wisped away

photo: Garance Dore

I took a moment to check on the update of one of my favorite blogs by Garance Dore http://www.garancedore.fr/ (its also where I practice my french- I read the french version and then the english if need be). Something that just has to be done during a 12 hour stint in the uni library...

Have a look if you too want to be wisped away to a fun and funky Chanel event at Place des Lices, St. Tropez

Lovely post.

Ingenhoven Architects in Sydney

After reading into the Ingenhoven Architects (see previous post) website I noticed they will be in Sydney. Here is what they are proposing:

"The completion of the 139 m high building is scheduled for 2011. Due to its compact geometry and a slight rotation of the building in relation to its plot all offices have an unobstructed view onto the Harbor. In addition all functions of the ground floor have been lifted up to the first floor in favor of a public plaza. The high-rise building thus becomes a significant landmark within the skyline of Sydney. In addition to the high space efficiency of the building the client DEXUS Property Group has been more than convinced by the ecological concept of the tower, which is not only unique for Sydney but for the entire Australian continent. The building will be the first high-rise to receive the 6 Star-World Leadership Certificate of the Australian Eco-Standard Green Star. The fully glazed tower is equipped with a double skin façade and ventilated by an atrium stretching the whole height of the tower. From 2008 on 45,000 m² GFA of premium office space will be realized"

Sydney siders look out.

http://www.ingenhovenarchitects.com/

Green Architecture

How is this for green architecture. The glass faceted office is home to the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. It recently won first place in the Emilio Ambasz Prize for Green Architecture for International Buildings. Designed by Ingenhoven Architects http://www.ingenhovenarchitects.com/

Considering how big the building is, imagine if it was just another concrete block? Dark, hard, bulky and boring to look at. The glass creates transparancy which makes it much more soft for the eye to look at. More green architecture like this will mean less bulk in our view!

Better for the environment and more pleasant to look at. Awesome.

Makes me want to visit Luxembourg and have a look!

Favorite !

Okay so I LOVE a lot of things.. and at least three of those things are furniture (design), textiles, and Missoni in general. I came across this while reading the Design section of The New York Times blog I follow http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/the-well-dressed-chair/?ref=design.

Do you love it? I love it!

Really I think I need this chair, my bedding is the exact print :)

Check out Artek http://www.artek.fi/index.html the Finnish company that designed the chair.

OH and I hope you dont mind my obsession with Italy at the moment.. most posts will probably have something to do with it as it was my most recent travel desination and I have plenty to share!!

M.

Renzo Piano, Genoa

As mentioned in a previous post I was inspired to visit Genoa by Ottagono Magazines featured 'Viaggio in Italia- Genoa' especially to see its Old Port (Porto Antico) and the success of its large scale redevelopment and restoration project.

Renzo Piano, a famous Italian Architect (He was one of the minds behind the Centre Pompidou in Paris) was involved in the Master Plan to reinvigorate the Port after WWII bomb damaged left it in a pretty dull state. Piano was successful in transforming the Old Port into a busy and thriving tourist attraction converting derelict warehouses into restaurants, shops and museums.

There is a recreation area that can be used for multi purposes, when I visited in April it was a skating rink! The public space is wide and spacious with large trees, benches, parks and look outs for the public to enjoy. Two main Piano structures are the Aquarium that resembles a container (like one on a cargo ship) and La Bolla (The Bubble) that is a massive glass sphere that houses a greenhouse with a large collection of tropical plants and animals.

It has proven to be packed with both locals and tourists and was very user friendly! I great place to wander on a sunny day in Genoa!

Polish design studio

I just LOVE this couch made from a recycled wooden chest!

Support Polish design!

http://www.mowo.pl/mowo.php

Ottagono

Ottagono is one of my favorite magazines and magazines are one of the most exciting things I look forward to buying when I travel. Living in a small town I dont have the plethora of international publications at my fingertips so when I am overseas its a treat to flip through the latest editions of my favorites.

When I was in Milan briefly in February it was edition 226 of Ottagono that featured Viaggio in Italia- Liguria. It featured the state of Liguria that is found in the north western region of Italy. Ottagono is a magazine of reference for anything design related and it also regularly features city planning. Naturally after reading the featured booklet on Liguria I was keen to visit and experience the architecture and newly planned and revitalized port of Genoa and surrounding area.

So I did! and I will post photos and my sightings in a future entry...

If you are at all interested in the world of design, from urban to architecture find this magazine in your nearest specialty newsagent, I would hope they stock it! Also lucky for us it features bilingual texts (Italian and English).