Tres Birds

Tres Birds, a wonderful design/build architecture firm out of Boulder CO sent me some photos of their latest work, a stump seat made from a found Maple log. The rotted areas were filled with wood aggregate epoxy.

B3 Designers

While browsing through the many photos of London Design Week, I came across this amazing project by the British design firm B3. They constructed an entire Cardboard Cafe out of 8,000 boxes. Everything from tables and walls to seating and cups were made from cardboard and edged with orange paint for a nice visual effect.

Dialog: City

The Democratic National Convention has descended upon Denver and with it has come a variety of great arts and cultural events. Dialog: City is one such series of site-specific works put together by artists from around the globe. While some events (RISD's 'Partly Sunny' Design showcase) were less than impressive - others, such as Minsuk Cho's 'Air Forest' were a sight to behold.

With the help of a balloon manufacturing company, Cho designed 'Air Forest' to be a temporary floating public square. Occupying almost 10,000 square feet in Denver's City Park, the pneumatic pavilion will host everything from yoga classes to plays throughout the week.

Torafu Architects

I just discovered the work of Tokyo-based Torafu architects. The group has created some really innovative, wonderful interiors including this unique alteration of the Boolean Cafe at the University of Tokyo and these clever mdf wall cut-outs for the Claska Hotel. (via omami via yatzer)

Hotel Transvaal

Hotel Transvaal is a city wide community hotel project taking place in the Hague, Netherlands. The city, which is undergoing drastic urban redevelopment, has found a unique way to keep both commerce and neighborhoods intact during the transition. Led by a group of artists, Hotel Transvaal offers one to five star accommodations in buildings across town; structures slated for demolition or new residences which have not yet been occupied.

The result is a series of roaming hotel rooms, with reception services offered by people in the neighborhood. A local cafe becomes the hotel restaurant, a gallery - the lobby. In this way, local residents feel the economic benefit while building community ties.

Voon Wong & Benson Saw

I love this installation by Voon Wong and Benson Saw (designers of the lovely Setcast collection). Made from polystyrene cups, it was commissioned for the opening of Space, a new design shop in Kuala Lumpur. (via dezeen)

Giancarlo Mazzanti

Faceted lights, now faceted buildings. Architect Giancarlo Mazzanti designed these three structures to resemble enormous boulders atop the hillside town of Medellin, Columbia. The buildings house a library, community center and cultural events space. (via plataforma arquitectura)

Kengo Kuma

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma created this beautiful inflatable tea house for the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt. The structure's double membrane has built in LED lights and can also be used to for heating. The interior is large enough to hold nine tatami mats, an electric stove and a preparation room. An innovative setting for a traditional ceremony.

Sarah Kueng & Lovis Caputo

Designers Sarah Kueng and Lovis Caputo are masters of cardboard. In 2006, they created the '72 Hour Hotel' (top) where users could rent one of their theme-based cardboard suites for as little as 15 minutes or as long as an entire night. As guests checked in they were given a suitcase filled with items relevant to the theme (i.e. magazines, a diary and a walkman for the Teenager Suite).

This year, the pair set up '5 Stars Cardboard' at the SaloneSatellite in Milan, offering passersby the opportunity to escape the chaos and retreat into one of their four customized suites. The rooms were flat packed, set-up on location and included some very cool cardboard pop-ups in the interiors (bottom).

Isolated Building Studies

Here's an amazing collection of photographs by David Schalliol. His 'Isolated Building Studies' document neighborhoods throughout Chicago. The nighttime photos are particularly stunning -view the full flickr set here. (via today and tomorrow and archinect)

Sparks: Because We Can

This week's Sparks focuses on the wondrous work of the Oakland based design company Because We Can. They recently completed a project for Three Rings, a video game development company in San Fransisco. Working collaboratively with their clients, Because We Can designed and transformed a 3,000 sq. ft. office space into neo-Victorian, steam punk wonderland based on the Nautilus from the novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

The project included:

