Exhibitions: Bauhaus Art as Life
It is near impossible to be a designer in this day and age and not have been in one way or another influenced by the Bauhaus. The modern world’s most famous art school operated relatively briefly – between 1919 and 1933 – yet it changed the way we see, think and create. Bauhaus united art and technology, its utopian vision sought to change society in the aftermath of the First World War. Founded by architect Walter Gropius, the school... Read More
Meet ASIMO the humanoid robot
The car industry is full of contradictions. On the one hand it creates machines that are harming our planet, yet some of the most innovative sustainability thinking takes place behind the the closed doors of some of these companies. Last month we flew to Japan to visit Honda. Founded in 1948, this is Japan’s third carmaker and the world’s largest producer of motorcycles. It is also one of the leaders when it comes to ecological thinking as... Read More
Designing the $300 world house
As some of us in the West overdose on television programmes such as Grand Designs, a rather more humble design effort has been underway elsewhere: the attempt to design homes for the millions of people around the globe living on a few dollars a day. The problem of housing the poor is not a new one. However, as cities in the developing world becoming increasingly overcrowded and rural livelihoods are eroded, it is becoming more pressing. Recently,... Read More
Book review: Design as Politics
Our world is nearing a state of structural unsustainability- a truism so obvious that even global-warming deniers deny it under their breath. In Design as Politics, author Tony Frey develops his previous thesis on the role of design in preventing the coming catastrophe somewhat further. Sustainability (with a capital S) is to be achieved and catastrophe prevented by placing design at the heart of vital social transformations. Here Fry uses design... Read More
BIG’s magical portal connects neighbourhoods
This magical bowl-shaped structure acts as a portal to the city of Stockholm and reconnects the fragmented communities that live around the intersecting highways north of the Swedish capital where the giant Hjulsta super-junction is being built. Danish architect BIG’s Energy Valley aims to join these communities through a continuous circular bike and pedestrian loop aligned with public buildings and functions, including a shopping and sports... Read More
Exhibiting Crafting Architecture
Hidden away on a small alley off Third Street in the heart of SOMA’s museum district in San Francisco lies a curious exhibition. The handmade and digitally fabricated architectural models and mockups displayed in this temporary space aim to highlight the crucial role of craft in the architectural design process and their importance in communicating design concepts and strategies. #gallery-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-4 .gallery-item... Read More
Brit Insurance Design Awards
From an original concept for a cookery book and iPhone app, to an open air library, an organically-shaped chair and the world’s first designer lightbulb, the winners of this years Brit Insurance Design Awards at London’s Design Museum were an inspired collection from the world of architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, interactive, product and transport. The seven winners, selected by a jury chaired by former chief executive of the... Read More