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Goucher College’s LEED-certified Athenaeum
The first time I went to college my choice was Goucher, located in Towson, Maryland. I was a theater major. Since then, I’ve gone back to school (The College for Creative Studies) to earn a degree in Interior Design. But I never forgot my first Alma Mater. I’ve been a faithful class agent (begging for money from classmates) since graduation. And I’m still close friends with many of my Goucher buddies.
I met last week with Nancy Turner, the Director of Development and Alumnae Affairs, and was thrilled to hear first-hand about Goucher’s new library and cultural center – The Athenaeum. It’s a green building with a silver rating from LEEDs. Let’s take a little tour.
When I attended, Goucher was an all women’s college. We were fairly ticked when they started admitting men. But you have to roll with the times. I am no longer ticked, but enthused about their international approach to education. Every student must spend at least 3 weeks studying in another country. They’re the first college to dedicate themselves to the global village, so to speak.
The exterior is constructed from Butler stone, redwood and copper.
Part of the environmental design includes 2 grass-covered roofs. Grass acts as an insulator to keep heating costs low. The large windows are light sensitive and change throughout the day to make the best use of the natural energy.
The Forum is the central feature of the new Athenaeum. It’s modeled after the amphitheaters of Europe. The cool thing is that the character can change according to what happens to be oging on. The steps leading up from the stage can accommodate crowds of varying sizes.
There’s more!
Moxy Crochet
Helping people to support themselves and become independent is a growing phenomenon in depressed regions of Africa. 
Moxy Crochet is part of this growing trend. The small company (only seven people) are from the Khayelietsha neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa.
They work from home to create blankets, pillows and handbags. The team members work from home and meet every two weeks to exchange materials and news. Laura Summs, the chief designer of Moxy Crochet, pieces the elements together herself.
Moxy Crochet’s products are made from locally dyed cotton, wool and mohair. Each item is one-of-a-kind. They make their blankets in a standard size, but take custom orders.
To find out more about Moxy Crochet, or to place an order, visit their site and contact them directly.
It seems that crocheting is making a comeback. I think it’s the brighter colors that make these blankets so appealing.
Does anyone crochet? I’m thinking of learning how, since all I can knit is one long thing. This seems easier to do and to make something usable. Is it easy to learn?
Earth Day: 7 ways to save our planet
Here are my tips for making your life a little more eco-friendly without giving up on style.
1. Check out Sierra Club’s new site. Green Home is jam-packed with advice (shown above) on how to go green in a big way.
2. Switch some of your light bulbs to fluorescents. They give a green cast, so use them in closets, the basement, and your mother-in-law’s guest room. The bulbs save big on energy.
3. Buy a reusable grocery bag. Check out the colorful options at Baggu (above, $14.00)
4. Recycle. More than just newspapers! Cans, bottles, cardboard, even magazines, can be recycled. Check with your city to see what you they’ll pick up.
5. Make your own drinking glasses – from recycled wine bottles. Check out this site for the How-To. You get to drink the wine, and they make great gifts!
6. Turn off the water. A simple thing like turning off the tap while you brush your teeth can save a lot of H2O.
7. Ride your bike. Work those glutes while you save the Earth!
Salone del Mobile
Wednesday is the official opening on the 2009 Salone del Mobile. It’s like Fashion Week for furniture.
I was there last year, reporting on the latest styles. This year, the ‘ole hip has not recovered enough to attend. But I’ll still be reporting on what’s new.
Featured here is the Illusion Table, designed by Michael Bihain. He’s designed award-winning furniture for companies such as Swedese.
I have a feeling we won’t see many mind-bending designs this year – in terms of style. I think most designers are more interested in new materials than new looks. It will also be interesting to see if there’s added focus on sustainable design. Stay tuned.
Sliding Wall House
Sliding House is an innovative house in Suffolk, UK. Architectural firm, dRMM, designed the house with a sliding roof. It’s not only beautiful, but is an amazing achievment in architectural problem solving. It’s also just plain cool.
The roof slides along tracks. In the winter, it covers the structure like a blanket. In the summer, the house’s glass structure is exposed to let in the summer sun. I particularly love the staircase, and the way the movement of the house transforms the three basic structures.
To truly appreciate the beauty of both the design and the home itself, check out Wallpaper’s video on YouTube by following this link. You can find more still photos and a detailed description over at Dezeen.
This seems to be the best of both worlds – a sun-filled house in which one could at least pretend they lived in the tropics, and a cozy warm retreat on a cold winter day. What do you think? Is this a gimmick or a gem?
Friday Favorite: DalNaturel Rubber Flooring
British synthetic rubber flooring manufacturer, Dalsouple, recently retooled a factory to accommodate a back-to-the future type of floor tile called DalNaturel. It’s worth getting excited about. Their new product is made of 100% genuine rubber.
Most vinyl flooring is made from petrochemicals rather than rubber – the real thing. Dalsouple harvests its rubber from Hevea trees in South America. The trees are highly efficient at extracting carbon monoxide. This off-sets the emissions created in the manufacturing process. And the end result is a natural product with the same durability as synthetic alternatives.
That’s all good. But while you can make the greenest product in the land, if it’s ugly no one will buy it. Designers won’t specify it. What I really like about this green product is the color selection. Along with the standard muted tones, DalNaturel comes in real brights that are wonderfully eye-popping.
Don’t think of this as a commercial product. These would look fantastic in a home. How about a beach house, a basement, kitchen, laundry room or bathroom? They’re easy to install, too. With some careful measuring you can do it yourself.
