Forget solar powered backpacks and panels - Ermenegildo Zegna’s Solar-Powered Jacket is hands down the most practical and best-looking way to charge your mobile gadgets that we have seen in a while. The jacket is slated to hit stores in November, but one New Yorker gave it a test drive and appeared to become a little obsessed with charging every small gadget he could find… including a mini refrigerator.
September 30, 2007
September 30, 2007
Following the successful launch of their 100% organic line this spring, we are excited to announce that H&M is expanding its organic cotton range this fall! We frequently receive comments about ’sustainable style’ not being stylish, affordable or easy to find, so we are hoping this news will please the thrifty eco-fashionistas out there. Additionally, we are happy to see a fashion retailer as big as H&M making a real commitment to organic cotton. To support this initiative and help kickstart the organic fashion movement, get yourself to an H&M and bundle up in cozy organic cotton this fall.
September 30, 2007
C.L.A.S.S., which stands for creativity, lifestyle and sustainable synergey, is a new platform for the textile industry. A C.L.A.S.S. show is being held this weekend at WHITE, the cool new fashion trade show in Milan, and is dedicated to showing eco-friendly textiles.
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September 29, 2007
Known for their exquisite wallpaper and collaborations with well known designers, Graham & Brown have taken wallpaper one step further with their eco-chic range of sustainable wallpaper. The 60-year old wallpaper company is turning walls green thanks to their collaboration with students from Central St. Martins University in London, sustainable materials and production processes.
![[Re]design Chair Exhibition At 100% Futures London](/wp-content/timthumb.php?src=/home/vestal/public_html/wp-content/uploads/100redesigntitle1.jpg&w=140&h=120&zc=1)
[Re]design Chair Exhibition At 100% Futures London
One of the most popular stands within the 100% Futures exhibition at 100% Design London this year was the [re]design Sit Up exhibition which displayed an array of sustainable seating that were as green as they were gorgeous. Expanding on last year’s installation, the [re]design collaborative design crew returned with sixteen items that epitomized good seating design- comfort, quality, style, and of course, sustainability.
HANSA CANYON: Temperature-Sensitive LED Faucets
Last year we highlighted HansaCanyon bathroom fixtures, sleekly designed faucets whose “canyons” are lined with LEDs that change color according to the temperature of the water (blue=cold, pink=warm and red=hot). It’s a pretty neat functional feature, and a safety measure as well- the colors can help prevent you from scalding yourself while washing your hands or stepping into a really cold bath. And now, the German-made Hansa Canyon is available in the U.S.! Until now, despite the Hansa hype, many American buyers were left to settle for alternatives like Equa’s Light Delight or ThinkGeek’s budget LED faucet. But now, just check out the Hansa U.S. website’s Where To Buy” page for further details.
PREFAB FRIDAY: Resolution 4 Swingline
Resolution: 4 Architecture, a pillar in the prefab community, has a new completed project to brag about. It’s called the Swingline- a vacation home in the Hamptons built for a Manhattan-based family with sustainable style on the brain. Though Res4 has been producing prefab concepts for years, from the
WAMBAMBOO Costello Seat By Kent Gration
Kent Gration’s Wambamboo Costello Seat is a wonderful example of sustainable materials used in an eye-catching way. Made from cross-laminated bamboo ribs, the ergonomically-designed small storage holder puts the focus on the exotic nature of the materiality, creating a vivid mosaic of the bamboo’s colors and layers. The seat has been created as a prototype for future production which will use plywood molding techniques.
WAMBAMBOO Lucille Chaise Lounge By Kent Gration
Australian Designer Kent Gration’s Wambamboo products make beautiful use of sustainable production methods including recyclable materials, water-based finishes, energy-saving fluorescent lamps, and natural fibers. The Lucille Chaise Lounge showcased at this year’s 100% Design London is a great example of the power of bamboo in its natural form. Gration explains the Chaise as “a marriage between natural unprocessed bamboo poles and modern design.”
