Blue Forest touts itself as a builder of “eco-classrooms and “sustainable luxury,” two words that are often mutually exclusive. I have to raise an eyebrow at any company that labels its products with names like ecoPerch without providing any information on what makes them so “eco” in the first place. The ecoPerch is a “four-bed retreat that offers guests an exclusive, sustainable self-catering experience…It’s natural, organized geometry maximizes the relationship between the inside space and the outdoor setting, ensuring the structure sits harmoniously within the landscape.”
That sounds like a lot of empty ad speak to me, and I was ready to write them off completely until I stumbled across an article about their “eco-classrooms” that actually makes their green-washed website seem more legitimate. The classrooms are constructed primarily from FSC- or PEFC-certified softwood timber and incorporate a sedum roof.
“The building operates without any main power or utility supply. It is serviced entirely by solar energy and even incorporates a methanol fuel cell as a backup should there be a prolonged period without sun. A rainwater-harvesting system collects water from the sedum roof for both the kitchen and composting toilets. The structure is believed to be the first building in the UK which processes harvested rainwater from a sedum roof into hot and cold drinking water using only solar power.”
No word on whether the same is true for their line of luxury tree houses, but why on earth don’t they include that on their site instead of a bunch sustainable mumbo-jumbo? Let’s chalk it up to the fact that this is a new company and whoever is handling their brand strategy clearly doesn’t realize that in addition to the luxury crowd, there’s a large market of folks who get seriously turned on by recycled rainwater and low impact construction.
about perrin drumm
eco-conscious letterpress houses are bringing a fresh approach to an antique practice: sustainable stationery. via new york times. [RK]
it’s ironic that the world’s first floating dining room is built on a bed of plastic bottles.
The surprisingly spacious dining area sits on a reclaimed pinewood frame that houses 1700 plastic bottles and can accommodate 12 guests for a 6-course sustainable seafood meal. It’s ironic by intention, of course. Designer Shannon Ronalds is trying to make a point.
Ronalds, founder of The School of Fish Foundation, is using the floating restaurant to educate chefs on the seafood industry and the impact that discarded plastic has on the ocean environment. All proceeds from the meal go to supporting the School of Fish’s education initiatives, like Shannon’s mission to make comprehensive sustainable seafood courses a requirement for graduation and providing schools with scientific data from marine conservation organizations. These initiatives are especially relevant now that the ocean has far more than just plastic bottles to contend with thanks to the Gulf oil spill, and chefs will have to make increasingly informed decisions when it comes to planning a seafood-based menu.
designer: shannon ronalds
about perrin drumm
venice, italy is sinking. to save it, rachel armstrong says we need to outgrow architecture made of inert materials and, well, make architecture that grows itself.
she proposes a not-quite-alive material that does its own repairs and sequesters carbon.
via ted – ideas worth spreading
The ethical fashion debate. Panelists Lucy Siegle, Katharine Hamnett, Mo Tomaney and Safia Minney go toe-to-toe. via v&a musuem [PR]
Toronto-based Sustain Design Studio, creator of the much-touted MiniHome, is giving a series of workshops in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Sustain has been developing dedicated ecological trailer parks for communities of MiniHome residents as well.
Sustain’s Trevor McIvor and Andy Thomson will be coming to both events to discuss prefab architecture and the future of sustainable community design. They’ll also answer questions on their line of products. Sustain is offering a 25% discount to the first California customer to purchase a 12×34 model, which will be on show at Dwell on Design.
San Francisco Session and Venue Information:
Date: Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, 6:30pm to 9pm
Location: Anshen+Allen Architects. 901 Market St.
*Participating architects will be eligible for AIA continuing education credits. The San Francisco event will take place on Tuesday, April 7, from 6:30-9pm California workshops
Los Angeles Session and Venue Information:
Date: Wednesday, April 8th, 2009. 6.30pm to 9pm
Location: SPF: a Gallery, 8609 Washington Blvd
Producer: sustain design studio
Greener gadgets. 2009. February 27, 2009. New York City USA.
Innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and eco-designers will return to New York City to discuss the future of sustainability for the consumer electronics industry.
From the creator of Helvetica the Movie, Gary Hustwit, comes a new documentary.
Above: sidewalk + snow + stereo in nyc = a production still
Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our relationship to manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about industrial designers, the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.
World premiere: South by Southwest Festival 2009 ( March Visit 13 – 22 )
Designers featured include: Featuring:
Paola Antonelli (Museum of Modern Art, New York)
Chris Bangle (BMW Group, Munich)
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (Paris)
Andrew Blauvelt (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis)
Tim Brown (IDEO)
Anthony Dunne (London)
Dan Formosa (Smart Design)
Naoto Fukasawa (Tokyo)
Jonathan Ive (Apple, California)
Hella Jongerius (Rotterdam)
David Kelley (IDEO)
Bill Moggridge (IDEO)
Marc Newson (London/Paris)
Fiona Raby (London)
Dieter Rams (Kronberg, Germany)
Karim Rashid (New York)
Alice Rawsthorn (International Herald Tribune)
Davin Stowell (Smart Design)
Jane Fulton Suri (IDEO)
Rob Walker (New York Times Magazine)
and more participants TBA
Visit objectifiedfilm.com for more info and screening dates. Thanks Jilly.
