Design Luv

[designluv]

Flashback to my Lego days. A new way of 3D models for everyone

There's a new building block in town. Architect Damien Murtagh has recently created a reusable three-dimensional modeling system aimed at architects and designers.  

Murtagh was frustrated with computer-generated models and sought to create a hands-on system he could share with clients as well as re-use after the model served its purpose. 

The product - Arckit, is made from molded ABS plastic. As Murtagh says, "For many people, 3D modeling images are very difficult to fully understand. A physical model is much easier to comprehend. With Arckit you don't need to spend months learning a complex and expensive software either, you just open the box and go." 

I might disagree a bit on this statement (and the shade thrown at Autodesk) since 3D modelling for construction and architecture are hardly ever done without any information in them and mostly with a marketing and aesthetics purpose.

I do this everyday and it’s use as a BIM model could begin from logistics,safety, BIM coordination, closeout package,FM model and as builts just to mention a few, but as a prototype tool I do see the potential for this market. 

The kit is 1:48 scale and was originally designed for professional architects. One set, which includes over 200 pieces can now be purchased from retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. 

Perhaps a new item to add to my b-day list.  

[designluv]

I've only been to the pop up markets from winter and summer and I absolutely fell in love with the mini events. So excited to see local artists and vendors tonight for this one aimed to the brides to be out there!. I wish I was getting married again just for the fun of it :P

*All pictures taken from official VTGCLT website.

[designluv]

Great interactive website design. 

[99percentinvisible]

​How Renzo Piano Does It, in His Own Words: A Review of the New Harvard Art Museums

[designluv]

Renzo Piano was in an ebullient mood the evening prior to the ceremonial preview of the newly expanded Harvard Art Museums (HAM). He was to discuss the proje…

[designluv]

Browsing on my Bloglovin’ feed last night, I bumped into something that made me smile. Several things that I love combined into a single little post.

Kenya Hara’s most recent project "Architecture for Dogs". Invented by architects and designers, is an extremely sincere collection of...

[designluv]

Architecture for Dogs

Browsing on my Bloglovin' feed last night, I bumped into something that made me smile. Several things that I love combined into a single little post.

Kenya Hara's most recent project "Architecture for Dogs". Invented by architects and designers, is an extremely sincere collection of architecture and a new medium, which make dogs and their people happy. 

Take the time to carefully examine the details of these elaborately designed ingenious structures, and because is free to download the blueprints, if you find one you like, make it yourself for your dog if you dare.

My favorite one without a doubt, the bichon frise design; but with my lacking crochet skills at the moment, starting this right now might be too ambitious. Perhaps something new to learn next year.

Sigh. 

[designluv]

BIM Rocks!

Innovation in Construction at the New Parkland Hospital

Managing a project at the size and level of complexity of the New Parkland Hospital demands creative thinking. The construction management team has implement...

[designluv]

99U Podcast: Grace Bonney on Building Your Own Empire

The founder of Design*Sponge on creating an online business that withstands the test of time.

How Bonney evolved Design*Sponge from a side project to a full-fledged business with a growing staff.

What to do when you lose a large chunk of your revenue.

How to continually reinvent yourself and your product without alienating your community.

[designluv]

AN ASYMMETRICAL FLOOR PLAN

Designed by Amit Apel Design, is anything but a typical house. First, you’re guided through and across the yard to experience the front facade and all of its volumes and architectural details. Once the front door is open, you’ll see that it has an open floor plan but each room is asymmetrical. Overall, they kept the color scheme is white, with black contrasting in certain areas of the house. They also incorporated the occasional wood to warm up the space. The white kitchen has a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the growing greenery outside. It also keeps the kitchen full of natural light. What’s that you see in the double height corridor? Just a massive suspended tree that brings an unexpected piece of nature to the white space. The living room opens up to the backyard with pocket doors that disappear into the walls further extending the square footage. When you head upstairs, you peep the top of the tree which gets plenty of light, thanks to the skylights and large window panels.

  Finally a small, but awesome pool taking the odd spaces that remain within the footprint.

