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Bright, Bold and Beautiful
Katie Ulanov hand-tufted rugs blend bold colours with artistic upbeat prints. The richness of the 100% New Zealand naturally dyed wool used to make these rugs adds depth to the already vibrant motifs. Apart from being an accomplished designer and entrepreneur, Ulanov is the granddaughter of industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes who is perhaps best know for his Chrysler Air Flow car. Katie Ulanov Rugs can be found at Hers & Mine in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Red Elephant Gallery or ordered through her Web site directly.
Link: Katie Ulanov
Link: Red Elephant Gallery
MVRDV Moves Into Mountains
Ever commited to the unconventional, MVRDV has designed a housing complex for Liuzhou, China that once again defies convention. The location of the project is a valley where the eroding mountain face will be enveloped by a series of staggered boxed structures that will leave pockets of vegetation in an amalgam of built and natural form. In the valley itself is a wetland or constructed pond that is shown to support both vegetation and housing on its edge. There is something parasitic about the development as it grows from the valley, and unfortunately there is neither an ecological nor slope stabilization strategy present on their Web site, but it would be interesting to know how they plan on striking a balance between the existing ecology and proposed architecture. Liuzhou is scheduled to be completed in 2007.
Link: MVRDV
Via: China Daily
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax N.S
The competition to redesign Point Pleasant Park has been awarded to the firms NIP Paysage, Montreal and Ekistics Planning & Design, Dartmouth. Point Pleasant Park is a park in Halifax, Nova Scotia that has sustained damage in the way of insect infestation, ice storms and Hurricane Juan seriously damaging and degrading their coastal forest. Therefore, it is no surprise that the mandate for the competition was Regenerate, Restore and Renew focusing attention on strengthening coastal ecologies and preserving the unique heritage of the site. The panels themselves are lessons in ecology, detailing 50-year forest management and slope stabilization strategies, combined with native plantings and local materials.
Link: Point Pleasant Park
Link: Ekistics
Link: NIP Paysage
Jellio: Fun By Design
The 70's were colourful and plastic as a kid and Mario Marsicano and Chris Lenox of Jellio have captured that childhood aesthetic in their furniture and art collections. Their Turbo line takes its inspiration from the Revell car model kits; remember the plastic snap-off pieces? The Jellio version is wall mounted and made from aluminum-filled polyurethane resin with a metallic silver finish. I was delighted to find Rockem Sockem Robots commemorated in an end table; they were a personal favorite, but they also make a "Light Britesque" table, squirt gun art and more. Jellio truly is fun by design.
Link: Jellio [Thanks, Mario!]
Michael Wolf on Hong Kong
Michael Wolf is a photographer who captures the residential condition of Hong Kong as a portrait of both density and abandonment. The repetitive patterns of apartment buildings showcases order at its most extreme producing a visual lull that is both attractive and arresting. The majority of images were captured at unknown heights creating a boundlessness that is uncomfortable, but outweighed by the intrigue. Michael Wolf's truly engaging study can be found in Kenneth Baker and Douglas Young's Hong Kong: Front Door / Back Door.
Link: Polar Inertia
Link: Hong Kong: Front Door/ Back Door
BO BEDRE Element 2005 competition
If you had only eight days to design a piece of furniture how well do you think you'd do? The young designers who took up the challenge to do just that did fairly well at the Danish magazine BO BEDRE Element 2005 competition.
The criteria for competition was a maximum of five years of design experience, being under 35 and having eight days to produce a finished product. Seven designers took the challenge and their work is currently on display at the Danish Design Centre until December 30, 2005.
Link: DDC Release: Element 2005
The 6th edition at Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens, Québec
The names of the designers invited to take place in the seventh annual International Garden festival at Redford Gardens has been announced. They are: Pete North and Alissa North, landscape architects from Toronto, Ontario; Bosses Design (Éric Daoust, Donald Potvin, Jean-François Potvin), architects and designers from Montréal, Québ, Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot, landscape architects from Los Angeles, California; Chris Reed, landscape architect from Boston, Massachusetts (Stoss); Atelier le Balto (Marc Pouzol, Véronique Faucheur, Marc Vatinel), landscape architects from Berlin, Germany.
