Swiss curator Klaus Littmann and Enea Landscape Architecture hope to focus public attention on the crisis of deforestation with their public art installation, For Forest: The Unending Attraction of Nature.
The project has converted the Wörthersee stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria, into a temporary native European forest.
Some 300 trees, many of which are fully grown and some of which weigh nearly 13,227 pounds alone, occupy the stadium’s Astroturf and, together, form the country’s largest public art installation ever.
Tree species include silver birch, alder, aspen, white willow, field maple, and common oak, sourced from three nurseries in Italy, Germany and Belgium.
It took the team 22 days to ‘plant’ once the trees arrived in Austria.
The work is inspired by The Unending Attraction of Nature, a drawing by Austrian artist and architect Max Peintner. It shows a forest on display inside a stadium, in a dystopian future where nature grows only in designated spaces.
The installation opened on September 9 and will be on display till October 27, 2019. On closing it will be replanted on a public site nearby.
Alphabet and Ikea are Investing in Robotic Real Estate:
With $20 million of new funding from Sidewalk Labs and Ikea umbrella company Ingka Group, MIT robotics spin-off Ori plans to revolutionise architecture, writes Mark Wilson for Fast Company.
In 2014, an MIT project called CityHome proposed robotic infrastructure for apartments, with features like kitchens and beds sliding in and out to amplify tiny footprints – making them more flexible and efficient.
CityHome became Ori, now inking deals with Sidewalk Labs, Ingka Group and Geolo Capital – known for hospitality investments. The major new investors represent three major real estate sectors – city planning, retail, and hospitality.
Ori hopes to change the very nature of buildings with robotics, Wilson writes, and these relationships could inform the future of its products.
More than offering after-market robo-furnishings that are fitted to your apartment, Wilson says the company wants to become part of the design conversation from the very start, as architects and developers begin creating buildings. We could be looking at a future of integrated robotic design.
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun experience to learn about the design and manufacturing process of public furniture we use in landscape architecture design. Seeing the work behind the scenes and …
Did you catch these most-read case studies, furnishing tips, new product announcements and special industry events in your StreetChat updates in 2023? Each month our StreetChat enewsletter publishes new projects, products and trends from the public domain; subscribe to receive it in your inbox. 10. Which design firm can see Longhorn Cattle from their office window? 2 countries. 9 cities. 300 landscape architects. Street Furniture Australia and USA partner Spruce & Gander visited offices in Australia and Texas. There were key similarities and some notable standouts. 9. Jazz at The Mint: Product and Book Launch Sydney landscape architects gathered at the iconic Mint Courtyard to launch a design book by our founding directors Darrel Conybeare and Bill Morrison, and expansions to the Linea collection. 8. 2023 Good Cause Giveaway goes to …
Street Furniture Australia has designed and built prototype charging stands as part of a Transport for NSW program to deliver free phone chargers at 15 Sydney train stations. Developed by Street Furniture Australia’s inhouse industrial designers in collaboration with Transport for NSW, the prototypes offer wireless, USB-A and USB-C charging, and can power 7 devices at once. They were built at the Street Furniture Australia factory in Western Sydney. Two Power Spots are now installed at Liverpool and Campbelltown stations. The $1 million Power Spots Project rollout to 15 transport hubs including Bankstown, Hurstville, Lidcombe, Penrith, Wynyard, Central, Town Hall and Bondi Junction will be completed by late 2024. NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the Power Spots provide peace of mind: “In the modern world, our phones are our …
Joy Through The Wall – Pink Seesaws Connect US-Mexico Communities: Architectural studio Rael San Fratello has installed three pink seesaws, or teetertotters, between the metal slats of the US-Mexico border wall, so people on either side can play together. Ronald Rael, who runs Rael San Fratello with architect Virginia San Fratello, posted images and videos of the installation on Instagram. The equipment was installed between El Paso in Texas and Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, in an opening event of “joy, excitement, and togetherness” says Rael. It has been one of the “most incredible experiences” of the duo’s careers, he writes in the post. “The wall became a literal fulcrum for US-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions …
Public punching bags placed around New York City: A US design studio, donttakethisthewrongway (dtttww), has installed bright yellow punching bags throughout New York City to help relieve tension and stress among residents. The bags were introduced in May at New York City Design Week in attempts to stop people from taking their frustrations out on each other. “The concept explores designing common spaces for the frustrations we all face. Frustrations that go beyond designed systems and happen, well, because we are human,” the design studio said. “The public punching bag offers an outlet for these emotions as a means to maybe develop a healthier way to address personal and collective issues in a public setting.” New Yorkers passing by tipped their hats to dtttww, welcoming the installation with fists and …
Norman Foster is 84 and he Instagrams better than you: Norman Foster only began to casually upload photos to Instagram in 2017. But don’t be fooled by his short tenure on the social media platform, writes ArchDaily. What makes his feed more charming, they say, than Bjarke Ingels’, more impressive that Richard Branson’s, is a mix of je ne sais quoi, athletic prowess, and a taste of ‘he’s just like us!’ Foster posts behind-the-scenes images that reflect a full life – of exercising, spending time with family and taking holidays – as well as working. If we are moving beyond the age of ‘cults of personality’ cultivated by the media, say ArchDaily, “it’s fascinating to see Norman Foster take full advantage of the one-to-one relationship between public figure and the …
