This Ain't Ya Grandma's Clothes Pin..

This giant wooden clip is currently being showcased in Belgium, in the Chaudfontaine park, as part of a contemporary art exhibition. Designed by Mehmet Ali Uysal.

Yes, I'm Still Vibin' the Stackable Housing..

This is a stackable house designed by Colboc Franzen and Associates in 2008. It is located in Sevres, France and is 879 sq. meters. 

The house consists of three separate sets: the amenities (lobby, office, laundry room, basement, garage), parts of collective life (living room, dining room, kitchen, which shall secure the room with parents want to close), and finally children’s bedrooms, arranged around a multipurpose space. The methods and time of occupation are distinct, the different expectations: for the first feature, group life and reception for the second, privacy for the third.

Chickens Living in Style..

Here is a chicken coop designed by architect Mitchell Snyder for a Portland couple. The couple wanted the chickens to be an extension of their garden and is constructed with reclaimed cedar. It also has a "living roof" planted with sedum.  This isn't the most unique or "sustainable" coop I've ever seen, but I felt like it was a really appropriate coop for the average person. There are still people who are going to view keeping chickens as "dirty", but with a coop like this it provides a certain sophistication to the concept that I think many people would be more apt to accept.

Solar Pavers? Yes Please!

Onyx Solar recently teamed up with Butech to launch a new line of photovoltaic paving stones made from ceramic and glass. The streamlined solar stones are manufactured using a process that produces less CO2 and uses less energy than traditional pavement, making this energy-generating material even better for reducing the environmental impact of building projects. Onyx and Butech hope to release the tiles to market by the end of this year, making them the first PV pavement system available for purchase.

'Coffee Bench' - by Serwantka

This bench if dynamic and fantastic...each panel has the opportunity to be maneuvered into a variety of configurations.

Which Way to the Gym?

It seems like I'm always looking for unique and interesting community "accessories" such as benches, lighting fixtures, signage, planters, etc. Check out this pretty cool signage system used in Australia. Here is a little more about it:

"A great wayfinding project from Australian-based multi-disciplinary design practice Büro North has recently been awarded an AGDA Distinction Award for their signage system at Falls Creek Ski Village in Australia.
This distinctive tree-like system has been designed to help visitors navigate the complex ski resort providing information in a wide variety of directions to suit the village layout and changing seasonal functions. Each modular component has been cast to withstand the freeze/thaw temperatures of the environment at Falls Creek and can be connected in such a way as to adapt to the changing snowfall and the restructuring of the resort."

Gandalf the Grey..aka Ian McKellen knows best.

I know this is a non-design related post, but I felt it was important. Often, we all become so busy and consumed in our work that we miss some very important (and unfortunately sad) things that are happening around us. If you have not had time to follow the news there has been a HUGE push to campaign against the bullying of youth, particularly of gay youth. There have been SEVERAL suicides of teen boys/young men during October which have been attributed to bullying...I encourage all of you to check out this website It Gets Better Project.

Sushi Anyone?

These cupcakes put the ghost cupcakes I made for you guys to SHAME....Sister needs to step her game up.

A FANTASTIC RESOURCE

Hey guys...visit this website and Bookmark it stat.  It's a website completely dedicated to architecture and it's organized fantastically...it basically allows the user to browse architecture by building type, time period, architecture style, place, construction type, architect, etc. It allows you to see examples of work and provides fairly detailed information about it.

BOOKMARK ME!!

Pimp My Ride..

How appropriate it this?! - Now, more than ever before people are living in urban areas. Many of the most populated places on earth are in Asia...many of those people rely on bicycles and scooters for daily transportation. I can absolutely see this design being appropriate to many of these cultures. Pretty terrific. Here is a little more about it:

"'bufalino' by German industrial designer cornelius comanns is a small camper
which is equipped to meet the basic needs of one person. the concept behind the project
is to offer absolute flexibility during periods of travel. the minimalist construction is based
on the existing piaggio APE 50 three wheeled light transport vehicle; a model chosen for its
economic and fuel efficient benefits. however, the more complex structural components
such as the frame, the chassis, and engine are derived from the original piaggio model."

Floating Icebergs - The New Housing Movement?

I stumbled upon (literally...Rob and Shelby you understand) this interesting housing concept...here is a little more info on the concept:
"observing the structure of icebergs, Austrian architect daniel anderson has
created a floating summer cottage design for ålands hotell. the minimalist exterior
is an attempt to remain unintrusive to the wild surroundings. the 60m2 structure is
partially submerged in the water with its roof top offering surfaces in which to lie and
take in the scenery. large windows seek to give a spacious feeling to the interior rooms
and views of the surrounding panorama. the project is currently in the concept phase."

What I really take away from this project is the concept and it's development...The architect literally spent time in the field and observed icebergs...and while this design does give reference to the iceberg form, I feel as though it is an appropriate and successful adaptation/abstraction.

Missing a True Fall...