Link: International Garden Festival
Reference: International Garden Festival 2005 (L+L)
Bean Bags for the 21st century
Ambient Lounge has redefined bean bags for an upscale urban market that wants style that is casual and sleek. The new online retailer Ambient Lounge has revolutionised the bean bag market in the UK and Europe by introducing new shapes that are not only quantum improvements in comfort and function, but reflective of the modern style, colours and tastes of home wares today. Rather than being an embarrassing luxury shoved into the cupboard when guests come around, Ambient Lounge bean bags are now a centerpiece of style & quality in many people’s living rooms. With the outstanding new designer range developed by their interior design team, this is set to accelerate exponentially into 2006 and beyond, both in the UK and ‘style driven’ European markets such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden.
Link Ambient Lounge
Engineering storage
The Sinimet Collection from Cortex Design is designed to provide attractive, functional and durable storage. The Sinimet storage cart is ideal for office and studio use. It has an automotive coating on the top and bottom that provides a unique finish and quality detailing. The ample storage and strength of drawers can handle everyday items, but it is also suitable for bulkier pieces like power tools. The Sinimet credenza and filing cabinet are a nice companion with beautifully engineered details and corners that are currently available in three retro colours. Cortex Design is a an industrial design company located in Toronto that provides functional prototypes and new products for the consumer, industrial and contract furniture markets.
Link: Cortex Design
Stainless steel bathtubs
Looking for a bathtub that is sustainable, easy to maintain and drop dead gorgeous? Stainless steel might be just what you are looking for. Stainless steel tubs come in a variety of shapes and styles that can be paired with other materials like enamel and wood. They are a good conductor of heat, and will keep the water warmer for an extended period of time. They are also corrosion resistant and should not rust. Stainless steel tubs are not mass produced, so they can be expensive and many people opt for having them custom made to suit their needs. Stainless tubs are generally in the $7,000 to $17,000+ (US) range, which is not exactly pocket change, but if you are looking for something sustainable, durable and different it might just be worth the investment.
Link: Agape
Link: Diamond Spas
Link: Neo-Metro
Helping companies innovate
IDEO is what the dot.com companies tried to be and failed. A place where imagination is rewarded, and failure is just part of the path to success. IDEO is fueled by team creativity, and they believe that your company should be too. That's why they have produced Method Cards, a set of 51 cards that are meant to get your team inspired and on the path to great design.
IDEO firmly believes that the best way to spark the type of creativity that leads to innovation is by having fun. Method Cards are a design tool that use images, affinity diagrams and processes like mapping to get you going, but may also encourage your team to bodystorm in order to understand how the user might feel in a particular environment.
Link: IDEO
Update 3/14/06:
Article: NY Times - Going Off the Beaten Path for New Design Ideas
One Small Project, one big impact
If leftover people, leftover spaces and leftover materials are part of your life, then One Small Project would like to hear from you. The architects, students, designers and artists contributing to One Small Project are working towards helping and profiling the conditions of people known typically as squatters, self-builders, slum dwellers, informal settlers or displaced persons, and are highlighting the unique projects that help some of the 1 billion people who find refuge and community among the spaces that people forgot about, and the materials they threw out.
In an upcoming book called Building More Wanting Less, Wes Janz PhD, RA Associate Professor of Architecture, Ball State University will feature the stories and projects that aim to draw attention to an unfortunate reality. A call for submissions is currently out.
Link: One Small Project
The DJs of Design
Redstr/Collective is the design initiative of Alex Valich and Christine Warren, partners in business and life, who's approach to design is eclectic, inspired and just plain fun. They describe themselves a DJs of design who sample, mix and spin to get the desired result. Their Web site design is indicative of the "tongue-in-cheekiness" of their products like beautifully decorated sickness bags, and shelves that are highlighter colour. How about hip-hop Christmas tree ornaments? But Redstr serves up more than just novelty items, they design furniture and use green and recycled materials. They will also give you a bonus gift with purchases of over $300. Gifts like a can of soda or a Design Sickness Bag. It's all about consistency. Besides, any company with a working Manifesto is worth checking out.
