Design firm Broadway Malyan is taking its architectural talents to the next level, designing an entire city in northeastern Brazil. The gorgeous new neighborhood was designed by a team of masterplanners, urban designers, architects, landscape architects and brand specialists from around the world. Dubbed “Convida Suape,” the new city will be a model of sustainability, with a focus on walkability, green buildings and access to the natural terrain of the area.


Read the rest of Broadway Malyan Unveils Plan for Convida Suape, a Sustainable City in Northeast Brazil

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: broadway malyan, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Convida Suape, eco design, green design, Pernambuco, sustainable design, sustainable neighborhood, urban planning

Yesterday, the City of Los Angeles made eco-history, by enacting a citywide ban on plastic bags. The vote, which passed through the L.A. City Council, made Los Angeles the largest city in the U.S. to ban plastic bags. Consumers in the L.A. area will be asked to bring their own bags to local retailers and markets.

Read the rest of Los Angeles Becomes the Largest US City to Ban Plastic Bags

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, green design, Los Angeles, plastic bag ban, sustainable design

India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has courted excess by building a $1 billion house for himself and his family in Mumbai – however now that the massive building is complete they still have yet to sleep in it! The home, called Antilia, boasts 27 stories, a spa, a yoga studio, a movie theater, hanging gardens, a swimming pool, and an ice room – but for unknown reasons the family still has yet to move in. Although the family denies it, some have speculated that the building does not follow an ancient Indian design philosophy called Vastu Shastra, which is similar to the Chinese practice of Feng Shui.

Read the rest of Owners of $1 Billion Antilia House Have Yet to Sleep in World’s Most Expensive Residence

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: $1 billion house, Antilia, eco design, green design, Hirsch Bedner Associates, Mukesh Ambani, Mumbai, perkins + will, sustainable design, Vastu Shastra

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Amazon resort, eco design, eco lodge, eco resort, green design, Peru tourism, Posada Amazonas, Rainforest Alliance, sustainable design, sustainable tourism

The design team at Dorothy in the UK has created a souvenir of environmental destruction. Their “No Globes” are tongue-in-cheek snow globes that riff off the familiar tchotchke’s form while criticizing the dirty coal industry. The knickknack is a powerful- yet cute – way of drawing attention to the worldwide problem of pollution caused by the burning of coal and fossil fuels.

Read the rest of ‘No Globes’ Fill Up With Dirty Coal When You Shake Them

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: dirty coal, Dorothy UK, eco design, environmental destruction, green design, No globes, smog, sustainable design, united nations climate change conference

Seattle designer Jeff Skierka’s new Mixtape Table appeals to the 80’s child in all of us. The handmade wooden table harkens back to the days of high school crushes and passing notes. Made from reclaimed maple wood, Skierka’s design is the perfect coffee table conversation piece for any room!


Read the rest of Jeff Skierka’s Nostalgic Mixtape Table is Made from Reclaimed Wood!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, green design, Jeff Skierka, Lucite, Mixtape Table, novelty table, reclaimed furniture, reclaimed wood, sustainable design

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, eco-art, Emil Lukas, green design, sperone westwater art gallery, string art, sustainable design, thread art

Tokyo Skytree photo from Shutterstock

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Japan’s Tokyo Skytree Opens, is Crowned the World’s Tallest Tower

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: burj khalifa, Canton Tower, CN Tower, communication twoer, eco design, Fukishima Nuclear Disaster, green design, second tallest manmande structure, Sumida River, sustainable design, Tokyo, Tokyo Sky Tree, tokyo skytree, World's tallest communication tower

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Daniel Libeskind, double skinned facade, eco design, green design, korea, Muphy/Jahn, Pentimonium, seoul, sky forest, sustainable design, Yongsan International Business District

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!

