A couple of Finnish artists embarked on a project to create a poetic public art installation called Bird Hangar that uses the wind to spread seeds across Japan. Unveiled at a past edition of the Yokohama Triennial, Casagrande & Rintala‘s sculptural cone was built with a steel frame and wrapped in a biodegradable, fast-growing hemp rope. The idea at the heart of the project consists of releasing meteorological balloons with attached balsa wood birds that contain five seeds of basic Japanese vegetables, ready to be distributed across the country.

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Post tags: Art, balloons, Bird Hangar, Casagrande & Rintala, Finnish Art, Finnish design, green materials, Japan, latex balloons, public installation, spreading seeds, Sustainable Materials, Urban design, Yokohama Triennial in Japan

Read the rest of LOOS.FM Creates Gigantic LEGO-Inspired Church Pavilion in the Netherlands

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Post tags: abondantus giganticus, dutch design, Eco Architecture, grenswerk festival, Legio blocks, Legioblocks, lego, lego architecture, Lego bricks, lego building, lego construction, loos.fm design, recyclable materials, Sustainable Materials, temporary pavilion, temporary spaces

Stay away from complicated assembly instructions, messy adhesives, and tools with this straightforward and easy-to-build furniture system that requires neither screws nor glue. Born in Japan and based in Copenhagen, designer Yukari Hotta created his “Kile” furniture collection by mixing wedge-based components with stylish Nordic aesthetics. Made from an eco labeled wood board material and featuring neat lines and a delicately colored flat pack design, Yukari Hotta’s “Kile” collection captures the essence of modern simplicity.

Read the rest of Elegant No-Glue, No-Screw Kile Furniture by Yukari Hotta

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Post tags: "flat pack", "green furniture", copenhagen, Denmark, ecolabled wood, Green Furniture Award 2012, Japanese design, kile furniture, no glue no screw, Stockholm Furniture Fair 2012, Sustainable Materials, user-friendly, wedges, Yukari Hotta

UK design student Kieron-Scott Woodhouse is preparing to launch ADzero – the world’s first smartphone made out of bamboo! Woodhouse told The Inquirer that he made the phone out of four-year-old organic bamboo that was treated for durability while he was studying at Middlesex University. An entrepreneur who specializes in tech products saw online pictures of the prototype, which currently runs on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and offered to provide financial backing. The ADzero will be available at select independent UK retailers by the end of 2012.

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Post tags: ADzero, Android 4.0, bamboo, bamboo cellphone, bamboo phone, bamboo smartphone, cleantech, green cellphone, green design, green electronics, green materials, green phone, iphone 4S, Kieron-Scott Woodhouse, middlesex university, renewable materials, smartphone, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, UK

The thoughtfully designed Cradle is a sustainable rocking chair created by a collaborative effort to aid people with autism and Rhythmic Movement Disorder (RMD). Developed by Richard Clarkson, Grace Emmanual, Kalivia Russel, Eamon Moore, Brodie Cambell, Jeremy Brooker and Joya Boerrigter within the Victoria University of Wellington, this cocoon-like seat is made from cold-bent plywood. Because rocking is one of the calming activities that is recommended for autistic folks, this special seat is a soothing and aesthetically pleasing addition to their homes.

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Post tags: "green furniture", autism, autistic people, Brodie Cambell, cocoon chair, cold-bending wood, cradle, cradle chair, Eamon Moore, Grace Emmanual, green materials, Jeremy Brooker, Joya Boerrigter, Kalivia Russel, plywood, richard clarkson, rocking chair, social design, Sustainable Materials, victoria university of wellington, wooden seat

Crotos is an Argentine brand that turns all kinds of urban trash paper into useful recycled notebooks. Metro tickets, scrap photocopies, old forms and even risque flyers are sorted and binded into surprisingly attractive all-size notebooks. Founded by Buenos Aires-based artist Florencia Dacal, the brand turns a waste problem into a practical solution.

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Post tags: argentine design, crotos, eco design, green design, green products, recycled cardboard, Recycled Materials, recycled notebooks, recycled paper, sex flyers, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, urban trash

IKEA is marketing its big annual sale with a line of clever furniture pieces made entirely out of the company’s very own flat pack furniture packaging. IKEA commissioned advertising agency AUGE Headquarter in Italy to make a big splash for their 40% sale, and that’s exactly what they’ve done by designing a table, a chair, and a table lamp – all made out of cardboard.

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Post tags: "flat pack", AUGE Headquarter, cardboard furniture, eco design, flat pack furniture, green design, green materials, idea furniture, ikea, ikea ad campaign, ikea flat pack furniture, italy, reduced shipping, resource-saving, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials

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Post tags: "natural materials", "sustainable architecture", Andrea von Chrismar, Chile, eco design, green design, green materials, natural light, shelter from the sun, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, weaving, wicker, willow

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Post tags: customizable home, eco design, extreme weather, Flatpak, green design, high winds, insulation, Prefab, prefab construction, seismic safe, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, Week'nder, wisconsin

The designers of Buenos Aires-based Laboratori have created this cool Arbol — a pine tree-shaped pencil holder crafted from locally sourced pruning wood. Measuring 7 inches high, the object takes on fun shapes as it gets used, adding a charming aesthetic to any drab workplace surface. By using sustainable ash and oriental plane, woodworkers Gonzalo Arbutti and Matias Resich’s meet their aim of creating simple, ethical objects from eco-friendly materials. The Arbol pencil holder can be purchased all over the globe, and sells at shops such as France’s Mon Petit Art, Italy’s Fabriano Boutique, New York’s Moma Store and Buenos Aires’ Tienda Malba.

