External Brain

Formerly a convenience store and significant loitering/drug dealing corner property, Onion Flats said, neighbors seemed pleased when it caught on fire and was demolished in 2005. Onion Flats felt it was important to restore the life and sense of community to this small but unique corner of Fishtown. Their design has become the first LEED-H Gold Residential/Commercial live/work space in the City of Philadelphia — via ArchDaily

The dwelling [Díaz y Díaz Arquitectos] is located in the highest zone of the plot, to take maximum advantage of the excellent views and to set back, as far as possible, respect to the street. The entrance porch is in the left side of the front of the plot, corresponding with the highest point of the street — via ArchDaily

Every now and then a bike pops up that completely flouts the established vernacular of custom building. This is one of them. It was built by Revival Cycles, a shop run by three committed motorcycle enthusiasts in Austin, Texas — via Bike EXIF

After the phenomenal success of the Hublot F1 King Power, the Hublot King Power King Gold, and the Hublot 1 King Power Tourbillon (also in Zirconium and King Gold versions), Hublot has unveiled the third member in the series, the Hublot F1 King Power Ceramic.  An ideal watchmaking material, ceramic is 30% lighter than steel, 100% anti-allergenic, 100% unalterable and 100% rust-proof.  Readers new to the Hublot F1 series should also take note of the brake caliper style bezel, the F1-styled chronograph pushers, and the strap which is comprised of two layers stitched together with red thread; the inner made from natural black rubber and the outer made from Nomex, a synthetic fibre developed by Dupont De Nemours that is also used to make the flame-retardant overalls worn by racing driver — via Perpetuelle

The project [ALT arquitectura] arises from the manipulation of a continuous surface which by means of two operations, cutting and folding, resolve the entire programme. In this way it appears as if it were an object which does not emerge from the ground, it poses on it. Without jumps or breaks in its continuity, it wraps playfully round the topography being an external face and internally, a floor, wall, ceiling, framework and roof — via ArchDaily

2011 saw both super high-tech and decidedly retro watches from Tag Heuer. The most retro of which was probably this re-issue Monza. The Monza came back briefly in 2003 with an updated look using the traditional cushion case. For 2011 original look from the 1930s is back. There is no hiding that this is a retro-themed timepieces. It doesn’t attempt to be classic, by instead to offer a look from times long past, in today’s quality and materials — via A Blog to Read

The Hill House is the first of several projects we will be featuring from MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects. The firm has established an international reputation for design excellence garnering 75 awards including 5 governor General’s Medals and the American Institute of Architects Honor Award. They are also well known for the Ghost Architectural Laboratory, an education initiative designed to promote the transfer of architectural knowledge through direct experience — via ArchDaily

Bonhams can usually be relied on to supply some oddball motorcycles in their auctions—but I haven’t seen the likes of these Triumph sprint bikes before. They pre-date George Brown’s Super Nero and Alf Hagon‘s designs, and they’ll be going under the hammer on 24 April in Staffordshire, England. There’s a great story behind the Peril Speed Equipe: the three sprint bikes were built by a cabinet maker called Bill Bragg, who first took up circuit racing in the mid 50s with a Triumph sidecar outfit — via Bike EXIF

On the Caracas skyline, the Tower of David stands tall and proud. It was once a sign of Venezula’s position in the economic marketplace. Today, the 45-story skyscraper has earned a very different type of notoriety: it is quite possibly the tallest squatter-occupied building in the world. The government calls its residents invaders – but they think of themselves as resourceful citizens who make the best of a terrible situation — via WebUrbanist

British watch manufacture Christopher Ward always ensures that you get a lot of watch for your money, and the pulse racing new C70 Monte Carlo is no exception.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the world’s most glamorous endurance rally, the C70 Monte-Carlo has been introduced as a one-off limited edition of 500 watches designed to emulate the precision engineering, technical performance and robust reliability that has always been a part of every winning car – from 1911 to a very snowy 2011 — via Watchuseek

The building [Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates] is located on high ground with lust greenery and a bluff that overlooks the beautiful Miyagawa-River flowing north-south through Ise City. The Intention was to create a rich relationship between the house and these surroundings.

The building is composed of two volumes arranged in parallel. A vertical void links the rooftop terrace and the light court on the first floor, drawing nature into the interior — via ArchDaily

Tag Heuer is set to release a series of special edition Monaco models in 2011, the first of which you see here today: the Tag Heuer Monaco Twenty Four Racing (Ref. CAL5112).  This square cased watch sports silver and orange dial-tones, with a Calibre 36 automatic mechanical movement that is suspended between four shock-absorbing arms (you can see one in each corner of the case) for added shock absorption and visual appeal.  The Tag Heuer Monaco Twenty Four Racing is the first addition to the Monaco Twenty Four series since the striped Monaco Gulf which debuted in 2009.  As on the Monaco Gulf, the oversized number 24 at 12 o’clock pays tribute to the LeMans, most famous endurance race in the world.  The new TAG Heuer Monaco 24 Racing watch price is near $15,000 and will be sold through Tag Heuer boutiques — via Perpetuelle

As a national award-winning firm, Poteet Architects is best known for their sensitive adaptive reuse of existing buildings and a fresh, rigorous approach to modern interior design. This project originated from Poteet Architects’s client’s wish to experiment with shipping containers. She lives in a small warehouse on a former industrial site just south of downtown. The finished project serves as a guesthouse and is fitted with a shower/WC and a custom stainless sink. The large steel and glass lift/slide and end window wall open the interior to the surrounding landscape. The remainder of the interior is used as a garden shed — via ArchDaily