(This post was updated and edited. The original was published on the 19 Dec, 2005!) John Maeda, formerly from MIT Media Labs, and now RISD President, spoke about how “good art makes our mind blink”. This is so true, and if we further extrapolate this, I would say “good design makes our mind blink”. [...]

Girls Walker has announced the beginning of the search for the next Miss Tokyo Girls Collection, the finale event for the now famous biannual real fashion festival. This is the ultimate opportunity for a would-be reader model, not only to grace the pages of one’s favorite magazine, but to actually join the stage with top teen fashion icons.

Unlike traditional pageants, where the winner is selected by a panel of expert judges, Miss TGC is eventually chosen from a panel of peers: the girls in the audience who can vote with their mobile phones.

For the original post and the latest reviews of other Japanese trends please visit our CScout Japanese blog.

Concrete "Firebowl" - $4,200.00 CAD with fire

As the climate crisis mounts and Arctic icebergs slip away, polar bears are suffering starvation, population declines, and drowning as they must swim further and further to find food. Seeking to raise awareness for the endangered species’ plight, ADDI Concepts has taken wildlife preservation literally by designing a life-vest for displaced polar bears struggling to stay afloat as their homes sink into the sea.

(more…)

Here is an animation of the proposal for Slussen in Stockholm by BIG Architects of Copenhagen, Denmark, and NOD Landscape Architects of Stockholm, Sweden. By moving the public program towards the most attractive place, and integrating the heavy traffic under the cover of a public square, it is possible to regain the waterfront, and at the same time connect the city parts around Slussen. The edge towards the water is terraced to provide day light to the public and commercial spaces behind.

See the original post about the Slussen project.

Andra bloggar om: arkitektur, stockholm, slussen, stadsplanering, bjarke ingels

If you're into rammed earth building, don't miss this blog: Rammed Earth is for Everyone. You can't beat the enthusiasm of that name! The site highlights rammed earth projects all around the world, offers nice Youtube and Flickr finds, and has a great selection of links in its sidebar. It's proprietor is a rammed earth consultant who shares both interesting technical information as well as an intriguing and thought provoking world view. Definitely worth a look if you're an earth building enthusiast and/or you find yourself pondering the nature of man's impact on the Earth on a regular basis.

Via Earth Architecture (of course!).

What do flowers, drapes and wave flower vases have in common? They were all sources of inspiration for designer, Jane Punnopatham who created the Drape Side Table. The molded acrylic table form resembles tablecloths except there are no tables!  The rigid form of the Draped Table makes it free-standing. The design softens with the wavy  edges created by heating and hand molding. Each table is thus unique.

Here’s what’s cool about it - invert the table and you’ve got yourself a handy basket!! Somewhere to toss dirty laundry perhaps? Or a toy basket to corral the toys that get underfoot? The Drape tables are available from Spectrumwest for $1250 in black, clear and frost. - Via

a

Drape Table by Jane Punnopatham

Nokia demonstrates how it's leveraging insights gleaned from the developing world into products. The mobile phone is made to work a lot hard in developing countries; it becomes the mobile office and primary computer for many of its users. In response, Nokia is launching Life Tools; software included in its phones that can help those involved in agriculture better understand market and weather conditions.


Posted by Ed Cotton

in honor of in the kitchen with fridays, i wanted to post this beautiful minimalist tray and bowl ($118-$132) from desu design. i love the way that they’re sculptural and beautifully made, but really let the food (or whatever they’re holding) shine. click here for more info and to shop.

ps: stay tuned for a special friday sneak peek at 12…

On my recent trip to London for the Design Festival, I did not limit my search for aesthetics to home interiors and accessories. I stopped in a bookstore and checked in on some British cookbooks that are easier to find in the UK than in the US like Tamasin Day-Lewis, Leith’s Cooking School series, and the new Gordon Ramsay Cooking for Friends. Ditte Isager is the photographer who shot Gordon Ramsay’s new book, and I will admit that the photos sold the book. I am so enchanted by Ditte’s work, that I keep the book on my bedside table to look at before going to sleep so I’ll have nice dreams! Ditte’s signature photographic style is unmistakable and totally addictive. Her recipe for a fruit meringue cake looks fancy but is simple to make. Don’t be afraid of meringue! It will be your new friend! Click here for the full recipe or just click “read more” below. -Kristina

About Ditte: Ditte Isager was born and raised in Copenhagen. She was educated at Danish technical school of photography and Schiller studio and is now living in NYC. Specialized in interiors, travel, and food, her clients include Gourmet, Traveler, Domino, Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsey, Fritz Hansen, to name a few.

