If you find there is any copyright abuse, contact us as soon as possible, thanks.
Strawboard Panels
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Green Home Building and Sustainable Architecture
Strawboard building panels are a kind of structural insulated panel (SIP) designed to replace 2x4 stud and drywall construction for both interior and exterior walls, as well as provide load and non-bearing ceilings, roofing, doors, flooring, and prefabricated buildings. These environmental friendly, solid panels are made of all natural fibrous raw materials, mainly wheat and rice straw. The durable panels feature thermal and acoustic insulation as well as fire and termite resistance and are available for a variety of applications to speed up the construction processes. While these have been used in over 20 countries for more than 50 years, strawboard panels have only been introduced to the U.S. in the past few years.
Strawboard panels have a solid core of compressed wheat or rice straw. High pressure and temperatures forces the straw to release a natural resin that binds the fibers together. The compressed panels are then covered with either paper liners or OSB that is adhered to both sides with water based non-toxic glue. The standard panel measures 4 feet by 8 feet by 2-1/4 inches to 8 inches, weighing from 140 lbs. to 440 lbs. each. Custom panel sizes are available ranging from 3 feet to 12 feet long.
The panel's high density and low oxygen content does not support combustion. Since the panels do not contain added resins, alcohol, or other chemicals, no flammable vapors are produced. The panels have an R-value of between 3 and 25, depending on the composition and thickness. For permanent protection against insects and fungal decay and additional fire resistance, the boron compound polybor can be factory added to the core.
The product's workability is similar to wood as it can be sawn, drilled, routed, nailed, screwed, and glued. Lightweight wall attachments such as shelf brackets, picture frames, mirrors, and towel bars can be attached directly to the panel.
Since straw is a renewable by-product of wheat and rice production that becomes available annually, it takes less acreage (by about half) to build an equivalent house than with standard lumber, and which would then potentially preserve that forest for ecological habitat and CO2 sequestration.
See www.stramit-int.com/ for panels available in Europe and www.agriboard.com for panels available in the U.S.
Designers must Develop Critical Insight
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Design Sojourn'diamond' turntable designed for woman
00/00/0000, 00:00 | designboom weblog, design related news, reviews and previews
while the mp3 is the leading music format, there is still a passionate collection of vinyl record collectors
out there. while not all of these collectors are professional djs, a large majority are men. and while most
contemporary turntables are designed for men, the diamond turntable by scheu ananlog is designed
for woman. the sleek design combines a curvy form and frosty record holder in a very non-traditional
turntable. while the main model comes in a very feminine pink, it is also available in black and wood grain.
despite the 3,900 euro price tag, there may even be a few guys waiting in line to buy one.
http://www.ladylikescheu.com
via luxist
Event: CScout at the PSFK Conference Asia
00/00/0000, 00:00 | CScout TrendBlog
It’s confirmed! CScout Japan will be taking part in the PSFK Conference Asia in Singapore on October 10th. We’ll be on a forum on “Asian Youth Trends” moderated by Ian Stewart of MTV along with other Asian trend professionals from around Asia, and trying our best to tie together what is indeed a highly variable geographic and cultural area.
Read an interview with CScout’s Michael Keferl in preparation for the conference: PSFK Conference Asia Speaker Michael Keferl
Also representing the Tokyo beat will be architect Mark Dytham of Klein-Dytham and PechaKucha fame, and Daryl Arnold of Profero.
If you’re in Singapore, or are able to come, contact us and we’ll meet up.
Herzog & de Meuron Tenerife Arts Space officially opens [Clipping]
11/05/2008, 16:25 | Land+Living: Modern Lifestyle + DesignMODERN VANCOUVER - GASTOWN PART I
00/00/0000, 00:00 | GAILE GUEVARA
Photography by Jonathan Cruz Photography
Images provided by Obakki
Architecture & Interiors by Mcfarlane Green + Biggar4
Historic Gastown is now the home to an A-list of must sees from a cool hip shop for modern mom and pops, visit Modern Kid which offers kid-friendly "easy on the eye" design for the modern novelist while fashion fronts like Obakki (tops as my favorite fashion retail interior for Vancouver) or Hunt & Gather bring a unique collection of one of a kind pieces made right in the store by costume designer atelier.
