(incli)NATION

Stunning 'Atmosphere' Lighting by Chiara Lampugnani

Just found this terrific lighting collection by designer Chiara Lampugnani. I'd include this in ANY project I was working on; contemporary or traditional. If you're in Paris for Maison et Objet, check these out for sure!

Incredible Red Hook Vendor's Booth Re-design Competition

Just heard about the winners of the first phase of the competition. Great work everyone and good luck with the next phase...

"Architecture for Humanity New York (AFHny) announces a month-long ideas competition in search of innovative concepts for a new market place for the Red Hook Food Vendors in Red Hook Park, Brooklyn."

Unbelievable Tokyo Underground: Sewer Labyrinth Dreamscape

And you thought Tokyo was fantastic on the surface! Just have a look at what's under your feet: miles of cathedral-like sewers. A neo-gothic labyrinth of engineering wonder! I just wonder if they ever fill all the way up!

I was absolutely wrong about these! This is Kasukabe and a storm drain at that. Still an awesome space though. Here is a press release:

SAITAMA (Kyodo) An underground tunnel built to take in river water overflow and release it into another river to mitigate flood damage was shown to the media Monday in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture.

The 6.3 km long conduit is 50 meters underground in Kasukabe and connects the Otoshifurutone and Edo rivers.

If the Otoshifurutone River or nearby Naka River flood, excess water can be channeled into the tunnel from five locations and temporarily stored in a gigantic reservoir before being pumped up and released into the Edo River.

The water chamber, dubbed the “underground palace,” features 59 columns, each 25 meters high, that can store 670,000 cu. meters of water, according to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry.

The government project began in 1993 with a budget of 240 billion yen, and part of the tunnel became ready for use in 2002. The system will begin full operation in June.

Historically, the eastern part of Saitama Prefecture has been prone to floods. The government says the flood-management system will significantly reduce the danger of floods in the area.

Peter Benarcik's Great Green Designs

This over at Ligature we are featuring award-winning designer, fabricator and educator Peter Benarcik. Be sure to check his work out, it's awesome.

Peter Benarcik has worked with nationally recognized architecture and industrial design studios in addition to developing his own multi-disciplined design studios. Peter’s current endeavor- Five Ply Design based in Seattle, WA- continues to focus on both furniture and architectural projects.  As if that were not enough, Peter is also a Full-Time Tenure Track Faculty member at Bellevue Community College where he teaches various foundation and advanced design studios in the Interior Design Department.

read the rest on Ligature:  Ligature Online

To view more of Peter’s work visit:  http://www.fiveplydesign.com

Brad Pitt's Sustainable City Completes First Six Homes

Just heard that the first six, LEED Platinum certified homes in Brad Pitt's rehab project in New Orleans are now finished. The homes use sustainable materials and donated time and effort to come in under the symbolic $150,000 budget.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Art Basel Miami: Let the Games Begin!

Kim Joon, Bird Land-Armani (detail), 2008

Just got this great summary from Artkrush who will be on the scene again this year bringing you all the goodness to be found. Be sure to keep checking back as the month develops...

"Talk of bursting bubbles and crashing markets has bled through the front page and into the art sections of today's news. And so, as crates of canvas arrive in Miami postmarked from around the world, the most coveted position available in today's art world is that of the spectator."

Project H Math Toys: Vote Now!

Just as soon as you can, head over to Project H Design and vote for their latest project; designing educational math toys for developing and US retail markets, based on the Kutamba AIDS Orphans School in Uganda (an Architecture for Humanity building).

Pecha Kucha Night at CoCA, Seattle. Thursday 7pm

Just found out about this one and won't be able to make it because I'll be in San Jose covering West Coast Green. But you all should go! These are great...

Please join CoCA as we play host to Pecha Kucha Night. This month's theme is "Trouble". You've got some, we got some - let's share. We’ve assembled an incredible roster of writers, visual artists, race car drivers, actors and other creative luminaries. Share ideas, see great work - we'd love to see you there!

