urban woods by yoshiaki oyabu architects

''urban woods' by yoshiaki oyabu architects in osaka, japan
all images courtesy yoshiaki oyabu architects

japanese practice yoshiaki oyabu architects has shared with us images of 'urban woods', a parasitic installation ad renovation project in osaka, japan. situated adjacent to an exceptionally wide and busy road in the city, the design seeks to reintroduce the concept of nature into the urban fabric while raising commercial appeal to the tenant building. 



street view

conceived as a small forest, the design consists of a grid-like system of lumber pieces that loosely wrap around the building's volume. the natural elements of the installation purposely contrasts itself from the mainly industrial site, creating irregular forms on the otherwise rectangular volume. integrated with the exterior expression of the building, the wood structure lends a distinct identity to the design. 



exterior view

the 'forest' elements permeate into the interior space, spreading on the ceiling like a system of roots. 
a built-in bench which runs along the side of the layout extends beyond the glazing to form a long outdoor terrace which benefits from a level of privacy behind the wood installation. 
as a result, the structure performs as an extra skin to the building, providing additional shading from both sunlight and outside views. as time goes by, the untreated wood structure will age and slowly change its appearance with growing ivy. 






outdoor space



interior view at night



view of the street



night street view



site map 

via designboom

airigami by larry moss

'airigami' by larry moss
(above) 'whistle air's mother'
image © larry moss


former new york street performer larry moss is widely known for his work with latex balloons 
in creating large-scale installations, sculptures, as well as wearable fashion pieces. his latest work 
with the medium - which he has dubbed 'airigami' - is the 'master works' series which consists of 
eight recreations of some of the world's most well-recognized paintings, completely constructed 
out of balloons. including works by da vinci, andy warhol, and jackson pollock, the pieces are 
a playful exploration of the representation of art, as well as a means of pushing the boundaries of 
the underlooked material. 

'master works was inspired in part by the perception of my medium as just a child's toy. I decided to 
create the works of the great masters to gently challenge people's preconceived notions of what art is…
and to make them smile!' says moss. 

the series appeared in a recently published children's book called 'artist eyes' which encourages its
readers to look at their own and other's work with a critical and discerning eye. 

to see more images of moss's work and as well as videos of the construction of some of his 
large-scale pieces, click here. 



'mona lisa'
image © larry moss



'airmerican gothic'
image © larry moss



'homage to warhol'
image © larry moss



'homage to jackson pollock'
image © larry moss



'vitruvian man'
image © larry moss



'escher's reflecting globe'
image © larry moss



'homage to cezanne'
image © larry moss


moss recently participated in the annual end-of-the-year IMAGINE RIT show at the rochester institute
of technology school of design. click through to read more about the school here. 

via designboom

m house by takeshi hirobe architects

'm house' by takeshi hirobe architects in tokyo, japan
all images courtesy takeshi hirobe architects
image © koichi torimura

japanese practice takeshi hirobe architects has sent us images of 'm-house', a three-storey house
in a busy neighbourhood of tokyo, japan. abiding by the strict building regulation of the site,
the design aims to connect the interior with the exterior while maintaining privacy for the inhabitants. 



interior view
image © koichi torimura

during the early stages of the designing process, an octagonal staircase was inserted into
the floor plan as a major structural pillar to the house. constructed with reinforced concrete,
the spiral stairwell is topped with a roof light which allows is to double-function as a lightwell. 
the interior surfaces are also finished in white to maximize the natural daylighting effect, 
bringing it all the way down to the basement. round holes of various sizes are randomly 
perforated on the sides of the shell to establish internal visual connections to each floor. 


living room
image © koichi torimura

to further introduce the outdoors to the living space, multiple volumetric voids are carved out 
as outdoor terraces from the corners of the layout. the exterior shell of the house wraps around 
these spaces, acting as a fence-like barrier from the street. all storeys of the house remains 
open and flexible, generating living spaces that are flexible yet private when needed. 



views of stairwell
images © koichi torimura



translucent steps
image © koichi torimura



image © koichi torimura



octagonal shell encasing the stairwell
image © koichi torimura



built-in seating
image © koichi torimura



(left) entry
(right) stairwell at night
images © koichi torimura



interior night view 
image © koichi torimura



floor plan / level -1



floor plan / level 0



floor plan / level +1



floor plan / level +2



section


project info:

site area: 112.40 m2
built area: 63.53 m2
total floor area: 251.78 m2
structure: reinforced concrete
structural consultant: s.form

via designboom

senUFO pillhead lamps by a+z design

 
'pillhead table lamp', part of the 'senUFO-originals' series by a+z design


on exhibition at tent london during london design week 2011, 'pillhead lamps' are the work 
of hungarian designer duo a+z design (attila kovacs and zsuzsa megyesi). the floor and table lamps 
are part of their 'senUFO-originals' concept series, in which all products are composed of aluminum 
and in the colours of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. 'senUFO-originals' also includes a 'CMYK turtles' 
line of small tables.



