Olivia is a writer currently living in New York. She graduated from Cornell with a degree in landscape architecture where she first became curious about the challenge of sustainable (and affordable!) development, though she is easily distracted by the poetics and mechanics of gardening. She has a love for the written word and a passion for design which led her to be an intern at The Architect’s Newspaper and the non-profit organization, the Institute for Urban Design. She often finds herself reading books with pretty pictures but otherwise her current obsessions include finding certified fair trade flowers, exploring flea markets and thrift stores, and trekking around New York.
Landscape is a term that has possessed a variety of related definitions in the past. At Sculpture Center’s group exhibition, Degrees of Remove: Landscape and Affect, landscape is “as an interpreted notion of space.” The exhibit questions how perceptions of landscape have changed since technology has made it possible to engage in landscapes far removed from our physical locations– or if we can really engage in them at all. Curated by Sarina Basta and Fionn Meade, the exhibition will run until the end of this month and has a corresponding film series at Anthology Film Archives.
We have written before about Jenny Hwa’s work in eco fashion, both on her eco chic clothing collections as well as her recent work in home goods. Her new fall collection is inspired by conservationist and film maker Joan Root. While known for her collaborations with her husband in creating several nature documentaries, Root was also actively supportive in the preservation of the land of her childhood, Kenya. A life of purposeful artistic pursuit was fitting to inspire Jenny to create a collection that is utilitarian but feminine. The collection uses eco luxurious materials such as organic wool and cotton as well as hand-dyed eco silk and is proof that sustainable style can become part of any woman’s everyday personal style.
On a slope near the village of Karjat, India, a team of architects have begun to envision a modern, 3-story building that will peer out into the valley through a veil of bamboo poles. Designed by Architecture Brio, the building will act as a staff dormitory for the NGO Magic Bus. The building’s structure is modern and rectangular, but softened by the more rustic feel of its bamboo exterior. By using bamboo, a rapidly renewable resource, as a primary supporting material, the building’s design is both sustainable and feels like an organic manifestation of the surrounding landscape.
Public space is essential in any urban environment, but drawing people out can be difficult when the weather makes the outdoors uncomfortable. The Emerald Plaza in Abu Dhabi by Los Angeles-based Emergent Architecture is intended to invite people out of doors despite high temperatures by offering shade and a wide expanse of space. The multi-level, modern plaza physically links the buildings surrounding it via walkways, while cooling pools help to regulate the plaza’s temperature.
Desert living has long been characterized as a lifestyle that requires considerable intervention to be sustainable. Still, at least one team of architects and designers believes that the secret to living comfortably in the desert is already there - in two unlikely sources: desert plants and prehistoric dwellings. Binary Design Studio, made up of Dale Clifford, Jason Vollen, M. Gindlesparger, and Eddie Hall, is a unique kind of architectural design firm that is looking critically at the conditions present in the desert and trying to create a site-specific methodology for building sustainable homes.
For some, to be inspired by the patterns and forms that exist in nature lends itself to a desire to conserve nature’s resources. Australian-based textile and fashion designer Quyen Do is one such person, whose textile designs pull from the from the age-old pattern of tapestry but updates it so it is young and playful. Her “We {Heart} Herbs” accessories collection includes coin purses, clutches and bags made of eco friendly fabrics- all designed, printed and made by her. Delightfully colorful for an Australian spring, Quyen’s collection can add a little botanical cheer to any season’s ensemble.
What makes architecture engaging? And what purpose does engaging architecture serve? Artists Arakawa and Madeline Gins answer both of these questions with their Bioscleave House, an indoor playground of sorts aimed to help people live longer and healthier. Filled with bright, energetic colors and playful, undulating floors, the house provides an environment that constantly stimulates the body and mind. A bold departure from the predictable elements we associate with ordinary homes, the purpose is that visitors and inhabitants alike will always be learning to adapt and will therefore maintain a certain youthfulness.
On Fridays, we feature homes that we feel are environmentally responsible, but as one might suspect, architecture can also be good for the soul. MMA Architects recently completed a home built out of timber and sandbags - and became the winner of the Curry Stone Foundation Prize this year. The prize is awarded to individuals or groups that create architecture that has the potential to make positive changes in a community by offering shelter, community health, peace, or clean water, air and food. This sandbag house was built for a mere $6,000, making it affordable for low-income housing. The design also utilizes uncomplicated techniques- and was constructed with the help of its future residents who were able to gain a sense of ownership through the building process.
