May 31st, 2009
N 43 20 53.2, E 17 48 39.3: the unique architectual phoenix that is the Mostar bridge
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May 30th, 2009
Ajda wearing black dress, by Anna Aichinger; lame black pumps: Paco Gil, Stiefelkonig
Find inspiration in the background.
Ignore what others say and blend in.
Bold is beautiful.
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May 29th, 2009
From May 26th to 31st, Belgrade hosts Belgrade Design Week 2009.
Under the title SPEED2, this year’s design week has as its focus the rapid changes we have seen in the world of business over the past months and the solutions that can be found for the industry. MORE…
May 29th, 2009
From 24 to 29 May in Belgrade’s industrial zone of Dorcol, at the Žitomlin warehouse by the Danube river Cultural organisation Mikser for the first time organises MIKSER DESIGN EXPO, the new design event.
May 29th, 2009
In realizing the entire visual identity of the Magacin club in Belgrade, architect Maja Vidakovic reminds all who tend to generalize and are constantly looking up to western models, what it’s like to be true to yourself and your values; to people, to the city.
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May 27th, 2009
The revolutionaries have only changed the world; the point, however, is to analyse it.
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May 26th, 2009
Nataša Peršuh, fashion designer
DANCERS IN THE LIGHT
Il a pour toi, donné ordre ŕ ses Anges, de te garder en toutes tes voies Psaume 91
Angels Dancers Lovers …Demons. Light. Brightness. Wearing light. Lightwear. Artwear. Angelwear.
A dress with emotions. A handbag that glows – from inside. Light as a skirt, as flying shoes, and jewellery that glows.
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May 25th, 2009
Design by Arne Vehovar
Stol Pisarniški stoli d.o.o. has been manufacturing chairs for over 105 years. Chairs of one the most important Slovene architects Jože Plečnik and even more Niko Kralj’s and Branko Uršič’s chairs have contributed greatly to company’s success at home as well as abroad in the past century.
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May 25th, 2009
Slovenia-Croatia
Here a contemporary projecting roof offers a clear landmark to the scene – obviously beyond the intended purpose. Modular lights yield under the roof by day and create lines with artificial lamps during the night; these indicate transition and enable easy orientation for drivers. The structure (architecture by Mojca Gužič Trplan & Polona Filipič) takes its example from the automotive industry, with the structure hidden under the cover. Good,, wavy roofs act as extensions of the surrounding landscape.
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May 24th, 2009
In the current discourse on transformation let us briefly focus on the growing importance of body care, the obsession with the body, and the predominance of the visual-external, corporeality, and different ways in which these phenomena impact the common comprehension of space. This new (e)valuation of the body is taking over the realm of aesthetics, adding to it yet more superficial connotations.
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May 23rd, 2009
Radio Student and community radio across the region: out of touch or stuck, impossibly, in place?
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May 21st, 2009
The Cabinet of Curiosities / Le Cabinet de Curiosités
Every year some 70 – 100 interested students apply for courses in the fashion department of the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Some 10 per cent pass the entrance exams o the basis of their work and talent. In total, roughly 40 students study – at all levels – in the fashion department here.
The fashion department team includes a small group of highly-qualified tutors who plan the artistic curriculum and teach under the guidance of Veronique Branquinho.
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May 20th, 2009
Bang & Olufsen is known for its products which every time created a new user experience and earned an iconic status, a lasting value. Is this still the case? Is it still possible to permanently satisfy the buyer? We know that nowadays with Hi-Tech products it is explicitly all about trends which do not follow certain standards, such as sustainability, longevity of the product etc.
At Bang & Olufsen, we recognize the importance of identifying, cultivating and maximizing our strengths. Our core competences are the glue that binds us together as a company and the engine of new business development. Although we have many areas of expertise, we have identified not just three, but EIGHT areas, which we refer to as core competence areas – quality, picture, sound, user interaction, design, integration, mechanical movements, materials and finish.
May 20th, 2009
In the title role, Matjaž Berger, one of Slovenia’s most important theatre directors in recent decades years, an innovative, erudite individual, with a vision – and a degree in dramaturgy as well.
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May 19th, 2009
WE.DO
Ivan Djordjević (Anigio&partners, Serbia), Jernej Rot (WE.DO, Slovenia) and Gianmaria Sforza (Italy) talk about their creations and reflect on transformation in design.
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May 18th, 2009
Forget all the accessories.
Make sure you wear sequins and glitter at all times.
Be romantic. Spend an afternoon in the forgotten nostalgia of the Italian Riviera.
(And don’t forget the hats.)
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May 18th, 2009
Scott Klinker thoughts about relation between design and innovation and challenges for designers today.
What is the role of design in innovating new products in a global market? How do designing and innovating coexist and interact in the development process of new products?
