Melbourne design agency Büro North is proposing in-ground traffic lights to safeguard pedestrians glued to their smartphones.
Architecture & Design reports that the firm developed the idea following reports of accidents involving players of the augmented reality game Pokémon Go (see our White Paper on Pokémon, augmented reality and cities).
David Bullpitt documents beautiful urban interventions with the planting of sunflower fields in prime renewal areas in the La Trobe Valley, Victoria.
In Architecture AU he writes, “the Get Sunflowered project by RMIT University’s Office of Urban Transformations Research (OUTR) offers an un-ashamedly happy intervention.”
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has filmed an interview with an architect who was allegedly short-changed by rival Donald Trump. Architizer reports.
Andrew Tesoro was approached by Trump’s organisation back in 2002 to design a new clubhouse at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York.
The architect accepted the commission with enthusiasm: it was a prestigious project that could transform his small business.
Four years later, after his invoice had been sent and ignored, Tesoro was summoned to a meeting at the clubhouse. In the ballroom he designed, the architect was offered one-third of his bill.
However, this invoice too, was unpaid.
Tesoro says he met with Trump himself, who told him, “I really don’t think I should pay any more, because I spent too much on this building,” and proposed to pay less than 20 per cent of the original sum.
Read the full story, and watch the interview, here.
Street Furniture Australia and US partner Spruce & Gander in March hosted landscape architects from California and Texas on a visit to Sydney to experience a factory tour, site visits and a new product launch. The American landscape architects represented MJS Landscape Architecture, RHAA Landscape Architecture + Planning, TBG Partners, Avid Trails and Ten Eyck Landscape Architects. Over a week-long trip the guests were treated to famous sights of Sydney including the iconic Bondi Beach, a harbour cruise and dining at top restaurants in urban Surry Hills and the new Barangaroo precinct. Travelling to Regents Park in Western Sydney, they toured the Street Furniture Australia factory to see first-hand how products are designed, made and shipped all over the world. This included meeting the production team, industrial designers and engineers. …
Melissa Gerke, our Communications and Education Specialist, is bringing a fun, interactive and informative presentation about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to customers in cities around Australia and in the US. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) we will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). 2024 cities and dates include: Select from three catering options (optional): To book, contact Melissa Gerke mgerke@streetfurniture.com
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
Floating Piers: More than one million people are reported to have walked on water at Lake Iseo in northern Italy, courtesy of two miles of fabric walkways called the Floating Piers. The project was conceived by Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude in 1970. Realised almost 50 years later, it cost around $22 million, funded by Christo himself. From June 18 to July 3 in 2016, the lake was reimagined with 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular dock system of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes floating on the water. Wired describes its construction here, and Christo’s story, notes and drawings here. Photo: The Floating Piers at the island of San Paolo, Italy by NewtonCourt, Wikimedia Commons. Secrets of bent trees: The Daily Mail reports that bent trees all over the United States have baffled …
Superblocks to the rescue: Barcelona’s radical new strategy will restrict traffic to a number of big roads, drastically reducing pollution and turning secondary streets into citizen spaces for culture, leisure and the community. “In a city as dense as ours, it’s all the more necessary to re-conquer spaces.” Visit the Guardian article. Photo by Kaspars Upmanis on Unsplash. 7 placemaking tips: The Project for Public Spaces is a wealth of knowledge and research on how to create vibrant places rather than just useable spaces. Vox Urban highlights seven pearls of wisdom. In three words, these are: Engage with community Place, not space Collaborate with partners Prepare to push Observe local users Triangulate related elements Value, not cost. Read the full story. Photo: Sydney Living Museums. 104 year old street artist yarn bombs town Grace Brett might be …
The next Highline: underground? Smart optics bring natural light and flourishing plants to the Lowline experiment, a foray into subterranean parks. “It is lit by soft, bright rays that bounce off an aluminium canopy. When a cloud passes by, it gets dimmer; you look up almost expecting to see a skylight. Ferns, palms and Spanish moss hang from the ceiling. Funnelled from three solar panels on the roof, the light is refracted but still natural, so it contains the full spectrum of colours that plants need to flourish …” Visit the Economist 1843 article, or go to the Lowline website. Photo: Lowline. Why do we work so hard? The problem is not that overworked professionals are all miserable. The problem is that they are not, writes Ryan Avent. “I could anticipate with …
