Designing for climate change - an unfortunate trend of our future

The American Society of Landscape Architects encourage mitigation of damage to the plants through good architecture, landscape design and transportation systems that save energy.  Above is a plan from Houston Texas.

Liyuan Library by Architect Li Xiaodong - A Natural Setting

The point is to keep light out of the library but to give a natural look...still think it is too much light and too little control.

Jürgen Mayer-Hermann - Shademaker

Metropol Parasol, Sevilla --by day...

 ...and by night!  A very dramatic statement! It is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. It was completed in 2009 after many structural difficulties were resolved. 

BNIM -- Increasing the Vitality of People & Planet through Architecture

BNIM is an architecture firm that has five main locations in Kansas City, Des Moines, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Houston. Other than creating beautiful buildings, BNIM's central goal is to use their teams to use their buildings to inspire change and enhance the human condition. This firm has created hundreds of beautiful buildings and spaces using their idea of "Generous Pragmatism," a thoughtful, strategic balance between beauty and performance. Their designs are ethical and their ideas are indeed a challenge, but as they look to what has been done in the past, they continue to seek architecture that is environmentally ethic. BNIM is famous for using their unique design approach that they call "High-Performance Integrated Design" (HPID). While using HPID, they strive to produce architecture that is environmentally responsible, functionally appropriate, responsive to locale, and beautiful. 

Omega Center for Sustainable Living
 Rhinebeck, NY
Completed in 2009
http://www.bnim.com/project/omega-center-sustainable-living

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Kansas City, MO
Completed in 2011
http://www.bnim.com/project/kauffman-center-performing-arts

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
Glen Jean, WV
Construction will be phased over a number of years, 1st phase completed in the Spring of 2013.
http://www.bnim.com/project/summit-bechtel-family-national-scout-reserve

Sean Godsell- Australian architect changing the way we live

SHADOWS OF BAMBOO

ARCHITECT: Sean Godsell / Australia

Sean Godsell Architect  Cater\Tucker house 1998-2000

Thomas Heatherwick - The Textured Tower

For a Hotel in Hong Kong, Heatherwick breaks the long tradition of a slick and smooth façade with the "deconstructed" façade that adds texture and interest to what otherwise might be a boring design!
If the name sounds familiar remember London's Olympic Cauldron

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Sou Fujimoto - Innovation from Japan

 

This residential/business tower is in Montpellier France by a emerging Japanese architect. The irregular patterns formed by porches that become shaded roofs for the unit below certainly give the tower an energetic look.  The views must be spectacular!

Renzo Piano -- A New Age of Architecture

Renzo Piano is an Italian Pritzker Prize-winning architect. In 2006 he was listed in TIME Magazine as the 10th most influential person in the Arts and Entertainment. He work includes The California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, The New York Times building, Manhattan, The Shard, London, The Modern Wing of The Art Institute, Chicago, and the Nemo Science Center, Amsterdam.

California Academy of Sciences, SF

The New York Times, Manhattan

The Shard, London (also Europe's tallest skyscraper)

Modern Wing, Chicago Art Institute

Nemo Science Center, Amsterdam 

Frank Gehry -- Some of the Most Important Works in Contemporary Architecture

Canadian-born Frank Gehry works and resides in Southern California. He is famous for designing and creating a whimsical, out of this world buildings using mirror-like metals. His most famous works often draw a large tourist attraction just for the building itself. These include The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, France, Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic, and The Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington. Ironically, what really kick-started his career was his architecture of his Santa Monica home.

Guggenheim, Bilbao

Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA

Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris

Dancing House, Prague

The Experience Music Project, Seattle

Gehry Residence, Santa Monica

New York Fashion Week Meets Peter Copping // An Homage Oscar de la Renta

Although Dominican Republic-born American designer legend Oscar de la Renta passed away this October, his passion for making women feel like a queen in his gowns has certainly not left the fashion world. Peter Copping joined Oscar de la Renta as Creative Director in 2014 and his debut show was this week in New York. Peter has stated that he believes in everything Oscar had achieved in his collections: beautiful things. Although Copping has big shoes to fill, he is not worried about the brand changing, he in firm in his belief to maintain what Oscar built, and only adding to it. As we watched the Oscar de la Renta show this week, we saw that the garments were truly Oscar inspired, possibly adding a little bit more sexy than usual. Overall, I loved how Copping has added to the brand and I think he will do a marvelous job of taking over and paying homage to this amazing fashion icon.

Marchesa -- A Red Carpet Empire

Marchesa’s Fall 2015 show at NYFW have us all lusting after these dramatic 20s inspired garments. Although the color palette contains dark charcoal hues, deep reds, and a splash of silver, the textures of feathers, florets,  and fringe (and don’t forget the plunging necklines) are what is really stealing our hearts. As per usual, these gowns are perfect for any red carpet event… speaking of, The Academy Awards are this weekend—let’s keep an eye out for Marchesa.

DesignLabWorkshop founder Brian Peters builds a better brick

On his conventional fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer, Peters replaced its plastic extrusion system, or print head, with an air-pressure nozzle that delivers a homemade liquid clay mixture stored in reusable plastic cartridges. Layer by layer, a brick emerges from a linear bead. Each brick takes about 15 to 20 minutes to print, a day to air dry, and then 12 hours to fire in a kiln at roughly 2,000 F. To date, Peters has designed and printed four types of bricks: honeycomb, interlocking, ribbed, and x-bricks. Like all craftsmen, he continues to finesse his work to account for the performance of the material in reality.

quoted from: http://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/award-buildingbytes_o.aspx

Erin Fetherston - A Year Long Romantic

Although Erin Fetherston is working and living in New York, perhaps we can see a glimpse of her upbringing from the San Francisco Bay Area in her gorgeous designs. After studying at Parsons in Paris she debuted her first collection at the Paris haute couture shows, and was immediately noticed by the fashion industry. Since her beginnings, her clothes have maintained a feminine, romantic, and whimsical quality that makes women continue to fall in love with her beautiful gowns and garments.

Richard Beckett - printing ceramics

Francis Bitonti - a twiggy chair

Many tiny branches make up the structural mass of this chair. According to the designer's site "Bristol Chair is then manufactured in one ABS plastic part on a FDM 3D printer."

Francis Bitonti's Designs

"Four independent strands cohere and separate creating a landscape of fibers nestled into the hand. The separation and cohesion of these long linear elements is used to produces local difference to beautifully satisfy the demands of a functional set of flatware. The Flatware is manufactured with the latest 3D metal printing technology and finished with sterling silver."  quoted from   http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130106-francis-bitonti-collections-integrating-3d-printing-into-architectural-design.html

Joie - "Casual, Comfortable, & Luxurious"

You may have grazed through some of Joie’s beautiful blazers, sweaters, or jumpsuits while diving into some much needed retail therapy at Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. Though, if you haven’t actually committed to purchasing the garment, do yourself a favor and take a look at Joie’s Fall 2015 collection from New York Fashion Week’s website. This season Joie is offering an earthy palette with versatile textures. Joie clothing is inspired by the easygoing yet luxurious lifestyle of the both modern and timeless, Southern Californian woman.