I think these folks are absolutely right about this. It is unfortunate that most of the natural building movement has been more of a rural activity...but there is no reason why it has to be. Virtually all of the principles of sustainable architecture that I outline at http://greenhomebuilding.com/sustainable_architecture.htm would equally apply in an urban setting.

In districts where housing goes above 2 or 3 stories, it is difficult to use some of the more natural techniques. One problem is that many of these methods of building result in rather thick walls, especially when the walls must go quite high, so that interior space is compromised by this. This is where some hybrid concepts might be useful, such as building with a steel framework to allow multiple stories, and then fill in the walls with less industrial materials, such as strawbales, cordwood, or earthbags.

As for going underground in a city, it certainly can be done. It would be a great way to create dwelling space and reserve most of the land above for gardening or parks, creating much needed green space in the city.

Also much of the movement towards "sharing facilities," such as co-housing, can be done in cities. This is another way to create both denser housing and reserve open space for parks and gardening.

I think that all proponents of green architecture need to put more creative thought into urban design!

Diaz is the Executive Director of My Shelter Foundation which has collaborated with various other governmental and industrial organizations to build new schools and clinics throughout the Philippines. He is quick to point out the many economic and sustainable advantages of this method of building, since the main component is abundant and natural earth. In hurricane-prone areas, such as the Philippines, earthbag buildings can withstand the ravages of nature better than most other systems. And with thicker walls, they are more thermally stable.

Here are several pages where you can find out more about the humanitarian works of Illiac Diaz: earthbagbuilding.com/articles/filipino, earthbagbuilding.com/projects/school, earthbagbuilding.com/projects/clinic.

• Hong Kong Design Centre Workshops
  Some links to workshops and seminars the Hong Kong Design Centre will be offering in London in June; just in case you’re around the corner.
  (tags: design hong kong hongkong centre china London)
• Study Shows Blogging Now ‘Mainstream’ Among Women
  While not directly related to Design Management I do think that when it comes to user involvement in the design process the social web will for sure emerge as an additional source of insight. Interestingly only a few DM experts did get it so far!
  (tags: women blogging research blogs socialmedia blog marketing stats)
• Are Methods The New Waterfall? at Experience Matters
  Some challenging questions and ideas on if and how methods in design (if not in management at all) are both enriching the ‘process experience’ while still allowing for ‘creativity’? This reminds me on the paradox between logic and creativity from de Wit.
  (tags: design management methods process thinking tools)

Adriean Koleric's Herd of AT-ATs is a salute to the designers of a toy that was truly a piece of art.

The lost city of Atlantis could well be at the bottom of any body of water, if it is really made out of plastic containers, the way Gayle Chong Kwan sees it.

Madrid's Spy lightens the urban panorama with his signature interventions.

Antlers are certainly not over. Not when they are on Alessandra Exposito's horses, at any rate.

Si Scott's intricate pen and pencil drawings cover a wide range of themes. Shown above is part of a piece called Babel, in answer to a project on God.

More at Art MoCo.

in the tradition of friday’s on d*s i decided to add a recipe to the mix for today’s DIY project. i love goat cheese. i could eat so much of it’s sick. last fall i spent some time researching different tart recipes after i got these cute little “mini-tins” as a gift. i finally settled on trying goat cheese with pear and loved them. these are so easy + they have the advantage of looking like they’re not. they satisfy the sweet & savory thing that i tend to crave. bring them with you to holiday parties and blow those chip & dippers out of the water.

what you will need: (makes 20)

mini baking tins (a mini muffin pan or the like will work)
2 pears
10 oz. goat cheese @ room temperature
1/2 tbsp sugar
dash of cinnamon
1 package puff pastry sheets (in the frozen foods aisle @ the grocery store)

1) preheat oven to 400.

2) roll out 1 puff pastry to a 20 x 20 inch square with a rolling pin,
and cut into 2 x 2 inch squares. grease your tins so the pastry does
not stick. press squares into tins and trim off the excess.

3) chop the pears finely with the skins on. (this adds a little color
to the tarts). stir pears, sugar & cinnamon up. you will probably have
a bit of the pear mixture leftover.

4) spoon and press down 1/2 tbsp of goat cheese onto the bottom of the
pastry and add 1 tbsp of pear mixture on top.

5) bake at 400 for 25 minutes. the edges should be golden brown.

