Thursday 13 August 2009

Jenever: Dutch Gin in Stone Bottle

Jenever 1
Ben Oostrum's Jenever bottle is a product design that stands out as a result of combination between old-fashioned and modern high-tech machinery. When the European Ceramic Work Centre approach Ben Oostrum to come up with ideas for Dutch souvenirs,
'he realised that most of the things he brought home from abroad were things that were not actually souvenirs, such as food and drinks. If he were to visit the Netherlands a tourist, he would probably take home a bottle of Jenever: Dutch Gin sold in a traditional stone bottle.
He made a model for a ceramic Jenever bottle, and worked on it with a rapid prototype milling machine to discover that the machine, with a certain setting, began to create patterns on its own. He let the machine do its work and so the relief on the traditional stone bottle was created.'
- Boo, Ben Oostrum Ontwerpt.
Jenever 2On the designer:
Ben Oostrum (1960) studied sculpture at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. As a designer, it is this background that distinguishes him from the other designers. Oostrum: ‘My approach is different. Most designers start from a package of requirements, and I use form and shape as a point of departure.’ But to Oostrum, design is not the only thing that is important. Design and function must be in balance. ‘I hate things like a beautiful chair that is uncomfortable, as well as an ugly chair that is comfortable.’ When Oostrum designed the Jenever Bottle he collaborated with Jan Melis under the name of MNO, but now his studio is called BOO | Ben Oostrum Ontwerpt. BOO focuses mainly on the design of interior products, such as furniture, lighting and accessories.

a+. ben oostrum ontwerpt via no windmills
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Tuesday 11 August 2009

Öijared Executive Country Club by Wingardh Arkitektkontor

Öijared Executive Country Club 1Öijared Executive Country Club 2
In Lerum, Sweden, the Öijared Executive Country Club is a clubhouse that hides under a turf, at the central point of four golf courses. This makes the building a hill, using the roof for a tee. The exterior of the house is dominated by the 36-sided glass façade, which in multiples of 15 degrees rotates the public room towards the south and west and rises from 0.7 to 7 metres. The bris-soleil follows a related 30 degrees grid, which also works as expressive roof eaves, reducing the risk of people falling off the accessible roof.

Synthesised nature: regular and yet irregular, like a tree. The large inner room is planned with six different floor levels and with a ceiling that is seen to undulate between 7 and 2 metres. The room gains its character from the view of the golf courses through the glass façade and from the red Öland limestone being treated with increasing refinement. The architecture illustrates an ecological awareness, with no penetrations through the roof and remarkably low energy consumption.
Öijared Executive Country Club 3Öijared Executive Country Club 4Öijared Executive Country Club 5
Öijared Executive Country Club 6
Plan.


Öijared Executive Country Club 7
Section.

a+. wingardh arkitektkontor
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Lonneke Gordijn's Fragile Future II

Fragile Future II 1Fragile Future II 2Fragile Future II 3
Designed by Lonneke Gordijn, 'Fragile Future II is about the amalgamation of nature and technology. In the distant future these two extremes have made a pact to survive. Fragile Future II combines an electronical system with real dandelions in a lightsculpture that is predestined to overgrow a surface.

One module is a visible circuit with four dandelights. This module system is ease to attach to the next one (in seven different ways),twhile the switch-leg will continue. So it is possible to create a composition from just a few, up to 50 modules, according to the space and atmosphere.'
- Design Drift.

Fragile Future II is also a limited installation with a far less fragile electrical system then Fragile Future I. For further information and rates, u can e-mail her at lonneke@designdrift.nl
Fragile Future II 4Fragile Future II 5
Fragile Future I 1Fragile Future I 2A glimpse on Fragile Future II.

a+. lonneke gordijn via design drift
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Monday 10 August 2009

People Watching Bench by &made

People Watching Bench 1
By &made, made from CNC Punched Steel with Solid Iroko and Brass, the People Watching Bench was designed for London Architectural Biennale 2oo4 but the bench still stands in St. John's Park, Clerkenwell.

In the notion of ‘people watching’ in parks, these four benches are situated in a circle, each one looking onto the back of another. Whilst from a distance the holes punched into the backs of the benches create images of life often found in the park, these holes also provide small spying holes to view others from when seated.
- &made

About the designer:
&made is an award winning studio working in product, furniture and installation design. Launched in 2006 by David Cameron and Toby Hadden, the work of &made has been commissioned and selected by the Design Museum, MoMA, Paul Smith and Sir Terence Conran, whilst they have completed a range of projects from public seating in London to commissioned furniture sold in Liberty. With an extensive knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes and a background of new technologies and engineering, &made demonstrate a unique creative process with a commitment to conscious design.
People Watching Bench2People Watching Bench 3People Watching Bench 4
a+. &made
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