Industrial designer Tobias Tøstesen transcends the inherent playfulness of standard LEGO elements to explore their infinite potential as a module for lighting. The floor-to-ceiling chandelier uses the transparent bricks to offer a glance through the colorless lighting installation, preferring to use the curved form to capture the changing glow of the day, from distinctive cool chroma to exclusive hot hues.

Source: Designboom

The clever designers at Spanish consultancy ITEM DESARROLLO DE PRODUCTO decided to combine the space saving qualities of a folding bike with the power of an electric bike to create NEO VOLT, a folding urban e-bike for BH Bikes.

Source: Design Milk

British artist Morag Myerscough designed the MVMNT Café, a temporary pop-up Café, which is part of the redevelopment of the Greenwich industrial estate in London, England.

Source: Contemporist

Mexican industrial designer Jorge Diego Etienne has created a series of small tables that look like cages. The powder-coated steel containers have wide gaps and thick bars so books and small belongings can be slotted inside. Cages provoke a dialogue about being in or outside lockup, and break expectations for the function of an occasional table.

Source: Deezen

Each summer for the past twelve years, London’s Serpentine Gallery commissions a different architect to design a pavilion on the adjacent park lands. It serves as an inspirational place to hang out, hear lectures and have a drink. This summer’s has been designed by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei along with the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.

It is a serene and surprisingly intimate temporary building. A disc shaped pond hovers over the ground. Twelve columns support the roof 1.4 metres above the earth. Underneath is a cork lined “den” with different levels of cork stools. So simple and so affective. Since the artist is forbidden to leave China, the construction has been anything but simple. The artist has been working with his partners Herzog & de Meuron via Skype, with sketches and models held up for cameras and computers to discuss and decide. Apparently he didn’t mind doing it this way; “Using Skype is lovely. I think all projects should be done with Skype. You only have to communicate the spiritual part.”

The disc, filled with water, will be a mirror for the sky, and a haven for birds. The theme is about the idea of memory. The disc sits on 12 columns in recognition of the ruins of the 11 past ones, plus this one. The excavation was supposed to expose the foundations of previous pavilions, however it turned out that there were none. It was sponsored by Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and his family will relocate it after the exhibition closes.

Read more …

Oh yes, you read it right: breaking ground was meant in the literal sense – think Sandworms from Beetlejuice, chewing through asphalt on their way to attack and nature’s own bright orange warning color. Epos 257 is an urban artist with many tools, techniques and approaches, but few are quite so attention-getting as a presumably-rogue pipe (or mythical snake) that bursts up from the cobblestones or concrete right at your feet. Read more …

LEDs can last almost forever, but they often burn out early because they generate a lot of heat in a very small area. British designer Jake Dyson has built a heat pipe into the structure of the CSYS lamp to carry the heat away from the LEDs and then use the arm of the lamp as a heat sink to carry the heat away from the lamp. The result is an elegant desk lamp that is cool to the touch, with a look inspired by a construction crane. It moves up and down, in and out, and around with the touch of a finger.

Dyson writes: ”Heat pipe technology was developed for use in satellites and is now most commonly used to help cool microprocessors. The primary role of a heat pipe is to conduct heat away from its source. The heat pipe within the CSYS LED task light conducts heat away from the LEDs and distributes it evenly over the length of the heat sink. It uses no external pumps or extra energy to cool the LEDs and is instrumental in keeping the CSYS task light running brightly and efficiently for 37+ years.”

Read more …

Designer Uhuru, built a one-of-a-kind table of flitch-cut hardwood slab stitched with recycled plastic. Split nearly in two by a dramatic and naturally occurring check, the slab is held together and reinforced by four X-shaped ‘stitches. The seafoam stitches (made from recycled plastic) and matching frame create a stark contrast with the chocolate tones of the walnut, highlighting both the natural beauty of the wood and the functionality of the manmade elements.

Read more …

German architects J. Mayer H. have completed the first two of 20 roadside service stations for a new highway running from Azerbaijan to Turkey, through Georgia. The huge concrete structures shelter petrol filling stations and stretch around glass walls that enclose supermarkets, farmers’ markets and exhibitions for arts and crafts.

Read more …

Seattle based Olson Kundig Architects is widely considered to be one of the best architectural firms in North America and they have won over 100 awards from organizations around the world. When looking at designs, one is convinced that each project is a masterpiece of a singular vision, but Olsen Kundig have created designs that are bold, but subtle, and spectacular while still being harmonious with the environment that they inhabit.

Source: 2Modern