ECO TV PACKAGING TURNS INTO DIY FURNITURE
In its quest for ‘bigger and better’ technology, mankind is facing a mountain of expanded foam pieces and polystyrene packing material used to protect items during handling. Tom Ballhatchet, a recent graduate from the Central St Martins’ MA in Industrial Design, has come up with a simple and utterly plausible solution. Rather than throw away the packaging and leave nature (and a few hundred years) to deal with it, Ballhatchet’s concept allows the user to slide foam casing apart after delivery and reassemble the parts to form a neat self-contained entertainment stand with built in cable management system.
SIEEB Solar Energy-Efficient Building in Beijing
Static is not a word that describes the Sino-Italian Ecological and Energy-Efficient Building (SIEEB) at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Designed to maximize passive solar capabilities and fitted with state-of-the-art active solar elements, the SIEEB is a dynamic energy-efficient oasis that optimizes its urban location with ecological considerations. Architect Mario Cucinella and the Milan Polytechnic conceptualized the structure to educate and showcase possibilities for energy-efficient building, particularly in regard to CO2 emissions.
LIGHTING: Making a Difference with High-tech Materials
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (iom3) is playing host to a number of events throughout London Design Week through the Materials and Design Exchange (MaDE) which was set up to facilitate the development of design skills to exploit the benefits of new materials and processes. On Wednesday morning, a number of speakers were invited to talk about new advances in lighting, including Chris Williams from UK Displays & Lighting and Ceravision.
RECYCLED HANGER LIGHTS BY ALI SIAHVOSHI
Next time you pick up your dry cleaning and think about disposing of the hangers, think again- they may have a second life as a gorgeous light fixture. Lighting Designer Ali Siahvoshi has done exactly that with his blue Cascading Hanger Light. This light was featured at 100% Design London this year and, along with his hanging silverware chandeliers, is another stunning example of the Iranian designer’s approach to contemporary lighting design, exemplifying the beauty of recycling objects for new purposes.
RECYCLED TUBE LIGHT by Castor Canadensis
If you happen to have a large number of old fluorescent tubes and don’t know what to do with them, here’s the perfect idea for you! The Toronto based design collective known as Castor Canadensis fashions beautiful ceiling lights out of discarded old fluorescent tubular lightbulbs.
ENERGY HARVESTING SNEAKERS - Art students hack Heelys!
Pounding the pavement in your sneakers requires energy, and unfortunately, all that kinetic energy is mostly lost to the ground…. until now… Smart art students Christian Croft and Kate Harman have devised a scheme to turn regular sneakers into energy generating machines using a mini-generator and a tiny micro-computer.
TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: BMW Hydrogen 7
BMW, the German car manufacturer, wants you to know that they believe hydrogen is the fuel source of the future. In order to do this, they have created the BMW Hydrogen 7, an all hydrogen powered luxury sedan that produces zero emissions. It’s serious business, or so says BMW, which is why they have enlisted the help of comedian and well known car enthusiast Jay Leno.
PARK(ing) Day Takes to the Streets!
Last Friday was Park(ing) Day - the day where San Franciscans and sprawl-fighting citizens around the world reclaimed parking spots to turn them into green spaces! What started as a few grassy plots of sod occupying metered parking spots in San Francisco has blossomed into a world-wide event, and this year was a HUGE global success. In San Francisco alone, over 55 parking spaces were occupied by volunteers, government offices, and local businesses. While the parks were a nice divergence from the usual cars that occupy their space, the park that got the most attention was constantly on the move.
100% DETAIL: Alternative Energy - Wind and Sun
During the Alternative Energies seminar as part of 100% Design, we caught up with two of the leading experts within the commercial field of alternative energy. Robert Webb from Quiet Revolution / XC02 and Christoph Behling from Solarlab Research + Design were explaining their design philosophies, latest projects and recent conquests in the world of wind and sun powered energy.
