I love this new playground they built at the Morris Arboretum! They probably geared it towards kids or maybe you just turn into a giant kid when you step in. From the very first impression, the gate clues you in the the whimsy that awaits.  I get the feeling like I’m walking into a Wily Wonka’s Nature Factory.

Enter the canopy whirlpool!

The installation is called Out On A Limb and was designed by Metcalfe Architecture & Design as part of an educational component of the Morris Arboretum. Last year, the project garnered the coveted AIA Design Excellence Gold Medal Award. For great reason too, the entire project is beautifully executed, down to the tiniest detail and such a pleasure to explore through. Not only that, it’s also environmentally sustainable right from its material selection of western red cedar and recyclable metal to its minimally invasive micropile foundation system which gently trods on the land.

Wending through the trees

Beautifully crafted details

Nest in the balance

Oh, did I mention the fantastic twig nest?! Modeled after the American Robin’s nest, this woven habitat comes complete with 3 shiny blue eggs.

Is this me or Japanese tourist? KAWAII!!

This is what the world looks like if you were a baby bird

The best part of the canopy walk is at the end where you’re greeted with 2 giant hammocks centered around  tree trunks. Securely fastened and made of 3 netting layers, I’m sure it’s beyond safe but it also gives the illusion of danger as you traipse through this floating web 50 feet above ground.

Hanging out in the trees - I could sleep here forever

tree hammock

Perfect vantage point for fall foliage

As a kid, you may have had a treehouse, but I bet you didn’t have a treehouse like THIS:

Steam Punk Tree House

Say hello to the Steampunk Treehouse. But what you may ask is steampunk exactly? Think of it as a mashup between Victorian era esthetic and science fiction technology – complex machines, flying contraptions….  typically brass, leather, iron.. lots of rivets and bolts!

This particular tree house rises 40 feet tall and is made of steel I-beams, trusses and wrapped with metal plates. Standing on the front lawn of the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware it is a cool nod to the unconventional funkiness that embodies this craft beer company. Founded in 1995, Dogfish thrives on experimenting with crazy ale recipes like Pangaea which has an ingredient from every single continent and Jiahu, which reconstructs the beer recipe from molecules found in unearthed jars from archeological digs. But I’m not a beer blog, you can talk to Jim if you want to spend half your day dissecting beer. In fact, it was him who coerced me into going to Milton Delaware at 3:30 on a Sunday morning.

He had signed up for a 5K Dogfish Dash race at the brewery and tricked convinced me into going with “oh, there’s this really neat tree house on their sitethat you could write for your blog blablabla”. So there we were, 3:30 on Sunday morning, making the 2.5 hour drive down to Delaware. Oh, the things I do for my green card love.

Anyway, once we got there the tree house did in fact live up to its hype. I mean, look at it! It’s freaking awesome!

romantic tragic

metal branches

love this door!

a spiral iron stairs, because a rope ladder just won't do for this tree house

A bit of background on this cool sculpture/architecture. Designed by  Sean Orlando and the 5 Tonne Crane Arts Group back in 2007 as a commentary on the human connection to the natural environment.

The Tree House may indeed remind people of a simpler, more innocent time. It may serve as a reminder of childhood, and an example of how humans might live in harmony with the unnatural nature of nature. However, the tree is also meant to inspire critical thought on the part of its dwellers, encouraging its inhabitants to reconsider the often-paradoxical relationship between humans and the environment of which we are a part – http://www.steampunktreehouse.com

Built in Oakland, California out of recycled wood, metal and bits of salvaged mechanical parts, it found it’s home at Dogfish Head Brewery in 2010. It traveled a long long way so maybe it would qualify as a ‘mobile home’ too? eh? eh?!

I’m not sure if entry into the actual treehouse is limited to people with secret passwords but unfortunately none of the passwords I tried work.

let me in! trust me, I'm cool..

What I could get into though was the brewery tour. The building  - designed by Philly based architecture firm DIGSAU is equally impressive on it own. A renovation and extension of what once once a cannery, the brewery now touts top of  line environmentally savvy design and operations. The list of sustainable design components are lifted right out of a LEED handbook – pervious paving, natural daylight, reclaimed and recylced materials, recycled wastewater… it goes on. What’s equally cool though is the continued operations of the plant and how the philosophy of sustainability carries on from construction through production. Spent grains used in the brewing process are recycled as feed for cows at local farms. Beef from those cows is later bought back from the farmers for their brewpub in Rehoboth.

