November 14, 2016
Even when craftspeople are working to a pattern, handspun or woven textiles are one-of-a-kind items — small variations make each one unique. Saori weaving, created by Misao Jo in 1968, celebrates this idea of random beauty. Unlike other handweaving techniques, Saori is completely freestyle with no rules, restrictions, or samples to follow, and where a…
November 10, 2016
When Teacher Town Commons desired a dynamic, invigorating space for its new offices, they partnered with ANF Architects/Interior Design to convert two floors of a 1930’s narrow, concrete, column-filled freight warehouse into a modern workspace. A think tank and incubator for 15 to 25 small education-related nonprofit organizations, Teacher Town USA sought an energizing design to initiate person-to-person work…
October 6, 2016
With Mission Zero we are living proof that you can run a successful business while operating sustainably, however, to many organisations it’s a deep dark hole, or simply not on the board’s agenda. Sustainable Brands have recently pulled together this report which looks at 22 studies that prove the ROI of sustainability. Highlights include: WESPIRE…
September 29, 2016
As part of Net-Works, we’re helping communities find ways to diversify their livelihoods in order to avoid total reliance on fishing. The process of cultivating and harvesting seaweed has developed in the Philippines and throughout Asia as an accessible alternative for fishing communities. Eucheuma, a red sea-plant native to Philippine marine waters, has been described…
September 14, 2016
Northern Iloilo is Net-Works’ third hub in the Philippines and is made up of five local fishing villages – Loong, Tambaliza, Talotoan and Igbon in the Concepcion area, and Bay-ang in the Ajuy area. The hub has been up and running since mid-2015 and has so far collected 3,330 kg of discarded nets for recycling.…
September 12, 2016
Welcome to the era of a new “Googlefied” office. Tech start-ups have challenged conceptions of the modern working environment since companies such as Google and Facebook created their sought after workspaces, akin to playgrounds, for the professional generation Y. Now, scientific studies, including our Human Spaces report, have proven that worker’s concentration and productivity levels…
September 9, 2016
These are the big trends we’re seeing regarding the future of workspaces. 1. Co-Working A proliferation of co-working venues with sophisticated and comprehensive amenities previously only found in high-end corporate fitouts. Internationally renowned British designer, Tom Dixon, has recently designed Interchange, a purpose-built co-working space in Camden, London – three shiny glass and metal buildings…
May 23, 2016
As designers we find ourselves in an age of the “Long-Near,” as London’s Future Laboratory calls it, in which those who wish to make a difference lead not just by thinking but also by action. They consider not just their own lifespan, but the impact and legacy they leave long after their time—for centuries to…
May 22, 2016
Last October, during the first weekend of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, artist and social activist Theaster Gates pulled back the curtain on his latest endeavor: the Stony Island Arts Bank. The highly trumpeted project entailed the conversion of a derelict bank building on the city’s South Side into a public cultural venue, brimming with galleries,…
May 21, 2016
The whimsy of a Bureo Minnow skateboard, with the raised scales that pattern its deck and its fishtail back-end, belies the serious mission it serves. At the core of each Minnow is 30 square feet of recycled fishing net that otherwise may have found its way into the tons of plastic that litter our oceans. Bureo founders Kevin Ahearn,…