'If You Build It'

Premièring in NY next week, Project H Design's documentary, 'If You Build It', promises to be a very uplifting and inspiring story to start the year. Project H Design is a non-profit organisation passionate about teaching youth to embrace the future through design. Read more about them on their site and you can view the trailer here.

I first heard of the founder, Emily Pilloton, through her book "100 Products that Empower people". A brilliant read that goes beyond the products showcased. Pilloton discusses design thinking, a notion that has stuck with me and tends to influence my opinion regarding the future of design and indeed, my own career options.

pretty passivity

Uni has already managed to keep me very busy with the start of my final BA year.

However, it was during the last few weeks that I had an email waiting patiently in my inbox, subject line reading: 'something for redcacao?' So I can't really take the credit for this one, but rather an interesting article and some awesome and very different passive design examples.

My partner expressed a fondness for the archways and overall feel of the Hudson house (option 1), while I am inspired by the Fablab take on things in Madrid (option 3).

Crossways is a house we followed the building of on the Grand Designs series a couple of years back. It really is unique and seems to be a rather good performer - according to passive house energy conservation.

The final candidate surprised me, as the setting really didn't seem like Canada - but having never actually been there - who am I to say...
I really love the simple feel and clean lines of this design, to me it exudes a sense of calm and I could certainly imagine myself on that pier in those sprawling surroundings.

au naturel

Summer holidays with plenty of time to catch up on some reading, a recent cabin trip with family in the densely forested Kvamskogen area and beautiful use of the simplest of materials... are what inspired today's post.

I saw this article in the Independent some time ago - listing the ten best architecture books - but the end of study year meant that there was no time to give it my full attention. I've now gone back and chosen my favourite three... they're in my amazon basket as I type :).

One of them is no.4, entitled "Wood - Architecture now! Vol 2" by Philip Jodidio. Living in Norway and being surrounded by Scandinavian design means that wood is often on the cards as the design material of choice. After a brief peak at the pages in this book and a quick glance at Jodidio's other titles, I think I'm in for a treat.

I am often drawn to materials in their raw form and usually prefer the more rustic, natural look to super polished and glossy (although, often, a combination is even better!). I really enjoyed i29's use of regular plywood to shape and add character to this modern home in Holland.

They seem to prefer cleaner lines and a calm palette, but that only helps to accentuate other details like their lively take on this interior wall.

rural retreats

I recently came across two very different but equally beautiful rural spaces. It will come as no surprise that both were found on 'inhabitat.com' - one of my favourite online haunts.

The first is a simple, rustic, open structure in rural Austria, while the second lies across the ocean in the north American Sonoran desert.

The clean lines and calming palette of the Austrian abode sit well in the surrounding landscape. I love the iconic A-frame shape and open space. 

The sprawling desert home and its earthy materials rest comfortably on the beige sand. The expansive windows reflect the alluring palette of the evening sky.

Light Show

Having spent the Easter holiday in the frosty UK, I was lucky enough during our one day rushing around London to spend an hour at the Hayward Gallery Light Show. Located on London's south bank, the gallery features a number of light installations by some new and other well-known names in the industry. If you haven't yet been, it's a must see!

The show has just been extended until May 6th and it's recommended to book tickets in advance. You can read more about it here or watch a short video snippet that's sure to tickle your interest...

I really enjoyed Jim Campbells clever use of tiny LED bulbs to create various shadow imagery and Doug Wheelers dreamy approach to definitions of space. The exhibition features both small, clever concepts, such as the light bulb and mirror by Bill Culbert, as well as larger, colour infused illusionary environments as made by James Turrell.

 

Francois Morellet creates very poetic pieces. His work is featured in one of the first halls, but perhaps he should have had his own space to showcase this beautiful piece:

One criticism I might add is that due to its popularity, there are too many people in the exhibition space at one time. This definitely detracts from experiencing the various spaces as one should. Perhaps having extended the exhibition end-date will fix this!

beneath the surface

I had it in mind to post about 3D printing this week - and it will come - but I just had to mention something I'm working on right now at university. The course is about exploring the 'poetry of space' and the project due for tomorrow morning is creating a 'happy place' in 1:1 scale. As broad as the brief is, one sure thing came to my mind from my younger days growing up along the coast of South Africa... the promise of the sea and feeling of sand underfoot.

I ended up combining this with a favourite memory from when I lived in Lisbon a while ago - the fluorescent jellyfish in the Oceanarium (Europe's largest indoor aquarium!).

I've been working on incorporating the feeling of bare feet in soft sand, the visual (jellyfish dancing in the dark), the blue-black ocean surrounds and then a sound bite... I originally had the idea to use waves (that we hear from outside) and underwater (that 'they' hear beneath the surface), but then I thought about the dance - and I woke up to the sound of Strauss' 'The Blue Danube' in my head. It was perfect - especially since the jellyfish keep in time ;)

It's quite an abstract space and rather dark in there for my basic camera to do it justice, but here is a pic and you can view the vid below.