AIAs Architect Suspension Due to Extramarital Affair Gets People Talking

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An interesting piece of juicy talk concerning the American Institute of Architects lately, and this time completely unrelated to either Kermit Baker or the always sexy Billings Index. Story goes is that the AIA has decided to suspend Montana-based architect Donald Briggs after it was learned that he had been having an affair with one of his clients. If that weren’t enough. the husband of the affairing-woman was also upset at the cost overruns during the new house design/building they’d hired Briggs for, particularly because he’d largely only spoken about the details about the project to his wife. The AIA determined that Briggs’ conduct had violated the rules of their Code of Ethics, given that said affair might have “affected his professional judgment while rendering professional services” and thus, his membership has been suspended for two years. Although this doesn’t have any baring on Briggs’ license to practice architecture, who knows what the effect on his business will be without that AIA affiliation. The whole case has drummed up some interesting debate over at Archinect‘s forums, with readers offering opinions from both sides, all under the forum’s title “The Farnsworth Days Are Over.”

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Newwork Magazine

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Let the mass media say what it will, Newwork Magazine, a large-format biannual publication dedicated to art, design, fashion, culture and politics, proves the ongoing relevance of print yet.

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The product of Fashion Institute of Design students Ryotatsu Tanaka, Ryo Kumazaki, Hitomi Ishigaki and Aswin Sadha, the magazine’s latest release marks its fourth issue. The group, who in 2007 formed their own design firm Studio Newwork, oversees all aspects of the magazine’s production, from theme to design layout. On the origins of the magazine, Kumazaki notes, “Since the job as graphic designers is to convey clients’ messages effectively, you hardly see graphic design studios having an opportunity to send their own messages directly. Fortunately through Newwork, we’ve got a chance to send messages purely from us.”

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Those messages, printed in striking black and multiple shades of grey on 30-pound newsprint, convey a purity of purpose and an urgency of message that feels always on point. Seeing no borders between the creative fields, the studio freely juxtaposes fashion photography, graphic design and painting, all within a single issue. Issue No. 4, for example, features the work of fashion photographer Albert Watson, German graphic designer and typographer Wolfgang Weingart, as well as Brooklyn-born artist Robert Longo’s foreboding gas mask image (see below). “It’s a natural result of searching for what’s good,” Kumazaki writes. Rather than serve to confuse, this multidisciplinary approach results in a publication rich with optimism for all creative pursuits.

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But don’t take our word for it. Visit the magazine’s website where all issues are archived and a list of stockists is available should you need to purchase a back issue. And if a magazine isn’t enough, they’ve designed every layout in Newwork to separate for hanging as an individual art piece. That’s not something you can easily do with the web.

See more images from previous issues after the jump.

Unwind At The Hyatt Regency Pacific Waters Spa

imageWe all know that an apple a day can keep the doctor away. Turns out that fiber-rich fruit (and its vitamin-rich counterparts) can ward off stress and a range of skin woes, too. At Pacific Waters Spa in Southern California, pears, blueberries and other healthy snacks are cropping up in a slew of body treatments designed to promote health, beauty and overall well-being. The antioxidant properties of blueberry and soy combine for a slimming body wrap aimed at improving skin elasticity and firmness, while apples and pears team up in a nourishing body treatment meant to infuse skin with an irresistible glow. And the delicious scents of pineapple, papaya and starfruit add a stress-busting aromatherapy element to the spa’s menu of body scrubs. Getting hungry? Drop by the on-site cafe for a post-treatment smoothie made from — you guessed it — fresh fruit!

Preview the entire issue!

Issue 3 is on a truck from our printer in Winnipeg, so here’s a little digital preview to tide us over until we can hold its marvelous printedness in our hands. I’m really happy with this issue—it’s our best one yet! Once again, there’s an amazing amount of content, inspiration and eye candy. Flip through this low res preview and I’m sure you’ll agree. If you’re not a subscriber, you can secure your copy of this issue over here. Join us October 1 from 5-9pm for First Thursday festivities including the opening of the Bonfire show and the launch of the fall edition of UPPERCASE magazine.

