A client approached Bangkok-based firm Site Specific to have them design and build a car dealership. They wanted an eco-friendly building, but more importantly they wanted it "as of yesterday". To get the dealership up and running as fast as possible, Site Specific came up with a modular plan to build the structure in phases. Using shipping containers as the building blocks, the Mazda dealership and showroom will be up and running as soon as the first container is put in place, and over the following 5 months, the rest of the structure will be built.

 

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Algae fuel and other biofuels have gained popularity in recent years to the point that even the US Military has adopted it as jet fuel. Given its recent rise to prominence, it’s not particularly surprising to learn that Arizona-based algae biofuels company Heliae has decided to harness the growth of algae on a commercial scale so that it can be used as transportation fuel.

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The sky-scraping 2,080 foot Tokyo Sky Tree opened just yesterday in Japan on the site of a former freight shunting yard on the Sumida River. The lofty needle tops the communications building, which is now the world’s tallest tower! The tower was completed just a few months after its deadline, due to a shortage of resources caused by last year’s Fukushima Nuclear disaster, but stands tall today welcoming guests from around Tokyo and the world. Check out our exclusive pics of the beautiful new building ahead!

 

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We recently spotted these nifty wool bowls by MIO at ICFF during New York Design Week. Even though they’re not new to the scene, we were so enamored by their cute design, we couldn’t help but feature them here on Inhabitat. The Philadelphia-based studio, run by brothers Jaime and Isaac Salm, puts a huge emphasis on not only sustainable materials, but supporting local businesses as well. The duo recruited one of the last remaining hat makers in the US to craft these 100% wool bowls, whose shapes, colors and materials are influenced by traditional millinery methods.

Lighting designer Christopher Poehlmann is no stranger to Inhabitat or the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City. Although 2012 marks CP Lighting’s 18th year at the ICFF, they continue to produce exciting new sculptural products for every new show, putting them high on our list of favorite lighting designers. Their latest creation is a beautiful new tree lamp and dining room table combination that literally stopped us in our tracks.

ReSpace has joined forces with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County to launch a new design competition calling for inspired creatives to submit their designs for a compact and transportable structure that can be built with recycled materials. The mission of the competition is to explore how a small space can employ material reuse in construction, and how these two design elements can be successfully combined during conception. The final build will be used by Habitat for Humanity of Wake County ReStore to showcase the possibilities of designing and building with reuse in mind. Designers must register by June 15, 2012. A total of $3,000 in awards will be presented to multiple winners and the grand prize winner’s design will be constructed in a 48-hour build overseen by Habitat for Humanity!

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Talk about the bold look of Kohler! Living up to their well-known slogan, the kitchen and bath fixture company made a splash at this year's ICFF, showing up in a 30-ft long, recycled chartreuse shipping container. The retrofitted container was decked out with a flip-up facade, plenty of space to showcase Kohler's latest color-heavy collaboration with Jonathan Adler and comfy couches made from their own bathtubs. We couldn't resist taking a peek - step into our slideshow for our photos of their statement-making booth.

 

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If you’re daydreaming about your next vacation, and looking for something a little off the beaten path, why not consider embarking on a global design tour? The world is full of inspiring destinations for travelers looking for a recharge, and you only need to do a bit of googling to plan a unique design vacation. Come along with Inhabitat for a brief tour of our favorite design destinations around the globe – from scuba diving to an amazing underwater art installation in Mexico to jetsetting to an ultra-modern designer hotel that towers over NYC’s iconic High Line park and meandering through the world’s largest wooden structure, which recently rose in Seville. Read on for 10 of our favorite, must-see design destinations!

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We Inhabitat editors could hardly "pipe down" when we stumbled upon BRC Designs' dizzying American Pipe Dream chair and table at ICFF this past weekend. Benjamin Rollins Caldwell is one of our favorite recycled furniture makers because of the skillful way he reinvents old materials, and the American Pipe Dream series is just another example of his passion and ability. Resembling a maze of copper tubing similar to the system of pipes Mario travels through with Luigi, the revamped table and chair turn a rather mundane material into something spectacular.

 

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Unlike their fellow exhibitors at this year's ICFF, Japanese lighting fixture company At Labo chose not to give out cupcakes, hire models to work their booth, or exhibit out of a 30-foot-long neon green shipping container - and they didn't need to. Their beautiful, wood veneer pendant lights garnered attention all on their own, and upon further inspection, these lightweight lamps are even more interesting than they appear. Made of super-thin cuts of sakura birch, the triangular pieces that form each pendant have been cut precisely so that they can be fit together in numerous different configurations depending on the whim of the user. The DIY kits ship flat, and arrive as a puzzle you can put together however you like.

 

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