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.
Link: David Maisel
Link: Von Lintel Gallery - New York
Link: Lake Project
Modern living spaces
One of the things I like best about working at L+L is when we hear from people that being featured on L+L has led to good things.
That is the case with this forthcoming book about loft dwellings which will include the
Ben Avigdor Lofts by U-I: Avi Laiser & Amir Shwarz. The publisher saw the project right here on L+L... congrats, Avi and Amir!
The book is due to be released on May 1, 2006.
Author: Christian Campos
Link: Amazon
Publisher: Harper Collins
Reference:
Ben Avigdor Lofts (L+L)
A Dublin district resurected
St. Patrick's Day seems an appropriate time to get back to my series on Ireland. Having looked at Dublin, both at large and in particular, this time I will focus on a particular district: Temple Bar.
Temple Bar was the pioneering effort of contemporary urban regeneration in Dublin in the early 1990's. An architectural competition to create a framework plan for the district was won by a unique group of young architects who collaborated as Group 91:
- Shay Cleary Architects
- Grafton Architects
- Paul Keogh Architects
- McCullough Mulvin Architects
- McGarry NiEanaigh Architects
- O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects
- Shane O'Toole Architects
- Derek Tynan Architects
The Temple Bar Architectural Framework Plan outlined architectural and urban design proposals which provided for sensitive, but bold thinking urban renewal. The result has turned Temple Bar into one of the most vibrant areas of the city with many award-winning modern buildings which integrate into the historical fabric of the city.
Link: The Reflecting City - Temple Bar
Link: Temple Bar
Reference:
Seeing Éire [prologue] (L+L)
Reference: Seeing Éire [I] - Ailtireacht na Baile Átha Cliath (L+L)
Exploring architecture and the built environment via the arts and culture
The 10th Architecture Week, the annual British public celebration of contemporary architecture, will be held June 16-25, 2006, in cities throughout the U.K.
The Week includes walks, talks, tours, maps, events, visits to new buildings and architects' practices, exhibitions, family and children's activities, films and picnics.
Link: Architecture Week
A prefabricated house built by Living Homes designed by Ray Kappe
Prefab seems to have been the panacea for many young architects seeking to make a name for themselves. Many efforts have not gotten off the ground and frankly many have not been overwhelmingly impressive. But a name like Ray Kappe (founder of SCI-Arc and a well respected west coast architect) lends a certain credibility to this prefab proposal.
There is a lot to like about Living Homes first product as designed by Kappe - green materials, solar power, living roof system, reduced construction waste. A model home is currently under construction in Santa Monica, California, and Living Homes is apparently developing a community near Joshua Tree National Park thus creating their own economy of scale. Plus they'll let you buy your own prefab to plant wherever you like.
You can check out Living Homes at CA Boom 3 where they will be exhibiting in the "prefab Zone" and presenting at the Speakers Conference.
Link: Living Homes
German Architects are about to build the first Car Loft.
The acropolis of transportation engineering and home of arguably the greatest four wheel creations in history has taken the next step towards composing the ultimate ode to the automobile: the car loft. German architects Manfred Dick (who sought a patent for his concept) and Johannes Kauka are about to break ground for what promises to be a wet and steamy dream for car enthusiasts and safety minded yuppies alike.
Link: CarLoft [Thanks, Mom!]
Link: Heuer (pdf)
Contemporary Furniture Design Exhibit
THAW is one of the largest contemporary design exhibits in Western Canada, and will take place during The Works Art and Design Festival from June 23rd to July 5th, 2006. THAW 2006 is looking to showcase medium to large sized furniture, accessories and lighting designs.
The show is juried and curated by the Industrial Designers of Edmonton Association (IDEA), a group with which our very own Adriean is affiliated.
Deadline is April 1, 2006... no foolin'.
Link: THAW 2006 Call for submissions (pdf)
Link: IDEA
Site specific installations at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, one of the first outdoor sculpture parks in the country, is seeking site-specific installations from artists, architects, landscape architects who integrate notions of point of view, landscape, architecture and art. Proposals featuring collaborative and interactive concepts as well as green/organic architecture will be given special attention. Stone Quarry Hill is unique in its mission of showcasing emerging and established artists whose work focuses on the relationships between art and nature.
