Storytelling design is the first step towards a healthier future for patients at the Evangelisches Konigin Elizabeth Krankenhaus children’s psychiatric hospital in Berlin. Designed as a collaborative effort between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Dan Pearlman Creative Agency, the center creates a fantastic narrative that guides patients on a journey to “Elise Island”, a safe place to play and rest hosted by Princess Elise.
This month Project H Design is hitting the road in a vintage Airstream trailer with their Design Revolution Road Show, starting with exhibitions in SF and LA this week! The show will be run by Inhabitat’s very own Emily Pilloton and will showcase 40 great examples of humanitarian design (as seen on the Colbert Report).
The tour kicks off tonight at 6pm in San Francisco with an opening party at the Academy of Art University and will be in Pasadena at the Art Center’s Hillside Campus on Monday, so if you’re in either of these cities we highly recommend checking the show out before it leaves the state. Hit the jump for details on each exhibition!
As we begin to peel back the multiple layers of winter (or are just starting to feel the chill, depending on what part of the world you’re in), Amenity Home launches their latest collection of nature-inspired bedding reflective of the emerging spring season. Taking their cue from ferns, their latest collection is offered in a vibrant palette of hues fit for the coming months. A modern, sustainable company and favorite to locals on the Inhabitat LA team, the Fern design is available in warm amber, fresh celery, and calming peacock. Inhabitat readers can visit the Amenity Home website before midnight tonight and use the code FERN20 to enjoy 20% off the entire Fern line and take part of their current Green Sale offering 30% off the entire original Amenity Collection (excluding Muir and Fern).
The historic city of Augustenborg, Denmark may soon provide a new view of its surrounding waters thanks to a revitalized city center complete with a modern castle. Successfully combining old and new, Deve Architects plan to transform the city’s aging industrial buildings into a new downtown area that celebrates the country’s modern yacht culture. The new plans call for ground-source heat pumps, wind turbines, and biogas as well as solar arrays and kinetic plates to generate energy.
What’s not to love about a 95-room hotel with a giant, 400 foot built-in ski slope – especially if it’s powered by wind and sun? This is one resort that definitely redefines on-slope accommodations. Designed by the always imaginative Michael Jantzen, this eco-hotel offers a new way to experience the frosty luxuries of Aspen with all of our favorite green features.
Fabulous prefab design just became more accessible as LivingHomes has announced that homes by award-winning architect Ray Kappe will be available at lower cost on a national scale. The six Kappe designs now available nationwide come chock-full of all the green features that LivingHomes are known for, delivering high quality design in a sustainable package.
An old sugar refinery in Brooklyn is getting a second chance at the sweet life thanks to the designers at Rafael Vinoly Architects (RVA) PC, who have proposed a massive green renovation for the 2.8-million-square-foot complex. The mixed-use project will create 2,200 apartments, with at least 30% of the new housing being designated to lower-income families. The conversion of the old industrial site will also provide the Williamsburg residences with a fantastic view of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridges, and New York Harbor via the project’s green roof.
The CityCenter mega-resort opened last month to fanfare, press, and a fireworks display fitting of a 67-acre 8.7 billion dollar gamble sitting on the Las Vegas Strip. The project surpassed its original sustainability goal of LEED Silver to score an impressive six LEED Gold Certifications (with another one on its way), and it was the recipient of the US Forest Stewardship Council’s best commercial project of 2009. However Las Vegas is a desert, and in this resource-constrained site we couldn’t help but pull back a bit of the star-crossed blinds and ask how deep does the green really go?
This five star hotel is going under – underground that is! Designed by ReardonSmith Architects for a proposed development at Hersham Golf Club in Surrey, London, this new subterranean hotel will pay its ultimate respects to London’s Green Belt by placing all 200+ guest rooms underneath it! The entire scheme is covered with a plush green roof that takes its cue from the surrounding countryside.
The LA Auto Show is off and running, and Inhabitat was on the scene earlier this week to witness the unveiling of all the lean, green rides on display. Throughout the show we were struck by the array of alternative fuel vehicles that each and every manufacturer is putting research dollars towards. From pint-sized city cars to svelte green speed demons, read on for Inhabitat’s top 5 green vehicles from the LA Auto Show!