You can find DalNaturel via Kasthall, their US distributor. Or contact your favorite designer.
PS: Dalsouple is holding a design competition for students and designers. To find out more, click on this link.
Seed Magazine Takes on Design
Bringing together the worlds of architecture, design and science, Seed Magazine’s site now features some interesting lectures from some of the top of the design food chain. I thought you might be interested in viewing them. Click here to access their video page.
Seed is a science magazine. However, they’re expanding their horizons to incorporate views and news from the design world. I think it makes an interesting pairing.
As Seed tells me, “Greg Lynn and Chuck Hoberman, to Matthew Ritchie and Natalie Jeremijenko, to Henry Markram, the Seed Design Series videos offer thoughts on environment design, designing the human mind, computational origami, and more.”
I hope you enjoy some interesting views on design and the environment.
Cool Recyled Product from Smile Plastics
Smile Plastics makes panels similar to 3Form except theirs are made from recycled products like Wellington boots, CDs, and now discarded cell phones. The boots and CD panels just look like a wash of color. But the mobiles (as they’re called everywhere else in the world except here) really look like the phones. Much cooler in my humble opinion.
The Mobile panels are 6mm thick and can be used for just about everything. Furniture, wall panels, etc. You can see examples on their site. I think one of these would look great hung from the ceiling as instant art. Or how about a headboard? File this product under A Thousand And One Uses.
Dwell & AIA “How Green Are You” Contest
Dwell.com and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) would like to know, “How Green Are You?” This contest, which runs now through June 20th, is your chance to show how green you are, and win some great prizes for it.
The most inspired entries will be posted on the competition pages on Dwell.com and evaluated by Dwell’s editorial staff and AIA architects. The grand prize winner receives $1000, and two runners-up will receive $500 each from the AIA to apply toward their next big Green Project. Here are some of the latest entries, which you can view here.
To enter, simply pull together up to four images of your green or sustainable project, and write a 250-word description of the project that highlights the most important aspects of the project, including material names, vendors, etc.
Projects will be assessed on their sustainability, functionality, originality, cost effectiveness and design, and the submissions will be judged by Dwell.com editors and AIA architects. To enter, or to find out more information, visit Dwell’s “How Green Are You?” page here.
Seaweed Lamps by Julia Lohmann
I found these lamps over at Inhabitat. Kelp lamps from Kelp Constructs. Designer, Julia Lohmann has been experimenting with kelp, and exploring its potential as a sustainable material.
To read more about it and see more photos, scoot over to Inhabitat here.
Capellini put on a wonderful show
I was really impressed by Capellini’s exhibit. Among the first things you see are products of Capellini Love, an eco-sustainable design project that also leverages artisan traditions from countries with, as Capelllini puts it, “fragile” economies. Made under the design direction of Stephen Burks, recycled materials are made into tables, like these made in Africa from recycled paper.
This lovely bowl is made from bits of recycled glass embedded into clear latex. (Other colors are available. And the bowl is flexible, too.
Cappellini, however, is clearly about more than Kumbayayying. They showed a nifty set of powder coated folding metal chairs, in lots of bright colors. (They’re pretty light, too.) While they’re primarily designed for outdoor use, there’s no reason they couldn’t be used inside, as well.
Here’s what one looks like folded.
As you can tell, the folded version is practically two-dimensional.
The second day out, I’m noticing a lot of powder-coated steel. (And etched steel, and aluminum). Yesterday I spotted a fantastic orange steel table designed by Konstantin Grcic at ClassiCon, and there were beautiful black and white models (not by Grcic) at Cappellini. The tops were very smooth and felt almost soft to the touch.
The photo doesn’t do it justice, I’m afraid. Cappellini had a number of items contructed with a proprietary technique that allows each piece (they showed tables, chairs and lamps) to have its own individuality. The blue chairs pictured below have slight differences in the seat back that my photo may show off to advantage. The blue probably looks sketch, too. Trust me, they’re very cool
All in all, it’s been a much more inspiring day today than it was yesterday. (Could be all the groovy guys ‘n’ gals managed to get their booths close together.) Just so you know, there are 4 giant halls devoted just to modern furniture.
Meanwhile, send Jennifer an email if there’s something specific you’d like us to check out – or if there’s a manufacturer or designer you’d like us to cover. We’re happy to try and help.
Mythic Paint
There’s a new paint on the market that seems primed to turn the green world on its ear. Mythic contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). That means it has no off-gassing from toxins. It also means it’s an ultra-low odor paint.
Low VOC paints have been around for a while. The difference here is that Mythic isn’t just a low VOC, it’s no VOC. The other thing that impressed me is their extensive color palette. It’s not limited to pastels and contain a wide assortment of mid-tone hues.
The formula was developed in cooperation with the University of Southern Mississippi. It took them six years, but they finally came up with Mythic’s ultra-top-secret paint technology. (I guess that means that any student leaking the secret gets double-secret probation.)
You can order the paint on-line, or check their site for a dealer in your area. It’s a brand new paint, so be prepared to order directly from Mythic. Their pricing is competitive with other quality paints. A quart sells for $16.49 and a gallon for $46.99.
The one glaring omission is that they don’t seem to have a fan deck or a color sample system. I hope they’ll come up with one fast, because I wouldn’t recommend choosing a paint color from a computer screen. I’m waiting to hear from them on the subject and will add an update when I do.