Flower Shaped Underground Eco Home For Footballer Gary Neville.

Make Architects designs an underground carbon neutral home for one of Manchester United's soccer stars.

Andrew Greaves of the Bolton News reports "Plans submitted to Bolton Council last week, by international firm Make Architects, show the kitchen as the “heart” of the development with several wings — with titles such as eat, relax, entertain, work, sleep and play — arranged around the central area like petals on a flower.



In a report to the council, the architects said: “Having spent time with the client and his family at their existing house, it became very clear that the kitchen should be the focus of the new home, as it is the space they inhabit most on a daily basis.

“In response to this, we have structured a spatial arrangement on a single level, where public (entertaining), family (day-to-day), private (bedrooms) and functional spaces (utilities) are incorporated in separate wings which all radiate from a centrally located kitchen at the heart of the house.”



Also in the report, which is one of several documents included with the application, the development is likened to the Skara Brae Neolithic settlement in Orkney, because of the way it is built into the hillside which “enables the surrounding moorland to seamlessly flow across the roof”.


above: the present home of footballer Gary Neville

Gary Neville, who holds an honorary degree from the University of Bolton for his outstanding contribution to football, worked closely with the award-winning architects on the scheme which is noted for its resemblance to the set from CBBC’s Teletubbies.

Stuart Fraser of Make said: ‘The client has been heavily involved in the design process and is passionate about preserving the natural beauty of this area.’

The zoned, petal-shaped wings are themed ‘eat’, ‘relax’, ‘entertain’, ‘work’, ‘sleep’ and ‘play’ respectively, clustered around a central kitchen.

The carbon-zero home took more than three years to design.



above: the homes' low profile (artist rendering)

above: the central kitchen

above: living room

above: view of one of the courtyards

info and images of the home courtesy of Bolton News and Make Architects

Childhood Toy Inspires Award Winning Chair Design, The Aprro Spiro

"I don't believe it. I just don't believe it. The things you can do with a Spirograph" (the commercial theme song from Kenner's Spirograph toy in the mid 70s).

Well, apparently Alexander Purcell believes it. Inspired by the Kenner mathematical design toy, Purcell created an indoor outdoor chair of Corian® and stainless steel for APRRO which was just awarded 'Best Product' at California Home and Design 2010 awards.

Carlo Colombo's Cuna Bathtub For Antonio Lupi

Recently introduced at this years Maison et Object show was the Cuna bathtub designed by Italian architect and designer Carlo Colombo (who also designed the Vascabarca-Barcavasca boat shaped bathtub) for Antonio Lupi.

The modern bathtub has a built in backrest and comes in two color variations; white on white and olive green exterior with white interior.

The one thing I have to say, being relatively short in stature, is that, although I haven't sat in this tub personally, I fear that if you weren't tall, and couldn't anchor your feet at the end of the tub, you might continually slip into the water . But that's just speculation on my part.

What do you think?





above images courtesy of Antonio Lupi and Contemporist.

Carlo Columbo's stone carved boat-shaped tub for Anotnio Lupi:

You can see the limited edition Vascabarca- Barcavasca Tub here.

The New Monte Rosa Lodge - Sustainable, Beautiful and Now Available To Book.

above: cover of the newly published book on the building

The New Monte Rosa Lodge


The new Monte Rosa lodge project (also referred to as the Monte Rosa Hut) demonstrates that sustainable building is possible even in the middle of a glacial landscape.



Together with students, professors, and specialists, ETH Zurich has put together a project for the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) that is finally completed after 6 years.

photos courtesy of photographer Tonatiuh Ambrosetti, unless otherwise noted






The building technology for the new Monte Rosa lodge goes in new directions to attain a maximum degree of self-sufficiency and environmental safety in its energy and water use. Contributing factors include ample active and passive use of solar energy, good heat insulation and regeneration from outgoing air, as well as the use of efficient devices.



