Reinterpretations (of the Fish Bowl)

As architecture students, we faithfully read about works and ideas of starchitects out there almost every other day. And there is always one consistent underlined matter — reinterpretation. Modernists reinterpreting architectural aesthetics & structural expressions, Le Corb reinterpreting urban housing issues, postmodernists reinterpreting ornaments & facades, which was when Venturi & Scott Brown was reinterpreting Las Vegas… We also have Tschumi reinterpreting buildings & programs, Koolhaas reinterpreting New York, Herzog de Meuron reinterpreting materiality, MVRDV reinterpreting the methodology of design… the list can go on forever.

They are concepts conceived at a rather large scale: shifts in urban theories and architectural agendas.

Just taking a break from these, I’m now looking at these cute little sketches — on reinterpreting fish bowls:

Sketches of Roger Arquer for the Fish Bowls project
(Image credits: Dezeen Design Magazine)

Fish Bowls is a project by industrial designer Roger Arquer that presents 15 variations on the standard fish bowl

Go look at photos of the real thing, here.

Roger Arquer’s official website, here.

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I guess I am doing pretty well (updating regularly) as I am now blogging as a routine during my little ‘coffee breaks’.

Now, back to the dreaded CAD!

ChairStoolBench

(Image credits: http://www.kraud.de/en/kraud/)

Cool installation of chairs? stools? benches? the ChairStoolBench for the premiere of Richard Meier’s recently-completed extension project of the Arp Museum, Germany. The playful reinterpretation of the traditional chair reads as one entity, with the familiar image of the good ol’ wooden chairs emerging and disappearing from a long plank of wood. Visitors are allowed to sit on these artworks.

It will be nice to see these installed as park/street furnitures somewhere.

Have a better look at it from the designer’s website, Yvonne Fehling & Jennie Peiz, right here.

Read more about the premiere of Meier’s Arp Museum extension, here.

The air conditioned bed

There’s a new alternative to air conditioning your rooms. It claims to be more environmental-friendly.

 Read more about the Kuchofuku’ A/C bed @ Treehugger.

There have been so many architectural strategies and adaptations for dealing with heating/cooling of buildings. Indigenous building types show really inventive ways in keeping the building cool, almost without exception.

The AC-mania (in addition to the trend of mass-produced pre-fabricated houses that are not necessarily designed by architects) tends to ignore all the possibilities natural cooling. The ‘modern’ houses in temperate climates no longer have open porches that allow breezes and keep out the direct sunlight.

But in reality, what would we (especially KLites, or rather, Malaysians) do without air-conditioning? Start swearing in Hokkien kua…? 

My bedroom’s naturally ventilated back home in Klang, but I admit I’ll definitely start complaining if there isn’t a functioning AC in my car (or the restaurants or  the cinema or the shopping mall) and people start smelling foul. So much for my environmentalist pledge hor! Heheh…  

The truth is, how much more environmental-friendly can the AC bed be? What’s the difference between mechanically cooling your room vs. cooling your bed wor?

But of course, if you really have to air condition something, then I guess the AC bed can get rid of aesthetic problems like this:

Or you could simply opt for ceiling fans. Natural ventilation’s definitely cheaper and much more environmental-friendly.

New Liveeism pledge for all of you: We should ALL return to naturally ventilated homes. Just look at my uncle’s ingenious design if you are not convinced.

Read more about his home.

If you don’t know how to do that, you could always commission me to design your home. I’ll be graduating end of 2009. (Okay la okay la, if you cannot wait till 2009, then commission my uncle lor! ) Muahahaha!

So it’s back to my Architorture Session 2 tomorrow!

Designer shelves

So fellow booklovers, maybe it’s time to show off your books! I found some pretty cool designer bookshelves you might want to look at..

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1. Ready Made

(Designer: NEXT Architects, Droog Design, Netherland)

What it looks like: A bookshelf of a well-read individual, with a series of classic titles.

Storage method: The linen-wrapped book covers extend only 4cm inwards. Each is attached to a rod that runs inside the upper section of all five MDF shelves. Push a ‘classic’ amd it swings upwards, providing space for and actual book. Remove your book, and the classic returns to it’s original position.

Livee’s verdict: This is a witty resolution for aspiring readers to display the books they collect but never intend to read. Aesthetic-wise, it isn’t really my cup of tea…

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2. Liz

(Designer: Mass,  France)

What it looks like: One of those teaching aids my teachers used to let me play with in kindergarten.

Storage method: Accessible from both sides, this bookcase is ideal for collections that vary in size. Drawing one short balsa plank to its limit through the MDF frame creates a shelf while modifying the space on its opposite side, making room for a taller book. A locking system installed inside each shelf prevents it from being pulled through the bookcase.

Livee’s verdict: The “push-me-pull-you” effect would make this design very appealing to kids. I’d definitely like to play with this thing if I was a decade-and-a-half younger. I hate the slimy green though! It’s probably best for a children’s centre or something of that sort. Btw, this shelf feels very IKEA-ish to me.

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3. Ptolomeo

What it looks like: Nothing.

Storage method: Stretching from a stainless-steel base, a column of books rests on top of each other in steel C-sections. Each C-section is attached to a supporting structure at the rear, forming a tower (of BOOKS! Woohoo, what a dream come true!).

Livee’s verdict: I love the fact that it is “barely even there”. At first glance, I thought it looked like the books are toppling over second, but I like it because it give me a sense of “organized chaos”.

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4. Three-2

(Designer: Jakop & MacFarlane, Italy)

What it looks like: A semi-transparent honeycomb tower.

Storage method: The varying shape of the stacked volumes provides an exciting range of display options. New titles can be shown off in shallower nooks, while squarish recesses provide more conventional shelving space.

Livee’s verdict: With the funky colours and shapes, these shelves are real eye candies. I find this very un’bookshelf’ish and eye-catching. But I wonder if it’ll still look this good when it starts shelving books.

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5. Sticklebook 702

(Designer: Gusto, UK)

What it looks like: Illusionary floating books.

Storage method: A combed strip grips the pages of each book in this shelving system, making paperbacks appear as if they are suspended in mid-air. Hiding behind the books is the supporting structure, an aluminium ‘backbone’. Books are easily tapped onto pronged modules of the plate, which grips them securely.

Livee’s verdict: This is a cool solution that tries to rethink the conventional designs of bookshelves – the books are held up on a wall, instead of having them rest on a shelf. However, I’d probably not risk the pages of my expensive books to be held in mid-air like that. So I think this system would be best used with second-hand books. Plus – this thing doesn’t look like it is capable of supporting heavy-weight paperbacks.. right?

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6. Marmalade

(Designer: Terry Schreuer & Alon Razgour, Israel)

What it looks like: A toy, maybe?

Storage method: This ’shelf’ features a wood base and relies on simple spring mechanics. Place a book on the row of blow-moulded plastic blades and its weight pushes down metal springs concealed in the units it rests on. Supported on either side by unweighted blades, the book maintains an upright position.

Livee’s verdict: This shelf is fun and functional at the same time. It changes shape as differently sized books are added, since the descent of each blade depends on its load. The fun mechanism and bright colours would attract both kids or adults… or me, at least! Another great idea to rethink the expression of conventional shelves!