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Vegan Antlers: Mount Wall Trophy Plants Instead of Animals

14 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

wall mounted deer

Combining a Japanese floral arrangement tradition (ikebana) with the hunting convention of mounted trophies, these plant holders allow for clever, colorful and ever-changing organic displays.

wall mounted flower pink

The Elkebana consists of a pair of glass flower holders set into a familiar wooden wall plaque, designed by Fabio Milito & Paula Studio and hand-crafted in Italy.

wall flower horns design

Its creators have had quite a bit of fun naming some of their experimental arrangements, including Nora the Angora, Girgenta the Goat, Jason the Aries, Isidoro the Oryx and Frank the Buck.

wall mounted creative flowers

Unlike the more morbid mounts that inspired this creation, there is also a greater degree of flexibility – change the flowers or their organization and you change the piece.

wall mounted plant antlers

And unlike traditional tabletop vessels for botanical displays, this one works well for small living spaces where surface area cannot be sacrificed.

wall mount maker

wall mount glass wood

Made of high quality birch plywood, solid walnut, solid oak or cork shield, the wall mounts hold your botanical arrangements in the two hand-blown glass vases.

wall mount branches spoof

From its makers: “The ‘ikebana is the ancient Japanese art of arranging floral elements in harmonious compositions. Elkebana brings the ancient art of ikebana to the wall, in order to transform the wall trophy idea into a continuously mutating, colourful creature.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Taking Their Lumps: 12 Bitter Sweet Abandoned Sugar Mills

14 Sep

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Obesity epidemic notwithstanding, the world boasts more abandoned sugar mills than you can shake a peppermint stick at.

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The former Delta Sugar Company mill in Clarksburg, Yolo County, California was constructed between 1934 and 1936… it took two years because the mill was transported by railroad, piece by piece, from its original location in Utah. By the early 1990s the mill became uneconomical to operate and in 1993 it was closed.

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After lying abandoned for over 7 years, the “Old Sugar Mill” began to show some signs of life when some sections were upcycled into a grape-crushing and wine-tasting facility for several local wineries. Kudos to Flickr user Mark Brooks (cal_gecko), who exquisitely photo-documented the complex in late July of 2010.

Falling Like A Domino

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The iconic Domino Sugar Refinery in Brooklyn, NYC’s Williamsburg neighborhood was built in 1882 on the site of an even earlier sugar mill that opened in 1856. At one point the plant employed over 4,000 workers and supplied half the sugar consumed in the United States. By the year 2000 when the factory closed, however, only 225 employees still worked there. The Domino Sugar Refinery was sold to developers in early 2014 and the wrecking ball began swinging in October.

Sugar Beaten

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The Great Western Sugar Company mill in Longmont, Colorado closed in 1977 and – possibly due to the dearth of wineries in the region – has sat derelict and abandoned for well over thirty years.

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The factory opened in 1903 and processed locally-grown sugar beets. Rumor has it the mill is haunted, perhaps by sweet-toothed ghosts. Flickr user Sheila Dee (sheiladeeisme) visited the decrepit factory in January of 2013.

American Paia

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Paia, on the island of Maui, Hawaii may be “The World Capitol of Windsurfing” but the town of 2,668 (as of 2010) has another claim to fame: it’s where the once cutting-edge Haiku Sugar Mill processed sugar cane into brown sugar.

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Opening in 1861 and powered by a steam engine, the mill only operated for 18 years and has sat abandoned for well over a century. These days its ruins are a popular wedding photography and reception venue. Flickr user Maria Caridad snapped some of the more obscure areas of the abandoned mill on June 28th of 2009.