TOP TEN GREEN FINDS FROM 100% DESIGN LONDON
London’s big annual furniture fair,100% Design took place this weekend at Earl’s Court, and the London Inhabitatters spent countless hours walking the trade show floors to try to find the latest green design trends and the best new eco-design picks for you. From green lighting to furniture, Tom Dixon’s installation to the ReDesign exhibit, here are our top finds:
METAPHYS INDOOR GRASS PLANTERS FROM TOKYO
With the goal to bring the lawn indoors, Tokyo based product designer Chiaki Murata of Metaphys has designed a stylish product range of stackable white mod grass planters. The Factory product range brings the natural world indoors in style. The individual planters can be stacked, hung or laid on your coffee table.
SILVERWARE CHANDELIER BY ALI SIAHVOSHI
British based lighting designer Ali Siahvoshi exhibited work at 100% Design this week, and is the designer behind Fabbian’s line of super-cool chandeliers made from knives and forks. Born and raised in Iran, Siahvoshi has a unique approach to contemporary lighting design. Using previous everyday objects, from table legs, coat hangers and cutlery Siahvoshi has designed a range of light fixtures that exemplify the beauty of recycling objects for new purposes.
GREENPEACE LAUNCHES DIMMABLE ECO BULB in London
The UK’s first fully dimmable energy efficient light bulb was launched today, as part of a Greenpeace initiative at 100% Design London. Greenpeace commissioned top designer Jason Bruges to create an interactive garden of light, which responds to human movement through “touch pads” dotted around the installation. This is the first lighting project of its kind in the world to use fully dimmable, compact fluorescent bulbs.
MUCH2MUCH RECLAIMED JEWELRY by Katya Bochavar
Much2Much is a playful and engaging line of jewelry fashioned from recycled knick-knacks by Russian designer Katya Bochavar. Combining such disparate objects as pieces of chandeliers, plumbing bolts and joints, coins from all over the world, bullets, broken watches, Soviet military pins and Salvation Army ties, Katya integrates these thrift shop findings into beautiful necklaces, earrings and pins that each tell a unique story.
NOKI - House of Sustainability
I don’t know if I can sum this up any better than Australian fashion journalist Patty Huntington did: “Move over Gareth Pugh - there’s a new freak in town.”
London is typically the experimental comma between the more sedate New York and Milan fashion weeks and the appetizer to what might await in Paris. So NOKI did not disappoint at the Fashion East show with a melange of thrift that appeared to be styled by Edward Scissorhands - don’t try this at home kids. Or wait, DO try this at home, seems to have been the message.
INHABITAT FEATURED IN ARCHITECT MAGAZINE
In a great article titled “Meet the Bloggers,” Architect Magazine gives architectural bloggers credit for their “unorthodox mix of reporting, commentary, and activism,” and features Inhabitat’s own Jill Fehrenbacher. Along with Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG, Bryan Finoki of Subtopia, and Dan Hill of City of Sound, Inhabitat was one of the co-organizers of the recent Postopolis event, which served as a discussion of blogging, design, media, and architecture, and engaged Architect Magazine’s interest in the blogosphere.
MISIAK RECYCLED TEA-SETS MAKES TEA TIME GREENER
England is the land of tea, and as once would expect, there are tons of old, unwanted tea sets in London sitting in charity shops and landfill. Fortunately British product designer Christine Misiak has arrived on the scene to turn old tea sets into new, hip, contemporary products that are as gorgeous as they are eco-friendly. Exhibiting at 100% Futures during at the London Design Festival, Misiak makes tea time greener with this thoughtful form of adaptive reuse.
TRASH LUXE: Reclaim, Rework, Reuse
Trash Luxe, an exhibition for the London Design Festival at Liberty’s, celebrates the creativity of reworking/remastering unwanted goods into desirable products. With the concept of luxury being increasingly rethought and redefined, using objects with a sub-narrative: vintage materials, material/packaging waste and other disposable items, gives layered meaning and added value to otherwise overlooked commodities. Here are some of our highlights, including a new chandelier from Stuart Haygarth and some very cool Zulu bowls made from telephone wires!
PREFAB FRIDAY: Zero-Energy MkLotus debuts!
