Hauptman Products Inc. (HPI) was founded five years ago with a mission to create well designed products that are socially and environmentally responsible. Judging by the aesthetics and specs of their reSeat line, I’d hazard to say they’ve more than lived up to their mission statement.
The forming process used to create the reSeat line is based loosely on a reconstituted wood manufacturing process used to create strong and sturdy shipping pallets. ?The wood used is North American Aspen due to its growth speed and self-regenerating characteristics. ?Using wood chips allows them to maximize the use of their lumber, while bonding it with a formaldehyde-free adhesive system ensures the product is green from end to end.
As part of the ongoing renovation of Coney Island (Brooklyn), the infamous Stillwell Subway station has recently unveiled a 76,000 square foot solar roof manufactured by RWE SCHOTT Solar. The station has been cleaned up inside too, and looks better than ever.
The power derived from the stations integrated photovoltaic panels will not go towards powering the subway itself, but is expected to annually contribute approximately 250,000 kilowatt hours to Stillwell Stations power needs. This makes Stillwell the first solar-powered train station in NYC, and one of the most eco-friendly mass transit stations ever built in this country. Go Stillwell! And congrats MTA! Hopefully other mass-transit systems will jump the eco-train and follow suit.
54Dean is a Brooklyn based design duo making some remarkable furniture. The studio’s Georgie Bench (named after George Nelson’s famous slat bench), is made with sustainability in mind, thanks to a waste conscious construction process and building materials consisting of nothing but bamboo and stainless steel.
Proof once again that style and sustainability can go hand-in-hand!
Something about Matt Gagnon’s work is just indefinably superb. He seems to have a penchant for design feng shui; an innate sense of the alchemy of form and material. Whatever it is, Matt Gagnon’s pieces are striking, elegant and original.
Gagnon opened Matt Gagnon Studio in Brooklyn in 2002, after working for Frank Gehry, Gaetano Pesce and other renowned designers. His work spans a range of media, from furniture and lighting to architectural design and theater sets. Each of the ten objects available for viewing at his site struck my fancy for a different reason, but the Paper Table stood out for its sustainable attributes. This coffee table cum magazine rack is as earthy and organic as it is urban and contemporary. It looks a bit like a chunk of driftwood, with smooth fissures worn away by the elements, or like an abstract cityscape strewn with tilted skyscrapers.
Have you been dying to know what rammed earth is? Well, today is your lucky day. Alternative builder / programmer Richard Schave is here to explain it to us…
Rammed earth is an ancient building technique which was used to build parts of the Great Wall of China. Some regions of France have a 300 year tradition of using rammed earth ? due to high limestone content of the soil which acts as a “cement”, providing superior adhesion and compaction. The building technique has seen a revival in recent years as people seek natural and low-impact building methods.
I have mixed feeling about candles. On the one hand, candles are simple, pretty, and can the soft glow of one can enhance the mood of any space. The scented kind can be particularly soothing, if the scent is something you like (such as vanilla or lavender). On the other hand: candles don’t last long, they can decrease the air quality in a room with their smoke, and they are prone to wax spillage. The biggest downside, however, is that they are a fire disaster waiting to happen. I have a friend whose apartment building recently burned down because someone left unattended candles burning in his room.
Recognizing the on-going candle dilemna, electronics company Philips has launched a series of electric candles. But fear not - we’re not talking those tacky candle-shaped tungsten bulbs from a decade gone by. Philips is hip to the LED future, with their new series of LED candles call “Aurelle”. The Aurelle LED Candles combine the warm glow and gentle flicker of a candle without the risks and nuisance associated with open flames.
Tired of Feng Shui, and looking for a new eastern philosophy on which to govern your design choices? No? Well either way, its time to check out Vedic design. While many of us are familiar with the ancient Chinese design techniques of Feng Shui, Vedic design, or Vastu, is relatively new to the architectural world. Originating thousands of years ago in ancient India, and gaining new popularity from the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (you may remember the Beatles being big fans) Vastu has specific prescriptions for optimal architectural design.