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Taking Their Lumps 12 Bitter Sweet Abandoned Sugar Mills

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Stacked Ceramics: Shop Floor Made from 25,000 Pieces of Pottery

13 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

ceramic surface side view

A 400-year-old ceramics studio in Japan has completely remodeled their store with a most remarkable addition: a walkable surface constructed from a stack of tens of thousands of scrapped pieces of crockery.

ceramic walkable surface

ceramic stacked tableware discards

Yusuke Seki (photos by Takumi Ota) collected plates, saucers, bowls and cups for this creative endeavor, all to create a display platform for Maruhiro Ceramics in Hasami, Nagasaki.

ceramic steps display level

ceramics on display

To facilitate a more intimate experience, a pair of stairs is placed by the display platform, allowing visitors to walk up and peruse wares, all while enjoying a sense of wonder from the layers of history right beneath their feet.

ceramic platform in use

ceramic wood display cases

Traditionally, flawed ceramics are simply thrown into dedicated landfills, while this rethought application brings pieces of history back up to the surface.

ceramic top detail

ceramic space exxterior

Since the discards are eliminated before the coloring and glazing process, there is an aesthetic consistency to the materials reused in this creative context.

ceramic stairs side

ceramic view outside

Individually fragile, the tableware was turned into modular bricks by being filled with concrete, but their individual shapes and sizes still made this a daunting endeavor to actually deploy. Still, the result is compelling and interactive – not so much of a crackpot idea after all, as it turns out.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Ghost Church: Creepy Statues Invade Abandoned Czech Chapel

11 Sep

[ By Steph in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

ghost church 1

If you just happen to stumble upon the dilapidated St. George’s Church in the Czech Republic, passing through the crumbling entrance to glance around at the shadowy interior, you might just be in for the most terrifying moment of your life. Abandoned since the 1960s, the church has long since been devoid of human worshippers, but that doesn’t mean it’s empty. Ghostly shrouded figures line its pews, some hovering in doorways and in the aisles.

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Located in the northwestern Bohemia town of Luková, the ‘Church of Nine Ghosts’ first fell into disrepair after the ceiling caved in during a funeral service in 1968. Locals took that as a bad omen, and boarded up the 14th century structure, holding services outside instead. But many residents saw the church as an important part of the town’s history, and wanted to see it restored.

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“The figures represent the ghosts of Sudeten Germans who lived in Lukova before World War Two and who came to pray at this church every Sunday,” says artist Jakub Hadrava, who was commissioned to create the installation. “I hope to show the world that this place had a past and it was a normal part of everyday life, but that fate has a huge influence on our lives.”

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Made of plaster, the ghosts were put in place over the summer of 2014 in the hopes of drawing more tourists to the region, raising money to rehabilitate the historic 1352 church. The plan worked, as people have come from all over the world to see the statues in this unusual environment, and the church will soon be restored to its former glory.

[ By Steph in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Hello World: Precise Aerial Art Drawn by Light-Painting Drones

11 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

dronedance

Highlighting the capabilities of high-precision aerial drones, this series of LED words and patterns could be the future of everything from midair advertising to digital fireworks displays. Entertainment value aside, there is a practical purpose behind this teaser trailer: to illustrate possibilities for 3D aeria documentation.

drones

The demonstrations in this launch video for PRENAV, a seed-funded drone venture, are meant to show potential investors and clients the power of centimeter-precise flying robots. “The precision comes from custom software and hardware we’ve created, including a robot on the ground that’s equipped with a camera and laser rangefinder to guide the drone along a predefined path.”

dronestunts

Some of these scenes were filmed in close to 20 MPH winds in the Bay Area, which is critical since the company’s mission is to document exterior infrastructure (from wind turbines to cell phone towers) for review and repair. Instead of sending people to do potentially dangerous recon, automation saves time, money and reduces risk.

droneled

“The video was a fun and playful way for us to highlight the capabilities of our system, but the precision that we’re demonstrating is essential for industrial use cases like cell tower and wind turbine inspections. For this type of work, a drone needs to fly extremely close to the structure to capture imagery and build a 3D reconstruction of the asset.”

helloworld

“Flying this close is challenging, even for the most skilled drone pilots who today try to do this manually (since GPS can’t provide the accuracy needed for autonomous guidance). Our system makes it a breeze to get complete coverage of the tower with hi-res images. And those images then get stitched together into an accurate 3D reconstruction that can be rotated, measured, and analyzed.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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Telescoping Trailer: Expanding Teardrop Camper Triples in Size

11 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

trailer triplings

The 3X trailer deploys with the push of a button, tripling its interior space in a matter of seconds, turning a cramped road can by day into an expansive set of rooms at night.

3d trailer interior

telescoping trailer bedroom

Designed by French company Beauer, the nesting camper is about 8.5 by 6 feet in its travel-ready configuration, but the shorter dimension turns in the longer one (15 feet) when deployed.