Top 5 Picks: Venice Architecture Biennale, 2008

The theme of this year's Biennale of Architecture in Venice, which opened on Sunday, is 'Out There: Architecture Without Building' so we thought it appropriate to review it from afar, from 'Out Here:' as it were. Curator Aaron Betsky has this to say:

"Architecture must go beyond buildings because buildings are not enough. They are big and wasteful accumulations of natural resources that are difficult to adapt to the continually changing conditions of modern life...Most buildings are ugly, useless and wasteful"

Hmm.

DIY Tiny Houses; The Time has Come

Great article in the NYT on Wed about the small house movement. It certainly seems like its time has come. Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, weeHouse, and others are making their move and with great success. And while some companies would like to sell us the 'prefab' version of the small house, I am more interested in the DIY versions; a punk-inspired ethic using scavenged, used and abused materials and doing it all yourself.

Architecture 2.0: Koolhaas v. Napoleon III

In today's Seattle Times, Mark Rahner talks to architect Rem Koolhaas about ego, empathy and architecture. What I find particularly insightful is Mr. Koolhaas' vision of his role, both then and now, as a facilitator, teammate, and bureaucrat.

Bureaucrat?

Coolest Doghouse Ever by Graypants

Looking for something different for Fido's birthday this year? Well look no further. This custom dog house from the architectural duo 'Graypants' should do quite nicely. Taking their cue from modernism's spareness and penchant for glass curtain walls, the design duo has crafted a fabulous little abode for your pampered canine.

BLOOMhouse Finds Life After Solar Decathalon

The BLOOM was one of my favorite contenders at the last Solar Decathalon and now it seems to have found a new home. The famed Texas MacDonald Observatory is the lucky recipient of this great structure, which, in its new environment, seems to be thriving:

From Treehugger:

"When we arrived, Sam pointed out that the batteries were way overcharged. Even though the state-of-the-art inverters are set up to divert the excess energy to the three hot water heaters and outdoor Dutch Tub (which can hold five people by the way), there was still too much charge in the batteries. Our job was to waste as much energy as we could to bring the energy stored in the battery bank back down to a safe level. We left the doors open, while we used the AC, the microwave, the full size freezer/refrigerator, the convection counter stove and oven, and we also had music playing through the giant plasma flatscreen TV for hours. Hap even let the on-demand water heater run for an hour to heat the Dutch Tub.

By morning, we were able to bring the energy storage to just above its ideal limit capacity. But by then, the sun was beginning to rise again and restart the cycle. Once the sun gets through its morning stretching routine, the up to 5 KILOwatts the panels gather, prevents any appliances from accessing the battery bank. At that point, all the power comes directly from the panels. Even the most wasteful occupant couldn’t use more than the energy the panels can capture. Did I mention the plug in electric cart outside? It doesn’t put a dent in the system."

Sahara Forest project; Solar Microclimates in the Desert

Solar week continues with this great project out of the UK which has the potential to actually reverse the devastation caused by current greenhouse technology which is depleting water tables around the globe.

The Sahara Forest project would marry huge greenhouses with concentrated solar power (CSP), which uses mirrors to focus the sun's rays and generate heat and electricity. The installations would turn deserts into lush patches of vegetation, according to its designers, and without the need to dig wells for fresh water, which has depleted acquifers in many parts of the world.

Read the rest after the jump...

Ecoastarchreview, Designnotes, and Architechnophilia

We've had some mentions across the blogosphere lately and thought y'all might be interested in checking out some other great resources out there. So here are some of the blogs linking back to our posts:

http://www.architechnophilia.blogspot.com/
http://designnotes.info/
http://ecoastarchreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/our-fave-20-design-blogs.html

ecoastarch actually included us in their top 20 design blogs [number 8!]

Thanks to everyone!

d.