Design excels at communicating new cultural ideas to the public by giving form to user experience. Innovation excels at defining design and business opportunities to improve strategic business models. These processes are often layered together and happen concurrently. Truly transformational ideas will push to the cutting edge of both communication and strategy. MORE…
May 17th, 2009
Wolves in shepherds’ clothing: ‘low culture’ rockers Laibach continue to blast away in the ‘high culture’ art ghetto.
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May 17th, 2009
Greta Godnič is a scenographer. By training she’s an architect, but at heart she’s a television scenographer. “The most beautiful thing to happen in my life is for me to be able to do scenography”. There aren’t many opportunities for this kind of work in Slovenia so she feels privileged. Perseverance, extensive knowledge, and the love of her work find expression in convincing results, when an empty television studio is transformed into a sparkling new fairy tale.
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May 16th, 2009
The voice of functional design sobriety and classic innovation in the face of voracious investors and ever-shifting standards.
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May 16th, 2009
Fashion scouts are cracking containers with clothes discarded and donated to the hillbillies. In line (together) with the homeless, they’re waiting for the Red Cross handout bringing heaps (containers) of clothes into the ateliers of the renowned designers of the fashion metropolises. As the gap between rich and poor widens, the urban-versus-rural barrier breaks. Country boys are turning into adventure undertakers. Suntanned studio-types are casting themselves in front of beauty salons. They’re all wearing camouflage suits in the city or the country, and now and then it protects them from their own species. Perfect!
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May 16th, 2009
HISE AWARDS 09 WINNERS:
Kentaro Takeguchi + Asako Yamamoto of Alphaville, Japan, for their project House Twisted, in Kyoto, Japan for Innovative Excellence and
-Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter bv, Amsterdam for their Villa Röling, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, Netherlands for Sustainable Excellence.
MAY 14TH, 2009
EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTRE
LJUBJANA, SLOVENIA
This year Zavod Big, together with its flagship publication HIŠE magazine, hosts a unique competition and exhibition event, the first-ever HIŠE AWARDS for Innovative Excellence in Private Housing, a collaborative effort of global proportions grounded in both local and international expertise.
The special HIŠE AWARDS edition is dedicated exclusively to the projects that make up both the exhibition and the body of work under consideration for the HIŠE Awards competition. It represents some of the most compelling new homes from all over the world. Japan and the United States are particularly well represented with numerous strong entries that answer many of the demanding requirements of contemporary design, development and living. In assembling a collection of new, quality houses, HIŠE’s editorial board has applied certain selection criteria to which all competition entries were subject. All entries are recent builds, completed over the 2007-09 period, and can not exceed a 250 m2 footprint limit. (Some of the houses exceed the size limit and are not included in the awards competition, but have been included in the exhibition for reasons of special interest and merit.) And all project entries demonstrate particular attention to innovation, intelligent design and display particularly strong, distinctive qualities.
By imposing a size and, by extension, a cost-limit on the entries the competition is grounded in notions of accessibility, responsibility, and the challenge of working within a certain, more democratic framework.
In addition, preference has been shown for a demonstrated respect for values related to sustainability and environmental awareness. This increasingly relevant component is behind the creation of a second award – for sustainable excellence. Two awards are being presented this year: Innovative Excellence 09, and Sustainable Excellence 09. The project-entries have been reviewed and evaluated by a two-tier jury process: the first made up of editorial board members of HISE magazine drew up a shortlist of 16 projects from the close to 100 entries collected. A second expert jury, comprised of guest speakers to the Big Architecture 09 conference together with HIŠE Editor-in-Chief Maja Ivanic and architect-critic Matevz Celik, has made the final selection and determined the winners.
The HIŠE Awards for Innovative Excellence in Private Housing is held the evening of May 14, 2009, at the Exhibition and Convention Center Ljubljana. The awards ceremony-event follows the Big Architecture 09 conference which runs the entire day of May 14, with seven international architect speakers presenting on the theme of “Sustainable Excellence”, at the same location. The attending public has the opportunity to view the accompanying exhibition during the entire Big Architecture event, which is concluded with the
awards ceremony.
May 15th, 2009
The most striking and attractive characteristic of Paola Lenti’s carpets is their sophisticated use of materials, patterns and colours – all extremely contemporary – combined with the most advanced techniques employed in the traditional art of carpet manufacture.
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May 15th, 2009
PRESS IMAGES (Free for use, credits: Žiga Rebolj, Alen Murič, Bojan Mijatovič, Nejc Grašič, Blaž Bratkovič)
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May 15th, 2009
House Twisted by Kentaro Takeguchi + Asako Yamamoto / Alphaville won Hiše Award 09 for Innovative Excellence in Private Housing.
To avoid the adjacent house, the linear volume of twisted house is bent twice to create a courtyard and a front yard. The central volume moves along the north-south axis and slanted roofs create cracks and introduce a sense of flow inside.
