Another excellent program on This American Life today all about the financial crisis. If you remember back in May I recommended their program called The Giant Pool of Money which explained in easy to understand terms how the sub-prime lending debacle happened. Similarly today's program titled Another Frightening Show About the Economy explains in easy to understand terms how this all happened.

The financial players on Wall Street had essentially placed "bets" in the form of complex financial constructs called Credit Default Swaps. These were placed by the banks against one another making them all interdependent and likely to topple if one fell. These were first conceived as a form of insurance, later used as more or less a bet. There is no regulation of these financial devices, and hence no overall picture of how over leveraged the industry was. Incredibly irresponsible.

I highly recommend getting the podcast from their site if you have any interest at all in understanding what just happened to you and me - it is a free download for the first week following the show. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.thislife.org/

Or if you are an iTunes user you can subscribe and get the show from there.

For the January issue of Dazed & Confused, the magazine asked everyone under 18 and living in the UK to get in touch with an idea for an article about what it means to be young and British today. With the idea landing on homepages from Myspace to Channel 4, the inboxes at Dazed & Confused soon started to buckle under the strain… so, they thought they asked the readers to do the cover as well.

All of the fashion for this issue was shot over three days by designer Hedi Slimane, on a portfolio of British youth street-cast from various locations around London. You can now download a Dazed cover template and three of Hedi’s images. If you want to use one (or all) of them, go for it – they’re yours to do with as you like. You can do what you want with the images or use a completely different image of your own, that’s fine, too. The idea is to get an attractive and revealing Dazed cover that says something about what it’s like to be young and British today. If you’re from a different country, you’re welcome to take part and just make a cover about what it’s like to be young today in your country.

If you are under 18 send all entries (JPEG format, ideally) to stephen.ll@dazedgroup.com by Thursday November 20th and be sure to include your name, age and where you live. Happy designing.

Ping Intressant.se

Andra bloggar om: media, mode, fotografi, hedi slimane

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

Its time to build the house. All the steel pieces for the Massachusetts EcoSteel House arrived on site this week.



We've watched these go up here before and they generally happen very fast. I'll be posting progress photos in the coming weeks as fast as I receive new photos so stay tuned!



Here is the slab layout ready to receive the steel framing. The garage is in the foreground and the house beyond with the home office at the far end of the photo. More pictures in a photo browser below the link.

Technorati Tags: ecosteel, modern design, modern house, Plat House, prefab house

While I’m at it (see my previous posting on my recent activities) I’d thought you might also be interested in a recent conversation on the use of social media in European and US corporations (MP3 file ~ 48MB) I’ve had with Tom Guarriello from the “True Talk Blog” (iTunes here).

I’m following Tom’s blog for more than a year now and I’m intrigued by the breadth, but at the same time depth of his postings ranging from Politics, Business over Design & Fashion, to Social Media.

However what fascinates me most is his playful yet still professional use of social media like audio and video sharing. accordingly Tom is creating regular video and audio podcasts on various topics on a regular basis.

On Monday this week we’ve been able to realise a long planned podcast on ‘Social Media in European and US Companies’ based on our practical and theoretical expertise. And as hoped and expected it has been fun and inspirational.

As a side effect again I’ve recognised that listening to your own musings after the recording has been done is a ‘Point of Truth (POT) experience. From this particular recording and on a meta level I’ve learned that I can still improve the scope I usually frame my thoughts in. As a non native speaker (& writer) I always want to make sure that my ideas reach the audience in the right (not to say ‘perfect’) way ;-) Unfortunately this sometimes goes to the disadvantage of coming to the point in a concise fashion say ‘delayed’. So some way to go ;-)

Anyway while (for sure ;-) we did not fully answer the question why in particular organisations with strong brands and fashion brands in particular have difficulties to articulate themselves on the web beyond their brand image we’ve identified several strategic areas that are worth digging deeper into.

After all what surprised me indeed has been Tom’s feedback that US companies are far less ahead of using the social web compared to European companies as I’ve imagined. A question that popped up and that attracted my attention as well has been: How much do Social Technologies affect the corporate as well as brand culture once an organisation has ‘dared’ to enter this field of communication? Any insights from you readers are more than welcome!