Its fixtures conveniently slot into place, unfolding to become parts of a set of bedroom, kitchen, living and dining areas (complete with refrigerator, stove, microwave, sink and toilet).

trailer work space

Portable tanks for potable and gray water systems are also included. Its compact configuration is ideal not just for taking it on the road but storing it in parking spots, driveways or garages when not in use.

telescoping toilet system

With a price tag of around $ 25,000 USD, the units may not be cheap but come packed with amenities. Currently for sale in France, plans are in place to expand sales throughout Europe and eventually around the world.

3x trailer new

A larger variant with built-in towing vehicle (shown above) is also in development, utilizing similar space-saving and expansion strategies in addition to other caravan buildouts. Perhaps one model or another could take the action as its name: the Tripling has a nice ring to it.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Climbing Cocoon: Ascend Gallery Atrium Through Net Tube

10 Sep

[ By Steph in Drawing & Digital. ]

numen for use 1

Test your climbing skills with a vertical ascent through three stories of a gallery atrium with the newest interactive installation by design collective Numen/For Use. Occupying Austria’s Architekturforum Tirol, ‘Tube’ is a network of connected safety nets suspended from the walls and ceiling, inviting visitors to crawl, slide and scramble until they hit various dead ends providing vantage points out the windows or onto other areas of the installation.

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The angles are as irregular and organic as if they’d been woven by a spider or silkworm, creating a sort of human cocoon. The cables attaching the installation to the wall are elastic so the whole thing gently bobs up and down with the movement of its occupants at any given time. The structural support is designed in such a way that anyone climbing inside experiences the sensation of free-floating.

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Stretching upward through an oculus in the gallery’s second floor, ‘Tube’ is an abstract composition, its jagged black form like a brushstroke against a network of erratic geometric lines. Contrasting against the white surfaces of the space, the installation stands out in stark relief, placing the emphasis on the shape of the nets and the bulges created by the people moving around inside.

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Numen/For Use previously created a grid of climbable strings, a bounce house for adults and a network of translucent tunnels made of packing tape, humans crawling around inside like trapped insects.

[ By Steph in Drawing & Digital. ]

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Zenith of Zen: 13 Nontraditional Takes on Japanese Gardens

10 Sep

[ By Steph in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

zen gardens xyzen 2

Broken down to its most basic characteristics, the traditional Japanese zen garden inspires innovative design in everything from toys and candy to the most impossibly relaxing modern bathrooms you’ve ever seen. These unexpected takes on the traditional play on the meditative activity of dragging a rake through sand, the pleasingly minimalist aesthetic of the resulting lines and the sense of tranquility a zen garden can bring to a built environment.

Sugar Art: Edible Zen Garden

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This miniature zen garden is entirely edible, with sugar standing in for sand and rocks made from black sesame candies. Created by designer Tomonori Saito, the Shinan-ji Temple Rock Garden provides you with a tiny wooden rake so you can play with your food before you eat it.

Kinetic Drawing Machine Creates Sand Art

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Instead of a rake in the hands of a human, the patterns of lines in these circles of sand are created by steel marbles controlled by a kinetic drawing machine. The Sisyphus Machine by Bruce Shapiro produces mandala-like designs that swirl and change as the marbles move.

Interactive Zen Garden Installation in Quebec

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zen garden interactive 1

This new take on the traditional Japanese zen garden replaces sand with gravel and uses three spinning tools inspired by agricultural machinery to create the patterns. Created by Talmon Biran Architecture for the International Garden Festival in Quebec, the ‘Dry Landscape’ installation requires participants to work in tandem to create their own circles without bumping into each other.

XYZen Garden Works Like an Etch-A-Sketch

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Create your own relaxing DIY zen garden game with a tutorial at Instructables, which even includes shop drawings and templates. The XYZen Garden by Jonathan Odom works like an Etch-a-Sketch toy, using a pulley system to move the stylus across the sand.

