Minimalist wood block + high-tech LEDs = one fabulous combination. We love the simplicity of this Japanese clock design: when the clock is turned off it resembles little more than a wood block. When turned on, the LED numbers shine through the wood, transforming the simple block into a seventies-style alarm clock (oversized numbers and all).
Designed by Takumi in Japan, this limited edition handmade clock can be found at Compact-Impact.
One good way to move toward sustainable living is to own less stuff. That’s why we’re excited about Mebel Furniture’s clever multi-purpose Lublin Pivot Table. This two-piece table swivels on an axis to offer multiple configurations. It’s a combined coffee table and low work surface, complete with a hidden drawer and cubbyhole to stash your things.
Earlier today we gave you the low-down on Co-Lab Studio, the “integrated sustainable design” crew out of Detroit. In addition to their community-focused environmental design and garden projects, Co-Lab has an outstanding line of prototype products that employ concepts and materials which hold true to their vision of a more sustainable world.
Post-Consumer Prototypes is an emerging inner-city enterprise to make useful and beautiful products from salvaged, re-used, re-cycled or renewable materials - Co-Lab is currently seeking a producer to move some of their prototypes into production, with the goal of offering employment to local “at risk” and underemployed urban residents once the start-up gets going.
The Sun-Light (above left) is woven from a single electrical cord, wrapped around super-efficient LED bulbs. The power for the bulb comes from a flexible solar panel (not pictured), making the ambient unit fully self-sufficient. It looks a bit like a Tord Boontje Midsummer lamp, but this version is so much cooler, when one considers that this both recycles an old electrical cord, and uses solar energy. It’s not merely decorative - but socially and environmentally friendly to boot.
Since the auto market headed off overseas, some parts of the Motor City could use a little tune-up. Fortunately, there are innovators like Co-Lab Studio, whose urban renewal projects promise to reinvigorate delapidated areas of Detroit. Co-Lab practices “integrated sustainable design,” which includes everything from building to product design to landscaping.
One of Co-Lab’s defining agendas involves increasing community access to clean, green space and fresh, local produce. Their prototype produce stand (below) was designed for the Detroit Urban 4H program. Built with salvaged materials and utilizing renewable energy, the neighborhood retail location will sell locally grown organic products, and can be adapted to fit various sites.
Last winter, Sweden was blasted by the first storm in recorded history to ever deliver hurricane force winds, devastating the country’s valuable fir and pine forests. It’s been estimated that 75 million cubic meters of forest were destroyed, or about 150 million trees. Logging crews came from all over the world, comprising the largest logging operation ever. By working all day for nine months, the crews were able to salvage 75% of the felled trees. This massive collection of wood is now stored at a former air strip and has become quite a tourist attraction: stacked in rows over forty feet tall and several hundred feet long, the rows each amount to approximately 1,000,000 cubic meters of timber.
Millions of cubic feet of harvested timber have been donated to countries in Southeast Asia who were hit by the tsunami; an estimated 98% of the raw construction lumber used for rebuilding efforts in Thailand and Indonesia has come from Swedish timber!
Scott Bennett from housefish.com writes:
I’ve had a sample of this stuff sitting around on my desk for a few years now, just waiting for the chance to use it. That chance still hasn’t come for me, but maybe you can think of something. Alusion is the trade name for Cymat’s “stabilized aluminum foam” product. The best way to describe it is as a sort of aluminum sponge. Using a patented process, the manufacturers take a molten aluminum metal matrix composite (made from recycled aluminum) and aerate it, then cool it to preserve the bubbly cellular structure. Being mostly air, the finished product weighs almost nothing. It looks like metallic volcanic rock.
The National Park Service kicked off the New Year by breaking ground on their Twin Creeks Science and Education Center. The First-of-its-kind facility will support all of the Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI); an initiative to document all of the life forms within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, enabling scientists to make educated decisions about protecting and preserving the park’s precious ecosystem. The 15,000 square-foot facility will not only house research laboratories, but will also play host to a curatorial space for specimens collection, and a teaching space for students. As part of the National Park Service’s project mission, they have adopted the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED rating system, and is targeting LEED Certification upon its completion this fall.
Michelle Kaufmann Designs has released another great prefab home, the Side Breeze. Fundamentally similar to the Sunset Breezehouse, the Side Breeze is slightly larger at 2,500 square feet and was developed to respond to different types of sites, such as sloped or narrow lots.
