The Otic Oasis
Flexible Stream • Digital Wood Joints
Wood Joints are fascinating! They embellish old furniture and wood constructions of ancient Japanese temples alike. Everytime we come across them, we are filled with admiration: Admiration for the skill of the master craftsman, as their creator, but also admiration for the balance between function and beauty, which turns the furniture or temple into a work of art. With the onset of industrialisation, the traditional wood joints have been banned more and more to the background. As computer-controlled wood processing machines move into the cabinet-makers' workshops, the way two pieces of wood are joined together in a construction needs to be reconsidered. The result of this research are 50 digital wood joints, divided into frame joints, board joints and carcass joints. We are looking forward for the submission of your modifications and pictures of implementation. Arto from Finland has done some Davetone Mixcubes:
Hexayurt Project - incredibly cheap shelter for those in need
Urbio - Get Started
Facit Homes
10 Air Purifying Plants For Homes & Offices
Even in huge, busy cities, outdoor air is cleaner and preferable to indoor air. Why is that? One reason is that trees and plants are constantly cleaning the air outside. This suggests that the eco-minded homeowner or office dweller should go out and buy some plants – but which ones? The Areca Palm (Images via Plant Directions, EnvicoGarden) NASA Purifying Score: 8.5 The top air purifying plant as ranked by NASA’s study is the Areca palm tree. The Lady Palm (Images via Livick’s Palms, TyTy) Neck and neck with the Areca palm tree for NASA’s top-ranked air purifying plant is the Lady palm (or Rhapis excelsa.) The Bamboo Palm (Images via Blue Moon Candles, Plant Importers) NASA Purifying Score: 8.4 Just a notch below the top 2 air purifying palms is the Bamboo palm (or Chamaedorea seifrizii.) The Rubber Plant (Image via HowStuffWorks, Great House Plants) NASA Purifying Score: 8.0 Fourth on NASA’s scoring is the rubber plant (or Ficus robusta.) The Dracaena NASA Purifying Score: 7.8 English Ivy
Global Village Construction Set by Marcin Jakubowski
Open Source Ecology is a network of farmers, engineers, and supporters building the Global Village Construction Set - a modular, DIY, low-cost, open source, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different industrial machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts. The aim of the GVCS is to lower the barriers to entry into farming, building, and manufacturing. Its a life-size lego set that can create entire economies, whether in rural Missouri, where the project was founded, or in the developing world. So Far we’ve prototyped 8 of the 50 Machines and we’ve been expanding rapidly. Please watch these videos if you are new to the project: What Makes the Global Village Construction Set so special? Why should I help fund this project? This toolkit will establish a new high benchmark of efficiency for green, low-cost housing construction - making natural building FAST and CHEAP, rather than SLOW and EXPENSIVE. Absolutely!
Flatpack Smackdown: KitKat Vs. D. E. Sellers
JWT New Zealand Fast Company shows us an advertising campaign from New Zealand where Kit Kat asks: "In the Kiwi summer of 2010, large crowds gathered at outdoor events and concerts. But how could we capture the imagination of this captive audience, give them a break from the ordinary and bring the iconic Kit Kat brand to life?" They answer by offering a free flatpack Kit Kat chair. D. Designer D. I am looking forward to seeing Sellers' new eDesk at ICFF. The eDesk is a designer's approach to helping the developing world attain education. More at D. More D.
Lilac - Affordable strawbale housing community in Bramley. Leeds
Going With the Grain Challenge
DESIGN 21: Social Design Network recently announced the winner of the Going With the Grain Challenge: Swedish furniture designer Charlie Davidson has won for his Uni Table design. Developed by The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Chapter of the Forest Stewardship Council to promote conscientious consumerism through responsible design, Going With the Grain called on designers to conceptualize an object using a single sheet of FSC-certified plywood without the use of hardware or glue. As the overall winner, Davidson will receive a one-year membership to Material Connexion and a manufactured sample of his design. A prototype will also be auctioned to support The Nature Conservancy’s sustainable forestry work. Check out the honorable mentions: Lounge by Damian Barton Wooble by Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy Swollen Surface by Brian Hamilton Notch Table by Brendan Revenhill Little Star by Ben Huggins Bookcase by D. Twigs by Anviere
Hedgehog Self Build
Hedgehog Self Build: Brighton UK The project began in 1996, when a small group of local people without permanent housing became aware of the recently completed Diggers Self Build Project in Brighton, itself an innovative ecological project in Brighton. The four people who initiated the project were all in housing need with little hope of being rehoused by Brighton council, and saw another self build project as a means of enabling them to literally build a future for their children. They used the contacts and structures as put together for the Diggers project to initiate this project with the council - and encountered a positive response. The project was sustained by the members of the self build group, who threw their lives into the project for over 2 years despite harsh weather conditions. They are built to an ecological specification and have 450mm recycled cellulose insulation under the grass roofs, which produces space heating bills of under £50 / year. article by Robin Hillier
