Ball chain curtains... very groovy, baby.
We saw this at a new restaurant recently... like Greg Brady's attic bedroom that we were always so jealous of, but way more sexy. It's just a chain of metal balls, nothing new here, but the application... ah the application of the system. It can be used for a wide variety of effects and purposes as demonstrated on their website, and is available in a range of sizes, colors, textures, finishes and track configurations. Does it make you randy, baby?
Link: ShimmerScreen
Hat rack as wall sculpture.
A hat rack that you can use to hang just about anything. From the Mox website:"There's nearly everything you can hang on LILI. A wardrob to be used in an exceptional way. Avalible in playwood oak blached or playwood oak stains brown."
Dimensions: 100x100cm (max. distance from wall 20cm)
Link: Mox.ch
SOM, James Turrell and Brown Sardina create a sustainable building of landscape and light
Roger Duffy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill integrated landscape and architecture in a new building for a private high school in Greenwich, Connecticut, with light artist James Turrell and landscape architects Brown Sardina. The landscape weaves through the building in the form of courtyards, and the roof is literally an extension of the landscape as the sloping site allows the roof of the merge with the ground plane. Transparent glass facades and light cupolas on the rooftops of each structure flood the building with daylight.
In addition to the extensive use of daylight, other sustainable design initiatives include the use of recycled materials, a waste management plan, storm water and irrigation systems, and high quality air and energy systems.
Via: Architectural Record
Firm: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Firm: Brown Sardina
Link: Hydrotech Garden Roof system
Visit the Walter Gropius House built in 1938
"Walter Gropius, founder of the German design school known as the Bauhaus, was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. He designed this house as his family home in 1937, when he came to teach at Harvard's Graduate School of Design."
Visit: Gropius House
Land/Earth artist
We came across this website about artist Andy Goldsworthy by a student in the Environmental Analysis program at Pomona College. We have always admired Mr. Goldsworthy's work, so this seemed to be the perfect follow up to our first art category post from yesterday.
Goldsworthy makes site-specific pieces of art using only the materials and tools found on the site where he is working. We were drawn to respect for nature and the sense of place inherent in Goldsworthy's art. Most of his work is created in isolated natural site, but he has also done works in urban environments as well as installation piece such as the current exhibit at the Met in New York. An important aspect of his work is the passage of time and the decay of his art by the forces of nature.
Link:
Andy Goldsworthy
Please note that the images across the top of the page are links - slow loading rollovers
Time: Amazon
Floating cube perched on concrete piers.
Elaine Louie writes about the Nicholas Murcutt designed Box House in the today's NY Times online edition. An excerpt from the article:"...in Australia the Box House is much admired among designers, having won a commendation in 2002 from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. And it is not even finished. For $50,000, Ms. Charles and Mr. Halstead got a roof over their head, but not a gas stove or hot water. That's Stage 2, to be completed in August for another $11,000 (all sums in this article are in American dollars). They will have to wait for Stage 3 for a toilet, to be tucked into a storage shed with solar panels on the roof. The collected electricity will permit a refrigerator, hot water and lights. Stage 3, still on the drawing board, will cost another $11,000. In the meantime, the family uses a neighbor's outhouse, which the Australians call a long drop. It is also a long haul, being more than 100 feet away."
Architect: Nicholas Murcutt
Link: NY Times
Link: NineMSN
Images: © Brett Boardman for The New York Times
Tote bags made from recycled plastic milk crates
Two size are available (basic and laptop) in a range of milk crate colors. We dig it.
Link: Thingsmatter
Via: Archinect
American Society of Landscape Archiects 2004 Medals and Firm Award Recipients Selected
The Board of Trustees of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has selected the recipients of the 2004 Medals and Firm Award, to be presented on November 1, 2004, during the ASLA Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.
Peter Walker will receive the ASLA Medal, the highest honor the ASLA may bestow upon a landscape architect and Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, will receive the Landscape Architecture Firm Award.
Link: ASLA 2004 Medals and Firm Award Recipients
Pioneer in using plastic in industrial design
"Aarnio was - and still is - one of the pioneers in using plastic in industrial design. Plastic material set the designers free to create every shape and use every color they wanted. This gave birth to objects oscillating between function and fun - but always fascinating ones."
Link: Eero Aarnio
Link: Ball Chair
Link: Bubble Chair
Link: Screw Tables
Link: Tipi
Painting, sculpture and found-object mixed media
"Andrew Lindell is a carpenter and self-taught artist currently living in Toronto. He draws his inspiration from his extensive traveling in the Canadian arctic and his love and concern for the environment."
We haven't really featured any artists on L+L, but this one caught our attention. He's an environmentally aware carpenter turned artist, and that just seems interesting...... and maybe we're having a bit of snow withdrawls now that summer is here, and we saw the painting entitled "Powder" as well as the two pieces featuring skiers, so that tipped the scale in favor of featuring Mr. Lindell. At any rate, an interesting collection of work inspired by nature.