Deadline is September 1, 2006.
Link: Stone Quarry Hill
- Site/Sight: Landscape & Architecture
Via: Archinect
NYIT studio explores the big box invasion into urban territory
When the unstoppable Wal-Mart comes to town, there is sure to be a struggle, and the push to open big box stores in more urban areas has been no different - in fact it has raised new issues as can be seen in the current proposed New York City location.
A studio 3rd year studio at NYIT led by Matt Dockery explores "a hybrid public / private venture designed to allow New York City to reap the benefits of low-cost merchandise without suffering the negative impacts of Big-Box stores on public space, local business and the environment."
The site used by the studio is in Brooklyn adjacent to the proposed Atlantic Yards project designed by Frank Gehry. The charge to the students is to create a new building type to house a mixed program: big box retail, a public arts market, assembly hall, public services, and a parking garage.
Link: Big Box vs. Big Apple
Much more: BoxTank - Multi-Tiered Wal-Mart Becoming Reality
Urban fragment images
City of Sound's Dan Hill has created some wonderfully layered photo composite images of cityscapes, one of which is featured in Artkrush's current Architecture and Design issue.
Great stuff... congrats on the publication, Dan.
Link: City fo Sound - Fragments gallery
Link: City of Sound - Artkrush features fragment
Custom contemporary furniture from reclaimed lumber
Andrew Moe is a
designer/craftsman and founder of a new green design company based in Brooklyn, New York. Moe builds custom contemporary furniture crafted from reclaimed lumber from old structures.
I love the quality of old wood, let's face it... new lumber just isn't the same... old wood provides a richness and quality unachievable with new material. And of course recycling old material saves trees and room in landfills. I am drawn mostly to the pieces which recall some sense of the past use of the materials - chunky beams and planks crafted into simple forms providing a nice contrast of rustic and modern.
Link: Moe Design Studio [Thanks, Andrew!]
The 7th edition at Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens, Québec
We announced the selection of the designers to participate in the 7th edition of the International Garden Festival a while back. And today we have some images to share of some of the gardens which will be on display. The Festival will feature eleven temporary gardens by designers from five countries.
The International Garden Festival runs June 24 to October 1, 2006 at The Redford Gardens / Jardins de Métis in eastern Québec.
Link: International Garden Festival [Thanks,Lesley!]
Link: Jardins Métis, Redford Gardens
Reference:
International Garden Festival 2006 (L+L)
Reference:
International Garden Festival 2005 (L+L)
Decodeine - Liquid Architecture
Architect and digital designer Dr. Margot Krasojevic has worked with Zaha Hadid and run studios at the A.A. and Bartlett as well as schools around the world. Her research and design practice is focused on time sequence, palimpsest and spatial narratives. During the past five years she has been engaged in work, publications, exhibitions and research on "pathological space" as displayed on her websites: Decodeine.
Dr. Krasojevic explores the perception of context as an environment of force and motion, a continuous seamless contextual metamorphosis rather than as a neutral vacuum, to question auto-pilot responses to our built environments. Both websites explore elements of projects which look at criteria's such as chemical imbalances in the brain, genetics and subjective interpretations of space, altering our perceptions and appropriations of the physical world.
Link: Decodeine.org
Link: Decodeine.com
"The West Coast Independant Design Show"
We've been covering CA Boom since it's inception, and we're looking forward to their third effort being held Thursday, March 23 to Sunday, March 26, 2006. It's a design show of a different stripe, where both professionals and consumers are invited. Here's the deal:
Three & half days of cutting edge design including tours from leading contemporary architects of recently completed projects, exhibits from independent designers, architects & manufacturers, panel discussions whose participants are the leaders and innovators of the contemporary design community and kicking off with a rocking design community opening night event.
The highlight of the show are the home tours - 5 homes per day. All but two one of the homes have been announced and we have listed the tour details and other show info after the jump.
