Bamboo Barn

Usually we don't post about eco-architecture, as there are tons of other web sites and publications filled with the latest LEED-certifiable technology and how, if you have a zillion dollars, you can use cradle-to-cradle materials in your eco-manse. However, this seemed different. The materials used are modest, and most are locally sourced. The structures are part of a utiliarian set-up, designed as a place to store, fuel, and maintain agricultural equipment, with seasonal capacity for storing hay and grain. The open-air design provides ventilation to help dry bales of hay. All the bamboo is locally sourced, and the big surprise is that this isn't somewhere in Asia, but on the Mason Lane Farm in Kentucky. That's right, this is hand-tied, Kentucky-grown bamboo. My grandparents' farm didn't look like this. Then again, they weren't trying for a LEED gold certification.The second structure on site features panels of corrugated metal, which are typical of rural farm structures. The design details here are minimal, but effective. You can read more about it and see a full slideshow on Archinect. It's a great write-up, with lots of details on construction, materials, and the design philosophy.

Images from Archinect. Thanks to Inhabitat for the tip (Note: Inhabitat cites this as a North Carolina project, but it's actually in Kentucky. For our west-coast readers, there's probably not much difference ;-). However, I spent my summers visiting my grandparents at their Carolina farm, and I couldn't let the error go uncorrected.)

You can ring Ma Bell...

It's phone book season again, which means that the yellow and black bricks are landing on doorsteps all over the Bay Area. Even if you're one of those Luddites (guilty) who still likes to have the phone book around, that still means that last year's model is destined for the recycling bin.

Our most recent Process 376 challenge was to create a jewelry box completely from free materials. We were encouraged to mine curb finds, throwaways, and the CraigsList free section. Oliver was inspired by the lowly phone book to create his box from the yellow pages and a scrap of aluminum plate. I would have gone at this with an X-acto blade and given up by the time I got to the B's, but Oliver epoxied and clamped the whole thing, then hollowed out the insides with power tools.

He capped off the box with an aluminum plate, finished with a right-angle grinder and straight edge. Soo's bangles and baubles have a stylish new home.

More jewelry boxes coming in the next couple of weeks as everyone sends in their photos.

Images from Oliver DiCicco.

Below the belt: Recycled leather flooring

We've covered Ting before for their seatbelt handbags and hammocks. Now they're making flooring from salvaged leather belts. I don't know how expensive this is, but when even the manufacturer is using this language: "a bespoke product...designed for use in very exclusive and premium environments," it's way out of my price range.

Cost aside, there's something really nice about this. What do you think?

Images from Ting. Thanks to Re-Nest for the tip.

Kevin Randolph lighting show in Oakland tonight

Kevin Randolph designs lighting from castoff materials. The pieces are beautiful and inspired. They look as if the pieces came from an abandoned mad scientist's laboratory. I'm struck by how beautiful the exposed bulbs are. Is there anything designers can do to make CFLs look as stunning, or are we going to have to wait for LEDs to take hold?

Collect Gallery in Oakland is having a trunk show of Kevin's lighting with an opening reception tonight (Oct. 9th). If you can't make it there, you can find more of his work at Paxton Gate in SF, or you can contact the designer directly.

GEREMIA DESIGN / COLLECT GALLERY
OPENING RECEPTION: OCT. 9, 6:30 - 10 PM
465 9TH ST, OAKLAND, CA 94607

Images from Kevin Randolph. Thanks to Remodelista for the tip.

Etsy-licious: Paper clip Chandeliers

We've written about paper clip chandeliers before. Soo just found these from ReDesign Technologies on Etsy. Fantastic, and very reasonably priced. If you've got a touch of the OCD, you can probably make your own. However, these are so nicely proportioned, they'd be challenging to duplicate. I love the shadows they cast on the ceiling.
Images from ReDesign Technologies. Thanks to Soo for the tip.

Bench with salvaged legs

We've seen other pieces that use furniture bits to create something new, but here's an interesting twist. This centipede bench has a stunning piece of raw, salvaged walnut for the top, supported by a mash-up of rescued chair legs. I really like the length of it--not sure it would work as well as a shorter piece. Designed by Hacin Acssociates and 60 Nobscot as part of Boston Home magazine's concept loft (now for sale, if you're interested...). If you like this, there's a full slideshow of the loft's design details at Apartment Therapy.

Image from Apartment Therapy

What a golden web we weave....

Today's Fashion Friday post isn't SF-local at all, but it is personal. When I was a kid, my father had a research grant to study spider silk. This meant that our kitchen was filled with spider cages, in which garden spiders spun beautiful orb webs. We would feed them crickets from the bait shop and spray water on the webs. Periodically Dad would harvest the silk, and the spiders would immediately start spinning new webs. Occasionally one of our spiders would have babies (small enough to escape out of the cages), which was always a little disconcerting.

Why study spider silk? The American Museum of Natural History sums it up nicely (and a lot like Dad would):

For its weight, spider silk is stronger than steel, but—unlike steel—it can stretch up to 40% of its normal length. Scientists are trying to produce this intriguing material artificially on a large scale for possible uses on the battlefield, in surgery, for space exploration, and elsewhere. Since raising spiders has proven difficult, researchers are investigating ways to replicate spider silk to avoid harvesting. However, spider silk is difficult to mimic in a lab because the silk begins as a liquid in the spider's gland, becoming a remarkably strong, water-resistant solid after following a complicated course through the spider's interior.

Why bring it up in a design blog? Today I saw THIS. Some eccentric genius has created a fantastic modern silk weaving made completely of spider silk.
That golden color is undyed--the natural color of the silk. The process of harvesting, spinning, and crafting this piece of textile art is fascinating. Here are some vital stats:

• total # of people involved: ~80
• total # of spiders involved: 1 million
• # of wild spiders captured per day: ~3000
• length of a single spider's silk: up to 400 yards
• # of silk threads that broke on the loom during weaving: zero
• length of project: 4 years
• total cost of the project: over $500,000
• size of finished textile: 4 ft x 11 ft

You can read much more and see a video of the process at the museum's website, and the NY Times has a great interview with the mad geniuses behind the project.

Images from The American Museum of Natural History, courtesy of Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley. Thanks to Ecouterre for the tip.