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!
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
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.
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.
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.
Instead of following the trend and moving offshore, Stormtech chose to keep its manufacturing operations in Australia. Combined with its quality products and commitment to innovation, this decision has been key to the specialist drainage supplier’s success.
Australian timber manufacturing company, Screenwood, creates a residential oasis of warmth, privacy and exceptional comfort.
Designed by Ramos Bassols Studio, the Rama chair features clear cut lines and a warm, welcoming shape that perfectly embodies contemporary Italian design. The light and subtle aesthetic appeal of the chair is achieved with the extremely slim profile that is balanced with a flexible and ergonomic nature.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
An entry by MuseLAB, in The Retail Space in the 2024 INDE.Awards, takes shoppers to another planet where diamonds and great interior design make a lasting impression.
The AIA Alta Wellness Haven offers the complete package for health and wellbeing away from the busy city life in Hong Kong and does it through a stellar interior design.