Naturayarte: Nature and Art Meet in Delicate Cut Leaves
August 3, 2011 by admin · View Comments
[ By Delana in Art & Design & Home & Garden & Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Natural materials are often the most striking in art. Their irregular organic shapes and delicate lines are as breathtaking as any image dreamed up by an artist. These impressive leaf cuttings by Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran combine the best of organic shapes and precise human-made cuts.
(all images via: Designboom)
Duran uses a technique similar to that used all around the world in traditional paper cutting art. The self-taught artist uses his amazing skill to create these small masterpieces which he uses to support himself and his family.
After studying the paper cutting techniques used in Asia and Europe, Duran figured that he should be able to apply the same techniques to leaves. He began experimenting with this unusual medium, making note of which types of leaves provided the best canvas and which resulted in the most precise cuts.
Lorenzo Duran calls his craft Naturayarte, and he is kind enough to share his process on his website. After selecting, washing and drying the leaves, he places them into a press. While they are being pressed, he sketches out a one-of-a-kind drawing for each leaf.
Duran then tapes the drawings to the freshly pressed leaves and uses the drawings as templates for his intricate cuttings. Removing the drawing from the leaf is the trickiest part of the process since the leaves are extremely delicate and prone to ripping. Entire days of work can be lost in an instant if Duran attempts to hurry this part of the creation.
Each drawing – and therefore each cutting – is entirely unique. In keeping with the independent artisan vibe of his work, Duran doesn’t set prices for his completed works – he lets the buyers of his art decide what they are worth.
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Stylish, but Sustainable? Synthetic Super-Sized Wood Trees
May 1, 2011 by admin · View Comments
[ By Delana in Art & Design & Geography & Travel & News & Politics. ]
An ambitious architectural project seven years in the making has finally opened in the heart of Seville, Spain. As the largest bonded-wood construction project ever attempted, the Metropol Parasol serves to tie together the ultra-modern parts of Seville with the historic medieval areas.
(image via: Inhabitat)
The impressive structure features undulating wooden surfaces that reach heights of up to 30 meters (90 feet). Beneath the wave-like surface of the parasol are a museum, bars and restaurants, a farmer’s market and a raised plaza for concerts. The very top of the structure features a long, winding walkway and terrace with incredible views of the surrounding area.
(image via: Inhabitat)
Plaza de la Encarnacion, the area of Seville where the Metropol Parasol is now located, was once destined to be a parking lot. But when excavations revealed the ruins of a Roman district beneath the surface of the location, city officials decided that a cultural statement would be a more appropriate use of the land.
(image via: Dezeen)
A competition to determine the most interesting design for the land netted plenty of enticing ideas, but Jürgen Mayer H’s design captured the imaginations of the judges. The architectural firm was given the go-ahead to begin the project, but the complexity of the design meant that it took several years to become a reality.
(image via: The Guardian)
The Metropol Parasol is a modern structure through and through, but the fact that it is made mostly of wood hearkens back to a different architectural period entirely. The polyurethane coating on the wood and the high-performing glue holding everything together link the present to the future. Seville’s iconic new structure is poised to change the entire dynamic of this vibrant city.
(image via: The Guardian)
Although the structure is not entirely wooden – there are concrete and steel elements – the neutral feel of the wooden elements lends a natural feel to the overall project. Combined with the organic shapes of the undulating parasols, the Metropol Parasol project evokes the feeling of being in a natural space in the middle of the city. Thanks to the honeycomb-like patterns of the overhead elements, the Parasol even provides some welcome relief from the bright Spanish sun.
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Suspended Swedish Tree Hotel Reflects Natural Environment
January 21, 2011 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steph in Art & Design, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Ascend through the straight, tall trees in a northern Swedish woodland on a suspended rope bridge to a trompe l’oeil getaway that is barely discernible from its environment. The Tree Hotel by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter is a mirrored glass box that reflects the forest, making it as unobtrusive as possible in this peaceful natural setting.
Step inside and you’ll find a thoughtfully laid out haven in the sky, ideal for an intimate twosome, lined in pale plywood and housing a double bed, table and chairs, and even a small bathroom. Guests can even access the roof for a full immersion into the landscape.