On display at the Cooper Hewitt back in 2003, Smartwrap is a thin plastic film designed to envelop a building, acting as a multi-tasking, intelligent wall. Smartwrap integrates the currently segregated functions of a conventional wall and combines them into one crazy high-tech composite. It insulates, stores energy, and digitally regulates temperature, as well as providing and controlling light. Users can program different panels to light up, display an image, or switch from transparent to opaque as needed.
Smartwrap has been heralded to revolutionize the building industry. Because the material incorporates all of the functionality of a regular wall (insulation, protection, electricity, windows) but is compressed into a material only a couple millimeters thick, it has the potential to completely change the way people build. It is lightweight, can be transported and installed very quickly, and therefore could prove could useful for building in developing countries and areas devastated by natural disasters. To top that all off, it is also infinitely reusable.
Nothing in the realm of new technology gets me more excited than sunlight transportation. Since sunlight is our most infinitely renewable resource, I am amazed that it has taken us so long to start developing hi-tech lighting and energy systems around it. Like Parans, the Swedish sunlight transport system we covered a couple months back, Sunlight Direct is a fiber-optic sunlight transportation system designed so you can collect sunlight on a roof, and then bring it into the interior of a building to illuminate a dark room. Unlike Parans, Sunlight Direct also incorporates Hybrid Solar Lighting (HSL) - the storage of solar energy to power fluorescent tubes in cases of low sunlight, such as on cloudy days, or at night.
Sunlight Direct uses a parabolic mirror to collect sunlight. The system then filters out the heat-causing UV light, and pipes the remaining natural light into interior spaces via fiber optic lines. Currently the light can only be sent about 30 feet or so due to loss of light as it travels through the lines. One unit delivers 50,000 lumens, or roughly the equivalent amount of light needed to illuminate 1000 square feet.
The best part is that Sunlight Direct is currently allowing people to beta-test this new product - so get on it peeps! (I would love to hear from anyone who tries this). The manufacturers expect the Sunlight Direct system to be available for purchase in 2007.
Have you met Jr., Richard and Ralph? Three distant cousins of Beaver Cleaver? No, they are the three different models available from Modern Birdhouses, a small company manufacturing a sleek, modernist twist on an old classic.
The birdhouses, named after J.R. Davidson, Richard Neutra, and Ralph Rapson, are both elegant and eco-friendly. Inspired by the pioneering architects of the 1940s Case Study Houses Program, the birdhouses comply with a contemporary standard, utilizing sustainably harvested teak certified by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program. Trim is made of aluminum and stainless steel. The houses are meant to accommodate ?common cavity-nesting birds,? which include chickadees, bluebirds, wrens and swallows. Hang your birdhouse and dig up your binoculars. Birdwatching days are here again ? and this time the birds are coming out in style.
There’s nary an eco-design fan who hasn?t seen Cradle to Cradle, the eye-catching book from Melcher Media by William McDonough and Michael Braungart of MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry). This compact volume with its waterproof ?Durabook? pages summarizes what McDonough and Braungart predict will be the ?next industrial revolution,? founded on their principles for a new design paradigm.
With the book still circulating at a furious rate, MBDC officially launched their Cradle to Cradle(TM) product certification system on June 13 at NeoCon.
Human and environmental health and safety are foremost in the certification process. Requirements include demonstrating conservation of energy and water, recycling and composting capabilities, and ethical manufacturing. “Our goal is to encourage industries worldwide to adopt sustainable design principles?and create new products with potential to benefit human health and the environment while generating business profit,” McDonough said.
MBDC gives us hope that a true sea change in industrial environmental practices is not outside the realm of possibility. It?s this kind of practical idealism that will take ecological design to the next level.
The first Cradle to Cradle certified products will be announced September 1.
Spotted on Mocoloco, these cylindrical lamps from Lumino Design appear to be made from chain-mail or some other striated material. Unfortunately, all I could find out from the website was “Lorem ipsum dolor.” That’s greek for “website under construction!” I’m looking forward to finding out more about these beautiful mystery lamps, so if anyone knows anything, give me a shout.