Read the rest of 10 Must-See Design Destinations Around The World

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: 10 Must See Design Destinations, 1967 world expo, 3rw works, Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona, Code Architecture, eco design, Edward James, fjords, Fondo Xilitla, Gluckman Mayber Architects, green design, habitat 67, high line, Holmebakk Architechts, jurgen Mayer h architects, juvet hotel, KAWS, manthey kula, Marco Brambilla, Meatpacking District, Metropol Parasol, mexico, Milwaykee Art Museum, modular housing, Moshe Safdie, norway, Old Montreal, Parc Guell, Quadracci Pavilion, Rainforest estate, santiago calatrava, self-irrigating park, seville, Spain, Standard Hotel, Surrealism, Surrealist Estate, sustainable design, Todd Saunders, Viaduct, world's largest wooden structure, Xilitla

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, eco-friendly mateirals, environmental art, ephemeral art, green design, land art, Robert Smithson, spiral jetty, sustainable design, Sylvain Meyer, Walter De Maria

The taxi light is recognizable in great cities around the world, and now designer Guilhem de Castelbajac has immortalized the iconic item with his series of repurposed LED lamps, “Off Duty No More.” Made from an international array of recycled cab-toppers, the lamps caught our eye at this year’s ICFF.


Read the rest of Off Duty No More Recycled Taxi Signs Into LED Lights

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, Gillhem de Castelbajac, green design, Off Duty No More, recycled cab light, recycled lamp, recycled taxi light, sustainable design

We loved the colorful airy grouping of Tomomi Sayuda’s Daydream Lamps at this past weekend’s ICFF. The paper lanterns are crafted from handwoven Japanese paper, with the delicate swirls of color which softly infuse a room with light in the form of a cluster of flower blooms in Spring.


Read the rest of Tomomi Sayuda’s Handwoven Paper Daydream Lamps Float Like Glowing Blossoms

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Daydream Lamp, eco design, green design, ICFF, paper lamp, sustainable design, Tomomi Sayuda

British artist Ben Long uses a surprising medium for his reverse graffiti artwork – the grime that builds up from exhaust emissions on traveling cube trucks. Using only his finger, the artist has created a series of ephemeral drawings of children, birds and other animals in the layers of dirt. The project, called “The Great Traveling Art Exhibition,” is an ongoing series that takes over the back of commercial trucks, which are usually emblazoned with advertisements.


Read the rest of Ben Long Etches Beautiful Reverse Graffiti Drawings in Exhaust Grime on Commercial Trucks

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Ben Long, Ben Long Etches Beautiful Reverse Graffiti Drawings in Exhaust Grime on Commercial Trucks, Dirt Drawings, eco design, ephemeral drawings, green design, reverse graffiti, sustainable design

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: 1000 Islands, Alexandria Bay, Boldt Castle, eco design, George Boldt, green design, New YOrk State Castle, rehabilitated Castle, sustainable design, upstate New York, Waldorf Astoria

Benjamin Rollins Caldwell’s new LED chandelier fuses the structure of mid-century modern style with modern innovation. The Halide Chandelier recycles disused industrial elements into a dazzling, energy-efficient light. The piece will make an appearance at BRC’s display at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC next week.

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Benjamin Rollins Caldwell, BRC Design Studio, eco design, green design, LED Chandelier, recycled chandelier, recycled light bulb chandelier, sustainable design

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Beijing Artists, Chinese Artists, eco design, green design, recycle art, recycled plastic bottle tower, recycled plastic bottles, sustainable design, Thrown to the WInd, Wang Zhiyuan

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: A2 Arquitectos, eco design, glass curtain, green design, Leiria Portugal, Mediterranean climate, natural sunlight, pine siding, sustainable design

Our friends over at Dwell partnered with Pacific Standard Time to search for the best architectural LEGO masterpiece for Dwell on Design, and they’ve just announced their five finalists in the competition. This year’s contestants were asked to recreate the classic California mid-century modern home, all in the classic toy bricks. Readers of Dwell voted to select the finalists, and a winner will be selected next month!


Read the rest of Dwell Announces Five Finalists for their Mid-Century Modern LEGO Design Contest!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Andrew Black, California mid-century modern, Daniel Castner, dwell, dwell on design, eco design, green design, Kenneth Parel-Sewll, lego architecture, LEGOs, pacific standard time, Rick Viton, sustainable design

Read the rest of Bjorn Holm Recycles Broken Skateboards Into an Awesome Surfboard

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: 100% recycled surfboard, Bjorn Holm, eco design, Finland, green design, recycled skateboards, recycled surfboard, sustainable design