6) take out of oven and let cool for 10 minutes. you will be able to
pop them out if you properly greased your tins. enjoy. i like to serve
them with a nice glass of white wine. yum.

New houses in Sweden are primarily built on slabs, partly because its expedient, but also because its naturally the best way to have in floor radiant heating. In a cold climate this is the only way to use a slab otherwise your slab will feel cold and uncomfortable. But a slab in a cold climate must be insulated from the elements or it will throw heat out its edges. There are typically two strategies to isolate your slab from the cold.

Technorati Tags: modern design, modern house, prefab house

"We are a team consisting of a developer, architect, and
contractor who were getting frustrated by the dismissive response to
modern design by clients and real estate professionals in our area,
so we decided to do our own thing with incredibly positive results.

We couldn't understand why people would seek out the latest design
and technology in cars, electronics, etc., but new builder/spec. home
construction seemed to be stuck in the year 1900. How many people
would go to a store for a new computer and happily walk out with a
univac the size of a refrigerator that only did addition and
subtraction? Yet people were making a similar decision every day with
a new home. We just didn't get it.

So, we design and build homes that respond and complement modern
life, are extremely efficient in terms of energy, space, livability,
constructability, and are affordable."

• Explaining Innovation through Illustration: Google Chrome
  For more than a year the use of illustrations in order to ideate and visualize innovation both in products and services has been part of my Design Management seminars.

  While preparing for the international version of this seminar in Lucerne/CH in November this year together with my colleague Erik over from http://www.zilverinnovation.com I've been happily stumbling across Google's announcement to release a new G-branded browser built from scratch. However it wouldn't be Google if they would have chosen the ordinary road of explaining innovation with plain fact sheets. Instead they've chosen the format of a 'Comic' in order to illustrate the new approach and rich features of the web browser.

  Thanks to Scott McCloud I do now have a new (and better) example of great use of illustrations for business purposes.

  (tags: web design software scottmccloud google browser illustration innovation)

Barack Obama’s election to the presidency wasn’t the only sustainable choice on the ballot last Tuesday. Californians voted in favor of an 800 mile high speed train system that will stop in every major city from Sacramento to San Diego. According to the High Speed Rail Authority, California is the 12th largest source of greenhouse gas emission on earth, 41% of which come from transportation. Traveling at 220 miles per hour, the trains will reduce greenhouse gases by up to 12.7 billion pounds annually, the equivalent of removing 1 million cars from the road each year. Set to begin construction as early as 2011, California’s high speed rail will create 450,000 new jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil by 12 million barrels a year.

(more…)

I did some further internet research and found out more about these interesting structures. Tulou are traditional communal residences in the Fujian province of Southern China, often of a circular configuration surrounding a central shrine. Some of these vernacular structures were constructed of cut granite or had substantial walls of fired brick. The end result is a well lit, well-ventilated, windproof, earthquake resistant building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.

There are more than 20,000 tulou in southern Fujian, and these were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 as “exceptional examples of a building tradition and function exemplifying a particular type of communal living and defensive organization, and, in terms of their harmonious relationship with their environment".

Actually the Tulou were built by a minority called the Hakka, who were originally Han who fled south to escape war and famine during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). As they gradually moved they changed the local architecture by incorporating Han styles and that produced the tulou. Not only were the high walls built for defense but they were also the result of traditional Han architecture. Tulou were mostly built between the 12th to the 20th centuries. The oldest one was constructed over 1,200 years ago and is regarded as a “living fossil” of the construction style of central China.

There are three types of Tulou. The Wufeng has three halls and two side rooms and are said to be the result of a redesign of the Han courtyard. The oldest tulou are the rectangle ones, and the most emblematic ones are round. They are typically designed for defensive purposes and consist of one entrance and no windows at ground level. The biggest round one can have up to five stories with three interior rings. The largest houses cover over 40,000 m² and it is not unusual to find surviving houses of over 10,000 m². Most round tulous are three or four stories, with family kitchens and livestock on the ground floor. The next floor becomes a storage room for food and furniture (with no windows), and above that are the bedrooms.

These structures are exemplary of sustainable architecture in that they are built of local, natural materials with simple techniques. They have good thermal attributes, with the massive earthen walls to help buffer temperatures. They are obviously built to last, and house many of the necessities for life. And they embody a communal life style that conserves energy and resources; these represent a form of ancient co-housing.

