Sustainable stationery.
eco-conscious letterpress houses are bringing a fresh approach to an antique practice: sustainable stationery. via new york times. [RK]
Putting plastic back in the ocean.
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
Fincube.
the fincube is contemporary, modular, high-tech, sustainable, low-energy, what else? transportable! house with contemporary wooden interior and exterior styling.
It can simply be dismantled and rebuilt on a new site. Requiring only two square meters of foundation, the impact is minimal after the Fincube is moved to another location.
Horizontal ledges provide privacy and assimilate the home into forests, meadows, and let’s also include mountainsides.
The original home was created 1200m above sea level near Bozen in Northern Italy. Made entirely of local wood, the building provides 47 m≤ of living space with a minimal CO2 footprint: local suppliers and local crafts using local long-lasting and recyclable materials manufactured with the precision and care of tyrolese handwork. A prototype of this nomadic housing concept is exhibited in Ritten, above Bozen.
The combination of long-lasting design and portability make for a flexible house or hideaway and a lifetime companion.
Per the designer:
Long-lasting Design: The design is minimal, material-orientated, and in close touch with nature – the wooden space with a 360-degree triple glazing is furnished with a second facade layer, producing shade and giving the building a unique overall mushroom-like mono-shape.
Hospitality Vision: Together with South Tyrolean hotelier Josef Innherhofer, the Fincube was also conceptualized as a vision for future hospitality: a temporary FINCUBE village with minimum soil sealing can be placed in the middle of the most beautiful landscapes without permanently altering them. In contrast to all permanent buildings it could be easily changed, extended, scaled down or removed and the area would soon be re-naturalized back to normal. These qualities turn the unit into an answer to future needs of flexible and smart tourism.
Technology & Space: Technology wise the FINCUBE is a smart house – all vital house-functions are controlled by a central touch panel. The supporting structure is made of local larch and the interior is a combination of larch & stone-pine. The 3m-high space is organized in a helical structure: the entrance area blends into a generous open kitchen with an adjacent sofa living space, around the corner one enters the bedroom and further down is the spacious bathroom.
[fincube]
Designer: Werner Aisslinger – Berlin .
Interior design: Tina Bunyaprasit, Studio Aisslinger .
Wood structure: Markus Lobis – Ritten, Italy
Interior finish: Matthias Prast – Ritten, Italy
Earth hour 2010 alert.
join one billion people in 1760 cities around the world. march 27, 2010, 8:30 pm local time.
We are inviting communities, business and governments to switch off their lights! Be part of this historic event. There are
5,635,485 people globally newly signed up for Earth Hour this year. The global cities. The US cities. AND NEW earth hour kids.
Architecture that repairs itself.
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.
AIGA REdesign awards.
Looking to recognize the best of the best in sustainable graphic design created by designers in the US. via designobserver [PR]
Chocolate-powered 145mph racing car.
World-first ecoF3: New racing car made of vegetables and fruit. Powered by chocolate hits speeds of 145 miles per hour when it is launched next month. via jalopnik [PR]
Ethical fashion. Conscious style.
The ethical fashion debate. Panelists Lucy Siegle, Katharine Hamnett, Mo Tomaney and Safia Minney go toe-to-toe. via v&a musuem [PR]
Renzo piano's latest skyscraper.
Construction of The Shard began this week and by the time of its completion, in early 2012, London will be the host of one of Europe’s tallest buildings and one of the most techno – logically advanced towers ever built.
The tower to stand at 1,017 feet (310 m) tall and have 72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the roof, making it the tallest building in the country. Renzo Piano, the building’s architect, worked together with architectural firm Broadway Malyan during the planning stage of the project.
The Shard tower was announced with the hope that it would be the tallest building in Europe on completion, surpassing Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Tower, which at 849 ft (259 m) had been the tallest building in Europe since 1997. The Commerzbank has since been surpassed in height by two Moscow skyscrapers, Triumph-Palace and Naberezhnaya Tower, both of which the Shard tower would, in turn, surpass. However, since 2000, construction has started on three skyscrapers in Moscow that will rise higher than the Shard tower, including the 2,009 ft (612 m) Russia Tower that is now on hold. Even though the Russia Tower is on hold the other two, the Federation Tower East and the Mercury City Tower are still scheduled to be completed before the shard. Still, if completed on schedule, the Shard London Bridge may become the tallest building in the European Union.
Like the Empire State Building in NYC, Sears Tower in Chicago, Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, The Shard at London Bridge will become a recognizable symbol of London throughout the world.
Architecturally breathtaking, the concept behind The Shard was designed within seconds in a Berlin restaurant by the renowned architect Renzo Piano, a few years ago. “The tower is designed to be a sharp and light presence on the London skyline, and to be sustainable from every point of view: human, technological, energetic and economic.” Says Piano and he really means it.
The Shard has many sustainable credentials and is expected to use around 30% less energy than other comparable buildings and will also be a virtually car-free building. Can you imagine that? A 320 meter building with parking space for only 47 cars! Modern offices and efficient, flexible spaces suitable for a range of different working environments. A hotel, to be operated by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts as their first European location, would be expected to take up around a fifth of the available space in the tower. A large pre-let for office space in the tower has been agreed in principle by Transport for London. World recession? We’ve read that 40% of the building has been leased.
[LINK]
Mini homes.
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