The new Monte Rosa lodge, which opened last September, 2009, has a building energy self-sufficiency level of over 90%, and will serve as an example of sustainable construction and planning both in Switzerland and worldwide.


above: The New Monte Rosa Hut in splendid isolation between mountain tops (in the background the most famous of all, the 4487 m high Matterhorn) and glaciers (digital visualisation). photo by Stéphanie Marie Couson

Inside, the wood beams and surfaces are actually digitally carved by architects Gramazio & Kohler to give an enhanced faux woodgrain effect.



photos courtesy of Tonatiuh Ambrosetti

The digitally carved alpine timber wood interior by Gramazio & Kohler:








Hut facts:
2890 m above sea level, 5 floors, 18 rooms for guests and mountain guides, 120 beds and 10 reserve beds. 4 toilet systems, 2 washrooms with 14 wash basins and 4 showers, 200,000 litre cavern, 110 m2 photovoltaics, of which 84 m2 on the south face, 60.5 m2 thermal panels. Max. power of photovoltaics: 15.6 kW.


ETH Zurich press release:
- New Monte Rosa Hut SAC opens its doors

The "hut of the future" is finished. After about six years on the drawing board - two of which as a student project design - and a construction phase spanning two summers, the New Monte Rosa Hut above Zermatt is finally open for business.



Nicknamed "Mountain Crystal", the innovative building generates over 90 percent of its energy itself. It is scheduled to start receiving guests normally in March 2010 and will continue to serve ETH Zurich as a research object in power and building service engineering.


above: the silver aluminum shell

2,883 meters above sea level, the New Monte Rosa Hut is currently the most complex wooden construction in Switzerland. Covered in a shimmering silver aluminum shell and with a photovoltaic system integrated in the southern facade, it generates its own power and is expected to be at least 90 percent energy self-sufficient. Solar collectors installed in the grounds generate solar heat, which provides warm water and heats the ventilation system's supply air to control the temperature in the rooms. In the few months of the year where the ice melts, the water is collected and stored in a cavern to provide the guests with flush toilets and four hot showers. A bacteria-based microfiltration system cleans the sewage; the graywater is then reused to flush the toilet and for washing.


above: the North facade under construction

Computer in Zurich operates hut technology

Such a high degree of energy self-sufficiency requires the interaction of the individual components and shrewd energy management. Software developed at ETH Zurich is to operate the technology at the hut. The relevant data from the reservation system, energy storage and the weather station, for instance, is conveyed from the hut to a computer at ETH Zurich. The computer then uses the data to maximize the degree of energy self-efficiency. Any actions subsequently necessary - such as the command to engage the combined heat and power unit if the solar radiation is insufficient to generate enough power - are communicated back to the hut and performed automatically.

Today, representatives of ETH Zurich and the SAC inaugurated the New Monte Rosa Hut together with the general planning team and various patrons and sponsors. Numerous media representatives also took the opportunity to visit the innovative building at the foot of the Dufour Peak overlooking the Matterhorn.



The corner stone for the building was laid in August 2008 and the foundations were completed before the onset of winter. Thanks to prefabricated elements, which were initially transported by train and then flown to the building site by helicopter and assembled on site, the building was completed in the summer of 2009 after just five months. After the inauguration, the 120-bed hut will close for the winter before reopening for alpinists in March 2010; the season lasts until September.



Milestone for sustainable building

With its combination of outstanding architecture and groundbreaking technology, the project heralds a new chapter in sustainable building. ETH Zurich is looking to use it as an example of how marrying excellent architecture with sustainability and state-of-the-art technology can work. For the SAC - with over 120,000 members, one of the biggest sports unions in Switzerland - the building of the new hut is a milestone in its 145-year hut history.

The New Monte Rosa Hut cost about 6.5 million Swiss francs. Apart from the SAC and ETH Zurich, a number of patrons and sponsors also pitched in, without whose support the ambitious project would never have been possible.



In splendid isolation, on the edge of a glacier in pristine wilderness, the hut will be able to host 125 guests in the restaurant and hotel with very little environmental impact. The four floors will be realised in a wooden pre-fabricated structure. The realisation of bio-gas generation for human waste recycling is also being considered.

