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Rem Koolhaas, Tunisia, and Sandcrawlers www.lifewithoutbuildings.net It would appear that the Star Wars Universe owes another debt to architecture. A reader sent in the above image with a note saying that the Hotel du Lac in Tunisia may have served as the inspiration for the Sandcrawlers used by the Jawas to travel across Tatooine. Another visit to Wookiepedia (an increasingly important Life Without Buildings resource) tells us that filming for A New Hope largely took place in Tunisia, so it’s entirely possible that this building did, in fact, have an influence on the production design. BONUS : a little tri via for you Extended Universe fans — “du Lac” was the origin of the “Dulok,” the natural enemies of the Ewoks. Obvs. But wait, there’s more! The form of the Sandcrawler also brought to mind a more contemporary building — the Casa da Musica . Admittedly, this one is a bit of a stretch, as the Rem Koolhaas-designed building, really only resembles the dessert-planet vehicle

Otto Wagner and the Millenium Falcon www.lifewithoutbuildings.net The Millennium Falcon . As Han Solo’s ship, it played a crucial role in the victory of The Rebellion over the Empire in the Star Wars films. Imagine my shock when that infamous smuggling vessel lept off the pages of an architecture book about… ba nks . A quick visit to “ Wookieepedia ” tells us that prop designer Ralph McQuarrie based the design of the Millennium Falcon on a “half-eaten hamburger next to an olive on a toothpick held by George Lucas.” However, I’m more inclined to believe he was flipping through the pages of an Otto Wagner book and came across his 1880 design for the central offices of the Vienna Giro und Kassenverein competition. Behold, the first and only piece of evidence to support this theory: On the left, Wagner’s plan and on the right, a line drawing of the Millennium Falcon. Sure, it could just be a coincidence that a prop designer, inspired by a random grouping of hamburger, olives, and George L

What’s Up Wit h All The Deat h Stars? www.lifewithoutbuildings.net It’s a case of life imitating art as Death Stars sprout around the globe and the inevitable looms as competing Galactic Empires will surely annihilate the planet. Rem Koolhaas strikes first with a new scheme for Dubai . It’s like Manhattan…but way more futuristic and in the desert: [Image via NYT ] The 44-story sphere is actually a “a self-contained three-dimensional urban neighborhood” containing smaller spheres joined together by a series o f tubes . As is their nature, OMA seem to be establishing a new intra-office archetype (quick, call the patent office!), as this scheme is not entirely dissimilar from the one they visited with the RAK Convention and Exhibition Centre… [Image via OMA ] The RAK is a scheme so original, it’s actually Original – as in primoridal. In the architect’s words: “the sphere and the bar explicitly abandon claims to formal invention or ‘originality’. (The sphere even existed before man

“Gaivota que se preza tem de sentir as estrelas, analisar paraísos, conquistar múltiplos espaços. ... Se o destino é o infinito, o caminho é nas alturas!” Fernão Capelo Gaivota – Richard Bach ainda não esqueci...

cataventos e bolas de sabão algodão doce jazz e vinho branco ao por-do-sol um cigarro por fumar esquecido entre dedos fumo azul que se mistura com três nuvens adoro caminhar descalço e dançar descalço também a pele começa a saber a verão diluo-me em sabor a sal...