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The Taste Of Talking
2007-11-14 09:55:00 Salt and pepper shakers made from old telephone mouthpieces which are mounted on the indicators of a Morris Mini (the cool original, not that giant toy of a new version). The conversation pieces are made by Henk Stallinga and his studio. His company specializes in reusing objects alongside more standard designs. The "Taste of Talking " set can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but is also for sale. Henk Stallinga (1962) The Taste Of Talking Sources: http://www.stallinga.nl/ http://designllama.blogspot.com/2006/11/t aste-of-talking-by-henk-stallinga.html http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/07/tas te-of-talkin.html http://moma.org/ » <a href='1'>original news</a>
trash book
2007-11-14 09:53:00 very very nice little book form MIT press concerning trash and the way we look at it includes a project from Brian Jungen as seen in tent with his whale skeleton » <a href='http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/ite m/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10942'>o riginal news</a> More About: Book , Trash
diapers as roof garden
2007-11-14 09:53:00 nappies contain SAP, or Super Absorbing Polymers. Their technical name is Sodium Polyacrylate, a light plastic material that has the ability to absorb about 30 times its own weight in fluid, a valuable property for moisture absorption control. One diaper can contain as much as half a litre of urine. Throwaway diapers are somewhat notorious among environmentalists for Super Absorbing Polymers are not biodegradable. They often end up on landfills. Alternatives are being developed and companies like Knowaste are now successfully recycling them. In this case, however, it is bio-upgradeability that counts. In used diapers the polymers contain urine that is an excellent nitrogen source for young plants and roofs could be covered with nutritious soil for plants to grow on, but that shouldn't be too heavy. (text by Ed van Hinte) this entry was made possibe thanks to a contribution by the netherlands foundation for visual arts, design, and architecture » <a href='http:/... More About: Garden , Roof , Diapers , Diaper , Arden
Salt&Pepper film containers
2007-11-13 21:38:00 Just add holes! » <a href='http://www.makezine.com/blog/archiv e/2007/11/salt_pepper_film_canister.html? CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890'>original news</a> More About: Film , Pepper , Salt
Ultimate Bachelor Furniture
2007-11-12 20:53:00 The bachelor (Yuppie) who's life is shaped after the style of a certain guy called James Bond or Patrick Bateman. Who's minimalistic condo is stuffed with shiny metal, glass, black leather, electronic gizmo's and who's major concerns are after work diners, hard bodies (fit women), parties, parties, parties and sports cars. A world of overdue, plenty and than some, where a seat from the scrapyard seems out of place. Athens (Greece) based designer Dionysios Skalos makes the Re:Sit Hardcore furniture collection: 'Tricky things and expensive toys for adult children'. Well the words seem to match the suggested lifestyle. The furniture is 'inspired by the old toy MECANO.' Thus the difference between man and boys: 'the materials used (anodized aluminum profiles , plastic and stainless steel components) are appropriate for both indoor and outdoor use. Equipped with castor's and wheels, electric motors, car seats, black lights, LEDs, nautical fenders, and underwater telecomanded ... More About: Furniture , Bachelor , Ultimate , Chelo
trainbridge revisited
2007-11-07 16:26:00 In Amsterdam an old trainbridge is designed into a new restaurant and bar. The design is by Architecten Cie. After eight monthst the whole building will be placed as an entire unit back on its original spot with its new public function » <a href='http://www.architectenweb.nl/aweb/r edactie/redactie_detail.asp?iNID=10918'&g t;original news</a> More About: TRAI
Reuse of Sidewalk Concrete
2007-11-07 05:19:00 I'd like to share this project we built in the town of Cazenovia, NY on a site called the Willow Patch. It uses weirs made of salvaged sidewalks and an old foundation to retain stormwater for sedimentation and infiltration. The Cazenovia Preservation Foundation owns the site, design and construction was funded with a grant from the Central New York Community Foundation and matching labor and materials from the Town of Cazenovia. It was designed and managed by a team largely from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Faculties of Landscape Architecture and Engineering, led by Professor Matthew Potteiger and Tobiah Horton. See also, http://www.flickr.com/photos/16188315@N08 / » <a href='http://www.tobiahhorton.com/pb/wp_a f26a166/wp_af26a166.html?0.74229978769153 86'>original news</a> More About: Concrete
Wasserturm Umbau
2007-11-06 09:56:00 There is a natural connection between sustainable design and historic preservation, one that is often overlooked. Building reuse and adaptation easily lend themselves to the ideals of green building, like lower embodied energy, longevity and cultural significance that promotes engaged users. In Essen, Germany, Architects from the Madako group have transformed an historic water tower into an imaginative space for living and working that showcases a fusion of old and new with lasting environmental considerations. In its initial form, the Umbau Wass erturm (converted water tower) in Essen-Bredeney stood untouched under Germany's 'Denkmalschutz' and 'Landschaftschutzgebiet' - historic building protection and culturally significant landscape protection. These two designations prevented demolition and maintained the water tower as part of the heritage landscape. The potential of the structure remained untapped until 2002. Then, with little alteration to the exterior, the water tower ...