• Custom built desks designed by Three Rings employees
• A Tentacle Attack lounge with 10-19 ft. tentacle cushions
• The Salon, a conference/dining area with custom lighting and idea boards
  
• And one amazing bike storage room, aka the Engine Room (via lfstyl)

Sparks: Tunnel Vision

In 2005 sculptors Dan Havel and Dean Ruck transformed two Houston area homes into a spiraling vortex of awesome. Utilizing the structures' existing siding, the artists created a funnel-shaped hole that led users in walking upright...only to leave them crawling out the other side. The installation was made possible because the buildings were slated for demolition, which also sadly means this project has come and gone. (via designboom)

Kastrup Sea Bath

The Kastrup Sea Bath outside of Copenhagen is a perfect example of the Danish aesthetic. A simple clean design ,which incorporates the natural elements. The curved shape beckons bathers out from the shore and protects them from the wind once they arrive. While the wooden structure is beautifully designed, what I love most is simply the idea of creating a space for a sea bath. It's an entirely different experience than walking into the water from the beach, where most people never venture out over their head. And it looks amazing lit up at night...a lovely amphitheater out in the sea. (via plataforma arquitectura)

I'm off to NY to cover ICFF, but I'll be back on Friday to report on some of the local shops I've been wanting to check out.

Terunobu Fujimori: Future Friend

I'd like to think that if I had the chance to meet Terunobu Fujimori, we would become good friends. In Japan Fujimori is a well-known figure, however he doesn't really seem to have received the international attention he deserves. In stark contrast to the high-tech image of modern day Japan, Fujimori chooses to work with natural materials - stone, wood, tree bark and most notably, plants.

His structures have included everything from pine trees (above) to roofs and walls covered in chives, dandelions and grass. Don't mistake Fujimori for a green roof guru though; his work is more the result of his aesthetic intentions than energy saving ideals. His style reminds me of houses from a lost world - in a sort of surreal, storybook fantasy, dream-treehouse kind of way.

Fujimori is also one of the founding members of the Roadway Observation Society (ROJO), a group of friends who seek out and document the often overlooked little details of our urban landscape. I love these ROJO photos, it's inspiring me to start my own band of merry wanderers right here in Denver. Maybe I'll even send Fujimori a letter.

Friday Fantastic

Everyone has fantasies about living in a tree house. I still envision having one someday complete with a bed and an easy chair so I can actually hide out up there for a day or two.

This, however puts my Swiss Family Robinson dreams to shame. The Fab Tree Hab, which is being developed by architects at MIT, takes a handful of saplings and transforms them into a two-story, energy efficient, water recycling haven. The system will take about 5-10 years to grow, depending on your climate, but once it's matured you can insulate it with straw, put up plaster walls and carry on with business as usual. The conceptual drawings make it look a bit like some futuristic bug, but really its just an awesome, creative solution to living in tune with the environment. Or, literally, in the environment.

Architecture Against Death

Most people imagine their later years in a nice home, surrounded by comfort and calm. Not so if you live in Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gin's 'Reversible Destiny Lofts'. The architects have created a nine-unit building in the Mitaka suburb of Tokyo which aims to keep its elderly residents on their toes. Filled with bright colors, the lofts also have lopsided floors, hidden electrical switches and absolutely zero closet space. "[The apartment] makes you alert and awakens instincts, so you'll live better, longer and even forever," says Arakawa. That's a lofty promise, but an intriguing idea nonetheless.

Drainpipe for Two

This gives a whole new meaning to sleeping in the gutter. Dasparkhotel in Linz, Austria consists of three refinished drain pipes which are located in one of the city's parks. Complete with a double bed, linens, side table and a little light, these rooms have everything the budget traveler could possibly want. Guests take advantage of the public infrastructure of the park (i.e. you'll be sharing the bathroom with the joggers and the playground crew) as well as local restaurants for all of their other needs. This project is great not only because it gives surprising new life to, well, a drainpipe, but the hotel is also "pay what you can," leaving it up to the guests to be the judge of the project's success. (Via Wallpaper, Oct/06)