In any case have fun listening to our conversation and drop me a comment or email on what you’ve thought while listening :-)

tokyo gas co., ltd., is japan's largest supplier of natural gas for both residential and business consumption.
for their 'sumika project', they teamed up with japanese architects toyo ito, sou fujimoto, terunobu fujimori
and taira nishizawa. each of the architects are responsible for designing a built structure on the project site.
the concept behind sumika is to provide new residential units, buildings and a main pavilion that will use gas
as their main source of energy.

the main pavilion is a communal space that is meant to bring people together, to gather and interact with
one another. with the increasing amount of people living in apartments in urban areas, homes have become
uniform and monotonous. the aim of the sukima project is to provide more primitive, free and prosperous housing
which connects to nature and awakens the five senses.




sou fujimoto and toyo ito


terunobu fujimori and taira nishizawa


by sou fujimoto


by toyo ito


by terunobu fujimori


by taira nishizawa

sumika project: http://kenchiku.tokyo-gas.co.jp/sumika_project
tokyo gas co., ltd.: www.tokyo-gas.co.jp

‘good old times’ wall-carpet

mashallah design is a berlin based design studio which works in fashion furniture and wallpaper.
the studio has developed a few designs for adorning vertical surfaces which definitely don’t fit the
traditional wallpaper mould. ‘diva’ is a line of 3-d wall paper which is quite normal on the upper
portion and fringed on the bottom. their other design is ‘good old times’ a clever reworking of the
persian carpet for your walls.

http://www.mashallahdesign.lacaptas.com


wallpaper


‘diva’ 3-d wallpaper with fringes


‘diva’ 3-d wallpaper with fringes

via apartment therapy

‘punta della dogana’ renovation, venice, italy
image © tadao ando architect & associates

'challenges: faithful to the basis' is an exhibition that attempts to give an overview of ando's 30 years
as an architect, focusing on the various types of ‘places’ he has designed over the years. 10 or so projects
undertaken in osaka, kobe, tokyo, venice, abu dhabi, mexico and bahrain which were completed under
different conditions, project durations, scales and programs are all featured in this retrospective exhibition.

 
‘punta della dogana’ renovation, venice, italy
image © designboom

see the designboom article:


tadao ando retrospective exhibition

Tactile surfaces are making technology and information much more accessible to people with visual handicaps

As a range of new interfaces and surfaces for digital devices are developed, it is becoming easier for visually impaired people to use devices sighted people take for granted. Tactile displays enable digital data to be felt rather than seen, making it easier for blind and partially sighted people to access the Internet, keep their credit card details secure, and take and archive pictures.

Cases

Touch Sight Camera

This Samsung design embosses 3D images on its flexible Braille display, turning images into a surface that can be felt. It also captures a few seconds of sound to accompany each picture, making them much easier to search and archive. Images can be shared online and downloaded to other Touch Sight cameras.

ReEnvision

Smooth touch-screen technology on debit card readers hinders visually impaired people by requiring them to give their PIN to the cashier. This design provides a low-cost solution, sitting flush on a debit card reader to provide tactile buttons.

Sentio

Although blind people can’t see, it doesn’t mean they don’t want to look good. This was Matthew Wagerfield’s approach when he incorporated tactile technology into this watch. The clock’s face features two seven-segment digital displays that rise 1mm above its surface, providing a tactile function for the blind and a visual spectacle for the sighted.

Saifu

Saifu is a tablet PC that uses a conceptual magnetized liquid material called magneclay. The oil based synthetic reacts to a magnetic charge, rearranging itself infinite numbers of times to display Braille or tactile 3D images in relief.

Trend Impact
These designs demonstrate many of the ways in which technology is making up for the difference in people’s abilities, leveling the playing field and making more activities and roles accessible to more parts of the population.

Of course, many of these technologies can provide benefits to sighted people. For example, a tactile surface could be applied to a bedside clock, enabling one half of a couple to find out what time it is without disturbing the other.

The assembly of the frame has begun in earnest at the Massachusetts EcoSteel Plat House.



More photos of the frame going up after the fold.



With good access all around the house the work can be done with the all terrain fork lift, saving the expense of a crane.

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

I complained the other day about not having seen anything really interesting in a while, and then my buddy Justin at Materialicio.us answers the call with this amazing find - the Stroh Haus by Swiss architect Felix Jerusalem. This home has several things going for it that really appeal to me. First, it has a simple, clean plan. Second, that green exterior is my favorite color. Third, I am fascinated with translucent panels, and the Stroh Haus uses them as exterior sheathing to groovy effect. Lastly, the house utilizes a really interesting type of construction material - straw pre-formed into structural elements. That's a slick approach that ought to have some legs.








Thanks Juzz!

Image credits - Stroh Haus site

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.

Congratulation World! Change CAN actually happen. Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American to win the US presidency. Above is his speech from last night in Grant Park in his home city of Chicago. I would like to bring forward the following sentence from the speech; “…our stories are singular but our destiny is shared!”.

