Read the rest of Gorgeous Green House Wrapped in a Vertical Garden

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "green wall", "living wall", "sustainable architecture", energy efficient architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, Milly Film, Patrick Blanc, plants, Samyn and Partners, sustainable design, vertical garden

Malaysian architect Tay Yee Wei recently unveiled a towering vertical city populated with hexagonal housing units that offer a solution to urban population growth problems in Asian cities. The tower itself serves as a scaffolding — as the population of urban areas fluctuates, modular units can be “plugged in” to the structure to accommodate an expanding population.

Read the rest of Futuristic Vertical City Holds Plug-In Hexagonal Housing Units

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, green architecture, Malaysia, Plug-in Dwelling Development, Pre-fab architecture, Tay Yee Wei

Norwegian design studio PUSHAK recently installed a breathtaking series of moss-covered arches in the entry and gallery space of The Architecture Foundation‘s London headquarters. Dubbed Moss Your City, the project was installed during the London Festival of Architecture as a part of the foundation’s international exchange program, which promotes emerging architects in both Norway and the UK. The project encourages individuals “to become foresters in their own city” by participating in guerilla gardening actions.

Read the rest of Moss Your City: Gorgeous Living Walls Sprout in London

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, green design, guerrilla gardening, London, Moss your city, norway, Pushak, sustainable design, the architecture foundation

An art initiative in the hip Chicago neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Bucktown presents a series of commissioned storefront installations by local designers. One of many displays running along N Milwaukee Ave is an installation made entirely of up-cycled to-go cups sourced from local trash cans. Slow Commerce by The Indo Projects presents “cloud-like structures” that send proactive messages into the community about how taking environmental responsibility will ensure a higher quality of life for future generations.

Read the rest of Beautiful Window Display Made from Recycled To-Go Cups

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: chicago, eco design, green design, make believe, Slow Commerce, sustainable design, The Indo Projects, to go cups, window display

The green movement has helped guide some great designers to create amazing new products from materials that already exist by sourcing supplies from consumer trash. New York City-based furniture designer Chris Rucker gets right to the heart of the issue by addressing reasons why, in modern culture, trash is considered trash in the first place. Rucker uses materials such as plastic laminates, oriented-strand-board, and construction sheathing combined with quality construction methods to showcase a revolutionary and desirable aesthetic.

Read the rest of Clever Recycled Furniture Made from Undesirable Materials

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "green furniture", Brooklyn, Chris Ruker, eco design, green design, new york city, osb, sustainable design

German publishing company Hamburger Automatenverlag found a brilliant new use for old cigarette vending machines — instead of icky cigarettes, the re-purposed “machines” carry a series of condensed novels, photo books, graphic novels and collections of poetry by local authors. The new initiative for book distribution is a throwback to the conventional vending machine and promotes literacy in a clever and charming way.

Read the rest of Old Cigarette Vending Machines Repurposed to Dispense Books

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: book vending machine, cigarette vending machine, eco design, germany, green design, hamburg, Hamburger Automatenverlag, sustainable design

This past April we got excited for this year’s FIGMENT Festival after taking a sneak peek at the design drawings and plans for the event’s Living Pavilion. Now that the annual festival has come and gone, Figment’s City of Dreams Pavilion Completion-winning creation stands erected on Governors Island, where it will reside all summer long! The designers, Ann Ha and Behrang Behin kindly provided us with some awesome images of the 10-foot tall structure that is made of recycled-incentive milk crates planted with both sun and shade-friendly growing surfaces.

Read the rest of Green-Walled Living Pavilion Garden Sprouts on Governors Island

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: ann ha, Behrang Behin, eco design, governors island, green design, Living pavilion, Milk crates, New York., sustainable design

Designboom tipped us off to Droog‘s recently released “Darwin Chair” designed by new york-based graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister. The chair consists of a cantilever base topped with a pad of 200 different sheets of printed tyvek “paper”. The chair “evolves” each time someone decides to either turn over the top sheet, showcasing the fresh sheet underneath. As the layers are turned over, the chair will begin to provide an added headrest, and once sheets are soiled they can be torn off for recycling.

