This is the Shorne Wood Country Park Visitors Centre designed by Lee Evans Partnership Architects in 2006. Lee Evans incorporates sustainable design by using solar thermal panels on the roof and a wind turbine to reduce burning of non-renewable resources and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. The building is also made of wood which is much better for the environment than synthetic materials due to the release of unwanted chemicals.
Chicago is one American city that is putting sustainable design in the forefront. Their plan for incorporating green roofs in their urban planning is smart and is helping to influence other American cities to follow in their footsteps. This is a picture of the green roof on Chicago's city hall. Although this space is not accessable by the public, it can be seen from 33 taller buildings in the area.
Little Architects designed this sustainable residence hall for University of South Carolina. Over 75 percent of the materials used were recycled and there is incorporation of bioretention that reduces and controls storm run-off. This sustainable design resulted in 30 percent energy savings for the client, USC.
Eric Carlson designed the Louis Vuitton store in Nagoya, Japan. The store screams high fashion with the dramatic white spiral staircase in the center of the store. The color scheme is black, white and gold with wooden floors.
The ceiling is covered with the signature Louis Vuitton four-leafed flower shapes that protrude from the wall and are backlit for added drama. They appear like stars in the sky.
The shelves holding the products are also backlit to put focus on what they are selling. The flooring shown here is made of limestone with squares of sandstone used to give it more interest.
Jane Churchill designs wallpaper and fabrics with fun, feminine prints. This fabric depicted here is of a velvet material from the Caro collection. I love the bold statement the fabric makes with the dark red contrasting with the stark white.
This is a wallpaper she has designed with a leaf motif in shades of cool colors.
This was my favorite wallpaper I found. It is a color combination that I have never seen with the pink in the background and the cream of the bamboo leaves and then the dark red of the leavs in the foreground.
In product design, Mayer has another obsession: heat sensitive materials. The product depicted here is a bed sheet that turns white when it gets warm. Although I see no practical reasoning behind this product, it would still be fun to play around with.
This design focuses on the Bisazza mosaics on the walls and floor. Novembre uses a geometric pattern on the floors and then continues it up a curved wall in a smaller sized pattern. I like that the curves in the floor pattern mimic the curves of the walls.
This is a Stuart Weitzman store in Rome. The whole store is designed around a ribbon theme that is used on the walls, the ceiling, the floors, the seating and also the shelving holding the shoes. He uses a neutral color palette that helps to make the ribbon concept less shocking.
I loved this chair design with its fin-shaped back. He creates a "u" shape with the seat and then mirrors it with the arm rests. I also love that it is sitting on only three legs because it gives the chair a more modern feel.
This buffet table to me looks like upside-down reeds sticking out of the water. I love how the wood pieces create a zigzag on the floor and also on the opposite way where they meet the glass.
Gap has, for as long as I can remember, been putting out amazing memorable ads. Everyone knows about their famous commercial with the dancers all wearing khakis. Recently they have been using celebrities in their ads, photographing them in black and white. I particularly chose this ad because it really signifies Gap as a company for me. This ad is for Gap jeans. I love the way they use color by making everything black and white except for the blue jeans. The models look young and fun making the consumer want to buy the product. The graphics at the bottom of the ad emphasize the playfulness of the product. To top it off, the ad includes the Gap logo in the center of the page with the twist of a "blue jean" blue rather than the usual navy, and it has the appearance of being colored in, which mimics the texture of jeans.
The green roof has grown increasingly popular in America in the last few years as sustainability has come to the forefront in design. Green roofs allow companies to put gardens on the roof of their urban buildings and improving the environment. Green roofs have been proven to improve air quality, keep cooling costs down, reduce stormwater runoff, and improve insulation of the building. Not to mention they look pretty. Green is hard to find in many urban areas, so this is a good solution as it does not take up valuable land and will also benefit the buildings on which they grow.
Finnish glassware is famous around the world for unique shapes and classic designs. This particular vase was designed Alvar Aalto, a famous Finnish designer, in the 1930's.
This chair called "nomad" was designed by Ilkka Suppanen in 1968. The simplistic design of this chair is very representative of Finnish design. The seamless curve of the seat very pleasing to the eye and I love the way the chair legs seems to come to a point and balance on this bar on the floor.
Spanish trends include stucco walls, terra cotta roofing, brightly colored tiles, red accents, wrought iron details, dark woods and stone. Landscaping is also an important part of Spanish design as plants are always incorporated into homes.
This is Casa Mila in Barcelona, Spain designed by Antonio Gaudi. It is an example of art nouveau with its curved exterior influenced by organic shapes. The patios are surrounded by web-like wrought iron and the roof is equally as organic with its curved dome-like shape. Gaudi was a famous architect in Spain and is very influential for Spanish design today.
This is a photo of a typical street in Barcelona, Spain. Within the city it appears that the car is not dominating, but rather the pedestrian. A normal car would not be able to fit down this street. This is something you would never see in an American city. You can also see some examples of Spanish design trends such as the plants on the balconies and the wrought iron accents as well as some tile work.
This is a cheese grater from the Italian company Alessi. This design I thought, was incredibly brilliant. My grandmother is always making me grate cheese and she has the worst kind of grater that never works correctly. I liked this one because it comes with a container for the cheese to fall into after it is grated. It is also small enough to hold in your hand, so it is not such an awkward task. I also love that it comes in lots of fun colors for you to pick from.
