As of yesterday we've changed our weekly Meta MoCo survey post, we've split it into two parts; Best MoCo Architecture This Week (posted yesterday) and Best MoCo Objects This Week. Best MoCo Architecture This Week will be posted every weekend and Best MoCo Objects This Week will now be posted on Mondays.

+ Kithkin: Some rights reserved video at Designguide.tv, "a group of creative friends who form a platform to show and promote their work. Consumers are given the chance to purchase design instantly, either printing it out on their own printer or taking the file to a listed supplier for production.".

+ Core77's FreeDesigndom 2008 photo gallery, featuring images from the first edition of a new annual design and fashion event in the Netherlands.

+ Core77's London Design Week photo gallery, from the 6th edition of this highly regarded annual event.

+ Ilio's hanging bookwave book/magazine storage from their new 2009 collection. At Dezeen.

+ Viable London's Slat Shelves, "an alternative storage solution constructed entirely using rectangular section FSC pine.". At Dezeen.

+ Doshi Levien's Exhibition at Moroso USA at Cool Hunting, a collection that draws upon Indian culture for inspiration.

+ Patricia Urquiola's Purely Porcelain for Rosenthal at designboom, a new 'landscape' ceramics collection with a "pattern [that] is erratic, sometimes filling the form and at other times escaping".

+ Designband's Birdturf birdhouse design by Emilie Baltz and Ben Bearsch, "inspired by the act of throwing shoes over power lines (which is thought to be how gangs mark their 'turf')". Via design*sponge.

+ The Quooker boiling water tap, a child-proof kitchen appliance that dispenses boiling hot water instantly for tea, pasta, vegetables and more. Via Designlines.

+ The Vroom Solo built-in vacuum appliance, a "quick-cleaning tool for small clean-ups in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mudrooms and other high traffic areas of the home, the Vroom is easily installed directly into the cabinetry of a room either as a stand alone vacuum appliance or as an accessory to a central vacuum system.". Via Appliancist.

+ Debbie Smyth's 'pins and threads' electrical pylons, "each point was plotted and measured to ensure that the pylons were illustrated accurately.". At matandme.

A very livable home, the L shape creates privacy for its rear terrace where family life can flow out from the living areas. Conventional construction makes this house easy to build, and the iconic traditional form won't scare the average home builder.



Look for Design Prints to come available on the site soon. Well, you will hear about it here when it happens! And yes, this is the house for which we have been experimenting with new drawing styles. Not quite sorted out yet, but when its done the new collection will have a distinct graphic look apart from the original collection of designs.

Technorati Tags: house plans, modern design, modern house, Hus1

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

New work this season by Dave Keune includes Sfere, a ceramic vase with a lid that can be removed or used to arrange the flowers by inserting them into the handy holes. Plint is a hanging lamp with an expanding bamboo shade that functions as a built-in dimmer. Clover is a steel coat stand created from a continuous loop that looks like clover from above.

+ davekeune.com

The collaboration between BIG Architects of Copenhagen, Denmark, and NOD Landscape Architects of Stockholm, Sweden, provides not only a solution to Slussen, one of Scandinavia’s busiest intersections but most importantly privileges the pedestrian and cyclist.
When the Stockholm City Council invited BIG and NOD to act as design consultants on Slussen, the direction given was to create a proposal that reconnects the historic Gamla Stan with Södermalm. Understanding the long legacy of previous attempts to solve Slussen’s traffic chaos, the team set out to create a single form within which the different modes of traffic are layered. The proposal touches the waters surrounding Gamla Stan and slowly terrace up using ascending and descending ramps to create a new, coherent area focusing on providing an attractive and functional setting for both movement and rest.

Currently considered inaccessible to pedestrians and cyclists, Slussen is a black hole in the heart of Stockholm. It is no wonder then that Danish-Swedish collaboration has made sure to offer cyclists as well as pedestrians easy access to and through the area. The proposal turns Slussen into an urban recreational area assuring easy movement for the citizens and tourists of Stockholm. Slussen will gain a whole new kind of urban space unlike any other in the world, where artwork, a summer’s midnight stroll and outdoor theatre can cohabitate with the need to move cars, buses, trains, metro, and boats. The strength of Slussen lies in its continual and varied movement which the proposed ramped landscape only underscores. The heavy traffic of cars and buses is carefully immersed under the rising hillside. Suddenly due to the submersed traffic, large areas have been freed and are made attractive to the entire city to enjoy. As a result, new opportunities for urban life are created.

The basic traffic system has already been developed by Nyrens Arkitektkontor as part of an architectural competition, with soft traffic and a public program on the top and with heavy traffic at ground floor level, storing away boats, buses, metro, cars and trains. But instead of separating the different levels, connected only by stairs and elevators in a traditional way, we propose to integrate all public, accessible areas around Slussen by interweaving the levels using descending and ascending ramps as this will allow people to move freely between the levels.

Pedestrian zones are designed to connect the already existing promenades and road crossings, and all areas of the new Slussen are as such accessible to pedestrians. The bicycle lanes follow the road as well as the promenade along the waterfront, and are pulled away only where the curvy bays of the new Slussen are created to leave space for pedestrians to enjoy the waterfront.

