offer an air of openness and spaciousness to the home.The Levitae House occupies around 340 square meters, and building the home was no easy task. Local engineers in La Paz didnt have much experience with inclined columns and massive cantilevers, and the standard labor construction practices also deepened the issues. Hence, the designers needed to be thoroughly present during the construction process to ensure the proper steps and care were taken. The complex nature of the materials and the structural components of the project needed proper attention.The post The Levitae House In Mexico Has An Unusual Form That Seems To Cantilever Above The Mountain first appeared on Yanko Design.

That last step's a doozy.I'll say it: This Dark Urge fella seems like bad news.

I'm not sure I want this in my home.

The summer gaming show lineup continues in August with Gamescom, and the event itself begins with a show called Gamescom Opening Night Live. Geoff Keighley, who also heads up Summer Game Fest, returns to host Opening Night Live this year, and there are game announcements and new trailers in store. In this post, we're rounding up everything you need to know about Opening Night Live, including how to watch, what to expect, how much publishers pay to be featured in the show, and more.Table of Contents [hide]When is Gamescom Opening Night Live?When is Gamescom Opening Night Live?Opening Night Live takes place on Tuesday, August 20, with the show beginning at 8 PM CET. It's expected to run for about two hours, wrapping up around 10 PM CET. In the US, the show airs beginning at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. The event itself takes place at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, but of course, it will be streamed live around the world as well.The main event will be preceded by a pre-show that starts 30 minutes before kickoff. This is a pre-taped show and will only stream online; people physically in attendance at the event won't see it.Continue Reading at GameSpot

A Genshin Impact leak has revealed more information about an upcoming character named Xilonen. This character has already been teased in Genshin Impact's video featuring many notable playable units from the upcoming Natlan region.

Hi all,Im trying to lower my frametimes while in this case rendering a relatively large city in my engine, with roughly 3500 objects. So far I have a quadtree spatial division which helps quite a bit, but theres a lot of occurrences where big occluders (buildings) block sight of a lot of objects Im still processing.My idea/ goal is to find a way to first render the aabbs of my big occluders, within the cells that are potentially visible in the view (frustum), and then def

Black Myth: Wukong is, as our review said, both confounding and spectacular. Its an action RPG soulslike that has a lot of the genres usual beats XP and skill tree, checkpoints that save your progress while also respawning enemies while also putting its own unique spin on them.Our Black Myth: Wukong beginners guide will help you start your journey (to the West) as the Destined One with tips from our first 15 hours with the game. Weve got hints and advice on level layouts, the (confusing) crafting mechanic, fast travel, and your equipment.Your progress is linearTheres not really a gameplay loop in Black Myth: Wukong. Youll travel from shrine checkpoint to shrine checkpoint, dispatching enemy yaoguais (demons) along the way, but theres not much of a grind. Instead, youll be more focused on getting from one boss fight to the next there are a lot of bosses and boss-like enemies.That linearity shows up in your armor and weapons as well. You dont so much unlock them as you just reach a certain shrine and the crafting recipes for new equipment will be automatically unlocked (more on this below). The same goes for spells they are just given to you after beating certain bosses.That said, you dont want to just sprint from one shrine to the next becauseYou should watch for side pathsWhile your overall progress is quite linear, the routes between the shrine checkpoints do have branching paths that are almost always worth exploring. Youll usually find at least a chest or even an optional boss fight.Those boss fights will also give you plenty of XP and usually some rare upgrade materials as well. If nothing else, youll find some ingredients. Which will be useful eventually.You cant make medicine until chapter 2As you play through the beginning of the game, youll find a lot of ingredients like plants and mushrooms. Their descriptions will even say they can be used to make medicines, but you wont be able to do anything with them.And thats because thats a mechanic that doesnt unlock until chapter 2, several hours into the game.Embrace running awayVery early in Black Myth: Wukong, youll run into an enemy called a Wandering Wight. The first time you meet it, you cant beat it. (Well, its possible, but its not going to happen.) The trick with that fight, though, is that the way forward is past that enemy. You just have to run past it.Thats not going to work for most fights, but its an important lesson about how the game works youll get a lot more powerful and have more skills to draw from as you progress (linearly).If you hit a hard enemy or boss, you can always come back later once youre a bit stronger. Which brings us toFast travel is weird with no mapYou can (fast) travel from any shrine to any other shrine youve previously visited. But theres no map, so its a little awkward at first.When you choose to travel, youll just get a list of the names of shrines and their region. The names are descriptive enough, though, so its not too hard to figure out where youre going.Clothes make the MonkeyAs you progress through Black Myth: Wukong and defeat bosses, youll unlock new equipment to craft at shrines. Youll only ever fight with one weapon various versions of a staff so those are easy enough to understand. The clothes gear for your head, body, legs, and arms are a bit more interesting.Clothes have unique effects that you gain while wearing them. These include things like damage bonuses or speed increases. Some equipment has a number next to the unique effect that indicates how many pieces of that set of gear you need to be wearing to activate the unique effect.There are secrets (that grant rewards)While Black Myth: Wukong is mostly linear, youll find various secrets off the beaten path. Some of these reward Vessels accessories that grant helpful perks. For help in tracking down some of these early-game secrets, see our guides on where to find all hidden bell locations, how to help the Yellow-Robed Squire, and where to find and deliver all Buddhas Eyes.