After Matisse Rug by Sonya Winner

Description from Sonya Winner herself:
This irregular shaped rug has a sculptural quality with pile height variations and hand carving. The design is created from a playful collage of 26 hand dyed wools, replicating the effect of colour mixing. This piece works beautifully in both modern and traditional interiors adding colour, vibrancy and interest. Hand tufted in pure New Zealand Wool.

 

The reOrder Exhibit by Situ Studio- Brooklyn Museum, New York

The Brooklyn Museum is a lasting landmark in the New York area that brings more than 450,000 visitors annually to see its acclaimed artistic temporary exhibitions and permanent collections. The Great Hall of the museum, located on the first floor, is a 10,000 square foot room filled with 16 giant columns.  The hall which is positioned between the café, museum book store and other creative exhibits, acts as a common area for museum visitors and personnel. It is also currently hosting an exhibit called, “reOrder,” until January 15 of 2012.

“reOrder” is a site-specific installation created by Situ Studio, an architectural design studio founded in 2005 in Brooklyn, New York. The installation alters the current classical architecture to help visitors understand the impressive scale of the main entrance, as well as explore the architectural ornamentation that allows the Grand Hall to not only be artfully decorated, but also functional.
In order to create the entire installment, LG Hausys donated its solid surfacing material for the project. Slabs of acrylic HI-MACS® Solid Surfaces were used to construct the Great Hall’s furniture.  Wrapped benches and tables were positioned at the bottom of the columns, which currently are covered in elaborate fabric designs (pictured above).
“LG Hausys’ solid surfacing was used to construct furniture around the base of the 16 large classical columns in the Great Hall,” said Wes Rozen, one of Situ Studio’s five founding partners.
“A specialized computer was used to precisely cut pieces of HI-MACS®, which were then thermoformed into a range of curved shapes and brought together in wedges to encircle the base of the columns.  The finished furniture elements appear as extensions to the existing Doric architectural order, or as entirely new type of architectural ornamentation which is also functional.”
Because HI-MACS® Solid Surfaces can be precisely thermoformed, or designed in virtually any size or three-dimensional shape, Situ Studio approached LG Hausys in order to use their materials. LG Hausys donated the material, and a sub-contractor finalized the thermoforming and seating installation. The designers from Situ Studio chose the White Quartz color variation from LG Hausys’ HI-MACS® Solid Surfaces Classic collection.

 
 
 

Sea spire sculptures

Sea Spires, by celebrated artist Cliff Garten, has been installed across from the Long Beach Harbor at the corner of East 2nd Street and East Marina Drive. Commissioned by Long Beach Transit, in collaboration with the Arts Council for Long Beach, the iconic transit marker encourages pedestrians, drivers, and transit riders alike to reflect upon the power of art to enhance urban communities.

With an elegant profile measuring sixteen feet tall, Sea Spires is totemic and guardian-like, yet composed of distinctive curves intentionally reminiscent of sea life. The sculpture inspires a sense of movement along the East 2nd Street corridor and activates the transit stop’s existing bus shelter. The sculpture’s stainless steel surfaces play with reflection and refraction of natural light during the day; while from a distance and at night, the elements glow in harmonious uniformity.

According to Leslie Markle, Director of Public Art and Design for Arts Council for Long Beach, “The relationship between art and transit, redevelopment and cultural planning is an important one in Long Beach. Sea Spires appealed to that need and direction for the City.” Sea Spires provides a distinctive entrance marker along the city’s eastern edge while simultaneously providing art in the streets as a means of encouraging local transit ridership.

Hi-Tec C Pen

We love Hi-Tec-C pens. If you've ever written with one, you know what we're talking about. If you haven't heard of these pens, check out jetpen's blurb.http://bit.ly/hitecc

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/205734763/pen-type-a-a-minimal-pen

Conrad Maldives,Rangali Island

Watg Architects




“Sleeping underwater amongst marine life is something many of us could only daydream about. For some lucky travellers, this dream has now turned into a reality.

A little over five years ago, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island opened the very first undersea restaurant. To celebrate their anniversary, the restaurant offered guests the chance to not only eat under the sea, but sleep under it as well. The 12-seat restaurant, which sits 16 feet below sea level of the Indian Ocean, was converted into a private bedroom suite for two, complete with a private champagne dinner and breakfast in bed. The view of the vibrant coral reef that surrounds the encased clear glass is utterly breathtaking.”








