Pencil jewelry by Maria Cristina Belluci
These gorgeous rigs were made from repurposed wood color pencils. By Italian designer Maria Cristina Belluci. Via Haute Nature. More pics atKlimt02.
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via outsapop (thanks Martha)
Residance O by Andrea Tognon Architecture
Residance O is the refurbishment project designed by Italy-based Andrea Tognon Architecture, the new square floor plane was completed by filling the missing corner to the old L shape plan, it looks clean.
from Andrea Tognon Architecture:
The building we were call to refurbish was built in the 70’s as imitation of vernacular architecture of the Veneto countryside area. Was looking pretty fake. The floor plan was a square were a corner was missing (so was an L shape). The roof was a concrete slab juting out in a very inelegant and bad proportionated way. So we decide to add the corner that was missing to complete the square floor plane. Because the total redefinition of the insulation parameter we reshape the profile of the building cutting the old roof edge and redesign the junction between roof and perimetrical walls. The entire interior layout was redesign, all the walls and roof insulated, the eating system switched to solar energy.
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via +MOOD
Nueva Esperanza School by al bordE
from the Teacher:
“For all of we, who belong to the Puerto Cabuyal Community, it´s been a cause of pride to have our new school. Our community is located on the beach, on the field, in a far away site, been fishing and agriculture the basis of our daily meals. Until 4 years ago there was no school in the community and because of that, most of its inhabitants were illiterate. We began with our school in a small cottage, but as the time passed, the space was got smaller because of the number of children, that’s why we undertook the construction of a new place”.
“A huge change in the children´s learning process has been made since the very beginnings of the school. The action of opening the entrance door is a physics lesson. The space is generous in every way, which is why the kids feel freer finding each one their own place in which they are going to develop their activities. The model and the structure transmit a freshness and imaginative environment that has favored the development of artistic and academic activities through the lessons that gives the best teacher ever, nature”
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Most of the schools near the area are made of concrete, with a rectangular shape, with window bars that make it look more like a jail than a school, and the level of defection is very high. That is the reason why the project is looking for solving not only immediate problems but generate long-term solutions.
It was extremely necessary to design the space according to the principles of an active school. The project must be intimately closed with the natural environment nearby. A space were kids can wake up their imagination, their creativity, their desire of learning new things, and not an space were kids feel repressed.
he project uses the same materials and building patterns the community has been using for building for years. A timber basis above the foundation piles, bamboo walls, wood structure and a roof made of knitted straw scarf or “cade”. The difference lies in the conception and conceptualization of the space. A place for education that encourages learning through action.
Now, the children and their parents are proud of their school. Proud of the change that this school has made, been a motif of union and self-esteem for the whole community. When people from outside admire it, when they see it and know it.
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via archdaily
The Anteroom Series by James Nizam
The Anteroom Series are photographs by James Nizam. He made rooms in abandoned house onto giant camera obscuras and made then a photo of it.
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Graffiti Markup Language by F.A.T.
Graffiti Markup Language is the latest F.A.T. project. You probably know their graffiti-related software projects: Graffiti Analysis, Laser Tag and EyeWriter. These use now the Graffiti Markup Language, a new XML file type specifically designed for archiving graffiti tags. The .gml text files can be uploaded and downloaded on 000000book.com.
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Hutong Bubble 32 / Beijing 2050 by MAD
from the designers:
MAD’s proposal for the future Beijing 2050 was first revealed at its exhibition MAD IN CHINA in Venice during the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale. Beijing 2050 imagined three scenarios for the future of Beijing—a green public park in Tiananmen Square, a series of floating islands above the city’s CBD, and the “Future of Hutongs”, which featured metallic bubbles scattered over Beijing’s oldest neighborhoods. Three years later, the first hutong bubble has appeared in a small courtyard in Beijing.
China’s rapid development has altered the city’s landscape on a massive scale, continually eroding the delicate urban tissue of old Beijing. Such dramatic changes have forced an aging architecture to rely on chaotic, spontaneous renovations to survive the ever-changing neighborhood. In addition, poor standards of hygiene have turned unique living space and potential thriving communities into a serious urban problem. Hutongs are gradually becoming the local inhabitants’dumpster, the haven for the wealthy, the theme park for tourists.
The self-perpetuating degradation of the city’s urban tissue requires a change in the living conditions of local residents. Progress does not necessarily call for large scale construction—it can occur as interventions at a small scale. The hutong bubbles, inserted into the urban fabric, function like magnets, attracting new people, activities, and resources to reactivate entire neighborhoods. They exist in symbiosis with the old housing. Fueled by the energy they helped to renew, the bubbles multiply and morph to provide for the community’s various needs, thereby allowing local residents to continue living in these old neighborhoods. In time, these interventions will become part of Beijing’s long history, newly formed membranes within the city’s urban tissue.
Unexpectedly, a manifestation of this idealistic vision has sprung up in one of Beijing’s hutongs, just three years after the exhibition. Hutong Bubble 32 provides a toilet and a staircase that extends onto a roof terrace for a newly renovated courtyard house. Its shiny exterior renders it an alien creature, and yet at the same time, reflects the surrounding wood, brick, and greenery. The past and the future can thus coexist in a finite, yet dream-like world.
The real dream, however, is for the hutong bubble to link this culturally rich city to each individual’s vision of a better Beijing. The bubble is not regarded as a singular object, but as a means to initiate a renewed and energetic community. Under the hatchet of fast-paced development, we must always be cognizant of Beijing’s long term goals and the direction of its creativity. Perhaps we should shift our gaze away from the attraction of new monuments and focus on the everyday lives of the city’s residents.
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via MAD (thanks Dave!)
D-construction 2 by Hyungshin Hwang
from the artist:
Buildings have a life cycle that can last anywhere from a few years, to several decades or longer. Once a building has reached the end of its life cycle, it is taken down. By deconstructing a building, the components can be reused and recycled but also it creates additional waste as demolished concretes. I focused on the possibilities of bringing usage of industrial waste and shifting the value by using it.
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via Hyungshin Hwang
A 5000 acre farm for Detroit? by Hantz Farms
Hantz Farms plans to farm up to 5,000 acres within the Motor City’s limits in the coming years.
from Hantz Farms:
INTRODUCING HANTZ FARMS™
It’s our dream to rejuvenate our city by returning to our agrarian roots, by creating the world’s largest urban farm right here in Detroit, a sustainable producer and seller of homegrown fruits and vegetables as well as clean energy. Owned, operated and staffed by Detroiters, Hantz Farms will provide:
- Hundreds of “green” jobs for local residents, with on-the-job education. We’ll help Detroit progress to the mixed economy that’s so important for our future.
- A generous supply of fresh, local, safe produce for our families and the region.Hantz Farms will be a year-round operation, providing spring vegetables, a bounty of summer produce, pick-your-own pumpkins and Christmas trees. Not only will we grow for Detroit, but we’ll also be able to export our produce.
- A cleaner, greener environment for our children.We’ll clear away the garbage, the blight, the debris, and in their place grow healthful crops and produce non-polluting wind energy. In every aspect of Hantz Farms, we plan to use only recyclable materials and aim to reduce waste to nearly zero. We’ll also reintroduce Detroiters to the beauty of nature.
- Synergy for local businesses. Tourists coming in to Detroit to visit Hantz Farms—not just for an annual event, but on a daily basis—will patronize other businesses as well.
- Consolidation of city resources. Detroit’s fire, police and public works departments can better serve city residents when freed from the burden of nearly abandoned neighborhoods.
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via Archinect and Hantz Farms Detroit
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