Design for High School #9 by Coop Himmelb(l)au Los Angeles

The design by Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au for the Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 for the visual and performing arts has completed and will open in September 2009 for the new term.
Central to the building is the suitably dramatic theatre which holds just short of 1,000 audience members and will be open to the public as well as the 1,800 students providing a public space which was previously lacking in the Grand Avenue area.
Each student is matriculated within one of four academies representing each of the arts disciplines, accordingly there are 4 separate classroom buildings as well as the theatre, the library and the cafeteria making up the seven building campus.
Coop Himmelb(l)au’s design concept is to use architectural signs as symbols to communicate the commitment of the Los Angeles community to Art. Like chess figures three sculptural buildings, which relate to the context of downtown Los Angeles and the program, redefine spatially and energetically the otherwise orthogonal arrangement of the master plan. A Tower figure with spiralling ramp in the shape of the number 9 located on top of the theater’s flyloft serves as a widely visible sign for the Arts in the city and a point of identification for the students. Inside the tower, an event, conference and exhibition space with a view across the city is planned to be located.


via WAN

Pixel station: Metro in Toulouse, France

Each station is different.

via cube me

Via [Neaorama] & [Fubiz]

Strange Panasonic Gel Remote by Panasonic

Constructed of a soft, flesh-like gel, the remote appears cold when off. Once turned on, however, it seems to come to life. A soft light emanates somewhere from within as the center of the device begins to slowly rise and fall, mimicking the tranquil motions of breath. Left undisturbed, the remote will slumber peacefully. Buth should a human hand approach, sensors inside alert it to the imminent touch. It stops breathing, grows rigid – the light from within is extinguished.

via Cube me

“Design for a Living World” at Cooper-Hewitt

The exhibition features designs by Yves Béhar, Stephen Burks, Hella Jongerius, Maya Lin, Christien Meindertsma, Isaac Mizrahi, Ted Muehling, Paulina Reyes and Ezri Tarazi.

WASHINGTON, DC.- This spring, The Nature Conservancy and the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will present “Design for a Living World,” a traveling exhibition featuring objects created by leading designers and made from sustainable, natural materials. The exhibition will premiere at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum on May 14 and continue through Jan. 4, 2010. The Nature Conservancy collaborated with prominent designers from the worlds of fashion, industrial and furniture design, and each designer focused on a natural material from a specific place where the Conservancy works. The locations ranged from iconic American landscapes, such as the sweeping grasslands of Idaho, to such exotic places as the southwest coast of Australia and the forests of China’s Yunnan Province. The designs explore the transformation of organic items—wood, plants, wool—into beautiful and useful objects. By choosing sustainable materials that support, rather than deplete, endangered places, designers can help reshape our materials economy and advance a global conservation ethic. Through this process, the exhibition reveals fascinating stories about regeneration, natural places and the human connection to the Earth’s lands and waters. The exhibition features designs by Yves Béhar, Stephen Burks, Hella Jongerius, Maya Lin, Christien Meindertsma, Isaac Mizrahi, Ted Muehling, Paulina Reyes and Ezri Tarazi. Béhar worked with a women’s chocolate cooperative in Costa Rica to develop packaging for the raw cocoa they use to make a traditional hot drink and a grating tool that evokes the sensual nature of chocolate, delivering an intense experience through taste, form and narrative. Burks traveled to Australia’s Gondwana Link to design the “Totem”—a tool made from reclaimed native jamwood that the local Noongar people can use to make and package a line of organic herb- and sandalwood-based cosmetics that they are developing for export. Dutch designer Jongerius traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula to observe traditional chicle latex harvesting and explore the possibilities of chicle beyond its use in chewing gum production, resulting in more than 20 embellished vessels and plates. Using wood harvested from a Forest Stewardship Council-certified Nature Conservancy property in Maine, Lin crafted a striking piece of furniture that highlights the beauty of an individual tree. Meindertsma used wool sourced from a sustainable sheep ranch in Idaho to create a large-scale knit rug—a “flock” of smaller components, each one made from 3.5 pounds of wool, the yield of a single sheep. Famed fashion designer Mizrahi turned Alaskan salmon skin—typically a waste product of the salmon industry—into a dress that references the scales of the fish from which it was made. Acclaimed jewelry designer Muehling transformed Micronesian vegetable ivory and ocean-harvested black and keishi pearls into a series of bracelets, necklaces and other items, spotlighting the beauty of these natural materials. Reyes, for kate spade new york, traveled to Bolivia’s forests to work with local craftspeople to design a series of handbags made of sustainable wood, cotton and jipijapa, a fiber made of palm leaves. Industrial designer Tarazi designed a series of adjustable components that connect to mature bamboo stalks from China’s Yunnan Province, creating a domestic forest that supports a range of living arrangements. “Our goal with the exhibition is to connect audiences to the natural world by exploring the story of place through innovative design,” said Mark Tercek, president and chief executive of The Nature Conservancy. “‘Design for a Living World’ challenges us to think about the products we use—where they come from, how they are made and what the impacts are on our planet and on local communities.” “‘Design for a Living World’ offers a captivating look into the life cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design,” said Paul Warwick Thompson, director of Cooper-Hewitt. “Cooper-Hewitt is delighted to partner with The Nature Conservancy in raising awareness about material conservation and sustainable design solutions.” “This exhibition opens an important conversation between conservationists and designers about the potential and legacy of natural materials,” said Abbott Miller, co-curator of the exhibition. “By choosing sustainable materials, designers contribute to the advancement of a global conservation ethic that can foster consumer awareness.” “Design for a Living World” is co-curated by Miller and Ellen Lupton. Miller, a partner in the New York office of Pentagram, is recognized for his innovative installations for the National Building Museum, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Freud Museum in Vienna, Austria, and the permanent exhibitions at the Harley-Davidson Museum. Lupton is curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt and is the author of many books on design. The exhibition and book will also feature specially commissioned photographs from award-winning photojournalist Ami Vitale, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek and National Geographic. The structures used to display the exhibition will include Forest Stewardship Council-certified plywood from community forests in Bolivia. “Design for a Living World” will remain on view at Cooper-Hewitt through Jan. 4, 2010, and then will begin a three-year tour to venues across the United States.

via ArtDaily

JCDC and Hello Kitty sightseeing in Paris

weird!!!!


