R Sloan's Design Experiences

COMMENT: Bamboo has never looked so good.

by andrea db on designboom

bamboo furniture system is part of the selection of indian contemporary design production in designboom’s curated exhibition ‘asia_now’, a show at dwell on design in los angeles, in june 25 – 27, 2010.

demonstrating the stability of the book shelf

‘book shelf’

‘book shelf’

‘truss me’ is a sustainable furniture system developed my indian designer sandeep sangaru.
designboom promotes the use of bamboo in the fields of architecture and design and we
asked sandeep to document his ongoing bamboo project for our readers.
the concept behind the collection explores new construction possibilities with solid bamboo poles –
strictus dendocalmus – and splits, using modular forms and lamination joints for new applications.
enjoy!

‘book shelf’ rendering

the strong fibers of bamboo can withstand compression and tensile loads.
using the properties of the fibers, ‘truss me’ was developed on a technique of splitting
and laminating the poles with another strip of split bamboo. when the glue cures,
the laminated module acts like a truss.

different configurations of ‘book shelf’

wall hung ‘book shelf’

the ‘truss me’ protoypes were developed with the help of a group of artisans in the village of sankhela,
tripura, india, a region which has an abundant bamboo resource, cultivated in organized plantations
by local farmers.

all of the products are completely handcrafted. the components used for construction are modular
and repetitive, and can be produced in batches by a group of craftsmen. the equipment involved
for production are basic hand tools. through a modular system of jigs, fixtures and templates,
the construction elements were quickly realized and also maintained a formal consistency and quality
to the individual components. the furniture has been designed to use locally resourced bamboo
and skills in a sustainable fashion.

adjusting the jigs

modules being laminated

each piece is handmade by local craftsmen

‘sofa’ and ‘bookshelf’

framework of the sofa prototype

testing the sofa prototype

‘chair’

process work of ‘truss me’ chair

‘square stool’

measurements and modules ready for construction

basic construction module

demonstration of load bearing qualities

technical drawings of the various modular forms

‘truss me’ collection

the various configurations and pieces

by ridhika on designboom

pina, bodrum by GAD
all images courtesy GAD

turkish GAD (global architectural development) firm in collaboration with turkish architect
dara kirmizitoprak have designed a proposal for residential units on pina, a peninsula
on the aegean sea, located near bodrum on the southern coast of turkey.

surrounded by trees, the peninsula is an example of the local natural beauty. an active
decision was made that settlement on the peninsula shouldn’t ruin the natural beauty
present on the site. on the contrary, it should blend and unite with it. therefore, a number
of diagrams were created analyzing the present location of the trees, natural topography,
and possible locations for the necessary road branching. these diagrams were over-laid
on one another, and the resulting surfaces were molded, stretched and distorted to form
the spaces.

on the 44,500m2 site, there are 17 villas, 21 hotel rooms, event spaces, restaurants,
and recreation areas. each house has its own private deck, private pool, and private garden.
the location of each piece of the program allows the view to be seen from every point on
the site. the result is 3 prototypical residences.

aerial view

various shapes of residences

residential units

view from above

villas

hotel rooms

private decks

private decks

private decks

No Time Like Tea Time

There’s an old Chinese saying, “tea is drunk to
forget the din of the world.” There’s some irony in that truth, as much
as the world indulges itself with problems, tea is universally
understood as an escape. Wars would even pause for both sides to
ceremoniously share cups of tea. TASTE is a physical manifestation of
that tranquility. The organic shape castes a reflection describing
majesty and peace; the moon and the mountains. Gorgeous design.

Designer: Ran Xiangfei

from Wireframes Magazine by Morten Just

Morten created a stencil for the Google Drawings addition to Google Docs. Could be interesting to try. Comparing Google Docs as a wireframing tool to Omnigraffle and Visio, his five outlined advantages include:

1. It’s live. The entire team can work on the same document and see each other’s work instantly
2. The wireframes live in the cloud, no sending files around, no outdated documents
3. The risk of losing data is zero. It saves for every edit you make
4. It’s free
5. Most people already have a Google account, so no sign up required

Following the recent success of locally-built bikes, like Pharrell-endorsed Brooklyn Machine Works
to the simple offerings from London’s Brick Lane Bikes or the exciting 14 Bike Co, this year Stockholm’s Sson introduces a Scandinavian option to the mix
with its first fixed-gear bike, the 028. With whiffs of legendary Scandinavian
qualities, the design features lean welds, neat lugs and minimal decals.
At present it’s also only available in white, making a good blank
canvas for easy customization.

Rather than picking something off the conveyor belt of a Far East
frame factory, Sson spent lots of time making the frame to their exact
standards. Their site shows how they developed the angles to
create a balanced bike as comfortable on the streets as it is on the
track. Highlights include a custom-brake bridge, with or without mounts.

While the bike looks and rides really tight, Sson also gives some
attention to the packaging. Taking a peek out back of any average bike
shop shows how much wasted cardboard and bubble wrap comes with the
average bike today. Sson decided to make its packaging usable beyond
basic shipping, so it doubles as a simple bike crate to make traveling
with your 028 nice and easy. The brand sees the average user keenly
assembling the bike straight from arrivals before setting off to explore
the new destination.

Interesting as a foil to other fixed options out there, the Sson 028
is sympathetic to the roots of the track bike—slick, well built, not
too shouty—just pure cycling. The 028 can be pre-ordered for €850 from Sson.