Let’s hope for change and a possible new world order.

Ping Intressant.se

Andra bloggar om: usa-valet, obama, barack obama, politik, presidentval, usa

I got really fired up this morning after I read a great post in architect Greg La Vardera's blog. In "Our Remodern Movement - the tipping point?" Greg suggests that now might finally be the time for modernist homes to find a place in the mainstream. I really hope so. I see the momentum. And I believe in "tipping points." I know exactly what the tipping point was for me personally, the one thing that got me really excited about modern homes. I picked up a copy of Dwell at the newsstand for the first time, the April/May 2005 issue with Charlie Lazor's Flatpak house on the cover.

I had always been interested in homes. I always dreamed of something better and more exciting than the standard fare of suburban cul-de-sacs, though I wasn't totally hooked on modern yet. But when I saw this cover, with a real family in a cool-ass house, it was like a lightning bolt. I can't tell you how badly I'd like to live in a Flatpak. It's one of the top three contenders for me. It just fits me and my family so perfectly. When the time finally comes to really build a new home I will be giving them a call to talk.

It's funny though, how "weird" most people think modernist homes are. My mother said "you want to live in a white box?" with a look on her face that was pure disbelief. Talking houses with some neighbors I could detect their nervous smiles when I mentioned concrete and steel, as in "uh, okay, sure, as long as it's not next door to my house." And look at the real estate markets. That's all you need to know. You don't see a lot of developers building modernist spec homes. Just pick up a real estate magazine and thumb through it for a minute. How many cool modernist homes will you find in the listings. Maybe one or two in a hundred page book. And they're mostly really big, expensive houses, probably built in the eighties after watching too many episodes of Miami Vice. Good, simple, modern homes for real families are hard to come by. Your best bet is a fifties ranch. Even those are a minority in the market compared to the grand total of everything else.

But I think Greg is right. This is the right time. Dwell has been so successful that some other similar publications have started to appear. Blogs like mine are popping up like daisies. Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" movement has a lot of followers (because it makes a lot of sense). Or consider John Brown's Slow Home Movement. And green is suddenly king. People finally realize that their choices have a real impact. Now is definitely the time of Less is More, and modernism fits that bill perfectly.

Probably the biggest helper in all of this, in my opinion, is going to be the bursting of the real estate bubble. I say that for one simple reason: it will make people change their view as to what their home really is - a home to live in and not an investment to make a fortune off of. I really believe that people won't/can't build what they really want because they are too hung up on resale value and growing massive equity. I don't know if this attitude caused the housing bubble or vice versa, but either way they combine to create an effect where the resultant high cost of housing distorts our views, closes our minds to new ideas, prices lots of people out of the market for a good home, and places too much power in the hands of developers, not in the hands of consumers where it should be. And so, here we are. With the bubble busting and home prices correcting I think we may also see home buyers making very different decisions about what they want to live in. I know this is the case for my wife and I, and I hope, at least, that this is the case for others.

It's definitely time for America to focus its attention on things like better homes, greener communities, reliable energy, even better communications technology, education and health care. These are the things that make up the infrastructure of this country. We won't have to worry about foreign threats for long if we allow ourselves to fall apart from the inside.

This whole country is at a tipping point, or near one. Modern homes are just a tiny, tiny part of that. We can choose a better way to live without giving up all the really great things we already enjoy.

Better living through design. Work smarter, not harder. Find the holistic solutions.

We can do it.

• B_E_E | New Zealand | Branding Cleaning Products
  More and more I find that simple, clear & intenlligently designed concepts are the most convincing ones in our world of increasingly plurivalent and confusing messages: I'll make it all white!
  (tags: brands branding brandchannel typography design)

John Hodgman was in San Francisco yesterday evening at a fund raising event for 826 Valencia.

He was on superb form, so much so, that interviewer Dave Eggers could barely get a word in, let alone a question. Hodgman talked about the pleasures of his new found fame that included sharing first class aircraft cabins with the likes of Peter Berg and Rachel Hunter. He also told the crowd that George Plimpton (former editor of The Paris Review) had been his inspiration from an early age. In fact, it was Plimpton's ad campaign for Intellivision video games that persuaded Hodgman that being the "PC" was the right thing to do.

Here's Plimpton selling video game systems.




