How ZO_loft Brings New Thinking to Portable Shelter Design

ZO-loft, a four-person architecture and design studio base in Italy, has designed a portable shelter concept that has many surprising and innovative aspects contained within.  Called the ZO_loft WheelLY, the shelter consists of (please refer to schematic image above) 1. a cloth bag, 2. reflecting colored rubber rim, 3. folding polyester resin tent, 4. rubber tire, 5. aluminum frame, 6. pressed paper rollers to serve as bearings, and 7. an insulating rubber disc with a sponsor’s logo on the surface (smart way of potentially reducing costs).  When opened, the shelter is ready to be inhabited for hopefully short durations, or may be used to “wheel” one’s possessions around, as it is capable of storing upwards of 250 liters of items.

(Images courtesy of ZO_loft via Treehugger.com)

Given the amount of need which exists in the world for low cost, sturdy, and quick-construction shelter, the ZO_loft WheelLY represents a strikingly innovative step forward which may indeed be applicable in the future - it still needs some issues worked out however, such as how comfortable it would be to sleep while lying over the inner edge of the tire when more space is required.  Nonetheless, this concept is another indication of how important it is for industrial designers and architects to contribute to solving the big issues which lay before us - climate change, disaster relief, widening humanitarian crises, etc.  And it is worth noting that these concepts represent a far cry from the toxic trailers provided by FEMA, for victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, although it appears that that problem may be getting some attention albeit years after the fact.  Perhaps the Federal Government (and FEMA leaders in particular) should take a closer look at what ZO-loft has come up with, along with the many other promising concepts for portable shelter that are being developed around the world (e.g. Daniel Schipper’s collapsible shelter concept).

ZO_loft

OLPC’s Second Act Coming in 2009

Picture this: an elegant portable electronic device with dual touchscreens that can be transformed into virtual keyboards, a hinge to allow it to be used horizontally or vertically (like an electronic book), that is extremely energy efficient (running on just one Watt!).  Sounds cool, right?  Well, you’re looking at it.  It’s the XO-2, representing the next generation of Cambridge, MA-based One Laptop Per Child’s (OLPC) XO laptop for children in the developing world, with a proposed launch date of 2010.  Why did the organization decide to announce it so early?  According to founder Nicholas Negroponte, formerly of MIT’s Media Lab, it was to essentially stimulate the market, in the hope that it might actually be copied by other companies, so as to bring costs down, as well as widen the effort in general, to introduce the latest technologies to educational programs in developing countries throughout the world .

Following the introduction begun last year, of the XO into countries including Peru, Uruguay, Mongolia, Haiti, Rwanda, Mexico, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Afghanistan, and even the US and Canada, OLPC determined that it had to redesign the device and lower its price (to $75, if possible), in order to make it even more accessible for young children.  If the proposed enhancements indeed come to fruition, the XO-2 will certainly have a lot going for it, with the added benefit that it may aid the design and development of super efficient electronics for the developed world as well, especially in light of our ever strained electrical grid.  While you wait for this impressive device to hit the market, OLPC will reintroduce their laptop donation program later this Fall, in case you are interested in supporting their efforts.

For further information, please visit OLPC Wiki for updates and information on how the project is proceeding.

Sustainable Brands Conference next week!

This year’s conference aims to bring together leaders in green marketing, design, and research in Monterey, CA from June 2-5. With over 500 professionals already signed up, there’s only a few seats left. Testimonials on last year’s conference are posted here and interested attendees can register here. They’ve got an all star speaker line up, with companies like Method Home, IDEO, GOOD Magazine, DOW, Interface, Clorox, Steelcase and many more sharing their progress on the sustainable front.

www.sustainablebrands08.com

The Suburb Eating Robot

Among all of the intense, ultra serious eco talk happening these days, it’s a bit refreshing to see someone thinking about playful ways to address sustainability through design in an unconventional way. This is the world’s first “Suburb Eating Robot.” The project was done by Australian architect Andrew Maynard for Critical Visions 2008 (CV08). His studio, Andrew Maynard Architects presented it as rant or criticism at the CV08 conference this year put on by the Royal Australian Institute of Architect’s in Sydney. Inspiration for the project grew out the increasing problems that suburbs are creating in Australia and Maynard was determined to shed some light on the issue.

Playfully responding to a question in a recent interview, he asks, “where will suburbanites live when there is no other means of circulation to their homes? What will we do with our abandoned and decaying suburbs? And most importantly, what will we do with the 50% of Australians that are over-weight due to car dependence and a sedentary lifestyle?” He also commented, “we’re thinking about getting a few more students here in the office to build a prototype in the store room. Then we will accidentally (or on purpose) spill various liquids on it until it comes to life and starts killing people indiscriminately and tries to take over the world, we can only hope…”

Watch the project video

Download the PDF

An interview with Maynard on Architecture MNP

Making Greenburg Greener While Improving Their Community

Images from the National Geographic Society. Video from KTKA 49 ABC News.