The folks over at Honda just unveiled their highly controversial new ultracompact car, the P-Nut (Personal-Neo Urban Transport), at the LA Car Show, and it really redefines what it means for a vehicle to have a small “footprint.” The new tinier form of transportation has a unique, McLaren-like staggered seating arrangement, which ensures that passengers also have ample leg room. The jury is still out on whether or not this nut has the full ability to stand on its own, so we’ll leave it to you to decide whether the P-Nut is all it’s cracked up to be.
LivingHomes had the honor of building the first LEED Platinum certified home in the US, and now they’re on schedule to deliver the first LEED Platinum certified home in Orange County. The new KieranTimberlake LivingHome 1.5 (KTLH1.5) was erected earlier this month in a single day. Located in the city of Newport Beach, we carry no doubts that the home will be LEED Platinum certified given LivingHomes‘ track record.
With all the controversy and outrage surrounding the presence of BPA in plastic water bottles, KOR has stood by its commitment to encourage individuals to stop buying disposable bottled water with its smoothly styled BPA-free water vessels. This past week they announced a limited-edition series of “Thirst for Giving” bottles that feature beautiful art and provide sales proceeds to non-profits that are working to preserve the environment.
Sanjay Puri Architect’s new Chrome Hotel features a fresh façade punctuated with holes that allow natural light to stream in while keeping air-conditioning costs to a minimum. The opaque windows were purposefully set throughout the swiss cheese façade to allow ambient natural light to enter, and they also create an incredibly cool effect at night when backlit by LED lights.
We first announced Pugh + Scarpa’s Cherokee Lofts in Los Angeles two years ago, and we’re excited to say that the renovated recording studio debuted last month with a Rock N’Platinum grand opening. Anticipating its LEED Platinum certification, the opening literally rocked thanks to the music of Ben Lee and BlueSkyReality, plus three showcase lofts were stylized to pay tribute to Alice Cooper, 30 Seconds to Mars, and David Bowie. A fitting gala granted the number of gold and platinum records recorded at the location, which housed Cherry Studios prior to its conversion into sleek residential units.
In case you missed the opening, fear not – you can check it out this weekend on Saturday and Sunday from noon-5pm!
Photos © Tara Wujcik
This year’s Opportunity Green conference proved that good design means good business, and it started from the moment we walked in the door. We were bestowed with a Kor water bottle (to be refilled at water stations placed throughout the conference groups) and full set of To-Go Ware complete with canvas case and carabiner belt attachment. Did we mention that it all came packaged in an AdVinylize bag? We were also excited to see the EcoFabulous lounge (and the inclusion of their Founder Zem Joaquin as a co-host), a panel dedicated to exploring what happens “When Sustainable Design and Business Converge”, and we had the opportunity to test drive the new Mini-E. Throughout the past weekend Opportunity Green put good design on display, and we’ve gotta admit – we loved it.
If you’re interested in the intersection of business, design, and sustainability and will be in the Los Angeles area this weekend, we highly recommend checking out this year’s Opportunity Green conference! Inhabitat favorite designer Yves Behar will be on hand to talk about his FuseProject, Method’s Chief Greenskeeper Adam Lowry will be available to talk about delivering natural home products to the masses, and our very own Sarah Rich, representing Dwell, will be on the stage moderating a panel. Inhabitat readers receive a 30% discount by entering in the code Inhabitat30, so register today!
When Architect Adi Purnomo of Mamostudio set out to design a live, work, and exhibition space for a photographer/painter client, he knew that maximizing natural light would be a necessity. Purnomo also pushed his studio’s creative design process to maintain the temperature of the home’s interior spaces through passive means whenever possible. The resulting Puri Indah House features an intricate series of slanted walls that reflect sunlight throughout the day, while intermingled gardens and interior pools of water ensure that the house is shaded and kept cool.
High Density green living is on the rise in Elwood, Australia with Crosby Architect’s new Elwood Green project. Living up to its name, the high-density apartment building will house 25 units that are expected to receive an average 6-star rating – the highest honor currently available from the Green Building Council of Australia. What comes as a bit of surprise is the lack of active systems assisting in the green rating, which just goes to show that old ingenuity and smart design can create buildings every bit as sustainable as the most high-tech structures.
An abandoned bowling alley finds a second life in this beautiful series of furniture by LA-based designer/woodworker William Stranger. Crafted from reclaimed strips of wood salvaged from a local defunct Tava Lanes Bowling alley, the collection springs to life in a variety of forms including a series of wall hangings and a low coffee table.
