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.
A major new public space proposed for Dublin, Ireland
Dublin continues to grow and change at a fast clip, and with quality design leading the way.
American Landscape Architect Martha Schwartz has been selected to design a large public space in the Docklands section of Dublin. The 10,000 square meter Square will be located at the west end of Grand Canal Dock facing the River Liffey and will be one of the largest paved public spaces in the city.
Her design features a striking composition of a red "carpet" extending from the theatre into and over the dock crossed by a lush green "carpet" of paving with lawns and vegetation. The red “carpet” will be made of bright red resin-glass paving covered with red glowing angled light sticks. The green "carpet" of polygon-shaped planters will offer ample seating and will connect the new hotel to the office development across the square. The planters will feature marsh vegetation to soften the space and to act as a reminder of the historic wetland nature of the site. These will bring colour and variety to the space and act as a setting for the new buildings.
Got an empty lot that your itchin' to drop a mid-century modern home on? If so, then you're in luck. Custom home builder Maxx Livingstone is re-releasing the 1956 Butterfly Home originally designed by mid-century modern architect William Krisel A.I.A. This "Architectural Icon" will maintain all the architectural integrity of the original along with some modern updates.
In addition, out in in California's Coachella Valley, they are in the process of developing a residential community chock full of Krisel Modern homes. This community should be open to viewings in late 2006.
Fold up glass wall system... creates its own canopy too!
Funny that I just happened to run across this manufacturer of horizontal bi-fold doors on the Archinect forum since I was thinking about utilizing such a system for a project I am currently designing.
Frank Jonkman & Sons is a manufacturer of greenhouse systems, but as they mention on their website, this horizontal bi-fold door system has amazing potential beyond greenhouse applications.
The benefits of the system, other than the "cool" factor:
Requires no extra space within the adjacent walls for storing open panels
No track or threshold required at ground level
It can be easily installed in new or existing buildings
It is available in any width or height and the panels may combine virtually any combination of glazing materials
Photographs of environmentally impacted landscapes
I know that I've seen Photographs by David Maisel before - his striking landscape images are impossible to forget - but it was just last week that I came across his wonderful "Oblivian" series of aerial photos of Los Angeles at Polar Inertia and decided then and there that I must contact David and feature his work on L+L.
There is just something in the air, and it turns out that Mr. Maisel's work is a very popular topic these days; I learned from David that Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG was working on an interview to be featured at Archinect; and it is an excellent interview. And there is much more to see on David Maisel's website and at the Von Lintel Gallery as well.
A sketch competition for duilding designs in dramatic locations
This competition (sponsored by Building Design, SketchUp, et al.) "offers you the opportunity to stretch your creative mind to the full. The buildings, of course, are not going to be built - the aim is to see what you think is possible..." This is a sketch competition - not developed designs - and is open to architects, architectural technicians, students, designers and engineers.
The three sites are: the base of Mount Everest, the Niger desert, and the River Thames estuary. The three briefs will become available for download in different periods.
The Vine Chair by Clear, crafted from vines and resin, has a classic shape and would be at home both indoors or out. The materials in the Vine Chair also remind us a bit of the Alikudi chair by Aitali.
CA Boom has expanded from a one weekend per year design show, to offer a design and architecture tour series four Saturdays this fall in Los Angeles.
The tours will be organized in the same fashion as the tours offered during the CA Boom design exhibitions with architects and designers personally guiding attendees through the project offering insights into the design process. Confirmed architects and designers as of this posting include: Bestor Architecture, Unruh Boyer Architects + Design, Techentin Buckingham Architecture, Fing & Blatt, Space Internationall, Xten Architecture, etc. See more details after the jump.
Specializing in contemporary street fashion is online apparel outlet Bazaar Adriatic which carries noted designers such as Harjuku Lovers, tokidoki, cardboard robot and Doe just to name a few.
What is BazaarAdriatic?
Bazaar Adriatic is the place for "no-hype" fashion. The teams of buyers that have chosen each piece on here are actually seasoned professionals in the fashion or music industry. This site has been created to offer the best of up and coming fashion and music styles that take shape from the streets, clubs, dive bars, and inspiring garage artists that have an ever lasting effect on society.
Here we believe that fashion, music, and art are part of an unending parallel that takes shape in each of us everyday. As this site takes shape in our lives, we hope that it will do the same for you.