Above ground

Flavaboom by Dune

Flavaboom frozen yoghurt shop designed by Dune (manhattan, New York)

Non Lin/ lin pavilion by Marc Fones

Some interesting details....

/Lin Pavilion – is a prototype which engages in a series of architectural experiments referred to as text based morphologies. Beyond its visual perception of sculptural and formal qualities, the prototypes are built forms developed through custom computational protocols. The parameters of these protocols are based on form finding (surface relaxation), form description (composition of developable linear elements), information modeling (re-assembly data), generational hierarchy (distributed networks), and digital fabrication (logistic of production).

Prototypical Scale

The Pavilion project refers to its own scale. It is not considered a model of a larger structure or a building, neither is it an art installation. It is not made out of cardboard, or connected through paper clips. Its structural integrity does not rely on any camouflaged cables and it can resist water. It is light yet very strong. One could sit on it, even hang or climb it. It is scalable to a degree. It is not produced through academic facilities. It is a prototypical architecture.

Non-linear Structure

The cohesive morphology of the pavilion originates from a “Y” model referred to as the basic representation and lowest level of multi-directionality. Such a premise was established in order to challenge issues of morphology since tri-partite relational models can not be formalized and described through a single bi-directional surface (ie: Nurbs surfaces) – which is yet still one of the main medium of representation within the avant-garde architectural repertoire.

In order to resolve such an issue, it is required to address morphological models of change and introduce split or recombination – or in other words, how can one become two and two become one. The paradigm shift from linear spaces (tube or donuts alike) is important, not necessarily on a formal level, but rather in order to engage a multiplicity of social situations – pushing further than “bi” or dual alike.

Dramatic Change of Morphology: From Network to Surface Condition.

This prototypical structure is an investigation into transformations from one state to the other. Members within the structural network are opening up and recombining themselves into larger apertures while their reverse side is creating a surface condition providing that as density increase eventually provides to the person evolving within a sensation of enclosure.

Local protocols of transformation are corrupted with overall hierarchies – such as varying radii for the members based on their position within the structural network. This orientation to the system results into a spatial environment with intrinsic and extrinsic moments.

From Descriptive Geometry to Parallel Search as a Model of Description

Custom computational protocols are describing the structure of the pavilion as a set of linear developable elements. Those singular elements can then be unrolled and cut out of flat sheets of material.

Though due to the non-linear property of the model, this discretization process cannot be applied globally onto the morphology, but rather requires a search process. A global application strategy would fail due to its nature of reoccurring shift of defects within the distributed network (nodes with differentiated numbers of branches, changing types of double curvature, varying radii, etc). A local application strategy would distribute agents with local ‘search behavior’ tracing along the surface. These agents would provide immediate solutions based on local decision making, while in parallel, constantly communicating with their proximity based agents. This set of information can then be translated and materialized into a series of paths or stripes.

From Mass-Customization to Massive Customization and High Degree of Morphological Differentiation

The Pavilion is redirecting from a current avant-garde strategy of applications populating discreet components onto an overall surface or host. This strategy also includes introducing iteratively varying and blending proportions (with linear or non-linear acceleration) across a range of surface domain.

A precise description of such a prototypical structure requires massive number of elements, not only all unique but also morphologically extremely different. In order to describe and formalized all the different cases present (connection stripes to stripes, part to part, end rings, open edges, etc) -all requiring different properties (branches, holes, connection, grounded, etc)- one needs many types of agent behaviors, which generate forms of radically different morphologies.

From a Holistic Computational Code to Series of Protocols

This kind of prototype deviates from a strategy of singular protocols or codes. The emphasis is now focused on multiple ontologisms, which form a sum of many different steps, procedures, and codes, where each component focuses on its own specific fitness. Such dichotomy of individual per formative processes allows a parallel development of multiple codes. A serious advantage of this process is highlighted within any decision making, allowing additional testing, trails, errors and a series of variations. This overall strategy allows controllability on a specific local level, while identifying nodes of complexity within the structure. This comprehensive understanding supports a precise level of repercussion of any relationship or variable within each code.