Projectmanager Marcel Baumgartner, dipl. Architekt ETH
New Monte Rosa Hut Project 2003 – 2009
Construction start 2006 by ETH Zurich and SAC, foundation laid 2008, doors opened 2009
Concept and Design, Prof. Andrea Deplazes, Departement Architektur, ETH Zürich.

all images and information courtesy of the ETH Zurich

The Hut is open and on exhibit to the public from Wednesday, 24. February 2010 to Thursday, 25. March 2010 Mon-Fri 8-21, Sa 8-16, in Haupthalle, Zentrum, ETH Zürich

Further information is available at http://www.neuemonterosahuette.ch/

Go here to book a stay.

French Connection Campaign Salutes The Absurd With A Nod To Artsy French Films

This Spring, fashion brand French Connection will launch a tongue-in-cheek, witty and visually captivating advertising campaign, with a return to humorous captions and a nod to the absurdity of french cinema.



Created by Fallon London, the fashion retailer's campaign returns to the film medium after a six year absence, in an attempt to shift perception of the brand.



The campaign targets men and women both separately and together depending upon the media.



To introduce our campaign heroes for the two fashion lines, are the two :60 second intro spots, shown below:

The Man:
 

The Woman:
 

A slew of 30 second spots are also being created, speaking to specific fashions for each of the two sexes. Below are two examples.

The Man- Marl:



The Woman - Light and dark:

 

The print campaign and out of home:

  the press release:

Spring 2010 sees French Connection create a stimulating, visually captivating and witty campaign with a return to humorous captions. The creative ante has been upped with a provocative campaign that allows the brand to effectively talk to fashion conscious men and women through intelligent wit and humour, inherent to the brands personality. The campaign is a lighthearted study of man and woman, bringing a distinct voice to the brand while ensuring the clothes remain at the forefront of everything we do. The campaign idea came from a need to talk to men and women in different ways. The most dramatic impact comes in the form of 'The Man'; a rugged, bearded and outspoken character who tells our customer how to dress. He has the physique of a bare-knuckle boxer, the brain of Voltaire and a discerning eye. Other men can learn much from him. 'The Women', is understated, yet sexy, her description is brief, as we know little of her. She is beautiful, enchanting, capricious and mystifying. We don't even catch her name.

Once we had our man and woman - we studied them; their behaviour, their mannerisms and their attire. This allowed us to comment on their clothes, discuss the materials and the detailing and evaluate their personal style. All our comments are voiced in fluent franglais. Playing on the 'Franglais' connection further we selected a French actor and actress to model the collection - giving the imagery added depth and personality. By working with an advertising agency with unparalleled credentials we feel we have matched our fashion expertise with their know-how of developing a distinct brand voice with wit, while remaining true to the brands values. To give the campaign the launch pad it deserves French Connection will embark on a multi-platform campaign starting with high profile TV adverts showcasing the campaign films on the 7th February 2010. The campaign encapsulates the French Connection Spring Summer 10 collection perfectly giving it a clean yet creative backdrop.

The ladieswear collection is all about feminine tailoring in soft nudes contrasted against bold Hawaiian prints and stripes. Clean cut lines are juxtaposed against softer silhouettes in fluid fabrics. Exaggerated shoulders still play an important role, from blazers, all over embellished tops to fitted dresses. The French Connection man steps in to SS10 in sophisticated fashion-forward pieces focusing on quality fabrics, unique detailing and signature design twists. Masculinity is the essence of the collection and created through simply stylish wearable clothes, ideal for a real man at one with the outdoors. "We believe we have created an impactful and intelligent campaign which we hope will encourage talk-ability amongst our loyal customers and fashion opinion formers worldwide.

The campaign creative enables us to speak to our male and female customers in a clever and effective way, whilst reaffirming our premium status on the high street. This is set to be a very important season for French Connection". Stephen Marks, Founder & Chairman of French Connection French Connection