Fruit Meringue Cake

Meringues
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
½ cup sugar

For topping:
whip cream
fruit or berries, whatever you feel like

1. Whip the egg whites, vinegar and sugar for around 5 min to it is thick and shiny.
2. Put a little bit of flour on baking paper and make a circle around 20 cm in diameter with the whipped egg whites.

3. Bake it at 305 degrees (F) for around an hour to it is crisp, turn off the oven and leave the meringues there until it is cold.
4. Whip the cream, you can add some berries to the cream too, and decorate the cake with whipped cream and berries

Why Ditte chose this recipe: This is my favorite cake soooooo easy and so delicious! I always make it for birthdays, dessert when friends come over for dinner ………any occasion.

Images are 4×5 polaroids taken with a Linhoff camera.

Many writers are speculating that brands can learn a lot from Obama’s victory and that it was a triumph of branding, messaging and media understanding. Obviously tactics appear on the service to be easily repeatable, but without the context it's  meaningless.

Despite the grandiose plans brands have for themselves and their desire to create culture, they can never and will never single-handedly have the power to incite true social movements.

Brands however much they would like to be, aren’t human beings, they are products that try very hard to relate and understand us. They cater to our needs and wants, but are by their nature abstract and not made of flesh and blood. The credo of C21st marketers might be to become more human, but it’s a stretch and the entity of the corporation is always a more desirable, more defensible, more convenient and a safer place to be.

Obama succeeded because of the power of his human journey, his humanity, his chance to make history and his ability to connect. People aspired to the hope and change he stood for and trusted him to deliver it. They were voting for a person who provided them with the hope they wanted at the time; a promise that things could be better.

Timing is everything and Obama only needed to do this once and seize the moment. He had to find a way to position himself on November 4th, 2008 as the change that people were looking for. Brands unfortunately don’t have the luxury of the short window of time, they don’t have just one zeitgeist moment to seize, but a multitude, because they have to sell 24/7/365.

The best brands are undeniable in their power to help define us, but they are transient, disposable and easily replaced. They are things, not people and there are limits to the impact they have on the breadth of our lives and our futures.

However, once every four years two people contest for the right to become the most powerful person in the world. These candidates have the news media of the world reporting on them every second of the day, which means they dominate mind share. No brand could ever come close to this level of dominance.

When it comes to voting, we chose the human being that best represents the way we feel. Sometimes this feeling is one of ambivalence, because our lives are under control, but there are rare occasions, and this year was one, when we seek a leader who we want to lead us to better, brighter, future.  

Obama made history, he was the man chosen for the moment and lessons from his success are virtually impossible for brands to replicate.



Posted by Ed Cotton

I recently returned from a vacation wandering around the Ozark Mountains in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas, and was amazed to see so many stone houses. This style of building has obviously been a vernacular art for at least two centuries, since many of the buildings were quite old. I would estimate that something on the order of 5% of the residential construction in that region is done with stone walls. I don't know if these houses are insulated on the inside (I hope so, given the seasonal heat and cold they must endure.)

The office work of today demands that people sit for hours in front of computer screens, which often has a negative impact on mind and body.

Herman Miller took a long hard look at these problems and designed a chair with a positive impact on health. It's amazing to see a company take such an ambitious and rigorous approach to understanding and solving the needs of its users.

"Embody lets your body move and keeps you well supported, because your mind works best when you move freely and stress is minimized on your muscles, bones, and tissues. Blood circulates better, heart rate goes down, more oxygen flows to the brain, and there is no distracting discomfort or physical constraint. That's critical in our idea economy where innovation drives success and people get paid for their thoughts and creativity."

Better health= Better ideas- Very smart and it makes a nice pitch to CEOs and CFOs.