[designluv]

"The Big Tiny" - Fascinating tiny little house on a friend's backyard. Downsizing for medical reasons and unexpectedly finding happiness along the way.

http://nyti.ms/1qLG93Y

[designluv]

Inspiring TED talk about pocket parks, public spaces and sustainable communities.

More than 8 million people are crowded together to live in New York City.

What makes it possible? In part, it’s the city’s great public spaces — from tiny pocket parks to long waterfront promenades — where people can stroll and play.

Amanda Burden helped plan some of the city’s newest public spaces, drawing on her experience as, surprisingly, an animal behaviorist. She shares the unexpected challenges of planning parks people love -- and why it's important.

[designluv]

Spectacular exhibition from Marcel Wanders @ Moooi with a clever use for laser scanning.

[designluv]

De-Hipsterizing my definition of design

Too many excuses and never ending lists for not posting…But it’s a new year and I’m feeling inspired to retake where I left off a few months back;

I’ve always felt creative in many different ways and I’ve been able to find a number of outlets for it, but there is only one that I feel that continuous excitement about, because there’s never a limit of possibilities. That would be design, probably not always from the beginning…

When I was around 4, all of my favorite cartoons made me dream of one day becoming a veterinarian. Soon enough I discovered why I couldn't be one. I love animals too much. I couldn't deal with the possibility of having dying baby animals under my care. That’s probably when I changed my mind and decided that loving them as pets should fulfill my liking for all animals, except butterflies but that’s a different topic.

 After that, it all started constructing things, from taking over my brother’s Lego’s collection to graduating from Architecture school. There are many years in between these 2 points but there’s something that’s remained consistent; the thought of doing something that would affect someone’s life in a direct or indirect way.

Practicing architecture, photography, DIY projects, countless Pinterest hours or all of the above.

For some reason, thanks to Hollywood and ‘Merica, we have a stereotype when I say I’m an architect: we wear black, drink coffee, have a modern house, we are incredibly rich and use reading glasses for no apparent reason. Even though stereotypes tend to have a sprinkle of truth, this is not always the case.

There is a reality check waiting for most graduating architects … Practicing architecture for 99.9% of the architects out there means something other than designing – at least what we think design means. The practice of architecture is more than sketching on trace paper, diagrams, deciding what pens to draw with and last-minute trips to museums. It means solving problems – sometimes incredibly mundane and uninspiring – yet very important problems to the people who you will provide your services to.

My Hubby has told me on several occasions that I have ruined him. Before me, he would have been happy to live in a nice large, new, builder home with furniture straight out of the Pottery Barn catalog or even better, a simple futon, a TV and a case of beer. Now, after spending almost 4  glorious years together as a married couple and 6 years of dating, I have made him painfully aware of: the terrible, the unplanned, the “ what the hell where they thinking”  … I have shown him crazy roof lines, horrendous knobs, and all the perils of asymmetrical hierarchy when in the hands of an untrained professional. Unfortunately, I know shopping for houses, furniture, dishes, planters, paint, whatever, is a complete nightmare for him because I have a strong opinion about everything.

 The main reason we are passionate about our profession…is that we think we really know what architecture is about.

But what do graduates actually get out of the design studio? We think spatially and understand the process but more importantly it’s about taking the building from square 1 to completion. Drafting, sketch drawing, understanding 3D, plans section and elevations for 3D, thinking, working in a team environment, etc.

But there is one point we, (me included when I was one) don't understand until we begin working. We all want to be "Starchitects" at the beginning and we have massive dreams about what architecture is and what we want our role to be, without really understanding the profession. My perception was that I wanted to be doing Morphosis or Zaha quality buildings and all other architecture that couldn't be published was crap.

What I have realized is that architecture is never about me, and it is not about the architect. In order to be the best designer, which was my goal from the moment I stepped into this profession; is being humble. We are problem solvers and leaders, but we lead by listening, understanding, and collaborating, not by demanding and waving a magic wand.

Architecture is always about someone else and their customized expectations of the way they’d love to live daily, the connections within the space and the impact that it creates within our community.

