21.6.11// The Ruth Lily Visitors Pavilion @the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Created by Marlon Blackwell Architect, the beautiful Ruth Lily Visitors Pavilion resides in the heart of the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s 100 Acres Art and Nature Park.
The steel skeleton, wooden planks and glass panels were constructed with minimum contact to the surrounding environment, allowing free flow of water and natural light through the structure. Using geothermal technology for energy, and sourcing water from an on-site well, the Visitors Pavilion runs with very low impact to the environment, whilst providing versatile learning spaces, toilets and emergency services to it’s many visitors.
“The Visitor’s Pavilion provides a place of reflection and assessment, a place of questioning what has been directly experienced by the visitor and of what was observed, or not, of the processes — natural and cultural — at work within the Art + Nature Park.”
-Marlon Blackwell
(via- archdaily, photos- timothyhursley)
14.6.11// The Spatial Art of Hidemi Nishida
Based in Sapporo, Japan, Hidemi Nishida is a spatial artist whose creations have the sole intention of bringing people together. His latest project, the Shukaijo house, is a temporary structure resurrected in the woodlands near the artist’s home. Consisting of 6 see-through timber framed cubes positioned at varying heights, the house was created for passing travellers to “gather, have a party, stay and feel something in the white woods’- Nishida
Nishida’s past works have included the Party Shelter, the Emerging Passage, and the Phenomenal Passage, all of which can be viewed through his extensive web page.
(photos- Nishida)
13.6.11// Living In The Trees: Architecture At One With Nature
Robert Harvey Oshatz’s Treehouse
Designed in 1997 and completed in 2004, Robert Harvey Oshatz’s treehouse illustrates the way in which architecture and nature can be married in contemporary design to breathtaking effect.
Created for the Wilkinson family, Oshatz intended to combine the beauty of Portland’s woodlands with the family’s love of music; resulting in alluring flowing lines, seamless rooms and massive open spaces filled with natural sun light. Built on a steep verge, the main living area nestles amongst the canopies, giving a beautiful 360 degree view of the surrounding forrest.
Check Oshatz’s web page for more information on the project.
The Treehouse At Harptree Court
Ready to open this July, Harptree Court’s Treehouse is set high up amongst the trees in the manor house’s woodland. Sleeping two people, the Treehouse offers luxury camping with low impact to the environment, using a small wood burning stove for cooking, heating and filling the bathroom’s beautiful roll-top copper bath.
The Treehouse opens at the beginning of July at Harptree Court, Bath, with a two-night break starting at £350.
(via- canopyandstars)
photos- Oshatz.com/Mark Bolton, Canopy and Stars
7.6.11// The Glue Society’s Rainy House
The eccentric collective of Australian designers, The Glue Society, have just unveiled their latest project, entitled ‘I Wish You Hadn’t Asked’. Constructing a fully working house in Aarhus, Denmark, the team have installed sprinklers and jets inside to replicate the look and feel of rain. The Glue Society plan to leave the water running through the structure for the next month, documenting the resulting decomposition on film.
The house is open to the public until the end of the month, check The Glue Society’s web page for more information.
(via- hifructose)
6.6.11// RATP Headquarters by Maupin & Hugon
Acclaimed architects Stephane Maupin and Nicolas Hugon’s have just finished their latest project for the RATP in France. Situated just outside of Paris, the bold industrial design of the firm’s new headquarters resemble a cargo ship, using round windows, bold orange colourings and jutting geometric shapes.
Created as a reaction to the location of the building, Maupin and Hugon’s contrasting use of materials and colours mimic the harsh industrial backdrop of factories, train lines and docking yards.
The helicopter styled blades situated on the top of the structure offer street lighting at night, whilst solar panels mounted on the tops provide all the energy needed to keep them running ecologically friendly.
(via- dezeen)
25.05.11// Boxpark: Container Architecture
BOX PARK 08/2011 from Roger Wade on Vimeo.
Since their invention in 1956 by trucking giant Malcolm McLean, the transport container has proved to be invaluable in developing world commerce by cutting transportation costs and improving international trade; but it’s the containers new found purpose that is setting the architectural design world alight.
With their relatively cheap cost (around £2500 each), and space saving design, containers are being used to create affordable, stylish and portable buildings for a host of applications including prisons, hotels, and markets.
Urban Space Management, a leader in the relatively new field of container architecture, are set for their most ambitious project yet; the Boxpark “pop up” mall.
To be situated in London’s east end, Boxpark will comprise of 60 containers on 2 levels, with 40 fashion stores and 20 eateries. The rent for the containers will be a modest £25,000 per anum, helping smaller retailers to get a foothold in an industry that is increasingly dominated by major high street brands.
Boxpark is set to launch August 20011, Shorditch, London
(via i Newspaper, “Boxing Clever”)
19.05.11// Eco Living: Cubed
Created by Dr Mike Page at the University of Hertfordshire, the Cube is a compact home, 3x3x3 metres in size in which one person can live a comfortable, modern lifestyle with minimum impact to the environment.
Consisting of a small lounge, kitchen, double bed and full size shower, the Cube is powered by a combination of solar panels and heat recovery technology. The energy system is said to be efficient enough to comply with the governments Feed-In Tariff, raising around £1000 a year from excess energy creation.
The Cube Project is currently situated in St Andrew’s square, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival 2011 until the end of the month.
photos-cubeproject
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