Dogfish Head Brewery

neat little detail on side of exterior stairs

Lastly, here are some very sexy photos of… PROCESS PIPING! yes, mechanical systems can be sexy. A little bit of research revealed that ABS pipes were used for its refrigerant lines. The sleek curves of these preinsulated pipes  affords smooth unrestricted flow and eliminates condensation problems. Cleanliness factor of brewery gets a major boost and systems gain excellent thermal performance. Not to mention newfound admiration from an architect who’s spent the past week coordinating chilled water piping with her mechanical engineer. (Oy vey!)

Enjoy the photos and happy Rosh Hashanah!

reminds me of sheet music

more curves than a sorority house

steam punk all the way!

Philadelphia is made for the Fall. Its narrow tree lined alleys and weathered brick row homes are perfect for slow evening strolls in crisp cool air. If you have taken these slow strolls and wandered the city’s side streets like I have, you’re bound to have come across these ceramic and glass mosaics that adorn sides of warehouses, row homes and alley walls. This is none other than the work of Philly’s renowned artist Isaiah Zagar.

Mural at 10th and South Street

Shards of his signature mirrored glass glimmer in the sunlight. Colorful bottles and rusty bicycle spokes pop up randomly above rooflines. You never know where you’ll stumble upon a piece of his work and therein lies the beauty of his art. Zagar has transformed the Bella Vista and Queen Village section of the city into a veritable easter egg hunt of magic murals. His distinctly ornate style often include large portraits, lace doily blobs and found objects that some would dismiss as trash.

As a matter of fact, some people did. The two lots on which his subterranean art garden sits on were owned by a businessman from Boston. Zagar had twirled his confection in those spaces over the years but in 2008, the owners wanted to sell the properties and threatened to bulldoze the entire garden overnight. Fortunately, the community rallied together to recognize the significance of this incredible body of work and fought to preserve it. Now, through a bank loan and proceeds from the gallery, the garden continues to flourish.

subterranean world at the Magic Gardens

labyrinth of found objects

Isaiah Zagar and his wife Julia moved to South Street over 40 years ago and have been integral in harnessing the community and building the neighborhood. Even in the mid 90’s, you could not get a cabbie to drop you in this neighborhood but now it’s a thriving and diverse community. A lot of this has to do with the Zagars’ resilience in cultivating a community from what was once run-down(abandoned) lots. If you’ve been to the ghettoes of West and North Philly, you’ll get a sense of what this area used to look like.

Starting off at 4^th and South street back in the 60′s, Zagar created murals mostly for free on the sides of houses and inside buildings that he bought in the vicinity. His own house and properties he now rents have murals on all four walls and even ceilings, total craziness. Imagine living in a piece of art! It probably looks something like his gallery. Try fitting furniture in that.

mosaics on every possible surface

glass bottle castle

It was fascinating to see the evolution of his murals over the years (another advantage of the close proximity of his work). When he first started the glass pieces used were just smashed mirrors broken at random. Over the years he perfected the art of cutting glass and so his later murals have more uniform shaped pieces. That’s about as uniform as he gets though. Our guide (the wonderful outreach manager Kay Healy – disclosure, she’s a friend from my etching class) explained that even the way tile pieces are selected is very random. As he works on his mural, his rule is that whatever tile is picked from a bucket has to be immediately placed on the wall. You can’t put the piece back and select another color or shape. The result is an incredibly organic work of art (and fast too).  At last count, there are over 125 murals of his in Philly.

Walking through the gallery and touring the neighborhood, it’s truly like being in a dreamscape. I could write tons more on the subject but I urge you to do yourself a favor and go take a look for firsthand one lazy Sunday. You’ll be glad you did.

evolution of craft - note glass shard shapes on wall and uncolored grout. Floor mosaics suffer more wear and tear and have to be refinished every few years

Evolution of craft - regularly cut glass and use of colored grout. Our guide Kay

Zagar's tribute to 9/11