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Photo © Laboratori

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Post tags: argentine design, green materials, green products, Laboratori, pen holder, pencil holder, pine tree shaped, pruning wood, Sustainable Materials

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Post tags: active school, Architecture, back to school, bamboo, biodegradable materials, boat-shaped building, bordE Architects, David Barragán, eco-travel, ecuador, Escuela Nueva Esperanza, local materials, New Hope School, palm wood, Pascual Gangotena, Sustainable Building, Sustainable Materials, sustainable school

Inspired by traditional 17th century Dutch weaving techniques, Scholten & Baijings designed a series of brightly colored containers and named them ‘Serious Business’. Measuring 10 inches diameter and 8 inches high, each bowl combines a touch of color with woven willow made from very thin strips of the dried plant. You can find them for sale here at Thomas Eyck.

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Photo © Thomas Eyck

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Post tags: dutch design, green products, plastic, Sustainable Materials, traditional techniques, woven willow

Curvaceous and versatile, the Becca Stool is a killer piece of furniture perfect for any cramped house looking for a bit of style and extra storage space. Made from fast-growing FSC bamboo, the Becca can be used as a stool, a side table or even piled-up as a dramatic shelving unit. Designed by Modern Bamboo‘s founder, Anthony Marschak, the piece comes in either a natural silky finish, amber, or by special order, in ebony or cherry.

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Photo © Modern Bamboo

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Post tags: "green furniture", bamboo chair, bamboo stool, becca stool, fast growing bamboo, flexible bamboo, modern bamboo, multifunctional furniture, strong bamboo, Sustainable Materials

Designed by Dutch duo Tejo Remy and Rene Veenhuizen, the Bamboo Chair is a limited edition design made completely out of the pandas’ favorite food. Bamboo is a fantastic, eco-friendly alternative to hardwood, but its image is not always so positive as many bamboo products are being produced in developing countries under not-so-ethical conditions. However, when the material is properly sourced, it can provide a great design medium that can be easily shaped into an array of fun forms like this nest-inspired design.

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Post tags: "green furniture", bamboo furniture, bent bamboo, dutch design, fast growing, strong bamboo, Sustainable Materials, Tejo Remy

Read the rest of Beautiful Mexican ‘Casa en el Bosque’ Designed to Adapt to the Existing Pine Forest

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Post tags: Architecture, green materials, locally sourced materials, mexican design, mexico, nature views, stone wall, Sustainable Materials

A happy marriage between RAU Architects and sustainable clothing company Hessnaturresulted in the company’s lovely Mondrian-esque headquarters near Frankfurt. Made almost completely from recycled materials in line with Hessnatur’s uncompromising sustainability ethic, the building also boasts a ton of daylighting, colorful, a bank of wooden-framed windows that doubles as a display case, and a solid earthen wall that regulates the building’s interior temperature. Even though it was completed back in 2006, we still think this project deserves attention since it demonstrates that businesses committed to reducing their environmental impact can still enjoy widespread success.

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Post tags: clay wall, earthen wall, FRANKFURT, germany, Green Building, green design, green materials, Hess Natur, Hess Natur Headquarters, Hessnatur, RAU, RAU Architects, Recycled Materials, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials

Half man, half machine, Studio Re-Creation‘s Transformer sculpture is ready for action. Designed by Studio Re-Creation, this 6.5-foot-tall figure was made from an old recycled Lada Samara Diva car. Sculpted, welded, and constructed by hand, The Transformer upcycles a small economy Russian car into a robot action hero.

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Post tags: Art, Lada Samara Diva car, man machine, neatherland design studio, recycled car sculpture, Recycled Materials, Sustainable Materials, welded car parts

Designer Peter Marigold has created a unique flexible storage system based upon the simple geometric principle that states ‘the inverted angles of a shape split into pieces will always add up to 360 degrees; the angles can be interchanged but will always form a whole’. A graduate from the renowned Royal College of Art, Marigold developed his sculptural shelves and seats using found wood and a single vertically split branch for the corners of each polygon.

Read the rest of Peter Marigold’s Polygonal ‘Split’ Furniture is Formed by a Simple Geometric Principle

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Post tags: "green furniture", Botanical, british design, geometrical principle, green materials, paul smith, scrap wood, Sustainable Materials, tree brunch, wooden furniture

Eco Lala‘s recycled bags, clutches, bike accessories, dustbins and even seats will cheer up any person or abode in direct need of some color. Based in Buenos Aires, the brand by Agustina Rozenwasser receives and collects all sorts of food packaging and uniquely recycles them into new and useful objects. By cutting the plastic into tiny little pieces and using a heat-press machine to melt them into a plastic sheet, Eco Lala creates a pliable textile that can be turned into wonderful eco-designs. Washable, strong and surely eye-catching, Eco Lala’s creations are one-of-a-kind.

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Photo © Eco Lala

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Post tags: "green furniture", Accessories and Fashion, argentine design, Decorative Objects, eco textiles, green home decor, green materials, green products, heat press, plastic fantastic, recycled packaging, Sustainable Materials

In Chile, mixed-breed dogs are called Kiltro, and these resilient animals are known to be survivors. Taking its name from these dogs, the Kiltro House was built under challenging conditions including a changing budget, design, and building permits, making it a true survivor in Latin America’s difficult building environment. Designed by Juan Pablo Corvalán and Gabriel Vergara from Supersudaka, the building stands within the long and narrow country’s central valley, and it was made from recyclable materials like aluminum, steel, glass, local stone and wood from naturally fallen trees.

Read the rest of Supersudaka’s Kiltro House is a Resilient Locally-Sourced Home in Chile

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Post tags: Architecture, Chile, chilean design, crossed ventilation, cypress wood, green materials, local materials, local stone, natural light, naturally fallen trees, recyclable glass, Recycled aluminum, Recycled Materials, supersudaca, Sustainable Materials