Link: Redstr/Collective
Project Import Export serves up something different
With so much furniture on the market today it's sometimes hard to find something different. The furniture from PIE Project Import Export is not only different, but features work from some very talented and experienced designers from around the globe. Their merchandise represents some of the best work that is coming out of small young independent firms today that use modern methods and natural, environmentally friendly materials. PIE is setting out to explore the idea of 'living space' in an attempt to heighten the Modern lifestyle experience.
Link: PIE
An alternative to Portland Cement
Lithistone is an environmentally friendly alternative to Portland Cement that Ryan Waxman and Brett Fitzgerald use to fabricate countertops, sinks and decorative products. Lithistone will not contribute to indoor air pollution through off-gassing because it uses natural organic high colorfast pigments from Bioshield earth pigments, and non-toxic sealers and glosses. Lithistone is made from a variety of aggregates including crushed slate, granite, quartz, sea shells, marble and limestone. Furthermore, it can be carved, cast or sculpted. Lithistone provides natural contrast to a contemporary interior.
Link: Lithistone
Creative conversions of underused buildings
LoftyHeights is a new project started by Oliver Bollmann that looks at adaptive reuse and green building practices in the San Francisco Bay area that aspires to become a clearinghouse where architects, city officials, investors, home owners and real estate agents come together to post and learn about local, and potentially sustainable, building opportunities. The focus of the project is the existing urban environment, often underused or abandoned, the message is the idea that urban density is more sustainable. The site has been in existence since July 2005.
What we're committed to at LoftyHeights is to bring forth the creative conversions of underused buildings, buildings that sit idle after the dot.com crash or others, including warehouses, industrial, R&D and offices, into living homes that create community while remaining kind to our dwindling resources. Creating a quality of space for the owners out of an everyday structure, using green practices, encouraging proximity and density.
Link: LoftyHeights
Designing for the 24-hour environment
Designing for the 24-hour environment requires that the designer have an understanding of the materials that can be used to illuminate spaces shadowed by darkness. Convention points us towards traditional forms of lighting like halogen, solar, LED etc... but what of the luminescent properties of the materials themselves? Properties that include: transparency, reflectivity, retro-reflectivity, photo-luminescence, thermo-luminescence, screening, fiber-optical luminescence and fluorescence? This was the focus of a project lead by Pierre Bélanger, Assistant Professor Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design, University of Toronto that used night as the point of departure for a rooftop landscape architecture plan.
Link: AL&D
Wallpaper and paint for the eco-stylish
Farrow and Ball wallpapers and paints are beautiful, tactile and unparalleled in quality and finish. Think of them as hand-crafted products that use time-tested palettes for their line of paints, and employ a 19th century method of dragging and stripping for their papers. Sound old-fashioned? Maybe, but Farrow and Ball wallpapers, Emulsions, Exterior Masonry and Eggshell paints are environmentally preferable with low VOC emissions; the same goes for their papers. As a user (ok, F&B addict) I can testify to the fact that there is little to no smell after an application, and the matt finishes allow light to blend with the colour rather than reflect off of it. There are over 100 Farrow and Ball colours to choose from, most of them with unconventional names and descriptions like Dead Salmon and Pigeon, but they do not custom blend, which can be a downside for some. On the plus side, Farrow and Ball paints are to be stirred not shaken and they don't separate when left to stand. Furthermore, most distributors offer free (with purchase) in-home consultation. Sample pots are available, and recommended, before committing to a colour.
Link: Farrow and Ball
An early American Modernist landscape
John Fletcher Steele was a one of the first American Modernists of landscape architecture. In 1907 Steele attended Harvard's Graduate School of Landscape Architecture where he was taught by none other than Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. in the Beaux Arts tradition, but later became greatly influenced by the French Modernist of his time; the Vera brothers and Gabriel Guevrekian in particular.
