Big things are happening for the small architecture firm, Leong Leong. After completing their largest project to date in Seoul for Phillip Lim they returned to New York to design Opening Ceremony’s fourth store inside the Ace hotel. Just last month AIANY announced they were among the winners of the New Practices New York competition, recognizing “promising and innovative new architecture firms.” Leong Leong is currently showing at W Project Space in Chinatown. The project titled “Turning Pink,” uses pink foam insulation to convert the tiny space into a pink box. The insulation was tested last week during the opening when a giant ice sculpture of the iconic Fortune Cat was placed in the center of the room. Regrettably, we never made it to the opening, so the cat’s fate is uncertain. Turning Pink will be on view till June 6th.

One need not be a Sinatra fan to appreciate the singer’s former home in Palm Springs. Built in 1947 and designed by E. Stewart Williams, the Twin Palms is no Graceland. Instead, it is a landmark steeped in modern architecture history that influence the designs of many houses that followed. Through two tumultuous relationships, Sinatra would live in Twin Palms for seven years before selling it. The five decades following his departure, the house fell into numerous hands and eventually neglected until three enterprising New Yorkers decided to renovate the home. Twin Palms is now available to rent for a mere $2600 a night. The house sleeps eight, so we were about to suggest you rent it for the weekend of Coachella, however it appears that someone already beat you to it.

Vitra’s campus is situated in the small town of Weil am Rhein in Germany bordering Switzerland and France. The campus is a mecca for all design geeks, drawing professionals and enthusiast alike. Nowhere in the world is there such a large concentration of celebrated architects all in one location. The grounds inhabit buildings and structures designed by Tadao Ando, Buckminster Fuller, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Jasper Morrison, Jean Prouve, SANNA, and Herzog & de Meuron. Five of the eleven architects have been awarded the Pritzker prize, architecture’s most prestigious award. As impressive as this collection of buildings are, it is even more stunning to realize that all of this began in 1981 after a fire devastated the campus. CEO, Rolf Feldbaum used this disaster as a turning point to rebuild. The latest in the succession of development is VitraHaus designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The building uses familiar elements such as the pitched roofs but mixes it in an unconventional way by randomly stacking the elongated structures on top of one another. The museum will house Vitra’s home collection and is expected to open in March according to a recent post on their website.

Several times a year, visitors are treated to tour The Modulightor Building. The narrow structure on the south side of East 58th street was designed by Paul Rudolph in 1989, a highly influential modernist architect. Housing both the lighting company, Modulightor and Paul Rudolph’s foundation, the building was originally meant to be residential. In fact much of what Rudolph collected are still displayed throughout the interior. The building appears to be more than a duplex with its staggered levels. Rudolph’s use of space is ingenious, the thin slats of the stairs visually fuses with the bookshelves.

Opportunities to visit this historical building is rare, that is unless you decide to throw a party with several of your friends. The Modulightor Building is available to rent for private events with prices ranging from $1,500-$2,400. We forgot to mention that there’s a roof deck with a jacuzzi. Read more about The Modulightor Building here.

The Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, turns 102 today. A giant amongst modern architects, Niemeyer will always be remembered for the buildings he designed for Brasilia, his contribution to the U.N. and one of his most famous buildings, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi. Niemeyer continues to work from his studio in Rio de Janeiro with a major project underway in Ravello, Italy.

Optimism is in the air as Art Basel Miami Beach is set to begin tomorrow. Based on recent auctions and art fairs the organizers see a more positive outlook for this year. Surrounding the fair are numerous launches with companies pushing everything from cars to sneakers. One of the more interesting events to take place is the opening of a… garage? Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, 1111 Lincoln Road is to be supported by a number of retailers and restaurants including New York’s Shake Shack, though it will not open till early next year. Read more about the plans that went into developing the structure and its owner in the NYTimes. More photos after the jump.