Technorati Tags: house plans, modern design, modern house

What a fabulous study in recycling and reclamation. America is dotted with old barns, full of big hardwood timbers you can only buy at very high prices today. I really enjoy seeing someone make good use of these materials. There's an old barn not too far from where I live and every time I pass by it I look at those heavy oak beams and think "hmmm ... what if." Ben and his family have taken that idea to reality, and with a modernist twist.

Ben's site is really great. He does a wonderful job telling the story of what it's like to take on a project like this. He has lot of thoughtful posts about the nature of the project and some of the choices they've made, as well as the inspiration behind it. And besides seeing pics of the house's progress you'll also find video as well as great links to barn home resources.

Ben and his family should be in before year end. I know I'll be following along on Ben's site, watching as things progress. I can't wait to see the finished home!

By the way, Ben is working with JASONOAH Design Build on this project. The firm does some really unique and interesting work. Their theme is "designing and building for healthy, inspirational living." You can't beat that. Very nice. It's awesome to see yet another firm promoting great green design. Definitely check their site, especially their Chatham House. Really nice.

Image credits - Bare Hill Barn House site and JASONOAH Design Build for elevations and renderings (copyright).

More lights that brightened 100% Design Tokyo for us were the Boschetto Table Lamp from Di Classe, Wonderful Tonight by Masanori Kadokura and the Liquid Lamp by Kyouei Design. As well, there was cosy lighting from Sungmin Kim, the Bony B by Ryuichi Sato and the nifty Lighting Package by Sdesignunit. The Curved Desk Light by &Design was a sleek design, but the Orchid by Hiroki Takada was a real showstopper.

+ 100percentdesign.jp

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I have started blogging for 2modern with regards to furniture sourcing. To read more on where to find specific furniture models check out my article on 2modern.

MERIDIANI - belmondo dormeuse day bed available through SPENCER INTERIORS
Dimensions (86.47" x 34.25" x 30.7"H)
$4,772.00 CAD fabric category C

MAXALTO - #9950 Apta Collection day bed available through INFORM INTERIORS
Dimensions (78.75" x 29.5" x 25"H)
Pricing on this piece in fabric ranges from $4307 to $6164.
B&B and is net priced – which means the discount is already built in to the pricing.

CASSINA - MISS daybed available through ITALINTERIORS

DWR - Havana sofa bed available through DESIGN WITHIN REACH
Dimensions (88.5" x 39" 24.5" H Arm H 20.5" Seat H 13") $3,300 USD in oatmeal or brown.

Sourcing the perfect seating for home-office guests

MODERN Challenge: Dual-purpose design in single-room space.

When it comes to having an office / den that can also accommodate home visitors, there seems to be limited choices in comfort and style at an affordable value.

I'm working with a lovely couple of young professionals who have requested additional seating that can easily be converted into a bed in their office. When not being used as a guest room, the sofa bed could provide a place to sit down for casual business conversation while the other is sitting at the desk.

From what I’ve discovered, most pull-out sofa beds are rather uncomfortable. I also find it hard to convince a client to invest in a piece of furniture that is more gimmicky than functional. I always say that if you are choosing to add furniture to your collection, go for comfort and timeless style in small spaces.

MODERN Solution: Chaises and day beds that are classic, timeless, multi-functional (without the gimmicks), and most importantly – comfortable!

Part of the characteristics of blogs is their sequential format. This implies that postings usually appear in a chronological order. While this is in general nothing to worry about from time to time however you’d wish to point people to ‘older’ blog posts as well.

However old is relative and if you’ve done several postings per week your ‘Monday Musing’ is low down in the list and already far away from visitor’s attention. Therefore here’s my weekly (visual) Summary:

- My Take On Design Leadership

- Dear Blog: Happy 5th Anniversary

- DMI Remix Conference Ning

Thermoplan systems use Ziegel blocks with a thin bed of mortar, to provide a breathing wall construction system. When combined with woodfibre board they can form a thermally and acoustically high performance shell. The Ziegel blocks come as part of a full load-bearing external and internal wall masonry system, and combine high thermal performance with robustness, speed of build and a breathing wall design.

Because of all the trapped air and the thickness of the walls, these blocks provide reasonable insulation, while at the same time do provide some degree of interior thermal mass for maintaining constant interior temperatures. This is an unusual combination of these two factors in a single wall system.