As many of you know I recently spent a weekend visiting friends during my alma mater's homecoming weekend in Blacksburg, Virginia. Although it was a fantastic time catching up with old friends and reliving the "glory days" there seems to be one image that won't leave my head. FALL - Blacksburg is right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I can honestly say I was completely surrounded by Fall...the colors..smell..and crunch of leaves under your feet. So, as I continue to miss the east coast and indulge myself with a minute of nostalgia I figured I'd post a few Fall images to help us all get into the spirit. Enjoy.

12 Hours before Due Date...

This post is simply for my own entertainment and is most likely a consequence of dellerium. It's officially 12 hours until the due date of the design project...and this is whats going on in my house. 
- Cedar is passed out on the couch both angry that I've ignored her for the last 3 weeks and that I'm currently keeping her from her beauty sleep at this god forsaken hour.
- Carey is upstairs in the loft trying to sleep although all of the lights are on in the house and is watching "The Hangover" to, from what I'm gathering, add a little humor in his life since his fiance has been a bitchy McStressed face.
- Enlarged model is waiting to be glued down.
- Detail model is in the oven - don't worry I have the timer on.
- Perspectives and sections are waiting anxiously to see if I render them...doubtful.
- 1:1 has it's feelings hurt because I just don't have enough time to do it.

See ya in 12 hours finish line...sorta..

Mother Nature at Work

Check out this website...CLICK HERE - IT'S AMAZING!!...it's a fascinating sequence of photos of an island forming in the South Pacific. Amazingly enough, someone was out to witness and document this phenomenon. I found that this fully showcases that mother nature rules all. Often we place her second to our modern lives, but ultimately she is in control.

Swiss Family Robinson circa 2010

This is a Minister's tree house in Crossville, Tennessee. AWESOME.

Frank Gehry - You Rock.

I know I've included a lot of posts on housing and architecture, but it's really something I've become incredibly interested in throughout this design process.  Taz actually gave me a few architects to check out earlier in the semester and Frank Gehry was one in particular that jumped out at me. Here are some images of Gehry's "Beekman Tower"which is currently being built in NYC (set to be done later this year). I am drawn to the interesting angles and rippled effect of this building. I feel as though an atmospheric energy pulse bombarded this building...

A few specs: 76 story, mainly residential, elementary school on site, hospital space, and underground parking. Materials include enforced concrete and wrinkled stainless steel.

What Can You Do With 100 Square Feet or Less?

Check out this video (2 minutes)...this guy literally gives a tour of his 100 square foot house and it's crazy! Apparently he's lived in several houses very similar to this one for around 10 years..and it's pretty inspiring.

Patterns Patterns Everywhere...

Maybe I'm feeling a sense of inspiration from my Urban Social Geography class...but I couldn't help but feel pulled by this image. Talk about the cultural landscape and patterns! - These are terraced rice paddies in Indonesia and I think they begin to tell a pretty interesting story. What do you see?

Polyhedron Pad?

Throughout this design project I've continuously looked to a variety of compact/sustainable/and just overall unique housing options. I can't say that I've completely bought into all of them...but they have surely inspired the housing options I've designed for the site. This example in particular is pretty spectacular. The form and geometry of the building connect almost perfectly with the concept behind my design..check it out

Paper or Plastic?

Canadian High School Student Isolates Microbe that Lunches on Plastic Bags

"We’ve all heard the plastic bag horror stories—the billions of bags discarded every year that wind up polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been wracking their brains for years to figure out a solution. But leave it to a Canadian high school student to leave them all in the dust. Daniel Burd, an 11th grader at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as little as three months—a finding that won him first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, a $20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.

Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms. If those microorganisms, as well as the optimal conditions for their growth, could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.

With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted a solution of household chemicals, yeast and tap water to encourage microbe growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for three months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control.

Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17 percent lighter than the control after six weeks. Once Burd examined the most effective strains of bacteria, he was able to isolate two types—Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas—as the plastic munchers. At 37 degrees and optimal bacterial concentration, the microbes had consumed 43 percent of a plastic sample within six weeks.

Next up, maybe it’s time to put him to work on this whole carbon emissions thing"

You don't have to be a Hobbit to live in a low impact home.

This house is straight up bad-ass. It's a low impact woodland home that a son/father-in-law duo built.
These are outlined as the key construction and design strategies:

• Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
• Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
• Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
• Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
• Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
• Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
• Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
• Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
• Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring...)
• Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
• Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
• Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
• Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
• Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
• Water by gravity from nearby spring
• Compost toilet
• Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

Check out the link if you want to learn more.
http://www.simondale.net/house/plans.htm

Breathing Earth

Check out this website it's pretty interesting. It's a real time simulation that showcases CO2 emissions, birth, and death rates of the entire world. http://www.breathingearth.net/

You can sit on my handlebars...

I really want the community I am designing to feel unique, funky, and custom. One of the ways I think this can really be accomplished is through the details found throughout the space...from paving patterns to furniture. I love these chairs by "Bike Furniture Design" because they are contemporary and RECYCLED. These are made from recycled steel and aluminum bicycle rims, handlebars, and frames. Enjoy.