In one of the more bizarre stories we've reported on, we've just learned that Hong Kong is pushing a new boundary and redefining the notion of being buried at sea. In a city of more than 7 million residents, it appears it is difficult to find a peaceful resting place for loved ones - with private cemetery spaces fetching prices upwards of $36,000 USD. To combat this issue and space restriction, designer Tin Shun But has come up with a concept building that allows residents of Hong Kong to store loved ones' ashes on a floating columbarium moored to the main land. It seems like a better idea than the columbarium in Tokyo that we learned about where families have to swipe a smart card to receive ashes from an underground vault - which we can't help but feel likens the grieving process to visiting your local store. It will be interesting to see if this idea gets off the ground.

Design publisher Taschen has announced the updated version of The Complete Works by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Ando is the only architect to have ever won the four most prestigious prizes in architecture (the Pritzker, Carlsberg, Praemium Imperiale and Kyoto Prize) and can be credited for developing an aesthetic which has subsequently trickled throughout architecture worldwide. Combining Japanese tradition with the best of modernism he utilises concrete, wood, water, light and space in a completely unique way. For example, his clever use of daylight in his work the Church of Light in Osaka Japan illuminates the religious function of the space by allowing natural light to seep in through the outline of a crucifix cut into the wall. It's the symmetry in his works which we find completely arresting. Philippe Starck describes him as a mystic in a country which is no longer mystic -  and it seems this book with all his works, is a good starting point for unraveling the mystery behind the man.

Fashion designer Tom Ford's first foray into film is a successful one. Showing now in cinemas, A Single Man is stylistically stunning, so much so, you feel as if every single frame from the film could be printed as a piece of art. What particularly caught our attention is the 1949 John Lautner designed house that serves as Colin Firth, the main character's home. Constructed in redwood, brick and glass and hidden in a wooded valley of the Verdugo Mountains, the residence opens up to an oak forest which influences the form and orientation of the design. It's a beautiful example of modernist architecture, and surprisingly, given the success of the movie, the residence located only 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles is currently for sale for only USD$1.5 million.

The TKTS project situated in Times Square New York was commissioned to replace the existing ticket booth.  Feeling that Times Square had no place for visitors to sit and enjoy the passing show, the aim was to build design terraces from tiered red translucent slabs hosting the new ticket booth underneath. Designed by John Choi and Tai Ropiha, two young Sydney based architects, of architecture practice Choiropiha, the project has won the AIA Institute Honor Award. The TKTS also features in the Jay Z and Alicia Keys 'Empire State of Mind' video clip and was named 'Building of the Decade' by New York magazine's Justin Davidson.

Given an extremely low budget to refit an old council block of apartments near Sayama City Station in Tokyo, Japanese architecture practice Schemata architecture were forced to think about how they could re-use existing materials and create a new aesthetic from the little resources they had. Due to the declining population in Japan, the landlord's primary concern was that the apartment building would remain 'half vacant' unless Schemata could offer something new to this suburban area. The concept Schemata came up with was an 'on-site' design process and use of a subtraction or de-construction method. Saying they started to see that 'de-construction' was a more powerful element than 'construction' on the site, they were able to achieve the look they were after by removing walls and leaving various elements exposed and raw. The result? A slick modern interior on a minimal budget. If only council houses here in New Zealand took the same approach.

We've written about some pretty amazing chapels before, in fact we did a brief recap about them just before Easter. But this chapel by Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos has a special quality all of its own. An open chapel in La Calera, Colombia, it has been made to completely fit in with its natural environment. With the goal of creating 'an essential harmony' in the space, Bonilla uses a strong sense of geometry at all times and ensures that his design appeals to both small private groups and large public functions as large doors can transform the chapel into a mobile space. Stones, glass, wood and steel are on interwoven through the design.