We love the concepts that Kaufmann uses for these “package” homes: flexible plans, incorporation of landscape through courtyards and interior spaces, and of course, offsite construction. True to their commitment to design outdoor spaces as well as indoor spaces, the Side Breeze design incorporates a garage or studio space volume which defines the courtyard while providing a potential roof deck.
Now here’s an example of using the might of a corporate behemoth for good. The Ben Franklin Coffeehouse Challenge calls on community members to get together and brainstorm ideas for neighborhood improvements. At Starbucks.
Anyone can volunteer to organize the initial discussion. Those who feel inspired and committed will continue to have regular forums - coffeehouse style - to develop their proposals. With support from Starbucks and the Benjamin Franklin Tercentary, the brightest ideas will be granted funds to realize their vision.
The genius behind this endeavor can be traced back to Nicola Twilley, a member of the intrepid BLDGBLOG team. If you’ve been tossing around an idea for infusing some new juice into your community, now’s your chance to make it happen.
We can’t say enough about the benefits of a compact living space. It’s an instant clutter eliminator, a life-size jigsaw puzzle, and a laboratory for experiments in feng shui. But the best thing about compact living? The multi-functional furniture.
The radically imaginative Vestal Design has created one for the books. Their DoubleSpace Kitchenette goes from armchair to stovetop in a matter of moments.
By now you may have heard of Kirei, the eco-friendly fiber board that comes from the discarded remains of sorghum stalks after harvesting. Generally used as a finishing material, Kirei functions in much the same way as wood, but it looks absolutely unlike any of its counterparts. Bonded with formaldehyde-free adhesive compounds, the raw-looking material actually has a smooth, even surface.
iannone:sanderson has become the token early adopter of Kirei, having incorporated it masterfully into their Mod Coffee Table, which made its first appearance last May at ICFF. Set against pure white acrylic, the kirei’s dramatic texture and organic irregularity strike a sharp contrast. This is just the kind of design that will give sustainable materials street cred: smashing good looks and eco-friendly ingredients - it’s like having your cake and eating it, too.
If this isn’t the cleverest idea for a room divider, I don’t know what is. Instead of a boring old shoji screen in your house, you can have Globalhaus’s Stick Screen and be instantly transported to a distant savannah every time you pass through the dry “grass” of this wild room divider. The sculptural Stick Screen is mobile and modular, and comes in either wood or acrylic sticks. Of course, we much prefer the wooden sticks for their organic texture and ability to evoke the outback. Otherwise, what’s the point?
This is one of those ideas that seems so obvious, yet so cool - it makes me wonder, “Why didn’t I think of this?” Amazingly, these can only be found on one retail site and they are in the CLEARANCE bin. What is wrong with the world?
$905 AUD from CorporateCulture
(thats $680 USD for the yanks)
Who would ever guess that a flat bicycle tire could lead to design innovation? After getting a flat tire on the way to his recycling job, designer Graham Bergh took the deflated inner tube and used it to hang speakers on his living room wall. From there, the design juices started flowing, and in 1991, Graham founded Resource Revival, a design collective dedicated to creating distinctive pieces out of used parts. Resource revival effectively recycles thousands of pounds of discarded parts a year - all while producing fabulous designs.
If you’re one of the growing number of consumers concerned about the effects of VOC’s on indoor air quality, you may already know that carpet is a prime suspect. The synthetic fibers and adhesives used in carpeting have been known to out-gas harmful fumes for weeks after installation (remember that “new carpet” smell?). And what’s worse, two of the most common carpet fibers — nylon and polypropylene– are both petroleum-derived and only enhance our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. Thankfully, stylish rug-maker, Merida Meridian, will have none of that. Natural fiber carpets are the healthiest and most eco-friendly way to keep your floors feet-friendly and Merida is a leader in both design and technical innovation.
The ubiquitous USB flash drive has never been particularly prized for sexy design. Sure, there are plenty of novelty flash drives - (devil rubber duckies anyone?) - and corporate-branded schwag, but we’ve never seen a flash drive that would complement your stylish minimalist office decor. Until now.
