Hotel Azul, Oaxaca

A labyrinthian oasis from Mexico's buzzing, carnivalesque city

by Max La Frenais When arriving at Oaxaca‘s Hotel Azul, its soft blue facade is lit up by overhanging, fluorescent pink bougainvilleas. It exists as a welcome oasis, away from the buzzing, wired-up carnivalesque city. Constructed in 1874 as a large colonial house, the hotel was a family home and then (from 1940 to 1980) it was transformed into a vecindad—a group of small houses …

Venice Biennale 2016: “LifeObject”

Exploring the synergy between architecture and biology at the Israeli Pavilion

by Ari Samuel In tune with this year’s “Reporting from the Front” theme commissioned by Venice Biennale Chief Curator Alejandro Aravena, the Israel Pavilion unveiled “LifeObject,” an immersive and stimulating exhibition analyzing the synergy between the worlds of architecture and biology and the future possibilities and advancements that lie in their combination. At the center of the Pavilion stands the physical “LifeObject,” a massive man-made …

Voormi Wool Apparel

High-tech performance gear, made and manufactured in Colorado

by Adrienne So For the past few years, Pagosa Springs, CO-based company Voormi has garnered recognition for two accomplishments. Their patented Core Construction technology weaves technical fibers directly into merino wool, which means that a warm, comfortable Voormi hoodie is just as weather-protective as a squeaky softshell. Moreover, most of their garments are made in Pagosa Springs, which brings skilled manufacturing jobs to a mountain …