Worlds most active volcano harbors a tiny off-grid homeand you can stay overnight

The Phoenix House is a tiny off-grid home that truly befits its name. Rising from the ashes of the world’s most active volcano, this solar-powered abode built of recycled materials boasts spectacular views of the Hawaiian landscape. Available for rent on AirBnB, the Phoenix House promises an unforgettable, off-the-beaten track experience and is just a bike ride away from a 100-foot lava waterfall.

The eco-friendly Phoenix House is the newest creation by ArtisTree, a green design studio with an impressive portfolio of beautiful, low-impact treehouses and vacation homes. Located at the base of Mauna Loa volcano next to Kilauea, the tiny 450-square-foot Phoenix House is a shining beacon of sustainability and is part of a regenerative, off-grid community compound.

Created to symbolize the temporal nature of life, the Phoenix House merges visual elements from a modern beach farmhouse with the stark volcanic landscape. The building is clad in charred Shou Sugi Ban timber to blend into the surroundings as well as recycled rusted corrugated metal that represents hot lava. “We built this house with deep respect for Mother Earth. For that reason, you will find the design minimalist, the development footprint light, and the result is one with its surroundings,” said Will Beilharz, the designer of Phoenix House, who also spoke of the difficulties of building on a lava field with 30-mile-per-hour winds.

Related: Solar-powered cylindrical treehouse in Mexico is made with sustainable bamboo

Sustainability is a major focus of the tiny house design. In addition to its use of solar power and recycled materials, the Phoenix House also collects and reuses rainwater. The modern home is equipped with all the comforts of home, including electricity, high-speed wifi and hot showers. The home, which accommodates two on a queen bed, is available for rent on Airbnb for $111 a night. Guests also have access to a fully equipped kitchenette with a propane stove top, living area with a couch and desk, and a small dinette table.

+ ArtisTree

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16th-century Czech home reborn as a guesthouse imbued with history

ORA architects transformed a 16th-century home in the former Jewish quarter of Mikulov, Czech Republic into Štajnhaus, a beautiful bespoke guesthouse and residence. Built in the Czech Renaissance period, the old house has been damaged, rebuilt, and transformed numerous times over hundreds of years. The architects carefully peeled back those layers in the palimpsest-like home to uncover unexpected architectural elements.

In upgrading the old home, the architects also worked to preserve many of the original details such as old plasterwork and stone steps. In hopes of preserving these historic features—many of which continued to unexpectedly turn up in the process—the architects let these discoveries inform the renovation to keep the building as organic as possible. The old and new features are meant to blend together, giving every room a unique character.

Materials, such as timber beams and bricks, salvaged on-site were reused as tiles and furniture. The vaulted brick wine cellars beneath the home were also brought back to life. The aboveground walls were painted white to reflect light and give the building an airy, spacious feel.

Related: This Czech archaeological museum springs from the ground like a series of caves

“We came to a ‘pudding stone’. The more individual layers, spaces and surprising circumstances we uncovered, the more revisions and alterations our project we had to make in our project; and this lasted, in fact, until the end of realisation,” wrote the architects. “In the beginning we did not have a clue where we would come to in the end. We were looking for a limit what time we could come back to and for a point when we should rather go on a new journey. But we still wanted to preserve the house as an organic unit. You will not find a straight wall or a rectangular opening in the house, so we had to reinvent and remake to measure all the elements, which the investor was compliant with.”

+ ORA architects

Via ArchDaily

Images by Jakub Skokan, Martin Tůma / BoysPlayNice

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13 groundbreaking lighting innovations from NY Design Week

Of all the fields of industrial design, lighting seems to evolve the quickest as designers harness innovations in materials, manufacturing, and technology. We recently hit the shows of NYCxDesign to bring you a first look at some of the world’s freshest lighting designs – including lamps that sustain life, wild experiments with new materials, and interactive lamps that respond to touch, movement, and music. Check out 13 of our favorite lighting innovations from Sight Unseen Offsite, Wanted Design, and ICFF after the break.

Reflected Sequence LED Lamp by Frederike Top

Dutch designer Frederike Top has developed an amazing collection of lights and mobiles made from a new material that combines acrylate with iridescent foil. Her Reflected Sequence Table Lamp consists of a single LED bar slatted with sheets of acrylate that reflect the light and make it appear to branch off into complex geometric forms. The material’s foil backing makes the lamp appear to change color and shape depending on the angle from which it is viewed.

Globe Terrarium Lights by Richard Clarkson

We love terrariums, and we love LED lighting – put them together, and we’re in heaven. Richard Clarkson Studio‘s hanging Globe lamps are self-sufficient worlds complete with LED lights that sustain the plants within. They’re great for adding a touch of green to any room, and they’re made to last – Clarkson says that some of their terrariums have been thriving for several years now.

Janus Lamp by Trueing Studio

Trueing Studio’s elegant Janus Lamp is named after the two-faced Roman god and Saturn’s outermost ring. A band of LED light reflects off a slice of dichroic glass, casting colorful reflections reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis.

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Holon Spheres by Martens-Visser

Martens & Visser‘s amazing Holon orbs look like gigantic spinning soap bubbles! Each Holon is made from long strips of transparent foil connected to a spinning electric motor that causes the bubble-like forms to bounce and shimmer.

Double Boom Chandelier by Stickbulb

Stickbulb recently debuted a gorgeous new line of LED lighting made of wood salvaged from New York water towers. Their Double Boom fixture is made of reclaimed redwood that has been carbon dated to be three centuries old.

Mobius Bench by Louis Lim X 3form

At first glance, the Mobius Bench appears to be a simple seat – but when you touch it, a wave of color and light washes over the bench’s serpentine form. Louis Lim teamed up with 3form to create the interactive installation, which stole the show at Wanted Design.