Spread the love…

Please help spread the love! Post the image above or one of our little ads below on your blog… the blogger that refers the most visitors to us from Tuesday through Friday will receive a complimentary subscription for themselves or to give to a friend!

  

Death Drive

Jackson Pollock, August 11, 1956

Opening this weekend at the Wapping Project in London is an exhibition of photographs by Dean Rogers that show the places where nine of our cultural heroes were killed in car crashes…

James Dean, September 30, 1955

Rogers took the images on the anniversary of the deaths, at the exact time of day they occurred, and in the precise position the car was before impact. Whereas some of the final photographs are rendered atmospheric by darkness, many reveal the rather banal landscape witnessed by the subjects in the final seconds before their deaths.

Marc Bolan, September 16, 1977

The series includes the deathplaces of artists and writers including Jackson Pollock, Albert Camus and Helmut Newton, and musicians such as Marc Bolan and Eddie Cochrane. It also features perhaps the world’s most famous car crash victim, Princess Diana.

The exhibition opens at the Wapping Project on October 4, and will run until November 1. Rogers will discuss his work in a talk on October 7. More info is at thewappingproject.com.

Princess Diana, August 31, 1997

Hot In The Hive: iTwinge iPhone Keyboard

imageI think I’m one of the few people left in this world who still refuse to join the iPhone cult. I’ll admit it, sometimes I get a little jealous when I see people at the gym listening to their music and making calls from one sleek device while I’m trying to juggle my PDA and my prehistoric video iPod… but I’m sorry — I NEED a keyboard! REAL buttons that you push. Not a touchscreen with pretend keys and a “word predictor” that tries to guess what I’m trying to type through the inevitable typos. It shouldn’t have to guess! Apparently our friends over at Mobile Mechatronics had the same frustrations, because they came up with one seriously genius idea: the iTwinge. It’s an attachable keyboard that simply slips on over your iPhone, providing REAL push-able buttons for more accurate (and quicker) texting and e-mailing. Of course, I’m not sure if the convenience of having keys is worth having to constantly take the device on and off whenever you’re done with an e-mail or text… so while this clever add-on is definitely worth the splurge for curious iPhone owners, I’m not sure if it’s cool enough to make a convert out of a Palm girl like me!

Price: $29.99
Who Found It: xgalexy was the first to add the iTwinge to the Hive.

Moustache Mugs

Toujours dans le cadre du London Design Week, voici un élégant projet du créatif Peter Ibruegger : les tasses “Moustache”. Disponible dans 6 modèles et avec des styles différents, chaque tasse vous permet d’adopter votre expression préférée pendant la dégustation de votre thé ou café.



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Previously on Fubiz

Santiago Calatrava Runs Into More Bridge Building Trouble, This Time in Dallas

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What is it with starchitect Santiago Calatrava and bridges? The guy can’t seem to design and build one without something happening crummy along the way. Last year there was his killer bridge in Venice that was inflicting damage on a score of clumsy tourist victims. Then just a couple of months back, his Peace Bridge in Calgary was catching all sorts of serious flack, with a good portion of the city calling it things like “a middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis.” Now we have news from Dallas that Calatrava’s Trinity River Bridge, which had already been mired in controversies and miscellaneous slowdowns for the past decade, has run into yet another snag, this time with the Army Corp of Engineers who have said the bridge would be unsafe during a possible 100-year flood. While re-do plans are being scrambled together, this means that the bridge’s finish date will be pushed back at least another few years and possibly all the way out to 2016. For everyone’s sanity (and pocketbooks), we’re thinking a) Calatrava should be strictly land-based from here on out, or b) people should stop hiring him to build these things.

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Reset

On the occasion of the Vienna Design Week 2009 the Austrian designer Thomas Feichtner shows the tableware „Reset“. Whether plates, bowls o..