Link: CA Boom 3
OUR COVERAGE OF THE FIRST TWO YEARS
Reference: CA Boom II - Compiled links and wrap up report (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom - Description and complied links (L+L)
Landscape Architecture Masters Thesis by Veenu Jayaram
Veenu Jayaram was among the landscape architecture students I met when I sat on the jury for the BrownLAb studio at the University of Southern California Landscape Architecture program. She recently completed her graduate work, and contacted us to share her thesis project.
Examining the patchwork of surface parking lots in Downtown Los Angeles Venu saw an opportunity for intervention realizing that these parking lots occupy much of the land in the Central Business District, yet are only utilized for limited hours, and for the limited purpose of temporary vehicle storage. She proposed that parking lots can serve a more dynamic program that recognizes economic realities while serving the multiple needs of the urban environment.
The proposal takes into account the studied needs within the CBD for the existing and growing residential population in addition to the daytime workers. New infrastructure, planting and programming strategies allow the space to be more flexible while remaining compatible with the need for parking space.
Don't judge a book by its cover...
Gregory Colbert’s photography and motion picture exhibit “Ashes and Snow” opened about a month ago along the Santa Monica Pier. It is housed in a rather extravagant temporary structure designed by Shigeru Ban, in which it will be traveling the world. The stacked shipping containers, the 30’ high cardboard columns, and the exquisite lighting of the space and the art all come together to create a cathedral-like space and striking experience. The visitor is lead over a wooden deck in the center of the structure, while the walls and ceiling are dipped into darkness due to the careful lighting design. The prints appear to hover between the evenly spaced columns, which makes for a beautiful procession.
Ban’s work with recyclable and reusable materials has fascinated me for many years, and this project does not fall short by any means. As for the photography and the films that are displayed inside… that is a different story.
Link: Ashes_and_Snow
Link: Shigeru_Ban
Ashes and Snow Images ©Gregory Colbert *
Alumninum furniture and objects
I first saw the work of MuNiMulA over at Design*Sponge last week... I was impressed with the straight forward yet beautiful creations and decided to check them out a bit further. Turns out MuNiMulA is a design and manufacturing firm located in Quincy, Michigan... coincidentally, I spent quite a bit of time during my childhood in the rural countryside not too far from Quincy. Now, quality of their work is reason enough to feature MuNiMulA here, but that bit of serendipity just sealed the deal.
The anodized aluminum construction of MuNiMulA's line of furnishings make them perfect for indoor/outdoor living - light weight, durable, versatile and practical. The clear anodizing leaves the aluminum with a slightly matte silver finish is often used in the marine and boating industry. There is a caveat for the colored finishes though; prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause the bright colors to fade over time. MuNiMulA’s upholstered pieces are offered in weatherproof Spinneybeck leather or outdoor canvas by special order.
Link: MuNiMulA [Thanks, Jenifer!]
Derelict. Dilapidated. Discover. - Interventions in urban decay
Detroit is one of the most spectacular examples of boom and bust in the United States - once opulent and then blighted - this capital of the Rust Belt is one of the nation's fastest shrinking cities and prime example of the phenomenon of "white flight" and, subsequently, sprawl. Large numbers of buildings and homes have been abandoned and many have been torn down or have fallen down and cleared away. Yet many vacant buildings remain in various states of decay.
Preceding the recent Super Bowl held in Detroit, an anonymous group calling themselves the DDD Project (Detroit. Demolition. Disneyland.) began targeting highly visible abandoned structures for intervention. Marked with a circled "D" in chalk by the city for demolition by the city years prior, the DDD Project transformed the houses, creating highlights within a context of depression, with a coat of bright orange paint, covering every surface of the facade: "Every detail is accentuated through the unification of color. Broken windows become jagged lines. Peeling paint becomes texture."
Link: The Detroiter - Paint the Town Orange
Link: Michigan Radio - Urban Blight Gets a Paint Job
More: dETROIT fUNK - D.D.D.
More dETROIT fUNK - Tiggeriffic
More: hamtramck star
Via: Metafilter
The ASLA declares April 2006 as National Landscape Architecture Month
All right you landscape party people... the American Society of Landscape Architects has done it again, declared the month of April as National Landscape Architecture Month. So, order up a big load of mulch to celebrate, or keep an eye out for ASLA Chapter events... the weekly breakdown listed after the jump.