In my “I Love lists and to-dos” brain, I have to switch things up a bit in order to help my personal creative juices to interact with like minded people and personalities within the topics I love to talk about; but a few things that pop up would be trends, specialty items, before and after, favorite things right now, DIY, etc.

Can’t wait to get this started 

  Oh snap! 

[designluv]

Photography, Social media and the sharing experiment

Months later I know but I’m back into blogging, twitter and all that shenanigans.

This entry is mostly related to photography and how addictive the sharing and over posting for the sake of just being in social media/internet and even though I usually give my opinion on architectural spaces and interior or graphic design; lately photography has been taking a more important and constant role in what I do every day, specially where point and shoot cameras are now outdated and a smartphone with amazing megapixel coverage it’s a must have.

I hate to break this to you, but that brunch photo of brioche French toast with bacon marmalade you just posted on Instagram? It's not very good. It's so terrible, in fact, that we can't be friends anymore.

Just kidding. (a little) To be fair, I'm as guilty as anyone of posting underexposed, soulless photos of my meals online. The main reason I do it is when I like the logo, color or composition of something but to take that unimaginative Pub Burger or a boring pint of lukewarm beer from a random brewery. Or… well, you get the point, might not be worth it.

All these awful photos aren't a bad thing, necessarily. Oversharing isn't a disease exclusive to a generation raised with phones in their hands, no matter what the NY times says. Instagram, Facebook, email, and texting were all born out of a perfectly natural human desire to tell our friends what we've been up to. 

This isn’t to say we’re not annoying from time to time. We are. I know I am, at least when I go on a Pinterest rampage.

According to The New York Times, a few noted chefs have grown fed up with overzealous foodies and are beginning to crack down where they have even instituted policies banning food photography altogether. Some people are arrogant about it and some people just don’t care.

Not all is lost. There is a way to share your gastronomic adventures with the world at large with etiquette, decency, and yes, maybe even an artful touch or two. Have your Instagram feed like a pro without annoying the other restaurant-goers around you. Don't make a production out of it. Be as discreet as possible. Don't stretch across the table. Try not to stand. And don't, under any circumstances, use flash.

This applies not only to food but spaces, people or even pets. Limit yourself to stuff that is "funky looking or in some weird lighting, and obviously be selective.

The best part about Instagram is that it non-intrusively gives you a window into worlds outside your immediate social circle. Learn from folks who know what they're doing. Try giving these cool photographers a follow: Noah Fecks @noahfecksphoto , John Johnson @johnjohnson and Linda Miller @saltyseattle

But what does this have to do with the sharing experience and an addiction to the digital world? I believe that intermittent reinforcement — in the form of texts, tweets, and various other social media — may be working on our brains the same way chocolate does. We have an interior reward for sharing it with the world.

"Media addiction is the same as any other addiction — excessive release of dopamine," Still, the new wave of young internet addicts ( my 3 year old nephew for example ) might be holding something sinister for future generations: We've all seen the ease at which a toddler can operate an iPhone or iPad. These days, maybe kids are just born addicted to the internet.

Either way in my opinion, we need to find a balance to actually go out and enjoy the moments of life happening every second and just a small sprinkle of sharing special things with the people you like.

That’s just me though…not hating on the people that overshare; but then again, don’t look at me funny when I ask how was your beach vacation and all of the sudden I’m the stalker in the story…#exactly

[designluv]

Let’s start with a quick quiz, shall we?

Have you purchased a storage container for an item you did not yet have? “My new baskets will be perfect for those cashmere throws….I aspire to own one day.”

Do you need a mild sedative upon entering/leaving The Container Store?

Do you have a visceral reaction when you see those catalog pictures on Dwell Magazine or Architectural Digest of well-stocked, organized pantries? You know the ones –the unseen homeowner has 16 bottles of Pellegrino, pasta sorted and stowed in airtight containers, and giant cans of Italian tomatoes, all perfectly aligned with nary a Ritz Cracker or Fruit Roll-Up in sight?

Do you now, or have you ever, owned a ribbon caddy? Yes, a caddy for ribbons.  Or a caddy for anything, for that matter.

I get it.

If you looked at my little studio this very moment, you might not think that I get it. But underneath all that cardboard, and the tracing paper stuff, you would find a baseline level of organization; so yeah, I kinda sorta get it.

