11.11.2009 von admin.

Marcio Kogan’s Panama House is a residence designed for art. Located in São Paulo, Brazil, the house makes a powerful but subdued statement in its low, open, elongated elegance — a hallmark of Kogan’s architecture.

In the past few years, the award-winning, Brazilian-born architect’s Studio MK27 has produced a steady stream of low-rise, boxy work – all with an uncanny intimacy, yet without any of the usual stuffy treatments that supposedly create intimacy.At the Panama House, there are no cozy nooks, no soft furnishings, no homey touches. And yet, there is a feeling of comfort and livability in this art-gallery-of-a-house that makes you want to move in tomorrow.All levels of the three-storey house — including the bedrooms, office, gardens and patio — are used to display the owner’s substantial collection of predominantly modern Brazilian art and sculpture.Most beautifully, they also create the soft play of light that matches the overall linear shapes — created by creases in window treatments, the floor boards, the rows of pillows on long sofas, the stone work outside — continuing the elongated language of the entire building.

The São Paulo-born architect Marcio Kogan graduated from Mackenzie University in 1976 and created films until the age of 30. His considerable talents of creating drama, understanding a setting and leading the eye are certainly evident in the award-winning Panama House. -

SOURCE_WWW.THECOOLHUNTER.NET ARTICLE BYTuija Seipell

Geschrieben in ARCHITECTURE | 1 Kommentar »

11.11.2009 von admin.

 WWW.CLASSICON.COM

Our modern classics are collector’s items − not only the masterpieces of yesterday, but of tomorrow as well. We aim above all to produce individual pieces of great originality and formal perfection – pieces with the potential to become classics in their own right one day. Displaying the kind of value that lasts, these pieces are destined to become coveted investments for future generations.

ClassiCon has from its inception aspired not only to offer pieces by established figures such as Eileen Gray and Eckart Muthesius, but also to foster contemporary design and to present selected examples in its program. Naturally, the models chosen must display the kind of quality and advanced form that earns them the designation “classic”. That’s why ClassiCon is always open to new design ideas.

The ClassiCon brand stands for quality, individuality and a timeless aesthetic – regardless of passing fashions. More important than the degree of fame achieved by the designer is a demonstrated fascination with new formal concepts. This focus helps ClassiCon to continually discover exciting young designers. In the case of Konstantin Grcic, this has resulted in a longstanding collaboration, which the Munich designer took advantage of right from the start by including references to the iconic Eileen Gray in his Orcus secretary.

Eileen Gray - Her Life and Her Work

By Peter Adam

A comprehensive, richly illustrated study on the life and work of stalwartly independent interior designer Eileen Gray, a radical modernist who created icons of modern living. Largely forgotten
when peers like Le Corbusier were lionized as visionaries, she was rediscovered in the 1970s.

Eileen Gray - Her Life and Her Work By Peter AdamSchirmer/Mosel. 360 pages, 174 colour and duotone plates and 265 illustrations. Size: 25 x 29 cm, hardcovern. www.schirmer-mosel.com ISBN English edition: 978-3-8296-0420-8 Price: EURO 78,00 Now available in good selected bookstores.

 EILEEN GRAY

KONSTANTIN GRCIC

SERGIO RODRIGUES

BARBER OSGERBY

ROQUEBRUNE CHAIR_EILEEN GRAY

PALLAS TABLE_VENUS CHAIR_KONSTANTIN GRCIC

PARIS SHELF_BARBER OSGEBRY

LOTA COUCH_ST TROPEZ RUG_EILEEN GRAY

Geschrieben in DESIGN | 1 Kommentar »

11.11.2009 von admin.

Origin

Boom boxes were introduced commercially by various companies in the late 1970’s, when stereo capabilities were added to existing designs of the radio-cassette recorder, which had appeared earlier that decade. More powerful and sophisticated models were subsequently introduced. They are often associated with 1980s phenomena such as breakdancing and hip hop culture, having been introduced into the mainstream consciousness through music videos, movies, television and documentaries. It was during this time that the major manufacturers competed as to who could produce the biggest, loudest, clearest-sounding, bassiest, flashiest and/or most novel boomboxes. As the decade progressed, manufacturers tended to compete more on price (often at the expense of quality), and smaller designs (often designed for simple background listening) became more popular. This era was prior to the introduction and cultural entrenchment of the Walkman style, personal stereos with headphones which would later displace boom boxes in popularity.