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers. An estimated 109 hectares of new and (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. (and thats not even talking about global warming…) What to do about this impending food crisis? Many think the solution might lie in urban “skyscraper farms”.
If you’ve ever been to Tokyo, you know that beneath the crowded streets, unexpected worlds exist. Subway exits lead to awe-inspiring underground food courts, where every culinary delight under the sun can be found behind gleaming glass cases. In one particular subterranean section of the city, a new edible phenomenon has emerged, thanks to staffing agency Pasona, Inc.
In February, the agency opened Pasona O2, an indoor urban farm where vegetables, rice, flowers and herbs flourish under fluorescent lights and LEDs in an environment that is almost entirely chemical-free. In a basement that was once a bank-vault, plants are cultivated and nourished hydroponically ? using nutrient-enhanced water instead of natural soil. Temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels are all controlled by computers. This kind of tank-farming makes it possible to grow plants rapidly, all year round, by maintaining an optimal balance of nutrients.
Design company Moxbox has a thing for swingin’ sixties names like “Moxipop” and “Chromosomo” And, as one might expect from a company with a “Barberella” screen, Moxbox’s furniture would look right at home alongside a hanging bubble chair on the set of Austin Powers. But although Moxbox has a certain 60’s pop aesthetic, their beautiful furniture transcends mere retro nostalgia. This Boopop (huh?) coffee table is composed of 2 different layers of bamboo plywood which have been overlaid and cut in concentric circles. The grain of lighter bamboo runs perpendicular to the grain of the darker bamboo underneath, enhancing the optical effect created by the circles. A layer of resin over the top of the table smoothes the whole thing out into a flat surface.
At Design Within Reach I spotted this fabulous 3-in-1 furniture piece which converts from bed, to chair, to table. Called a “pouf” (and I’m not really sure why) this space-saving sleep solution is amazingly efficient. Folded up it becomes a chair - add the bent plywood tray on top, it becomes a cute table. When the “pouf” is unfolded, a full-length sleep surface is revealed ? perfect for impromptu houseguests. DWR’s pouf comes in two different designs. The first, the Trio Pouf, comes with a slipcover which camouflages the folded nature of the mattress underneath, creating the appearance of a solid black cube. The second design, the Bingo Pouf has no slipcover and utilizes the folding of the mattress as part of its aesthetic. Both are super cute and way practical. All furniture should be this efficient!
If that weren’t enough - this is one of the most affordable things I have ever seen at Design Within Reach. In fact, the poufs are so economical that they are actually within my reach! The Bingo Pouf is a good deal at $348, and the Trio Pouf is a complete steal at $174.95.
Readers of Inhabitat may have noticed that I have a thing for folding furniture. Transformer furniture is just so much more space-saving and efficient than regular furniture. I really feel that all furniture should have some sort of multipurpose element to it.
Murphy beds are the original folding furniture, dating back to the turn of the century. Unfortunately, they have been around (and been neglected) for so long that most of them have a kitschy grandma look: nostalgic but not something you really want cluttering your house. Fortunately, it is possible to find fold-up furniture that will save space AND maintain your minimalist aesthetic.
Clei UK makes modernist Murphy beds in a variety of shapes and styles. They have bunk beds, double beds, single beds, and beds that transform into desks and shelves. This particularly awesome LGM piece folds up seamlessly into a
shelving unit ? and has a work desk that folds out of it as well.
The AIA Chicago Young Architect’s Forum is currently accepting entries for reThink / reDesign / reCycle, - a two-phase juried competition that seeks proposals for an ecologically intelligent, urban recycling receptacle. If you are interested, better get a move on ? the deadline for registration is June 24th!