Today Slussen does not take advantage of its rising topography. Seeking to utilize its unique setting the proposal uses the terraced hillside to house kiosks, shops, and tourist information stands accessible through the network of ramps. In this way, a new and active urban area is created. In addition to the landscaped contours and pathways characterising BIG and NOD’s proposal, the dispersion of light has been instrumental in developing the site and the various levels. By day, natural light will pierce through circle shaped skylights into the lower levels. By night, the skylights will be illuminated from below. The expression will thus vary from dusk till dawn, from season to season and depending on the weather. This dynamic process and the continual hum of traffic will serve as the backdrop to a new urban form and regenerate life into the surrounding neighbourhoods.

There is an animation showing the complete program as well. I will put it up in a separate post as well.

Ping Intressant.se

Andra bloggar om: slussen, stockholm, kultur, arkitektur landskapsarkitektur, bjarke ingels, stadsbyggnad

The video above shows some of the work from the ongoing Helmut Lang exhibition called “Alles gleich schwer”. You can experience it both in real life at renowned kestnergesellschaft in Hanover and online at the collaboration partner Absolut.

Andra bloggar om: konst, mode, helmut lang, absolut, utställning

Outside of Rio de Janeiro, on a beautiful little beach with amazing blue water, sits a little house with a flowering roof that shades and protects like a big tropical banana leaf. Designed by Mareines + Patalano, the open air abode is meant to encourage interaction and connection between man and nature. With verandas and open spaces in between rooms and no corridors, the tropical beach house is an ideal place for social gatherings and parties. The open layout also takes advantage of trade winds that blow in from the sea, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling.

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Technorati Tags: house plans, modern design, modern house, Plat House

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

+ The Home Duvet by Dutch by Design features the print of a cardboard box: 30% of the gross profits from the sale of this duvet go to a charity for homeless young people.

+ When you want to take the delights of chocolate up a notch, why not use a Chocolate Presentoir by NZE Design?

+ Antrepo's Time Tuner is an alarm clock with an mp3 player. Watch time slide on by.

+ Etienne Meneau continues his marriage of sculpture and oenology with the latest in his series of borosilicate wine decanters, but this time he presents a glass called Petit Coeur (Little Heart).

+ Iceland's Magneat is a new way to keep headphone wires under control. Adjust the wires to the right length and fasten the magnet to your clothing.

+ Japanese architect Sato Matsuda most recent chairs, Japan Mornings, look like a cross between chair and table.

On site they applied a void filling top coating to the foundation wall and ground it smooth. This creates a mottled patina on the concrete surface which looks pretty cool.



The rest of the crew is sanding reclaimed oak barn boards which will become the ceiling of the ground floor.



Tune into the 3030 House flickr group to see all of the photos forwarded by the owner.

Technorati Tags: 3030 House, 6030 House, 6040 House, ecosteel, modern design, modern house, prefab house

On September 8, 2008 at the Ars Electronica digital media festival in Linz, Austria, 170 people from fields spanning business, culture, arts and technology gathered at Mission Future to explore the power and potential of open innovation and collaboration. Under the theme „We’re Open“, participants spent the day immersed in presentations, panels, interviews, breakout sessions, Future Slams, a Future Hunt, music and interactive art.

Over 25 speakers lead discussion, sharing their expertise and opinions on topics including the future of intellectual property, open source, crowd-funding, social networking, the future of creation, open community, open business and open arts. Over the coming weeks and months we’ll be posting video clippings and summaries of Mission Future 2008 sessions on the Mission Future website, so visit http://missionfuture.trendpool.com/ to find out what went on.

An enormous amount of gratitude is due to all the speakers for sharing their foresights and insights with us, and equally sincere thanks go to our participants, whose contributions were key to the success of the day, to Ars Electronica Linz for their support in realizing this first major undertaking of Mission Future, and to our sponsors, the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Weingüter Retzer Land, Art Directors Club, Red Bull, Carpe Diem, Linz 09, Indigo, Der Standard, Linz Tourism, Groupile and rebell.tv.

Building on the success of the 2008 event, the goals for Mission Future 2009 are now far loftier. We intend to receive speakers of the same high calibre as those we were privileged to hear this year, to tap into the knowledge and experience of participants to even greater effect, and to further advance Mission Future’s initiative to create tomorrow’s economy.

(Photo: Oswald Schröder, Elizabeth Stark and Joichi Ito discuss the future of intellectual property. Credit: Ars Elelctronica)

these maps are by uk artist chris kenny. i think they are stunning. the detail blows me away. i made a google map with the fairs i covered this week (+ others that were mentioned in the comments and emails i received.) this map is open to be edited by anyone, so go ahead and add fairs from your area to it. (you need a google account to add fairs to the map but anyone can view it.)

i’d like to thank grace for having me here in this space. highlighting these fairs, artist’s & diy projects has been such a thrill. my aim in promoting these fairs has been to encourage people to check out their local holiday fairs for your gift buying needs. these events are really fun to attend. usually there is music, food, sometimes workshops, and of course truly unique holiday gifts. these tough economic times are forcing everyone to cut costs this holiday season. i believe supporting your local economy, and artists is always a good place to put your money + there are always some incredible deals to be had at these shows. this season if you’re in the chicago/milwaukee area i’ll be selling here, here, and here. stop by and say hi. i love meeting people at these fairs because i’m usually holed up in my studio all day chatting with my cat (no joke). for more info about what i do you can check out my shop, blog & flickr. happy holidays!

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.

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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!

Technorati Tags: house plans, modern design, modern house, Plat House