Design Observer takes a catholic approach to discussing various aspects of design. Visitors to the homepage will realize this immediately, as they can find posts on architectural theory, furniture design, and the history of innovative trademarks. On the left-hand side of the homepage, visitors can check out the latest relevant Twitter posts, and also scroll down to the "Observed" area. Here...

It might be argued that in terms of the built environment, Americans love what is new and are, at times, dismissive of that historic urban fabric of their past. As many parts of the country continue to be reinvigorated with new urban developments, it also becomes increasingly difficult to preserve those unique developments that are an integral part of a place's history. One city that is currently...

The decorative arts and material culture get their full due at this lovely online collection created by the University of Wisconsin's Digital Collections program. With generous funding from the Chipstone Foundation, the staff members at the Digital Collections program have digitized a variety of primary and secondary resources related to the decorative arts, with a particular focus on Early...

From 1914 until 1961, the University of Washington's Department of Architecture kept a well-organized collection of its students' drawings. This digital collection from the University of Washington brings together hundreds of these drawings for consideration by the web-browsing public. Many of the drawings contain marks from critiques, and many of them bear the marks of Lionel Pries, a highly...

There's so much that architects, urbanologists, and scholars of the American condition can learn from Las Vegas. This digital collection from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries brings together dozens of architectural drawings and renderings from the offices of two major hotel architects who worked in Las Vegas from 1954 to the 1980s: Martin Stern, Jr. and Homer Rissman. The materials...

New plans for world's tallest building unveiled in Dubai http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/dubai/3142023/New-plans-for-worlds-tallest-building-unveiled-in-Dubai.html Boomtown Feels Effects of a Global Crisis [Free registration may be required] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/world/middleeast/05dubai.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=dubai&st=cse&oref=login Generation Faithful: Young...

The Dwell website is a rich resource for vernacular design - inviting visitors to "explore modern homes through the eyes of the people who live in them." There's a Products section, but those who are not looking to purchase right away will find plenty of inspiration in the Homes section, where there are links to house tours, including apartments, off-the-grid homes, and renovations. In the Ideas...

The Yousef Jameel Online Centre for Islamic and Asian Art provides visitors with access to the Ashmolean Museum's Eastern Art collection. Anyone with an interest in the visual arts will find much to enjoy here amongst the thousands of items collected from the past 5,000 years. The site consists of five primary areas, including Galleries, Exhibitions, and Highlights. This last area features 35...

The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) was started in 2003, and it quickly gained the cooperation of the three countries (Belgium, Great Britain and Germany) that were the heart of the Industrial Revolution. The ERIH brought together non-profits, academic institutions, and tourism organizations with the goal to "protect Europe's industrial heritage sites and use their preservation as a...

Eye level is an art blog written by a collaborative team at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). According to the site, "... the conversation at Eye Level will be dedicated to American art and the ways in which the nation's art reflects its history and culture." The SAAM collection is meant as a foundation for the conversation on Eye Level. A recent post begins by talking about a road trip...