Apart from the large selection of apparel and accessories, be sure to check out BA's great collection of 12" vinyl albums available in their Music section. Very smooth.
More than two years ago, I read an article by LA based journalist Sam Kaplan talking about what he called "woonerfern," a Dutch concept of street design which blurs the boundaries of traffic separation and use. However a quick web search for "Woonerfern" will turn up nothing other than references to this article by Mr. Kaplan, and using a Dutch-to-English dictionary was no help either. A bit more research, and AH-HA! I discovered the term "Woonerf" (or the plural "Woonerven"), a concept developed in the late 1960's and early 70's which is credited to the late Dutch civil engineer Hans Monderman, who's philosophy of road design throws out the conventional wisdom that driving and walking are incompatible and that traffic must be directed and controlled by signals and signage.
The concept has evolved into numerous variations of philosophy: Home Zones, Shared Space, Living Streets, New Mobility, etc. But never mind what it is called, the concept of a street serving multiple functions is an interesting one. It expands the possibilities of walkable, sustainable cities which accommodates the automobile, but emphasizes and encourages alternate modes of movement and inhabitation of the street-scape--linear public space. Plus, it is just a good era to revisit 'infrastructure' rather than, say, sexy modern mountain vacation homes. So, let's take a look at shared spaces, shall we?
Link: Salon - Why don't we do it in the road?
Link: NY Times - A Path to Road Safety With No Signposts
Link: Wired - Roads Gone Wild
I'm a sucker for all things clean, simple and full of pop. So it was a no-brainer when I came accross a collection of outdoor garden furniture by designer Jennifer Newman.
Shortlisted for the 2006 Grand Designs Magazine Award, Newman's products are constructed of welded aluminum that is available in a wide array of powdercoat finishes. She also notes that the aluminum allows for the pieces to be refinished in the future once you grow tired of your initial color selection.
So there really is no excuse not to go with the pink now!
Take a moment and check out The Little Friends of Printmaking (aka husband and wife duo JW and Melissa Buchanan). The Wisconsin couple has a great portfolio of gig posters for acts such as Guided By Voices, Blonde Redhead and many many more.
For those of you not buying into this wallpaper revival (you'll all regret this down the road!!) will surely appreciate the alternative brought to you by Pop Cling.
Their peel and stick adhesive art is a great way to revamp a space without committing to a future bitch fest of scraping off old wallpaper.
Pop Cling reproduces art. All kinds of art. For the moment, that mostly means adhesive-backed art that you can peel off and stick to any smooth surface. Some people stick our prints on concrete floors, or on sliding glass doors leading to balconies, or right on the walls behind couches. You don’t need a frame, you just need a blank space. Voila, you have fresh pop art on your wall from new, favorite, and cutting edge artists.
Seen above is Albany, California artist Attaboy's contribution. Detail after the jump.
Some archiporn for your hungry eyes... photos from the 4th Floor of the Hotel Puerta America in Madrid, Spain (each floor is designed by a different architect/designer).
American Society of Landscape Architects honors 38 projects
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has announced the recipients of its 2006 Professional Awards. The jury considered over 500 entries and selected 38 projects to receive awards. The awards will be presented on October 8 at the ASLA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
The top "Awards of Excellence" are awarded in several categories:
IMAGE: The Red Ribbon - Tanghe River Park, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, China
Turenscape (Beijing Turen Design Institute) and Peking University Graduate School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing, China.
We debated over whether we should make this letter public or not. It is an unusual letter to "print" on our site, but George Yu is an unusual person.
A few of us here at L+L had the pleasure and honor to have had George as an instructor and, briefly, as a boss. What makes George so special is that, even though he has a fantastic abundance of "starchitect" talent, he remains a super-friendly, kind, down-to-earth guy who helps out, chats over a beer, and plays roller hockey whenever he has time. This combination of talent, success, and humility is very rare in our profession, in any profession, and we would like to salute George for being an absolute class act. Thank you, Thom, for emphasizing this point.
Threadless tees and blik graphics have teamed up to produce wall graphics. blik will post 6-10 of their favorite Threadless designs and will ask the public to vote on which ones will be come the next line of blik wall graphics. I'm casting my vote for Alphabet Zoo and Sad Psycho. Check it out and be sure to vote for your favorite.