Features

Technically a Boombox is, at its simplest, two or more loudspeakers, an amplifier, a radio tuner, and a cassette and/or CD player component, all housed in a single plastic or metal case, often with a handle for portability. Most units can be powered by AC or DC cables, as well as batteries.

Various boombox designs differ greatly in size. Larger, more powerful units may require 10 or more size-D batteries, may measure more than thirty inches in width, and can weigh more than 20 pounds.

Audio quality and feature sets vary widely, with high-end models providing features and sound comparable to some home stereo systems. Most models offer volume, tone and balance (Left/Right) controls.

More sophisticated models may feature dual cassette decks (often featuring high-speed dubbing), separate bass level control, five- or 10-band graphic equalizers, Dolby noise reduction, analog or LED sound level (VU) meters, larger speakers, ’soft-touch’ tape deck controls, multiple shortwave (SW) band reception, auto song search functions for cassettes, Line and/or Phono inputs and outputs, microphone inputs, loudness switches and detachable speakers. A handful of models even featured an integrated vinyl record player or a (typically black and white) television screen, although the basic radio/cassette models have historically been by far the most popular.

A few of the most modern boomboxes have integrated (or removable) satellite radio tuners. Also in many cases with newer versions of the boombox, iPod docks have been put in place of cassette players, creating a fusion of new technology and old personality.

SOURCE_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boombox

Geschrieben in STATEMENT | 1 Kommentar »

11.11.2009 von admin.

Architekten- und Künstlerhaus am Fusse des Üetlibergs in Zürich. Das Mehrfamilienhaus am Fusse des Uetlibergs hat zum Ziel, preisgünstigen Wohnraum mit hohem Wohnwert für vier unterschiedlich grosse Parteien zu schaffen. Dabei soll jede Partei möglichst gleichwertig einerseits von dem südseitigen 3000 m2 grossen Umschwung, andererseits von der nordseitigen Sicht über die Stadt profitieren. Dies generierte eine unkonventionelle, komplexe innere Organisation des Gebäudes. Von einem zweigeschossigen Eingangsraum werden alle 4 Wohnungen erschlossen, die jeweils über eine eigene interne Treppe über ein oder zwei Geschosse verfügen. Grundsätzlich sind zwei Duplexwohnungen und zwei Attikawohnungen so ineinander verschachtelt, dass die Qualität des auf vier Seiten orientierten Gebäudes voll ausgeschöpft werden konnte. Die gewählten Materialien sind gängige, unveredelte Baumaterialien wie Beton, Holz und verzinkter Stahl, die spannungsvoll zueinander in Beziehung gesetzt werden. Der präzise Einbau der farbigen Küchen mit spiegelnden Glasabdeckungen und die grossflächigen bunten Glasverkleidungen der Wände in den Nasszellen kontrastieren den groben Beton und die organischen Holzmuster.Das Kellergeschoss, die vertikalen Treppentürme und die Trennwände zwischen den Wohneinheiten sind in Ortbeton (Schalungstyp 1) gefertigt. Dadurch werden feuerpolizeiliche und akustische Anforderungen erfüllt, die der Holzelementbau, aus dem mehrheitlich die restliche Raumstruktur besteht, generiert. Der Betonkern bildet das ‚Skelett’ des eigentlichen Holzhauses, das mit seiner organischen Weichheit das Rohe des Betons überhöht. Decken und Wände bestehen aus vorfabrizierten, isolierten Holzelementen aus Fichte. Die Innenflächen bestehen an den Wänden aus Kistensperrholz, an den Decken aus Dreischichtplatten. Konstruktion und Raumbegrenzung sind kongruent, die einzelnen Bauteile und die Arbeitsprozesse ablesbar. Der Holzbau erhält durch die leicht polygonale Geometrie den Charakter eines vom Schreiner hergestellten Möbelstückes. Auffälligstes Merkmal der aus verzinkten Blechen bestehenden Fassade ist die differenzierte Ausbildung der Fensteröffnungen der Nord- und Südseite.

SOURCE_http://www.afgh.ch

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