Hodgman also played a couple of his political attack ads aimed at friends, people who had let him down and hotels. Here's the one attacking is friend, Johnathan Coulton for his cat sitting skills.
via videosift.com

Posted by Ed Cotton

I've admired rammed earth homes for a long time, even though they're not really appropriate for the climate I live in. It's just that rammed earth walls are mesmerizing to look at. I get lost staring at the different layers of soil, in varying subtle shades of earth tone, flowing gracefully along along a wall. To my eye, rammed earth walls epitomize the very essence of natural beauty.

I can't think of any rammed earth builder that does it better than Terra Firma Builders Ltd. They have a way of crafting the most gracefully curved walls. Their designs blend with the surrounding landscape. Inside, massive earthen walls and sturdy timbers comfortably intertwine with delicate, artistic finishing. It's a totally unique aesthetic.










Terra Firma's website is fantastic. There's a wealth of images of their work in their portfolio. There's also a great explanation of why rammed earth is an effective, sustainable building solution.

Probably the most interesting thing I found on their site is that they use an unusual insulated rammed earth wall approach called SIREWALL (SIRE = Stabilized Insulated Rammed Earth). SIREWALL was developed by Meyer Krayenhoff, an environmental builder of over thirty years, who also founded Terra Firma. Here's an explanation from the SIREWALL site:

Stabilized, Insulated, Rammed Earth (SIRE) walls are made using rebar and insulation enveloped with the mass of 14 – 20 inches of rammed earth. This combination, along with SIREWALL®’s system for quality control and soil blending, builds walls that exceed current standards for energy efficiency and compressive strength. SIREWALL’s customizable forms refined over the last fifteen years by SIREWALL’s expert builders, work seamlessly with unique designs and modern finishes that have timeless appeal.

I always thought that would work. We've seen that concept applied to concrete walls, so why not rammed earth too? Actually, reading their FAQ, and noting that they're in Canada and do their building in British Columbia, I've learned that rammed earth can be a solution for climates other than hot, arid deserts, especially with the SIREWALL approach in place.

Note that Terra Firma builds complete homes only on their home turf. But they will build walls elsewhere, and let your builder finish the house. They also train and certify builders in the SIREWALL system, and offer design and consulting services. Wherever you are, whatever type of rammed earth project you might be considering, I think these would be the people to talk to.

I have new hope of living in a rammed earth house yet!

Image credits - Terra Firma site

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

One issue we have not examined as we looked at the fabrication of houses in the factory is the foundation work that goes on in advance of the arrival of the house. The Swedes are using some innovative products for foundations as well, products that make there status quo houses much more energy efficient than ours here in the States.

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.

The first strategy is to make an insulation break between the slab and the foundation wall. This is typically done with a narrow insulation layer. In order to place this between the slab and wall the two structures have to be built in separate operations. First the wall, insulation break, and then the slab is poured inside the walls. Two steps.

The second strategy is to insulate the outside edge of the slab. This allows you to pour the slab and foundation wall in a single step, but you have to return and install insulation around the perimeter. Thats not the end of it though. This insulation is of course very vulnerable to damage. Its a soft material and it is right at grade, so it must be protected by something tough, usually the best choice is a cement board product. The insulation and protection board creates at best a second step.

Ok, what are the Swedes doing. First of all they are not building deep foundations. All buildings in cold climates should be founded on soils below the frost line. How do the Swedes avoid this then. I''ve not seen photos of their entire site prep sequence but they appear to be setting slabs on stone beds which may reach below frost, and prevent soil expansion if frozen. Furthermore they are building on slabs insulated at the perimeter which allows the radiant slab heating system to warm the earth below the center of the slab which prevents soils below the foundation from freezing and heaving. So suddenly they have eliminated the foundation wall and only need to build the slab on grade. A great savings in time, effort, and expense. Ok, but they still end up with the slab insulation issues described above. No. They use a foam formwork that forms the perimeter of the slab, and insulates it at the same time. And this foam formwork is coated with a tough cement finish coating that protects the foam and prevents it from being damaged. Even more important, its one step.

Laying out the slab - corner pieces are place first.

Ready for the pour, edge forms, wire mesh, plumbing, and heating loops all in place.

The slab poured. Once cured its ready to receive the prefab house.

Here is an example of a Swedish manufacturer of these foam forms:

Jakon Isolering

Previously:

Letters from Sweden - deliver and set

Letters from Sweden - plumbing the prefab

Letters from Sweden - wiring zen

Letters from Sweden - a windows tale

Letters from Sweden - panel building in Sweden vs the USA

Letters from Sweden - Europe is different, Sweden is not, sort of..