Read the rest of Brilliant Paper Chair Transforms With the Turn of a Page

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Darwin Chair, droog, dutch, eco design, green design, New York., stefan Sagmeister, sustainable design, tyvek

Design team Numen/For Use transformed 700 rolls of clear packing tape into an incredible human-size inhabitable spider web at DMY Belin 2010. The weaving took place over four consecutive days inside of the Tempelhof former airport. 49,213 yards (45 km) of tape wrapped around constructed scaffolding posts allowed visitors to experience the installation by crawling around inside.

Read the rest of Human-Scale Spider Web Made from 700 Rolls of Clear Packing Tape

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Austria, bio mimicry, croatia, eco design, green design, Human size Spider Web, numen/for use, sustainable design, tape installation

Danish designer Annemette Beck takes a creative new approach to textile design by utilizing an extremely inventive array of recycled materials. Her line of woven products include rugs, upholstery, fabrics, runners, blinds and even room dividers made from materials such as rubber, paper and metal. Beck’s experimental textiles showcase materials that can be salvaged and re-used — we are especially fond of the woven recycled bicycle tire area rug pictured above.

Read the rest of Awesome Area Rug Woven from Recycled Bicycle Tires

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: annemette beck, area rug, Denmark, eco design, green design, recycled bicycle tires, sustainable design, woven textiles

If you enjoy inviting company over for outdoor entertaining but are on the fence about dedicating your precious garden space to an outdoor kitchen — why not just do both and integrate the kitchen with already existing landscape? Electrolux Australia recently launched their Outdoor Kitchen by landscape designer Jamie Durie which does exactly that. The Outdoor Kitchen is made entirely of environmentally-friendly materials, can be customized to fit any outdoor area, and intersects with already existing garden elements.

Read the rest of Electrolux’s Outdoor Kitchen Integrates with Your Garden

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: australia, eco design, Electrolux's Outdoor Kitchen, green design, Jamie Durie, planters |, sustainable design

This bright idea by designers Annisa Fardan Nabila and Aulia Amanda Santoso minimizes waste by re-purposing incandescent light-bulbs into a gorgeous set of spice containers. The fragile nature of each light bulb provides a delicate modern container that is every bit as elegant as fine china. These beautiful pieces are more than just functional — they are sure to add personality to any kitchen. The RECYCLAMP SERIES is one of 23 finalists in our 2010 Spring Greening Competition, which challenged designers around the world to come up with innovative new uses for common household objects. If you think this design should be our grand prize winner, vote for it now!

VOTE FOR THE RECYCLAMP SERIES >

SPRING GREENING FINALISTS >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Annisa Fardan Nabila, Aulia Amanda Santoso, eco design, green design, Inhabitat's Spring Greening Competition 2010, Recyclamp series, recycled light bulb, spice rack, sustainable design

Designer Bao Khang Luu‘s recycled six-pack ring chandeliers make drinking an entire six-pack (or 60) seem a lot less “trashy”. Luu’s gorgeous designs transform the annoying excess packaging into vibrant chandeliers that resemble exotic plant-life. The plastic rings are joined by used plastic take-out lid frames or old soda cans and then are connected by a cord covered in a sleeve knit from plastic shopping bags. A beautiful diffuse light is emitted from energy efficient LED’s, which let off almost no heat and have a long-lasting bulb life. Luu’s six-pack ring chandelier series is one of the finalists from Inhabitat’s Spring Greening Contest — if you think it deserves to be the winning design vote for it now!

VOTE FOR THE SIX-PACK PENDANT LAMP >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Bao Khang Luu, eco design, green design, inhabitat's spring greening contest, LED, Light Fixture, six-pack ring, sustainable design

Kids grow like weeds and it seems like they get too big for their desks and chairs in just a blink of the eye! That’s why we are grateful that Japanese furniture designers, Sankei Co., unveiled their HECMEC folding chairs and tables this year at ICFF 2010. These little furniture pieces are made from paper, grow with your kids, are customizable and a whole lot more!