I discovered New York City botanical artist Paula Hayes while on my morning jog through the east village. I kept passing this mysterious shop window on E13th street full of beautiful glass terrariums, and curiosity got the better of me. Turns out this was no ordinary boutique gardening shop. Hayes has become an international art star for her living sculptures: glass-blown hand-crafted terrariums and other pieces which integrate conceptual art with plants.
Hilton Hotels is about to open America’s first green hotel, in Vancouver, Washington. The 226 room hotel was designed to be green in almost every way, and will be the first LEED-certified major hotel in the country. Designed by Portland architecture firm Fletcher Farr Ayott , the hotel was constructed with recycled steel and recyclable brick. The building reduces energy consumption in a variety of ways: automatic sensors turn off lights and heating in unoccupied rooms, employees are encouraged to use public transport, and alternative fueling stations are available for electric cars.
Word is out on the street that Brooklyn furniture company Scrapile has added a bunch of new designs to their fabulous line of recycled wood scrap furniture. I love these guys, so I am very excited to hear the news. For those of you who missed our previous post about Scrapile, the Brooklyn design duo Carlos Salgado and Burt Bettencourt collect scraps from local woodshops, and fashion stunning modernist furniture from the strips. Recently added designs include these lovely accessory boxes, a circular table, and wall-shelving. The new boxes are especially sexy, but I think my favorite of the Scrapile family is still probably the rectangular coffee table. No word on where these will be sold yet…. hopefully The Future Perfect and Vivavi will get on this, since both stores carry other Scrapile designs.
You may have heard of 3D printing, but did you know that rapid prototyping has grown to architectural scale? Inventor Behrokh Khoshnevis has developed a contour crafting machine which will allow one to “print” a house out of concrete in 24 hours. The contour crafter has been causing quite a stir with forward thinking architects, NASA and advocates of low-income housing, for its wide-ranging potential applications.
In designing this rotating room, Austrian architecture firm AllesWirdGut claim to have found inspiration in the gravity chamber of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think secretly they also may have been influence by a certain furry rodent. You gotta admit this looks like a human-sized hamster wheel.
TurnOn was one of the projects featured in Architectural Record’s 2005 Young Architect’s Awards. The design is a cylindrical living room which incorporates multiple functions of the home. Different circular modules are attached together to create the wheel-like space that can be turned (literally) to alter its function. “Just like customizing a car, the buyer can customize and accessorize to their own tastes and price range. Colors can be chosen, accessories such as flat-screen monitors could be added,” says Architect Herwig Spiegl, “and the modules could be arranged in infinite combinations.”
Stratus Vineyards in the Niagara region of Ontario has the distinct honour of being recognized as the worlds first LEED certified winery and the first building to be certified by LEED Canada. Designed by architect Les Andrew, the building burns no fossil fuels, it’s heated by 24 geothermal wells, built with reclaimed wood and steel ? it’s even got bike racks and showers to encourage the use of alternative transportation for its staff.
fine art terrarium ? your salvation has arrived in the form of the Ecosphere. These sealed glass mini-biospheres are the world’s first totally self-contained and self-sustaining ecosystems ? filled with red shrimp, bacteria, algae and filtered sea-water. They require no feeding, no cleaning and no care what-so-ever, except to be kept in sunlight at a comfortable temperature. The ecosphere is meant to represent a simple version of Earth?s own closed ecosystem and contains the same essential elements that are found on our planet: air, water, sunlight, along with the three main facets of a simple food chain: producers (algae), consumers (shrimp) and decomposers (bacteria). They usually last 2-3 years, but have been known to last up to 10 years.
Surprisingly, Ecospheres are relatively inexpensive, starting at $79 for the smallest model.
There’s nary an eco-design fan who hasn?t seen 
Readers of Inhabitat may have noticed that I have a thing for folding furniture. Transformer furniture is just so much more space-saving and efficient than regular furniture. I really feel that all furniture should have some sort of multipurpose element to it. 
In designing this rotating room, Austrian architecture firm AllesWirdGut claim to have found inspiration in the gravity chamber of Kubrick’s 
fine art terrarium ? your salvation has arrived in the form of the 
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