Link: Andrew Lindell
A room with a view
An Atlanta based firm adds more space to their client's apartment by going up.
"Our client loved the views from the roof of his loft apartment in the Castleberry Hill Historic district in downtown Atlanta. Like so many other downtown residents, he also wanted to capture some outdoor space. Living in a landlocked apartment, his best option was to go up onto the roof and create an urban oasis there."
Firm: Square Feet Studio
A different kind of convertible sofa
This sofa was designed by architect Massimo Morozzi, a member of the radical design group Archizoom who later went on to open his own studio designing household items and products for the likes of Cassina, Mazzei, Alessi, etc.
The backrest cushions have leather backs and can be laid in a horizontal position to form large support and work surfaces. The square silhouette with wide armrests offers comfort when sitting straight, suitable when reading. The seat structure is in solid wood and the backrests are in steel. Elastic, transpiring expanded polyurethane padding. The feet are in satin-finish, varnished aluminum. The removable cover comes in a range of catalogue fabrics and leathers.
Link: Edra
Designer: Massimo Morozzi
First purchasers describe the process.
"Barry and I put the first waterproofing coat on the foundation wall May, 25, 2004. We were hoping to finish waterproofing before framing started but it rained the rest of the week.
The treated lumber for the floor was delivered on May 28. We started framing early Saturday morning, May 29. It was a beautiful day...sunny and in the high 70's. The framing crew consisted of my brother Kevin, Christopher (a family friend), my husband Barry and I."
Link: Article
Link: LV Home Kit
Reference: LV Home - Building Update I
Reference: LV Home - Building Update II
Understanding the universe precisely
"In collaboration with top international designer Philippe Starck, Oregon Scientific is moving the art of understanding the environment to a new level - with the introduction of a new Time and Weather Collection."
Designer: Philippe Starck
Link: Oregon Scientific
Via: ID Online
How to make a business case for sustainable design
Back in March, again in April, and upcoming in June, the EPA, the IDSA Design Foundation, and J. Ottman Consulting sponsored workshops for changing perceptions of sustainable design. An excerpt from the article:"More than just evaluating products, the mission of the workshop is to demonstrate how producing green can be a win-win strategy, increasing a company's profits while positively distinguishing it from the competition. Ottman and Doering offered some simple "swift approaches" to environmental design: Use recycled materials; increase energy efficiency and substitute alternative energy when possible; reduce toxicity by using "known" and stable compounds; extend product life, moving away from disposable products by creating goods that are durable, upgradeable, and repairable; and provide the product as a service or on a lease basis where the consumer keeps the product through its useful life, and the manufacturer reclaims it for disassembly or refurbishment."
Link: ID Online
Eco glass cleans itself with Sun
"The Pilkington Activ glass has a special nano-scale - extremely thin - coating of microcrystalline titanium oxide which reacts to daylight.
"This reaction breaks down filth on the glass, with no need for detergent. When water hits it, a hydrophilic effect is created, so water and dirt slides off."
Link: BBC News
Plastic package inspired lamp
The Blisterlamp by Dutch designer Henk Stallinga is made from two identical halves of transparent PET G which simply snap together. PET G is the typical polyethylene blister packaging material that encases so many products we buy, from toys to toothbrushes. Blister lamp may be used individually or as a cluster, standing or hung.
Link: Stallinga
Buy: Generate
When a simple door wedge won't suffice
Love this.
"Doorman doorstop designed by Gaby Klasmer for Memphis Milano. The doorman is part of the 'post design' series from Memphis Milano- a collection designed by students from the Royal College of Art, 1999, under the direction of Ron Arad. stainless steel, 11.5" height."
Link: Memphis-Milano
Designer: Gaby Klasmer
Link: Unica Home
Just in case you haven't had enough Gehry lately
We weren't around when this Gehry article was published by Newsweek, but if you missed it the first time (as we did) and you simply can't get enough Gehry, then this one is for you, Mr. I browse the Internet night and day looking for Gehry articles Man.
"If you’re hoping to persuade Frank Gehry to design something in your city, here’s one phrase you should not use: 'the Bilbao effect.' He hates it. 'When people approach me like that, I turn them down,' he tells NEWSWEEK. The architect understands that his iconoclastic design draws hundreds of thousands of admirers annually to Spain's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which opened in 1997. But he takes issue with the term, which was coined after cities around the world tried to emulate the museum's success by commissioning high-style architecture designed specifically to draw attention—and tourist revenues. Gehry is not comfortable with the whole phenomenon. He says his designs are meant to benefit and improve the communities where they will be built and he insists he wants to be a 'good neighbor.'"