I've always thought those dogs with dreads were cool and the canine was the first thing that came to mind after seeing this throw pillow from Neelee.com. Made from ultra-soft fleece, each pillow is made by hand. Dimensions are 55 x 55cm.
Link: Neelee.com
Designer: Idit Friedberg
Via: CribCandy
Thanks to a comment from Matt in our post below, we were clued-in to Loll Design, the firm behind the Room & Board Adirondack chairs. Turns out they've got quite an assortment of products, from chairs and stools to benches and tables, all made from 100% post-consumer high-density polyethylene. They also work close with designers and architects, collaborating on numerous projects, including The Octagon in NYC (above right) and designing benches for the St. Louis County Courthouse.
The Sculptor Richard Wilson's installation in Liverpool takes by surprise every passer by!
Richard Wilson is regarded as one of the most influential artist/sculptor of the 21st century. English born, he initially trained as a graphic designer but half way through his degree his switched to a Fine Art degree as he realised he was a ‘maker’.
After completion of his academic studies, Wilson returned to London and set base in Butlers Wharf till the early 80’s.
Richard Wilson has always been interested in the relationship between architectural spaces and the changes that can be applied to them, either by people’s interaction, or by the maker or by the manipulation of perception.
One of his most famous pieces, that brought him to be recognized worldwide, is 20:50, which is now permanently exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
DecodeLondon is a new and innovative British design and manufacturing company committed to working with London's best creative talent. The Textile Side Unit, designed by Jethro Macey and featured above in Floral, is crafted using CNC milled stone composite doors and a solid oak base.
One of our most popular posts here at L+L is the Finland Summer House posted by James back in January 2005. If exploring summer houses in Finland is your raison d'être, then we have a book for you. Finnish Summer Houses by Jari & Sirkkaliisa Jetsonen is a new book from Princeton Architectural Press that showcases work from architects such as Eliel Saarinen, Alvar Aalto, Juhani Pallasmaa and many others.
Architectural styles featured in the book run the gamut from farmhouse villas of the late 1800's to the modern structures of today.
Featuring the work of Thomas Campbell, Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, Barry McGee and others, Beautiful Losers highlights how these artists, with almost no influence from the established art world, have been transforming pop culture.
Link: Beautiful Losers
Via: 70percent.org
The new animated logo of The Cooper Union makes me go "hmmmm"
In the world of graphic design, there is perhaps no more basic, yet simultaneously complex design problem than the logo. A logo (or logotype) is ultimately an identifying symbol; the visual marker for a brand. But what are the elements of a great logo? Traditionally, a "good" logo should meet some basic criteria, and there are countless rules of thumb by countless designers, but these four basics described by designer David Dairey are how I have always thought of what makes a good logo: it is describable, memorable, effective without color, and scalable.
There are also countless examples of logos which do not meet these criteria, most are cringe inducing. But in this digital age, there are examples of logos which are designed to inhabit the confines of digital space; and the confines are, well, much less confining. The new logo for The Cooper Union is perhaps the best example of this trend. It is elemental and basic, yet describes the complex of the institution it represents (view: full animation, website intro version). It meets the first two criterial of basic logo design, it does not meet the third, and I think it is questionable on the fourth.
But most notably, it is clear that this logo was designed for digital space; it relies on movement to fully reveal its meaning. While I like the design, I wonder how this logo can function for the institution when it comes to the (current) necessity of static use. And in general, what does this mean in the world of identity design?
This landmark building in Oslo by Snøhetta (Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Tarald Lundevall, Craig Dykers) is the
largest cultural centre built in Norway in 700 years. The competion brief stated that the operahouse should be monumental in it’s expression. Snøhetta's interpretation of monumentality is a concept of togetherness, joint ownership, easy and open access for all which is manifested in the warping roof plane making the an extended piece of civic public space. Monumentality is achieved through wide horizontal extension and not verticality. Integral to the 1,000-room interior, which is largely lined with crafted woodwork (using the traditions of Norwegian boat builders), are a number of art commissions interwoven into the structural fabric, including a cloakroom, a collaboration with their 2007 Serpentine Pavilion collaborator Olafur Eliasson.
The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe announced today that the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo, Norway by Snøhetta is the winner of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2009.
"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."
