Design

This machine is a 1971 CB450 that gained a new lease of life when current owner Scott Halbleib got his hands on it. He stripped it down to the frame and motor, and turned it into a bobber-style custom — via Bike EXIF

The project redefines new spaces in an existing building volume for low-cost. An addition on the ground floor gives a new spatiality to the common areas and an outside extension for bedrooms upstairs ArchDaily

The custom motorcycle scene is driven by fashion as much as any other. Over the past couple of decades we’ve seen the rise of the ubiquitous CB750 custom, followed by the SR400/500 and Kawasaki W650. But now I’m starting to wonder if the next trend will be repurposed old sleds like the Honda Gold Wing. They seem to be popping up everywhere, and some of them are quite intriguing. Here’s one built by Texas-based Ric Becker, who sells and restores tandem bicycles for a living. In his spare time, Ric likes to build faster machines—like this 1976 GL1000 — via Bike EXIF

Did you know that the world record for a motorcycle sold at auction is $551,000? It was set in 2008 by a 1915 Cyclone board track racer. But that record might be broken on 15 December, when George Brough’s prototype Brough Superior SS 100 goes under the hammer in New York. This machine is the evocatively-named Alpine Grand Sport variant, and it’s tipped to go for between $600,000 and $700,000 — via Bike EXIF

The owner, Bruce Porter, is a journalist and retired professor of Columbia University, while the architect, Alex Scott Porter, is the owner’s daughter.  Together with contractor Josh Howell, the team was able to see this tiny house to completion while including some innovative elements — via Jetson Green

I had never heard of a Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy apparatus prior to the Pike River Mine disaster still unfolding in New Zealand, where one such device is about to be deployed.

The GAG, as it’s known, is a jet engine inertisation unit developed for use in mines, controlling and suppressing coal seam fires, Wikipedia explains—another way of saying that it is literally a jet engine that you plug into one end of a sealed mine in order to blow high-powered chemical winds (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor) into the tunnels below. These gases then lower the oxygen levels, suppressing fires and forcing methane out of the mine — via BLDGBLOG

I spent most of last Saturday at Australia’s top custom shop, Deus Ex Machina, as one of the judges of the inaugural Boundless Enthusiasm Bike Build-Off. There were over thirty bikes in the yard, with chrome and paintwork glinting under the unseasonably hot sun. Before the judging officially started, I wandered around incognito and checked out the bikes. Four machines immediately jumped out at me, and of those four, just one appeared to meet the primary judging criteria: Making the most with the least. That bike was Much Much Go, built by industrial designer Nick Eterovic. And by the end of the day, Nick had won not only the First Prize, but also the People’s Choice award — via Bike EXIF

The Pomaran? Residence occupies nearly its entire site, and is located between the main train station and the vineyards. The natural grade of the site creates an interesting opportunity. The architects chose to capitalize on the sloped character providing access to the residence at multiple levels, and by automobile and pedestrians accordingly — via ArchDaily

One of HR Giger’s most known series of works is the Passagen collection. Erotic and sensual, it actually depicts a rear opening of a German garbage truck, the stinky hole where waste bins are emptied into.

While Mr HR Giger was inspired by a garbage truck, the Atelier Morpheus Passagen watch is inspired by Mr HR Giger’s works. And it shows: the watch, which is available either in a black PVD or 18-carat gold-plated case looks like a scale 3D model of a fragment of his Opus Magnum — via World Watch Review

— via Dornob

Although skeletonized black dials are usually a real pain to look at, this one is very legible since all three hands and hour indexes come with luminous coating, which glows brightly in darkness and provides very good contrast at daylight — via World Watch Review

In the early 1900s, the concept of a public library was being adopted by the City of Stockholm in Sweden. Gunnar Asplund was initially hired to help determine the requirements for a public library and then prepare a competition open to all architects. Beginning his research in the United States, Asplund saw first hand examples of the most developed library system in the world. He became very informed and when the building committee realized the strength that he had in his understandings and ideas, they decided he would be the most suitable architect for the job — via ArchDaily

Nixon has released a new chronograph watch in its 42-20 collection. This new watch is unique, as it uses tortoise shell in its construction. The bezel and the centre link of the bracelet are made of faux tortoise shell. The rest of the watch is rendered in black on stainless steel — via Horology Crazy

The PuristS’ family of horology websites is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2011. A number of watchmakers and brands will be issuing limited edition or piece unique watches to commemorate a decade of PuristS independence on the horological scene. The first PuristS 10th watch to be announced is the Chocolate Frog from MB&F — via Watchluxus

This Sportster-based custom will be one of the few signs of genuine originality at the AMD World Championships Of Bike Building next year. Designed by Bernard ‘Buck’ Massart of the French custom motorcycle shop VTM, it’s built around a Harley-Davidson Sportster engine. The SpaceSter looks like a motorcycle designed on a CAD system, but apparently the cladding was all shaped by hand — via Bike EXIF

The vivid white form eases itself into the natural site with the help of wood panel cladding. Situated on a steeply sloping site, through strategic programming, the house’s vertical structure belies its lean, horizontal appearance. The top two living levels are cantilevered over the lower two containing the home theater and garage. The placement of a porte-cochere directs visitors up the slope and drops them among the two main levels of the house — via ArchDaily