From a Fiction of Precision back to a Fantasy of its Re-appropriation

The project is conceived as a resultant product of a very explicit research line, investigating the design and build component of a coherent environment. It is considered to be self-supporting and to affect its participants, while engaging basic notions of limitation, filtration, and spatial depth. The structure is forming a eccentric universe where familiar elements such as openings or dimensional measurements turn out of model or scale. This visual phenomenon is allowing spectators to suspend disbelief while assigning cultural references or analogies from nature (corals, flowers) – yet nonLin/Lin Pavilion is only a very precise experiment toward constructability within a precise economical and cultural context.

Overall Dimension:
10.1 m length, 7.15m width, 3.9m height ( 33?4”L * 23?6”W *12’10”H)

Components:
- 269,991 square inches (1875 square feet) Surface Area
- 155 780 holes (CNC drilled)
- 9 325 texts (CNC engraved)
- 6 367 stripes (CNC cut)
- 570 single components (CNC cut)
- 75 000 white aluminum rivets
- 145 sheets 4*8 (2/2.5 hours machining)
- 40 modules pre-assembled
- 4 weeks pre-assembly

Credits:
Design: MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY™ ©2011
TVM Design team: Marc Fornes (Principal), Jon Becker, Peter Nguyen
TVM Development & prototypes: Marc Fornes, Peter Nguyen, Jeff Quantz, Claudia Corcilius
TVM Custom computation protocols: Marc Fornes in Python / Rhinocommon
CNC Cutting: Plastik Banana / Bradeson Brinton +Shawn Komlos, Chris Hone, Alan Hurst
TVM Assembly team : Peter Nguyen, Pierre Feller, Remi Chevrillon
Helpers : Clemence Bracchini, Rudy Prioux, Gael Sedmak, Loic Verseau, Camille Violleau, Gaelle Collet, Priscillia Hilaire, Timothee Raison,…

FRAC Centre: Marie-Ange Brayer (Director), Aurélien Vernant, Ludovic Lalauze, Manu,…

Photos from Francois Lauginie

Ring Around a Tree by Tezuka Architects- Tokyo, Japan

Ring Around a Tree structure at a kindergarten in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan.
A kindergarten in the shape of a oval with a perimeter of 183m,
made for 500 children. It is conceived as a single village.
The interior is an integrated space softly partitioned with furniture.
Projecting through the roof deck are three preserved zelkova trees 25m in height.

 
 




 

Tsujita LA Ceiling Installation by Takeshi Sano

Description from the designer:

I put image of clouds for the ceiling detail. There is IZUMO shrine, one of the most important shrine in Shimane Japan. The clouds we can see there, has beauty but mysterious image. I wanted to show those images on this design. I put 25000 of wooden sticks, which was shaped like drum stick on the ceiling.
In order to increase a reality of clouds, I calculate the focal length between eye line and wooden sticks and use that length for the stick length. Also I made difference on the distance between stick each other so that to make a stereoscopic effect to wooden cloud. Not only for this project. I’m always challenging to create a space that coexist art and interior. At the same time, I’d like people to feel the delicate of beauty, which Japanese have, and Japanese atmosphere when they visit here so that they will think that they want to visit Japan.  I’d like to make this restaurant as one of an element for Japanese reconstruction.

 

 


 
 

Temporary bar

Materials: Trofast boxes from Ikea

Description: How cool is that? A bar made of Trofast boxes? That’s the brainchild of designers Diogo Aguiar and Teresa Otto of Portugal who designed and built a temporary bar out of 420 Ikea storage boxes. At night the boxes were lit with LED and pulsated according to the music played. The bar was built for a competition organised by the architecture faculty at the Universidade do Porto in Portugal.







 

The Ikea Salad bowl

 

 

Who would have guessed... a salad bowl becomes many..

Material: 14" IKEA Blanda Blank serving bowl.

1. A bird feeder..

2. A lamp...










and 3... a sink bowl

Xuan Lamp

Hangzhou, China based design studio INNOVO have created the Xuan lamp.

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Description from the designers:

Within this lamp the bamboo is changed into fine and smooth slices. Its shape is easy to control. Especially by a breeze through an open window the delicate curves of bamboo are fluttering and dancing.