The 12-foot-square cube balances upon a single support pole and is strapped to a tree for support, and it does not appear that the tree has been affected. The architects covered the mirrored glass in transparent ultraviolet stickers that are invisible to our eyes, but will prevent birds from unwittingly smashing against the structure.
The Tree Hotel encourages eco-tourism to Harads, Sweden and the surrounding area, a sparsely populated region which is home to the 1,300-square-mile Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve. It was opened to the public in July 2010.
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Giant German Airship Hangar Transformed into Tropical Resort
January 7, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Steph in Art & Design, Geography & Travel. ]
Berliners depressed by the city’s notoriously cold and gray winters need to travel mere minutes in order to escape to a lush tropical paradise where the sun always shines, the air is a balmy 77 degrees, and orchids bloom beside a wide expanse of crystal-blue water. But the coolest thing about Tropical Islands, an artificial tropical resort in the German countryside, is the fact that it was built in a repurposed airship hangar.
The 194-million-cubic-foot structure – one of the world’s biggest buildings by volume – was originally commissioned by CargoLifter AG as a hangar for a prototype airship. When the company went bankrupt in 2002, it sold the 351-foot-high hangar to a Malaysian company called Tanjong, which repurposed the massive structure into a reproduction of a seaside village complete with a water park and the world’s largest indoor pool.
Nearly a million visitors take advantage of a 600-foot sandy beach and careen down a nine-story waterslide that sends sliders into the pool at speeds of up to 44mph. The record-breaking resort also contains the world’s largest artificial rainforest, which is packed with over 50,000 trees in 600 varieties.
Of course, as Inhabitat points out, maintaining all of this tropical artificiality in the middle of snowy Germany is not exactly eco-friendly – imagine the water and power bills. But it’s certainly a novel re-use for a structure that is so large as to be impractical for nearly any other purpose, and if the project does well in the long-term, other disused airship hangars around the world may follow suit.
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Guerilla Green Graffiti: Mossy Urban Art Brings Nature Home
November 18, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Marc in Art & Design, Home & Garden, Tricks & Hacks. ]
The closest most graffiti taggers get to being green is using spray paint cans that don’t contain CFC’s, but some guerilla green graffiti artists are taking their art to a new level. Few people would complain about having their building tagged with beautiful greenery, to the point that people will gladly pay to have their buildings tagged.
(Images via pingmag, alternativeconsumer, inhabitat, thegrowspot)
Patrick Blanc is an expert at de-urbanizing city dwellings and commercial buildings. In places where every tree is isolated in brick, it’s amazingly refreshing to walk upon a building with an organic green side. The mixture of high tech windows with cool greenery is a stunning juxtaposition.
(Images via mashupculture)
Morten Flyverbom likes green transportation; literally. His creations include a moss fuzzy volkswagen bug and tree carved bicycle. While his work is not the most functional, it’s definitely visually stunning.
(Images via inspiringcities, kuyichi, brokencitylab)
Anna Garforth can make a plain brick wall stunning with a mossy quote that looks mundane at first, until a closer look reveals the substance behind its form.
(Images via made-in-london, elizabethabernathy, bumbumbum)
Green artists are all about reminding viewers that nature is out there, and could easily be incorporated into the urban life. When sidewalks seem like the natural state of the world, it’s time to take a trip into the country, and don’t forget to bring back a little green graffiti to share the joy.
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Got Vertigo? Terrifying Towers where minutes feel like hours.
November 3, 2009 by admin · View Comments
All of your instincts may be screaming for you to avoid looking down at all costs, but when you’re this high in the air, the view is just irresistible. Whether you’re clinging for dear life to a rickety wooden rainforest observation tower or staring straight down through a glass floor at city streets thousands of feet below, frighteningly tall spires and lookouts give us humans a look at our environment that our ancestors would never have imagined possible.
CN Tower, Toronto, Canada
(image via: shidairyproduct, ilkerender)
Do you trust a piece of glass about the thickness of two fingers to keep you from crashing thousands of feet to the ground below? Toronto’s CN Tower, which stands over 1,815 tall, offers stunning 360-degree views of the city – and a stomach-turning view straight down to the street through a glass floor.
Forest Tower, Schovenhorst Estate, Netherlands
(images via: Arplus.com)
The thoroughly modern Forest Tower is just as visually stunning as the views it provides of the conservation area at the Schovenhorst Estate in the Netherlands. The design includes spaces and features for various activities including peepholes, a climbing net and even a small performance space.