'pillhead table lamp' in yellow
26cm x 68 cm x 33 cm (W x H x D)
stainless steel frame, powder coated paint, anodized aluminum head



'pillhead floor lamp' in cyan
36cm x 168 cm x 43 cm (W x H x D)
stainless steel frame, powder coated paint, anodized aluminum head



'pillhead floor lamp', frontal view



'pillhead floor' and 'table' lamps 

via designboom

The Toyota Prius Projects: Concept Bike Week 10

Ten weeks ago, I first introduced you to the Toyota Prius Projects concept bike. We first took a look at the design sketches and began to establish an intent, or direction for the project. Then we looked at the company who would be designing and fabricating the bike, Parlee Cycles. Later, DeepLocal's involvement was revealed, alluding to some form of new technology being implemented into the bicycle's design. Finally, last week we took a look at the neuron helmet and discussed how DeepLocal plans to use this readily-accessible technology to actually shift the bike. So here we are, the final week of the Toyota Prius Projects concept bike.

There's a lot to look at so check out more below!

While the earlier prototype was a matte carbon finish, the team wanted to embody the branding of the Prius with a white finish. It's eerie how similar the final product is to the initial design sketches. Parlee's execution is flawless.

But that's only half of the bike. What about the neuro helmet? Well, Patrick from DeepLocal flew into Boston to ensure everything was working as planned. After a few minutes of setting up, the electronic shifting was moving up and down the cassette with ease. Seeing this in person is pretty amazing. Just think, one day, the cycling industry might embrace this technology!

As the bike was being built, we all waited with anticipation.

As each bolt and quick-release was tightened, it meant we were that closer to testing the bike out.

The second the bike hit the ground, it begged to be ridden.

One of the Parlee team riders had been training with the neuron helmet and the day had come where he would be the first person on Earth to actually shift a bike with his mind.

Patrick fitted him with the helmet and ran through some preliminary exercises.

As he mounted the bike and began to spin on the trainer, he concentrated on moving the rear derailleur.

We all watched in amazement as the bike began to shift. With each pedal stroke, the rider became more comfortable controlling his cadence and moving through the cassette.

DeepLocal had designed a smartphone app that would monitor heart rate, speed and cadence. This really opens up doors to even further integration. For example, implementing GPS could allow the rider to record data at specific moments, future programming the bike to shift on its own: the definition of intelligence. Of course the rider would be able to override these commands but just addressing these possibilities open new doors to technology and cycling.

It's really exciting to think that everything on this bike is open at the consumer level. Nothing DeepLocal or Parlee created is unobtainable: it's conceptual without being cryptic.

Simple ideas brought along complexity. The team asked "what if?" and were able to produce something that hadn't been done before. Isn't that what innovation is all about?

Sure, the end-product is elegant and futuristic looking.

But nothing is theoretical. You can see here, it's still a bike: two wheels and a crankshaft. It relies on a human being to move, in more ways than one.

For decades, the bicycle has remained very much the same but through the experimentation of the Toyota Prius Projects, the team has prosed some very important questions. How the world addresses these innovations will only influence the future of the bicycle and while the form will always be same, you can't stop where the mind will take us. Is this the future of cycling? Who knows, but it didn't hurt to have a little fun along the way.

While this is by no means the end of the Toyota Prius Project concept bike, it is a point of departure. The bike is now being prepped to be sent around the world and as with any innovation, the public will determine how these technologies trickle down into the market.

It's been an incredible journey for me to document this project from the humble beginnings to the successful end and I can't wait to see what the future holds. It's kinda cool to think that this entire project was inspired by and influenced by the design of the Toyota Prius. There's more to come, so just sit tight, hold on and keep pushing forward!

Last but not least, I'd like to thank the Toyota Prius Projects for sponsoring these posts and the opportunity to exclusively cover this project. 

via prollyisnotprobably 

via inhabitat