We've admired the high quality kitchen systems designed by Seattle-based Henrybuilt for many years. Henrybuilt offers an American alternative to the sleek European kitchen systems we drool over.
The latest expansion to the line--the Workspace Component Group--builds on their well conceived backsplash panel system adding smart functionality. The components are a set of sculpted functional blocks: a cutting board, colander, and knife block. Like the existing accessories in the system, these components are designed to integrate with Henrybuilt's customizable backsplash panel system offering flexibility in configurations and changing needs. The colander and cutting board not only store neatly on the backsplash, but are designed to function with Henrybuilt's recessed countertop sink and drainboard.
One giant step for eco-friendly back to school gear
So you've got a kid, and you want to be "green," but let's face it, this is easier said than done. You have plastic this-and-that, one-use items, all of those school supplies, disposable lunch bags... etc., etc., etc. Sourcing environmentally responsible children's products is a royal pain!
What if one day your kid's tree-hugging school requires that you send waste-free lunches?! This is what happened to Renata Bodon who found it challenging to find safe and high-quality reusable lunch ware. Fortunately for you, Renata decided not only to solve her problem, but yours as well.
Meet One Small Step--your one stop shop offering a bevy of waste-free, lead-free, BPA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free lunch and school supplies as well as items for babies and toddlers. And to top it off, One Small Step not only selects items with an eye for design, but also donates 10% of their gross returns to non-profits and partnering schools... you can even register your fave.
The James Rose Center for Landscape Research and Design has released a call for entries for a design compettiont to explore "the aesthetics of landscape experience in the era of sustainability." The competition is focued on solutions to the ubiquitous small-lot, detached single-family, residential condition. Entries should employ sustainable strategies and tactics to create human landscape experiences that are beautiful, inspiring, perhaps profound; and which might serve as examples for transforming the suburban residential fabric.
This is a juried competetition open to all, including landscape architects, landscape designers, architects, individuals, teams, or firms. Submission deadline is April 16, 2010.
Turn your television into a disco light show? Where can I get one?!
The Groovetube is simply a translucent plastic box that suction cups to the screen of your television. It has a grid of dividers inside it that diffuse the colors from your T.V. producing an amazing colorful abstraction of anything you watch.
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.
Dublin continues to grow and change at a fast clip, and with quality design leading the way.
Got an empty lot that your itchin' to drop a mid-century modern home on? If so, then you're in luck. Custom home builder Maxx Livingstone is re-releasing the 1956 Butterfly Home originally designed by mid-century modern architect William Krisel A.I.A. This "Architectural Icon" will maintain all the architectural integrity of the original along with some modern updates.
Funny that I just happened to run across this manufacturer of horizontal bi-fold doors on the 
I know that I've seen Photographs by David Maisel before - his striking landscape images are impossible to forget - but it was just last week that I came across his wonderful "Oblivian" series of aerial photos of Los Angeles at 
This competition (sponsored by Building Design, SketchUp, et al.) "offers you the opportunity to stretch your creative mind to the full. The buildings, of course, are not going to be built - the aim is to see what you think is possible..." This is a sketch competition - not developed designs - and is open to architects, architectural technicians, students, designers and engineers.
The Vine Chair by Clear, crafted from vines and resin, has a classic shape and would be at home both indoors or out. The materials in the Vine Chair also remind us a bit of the 
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has announced the recipients of its 2006 Professional Awards. The jury considered over 500 entries and selected 38 projects to receive awards. The awards will be presented on October 8 at the ASLA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
I've always thought those 
Richard Wilson is regarded as one of the most influential artist/sculptor of the 21st century. English born, he initially trained as a graphic designer but half way through his degree his switched to a Fine Art degree as he realised he was a ‘maker’.
After completion of his academic studies, Wilson returned to London and set base in Butlers Wharf till the early 80’s. 
One of our most popular posts here at L+L is the 
So you've got a kid, and you want to be "green," but let's face it, this is easier said than done. You have plastic this-and-that, one-use items, all of those school supplies, disposable lunch bags... etc., etc., etc. Sourcing environmentally responsible children's products is a royal pain! 
The Groovetube is simply a translucent plastic box that suction cups to the screen of your television. It has a grid of dividers inside it that diffuse the colors from your T.V. producing an amazing colorful abstraction of anything you watch.