Lucy Bullivant visits the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in NYC, where the National Design Triennial asks designers, Why Design Now?
December 13th, 2010
‘How do buildings not shrink from their responsibility of being part of the city?’
Michael Maltzan, architect of the New Carver Apartments in Los Angeles for homeless elderly and disabled residents, was one of the architectural voices in the Why Design Now? showcase, the latest in New York’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum National Design Triennial series (to 9 January 2011).
New Carver apartments by Michael Maltzan Architecture (foreground). Photo by Matt Flynn
From Foreign Office Architects’ bamboo shuttered Carabanchel social housing in Madrid, to the transformation of Medellin, Columbia (see main image) with 142 new and upgraded schools, 5 library parks, and an expanded train and cable car system – seen through the eyes of children on video, the selection answered the question that palatable solutions are holistic.
Maltzan’s building overlooks the Santa Monica freeway, has medical facilities, dining spaces and gardens, and sweeping views of the skyline and the street.
Enobling public space, Iwamoto Scott’s HydroNet is as yet a proposal for self-sufficient urban transport infrastructure, while tools like the Green Map systems let people chart local and global resources such as green spaces, biking paths, endangered habitats and more through a common vocabulary.
Iwamoto Scott’s HydroNet (background). Photo by Matt Flynn
Experiential virtuality helps us navigate reality, as the New York Times’ interaction projects by its graphics department, including Tom Bissell’s harrowing climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, show, while eco-messages are easy to avoid for many so Michael Beirut’s Green Patriot posters have been put on mass transit buses.
The best designers translate complex data about the world and its safety, environment and equality using a more responsive approach to real needs.
Why Design Now? at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City runs until 9 January 2011.
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
cooperhewitt.org
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Your last chance to join the Super Design community is here, don’t miss out on the last week of talks, showroom sessions and exclusive content.
Moonhouse has arrived! East meets west to inform the design and cuisine of this fabulous new restaurant, bar and private dining venue in an inner-city suburb of Melbourne. Oozing charm with contemporary aesthetics, Moonhouse is certainly making its presence felt.
The 2009 Bubble and Speak® Breakfast Series is back and bigger than ever with with 6 breakfasts over 6 months – 2 more than last year. Each seminar features guest speakers selected for their varied point of view and experience. Your questions are welcome, and encouraged, following each speaker’s address.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Continuing our new series on the design enthusiasts who work in all sorts of different roles across the industry, we speak to Rogerseller’s Claire Drummond.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.