Conneticut Science Center opened its LEED-certified doors earlier this June. 95% of the steel used in construction is manufactured from recycled cars and during operating hours, fuel cell provides approximately two-thirds of the needed power. Once the Science Center is closed for the day, the fuel cell will transfer energy back into the grid [...]
July 1, 2009
Chandeliers Made of Hypodermic Needles and Tables Made of Records
Jeff Klarin and Rebecca Johnson make up BUGHOUSE design. The duo creates limited edition furniture (amongst other artistic pursuits) that subvert the traditional expectations placed on functional objects. Upcycling and remixing elements from such diverse areas as pharmacology, DJ culture and the occult, BUGHOUSE makes extremely unique furnishings that give new life to common objects.
[...]
Musée Hergé Evokes Cartoonist’s Style
The recently completed Musée Hergé, designed by Christian de Portzamparc, is a an odd sight in the midst of the dense Belgian forest it inhabits. The structure’s emphatic angles and wide planes jut out across an elevated footbridge, and house both permanent and temporary collections exploring the life and oeuvre of Hergé, most famous for [...]
Shipping Container to Fold-Out Restaurant
We’ve witnessed some innovative re-uses of shipping containers in the past from retail pop-up shops to portable health clinics, but the Müvbox Restaurant located in Montreal’s Old Port is particularly stunning. The website explains the modular design:
Created from an old shipping container powered by solar energy, this concept is a modern-day reinvention of the
old-fashioned canteen [...]
Not Your Average Summer Camp
San Francisco based Studio For Urban Projects is putting on a very different kind of summer camp for kids over the next two months. “A Curious Summer” is a series of unique workshops for children between the ages of 7 and 14 that explore a different idea for a week at a time, allowing participants [...]
June 30, 2009
Bed Stuy Meadow: Transforming a Neighborhood With Flowers
21st Century Plowshare went on a mission this past April to transform the urban landscape of Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. The group set out to plant wildflower seeds on every single patch of abandoned soil within the neighborhood, creating a massive”urban meadow”. We’ll keep an eye out to watch the results of this interesting rewilding project.
[via [...]
America’s Declining Malls
US News and World Report examines some of the contributing factors that have lead to a general decline in many of America’s malls, once the stalwarts of suburban prosperity and convenience. One interesting note from the article is the underlying (and accepted) notion that malls have “natural lifespans,” owing to changes in consumer habits, architecture and [...]
Pepsi Opens LEED Certified Plant in China
PepsiCo has opened the first ‘green’ plant in the industrial center of Chongqing, China. Meeting the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), it is the first of six planned plants over the next two years. The plant uses over 35 water and energy saving designs and utilizes [...]
June 25, 2009
Pic: Pixelated Cardboard Cloud
Architectural studio Fantastic Norway has created this suspended installation for the Centre for Design and Architecture (DogA) in Oslo, Norway, as part of an exhibition showcasing young Norwegian designers. The hanging display forms a pixelated cloud comprised of 3000 cardboard boxes that plays with ideas of packaging, recycling and affordability, while simultaneously breaking up the open layout [...]
PekiPeki Climbing Center Equal Parts Bouldering and Beauty
Located in Shibuya, Tokyo, PekiPeki is an indoor bouldering center for adults and children. Separated into three floors, each bouldering wall presents visitors with a stark white wall and vibrant, colorful climbing grips, allowing climbers to concentrate more acutely on their route. The display is also gorgeous on its own—one can imagine each wall being [...]
Architects Create Pool Noodle Rooftop Party Space in NYC
INABA architects from LA have designed and installed Pool Noodle Rooftop for the not for profit art group X-initiative. The architects needed to find a light weight, easy to install material to create a large amount of seating for guests.
The furniture has been constructed from pool noodles – the long and cylindrical, foam water floatation [...]
June 23, 2009
Woobius Streamlines Architectural Design
No matter how far architecture has advanced thanks to innovative designs and modern materials, much of its creative process is still stuck back in the 20th century, until now. Online startup Woobius offers a set of easy to use information sharing tools that have been developed by an architect to enable fast, intuitive collaboration.
Woobius’ features include an [...]
‘Vertical Canal’ Building Facade
Dutch architectural firm Cepezed has installed a gorgeous, shifting facade on its offices in Utrecht. A three hundred square meter metal grid contains a giant array of small plastic discs, which move with the wind and reflect the hues of the sky to create a visual experience that evokes the luminescence of a flowing waterway.
[via [...]
June 22, 2009
Photographer Michael Schnell Beautifully Captures Museum Geometry
Both the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz museums in Germany are elegant examples of contemporary architecture. Lots of images of both have circulated around the internet. Plataforma Arquitectura features the photography of Michael Schnell who really captured the stunning geometry of each project. Michael’s photos succeed in being both architectural portraits and abstract studies of lines and [...]
June 19, 2009
VIDEO: 253 Bottles of Light on the Wall…
Bacardi is touring its LED bottle wall around Toronto festivals this summer. The mobile fixture is made up of 253 bottle sized holes arranged in an 11 x 23 grid with LED lights in the back which are computer controlled. The piece is participatory as well; the wall doesn’t come with the bottles in them. [...]