Images of Obakki above are through my eyes. Some of my favorite details include exposed concrete walls meeting seamlessly with polished concrete floors. The extension of corian meeting reclaimed fir to reverse beveled drywall details lit from behind to give a diffused wash of light to highlight the exposed brick walls. Love, love the architectural detailing. The interior reflects the quality and craftsmanship of the Obakki label right down to each detail.
down by kehinde wiley
00/00/0000, 00:00 | designboom weblog, design related news, reviews and previews
sleep, 2008 (source imagery: jean-bernard restout)
november 1 - december 20, 2008
down is an exhibit of new paintings by kehinde wiley which opened earlier this month at new yorks
deith projects. a wide selection of wileys large-scale works will be on show including four new works
each referencing images of fallen warriors, saints, and classical mythology. using source imagery
from classical paintings, wiley contemporizes them with elements of other painting styles including
graffiti. wiley also examines the notion of the master painter, while also casting young black males
in the role of the subject.
http://www.deitch.com
http://www.kehindewiley.com
all photography by max yawney
morpheus, 2008 (source imagery: jean-antoine houdon)
christian martyr tarcisius, 2008 (source imagery: auguste falguiere)
the virgin martyr st. cecilia, 2008(source imagery: stefano maderno)
femme piquee par un serpent, 2008 (source imagery: auguste clesinger)
lamentation over the dead christ, 2008 (source imagery: mantegna)
a dead soldier, 2008 (source imagery: velasquez)
down by kehinde wiley, installation view at deitch projects
visible sound sewing machine by sounds butter
00/00/0000, 00:00 | designboom weblog, design related news, reviews and previews
the interactive design group sounds butter wanted to create a new way to make sound visible. while things
like equalizers and sub-titles already visualize sound, they sought to find a way to make sound physical.
using an old sewing machine as a basis, they conceptualized a prototype, which would take sound input
and convert it into a sound wave of thread on textile. the sewing machine is synonymous with producing
products in industry and thus served as a fitting analogy for the project.
http://www.soundsbutter.com
via infosthetics
Meetings suck, but they don't have to [del.icio.us]
00/00/0000, 00:00 | :: Vol. 2: the design management weblog | by ralf beuker :obama and social media
11/05/2008, 18:32 | InfluxinsightsSketching is Offically Back, Finally
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Design SojournPlasma Plants Will Vaporize Trash While Generating Energy
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Inhabitat
Recently St. Lucie County in Florida announced that it has teamed up with Geoplasma to develop the United States’ first plasma gasification plant. The plant will use super-hot 10,000 degree fahrenheit plasma to effectively vaporize 1,500 tons of trash each day, which in turn spins turbines to generate 60MW of electricity - enough to power 50,000 homes! Cutting down on landfill waste while generating energy is a pretty win-win proposition, and the plant will also be able to melt down inorganic materials to be reused for other applications, such as in roadbed and heavy construction.
Cru by Sebastian Bergne
11/18/2008, 07:03 | MoCo Loco
New work by Sebastian Bergne that centres around wine will be featured in an exhibition called CRU, opening at the Aram Gallery in London on November 28 and running through January 10. Wine brings people together and the concepts presented in this show further enhance the social experience. Corked is a series of decanting and serving vessels that combine the traditional glass and cork in new formats like the Trousers glass after the jump. Geo Cork is a multi-pronged pin that serves as a connector for corks and works both as a plaything and a measure of consumption. Among the pieces on display, there is a Vintage Dip line of t-shirts, a case that can be used as a rack, a wine diary for samples and the conical Marcel wine rack above.
+ thearamgallery.org
+ sebastianbergne.com
working class studio storage boxes
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Design*Sponge
i’ll always have a soft spot for anything coming from savannah. savannah is the first city, other than my hometown, where i really felt at home, and it’s also the city where we’ll be getting married next year. so i was happy to hear from jessica at working class studio (a program where students design work for sale) about these cute new fabric-covered storage boxes. i always need a pretty place to keep things in order so these might need to be in my tiny mini-office some day. the boxes will be available december 1st so click here to pick one up when they’re officially for sale.
LamiDesign office featured on Unplggd!
00/00/0000, 00:00 | LamiDesign Modern House Plan Blog
Unplggd has a series where they show the workplace of a blogger that they like or follow. We are very pleased that they follow our blog workalcious and asked us to share our workplace with their readers.
The workalicious blog is about, you guessed it, the workplace! We write about office design, office furniture, accessories, about office culture, and we also like to share examples of interesting workplaces.
So check out our office:
Behind the Blog: Workalicious
and check out workalicious
Technorati Tags: modern design
4occhi glasses by giullo iacchetti at aspesi 1910 store
00/00/0000, 00:00 | designboom weblog, design related news, reviews and previewsaspesi 1910 store in milan.