To get there, Herman-Miller talked and involved dozens of experts in fields of vision, biomechanics, physical therapy and ergonomics. These experts shared insights and helped develop prototypes.



Of course, the Embody is ahead of the curve environmentally, containing 45% recycled materials, no PVC and is 95% recylable.




Posted by Ed Cotton

This is for sure somehow off-topic, but nevertheless I'd thought that the range of pictures tell a rich story both on great, timeless automotive design as well as on the (mostly) men driving them. My personal favourite definitively is the Alfa Romeo.

• P&G’s Innovation Culture
  Good case on how the idea of a 'Blue Ocean Strategy' can be applied: "The heart of a company’s business model should be game-changing innovation. This is not just the invention of new products and services, but the ability to systematically convert ideas into new offerings that alter the very context of the business."
  (tags: Innovation P&G Blue Ocean Strategy applied research)

It finally feels like the New Mexico EcoSteel House has crossed the line to being more finished than not. The latest round of photos show the painting almost done, finishing touches going in, light fixtures too.



Look below the fold for a photo browser with more interior shots.

Technorati Tags: 6030 House, 6040 House, ecosteel, modern design, modern house, prefab house

Just a couple of quick things:

The wonderful blog DO Research has closed shop - it is already missed. The upside is they've bought land and are building a Flatpak. I am wildly jealous!

Read the story behind the sea container Holyoke Cabin on the Hive Modular blog. So cool.

Skinny Japanese Houses on eye candy (via Things Magazine). Only in Japan [sigh].

The amazingly hip Alan Family Happy New House is complete. Check it out in The New York Times. It turned out just like the renderings - very, very cool. It shows you just how much you can do with a remodel.

I just picked up a good book, Small Eco-houses. Loaded with interesting, green, modern homes from all over the world. Two thumbs up!

We've obviously shied away from a traditionally pitched roof, however one common misconception about the house is that the roof is flat. While it definitely appears that way from the ground, it actually slopes away from the structure at around 2 degrees. We've had quite a lot of rain over the last few days, but other than a little frost (and the snow that was falling from the sky) it was essentially bone dry up there.

+ 360winnett.com

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.

Good is now available as a lifestyle hotel choice.

"What does “good” mean to you? For some, the word may inspire visions of helping a homeless person find shelter for a night. Others may think of global warming and chant the mantra, “reduce, re-use, recycle.” Or, maybe your mission isn’t to save the world, and it simply connotes a positive fun attitude.

Joie de Vivre Hotels’ identity as a socially-conscious company inspired us to design this SOMA hotel with all these good intentions. From beds and headboards made from locally reclaimed wood to glow in the dark messages, our guests will discover that we are good with a lighthearted twist."

Is it smart to lead with Good or to build Good into everything you do?

Should Good be half-hearted?

Should Good by light-hearted?

Answers please on a postcard or in the comments section.

Posted by Ed Cotton

The Freewheelin story.

Bike sharing was a hit when launched in Paris in 2007. It was cheap, convenient and eco-friendly. End of story? Not so fast. A U.S. health insurer changed the game and wrote a new story. Humana promotes its business agenda - lower health care costs - through a state-of-the-art bike sharing program tested during the 2008 U.S. political party conventions in Denver and St. Paul.

Freewheelin promotes its social and business agenda through communication - made possible by wireless/mobile and social networking technology. When you ride a Feewheelin bike, wireless networks track your mileage and calories burned. Social networking tools help individuals track their personal successes and, by calculating reduced carbon emmisions, their contributions to the shared health and wellness of their community and the planet.

Andra bloggar om: cykla, motion, träning, miljö, hållbarhet

Architecture by TEZUKA ARCHITECTS
Location: Japan
Specialty: Residential, Educational, Commercial
Project Highlights: Floating Roof House
Interior Photography: TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

To view more images of their work, see slideshow.

We all know the drill when it comes to meetings: Arrive prepared and in time, stick to the agenda, don't interrupt others and let them speak until they're finished ... But we all do also know that we so often suck with these basic rules. Therefore I'd thought that it might be a good idea to have the basic rules written down. This is no matter of being a business or design manager. On the contrary maybe some more structure in discussions would very often help meetings on design, process, and aesthetics to be more effective ... What are your experiences?