Cassette Wallet
2007-11-06 09:54:00 Where have all the cassette tapes gone? Yes the good old cassette with very sensitive tape inside. Well for one: car-stereo's couldn't get enough of them and loved eating it. But some seem to have made it and are back! With a zipper, trying to keep valuables inside. Italian Marcella Foschi hand-made these clever one-of-a-kind little coin purses. Piccoli portamonete to pose one solution, turning old tapes into usable vessels for all your stray pennies. Marcella Foschi Cassette Wallet (2006) Source: http://www.designboom.com/snapshots/tokyo mart06/marcella_foschi.html http://www.designboom.com/shop/cassettewa llet.html (picture) » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Aulabierta
2007-11-06 09:52:00 Aulabierta is an investigating and creating space for the collective construction of the learning. » <a href='http://aulabierta.info'>original news</a>
Spectacle! Spectacle!
2007-11-06 09:51:00 No, it wasn't the play shown in the movie Moulin Rouge but 'salvage pioneer Stuart Haygarth has created an eye-catching eyeglass masterpiece, turning discarded glasses into a gorgeously green glowing chandelier.' The baroqueness of this cascade of lenses could very well be against the ceiling of the movies reception-room of the courtisane. This place, in the stomach of an elephant, had kind of Moroccan-ish interior. Spectacular! Spectacular! was the name of the play referred. 'Spectacle, however, is an optical chandelier assembled from 1020 pairs of discarded prescription glasses, with a smaller size constructed from 620 pairs. The refracted light from the lenses makes fluid shadows that play across walls creating an aqueous lighting effect that shimmers as much as it delights.' By using old specs, "once an essential tool for seeing," Haygarth believes that "an interesting analogous line is drawn between their old and new purposes." We ...
Oak Off-cuts
2007-11-01 17:21:00 When you want to cut squares out of rounds, you get quite some interesting off-cuts... that is something you can witness in almost every sawmill. Example is oak. I think it is a very nice material, very 'un-urban'. » <a href='http://www.2dehands.be/brandhout-in -bundels-2stère-18092539.html?afdeling =doehetzelf&bouw_mat=4&qq=hout&am p;rubriek=bouw_mat&start=40'>origi nal news</a> More About: Cuts
Turning The Place Over
2007-11-01 01:39:00 The Yates's Wine Lodge building in Liverpool which had one foot in the grave got a new lease of life. Sculptor Richard Wilson (1953) has cut out an oval segment of the derelict building's front and fixed it to a giant pivot. The façade will rotate like a huge opening and closing window, giving passers-by a glimpse of the interior. The artwork, called Turning The Place Over, was launched on June 20 and will run until the end of 2008. With thousands of city center workers using Moorfields station every day, it is likely to be one of the best-viewed Capital of Culture installations. Described as "the most daring piece of public art ever commissioned in the UK", it is seen as the jewel in the crown of the 2008 public art programme. Mr Wilson, one of Britain's best-known sculptors, is renowned for drawing inspiration from the worlds of construction and engineering, and Turning The Place Over is no exception. The cut-out, which measures eight meters across, rests o...
