CULTIVATING THE YOUNG. EDUCATING THE LAers of the FUTURE!
The next event, it shall be good. Do It!

Put your hand up if you thinkg light is understated in landscapes.
This is one of many installations Spanish Luzinterruptus has installed. Playing with light, latex gloves, and a frozen pond.

Lots more at their blog.

Adbusting in Berlin.
via Brainstorm#9 (portugese)
forum ekosystem.org (bit of german)

Landscape Architecture to the rescue?
Linked is a very interesting article that takes me back to 1st year uni. It talks about the necessity of green spaces within an urban setting or at least the opportunity for the occupants to take some time out and leave the city periodically, to help with the mental health of the occupants. Apparently a fair few studies done in the States as well as here concluded that even with the smallest amount of green space the test subjects were able to achieve better scores on memory tests and the such, in relation to similar test subjects without the same exposure to green or nature.
Read it, on a side note they mention something about drinking Red Bull and designing office spaces...little do they know that Landscape Architects probably drink a lot of Red Bull and design landscapes...as if it's a bad thing!

Link via The Boston Globe.

New way to analyse site?
Industrial Research Ltd in New Zealand have developed a scanner that can scan a site and build a 3d model to millimetre accuracy. Aimed at forensic investigators and scientists the scanner is based on digital camera's, pulse lasers and a GPS like device that draws its position from the laser pulses. About 20 tripods equipped with the laser pulses are needed, but the more the merrier.

Link via New Scientist

Lego in real world application. Not Structural.
Jan Vormann has done a collection of work called Dispatchwork. It is a form of architectural graffiti using pieces of lego to fill voids within brickwork or other vertical elements to create intriguing colourful peices of work.

Link via Life without Buildings
Dispatchwork Jan Vormann

The Opposite to a popup book.
Have you ever tried to build a model that can explain or portray the spatial quality within an enclosed space? Models with parts that can be taken off to show the inside space, and yet it doesn't really show how the space works?

Well maybe you can do what Olafur Eliasson has done for MoMA, a laser cut book with the interior of a building meticulously cut out of each page to create the space.

Link via Origami Tessallations
The laser cutters Kremo

Before...and After.
This mayor care about the future of their city...now why can't more care?
The first image is a familiar aerial photo of many cities, or outer suburban business centres. Large buildings, lots of roads, no green space, pedestrians non-existant.
The second image is what this particular urban sprawl could become if the mayor gets their way, and if subsequent mayors continue on the same path, densification and peoplisation(word? it is now) of outer burbs business centres could all become their own city, with metro style underground, green spaces and bus networks that work.

If only certain powers to be here had ambition and forward thinking ideas that looked further than re-election.

Link via NPR.org

P.s. Sorry about the lack there of posts, been swamped at work.

Office fires will be so much more fun now...
Well I highly recommend not smoking in this office, everything is made of cardboard, from cubicles to the meeting room table. Paul Coudamy designed this office for a French advertising agency, they were on a tight budget and wanted flexibility of their 180sqm space. So what better way than to grab some waterproof honeycomb cardboard, glue and tape, spend an all night bender on energy drinks and hope you don't slice a finger off...well they probably spent more time than that. There are some nice little spaces created from the massing of cardboard, and I'm sure the fumes from the glue would make you appreciate the space even more.

Link via Dezeen

Attention to detail for the bigger image.
I have always enjoyed looking at the finer details of design and how they can make the bigger picture more whole...look at this design by Susie Mendive of SUM. A floral print of fine leaves that creates a silhouette of a figure...

Link via notcot.org
Buy it at Design Public

Concrete is dull.
Well all those bland grey concrete panels that we see everyday could be more interesting...like artist Yuko Kanemura has exhibited for 100% Design.

Link Via Mocoloco
Other Works by Kanemura

Snaking Timber bench by Gehry Partners.
Check out this timber bench by Gehry Partners, it was designed and constructed for Design Tide which is a design exhibition running concurrently with the Tokyo Designers Week. More photos and links after the link.

Link via Dezeen

LAonline is...Online!
AILA's Landscape Architecture online magazine is now easily accessible via the aila.org.au website. You can access all the past magazines through an easy to navigate site.

Fresh playground images coming up soon...