Link: Newsweek/MSNBC
Landscapes in Wicklow County, Ireland, open May though July
It has been said... or at least the Wicklow visitors bureau has coined the phrase... that Ireland is the Garden of Europe, and Wicklow is the Garden of Ireland. And it is true that the natural beauty of this mountainous region south of Dublin is a sight to behold. The temperate climate provides the perfect environment for spectacular gardens as well. Each summer gardens of all sizes and types, from historic formal gardens to contemporary landscapes and from botanic gardens to small cottage yards, are open to the public as part of the Wicklow Gardens Festival. Perhaps just as appealing is the opportunity to explore the landscape of beer gardens and pubs after hours.
Link: Wicklow Gardens Festival
Furniture by Marmol Radziner for use... well... indoors or outdoors
Good looking outdoor furniture that we would gladly invite inside. Designed by Los Angeles architects Marmol Radnizer.
Link: Indoor/Outdoor by Marmol Radziner Furniture
The work of legendary California Arts and Crafts architects Charles and Henry Greene
If you have a few hours to kill and an interest in Arts and Crafts architecture, here is something to keep you occupied. This online archive is an exhaustive collection of photographs, drawings, sketches, paintings, correspondence and documents related to the work of Greene & Greene. The website is quite advanced and is geared towards scholars... bit it isn't too hard core for someone with a passing interest. Isn't the internet cool?
Link: Greene & Greene Virtual Archives
Aerial photo of Fashion Island, Newport Beach, California
Source: Flickr
Location: Google Maps
Westonbirt Festival of the Garden
The Brits love their gardens, and the U.K. is awash with garden festivals each summer. There were some wonderful designs last year and this year's designs seem quite compelling as well.
Link: Westonbirt Festival of the Garden
Harvard Picks Frank Gehry's team to Plan New Campus new 200-acre campus in Allston
Gehry's team includes landscape architect Laurie Olin, and the New York urban design firm of Cooper, Robertson & Partners. The team will draw up broad guiding principles for developing the land over the next 50 years including issues such as traffic, land use, and the site's relationship to the Charles River.
And the quote of the article: "I always wanted to be an urban planner, not someone who designed iconic buildings for rich people."
Via: Boston Globe
Firm: Gehry Partners (they don't need a website)
Firm:Olin Partnership
Firm: Cooper, Robertson & Partners
The architectural potential of translucency
"Panelite materials are translucent, lightweight, and modulate both light and vision. Providing light transmission, visual privacy, and aesthetic flexibility, they are suited to a wide range of applications including walls, ceilings, furniture, and exterior facades."
Link: Panelite
Vasconcelos Library to get complimentary gardens
"The urban jungle that is Mexico City will soon be blessed with two oases of calm. The plan is to complement the city's new José Vasconcelos Library scheme with an adjacent botanical garden. The library itself is the work of a team of Mexican architects, Alberto Kalach, Juan Palomar, Gustavo Lipkau and Tonatiuh Martínez. Locals see it as Mexican president Vicente Fox's answer to France's Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Once finished, the library will house more than two million volumes."
Via: Wallpaper
Link: www.conaculta.gob.mx
Design and products for the home, living and working in the future
a-matter and Arcspace both have nice pieces about the "Living Tomorrow" pavilion in Amsterdam, designed by NL Studio. "Living Tomorrow" is an exhibition featuring a "House of the Future" and an "Office of the Future" with products and designs from 34 companies including: HP, Microsoft, Philips and Unilever. The exhibition web site is not yet available in English, but the a-matter and Arcspace features both provide some more information about the exhibit and (mainly) the architecture.
Link: a-matter
Link: Living Tomorrow Amsterdam (Dutch - English coming soon)
Firm: UN Studio
Shelving unit by Rabih Hague
These book shelves by Rabih Hague are available in solid oak with a natural finish. They stand 180 x 150.
"rabih hage is an interior design company specialising in contemporary design, furniture and art. The company's unique style is a mix of art and design pieces carefully chosen by Rabih el Hage (architect and interior designer). Designs by Rabih Hage sit alongside work of designers such as Christophe Côme, Mark Harvey, Johnny Swing and Christian Tortu. The company's products (exclusive in the UK) are available for trade and distribution. Many are on display at the rabih hage showroom in London."
Link: rabih hague
One man’s journey -- From greedy real estate developer to a founder of the green building movement.
A new book by David Gottfried, president of sustainable development consulting company WorldBuild Technologies.
Excerpt from the Foreword by Paul Hawken:
To say this book is about the power of one person to change the world, though true, would be a cliché. This book is not about David, sustainability, or even green buildings. It is about the mystery of change. Although it is axiomatic that everything changes, it is a mystery as to how things change. What we have here is a first-person and animated account of how things did change. When you read it, you will draw your own conclusions. Yes, his is a story of pluck and determination, to be sure. And it is one of timing, hard work, and manufactured luck. But above all, it is a story of conviction. Not the conviction that makes others wrong, but more an affirmation: of what is right and what is possible.
Green to Green