metal garden
2007-10-31 17:48:00 the last project of Spanish collective TRASHFOrMACIONES.. this time we use Nickel-plated copper tubes and colored aluminum arms of ventilator from refrigeration machine... in total 125 flowers... 2mx2mx3-4m » <a href='http://www.trashformaciones.com'> ;original news</a> More About: Garden , Metal , Arden , Garde
Re-use downcycle PC concept
2007-10-31 08:39:00 Enter the annual Microsoft/IDSA Next-Gen PC design Competition. I dug around the entries to filter out some more inspirational examples of what a sustainable personal computer alternative could be like in the near future. The hu-bi concept consists of re-using discarded PC components that may be obsolete in developed countries and reassembling them into modular PC's for poorer developing countries. Even the casing can be made from recycled older PC's. This concept would force a lot of e-waste back into an industrial cycle giving new life to otherwise discarded parts. » <a href='http://www.sustainableday.com/?p=84 '>original news</a> More About: Concept
Upcycled Corporate Garbage
2007-10-29 09:30:00 As an artist, and previous designer for a signage company, I decided to take a dumpster dive back in the alley to see what I would find. I found rolls of vinyl that were tossed because they were 'misprints'. I inquired about recycling options for the printed vinyl and was told they were not recycleable and would go straight to landfills. I was given permission to snatch the materials and get crafty - starting with some messenger bags. Here is my philosophy behind the project: Energetically Balancing the Crime of Excess Energetically Balancing = Taking Responsibility for (our "Trash") I personally feel that our mainstream culture, at this point in time, is victim to huge amounts of tangible and psychic excess. I see this excess taking form in the mass marketing of products as well as media and information overload. I feel that we, as a culture, would be wise to shift our consciousness towards the awareness that we don't need to consume and acquire excessiv... More About: Corporate , Garbage
Container Student Housing
2007-10-25 21:50:00 'While the words "back to school" may conjure up images of new backpacks and pencil boxes, for a very lucky few Dutch students it means moving into some very hip and well-designed dorm accommodations. Keetwonen, a student housing project in Amsterdam, turns shipping containers into 1000 units and provides all the amenities a student could ever want. And aside from the obvious green usage of surplus shipping containers, Keetwonen has integrated a rooftop to accommodate efficient rainwater drainage while providing heat dispersal and insulation for the containers beneath. Designed by TempoHousing and completed last year, this is a great example of large-scale shipping containers serving as functional and comfortable space. Container s are home to not only the 1000 units that each have a private balcony, but a cafe, supermarket, office space, and even a sports area. Units are arranged in "blocks," each block containing a service unit with centralized ... More About: Student
Modulair Dwelling Unit
2007-10-25 09:03:00 'It wouldn't be a stretch to call LOT-EK one of the original pioneers of shipping-container prefab. Their Modular Dwelling Unit , a simple yet brilliant design, has now been on the scene since 2002, and serves as a great prefab archetype for an array of other module-based designs were now seeing gaining huge popularity and attention. The idea is simple: transform a single shipping container into a single dwelling unit that is complete in its flexibility, mobility, and scalability. Designed for the modern-day nomad, the MDU can easily be transported from one spot to the next, fully-loaded with all the live/work amenities you could ask for. Structurally, the MDU is a fully-functional, sturdy, and thoughtfully-constructed unit that combines both engineering prowess with design sensibility. The built-in furniture based system facilitates domestic functions from cooking and eating to more private spaces, storage, and leisure. As far as the interior goes, the space is divided into three... More About: Well , Lair
Cascade Chandelier
2007-10-25 09:02:00 'When we spotted Michelle Brand's gorgeous Cascade Chan delier at HAUTEgreen this year, we were drawn to the beautiful design like eco-minded moths around a CFL bulb. When we took a closer look and realized that each of the transparent "flowers" in the cascade was actually just the bottom of a plastic drink bottle, we were surprised and impressed. We never imagined that something so simple, cheap and ordinary such as empty water bottles could be turned into a such a stunning and elegant piece of interior design. Michelle Brand is an eco designer maker based in Manchester, England. Her work is in direct response to environmental problems, and inspiration evolves from the unseen beauty of everyday objects. To describe her recent work recycling plastic water bottles she says: "Once a plastic drinks bottle is empty it is perceived as redundant and is throw away. I wanted to challenge this wasteful paradigm." Brand's designs extend the aesthetic li... More About: Deli
Purse Your PET
2007-10-25 09:01:00 Things to do with PET, before you're dead. Yes, the material will outlive you. German miss Miulein, created a kind of wallet out of two ad fundem-ed PET bottles. Though the colors may be loud, this frogish thing can be shut by a zipper. http://www.flickr.com/photos/miulein/4379 02193/ » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Survival Watch