What the heck. It's Halloween, and we might as well cover a few more architects in the fatality department. Enjoy! (via land+living)

as part of the second nature exhibition held at 21, 21 the campana brothers created 'cristalina'.
curated by tokujin yoshioka the exhibition focusses on fusing nature with technology.


'cristalina'
image © designboom

for 'cristaliana' the brothers used the idea of nests of birds to create a seat with branches interwoven.
craftsmen worked for hours using various wood structures to create this unusual design.


sketch of 'cristalina'


the making process


craftspeople weaving the seat


image © designboom


image © designboom


branches woven into the seat
image © designboom

more:
http://www.campanas.com.br

designboom interview with campana brothers

I attended the Natural Building Colloquium held this year at the Orella Ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, California, at the end of October. What a magnificent setting this was to spend a fine week of connecting with fellow enthusiasts of the natural building movement. About 70 attendees shared our insights, stories, passions, songs, poetry, cooking, concerns, and labor. I came away with gratitude for the opportunity to interact with such caring people, and with a renewed sense of confidence that we will manage to help forge a sustainable future.

This year’s Colloquium was organized by the Natural Building Network (www.naturalbuildingnetwork.org) and was hosted by Gunner Tautrim, who represents the sixth generation of this family living on this land since 1866. The accommodations were primitive, with only a small kitchen as enclosed space; the rest of the facilities were rustic pit privies, temporary solar shower stalls, temporary bamboo and tarp meeting spaces, and a nice lawn area. We brought tents for sleeping. All of this was happening with the grandeur of the Pacific coast as a backdrop, and the elemental simplicity and beauty combined to create an appropriate mood for contemplating the benefits of building naturally. After breakfast each morning we would gather in a big circle on the lawn to review the various options for the rest of the day and share other thoughts. Typically the mornings were devoted to work on a sturdy, permanent, multi-stalled toilet facility that was already framed with wood. Gunner wanted the walls and a surrounding fence to be finished with natural materials, and there were many volunteers who formed teams to accomplish this. Mostly, split bamboo or recycled fencing was used for a framework, over which cob and clay finishes were applied.

Lunchtime often featured tables where specific discussions would occur, having spontaneously been announced at the morning circle. The afternoons were reserved for many concurrent presentations or discussions, so there were always hard choices to make about what to attend. During the course of the week, over forty different topics were explored, in a variety of meeting places. These ranged from the use of materials (such as bamboo, cob, adobe, and lime) to more theoretical discussions about engineering, thermal properties, efficiency, and design. One of the most popular forums was about codes and ways of improving the acceptance of natural building techniques by building officials. I will be writing about this topic in more detail in a future blog post.

I shared one two-hour presentation about earthbag building around the world with a woman architect from Israel, who had brought plans for an earthbag residence that she was designing for a client there. First I talked about the history and development of this technique, and then profiled a number of projects that have been completed (see www.earthbagbuilding.com). After this introduction, the architect laid her plans on a table and we all discussed specific questions that she had about them. This was a great way to learn some of the basics of earthbag building, and then apply these concepts to a specific situation.
I was very pleased that a discussion was convened to explore the role that natural building can play in what was described as the “long emergency,” or the compounded effects of climate change, peak oil and other resource depletion, population pressures, and financial crises. Without this discussion I would have felt that we were negligent in addressing these most pressing issues. I plan to write another entire blog post about this.

After dinner (which was always delicious and usually vegetarian), we were treated to a variety of programs or entertainment that emanated from our group. Mostly these were slide or Power Point presentations, but one night was devoted to a talent show with lots of music and some stand-up comedy…great fun. I showed lots of pictures I took when in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia a couple of years ago where I had been invited to discuss sustainable architecture with the faculty and students at the King’s University (see www.greenhomebuilding.com/weblog for my essay about the situation there) .

One morning, about half of us opted to attend a tour of historic adobe buildings in the heart of Santa Barbara. The earliest remnants date to the 1780’s when Spain authorized the construction of a presidio and the Santa Barbara Mission. Much of this early adobe construction was toppled during subsequent earthquakes, but recent reconstruction, using stabilized adobes, has returned the area to its original presence. I chatted (in Spanish) with the Guatemalan and Mexican crew who were making new adobe blocks for further repair work. On the return trip to the Orella Ranch, several of us made a detour to the nearby beach to dip our feet in the ocean.

