storm from the east

InBetween House wins World’s Best Villa Building at World Architecture Festival Awards 2011

InBetween House, designed by Koji Tsutsui & Associates, has won the ‘World’s Best Villa Building’ award at the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 2011. Surrounded by Japanese larch trees in a mountainous region of Karuizawa, Japan, this 178sqm house sits on an artificially levelled area of the site created thirty years ago and left unused. Since the client wanted a house that seamlessly blends into the natural surrounding, topography and local culture, the architects designed this house as a cluster of small mountain cottages using local materials. The judges commended the project, saying: “It is simple and sophisticated in its formal language, which is articulated in both the social and private space, from the spatial configuration of its interior to the exterior detailing. What makes this villa stand out from the other entrants is the social ambition of the project. It is not just a project for one client and their family, but also offers the potential to extend the typology to larger iterations (such as a small community or even the expansion of this dwelling)."

Key concepts in sustainable design

What exactly is sustainable design and why should you pursue it?

Moreover, what positive impact can it have on your business?

 

Here are some key concepts:

Low-impact materials

Sustainable design utilises non-toxic, sustainably produced or recycled materials as much as possible. As these tend to use less energy to process, you'll be saving more than the planet.

Energy efficiency

Linked to the above, you should be looking into manufacturing processes and products that require less energy. Even better, look at processes that allow you to use waste to power your production, or at least part of it.

See if you can put the waste products to use elsewhere.

Quality and durability

You should be looking to do this anyway: a decent product wins you loyal, repeat customers. It stands to reason that longer-lasting, better-functioning products have to be replaced less frequently.

Design for reuse and recycling

This is a key concept in my Total Design concept (which I won't bore you with again here). Don't just design something to fill its immediate purpose, design from the point of view of its entire life-cycle.

Such commitment will not go unnoticed.

Biomimicry

Do you think you can design a better system than Mother Nature has come up with. No? Then draw inspiration from the finest design you're likely to see.

Think local

Sourcing local, renewable materials not only cuts down on transportation, but also stimulates your local economy and can lead to new, beneficial partnerships.

In short, thinking about sustainability is not just a cuddly thing to add to your marketing campaign; it can greatly improve the long-term prospects of your business and the world around us.

Tom Wegener Surfboards

If I ever get good enough at surfing, I want to ride a Tom Wegener alaia board. Based on the ancient Polynesian boards, these finless beauties are probably the closest thing you can get to a truly enviromentally-friendly surfboard: no chemicals, just wood. Sadly I'll probably never be good enough to ride one.

Angela Belcher: Using nature to grow batteries

This is fascinating, and hope this technology can be used on a large scale. Inspired by an abalone shell, Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures that humans can use. Selecting for high-performing genes through directed evolution, she's produced viruses that can construct powerful new batteries, clean hydrogen fuels and record-breaking solar cells. At TEDxCaltech, she shows us how it's done.

EXTRASTUDIO WINS HONOURABLE MENTION IN IBIZA'S NEW PUBLIC PARK COMPETITION

EXTRASTUDIO and landscape architects Oficina dos Jardins have been awarded an Honourable Mention for their joint entry to the international competition for Ca n' Escandell urban park in Ibiza, Spain, from a total of 72 proposals. The new, 10 hectare park will be the largest green area in the city of Ibiza and is part of a master plan promoted by the Spanish government agency, SEPES, Entidade Estatual de Suelo, which will accommodate 400 housing units.
		EXTRASTUDIO’s proposal, Parc Central, features a park as a connective and cohesive element with the urban surroundings. The design addresses the increasingly difficult economic conditions and the extreme shortage of water faced by Ibiza for most of the year. Drainage channels, a cistern, a water tower and a careful selection of local plant species allow the park to be fully autonomous in terms of water-supply.

Find out more at: http://www.extrastudio.pt/