4occhi is a pair of glasses with four lenses that can be customized according to individual needs.
image © studio foto iacchetti
aspesi 1910 store
more:
http://4occhi.it
Bernardes + Jacobsen - CF Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Steeling the show - Blessed with a great plot and open brief, a lightweight, transparent, horizontal building, was what the architects Thiago Bernardes and Paulo Jacobsen designed.
Overview & Plot
Located on a plot in the picturesque condominium Portogalo in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Paulo Jacobsen and Thiago Bernardes wanted to accommodate a large family retreat taking full advantage of the plot and its location. The challenge was how to minimise the buildings impact from roadside - difficult with such a large house.
Departing from traditional Brazilian wood or brick structures the house employs steel to span the vast openings that connect all rooms to the views below.
The svelte steel corner pillars provide minimal interruption to the open plan dining and living area of the ground floor. In summertime (almost constant in Angra dos Reis) the glass panels dividing this area up slide away to provide an enormous expanse of shade.
Half way up the façade, and providing elevated viewing to the bedrooms are two outdoor balconies of Peroba wood, these break up the stark white of the lower level and the surrounding steel structure. The wood is also used throughout the second level interior, and as a lining the the vast roof span.
Continuing to the roof level, tropical storms and heavy rain, common in the early part of the year in Rio de Janeiro are caught by large glass overhangs, which still let light through to the bedrooms. The glass also blurs the connection between the roof’s reflecting pool, paved with green ceramic tiles, imitating the colour of the inlet and sea beyond. The same applies to the pool on the terrace, which seems to fall into the sea. This camouflage, and the fact that the house is set into the hillside at the rear, reduces its size, as to the thin steel structures, elongating its horizontal structure. It’s only from below, backstroking in the pool that the house’s true size is revealed.
Layout
With the entire ground floor dedicated to the pool, dining and entertaining, the upper level provides the entrance and 4 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Originally two giant bedrooms, the sets of two our housed either side of the atrium over the pool. As you enter the residence through its large dark wood doors, the bedrooms act as blinkers, focusing the view out to the water beyond.
A small seating area between allows you to contemplate, and perhaps acts as a formal arrival area. From here, “grand” staircases head both inside (left) to the living room, and outside (right) to the pool area (Bernardes + Jacobsen are renowned for impressive staircases).
The Result
Now complete in a 4 bedroom layout, this family retreat seems to have all one needs for a relaxing weekend. The thin steel structure and stretched horizontal roofline give it the appearance of a lightweight marque or stretched canvas roof. A seaside camp that mirrors the water beyond. Yet, from within, there is no doubt that this house is: permanent; modern and luxurious; and will provide a great weekend spot for years to come.
Plans
Architect/Designer:
Bernardes + Jacobsen
Client: Carlos Firme
Construction: February, 2001 – December, 2003
Materials: Steel structure, stone, wood, glass and Ceramic tiles
Built area: 1024m2
Plot: 2000m2
Information courtesy of: Bernardes + Jacobsen
Frederico Zanelato - Architect's Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Structured Strata - Layered up for optimum views, ventilation and privacy, Ferederico Zanelato's house in São Paulo is a quality residence at an economical price.
Overview
This architect’s house is what it should be, driven out of pure needs and the situation at hand, with clear intention. Frederico, with a Masters focus in economical design, is conscious about using materials wisely. Serving him well in the design of his own house, which apart from quality hard wearing flooring, uses well finished local materials to create a high class residence. Completed in 2005 and setting aside the cost of the plot, the house came in at under $400 US per square metre for construction! Far more impressive, considering that similar executions in São Paulo are quoted as $1200 US.
The plot is located in the Sierra Itapety, 54km from São Paulo, surrounded by a pool of Atlantic Forest, which drives the houses windows and openings, catching your eye from every corner.
The geographical position provided the strategic entry of light and ventilation. Large overhands and shading battens provide shelter from peak summer heat, and allow the air to cool in the shade before entering, traditional solutions within new design. The slope of the land also imposes on the distribution of the volumes, the zoning, the entrance and landscaping, thus completing the desired dialogue with the house’s surroundings.
Layout
The ground floor is occupied by the social area: living room, kitchen, guest bedroom and bathroom. With access to the front garden and full sun, this level is laid out by relative use of sunlight, with a bright and airy living area, and the guest bedroom snug at the rear.
The middle level: houses a covered car park and service area - come laundry and bathroom.
On top of the social area is a patio / garden, solarium with reflecting pond, and a wooden deck.
The intimate master bedroom and bath are housed in the final volume suspended above. Cloaked in shade providing battens, yet still with views out across the valley.