2007-10-23 21:29:00 Forget the survival knife of the illustrious Rambo, all a you need as a survival kit, is a refilled watch. When time is over, when a new battery or repair is useless, remove the main watch parts from the casing. (And off course, one brings the mercury loaded quartz mechanic and battery, to a municipal collecting center.) When the inside is cleaned out, store it with the following survival items: Wire, foil, dental floss and paper clip (fishing line), magnet (to make a compass), aspirin, vitamin, match heads, pencil lead, survival instruction sheet, strip of duct tape, white LED light and 3-volt watch battery (emergency light), band-aid, an anti-bacterial tablet, a mini plastic baggy or condom (to hold water or for disease proof housing) and mints (you never now). Source: http://www.sneakyuses.com/freeprojects.ht ml » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Watch , Survival , Viva
Home-made helicopters
2007-10-23 10:43:00 KANO - Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern Nigeria, takes old cars and motorbikes to pieces in the back yard at home and builds his own helicopters from the parts. "It took me eight months to build this one," he said, sweat pouring from his forehead as he filled the radiator of the banana yellow four-seater which he now parks in the grounds of his university. The chopper, which has flown briefly on six occasions, is made from scrap aluminium that Abdullahi bought with the money he makes from computer and mobile phone repairs, and a donation from his father, who teaches at Kano's Bayero university. It is powered by a second-hand 133 horsepower Honda Civic car engine and kitted out with seats from an old Toyota saloon car. Its other parts come from the carcass of a Boeing 747 which crashed near Kano some years ago. For a four-seater it is a big aircraft, measuring twelve metres (39 feet) long, seven metres high by five... More About: Home , Made , Helicopters
C'est Une Hek
2007-10-22 21:36:00 His motto is: do it. Go for it completely: a plan, a journey, a film. Inspired, deliberately uninhibited. In 1997 Joost Conijn build a fence in the Moroccan dessert. It opens up automatically when a car is steered at it. The fence is build out of three left and right side panels of an old Citroën DS (Mark 3). Central question in his work is where man stops and machine begins. Boundaries have to be re-layed and projects that seem impossible have to be realised. Experiment, risk and innovation are tags in his work. 'My work starts at the uncontrollable desire to move myself, to create my own possibilities, to realise plans, to let everything work for that complete moment.' Joost Conijn (1971) C'est Une Hek (1997) Citroën DS panels Morocco, Sahara desert Sources: http://www.joostconijn.org still from the video: C'est Une Hek (1997) http://www.kunstbus.nl/verklaringen/joost +conijn.html » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Bi-cycled Bed
2007-10-22 20:17:00 In January 1938, a newspaper came up with the following: 'An English comedian recently entertained crowds at a cycling meet by riding the odd bicycle shown above. The frame of the curious wheel was made from the head of an old iron bed, to which old bicycle parts were added.' http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/03/29 /odd-bicycle-made-from-bed/ » <a href='1'>original news</a>
RE: Piano Stool Leg-Ends
2007-10-22 13:34:00 Discarded piano stool leg-ends get new life as finials. Perfect finish for hanging curtains or pots! » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Piano , Ends , Stool
CD chair, of reused CD's
2007-10-21 20:13:00 quote Core77 (core77.com) : "Just when AOL finally stops spamming our snail-mailboxes with those giveaway CDs, designer Belen Hermosa comes up with a use for them. Sure, it's been done before, but we find this latest iteration classier than the rest.".... I also see it as a way of re-using your CD-collection, as downloading music becomes more popular each day. » <a href='http://www.bespace.es/'>original news</a> More About: Chair
Nootzuiger
2007-10-20 10:59:00 'The Nootzuiger (noot=note, zuiger=sucker, as in 'dustsucker') is a harmonium (air-organ) build into an old Miele vacuum cleaner. So (...), form and function of two (household, everyday) objects are associated and literally combined. It makes a really nice sound, but its too bad I had to get rid of the vacuum-cleaning function to fit in the keyboard. As with most of the other objects (naaitafel, stratenspeler) this one is constructed from stuff I found in the garbage. The old harmonium and vacuuum cleaner were lying around in my studio and one day I saw the connection between them and started building. I love to build.' Dennis de Bel Nootzuiger (2007) Air-organ and Miele vacuum-cleaner Sound-sample: http://wdka.hro.nl/%7E0759022/2006-2007/0 5/content/files/danos--nootzuiger_demo.mp 3 Quoted: Dennis de Bel, http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/arch ives/009758.php Picture from Dennis de Bel's site: http://www.danos.nl/ » <a href='1'>original news</a>
New recycling platform
2007-10-18 09:20:00 Since august 2007 we've opened a platform for designers and artists who recycle materials. We travel and visit festivals and the like. » <a href='http://www.weerwaar.nl'>original news</a> More About: Recycling , Platform
Bag made from vinylrecords
2007-10-16 23:32:00 Vinylbag. Two reshaped records brought together, adjustable shoulder strap, pocket with magnetic closure. You can also send your records to Lockengelot and get your custom made bag in return. We started our shop over three years ago, the idea was to recycle every day objects and this way create something new and unique. The record-changing began with a vinyl bowl, now there are pendulum clocks or wall-lamps with colored vinyl. You can also just bring anything to us and let us recreate it. Lockengelot, Wohlwillstr. 20, 20359 Hamburg/St.Pauli, Germany Carsten » <a href='http://www.lockengeloet.com'>ori ginal news</a> More About: Made , Cord
Shelter: Annex #4
More articles from this author:2007-10-15 22:23:00 'Another strange structure has materialised at the south-west corner of Bedford Square in central London » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Shelter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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