If you find yourself in the Bay Area on May 28th, don’t miss out on your chance to attend a sneak peek screening of If You Build It—a full-length documentary film about Studio H‘s revolutionary design/build program at a rural high school in Bertie County, NC. The full-length documentary chronicles one year in Studio H and tells the story of designers Emily Pilloton, Matthew Miller and their 13 students who dreamed up—and built—a beautiful solution that changed the face of their hometown. The story exemplifies the power of hands-on education, the raw brilliance of youth, and the impact a few budding minds can have on the future of a community. Come see the film before it is widely released, meet some of the Studio H’s new students from REALM Charter School, and learn more about how design and hands-on building can transform youth education. All proceeds from tickets sales will go to help fund building materials for the Studio H program in Berkeley. Inhabitat readers also receive 25% off their tickers—just enter “inhabitatlove” at checkout!
Alaska photo from Shutterstock
Until this past Friday, the U.S. was the only Arctic nation that lacked a formal strategy in its approach to the region. In advance of Wednesday’s Arctic Council meeting in Sweden, the Obama Administration just put forth a vague Arctic policy that seeks to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the region, while recognizing that an undisciplined approach to exploring those new opportunities could threaten national security, interests and the global good.
It takes real skill to turn salvaged materials into something new and exciting, which is why we applaud Pickett Furniture‘s creative spin on recycling. They were on hand this weekend at BKLYN Designs, where we got to check out their unique handcrafted furnishings and accessories made from responsibly sourced wood and vintage textiles. Read on to see more of their eclectic and charming bamboo lamps, vintage Marimekko fabric pillows and kids’ toys!
Image© Frank Lumsden
In an effort to create a cleaner and greener future, last week the Essex Wildlife Trust officially opened the new Thurrock Thameside Nature Park – a 120 acre reserve built on top of a former landfill. Over the past half a century London has shipped piles of trash up the River Thames to the Mucking Marshes Landfill where it festered as a blemish reminding the world of how messy the human race can be. But after many years of rejuvenation, this new nature park has proven that we can make substantial efforts to reverse what past generations have trashed.
The Jacques Rougerie Foundation has just launched their International Architectural Competition, a new program awarding innovative and creative architectural projects that have focused their programs on building at sea or in outer space. This competition is open to all and offers a unique opportunity for students in architecture, engineering or design to share their vision. Awards of €10,000 each will be presented by the Institut de France to three winners in the following categories: Innovation and Architecture for the Sea; Innovation and Architecture for Space; and Architecture and Sea Level Rise. Registration closes on May 28, 2013 and projects must be submitted by August 14, 2013.
As New Yorkers, we often take clean water for granted, but there’s a lot of money and effort being applied behind the scenes to make sure we have access to it. Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter H. Strickland, Jr. outlined the $20 billion dollars that the city has invested in its water system over the last decade, detailing upgrades to water mains and pipes, city dams, treatment plants, newly constructed sewer lines and other vital infrastructure projects. The officials also went over the work they are doing to ensure that the Gowanus Canal water quality upgrade project would also be completed by the end of the year, despite flooding and other damage from Hurricane Sandy.
We’ve been in love with Adam Frank’s LUMEN nightlights for all the years that this veteran designer has been bringing them to BKLYN Designs, but we are absolutely thrilled with his new LED version. Frank’s delicate little Lumen lamps are made of stainless steel sheets cut into shapes found in nature (like pine trees), and they cast gentle shadows on the wall. But now each one is even more efficient, long-lasting, and earth-friendly than ever before.
London’s Design Museum has formed a new partnership with furniture company Vitra to create a pop-up garden on the banks of the River Thames. The garden will showcase pieces by some of the design world’s biggest names, including Charles and Ray Eames, Jasper Morrison, Jay Osgerby and Verner Panton in a colorful prefab case.
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