A vibrant swath of yellow amid the brownstones of Crown Heights, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum re-opened on September 20 after its completed expansion. Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, the expansion will be New York City’s first LEED-certified museum in addition to being the first structure to tap geothermal wells as a means to heat and cool its grounds. The museum’s new exterior -composed of 8.1 million canary yellow tiles- is a playful voluminous canopy that rests above the pre-existing buildings. Subtly glistening, its vibrant color engages and beckons viewers to come explore its earth -and kid- friendly grounds. Read on for all the details, and be sure to check out Inhabitots for an inside tour!
Recycled shipping containers are becoming more and more popular as a viable sustainable building material, and this year’s West Coast Green show house highlights this growing trend. The showroom highlight of this year’s event is Lawrence Group’s SG Blocks Container House, fashion out of five shipping containers and a plethora of other eco-friendly building materials. As a prefab, the home is affordable, cute, and easy to assemble — demonstrated by the fact that the model at West Coast Green was erected in less than 5 hours.
Graffiti meets environmental and social activism in Peter Gibson (a.k.a. Roadsworth)’s literal take on street art. Frustrated with the lack of safety provided for cyclists in today’s cities, the artist began (illegally) spray painting extra bike lanes onto the streets of Montreal in 2001. It wasn’t long before he began to branch out and address other civic and environmental issues through his cutting brand of creative imagery. Intended to address many of the confining conditions of living in an urban environment, Peter Gibson’s work treats these topics with a sort of wry humor that doesn’t dull their urgent message.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure when it comes to Joana Meroz’s beautiful service tableware. Beginning with cracked porcelain ware, the Brazilian/Israeli designer fills each crack with gold luster and then embellishes each piece with decorative self-made transfers, resulting in elegant, re-invented tableware. This creative method of celebrating imperfections and revitalizing “damaged” goods is being featured at the Gr3en Design Reduce-Reuse- Recycle Exhibition which features Finnish, Belgian and Dutch designers. A worthy addition, Joana Meroz’s tableware offers the sophistication of fine dining ware while gaining green cred by keeping cracked tableware out of the dumpster.
New parks will be popping up all over the country today, thanks to Park(ing) Day, an annual event that turns paved parking spaces into temporary green gardens. The event was started in 2005 by ReBar, an art collective based in San Francisco, and is meant to challenge urbanites to think about what our public spaces would be like if they were designed for the pedestrian, rather than the car.
Ever come across one of those ideas that is so brilliant and crazy - it makes you wonder why no one has done it before? Artist and interactive designer, JooYoun Paek takes the cake on that front with her recently revealed Self-Sustainable Chair, a wearable piece of furniture which is a dress where the butt inflates into a chair through pumps in the shoes. Paek hopes the provocative art piece will “transform the humdrum experiences produced by routine walking commutes into an amusing interactive performance.” Featured at this weekend’s Conflux Festival, her quirky and intriguing project suggests that rest and walk can be balanced by re-thinking the function of what we wear.
Underwater turbines that harvest tidal currents have already become an established technology in the world of clean energy. So in order to push the frontier further, a group of engineers at Oxford have been tinkering away on a design that promises to be even more powerful and efficient. The group recently introduced an innovative Transverse Horizontal Axis Water Turbine that will not only collect more energy but require 60% lower manufacturing costs and 40% lower maintenance costs.
Photovoltaic gadgets often get trapped in the monotonous façade of plain panels, which often leave something to be desired in the aesthetics department. Not so with Vivien Muller’s sleek PhotoSynthese charger. Resembling a potted bonsai tree, the silvery solar charger rests atop an elegant tray.
Some of the most interesting examples of green innovation are those that transform the environmentally unkind into a beacon of eco-friendly sophistication. Such was the challenge dealt to Bligh Voller Nield in designing the headquarters for Sydney-based Stockland. Their solution recycles an existing structure into a cutting edge workplace so successfully that it received the Milo Dunphy Award for Sustainable Architecture in this year’s NSW awards.
Part pre-fab home and part RV, Tom Kundig’s mobile home ‘Rolling Huts’ are a tribute to the simplicity of rural Romanticism, much like their predecessor the Delta Shelter. While the Delta Shelter was originally intended as a retreat in the mountains, the owner of the home soon realized he needed temporary residences for his guests, and so commissioned Kundig, to develop a series of mobile counterparts.
Amidst the excitement of athletic accomplishments at this year’s summer Olympics, a significant achievement for sustainable design was recognized as well. Last week, on Wednesday, August 13, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson presented Chinese officials with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold award for the 2008 Olympic village. The world-class development boasts a variety of sustainable features including solar panels, green roofs, and an extensive rainwater recycling system.
We’ve all heard that growing food for ourselves is good for the planet as well as the soul, but between finding the space and then remediating the soil, growing an edible garden can go from being a simple idea to a gargantuan task. Fortunately for space-challenged gardeners, Food Map Design’s growing container offers an incredibly easy and sleek solution for those with little room to grow.
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