ASLA chapters across the country will celebrate with public outreach activities to help communities "Discover Landscape Architecture," the theme for this year. The month encompasses Earth Day on April 22 and the birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted on April 27, who founded the American landscape architecture profession.
Link: ASLA - Landscape Architecture Month 2006
Article: Landscape Career Discovery (pdf)
Article: Hire A Landscape Architect To Add Value To Your Home (pdf)
Article: Design for Active Living (pdf)
New Architecture in Spain
Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City opened Sunday and runs through May 1, 2006.
Spain has been a happening center for architecture for some time now... does anyone not now know of Bilbao? But this exhibition documents more recent architectural developments, with Moneo's 1998 Murcia City Hall serving as the spring point. Though it seems to me that perhaps Spain's architectural awakening stems from the preparations for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The show features a broad range of architects from the well known international players to young local up-and-comers. Christopher Hawthorne of the LA Times writes, "'On-Site' is at its best a sophisticated essay on the idea of architectural middle ground, particularly between youth and experience and between globalization and regional context."
The exhibition features 35 significant architectural projects that are currently in design or under construction. These works are considered in relation to an additional eighteen projects, each of which are a major architectural accomplishment completed in Spain within the last few years. The projects presented will reflect the geographic and generational diversity of the current wave of new projects and their architects, as well as a wide range of scales - from a single private house to a new international airport. The exhibition will not only reflect the accomplishments of Spanish architects, but also the contributions of professionals from elsewhere.
Link: MoMA - On-Site
Audio slideshow: MoMA - narrated by curator Terence Riley
Photos: Roland Halbe
Review: NY Times - A Survey of Spain, Architects' Playground [images]
Review: LA Times - Spain expands on its sense of place
Review: Washinton Post - Gains in Spain
Related: The Observer - Cutting-edge Sp
Interactive experiences inspired by the dramatic natural beauty of the alps and the athletic competitions of the Winter Olympics
We Clipped an article in the NY Times a bit over a week ago about curator Lance Fung's Snow Show, the interdisciplinary collaboration of art and architecture on the slopes at Sestriere, site of current Torino Winter Olympic cometitions. New images are now online showing the completed works of snow and ice.
Investigating and bridging art and architecture, the Snow Show pairs artists and architects together to create ephemeral works from snow and ice. This year's show explores a more southern latitude and environment from previous incarnations of the snow show, and folds athletic competition into the design considerations. Indeed the entry by Carsten Höller with Tod Williams and Billie Tsien takes this notion to the limit with their participatory design.
Participating teams are:
Paola Pivi & Cliostraat
arsten Höller & Tod Williams and Billie Tsien
Jaume Plensa & Norman Foster
Yoko Ono & Arata Isozaki
Kiki Smith & Lebbeus Woods
Daniel Buren & Patrick Bouchain
The show opened February 6 and runs through March 19, 2006. Photos of "melting" will be posted on the Snow Show website later...
Link: The Snow Show
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
Link: Frank Jonkman & Sons Ltd. - Horizontal Bi-Fold Doors
Design Consistency
Designer Quynh Dang established Element Living back in 2003. Since then he's built a solid body of work with one quality design after another.
element living is a design house that strives to heighten our experiences and enjoyment of our
surroundings by providing products of beauty, simplicity and utility.
I had the privelage of trying out his Pure Chair. It was by far THE most comfortable dining chair i've sat in. The ergonomics on this piece was spot on.
Link: Element Living
Putting alternative construction study into practice
At the University of Arizona in Tucson, Mary Hardin has established a sort of desert Southwest counterpart to Mockbee's famed Rural Studio, blending architecture education and practice into a practical laboratory of experimentation and discovery.
Ms. Hardin's academic and professional activities involve community outreach and the design of affordable housing. She leads students in the exploration of alternative construction methods - such as rammed earth, paper bale and straw bale - and is presently researching the strength and other qualities of rammed earth in partnership with UA Civil Engineering faculty. She has written and published a number of papers about design/build studios and the projects done with her students.
Professor Harden has also designed a beautiful modern rammed earth home with Richard Eribes, Dean of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture at UA, which we spotted over at Earth Architecture.