JCDC - Kittyfornia from Creamcream on Vimeo.

NIKEiD and Kobe Bryant

The new Nike Zoom Kobe IV marks the first time that a signature Nike basketball shoe is available for customization on NIKEiD.com before it is available at retail. Beginning tomorrow, there will be 24 pairs of the Nike Zoom Kobe IV sold daily on NIKEiD.com until February 1. After February 1, the Zoom Kobe IV will be available in normal capacity on NIKEiD.com. via Business Wire

PUMA City, Shipping Container Store / LOT-EK

via Arch Daily

CALVIN KLEIN DOLLHOUSE, NY

Architect Joshua Prince-Ramus of Ramus-Ella Architects (REX) created the holiday attraction of the Calvin Klein store on 5th Avenue in New York.

The installation was created with Calvin Klein’s consumer image in mind. The stylish installation covers 4 complete floors, with a landscaped rooftop, and was constructed of acrylic sheet, steel, and stretch Spand

via broccolicity

Conservative youth

According to a new survey by Synovate and Microsoft Advertising, young people resemble their grandparents far more closely than they do their parents. They seem to be more pragmatic than hedonistic and value family, good education and career.
"Young Adults Revealed: The Lives and motivations of 21st century youth" is worth the read. You can download it here

via Social Hallucinations

Daily Projects in Seoul

Daily Projects Shop in Seoul
.

The shop in 1-24 Chungdamdong Gangnamgu Seoul Korea

via Diane Pernet

Eleanor Hardwick: 15, photographer.

She's been everywhere from Dazed, to the independant via the BBC.
Check out her work on flickr

Photo: Eleanor Hardwick

Les papillons se cachent pour shopper chez Dior Homme

Butterfly installation by Andrea Mastrovito at the Dior Homme store in Paris

Photography Vincent Lappartient

via Wallpaper

Reconsidering the advertising industry

Reconsidering the Advertising Industry

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: agencies media)

The words this week: interesting read

Alan Moore's white paper on “The glittering allure of the mobile society” via London Calling


Design revolution or social (r)evolution by Marcia Caines (Cluster). Edited by Mark Vanderbeeken (Experientia) is a round up of the St Etienne Biennale and tries to answer contemporary design questions

- How can design help to develop our lifestyles?
- How to make design work with research and innovation?
- How can design now become a tool for economic development?
via Putting people first

Interesting read of the week an article about Abhilasha a pilot study by New Dehli start up Eko and the Centurion Bank of Punjab that offers an interest earning saving account that can be updated and managed through a mobile phone. In the article Jan Chipchase taps into usability and illiteracy in mobile banking. via Future Perfect

I talked about Heineken the city in September, the beer brand is coming back with a new project Heineken - Know the Signs, helping you find out the unmissable signs of drunkeness. The site also allows you to upload your and your friends shameful videos and photos.



via Social Hallucination

What is WOM all about?

How to do WOM well, great story on Craphammer: Wayne knows what many Word of Mouth experts don't.via Craphammer

Recrutement des élites : un système de sélection bloqué et archaïque

La conversation est pour ceux qui parlent français, si c'est votre cas bonne écoute

Richard Descoings sur France Info 1 sur 3
by FranceInfo

Spring Fashion 2009n by th Wall Street Journal

via TrendLand
The Wall Street Journal

ALEATORY COMPOSITIONS BOOK

A book of random musical compositions, created by translating colour into musical notes.
By Hoagy Houghton

Designers of the world: Forget affordances provide signifiers

"Signifiers not affordance"Great article on the importance of signifiers in design by Don Norman

Column written for Interactions; ACM, 2008.
Via JND

ulf haines

credit: diephotodesigner.de

Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 9
D–10178 Berlin
Mon–Sat 12–8 pm

via f&art

VilaSofa by Tjep.

VilaSofa
Tjep. was commissioned to create a shop environment for a new furniture brand called VilaSofa. VilaSofa is positioned between a conventional furniture shop and Ikea. It offers mid-range prices for a wide public and a 48 hour delivery guarantee for all displayed models. The 48 hour claim became the main theme for the shop. We used the idea of a warehouse as metaphor for speed: a place were goods are stored for the transition from the producer to the very personal environment of your home. The conceptual solution was surprisingly simple and logic: a combination of warehouse esthetics and home esthetics. This resulted for example into materials such as plywood usually used for crates combined with high-end glossy finishes. The symbols used in transportation and packaging have been metamorphosed into decorative elements that form room dividers that are arranged to organize the space and routing. Finally there is a big wall suggesting the idea of a magical vila, this is the only place where the graphic references are more literal: a big chandelier, a diversity of playfully arranged windows, romantic balconies. In this space we placed big 'picnic' tables where clients can take their time to inform about the product, talk to the VilaSofa staff. Finally we designed mobile cashing systems so that clients can actually pay from their newly adopted sofa. VilaSofa offers a combination of existing sofa models and specially designed sofas by designers such as Monica Mulder and Khodi Feiz.

Design team
Frank Tjepkema, Janneke Hooymans, Leonie Janssen, Tina Stieger, Bertrand Gravier, Camille Cortet

Production
Kloosterboer

via Tjep.