Mobile homes with a view

Everyone hates having to move, with the biggest pet peeve being packing a bunch of boxes in one place and unpacking them in another. Well, what if there were a way for you to move but never have to pack or unpack another box? Brazilian architect Felipe Campolina has designed a concept for a residential tower comprised of portable, stackable apartment units, which he says opens up new possibilities for ways of living in the city. His design would allow owners to take their home with them when they travel.

What do you think of this idea? Do you think it will catch on? Would you want to live in one?

For the architect who has everything ...

I'm told the Frank Gehry collection at Tiffany has been around for a while, but it's new to me, and may be new to many of you in the design world. I wish I had seen it a couple of weeks ago so I could've shared it with you before Valentine's Day, but there are plenty of special occasions on the calendar, so get shopping! New items include star-shaped bangles and rings ranging in price from $250 to $600. The overall collection ranges in price from $8,400 for an 18K torque necklace to $40 for a white China rock tumbler, so clearly there's something for every price range.

Do you own any of these pieces? Do your fellow architects know who designed it - or at least put his name on it? What do you think of the collection?

No architecture in Barbie's future

While some may argue her dimensions could only be dreamed up by an engineer, it looks like Barbie won't be making a foray into architecture any time soon. We told you earlier this week about the effort to bring America's most recognizable doll into the AEC space, but alas the votes are counted and the blonde bombshell will be spending 2010 as a news anchor and computer engineer.

So, where can young girls turn for inspiration when it comes to a career in architecture? Does your firm reach out to children to inspire them to consider a path to the design field or wait until they get to college?

Barbie the architect?

A University of Buffalo professor is touting America's favorite career woman as a future architect.Toymaker Mattel is putting Barbie's next career up for a vote, and architect is one of the choices for the shapely icon's next stint in the job market. With the AIA's push to increase the diversity of its profession through the 2008 Gateway Commitment, we wonder if anyone from the headquarters is putting out the word about Barbie's desire to give architecture a whirl, or possibly using the professor's push and Mattel's inclusion of their profession in its meetings with young girls still wondering what they want to be when they grow up.

What do you think about the UB professor's efforts? Will you vote for Barbie as an architect? What effect do you think it could have on young girls if architect wins the contest?