The structure consists of 14 steel columns arranged like a birdcage so the walls become thin and flat to make the natural light simple and abstract, made possible by using a brace-less system of small beams at 45 deg. angles between two sheets of structural plywood. MORE…
May 15th, 2009
Villa Röling by Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter, Netherlands won Hiše Award 09 for Sustainable Excellence in Private Housing.
The villa consists of two contrasting volumes – a transparent glass volume overlooking the lake and garden; and a ‘floating’ wooden box on top, which the wind can blow through and easily dry when it has rained. Innovative, energy-saving active concrete throughout regulates temperature. Pipes in the concrete floors cool the floor in summer and heat it in winter, and are connected with a system of geothermal power. Outside, pits in the ground contain water with a constant temperature and is pumped into the villa. The water is cool enough in summer and only needs to be heated a few degrees in winter, saving huge amounts of energy. MORE…
May 14th, 2009
SHEEP dogschool; Original, Ljubljana; for Kinološko društvo
Filip is a rising star in advertising. Though he is (biologically) a pig, he’s an all-round creative of refined taste – with a cosmopolitan touch. And he feels – and talks, with Suna Tancig & Benjamin Ivančič of the Ljubljana-based Original agency – passionately about potential, dedication and drive.
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May 13th, 2009
1. VÖSLAUER
Origin: Austria
Design: Vöslauer
Characteristics: lightweight PET returnable bottle with wave design; equipped with comfort grip and the exclusive Vöslauer easy twist-off cap.
2. DANA
Origin: Slovenia
Design: Dana
Characteristics: simple, traditional, partly-squeezable water bottle.
A 1.5l cold beverage is true salvation after a good bike ride or a hot summer jog – or a hard day slaving over a hot computer screen for that matter. But have you ever asked yourself what an empty bottle looks like in its afterlife?
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May 13th, 2009
Christoph Steidl-Porenta: mystic storyteller, master craftsman, eclectic artist
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May 13th, 2009
BIG ARCHITECTURE 09
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EVENT
SUSTAINABLE EXCELENCE
CONFERENCE, EXHIBITION AND AWARDS
MAY 14TH, 2009
EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTRE, LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
In spring 2009, Zavod Big will host its second annual architectural conference, entitled “Sustainable Excellence”. As issues surrounding quality, sustainability and responsibility become increasingly central to very creative enterprise the theme has particular relevance, implications and impact. The conference explores a host of questions which explore the relationship between quality design, innovation, sustainability, creativity and responsibility; and the powerful possibilities intelligent approaches to these issues can produce. A selection of internationally-active and engaged architects address these issues through their exceptional work and through a dynamic dialogue-process within the framework of ‘Sustainable Excellence’.
Programme:
09.00-10.00 Registration
10.00-10.15 Conference and Exhibition Opening
10.15-11.00 Sam Dufaux; Work Architecture Company, USA
11.00-11.45 Klaudia Cacic; Bucholz McEvoy, Ireland
11.45-12.00 Break
12.00-12.45 Bjarne Mastenbroek; Search BV, Netherlands
12.45-13.30 Jenni Reuter; Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects, Finland
13.30-14.30 Break
14.30-15.15 Nicolas Ziesel; PLAN01 and Julien Zanassi; Philéas, France
15.15 – 16.00 Simon Ewings; Snøhetta, Norway
16.00-16.15 Break
16.15-17.00 David Lorente Ibanez & Josep Ricart, H Arquitectes, Spain
17.00-17.30 Panel discussion
18.00 Award giving ceremony
Moderator: Jeff Bickert
People working in a vast array of fields related to architecture, building, design, development and planning enjoy a unique opportunity to take part in the sustainable excellence interchange.
May 13th, 2009
JURI TROY (Austria)
1. Philosophy
To see every project as a point of crystallisation (= a crystal ) generated by well selected and compiled parameters.
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May 12th, 2009
We asks three designers or design groups about their chair designs and the suspiciously suggestive overtures these creations exude: Fabbio Novembre (Italy), ASOBI’s Gorazd Malačič (Slovenia) and Nikola Radeljković from NUMEN (Croatia and Austria).
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May 12th, 2009
Sometimes it seems quite impossible how obvious things, lying in front of our eyes, are long left unseen. Such was the destiny of the Beton Hala industrial hall, located on the right bank of the river Sava in Belgrade. Built by the Austrians back in 1937, this concrete building – from which it gets its name – is showing off its lovely new face.
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May 12th, 2009
PETER KIS (Hungary)
1. Philosophy
“…The lemon tree is the most noble of all scented plants, a true aristocrat, whose scent is so fine it can hardly be perceived, but the jasmine is a common rogue, which partly borrows its scent from others. The scent of the jasmine evokes the smiling sycophant…”
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