The materials chosen for the construction, simple and local to the region, establish a connection between the area and the owner’s way of life. The exterior, cleanly rendered in stucco, is livened up with a fantastic entrance way mural. The floor of white granite is broken by a carpet of pink sandstone that calls attention and directs to the main entry. Wet zones are covered with white granite chips and the ground floor exterior with large grade loose gravel. Useful for tropical storms and the winter floods common in São Paulo.
The views to the surrounding Atlantic forest, framed by white walls, form calming green curtains. Outside the master Bedroom, water, vital for life, reflects and intensified the surrounding green and the sky above. Features which embrace and justify Frederico’s choices of white, black, wood, stone and iron.
Plans
Architect: Frederico Zanelato
Completed: 2005
Costs: $400 US Per square metre
Images and information courtesy of: Frederico Zanelato
Using Earthbags as Ceiling Insulation
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Green Home Building and Sustainable Architecture
There seems to be a general lack of interesting ceiling options using sustainable building materials. For instance, when touring otherwise beautiful straw bale homes one often sees sheetrock covering conventional industrial insulation. Instead of using fiberglass batts or even manufactured cotton batts to insulate a roof, it is possible to use earthbags that are filled with a variety of insulating materials. These materials include rice hulls, crushed volcanic rock (such as scoria), vermiculite and perlite. The insulating value of these ranges from about R-2 to R-3, so they are quite effective, and can also be quite inexpensive to install.
This article also describes how one might use mats made of natural fibers to cover and finish these earthbag ceilings.
Suspended ceilings, as described in this article, have a number of benefits. They conceal the roof structure, plumbing, venting and electrical wiring, as well as improve acoustics and insulation. And they can also greatly enhance the ambiance or hominess of a room.
road rage at work
10/31/2008, 01:04 | InfluxinsightsWhat could companies do that are located in cities with tough commutes?
1. Encourage use of public transportation- if it works and is reliable
2. Build decompression chambers in the office
3. Create employee transportation systems- like Google's bus
4. Stress management advice- teach employees how to be less angry about their commutes
5. Yoga classes for commuters
It's not entirely surprising that road rage makes its way into the workplace, but I am sure very few companies pause for a moment to think about it and what it could be doing to their employees.
Posted by Ed Cotton
Trend: Health Phones
00/00/0000, 00:00 | CScout TrendBlog
At this year’s Wireless Japan Expo, Fujitsu and NTT DoCoMo debuted some new RakuRaku (easy easy) handsets made for aging users who are concerned about their health and want to keep both good records and good communication with health care professionals.
With the F884iES users can place their fingers over the camera lens, which can determine their heart rate simply by scanning minute movements. This information, along with that from the built-in pedometer, can be input into a personal “health diary”.
Read the rest of the post at the CScout Japan site.
Tom Kundig's Sublime House - "The Brain"
00/00/0000, 00:00 | FUTURE HOUSE NOW
I resisted buying the book, though I'd really like to have it. It's very nice and Kundig's work is amazing. The house on the cover, Chicken Point Cabin, has been shown everywhere, and for good reason. It's pretty spectacular, and that giant, tilting window and the unusual mechanical folly for opening it are sublime.
Visiting the OSKA site, I found that the house I liked most wasn't one of the groovy cabins I'd spotted in a lot of the blogs and architecture mags. I was taken by the "The Brain," a fascinating concrete monolith built for a filmmaker.
That's wonderful. I love the way the house rests on its site, half hidden, with creeping vines growing all over it. I hate big ugly garages hanging off the side of a house, parasitic, distorting proportions, so I was delighted to see this house with the garages tucked neatly underneath, buried into the slope of the landscape. No yard either - excellent!
"The form is essentially a cast-in-place concrete box, intended to be a strong yet neutral background that provides complete flexibility to adapt the space at will." - OSKA site
The austere concrete exterior belies a more playful space inside: wonderful bookshelves (just look at 'em!), interesting lighting, a fireman's pole, and an amusing custom staircase.
Yes, this is a house I can see myself living in. The only exception I take with it, and with most Kundig houses frankly, is that they all look like bachelor pads. I'm married with children. But I think the wife and kids could adapt. Who wouldn't want to live in a house with a fireman's pole?
_____________________________________________________
Addendum:
I should have pointed out this very good Seattle Times article about "The Brain." I've realized since writing this post that "The Brain" is a garage/studio, not intended to be a residence. Thanks to those who left comments pointing that out. It is also worth noting that Kundig received an AIA award for "The Brain" in 2004.
Oh well, even though it's not technically a house I'm still very inspired by it!