Letters from Sweden - land of modern, land of prefab

Letters from Sweden - conversations with an expatriate builder

Technorati Tags: modern design, modern house, prefab house

I recently got an email from Steve Cameron with the sketch shown below that he had drawn of a concept for filling and forming earthbag tubing into a uniform rectangular form on the wall being built.
Steve asked for any comments that I might have about this idea, so I wrote:

Franco Marino Cagnina's Livebox router design for Saudi Telecom looks like vase and acts like a router. Says Franco, "STC was in need of a unique router design that would provoke a positive emotional response. The STC Router successfully bridges the gap between lifestyle and technology with it's flower vase functionality. Wireless internet, Voice over IP, land line telephone and wired DSL are all incorporated into this elegant device.". A quick look at Franco's portfolio revealed a few more innovative designs.

+ cagninadesign.com

The Father of Earthbag Building, Nader Khalili, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, a couple of days ago. He was 71 years old.

Here is part of a letter sent out by his family to former students:

“The flames that ignited him in life and the quest that brought each of you to Cal-Earth to learn from him have touched all of us and led us on this path….the right path……. for arts, humanity and the environment. His work and words have inspired us and his spirit is powerfully alive in every work and word, building and echo that your enthusiastic and loving hands have helped to create for this world.

His soul imbues every grain of sand and every memory contained in Cal-Earth, which expresses so much of his personal life of the last 17 years. And your works, like seeds have been growing and flourishing in every corner of the world…”

Born as an Iranian, Nader lived most of his life in the United States, gaining an architectural degree. He worked on the design of high-rise buildings and taught architecture in Southern California. In 1991 he founded Cal-Earth (the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture) based in the desert region of Hesperia , California. From this center, he taught classes and workshops on the use of both bricks and bags to fashion domes, arches, vaults, and irregular shapes. These forms sprang from his early exposure to Middle Eastern architecture.

The earthbag concept evolved from attending a 1984 NASA symposium for brainstorming ways to build shelters on the moon. He realized that bags filled with lunar “dirt” could be stacked into domes or vaults to provide shelter. This concept was later refined to include stretching barbed wire between the courses of bags to help stabilize the structure. Nader never referred to this building technique as earthbag building; he preferred to call it “Super Adobe,” referring to the fact that he generally filled the bags (or long tubes) with an adobe soil mix.

In 1999 Nader was issued a U.S. Patent for his Super Adobe technique and he subsequently tried to require contractual arrangements for its use. At this point, however, he had been publicizing the idea for so long it was not an enforcable patent, and few would comply with his request.

This fact points to the complex nature of Nader’s personality. He truly loved humanity and the arts, and was an eloquent and passionate speaker. He often said that his ideas were a gift to humanity and he hoped they would provide shelter for the poor and disadvantaged. At the same time, he wanted to control the economic potential of his invention, and he pursued this vigorously.

Nader was the author of several books, including Ceramic Houses and Earth Architecture: How to Build Your Own, about literally making ceramic houses, and Sidewalks on the Moon, an autobiography. He also wrote several books about the the mystic poetry of Rumi. Interestingly, he never really wrote a book about his Super Adobe invention, allowing others to take the lead in doing this.

With the passing of Nader Khalili we have come to a point where his ideas and work can truly become universal. All of us who explore the potential of the earthbag concept and expand on its possibilities can help further his vision for bettering the world. We owe a great debt to this truly inspired individual. May he rest in peace!

the university of exeter has selected wilkinson eyre architects to build their forum project. the new building
will be the centrepiece of the school’s streatham campus. the studio’s proposal works with the site’s
natural features of their hilly campus by creating a green corridor connecting the interior to the exterior.
the structure’s main feature is an undulating gridshell roof, which covers the new students spaces and
orthogonal buildings. wilkinson eyre architects’ director, stafford critchlow said, ‘our proposals seek to
create a new arrival point for the university. the sequence of spaces relate closely to the campus
landscape, establishing a new architectural language which is less about placing objects within this
landscape and more about an organic response to it.’ design work will begin immediately, with completion
anticipated by 2012.

http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com

In the rush to create ultra-modern bamboo chairs, entertainment centers, desks, wallets, and other generally eco “stuff,” the pure beauty of natural forms is sometimes lost in modern design for industrialization. So it is blissfully refreshing to mentally reconnect with exhibit Tickling Thicket at Oakland Gallery, Johansson Projects, where artists Katy Stone and Yvette Molina use innovative painting techniques to create spellbinding, ethereal natural forms.

(more…)

There's an interesting new study that suggests male commuters who suffer road rage brought on by tough commutes, take that stress and frustration into the workplace. Corporations will be impacted by lost productivity and damage to working relationships.

What 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