No more renderings necessary, Michelle Kaufmann’s gorgeous new eco-prefab home has just debuted and been installed on the grass in front of San Francisco City Hall. The lovely zero-energy prefab is open to the public as part of the West Coast Green show at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak of the house as it was getting set up in the past few days, and we can tell you firsthand that the renderings don’t do it justice. The home is compact and stunning, with gorgeous xeriscape landscaping, and the most high-tech green materials and sustainable systems available,including a greywater recycling system, green roof, solar panels, and even a spot to plug in your electric vehicle for charging!
PARK(ING) DAY IS TODAY!
What started as a few grassy plots of sod occupying metered parking spots in San Francisco has blossomed into a world-wide event scheduled- and TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!! Rebar’s Park(ing) Day is back for its third year and is bigger and better than ever, this time partnering with both Public Architecture and The Trust for Public Land. ReBar hopes to expand this year’s event beyond the 13 participating cities from 2006 including New York, London, and Rio de Janeiro; and they’re inviting everyone to get involved- that means YOU! So get your greenthumb in gear and go claim your parking spot ASAP!
TOM DIXON: THE GREAT LIGHT GIVEAWAY
Yesterday evening saw the final day of Tom Dixon’s low-energy light installation, in London’s Trafalgar Square, and the day ended with a bang when the designer gave away 1000 of his eco GLOWB lights to 1000 lucky Londoners. The whole London Inhabitat team was there (and 8th in line to score a GLOWB!) for the 5pm light-giveaway. Powered by a renewable energy source the lights have been lit for 3 hours per day from 7pm – 10pm Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday Wednesday 19th from 5pm – 10pm. See more photo’s from The Great Light Giveaway!! over on Flickr.
GREETINGS FROM WEST COAST GREEN!
We’re here in San Francisco for the opening day of West Coast Green, and the city and conference are abuzz with green excitement! We got a sneak peak of Michelle Kaufmann’s mkLotus yesterday, which didn’t disappoint, so stay tuned for more details and pics tomorrow for Prefab Friday. Today the conference kicks off with a bang, with speakers from Gavin Newsom and Steve Wozniak to Cameron Sinclair, Eric Corey Freed, Allison Arieff, and US! Inhabitat’s Editors, Jill Fehrenbacher and Emily Pilloton will speak at 2pm today about green building techniques from around the world, featuring our Top 5 Global Green Homes. Stay tuned in the coming days for updates from the conference… or if you’re in the area, come on down!
BRITISH TEAM DEVELOPS THIN SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS
The way that solar technology is advancing these days can only be described as truly exciting. The latest report: a team of British researchers from Durham University have developed light absorbing materials for use in the production of super-thin layer photovoltaics. These thin cells could be installed on homes or even moving cars, and could be significantly less expensive than their thicker counterparts.
WEST COAST GREEN STARTS TOMORROW!
The biggest and baddest green residential conference in the country kicks off TOMORROW, and this year promises to be better than ever, running from Thursday September 20th to Saturday Saturday 22nd. From the exciting launch of Michelle Kaufmann’s new mkLotus to a lineup of speakers that will rock your sustainable world, West Coast Green is one green event not to miss. And Thursday at 2pm, Inhabitat’s own Jill Fehrenbacher and Emily Pilloton will be presenting our Top 5 Great Green Homes and speaking about green design from around the globe. It’s not too late to register, or you can register at the door. See you there!
GREAT GREEN HOME: Carter Burton Yoga Studio
What yoga does for the mind and soul, this thoughtfully-designed yoga studio does for its lucky green-minded inhabitants. Situated outside Washington DC in Clark County, Virginia, and designed by Carter + Burton Architecture, the small scale structure serves as a yoga studio and guest house for Annie and Paul Mahon’s main house 100 feet away. Despite its compact 600 square foot footprint, the studio packs in the best of the best of green technologies, from SIP-based construction to geothermal, passive solar, locally-sourced materials, green roof, and LED lighting. The clients’ and designers’ commitment to sustainability earned the project a LEED Gold certification when it was completed in 2007.