I have the ribbon caddy, a book system, and a jar for cotton balls/clips and things I find. My crafty materials and movies are in order, and at least I know where to find the scissors.

3 years ago, that was fine.

It’s 2012 and suddenly, fine doesn’t cut it anymore.

Organized is the new rich. Or tan. Or maybe the new skinny. However you look at it, we want to be organized, and we want it bad. We’re no longer satisfied with knowing where stuff is, we’re looking for a new level of in-your-face, extreme organization that will make us the envy of our friends. We want our clutter so creatively and lovingly contained it ceases to be junk, and become treasure. We want every last possession in a basket, a tub, a bin, a repurposed bucket, or a mason jar – which I found out this weekend It used to be ghetto until Martha Stewart made it a chic thing to have -  and there should be no rest until it is done.

We are a people out of control.

I especially get caught up in this after reading any article with “five easy steps to decluttering your way to a carefree life.” If I really wanted to be clever, says the Associate Editor of Clutter Control, I’d store my pony tail holders on a toilet paper tube. Heaven forbid, I just set the rubber band on my dresser, where I can pick it up again when I need it. “It needs to be on a TUBE!”

So this is how it goes: I get inspired and put my design books in one side , and recipes books go over there.  Sewing stuff goes in this box, and architect’s movies go in that one. I nod to myself, knowing it will only be a week until I return to being satisfied with just keeping Mack from eating rocks and dinner ready, until the next time I read an article and try to find a new system for storing paper clips in a beautiful way.

But then something happened to turn that happy cycle on its ear…Pinterest.

I asked someone at brunch this past weekend how she liked the booming site. “It’s a great way to collect everything you want to do or try or buy, or cook. But it’s depressing. I’ll never make that stuff.”

“Hmph, well I don’t want any of that,” I told her. The last thing I needed was to try to organize the Internet.

Two days later, I got an invite.

Part of any organized person’s strategy is the list keeping. Through the years I’ve kept track of to-dos, to-buys, and to-think-abouts. When I was a kid I had lists of toys I owned, people I knew, and capitals that I could remember without looking at a map. (Will never forget Mozambique,Maputo.)

Now, with Pinterest, the list making is visual and easy, and there’s the fun social aspect of sharing ideas with your friends and glue gun toting strangers. It’s also immediately and dangerously addictive. It will likely suck you in and spit you out, bleary eyed and overwhelmed by clothes you don’t have, projects you won’t do, recipes you won’t make, houses you will never live in and organization systems you will fail at. It’s also by far the most convenient way I’ve found to combine sloth AND envy.

“What is THAT?” asked David as he looked over my shoulder to find three photos of repurposed picnic blankets, two of cupcakes, three pretty necklaces, six pieces of furniture, a quiche, a DIY Summer Wreath, a DIY confetti lantern, a pair of boots, and a romantic black and white photo of New York City.

“Pinterest. It’s a way to organize projects, recipes, design ideas…”

“Umh.”

“See, what you do is create your pin boards, then you categorize them, so you can organize your….”

“Gordita...”

“Wait, see, this one is just for garden. This one’s dedicated just to mid century modern design, this one’s for photography, this one’s for letterpress,”

“Gordita, I love you, but I can’t even pretend to be interested in this.”

We’ve been married for 2 years and known him for 12, so he can say that. I sure hope he can say that, because that’s what I say when he changes the channel to ESPN and I announce I’m starting a new book on my Nook.

Keep in mind, this is the same guy who, when I am in an organizing frenzy, comes up with this sage advice:

“How about we just have less stuff?” #fail

[designluv]

#FoodtruckFriday in Charlotte

  The idea of food from a truck might make some people squeamish. Not me! Being Mexican, this is really common back in my country and who doesn’t love unique street food? This past Friday I had a black bean burger from the Herban Legend…I died and went to heaven.

Food trucks are definitely on the rise. It’s becoming evident as more and more people show up at weekly food truck rallies held around town like South end, NoDa or Ballantyne. Maki taco, Goody Woody’s, The Herban Legend, The Tin Kitchen, and Sticks and Cones Ice are some of them.

