Green roofs and living walls create eco-friendly clothing shop

March 1st, 2008

Mass Studies has out done itself with a cool (literally) flora-covered multi-use building in Seoul. A blend of natural and artificial, the new Ann Demeulemeester fashion retail shop in the Gangnam district of South Korea’s capitol city brings green building to a new level. Sited on an alley in a neighborhood that has seen rapid […]

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Jamestown Settlement exhibit ensconced in fabric

March 1st, 2008

Tension fabric R & D leader, Transformit, has contributed its expertise to the recently opened Jamestown Settlement Museum. Among these contributions are monolithic panels that recreate the forest environment where the settlement existed, and curved ceiling panels that integrate lighting and projection elements. The Jamestown forest is replicated as a series of towering fabric panels […]

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GEI certifies several popular fabrics

March 1st, 2008

The Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) recently has certified several popular fabrics as low-emitting products. The Astrup Co.—a leading supplier of materials used in the manufacture of awnings, signs, tarpaulins, tents, indoor and outdoor furniture, and related products for commercial and architectural applications—carries Sunbrella® fabrics and select SheerWeave® fabrics that have earned the Greenguard® certification, which […]

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Ball-shaped building made of ETFE foil houses high-class spa

March 1st, 2008

Looking like an alien spaceship landed on earth, Oasis 1, a ball-shaped building sculpted out of ETFE foil, recently debuted as a five-star spa and wellness center in New Ross, Ireland. The high-tech membrane surface of the building serves as a projection and reflection screen for special light effects and generates a unique translucent and […]

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Watercube uses series of ETFE air-filled pillows

March 1st, 2008

The Beijing Olympic National Aquatic Centre was dedicated in late January. Designed by Australian architects PTW with ARUP, the “Watercube” as it is affectionately called, uses the same technology as Grimshaw’s Eden Project in Cornwall, England, a series of ETFE air-filled pillows used to insulate, and in this case suggest water bubbles. The Beijing 2008 […]

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Inflatable ball showcases international rugby

March 1st, 2008

Paris: An inflatable rugby ball the size of a small building has inaugurated a tour of international rugby matches leading up to the World Cup in 2011, to be held in New Zealand. The fabric structure was debuted under the Eiffel Tower during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, held in France. The “ball” will travel […]

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Coalition formed to create green focus academy

March 1st, 2008

A growing coalition of national organizations focusing on the built environment has agreed to create a new National Academy of Environmental Design (NAED), to coordinate research, generate new knowledge, distribute vital information, and make recommendations to policy makers on how to reduce the negative impact of cities, buildings, landscapes and transportation on the global climate. […]

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Sun to play major role in Stuttgart: R+T

March 1st, 2008

Stuttgart: R+T, the world’s leading trade fair for rolling shutters, doors & gates and sun protection, has organized an “Architects’ Day” that will address the importance of sun protection in construction, complete with workshops that will allow attendees to exchange information and experiences. The trade fair will take place in Stuttgart, Germany from Feb. 10-14, […]

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Call for entries—International Design Award

March 1st, 2008

The Design Center Stuttgart, run by the state government of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is calling for entries for the international award, which this year has the theme Focus Green. Awards are given to manufacturers and designers for forward-looking, professional and excellent design work. Judges this year will be looking for eco-friendly products that reduce use of […]

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National conference addresses world sustainability issues

March 1st, 2008

Leading educators get together to prepare for the inconvenient truth. By Thomas Fisher For the first three days in November, administrators and faculty from both architecture and landscape architecture programs across North America and from abroad met in downtown Minneapolis to share ideas and gather information about how to help their own regions, institutions, and […]

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