While his style in his professional practice remained relatively rooted in Beaux Arts principles, his writings and exhibition work showcased his Modern gleanings. During his career, Steele made a friend out of heiress Mabel Choate, daughter of Joseph Choate the prominent New York attorney, who's love of travel fed Steele's creativity and together they conspired to create his signature gardens at Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Link: Naumkeag Trustees
Link: Naumkeag Projects
Via: Garden Visit
Reference: Modern Landscape Architecture - A Critical Review (L+L)
When Maurice Calka went plastic
In 1969, the renowned French sculptor Maurice Calka issued something different: the Boomerang desk. A sexy molded fiberglass and plastic desk. The largest version, the PDG, came with a matching molded chair and personalized control panel was enough to impress President Pompidou who owned one in white and placed it in the Elysée Palace; the contrasting Baroque and 70's plastic fantastic raised a few eyebrows back then. Manufactured by Leleu-Deshays they are highly sought after, but only 35 were produced as a limited edition piece. Recently, a Boomerang desk came up for auction and was sold for 29,300 Euro (roughly 35,000 USD).
Link: Maurice Calka
Via: A.D.
W.S. Tyler Wire Cloth for Architecture and Design
Facade, screen, ceiling, shelter, sound and fire barrier are just some the things that the architectural wire cloth series from Haver & Böecker can be. A thoroughly versatile steel mesh, it can take on harsh weather and pollution, and is often used along highways and in industry as a filter. The aesthetic qualities of architectural wire cloth make it ideal as a skin allowing subtle changes of colour and light at different angles. It also offers a myriad of options for interior application as ceilings and screens. Haver & Böecker have been producing woven wire cloth since 1887 with their first operation in Hohenlimburg, Germany and are distributed worldwide by their parent company W.S. Tyler.
Link: W.S. Tyler
Link: Haver & Böecker
Giant Bucket Wheel Excavators: the next generation
If you're a civil engineer this picture is probably on your desktop, but for the rest of us the Giant Bucket Wheel Excavator from ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik is enough to make us rub our eyes in disbelief. The Giant Bucket Wheel Excavator is the largest of it's kind used for mining. The mining capacity of giant excavators makes them desirable despite the cost and length of time needed to build and transport them. It takes 5 years to put a Giant Bucket Wheel Excavator together, so taking it apart when it needs to change sites is out of the question. Instead, it is driven to the next site traveling at approximately 1 mile every 3 hours, and everything in its path i.e. telephone wires, needs to be removed or risk being destroyed. Again, the production rates justify the coordinated efforts needed for its transportation.
Link: ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik
Parks, landscape, water, urban design...
European Landscape Architecture is the latest Topos publication representing the best in open-space architecture including parks and squares, waterfront promenades and memorials across Europe.
All of the projects featured were completed between 2000 and 2005, making it an extremely relevant resource for professionals and students. The entries included in European Landscape Architecure were chosen from the Topos special edition International Review of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. The book highlights work from a broad range of landscape architects, providing a good cross-section from both well-known and lesser-known firms.
Link: Topos
Understanding the desire for meaningful design
Is it like me? Does it like me? Can it make me more? These are the questions that are at the heart of Ravi K. Sawhney's (Ph. D., President & CEO, RKS Design Inc.) theory of Psycho-aesthetics® that looks to bring deeper meaning to product design. The basic principle stems from a desire to express a product's function through its design, coupled with the need to understand how we engage stimuli. Using precedent, Sawhney takes Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the parable of the Hero's Journey, and creates a model for design that addresses innate core desires, the goal of which is ultimately fulfillment.