Students at Kansas State University are taking the initiative to make Greenburg more sustainable while rebuilding their community. Their effort is being called Project Cubed and it aims to bring “pavilion cubes of sustainable living to Greenburg”. Every cube they are creating is eco-friendly. One might recycle rain water while another provides a place for gathering bottles and cans for recycling. Perhaps the best aspect of the project is that the students are focused on carefully designing and constructing each cube with the equally important purpose of being able to withstand severe tornado weather. The project was created in response to the massive F5 category tornado that ripped through Greensburg in 2007. It flattened the town and caused 8 deaths. With winds of 205 miles an hour (330 kilometers) the tornado was the first first recorded F5 storm since 1999 in the US.

Kansas State University Architecture student, Melody Meek mentioned that ”it’s one way to connect the world of architecture with people in our community. Design can really help improve lives. This could start to lay the groundwork of how we can respond to natural disasters such as tornadoes.” Their green initiative has been in the planning and development stages for 2 semesters. The students of Project Cubed are scheduled to deliver the finished product to the Greenburg community on the 4th of May 2008, the anniversary date of last year’s devastating tornado which destroyed so much of their local architecture and infrastructure.

Droog Does Materials

I am here in Milan, Italy reporting from the Fuori Salone di Mobile. I’ve seen quite a lot and walked even more! Yesterday we went to see the Droog exhibition close to la Triennale on Foro Buonaparte. The title of the exhibition is post-sustainability. Although I generally gush over the ideas generated through the Droog community, I was a bit apprehensive to see what they produced for Milan under this theme seeing as how all the “green” themed shows have been nothing more than disappointing.

Contrary to my apprehensive feelings, the show was wonderful. It was quite small but thought provoking. The two that I enjoy the most are of a new materials nature. The first is a fence for your yard or a highway made of refused plastic bags (see image above). The bags are strung through a series of vertical, flexible cords that are held taught by a metal frame. Depending on the size and density, some bags are layered, some are overlapping, and some stand a lone. Another beauty in this piece is that the control of design and aesthetic is left up to the owner. Now this fence may not keep enemies apart from each other but it has the potential to serve as a sound barrier or simply a way to draw a line.

The second object is a table made of shredded Elle Magazines. Even today in the digital age, somehow we still fall victim to the magazine collection problem. It made we wonder what size chair we could make if everyone pooled all the magazines and paper propaganda collected at this show- certainly a chair no human could mount alone. Most importantly, what I appreciate about this table is that it is attainable and easy to create- any teenager forced to clean up her room and realizes she has a stack of magazines to the ceiling could simply create a vanity table out of them and not throw away a scrap (not to mention have to carry them all downstairs to the trash)!

It is the simplicity and engagement that really makes Droog objects special. I hope that other attendees alike had a similar reaction. If you were there, by all means share your comments with us! For the rest of you, stay posted, I will be reporting more…

What is the Green Retail Experience?

This weekend and into early this week I browsed the International Home & Housewares Association show here in Chicago. The show consisted of a smattering of home appliances and products- new, old, and green. To my delight, the headlining topics of nearly all panel discussions and talks were focussed on the future of sustainability in product design. Two talks really stuck with me: “Green Today, Here Tomorrow: the emotional currency of sustainability”, and “Making it Happen: exhibitors panel discussion on sustainable materials”. The result was a cathartic dialogue I’d like to open up to you: what is the green retail experience?

My thoughts arose from questions presented from the buyers in the home appliance industry regarding the friction between novelty and sustainability. We have created through supply and demand, the experience of walking into a store and expecting to see new seasonal products. We anticipate seasonal colors, products, and innovation. This experience has resulted in a lot of new products developed in haste and without much regard for environmental responsibility. The question is, how can retailers maintain the “new” experience while being a sustainability leader.

Designer, professor, and sustainable materials panelist Hans Maier Aichen of Design Ideas suggests to define the evolution of a product through details. “We need to do less and do better”. As designers, we have a heavy responsibility. Today our industry is overflowing with an excess of products (this i witnessed at the show while passing manufacturers exhibiting, for example, every single microwave they produce- i saw walls of rice makers, toasters, coffee makers, microwaves all noticeably different but functionally similar), this excess has created cut-throat competition, and has resulted in unsustainable low prices.  As we move into the generation of green retail with responsible products, how do we lead by designing and formulating the green retail experience?

A 1930’s DIY Model-T With The Car Mileage of Today

This incredible story from ecomodder.com tells of a DIY aeromodding project from 1933 where a Ford Model T was redesigned with a custom fabricated teardrop body. The resulting car traveled at 70 miles per hour with its original engine while the original Model T only made it to 45. The streamlined car also got 38 miles per gallon while the original car was in the range of 25-30. Harry Stevinson who created the car, didn’t loose interest in automobile efficiency after the Model T. He was 17 when he created the aerodynamic Ford and in later years, equipped an Oldsmobile with a basic fuel economy meter to monitor gas consumption on the road.

For the full article of this amazing project visit metrompg.com.