Design Articles

Design Articles

Design Articles featuring great design, architecture, fashion, graphics and innovation from across the globe.

 

Safe Agua Colombia: Calientamigos

Calientamigos allows impoverished families living without hot running water to heat and pressurize water for bathing, cooking and cleaning. The system is comprised of three modular components: a portable electric water heater; a foot pump that pressurizes the warm water; and a multi-purpose faucet head. It heats water more quickly, at a lower cost than existing methods, is more affordable than existing market options and more accessible than installing a gravity-fed water system. Design Team: Tianyi Sun, Della Tosin, Kevin Chang; Partner Org: TECHO Colombia, Socialab, Compartamos Con Colombia

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Plastex

Grammy’s chairs incorporate our new designed handmade fabric, the new edition. Plastex#9. An ecofriendly material, translates the need for environmental sustainability where wasted plastic bags play an essential role in design. It’s designed to raise awareness about the sustainable change in our world today and to revive the craft of weaving by empowering local communities. Plastex#9 is made from reused plastic bags and cotton threads. Plastic bags are collected, sterilized and cut into thin stripes that are interwoven on a manual handloom. The fabric is durable, strong and water-resistant.

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cellulose net tube

A garbage slick the size of Germany is drifting in the Pacific. Using packaging that is biodegradable not only limits the drain on fossil resources but also allows biodegradable substances to enter the supply chain. The Verpackungszentrum Graz has successfully made a step in this direction by developing tubular nets using compostable Modal cellulose fibres from thinning of home forests. The nets first appeared on supermarket shelves at Rewe Austria in December 2012. 10 tonnes of plastic can be saved by Rewe alone, simply by changing the packaging for organic potatoes, onions and citrus fruit.

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GOOGLE

As one of the leading web browser companies, google needed to grow in the building they were. The design concept is really simple…the city of Mexico. When you enter the reception you find this really white space, with a bright colored logo, that lets you in into two different spaces. One, the techtalk, a big auditorium for multiple uses. Here the focus of design is the Mexico city google map carpet, which captures you eye the moment you step in. The other door let you into Mexico city. First you see Chapultepec, an informal meeting space with swings, a lake and a very big tree.Then you see that thecarpet is actually a street that takes you everywhere. You can take an actual refurbished cab and have a phone conversation, or you can take the subway, that holds all the technical rooms in the office. You can continue your journey either south, and find workstations and Xochimilco, where you can have a videoconference inside a Trajinera, whichis a traditional Mexican boat; oryou can go north, and enter Teatro Blanquita, a big meeting space where Google Hangouts happen. Food and catering is really important for the company to give to their employees, so you can find a deli in the middle of the space where you can either eat or meet. There are also several amenities such as gym, showers and massage areas to keep the employees happy. Color and lighting design worked together to really enhanced the look, the productivity and the result. Designed to have little impact in the environment, this offices follow really estrict green guidelines such as low VOC´s materials, green carpeting, certified wood, and recycle bins. This offices got LEED Gold Certified. Google works totally different as the majority of companies, and because this is a young company with most employees being gen-Xers we decided to give a fun yet functional ambiance, or as they call it “frugal space”.

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Pet-Tree

Pet-Tree is a vertical eco gardening system made from recycled PET containers. The design consists of structural plastic pieces and PET pots that are combined to form a tree-like shape. The system also has a built in water circulation system, and it harvests rainwater while feeding plants through drip irrigation. The project allows space-starved urban gardeners to grow a wide range of plants, and it’s a great option for organic growers.

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Door Stops

Door Stops is a collaboration between designers, artists, riders and community residents to fill neglected public spaces, like transit stops and vacant lots, with seating opportunities to make the city a more pleasant place to be. Designed to provide a safer and aesthetically pleasing alternative to that which currently exists, the units are infused with large displays of public art commissioned from local artists, making for an easily identifiable, safe and pleasant waiting area for riders.

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