Simply put, Psycho-Aesthetics is not about the best design – it’s about meaningful design. Taken a step further, it’s not about the design at all – it’s about our undeniable need for positive affirmation and how we fulfill this need.Link: RKS Psycho-Aesthetics®
Link: The Psycho-Aesthetics Martini (pdf)
In-situ soil analysis
Brownfield reclamation is on the rise, and soil analysis and remediation is becoming an art form of its own. The ability to analyze soil in-situ means considerable time and cost savings, and Niton's new XRF Analyzer series is designed to do just that. Armed with the technology to analyse soils for levels of lead, lead paint and heavy metals, it is a valuable tool that happens to be extremely portable at only 3lbs. It also has the added option of being fitted with Bluetooth wireless connection. Niton was recently awarded the IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) Gold medal award for its XRF Analyzer family.
Link: Niton XRF Analyzer
Link: IDEA Awards
Bonded Logic harnesses the warmth of denim
You might not think of denim as a suitable building material, but its rugged fibers have been the choice of labourers since the 16th century given that its durable, comfortable and warm. Bonded Logic recognized denim's primary benefits and used it to create a sustainable and effective insulation.UltraTouch is a natural cotton-based fiber insulation made from 85% post-industrial recycled fibers that harnesses the warmth and woven density of denim. It does not emit VOCs and is resistant to fungi. It also meets the highest ASTM testing standards, and contains no chemical irritants. Furthermore, UltraTouch's unique manufacturing process creates a three dimensional infrastructure that traps, isolates and controls sound waves reducing sound from traffic, airplanes, radios, television, and conversation.
Link: UltraTouch
Simplicity x function = popularity
A funny thing happened while browsing though the many aisles of Hot Property, a mecca for things Modern in the city of Toronto, I spied some glass containers that were in a locked cabinet. I have been on the hunt for glass containers, with plastic getting so much bad press these days, and inquired as to their price. The shop-keep told me that while he wasn't sure of their exact price, they were in fact "thousands, and thousands of dollars". It turns out that they were original Wilhelm Wagenfeld Kubus stacking containers from ca. 1935. Wagenfeld studied at the Bauhaus school and produced these simple containers after he left. They were manufactured as sets of seven, with interchangeable lids that were meant to be used as both storing and serving pieces. In true Bauhaus style serial repetition and function led to their extreme popularity, hence the myriad of replicas available on the market today.
Link: Metropolitan Museum
Contemporary reinterpretations of treehouses
Treehouses have grown-up and are winning awards for excellence in design and innovation. If the idea of treehouse as family dwelling conjures up images of the Swiss Family Robinson, then prepare yourself for the following reinterpretations.In 2003 Lukasz Kos, a masters student at the University of Toronto's School of Architecture & Design, took honourable mention at the OAA awards for his Muskoka, ON. treehouse, an elegant slatted structure that scales the trees and lets light radiate down it's core.
More recently, Joel Sherman of jls Design produced his AIA award-winning Steel Tree House in Lake Tahoe, CA, a sprawling residence that is cleverly engineered to work with snow loads and sloping terrain. Then there is Marcio Kogan's BR House in Araras, RJ that was built up to the canopy, and allows trees to puncture through the roof at points creating a contemporary elevated living space.
Link: Lukasz Kos
Link: Marcio Kogan
Via: Nelson Kon fotografias
Link: jls Design
Via: Dexigner
Le Corbusier series of DVDs now available
Can't get enough Corbusier? The Fondation Le Corbusier and Codex Images International - Birkhäuser are offering a series of DVDs that chronicle the work of Le Corbusier from 1905-1964. Broken into series of 4 sets, October heralds the arrival of the second set of 5 DVDs covering the years 1930-1945. The complete set features roughly 300 projects that will no doubt serve as an important archive for researchers, students and enthusiasts. Each project is accompanied by expert commentary and fully printable images. Fortunately for us they were not shy about including shreds of plans either. Series one: 1905-1930, a 4 DVD set, is currently available, but at the rather steep price of € 1600 or € 5800 for the series (approximately $1300 and $7000 US), it's probably best to harass your local library or university into making the purchase.
Link: Order Form
Link: Codex Images (Japanese/English Site)
Link: Fondation Le Corbusier
Via: arcspace