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Zenith Of Zen 13 Nontraditional Takes On Japanese Gardens

[ By Steph in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Tube Travelators: Replacing London Trains with Moving Walkways

09 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

underground

A proposal by an international architecture firm would reduce travel time in the London Underground, not with faster rail cars but by using people movers of the kind generally found in airports. Closing the loop on questions of congestion, this strategy would stop trains in their tracks.

tube congestion reduction standing

Aimed at the congested Circle Line looping through the heart of the city, the design from NBBJ Architects incorporates three parallel walkways moving at different speeds (up to a maximum of 15 miles per hour). That may sound slow until you consider that the top speed of the trains currently running these sections of Tube is around 20 MPH due to congestion.

tube function diagram design

Commuters and travelers would step from the slowest-moving walkway across to increasingly faster lanes, using the replacement paths to connect to work or other (generally faster) lines of the Underground. People walking down the fast lane could actually end up moving more quickly than a train. Others could potentially sit down along one side on fold-down seats (as with an escalator railing, these would speed along at the same pace as the track below).

tube futuristic walkway idea

While the odds of implementation are slim, the data is compelling – the system could accommodate more passengers than the current trains and would eliminate the frustration of waiting in queues. The Circle Line in particular is infamous for delays, with an average of 10 reported per day.

Christian Coop of NBBJ cites a challenge from think tank New London Architecture for the inspiration to create these strange proposal. If nothing else, it might be something to consider for the vast expanses of derelict underground rail space running through the city.

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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Animal Overpass: LA Wildlife Crossing to Be Largest in US

09 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

la crossing proposal

Set in urban Los Angeles over a calculated spot along the 101 Freeway, an audacious freeway overpass has been designed to reduce deaths among mountain lions, pumas and other wild species populating the area. While such wildlife crossing exist in various forms around the world, this would be the biggest of its kind in North America at 165 by 200 feet, and perhaps the largest urban example on the planet.

wildlife crossing example

ecoduct bridge wildlife crossing

The crossing is set to connect two areas of protected public land, in the Santa Monica Mountains to the south and the Santa Susana Mountains to the north, stitching a fragmented habitat back together. Covered in native greenery, it would provide a safe passage for animals across the busy freeway below and could double as a crossing for hikers and mountain bikers as well.

wildlife crossing in bamf

Backed by local politicians and wildlife protection organizations, the project was vetted for feasibility by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and is set to be funded with public money. It is intended primarily to protect animals, but also benefits motorists who can also be harmed in wildlife-related accidents.

animal crossing design

There are smaller-scale precedents around the US and the globe, variously set above or below roads help animals both large and small. Some are larger, including tunnels or bridges for bears, cougars, deer, elk but others are smaller and species-specific, like the above aerial trellis for mice and squirrels in Australia. In some cases, as with a certain species of crab (below, also: Down Under), the crossings are essential to maintaining balanced ecosystems and supporting local economies.

crab crossing

Many of these kinds of structures can be found in more rural states around the country, while very few bridge metropolitan highways. “I don’t know anywhere where people have tried to put such a large wildlife crossing over such a busy highway in such an urban landscape,” said Seth Riley, a wildlife ecologist with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service (additional images via Wikipedia).

360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Vegan Antlers: Mount Wall Trophy Plants Instead of Animals

Taking Their Lumps: 12 Bitter Sweet Abandoned Sugar Mills

Falling Like A Domino

Sugar Beaten

American Paia

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Taking Their Lumps 12 Bitter Sweet Abandoned Sugar Mills

Stacked Ceramics: Shop Floor Made from 25,000 Pieces of Pottery

Ghost Church: Creepy Statues Invade Abandoned Czech Chapel

Hello World: Precise Aerial Art Drawn by Light-Painting Drones

Telescoping Trailer: Expanding Teardrop Camper Triples in Size

Climbing Cocoon: Ascend Gallery Atrium Through Net Tube

Zenith of Zen: 13 Nontraditional Takes on Japanese Gardens

Sugar Art: Edible Zen Garden

Kinetic Drawing Machine Creates Sand Art

Interactive Zen Garden Installation in Quebec

XYZen Garden Works Like an Etch-A-Sketch

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Zenith Of Zen 13 Nontraditional Takes On Japanese Gardens

Tube Travelators: Replacing London Trains with Moving Walkways

Animal Overpass: LA Wildlife Crossing to Be Largest in US

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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

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