One of the delights of this event was the participation of James from Zimbabwe, Africa. This very engaging fellow brought with him pictures of a lovely little thatched cob circular building that he and some friends had made. He also brought his large thumb piano to serenade us with African ballads. This was a reminder of the deep roots that natural building has from all corners of the world.

All together this week of camping out in this spectacular place and connecting with these dedicated and compassionate souls has left me feeling heartened that we will find ways to overcome the enormous obstacles that lay ahead.

On a very foggy night before we were to disperse the next morning, during our closing ceremony, we arranged ourselves in two large circles that faced each other. We (on the outer circle) were asked to assume the role of addressing our ancestors (on the inner circle) from some indefinite time in the future. When I did this I felt strangely like I was really speaking from the future. I told the young woman who was sitting across from me that I did not blame her for the difficulties that she and subsequent generations had endured. I said that the pattern was innocently established well before she was born. Industrialization was fashioned to improve life, not deteriorate it, and the consequences were not foreseen. And then I told her how much I appreciated the hard work she was doing to address and correct the mistakes of our ancestors. I said that because of the actions of her generation, we in the future were enjoying a simple and healthy life based on ecological balance, and that we owe her and many of her generation our gratitude for all that they did to make this possible. We then stood and embraced, the Future and the Present, for a moment of true compassion.

To see more of my pictures taken at this event go to flickr.com/photos/kellyhart.

The title of this quick post came up in a recent discussion I had with a business partner. After further reflection, I find this very true. It is applicable to all forms of strategy including design. So let me reword this: A good design strategy is like a good movie. A beautiful [...]

A real treat today. I just received an email from Sara and David Sage, the owners of a modular house I helped them design back in 2004. They have been in the house for about 2 years now, and they are well moved in and at home. They shared many pictures of the house which I'm posting here.



A panoramic view of the Sage home interior.



Sara and David's big goal for this house was to bring it in for $100 a square foot, no small task in the expensive Los Angeles county construction market. But they had a plan, to do copious research on their own, to get the most value out of every consultant they used, and every vendor and contractor they engaged, they resolved to build the house modular, to source their modules from a market with much lower labor cost in Utah, and to complete a good deal of the work themselves as sweat equity. It was their dream to have a modern house and I must say they succeeded on every count. From finding the best materials and vendors, to researching planting material and submitting their own landscape plan for permitting, Sara and David did it all and tracked it in detail in their blog on LiveModern.com. It was a tremendous inspiration and people cheered for them every step of the way. Its hard to know how many other people they inspired to dig their heels in and pursue their own dream of a modern house.



When the work was done, well, almost done, and the smoke had cleared I believe Sara calculated that their cost worked out to about 114$/sqft. This was pretty remarkable at a time when there were literally dozens of prefab house start-ups trying to get traction. The lament was how everything was costing much more than expected, and much more than hoped. In that milieu of dashed hopes Sara and David fought and struggled to make their house happen at a cost that was a pipe dream for the rest of the market.



The house is a reasonable 1400 sqft, 3 bedrooms, with an open kitchen, living/dining, family room space, it really is a wonderful plan that lives much larger than it appears on paper. The modular units in different colors tell the prefab story. You should be able to orient yourself to the photos using the plan. The house site is unusual in that the back yard of the house is really at the side, so the front porch wraps around to the side, and that is the main back yard like space. The rear and other side have proximity to neighbors, more like a house typically has at the sides.
My favorite thing about the design is the three spaces you see in the photos - the kitchen, living/dining, and family room are each small square rooms that overlap at their corners, each space well defined, and very open to one another. It really walks the tightrope between open plan and discrete rooms. David and Sara brought a rough version of this floor plan to the table when they hired me, so they deserve the credit for its design, my role being more to refine, and adapt it to division into modules, and to resolve the plan into the 3d massing and window placement. It was truly a collaboration of the best kind. More photos in the browser below.

Technorati Tags: modern design, modern house, modular house, prefab house