  A few cities around the country may be starting to see a backlash by brick-and-mortar restaurants against the mobile kitchens that have proliferated in a brutal economy. Every dollar counts these days, and a party of six eating gourmet hot-dogs or curry goat from a come-and-go curbside truck cuts into the income an established restaurateur needs to pay for everything from linens to dishwashers to rent itself.

  But many savvy entrepreneurs see the trend as a win-win situation. Anthony Bourdain wannabes can get a relatively low-budget start on the street and build a reputation for a future-bigger restaurant. And if imitation is the most trustworthy form of flattery, this is an even busier two-way street. More and more restaurateurs are starting to take their food on the road, validating the whole concept, while curbside cooks are increasingly opening restaurants without giving up on their first ventures like the Harvest Moon Grille.

Architecturally speaking, the whole movement isn’t just the fusion food menus (maki tacos, veggie-flautas, etc). It’s how crucial the context of the city’s design traditions — from billboards and murals to the common market shared space — has been in defining the sensibility of the food truck scene by informing the physical appearance of the trucks themselves. Brightly colored, strikingly patterned, aggressively logoed and sometimes gaudily accessorized by largely amateur designers, they’ve become icons of the cityscape, a fleet of optimistic small-business people, each attempting to make a micro branded go of it, the still-sluggish economy be damned.

The beauty of it all is activating these public spaces that are so under-utilized and so underappreciated and I definitely did not see people complaining about waiting in line. They are standing in line, talking to friends, in outdoor spaces giving us a moment to actually interact.

But what really matters is the food, and these food trucks deliver. Parmesan truffle french fries from the Herban Legend anybody? How about a fried taco from Woody’s truck? These are not the typical foods one would expect from a food truck, and they do not disappoint.

One last thing…it’s easier to find them in twitter! @cltfoodtrucks @herban_legend @goodywoods @southerncake @sticksandcones ,etc!

[designluv]

Bike in the street © Image Source/Corbis

Bicycles and MicroHoods In the Queen City: 

Right now I'm not as immersed in the Bicycle Diaries by David Barnes as I would like to and the lack of time is the reason to blame, I know, I'm a little behind the curve, but the small parts I’ve read makes me want to visit all these cosmopolitan cities, not have kids ever, spend the money traveling and all of this with a two seat bike for the Hubby and a front basket for our hipster dog Mack. The book follows the author through his travels on two wheels and the observations he's made about people, transportation and also the places we live along the way which is only part of the trifecta influencing my obsession.

I'm coming up on my second-year anniversary of moving to Charlotte  (meanwhile, somewhere in Mexico, my mom is crying). And I want to find bike-able spots so I can learn about the city in a different way.

I am dying to move closer to uptown even though prices are four times more expensive than non-uptown areas. I love the fact that the uptown neighborhoods all have their own unique personalities, and yet are so easy to move in between. Not quite as easy as jumping on the subway in NY and go to the East Village but I can definitely walk, take a ride on my bike and have a different experience each time.

Due to large space that the "concrete arteries" take ,(a.k.a. highways) that were created to connect places but have latently made them more alienated, it seems easy to look past or drive by the “hidden gems” neighborhoods that boast their own cultures throughout other cities in the country. To attract people to these unique 'hoods, a lot of places and museums have launched series of events where the spot's shops stay open late, offer drinks and discounts with the hope of gaining some loyal visitors. One great recent example could be the Bechtler Museum and their outdoors Jazz concerts or the Architecture + Film that happen once a month.

The most upcoming microhood I’ve seen is in the Queens Road area, once overlooked as the stretch between Providence Road and S Kings Drive; Middleton Dr. is quietly becoming a destination unto itself: at least on my book, old housing turned into bars, delicious but not pretentious Italian restaurants like Zio, impeccable midcentury houses, beautiful landscape along with locally-made vintage feel. Hopefully I’ll find many of those in the weekend to come.

For those who don’t know; *micro · hood - n. A piece of a neighborhood, perhaps only a block or two large, so glorious that it deserves its own name…or as I would say: amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!