Willis Tower Skydeck, Chicago, Illinois
(images via: Charlotte Speaks)
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to float 110 stories over Chicago, the Skydeck at the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower is the closest you’re likely to get. With a glass floor and glass walls on three sides, these “glass balconies” provide unparalleled views that will give the acrophobic nightmares.
Bird Watching Towers, Ecuadorian Amazon
(images via: JackMaryEtc)
There’s no way to enjoy the birds of the Amazon quite like observing them from one of Ecuador’s many extremely tall bird watching towers – if you’re brave enough to climb them. But finally getting to the top and finding it twisted from the wind and held together with a string, like one traveling couple did, might be enough to sway your confidence in the structure’s sturdiness.
Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne, Australia
(images via: EurekaSkydeck.com)
Like the Willis Tower Skydeck, Eureka Skydeck 88 in Melbourne, Australia offers views you just can’t get anywhere else in the city. But, it’s not for the faint of heart. 940 feet above the ground, “The Edge” is a glass cube that juts out nine feet from the building. It’s the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere.
Korkeasaari Lookout Tower, Helsinki, Finland
(images via: arcspace)
The shell-like wooden Korkeasaari Lookout Tower at Helsinki’s Korkeasaari Zoo mimics the large natural enclosures that the animals are held in, and is made of 72 long curved wood battens fastened with over 600 bolted joints. Ville Hara’s concept for the tower was the winning entry in a competition to design an innovative, artistic tower for the zoo.
Blackpool Tower ‘Walk of Faith’, Lancashire, England
(images via: Wikipedia)
With a design inspired by the Eiffel Tower, the 518ft Blackpool Tower in Lancashire, England was constructed in 1894 after Blackpool Mayor John Bickerstaffe visited the Great Paris Exhibition. Among its most popular features is the “Walk of Faith”, a glass floor panel added in 1998.
Burj Dubai Observation Deck, Dubai, UAE
(images via: Dubai Chronicle, WeeklyDrop)
Set to become the world’s tallest free-standig structure, Burj Dubai will feature a 124th-floor observation deck called ‘At the Top’. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls will provide unobstructed views of the city, but anyone who’s not paranoid about being swept away by a gust of wind can venture out onto the open-air deck. This mixed-use tower is set to open in late 2009.
Killesberg Tower, Stuttgart, Germany
(image via: structurae)
This double-helix shaped tower in Stuttgart, Germany features what are essentially two gigantic intertwined spiral staircases suspended by cables around a central support. Getting to the top is no easy feat, but the reward is great.
Shanghai Expo Tower, China
(image via: Expo 2010)
A 495-foot tall chimney at the oldest power plant in China is getting a dramatic makeover for the World Expo 2010. It is set to be transformed into an observation tower called the “Expo Harmony Tower”, its exterior wrapped with tracks and cars similar to a rollercoaster to transport passengers to the top. The entire former high-pollution plant is being revamped into an eco-friendly attraction that uses electricity generated by tide, wind and solar energy.
Glasgow Tower, Scotland
(images via: Wikipedia)
The tallest tower in Scotland is also the only tower in the world that can rotate 360 degrees from its base to its top. It’s shaped like an aerofoil, or an airplane wing seen in cross-section, and has computer-controlled monitors that turn it in the wind to reduce wind resistance.
Green Observation Towers Concept
(images via: HumanShelter.org)
Could we replace smokestacks with eco-friendly, green power-generating towers that also serve as public spaces with observation decks? Designer Michael Jantzen thinks so, and has created several designs that would do just that. The Wind Turbine Observation Tower has five wind-activated segments that rotate in different directions to produce energy, while the Eco-Tower is a public gathering space equipped with seven platforms and a custom wind turbine.
Cheongna City Tower, South Korea
(images via: Bustler.net)
South Korea is getting a new landmark tower that will serve as the cultural hub and centerpiece of a large new town development. The 1,476-foot observation tower appears to jut sharply into the sky like an inverted icicle, with the second-highest observation deck in the world. It’ll also be pretty high-tech, becoming the world’s first “invisible tower” with a skin system that uses optical cameras to capture the views from the opposite wall and project those images on each part of the skin. This effect will make the tower itself seems to disappear when you’re inside, leaving nothing but sweeping views.
Steph
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