Image credits - Amazon listing (book), OSKA Architects site
Natural Building Network
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Green Home Building and Sustainable ArchitectureThe Natural Building Network is a non-profit membership association, where the joining members can place listings for their services and talents and network world-wide. Towards this end, there are directories of natural builders by location, by specialty, and by their willingness to teach others their skills. This helps the members find suitable employment and helps the public find experienced builders who live in their area. Additionally there are classified listings of announcements about related matters. The Network website also features listings of workshops and events around the world, along with resources for further education.
This network and website offer a much-needed central facility for collecting information about natural builders around the world.
MINI PREFAB: Modern Architecture for Tots
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Inhabitat
If you’re a fan of modern prefab architecture and you’re raising rugrats, now you can get your little ones on the prefab mod action with the Mini Modern Prefab Playshed. Part Case-Study home, part play-house, the Mini Modern Prefab proves that kid’s design can be fun and sophisticated at the same time. Architect Ryan Grey Smith, known for his adult-sized Modern-Shed is bringing prefab to preschoolers with his Modern Play Shed, a smaller but no-less awesome version of his original design. Better than any treehouse or playhouse we’ve ever seen, it comes fully loaded with a sloped shed roof, dutch doors, 12 windows, and more.
READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >
WANK by Craig Alun Smith
11/20/2008, 07:19 | MoCo Loco
Craig Alun Smith's WANK chair is a metaphor of the interdependent relationship between the first and third world and speaks to the war for oil in Iraq. You may have noticed the white chair is missing a leg (possibly due to a roadside bomb) and is bleeding oil....
Craig's summary of this work: "In reality WANK is a joke, a commentary on the current state of design and the trend of designers to create pointless 'one line' design objects and pass them off as art". WANK is also currently on display at the Winnipeg Art Gallery as part of the 2 Chairs exhibition.
brands have nothing to learn from obama
11/13/2008, 16:41 | InfluxinsightsDespite 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
design miami, florida 08: al-sabahart & design collection
00/00/0000, 00:00 | designboom weblog, design related news, reviews and previews
'swivel chair' by bokja, sixties furniture upholstered in embroidered vintage fabric from tajikistan - image © bokja
al-sabah art & design collection is a contemporary gallery which is scheduled to open its doors in dubai in early
spring of 2009. the gallery is the result of a recent partnership agreement between DIFC (dubai international
financial centre) and founder of the luxury retail emporium villa moda, sheikh majed al-sabah from kuwait.
the mission of the gallery is to promote the craftsmanship of the middle east. sheikh majed al-sabah wants to
encourage local governments to take more responsibility in preserving their cultural heritage.
before the gallery is even completed, it will preview its collection at this year's design miami 2008 from
december 1st - 8th with an exhibition entitled 'ALEF'. the name of the exhibition refers to the first letter of the
arabic alphabet 'a', but also acts as a symbolic name to mark the gallery's first show. 'ALEF' will highlight the
work of two lebanese designers, huda baroudi and maria hibri of bokja. the duo is known for their use of
vintage furniture, embroidered in fabrics originating from the east. also on show will be the work of dutch
product designer, pieke bergmans, who works in porcelain, plastic and glass. he will be creating a series
of pieces using traditional syrian mother-of-pearl inlaid antique pieces of furniture. for the gallery's official opening
in 2009, new works by studio job, maarten baas, marcel wanders and jaime hayon, who have created limited
edition pieces with local artisans, will be revealed
'swivel talia' by bokja, vintage furniture upholstered in a combination of vintage lakii from central asia together with
suzani (decorative textile) and new fabric - image © dina debbas
'crystal virus' by pieke bergmans, blown glass vase
al-sabah art and design collection: http://www.alsabahcollection.com
WELCOME - TANYA SCHOENROTH
00/00/0000, 00:00 | GAILE GUEVARA
I just wanted to send a warm welcome to a dear colleague and friend, Tanya Schoenroth, who recently launched her new website. I'm looking forward to collaborating with an amazing talent in the coming year to help bring fresh new modern ideas to a growing market of sophisticated buyers and home owners. Like me a modern dog lover, we send our best to all of you for the holidays!
analia segal at the dpm gallery, ecuador
00/00/0000, 00:00 | designboom weblog, design related news, reviews and previews
'blinds'
analia segal
argentinean artist analia segal winner of designboom's 100% tiles competition in 2004,
is currently holding her first solo exhibition at the dpm gallery, ecuador. with all her work
segal creates objects and interiors that are often taken for granted and transforms
them into art. featured in the exhibition are blinds, wallpaper, tiles and doormats that
blur the line between architecture and art.
'w.c. tile project'
more:
http://www.analiasegal.com
http://www.dpmgallery.com