READ MORE >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Children’s Furniture, eco design, green design, HecMec, icff 2010, Japanese design, new york city, sankei co, sustainable design

Street benches are essential fixtures in any urban environment — after a whole day of walking around from place to place, it sure feels great to rest your feet and take a break. Architecture instructor Steven Ma developed an amazing concept bench that infuses nature into pedestrian traffic zones by creating a self-sustaining eco-system that envelops sitters in living and growing plant-life. Inspired by the mobius strip, the ec-O bench collects and filters rainwater and harnesses sunlight using thin-film photovoltaics, creating a welcoming resting spot even when it’s dark outside.

Read the rest of Ec-O is a Self-Sustaining Living Bench Made From Retired Airplanes

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: ec-o, eco design, green design, Living bench, living furniture, solar panels, Steven Ma, sustainable design, water filtration

Read the rest of THE GUYANA PROJECT: Students Turn South American Rainforest into Design Studio!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, green design, industrial design, model citizens, New York., Pratt Institute, south america, sustainable design, The Guyana Project

Who would have thought that something that is used to clean the grimiest areas of your kitchen could become this beautiful chandelier?  We stumbled upon Daisuke Hiraiwa’s booth last weekend at ICFF 2010 and were completely mesmerized by the fluffy, metallic cloud lamp hovering over the space.  Once we got a closer look, we saw that the entire suspended fixture was actually made out of stainless-steel scrubbing sponges!

Read the rest of Steel Scrubbing Sponges Turned into a Metallic Cloud Chandelier!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: brillo chandelier, brillo pad chandelier, brillo pad lamp, Daisuke Hirawa, eco design, green design, icff 2010, London, metallic light fixture, new york city, reclaimed design, recycled design, scrubber chandelier, stainless steel scrubbing sponge, sustainable design

Here at Inhabitat we’re huge fans of double duty designs that let you get more bang for your buck, and the latest example of an awesome multifunctional object that has us buzzing is this spectacular “Crystal Light” LED lamp by Taiwan-based QisDESIGN, which does triple duty as a toy, puzzle and objet-d’art! We spotted this radiant puzzle/lamp/toy at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC, and it immediately drew us in, like moths to a flame, with its mesmerizing glow and playful design. Upon further inspection (i.e. playing with it for hours) we were amazed by the clever modular design that can be snapped together to form different and unique shapes using magnets!

READ MORE >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Crystal Light, Crystal Puzzle lamp toy, Crystal Puzzle LED Light from QisDesign, eco design, eco lamp, eco-light, energy-efficient lamp, green design, green lamp, green light, icff 2010, kids light, led lamp, LED lights, LED puzzle lamp, Light emitting diode lamp, New York., Q is Design, QisDesign, snap-together lamp, sustainable design, toy lamp

Industrial Design student, Alvaro Uribe of Pratt Institute, wowed us last weekend at BKLYN Designs with his sleek Mantis Table. Inspired by insect body parts and adding a light and elegant touch to any interior, the table’s base is structured to mimic the small and delicate legs of a praying mantis which are uniquely angled to support the insect’s disproportionately long and heavy body. The design uses bio-inspired concepts adding to the structure’s lightness while still encompassing high-strength properties to support the heavy glass surface.

Read the rest of BIO-INSPIRED: Pratt Student Designs a Table Inspired by Insects

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Alvaro Uribe, biomimicry, Brooklyn, eco design, green design, industrial design, Mantis Table, Pratt Institute, sustainable design

Last weekend at BKLYN Designs 2010 we discovered a booth full of amazing wall-coverings by designer Katie Deedy from Grow House Grow. Each paper in Deedy’s newest collection, Naturalist, tells a superb story about unique female scientist in history.  All of her prints share strong narratives, are extremely creative and completely environmentally responsible. Deedy reuses all of her leftover ink, uses paper from certified trees and makes sure that all the manufacturing is done in an energy efficient manner. Did we mention how cool they look too?

Read the rest of Grow House Grow: Scientific Story Telling Green Wallpaper

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: BKLYN Designs, Brooklyn, eco design, green design, Grow House Grow, Katie Deedy, Naturalist collection, sustainable design, wallpaper