Despite looking like something straight out of Star Wars - Icosa Village’s collection of “Pod” prefab shelters are actually very down-to-earth. The pods are practical, affordable, and easy-to-build, with the pieces snapping together like Erector Sets. Starting around $2000, the Bucky-inspired dymaxion shelters are super cheap, and are designed to be used for a variety of recreational, promotional, and humanitarian uses.
Reveal Designs has brought to market a new line of furnishings and hardware designed by Washington architect James Cutler (of Cutler Anderson Architects.) These elegantly designed chairs, tables, and door levers flow seamlessly from the environmentally sensitive approach and meticulously detailed structures his firm has become known for.
The University of British Columbia in Vancouver is developing what has been hailed as the most environmentally innovative and high performance building in North America. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability will occupy three floors, and provide 120,000 square feet of “living laboratory” where not only sustainable research will be conducted, but the building’s effectiveness as a sustainable working environment will be actively analyzed.
They say that good things come in small packages, and where the new MINI home is concerned, we concur. The compact 480-sq-ft design from Clever Homes makes minimalist living efficient and elegant. With an open floor plan, abundant natural light, and interior details supplied through partnerships with a number of well-regarded manufacturers, this little pad packs a lot of perks.
You may have seen this blogging around recently, since the indomitable Rebar collective staged a brilliant urban intervention in San Francisco last month by rolling out some sod and building a mini park in a metered parking space. My friend Gregory Kellett, who assisted in the production of Rebar’s video documentary, sent along a link to their trailer, which is now available for viewing at the Rebar website and shouldn’t be missed.
With many thanks to Matt Passmore and his Rebar brothers, we share with you some simple instructions on building your very own temporary urban park in a parking space. Just be sure you pay the meter. There’s no such thing as free rent…
Avid readers of ReadyMade magazine may recognize the work of Edgar Blazona. The San Francisco based designer created a do-it-yourself modernist outbuilding featured in issue #10 a while back (see below). Utilizing entirely off-the-shelf materials available at your local Home Depot (for about $1,500), this “prefab” project was a sensation. The 10 x10 foot structure is code-safe and zoning-friendly and the plans can be had for $35 from the ReadyMade online store.
But for those with a little more cash and less sweat equity Blazona also has a growing line of custom-built Modular Dwellings. These movable secondary structures offer a minimalist’s stylings, with clean lines and open expanses of glass — perfect for an extra bedroom or home office. Just over a year ago he introduced his first fully-equipped modular prefab residence - the MD280. Arriving to the building site on just one truck, three units bolt together to create a 280 square foot one-bedroom structure with a full bath and kitchen. He generated a lot of buzz by auctioning the prototype MD 280 on eBay. Its not clear who the lucky bidder was but, hey, if you’re reading this, we’d love a testimonial!
The Japanese are taking the world of botanical gadgets by storm. Just today I spotted this awesome tiny pet-plant on Japanese gadget site Compact-Impact. Its a mini cactus, in a little plastic vial, designed to be attached to your keychain or your cellphone. Now you can carry foliage around with you wherever you go!
Here’s a cute and clever way to say “I love you” - and just in time for valentines day. If you purchase a Word Sprout and give it to someone you love, when they first open the can they will only see soil. However, after a few days of watering, a little seed will sprout bearing the words “I love you”.
You can even personalize the message if you’ve got the cash and want to place an order for 5000 or more.
Although coffee tables are often the centerpiece of warm, comfy living rooms, they tend to be hard and angular - and anything but cozy. That’s why we were so taken with Loyal Loot’s fetching Hung Table, which looks sort of like a crocheted sweater for your coffee table - with the added bonus of pockets to store your knick-knacks. According to designer Doha Chebib, the design addresses subtraction and dematerialization, utilizing crochet for structure as well as for the association with ideals of comfort and tradition.
Possibly even cuter even than little dogs in a little sweaters, crocheted furniture is my new favorite thing. More crochet furniture please!
“Canadian design” may not have the same cache of “Danish design” or “Dutch design”, but an up-and-coming design collective by the name of Loyal Loot seems determined to change all that. The women of Loyal Loot are looking to put Canadian design on the map with lines of furniture and home decor that pay playful homage to the Canadian frontier.
Rustic Log-Bowls, trophy-shaped mirrors, and plush “bear-skin” rugs gleefully reference the hunting-lodge aesthetic of the group’s Canadian heritage, while also expressing nostalgia for the romanticism of the Canadian wilderness.
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