Bazsux: szeptember 2016

2016. szeptember 30., péntek

Bags made from movie film make recycling fashionable

Messie Design gets its name from “messie syndrome,” a reference to a compulsive refusal to throw items away. Turning the often distressing term on its head, their designs showcase how seemingly useless rubbish can be up cycled into something useful. The line of messenger bags, purses, and clutches each feature the overlooked medium of film, recycled into usable totes.

Each piece is adorned with hand-woven strips of film and held together with industrial fabric remnants. The upcycled bags seem study and quite functional for everyday use. Inhabitat recently spotted a few of their products at Designersblock during the 2016 London Design Festival. Messie Design explains how their philosophy informs their creations: “all things considered, we are also what we reject and what, more or less consciously, we lose.”

+ Messie Design

+ London Design Festival

+ Inhabitat coverage of London Design Festival

Images via Inhabitat, Messie Design

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Sustainable eyeglass hut demonstrates closed loop recycling in Australia

The Australian architect describes the project as a demonstration of efficient resource use. In a statement on the project’s website, he explains that "sustainable materials in architecture is about thinking how we can most efficiently use the world’s resources in a respectful manner, I believe we need to create closed loop manufacturing systems where no material goes to landfill or pollutes our natural ecosystems, but is rather up-cycled to minimize resource depletion and environmental degradation."

In the portable shop, Dresden cuts precision prescription lenses right on site. All components of the eyeglasses are interchangeable for eco-friendly repairs, and everything is recyclable as well. Inspired by the tiny house movement, Symes designed the portable workshop to be a sustainable example of portable architecture, while housing a sustainable business. Lens edging equipment is powered by a generator due to its high voltage needs, but most other electrical equipment, including lighting and the point of sale system, are powered by built-in photovoltaics and the accompanying battery storage system.

To create a portable workshop that would also be lightweight, Symes called for a polycarbonate facade, which blocks out 70 percent of solar radiation and insulates better than double-glazed materials. Dresden Mobile’s awnings open to allow cross ventilation, so that climate control systems are not necessary. When closed, the polycarbonate sides allow daylight to filter through to the interior, further reducing the need for additional artificial lighting.

+ Alexander Symes Architect

Images via Brett Boardman Photography

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2016. szeptember 29., csütörtök

Backcountry Hut Company designs rugged flat-packed cabins for wilderness enthusiasts

The design team said in their brief for this project that The Backcountry Hut Company's genesis was inspired by an idea pioneered by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, which is to provide "affordable well-designed products ‘for the many people’". They said an engineered wood post-and-beam skeleton is in-filled with prefabricated panels, and a window system that is easily nailed on is also provided. The default model is supposed to be kind of rustic, but the company can also outfit their modular shells with everything needed for long-term residential situations.

"The whole assembly can be erected by volunteers in the tradition of the community barn-raising process," according to the designers. "The prefabricated wall and roof panels are sized to be lifted by hand and hoisted into place using a simple pulley and winch system."

Basic modules that can be scaled up as needed for more space are designed in 10-foot increments, and they can be deployed anywhere that can be reached by truck or helicopter.

+ Leckie Studio Architecture + Design

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2016. szeptember 27., kedd

Punah Project recycles industrial waste into fashion-forward accessories

It's not often that manufacturing companies are overly concerned with the environmental impact of their excessive waste, but one of India’s largest manufacturing conglomerates, Godrej & Boyce, is shrewdly turning theirs into a fashion-forward gold mine. Under the initiative Punah Project, the company has created a circular economy by converting their industrial waste into swanky new products like metal shoes and handbags, which were recently on display at Tent London during London Design Festival.

It's estimated that Godrej & Boyce industries generate approximately 18,505 tonnes of waste materials annually, all of which have previously gone straight into landfills and incinerators. This process is not only damaging to the environment, but also a complete misuse of potential materials.

Focusing on "re-thinking the definition of waste and the use of waste materials", the Punah Project team has created a sustainable manufacturing process that separates waste into six categories of recyclables: oils, metals, wood, chemical, paper, and electronic materials. The potential value of each material is evaluated based on its natural properties and versatility. A variety of new products are then created using as little energy as possible. The results, which were recently on display at the London Design Festival, include fashion-forward items like kicky metal shoes and hand clutches made with leftover metal crimping pieces.

Mr. Hemmant Jha, Chief Design Officer, Godrej & Boyce, said the company's zero-waste process not only works to reduce waste in landfills, but also benefits local economies. He added: "As initiators of The Punah Project, we are focusing on developing alternative applications for non-hazardous industrial waste through material design and research. We aim to adopt a zero-waste policy across all the Godrej & Boyce manufacturing sites. We are happy to have displayed the applications that are a result of our extensive research on over 600 materials and several collaborations with different manufacturing teams at Godrej & Boyce as well as skilled craftsmen and designers across India."

+ Punah Project

+ London Design Festival

+ Inhabitat coverage of London Design Festival

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via Inhabitat

Artist turns urban trash into amazing animal murals

We’ve featured Bordalo II’s works around the streets of Lisbon previously, and the prolific artist has continued to spread his environmental message around the world from the Unexpected art project in Ft. Smith, Arkansas to the Street Art Jam 2016 in Estonia. His lifelike animal sculptures are made almost entirely from trash and other locally found waste materials that he upcycles into new forms. The mixed-media base is then spray painted to bring life to his works of art.

His animal artworks are part of a series that he calls “Big Trash Animal” designed to bring attention to how a wasteful society harms animals. His newest additions to the series highlight animals both small and large, from tiny rodents to foxes. These artworks, which he hopes renders environmental destruction more visible, span more than just the sides of walls—the artist has taken his craft to freestanding works, fences, and even to the side of a drifting, decrepit ship.

+ Bordalo II

Via Colossal

Images via Bordalo II