Link: University of Arizona D+B
Link: Mary Hardin
Article: AridLands - Rammed earth constructions
Book: Stylus Publishing - From the Studio to the Streets
Related: Design Matters: Best Practices in Affordable Housing
Hanging garden
An interesting take on the archetypical terra cotta pot by French designer Vincent Vandenbrouck.
The pots are grouped via steel bars which slot into slices on each side. The steel bar and wire suspension system allows eight or twelve pots create a vegetable wall. Might create a mess when you water... but whatever. Single pots are also available in a non-hanging version.
Available through Paris showroom Compagnie.
Design: Vincent Vandenbrouck
Link: Edition Compagnie
Via: Reluct
Glowing stones for indoors or out
These cool sculptural outdoor lights provide a nice soft glow... no need for a bunch of 150 watt flood lights on the patio, folks.
Created by Italian designers Marta Laudani & Marco Romanelli with Massimo Noceto, they look great clustered together or scattered along a pathway. Use them inside too if you like... the designers also have an indoor version made of opaque Murano glass called Stone of Glass, but the outdoor ones could be used indoors as well.
Made of durable, weather-tested polyethylene. Uses screw-in fluorescent bulb.
Design: Marta Laudani & Marco Romanelli with Massimo Noceto
Manufacturer: OLuce
Buy: Y Lighting
Via: Better Living Though Design
Also: Product Dose
Related: Bloom (L+L)
From recycled to molten to unique
At first glance, I was somewhat reminded of The Great Bowl of Fire but the shapes are much more organic. The Splash Form Bowls by Melt Modern are created with a technique that consists of throwing molten aluminum onto a sand mold one splash at a time until the bowl is complete. Needless to say, each bowl is unique.
Splash Form bowls come in three different sizes with prices starting at $195.
Link: Melt Modern
Designers: Matt Proctor, Aixe Djelal
Template-based system for hanging pictures
Looking for the perfect arrangement of pictures? It's quite possible that The Picturewall Company has a solution. Using a template-based system along with an assortment of frames, they allow you to arrange the frames to make a perfect, well, arrangement. The template system is easy to use and offers you the ability to preview the arrangement before you commit your hooks to the wall.
Link: Picturewall Company [Thanks, Erich]
Rachel brings us the funk
Over in the comment section of our Dwell post, L+L reader Rachel challenged Dwell to "bring on the funk." We got in touch with her and sure enough, the funk be brought. Here's Rachel's take on Chair Couture:
While it's great to have a cool, crisp, carefully delineated living space, full of machined surfaces, clad in the colors of nature,
sometimes even the most ardent minimalist craves a shock. Margaret Elman's Chair Couture takes vintage chair frames (more Louie, Louie than Louis XVI) and dolls them up with paint, gilding, and gaudy fabrics.
The result--seating that calls for cocktails One blast of an aqua bergère will turn even the most Zen space into a lava lounge.
If Elman's creations are too much for those with major taste but minimal funds, a brisk tour of 2nd-hand shops might turn up a chair that just needs a jolt of color. Try an auto painting shop, (Candy Apple Red), and grab a staple gun. And then--relax and mix a Tequila Sunrise to match your settee. If you spill--trust me, no will notice.
I think Rachel's going to fit in rather nicely around here.
Link: Chair Couture [Thanks, Rachel!]
Design from the ground up
Designers Shoko Cesar and Greg Ball have launched a collaborative project
entitled Hoodoo. Throughout the series the duo deliberately draws influence
from the surrounding elements of the prairie landscapes of Alberta and incorporates that into their products.
Throughout the timeline of human evolution, humans have built tools,sculptures, and inscribed Art on rock walls attempting to understand our existence. Hoodoo Series is a postmodern approach that continues that search for truth, revealing natural design elements from the prairie landscape. While producing a genuine prairie style, Cesar and Ball dig through visual layers of historic sediment, exposing traces of an evolutionary world past millions of years.
The Hoodoos lamp will be featured as part of the Prototype exhibit that takes place at the renowned Toronto Interior Design Show from February 23rd-26th.
Link: Hoodoo
Link: Toronto IDS