Voronoi LED Edison Bulb by Tala

These might look like classic Edison bulbs – but they’re actually low-energy LEDs! Tala‘s Voronoi Bulbs are modeled after forms found in nature – and the company plants ten trees for every 200 products sold.

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Aurora Rhythm LED Visualizer by Nanoleaf

We’ve featured Nanoleaf‘s beautiful Aurora LED panels in the past – but we’ve never seen them light up quite like this! The company has developed a new Aurora Rhythm module that listens to nearby sounds to transform your wall into a giant music visualizer. Nanoleaf plans to launch the new device this coming September.

Module Lamps by Dear Human

Dear Human‘s stackable Module Lamps consist of individual pieces that can be combined in an endless number of ways. The modules are made from an innovative material called “Paper Rock” that consists of 100% recycled paper and cement.

Bottle Cap Lamp by Mutan

Argentina-based Mutan collects thousands of discarded plastic bottle tops and transforms them into captivating lamps! Each light is made from 600 bottle caps saved from the landfill.

Aural Planes by The Principals X Calico Wallpaper

The Principals teamed up with Calico Wallpaper to create a mesmerizing chandelier that reacts to human touch. The lamp’s long tendrils are fitted with capacitive sensors that read your body’s electric charge and then interpret it with flashing lights and sounds from nature.

Urchin Softlight by Molo

Molo has redesigned their Urchin Softlight to incorporate an LED lighting element within its flexible honeycomb form. The lamps can be opened, closed, flattened, and expanded to suit a wide variety of lighting needs.

Echo Felt Lighting by LightArt

LightArt‘s Echo lamps provide both illumination and sound absorption – and they’re made from 50% recycled PET felt. The lights can be hung alone or installed in sets to create multifunctional ceiling landscapes.

+ NYCxDesign

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World's first 'cranehouse' hoisted over Bristol harbor is completely carbon neutral

Could a new urban vacation trend take the trees out of treehouses? The world’s first “cranehouse” has opened in Bristol and it’s every bit as spectacular as their conventional trunk-supported counterparts. Designed by vacation specialists Canopy & Stars, the tiny structure is hoisted by a cargo crane 26 feet over Bristol Harbor. What’s more, the low-impact wooden structure is completely carbon neutral, and it was built using sustainable materials.

The “hanging basket” is a collaboration between Canopy & Stars and DIY company, B&Q, who decorated the space with a chic collection of sustainable furnishings. Touches of nature are found throughout the space, including walls inlaid with tree branches, a watering can shower, and a bed made out of a reclaimed tree trunk. Industrial hints such as copper finials, polished concrete, and natural vegetable-fiber mats complete the rustic, yet sophisticated interior design.

Related: 9 treehouses you can actually rent for an off-the-ground getaway

Along with a “living painting” by local artist Anthony Garrett, the design focused on creating a similar “multi-sensory experience” one might experience in a true treehouse. Scents of woodlands such as lavender, sage, and bark waft through the interior. Wild flowers are planted in recycled wooden crates on the exterior of the house and various pollinators were planted on the roof to attract bees and butterflies.

Guests at Crane 29 will be able to enjoy the beautiful off-grid retreat by spending their time swinging in the indoor hammock and taking in the spectacular panoramic views of the harbor. Reservations, which run £185 a night, include a gourmet breakfast basket delivered to the house in the morning.

Tom Dixon, managing director of Canopy & Stars, explains that the project was a labor of love for the company, “It’s taken three years of planning and design, and only three weeks of building, but we got there. What started as a dream has now become a reality,” said “We hope people enjoy their stays in this amazing building and wake up to the great outdoors feeling they are truly part of this pocket of nature in the city – a real natural high.”

Crane 29 will only be opened to guests for just 100 days, but all of the profits from the rental space will be donated to the environmental organization, Friends of the Earth.

+ Canopy & Stars

Via Telegraph

Images via Canopy & Stars

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Glowing circle made from thousands of recycled notebooks celebrate Bilbaos book festival

Don’t be fooled by the perfect circular shape of this glowing installation in Bilbao. A closer look reveals that the seemingly solid plane is actually made from thousands of illuminated notebooks. Created by anonymous artist collective Luzinterruptus, this curious installation, called Denboran Zehar, uses community interaction to rethink recycled materials.

Commissioned by Azkuna Zentroa, Luzinterruptus crafted Denboran Zehar for the 10th anniversary of Gutun Zuria (Bilbao Internacional Literature Festival) in April 2017. In light of the anniversary, the designers wanted to pay homage to the themes of creation and time.

“To this end, we looked for a way to make the traces left by time visible over a material associated with creation,” wrote the designers. We thought of those basic white paper notebooks so feared by artists when they are blank, and so beloved when they have been satisfactorily used, even becoming true objects of devotion despite their modest appearance. Within the alarming “anti-aging” context where we are currently immersed, we thought it would be interesting to give life to this idea.”

As with most of Luzinterruptus’ projects, recycled materials were primarily used. The artists collected 5,000 recycled paper notebooks and asked the Bilbao community to leave anonymous writings and drawings on the pages. The thousands of notebooks were then individually equipped with lights and arranged in a large perfect circle on Azkuna Zentroa’s outdoor terrace.

Related: Luminous floating rings in London are made from 13,000 recycled plastic bottles

Luzinterruptus exposed the ephemeral installation to the elements for 25 days, allowing time and weather to deteriorate the notebooks. “These interventions surely suffered severe mutations and both, the colors and the materials, eventually blended, blurring the messages so, to our surprise, everything ended up acquiring a strange homogeneity within the purest eclecticism.” On the last day of the installation, Luzinterruptus moved the artwork indoors and gifted the illuminated notebooks to visitors.

+ Luzinterruptus

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