Hasta La Ideas

German graduate designer Christoph Thetard has created a set of pedal-powered kitchen gadgets.

Called r2b2, the appliance includes a hand blender, coffee grinder and food processor that fit onto a wooden unit containing a pedal-powered drive mechanism.

Thetard developed the product as his final project at Bauhaus-University Weimar.

Above: the coffee grinder

The appliances can be stored in a pull-out cabinet on one side of the unit.

Above and below: the hand blender

The kitchen unit is part of a diploma project by Thetard to create products that do away with the need for electricity and it will be shown at Ambiente Talents, Frankfurt in February 2011 and Salone Satellite, Milan in April next year.

See more kitchen equipment in our special Food and Design report. Here’s some more information about this project:

R2B2- kitchen appliances with alternative driving concept by Christoph Thetard

R2B2 is a set of kitchen machines that gets powered by rotating a flywheel with muscular strength. The stored energy can be used by connecting different machines on special plugs. There is a kitchen machine, a hand blender and a coffee mill.
Electricity is not necessary anymore. That means no electrical waste, a load less use of resources, independency of the electrical power grid and almost no noise while in use.

Above: the kitchen machine (food processor)

The hand blender
The hand blender can be used for different works by attaching different tops. A flexible shaft leads the rotation noiseless to the handheld and powers a blender, an egg or a cappuccino creamer. The transmission makes a speed up to 10.000 rpm possible. The hand blender can be stored on a holder on the bottom end of the shaft for daily use. It can be used for different works by attaching different tops.

The coffee grinder
The coffee grinder is storage and mill at once. The bean container and the powder container are made out of glass. There is room for 300g of beans. The main part of the mill with the grinder is made out of porcelain and closes the whole coffee grinder aroma-tight. It is possible to grind beans for 10 cups of coffee at once. The big opening of the glasses guarantees easy excess to clean.

The kitchen machine
The kitchen machine is laid out for four people. For the multifunctional use there are blades, a whip and different adapters for cutting slices. To clean the machine, you can easily reassemble the axle from the bowl. One criterion to choose the attachments was the aim to provide the possibility to do as many different jobs with as less as possible parts.

All appliances can be placed in the container. The main part of the transportation and selling packaging can be used to hold the attachments in place. All attachments will be sold separately. That means that you can buy just the parts you need.

During his final project, Christoph Thetard concentrated on sustainability. Regenerative energy seems to be the solution for the problems of energy supply. That puts people into the temptation to use electrical devices in all kinds of products. But it creates another problem that already exists today: The production of electrical waste and the loss of resources. So the target of this project wasn’t to make electrical appliances more sustainable, but to avoid electricity completely.

R2B2 combines three kitchen appliances and a central driving unit. A kitchen machine, a coffee grinder and a hand blender were chosen after extensive studies to stand representatively for a lot of appliances which are essentials for comfortable cooking.

The heart of the driving unit is a flying wheel, which gets powered manually by a pedal. It works as an energy storage and powers the appliances mechanically and directly. Because of splitting the machines in functional attachment and power unit, it is possible to store much more energy than with usual manually powered appliances.

Early during his studies at the Bauhaus-University Weimar, Christoph had a passion about sustainability. His main focus lies on the conception of a solution that gets to the core of the problem. It sometimes happens, that he combines very old techniques and principles with high-tech material and production- processes to find a solution for a problem. A lot of these techniques are forgotten, but with the new material, they can build a surprisingly good alternative to the standard solutions of today.

That is what Christoph Thetard also did with R2B2: This simple, robust, independent and long-lasting technique turns it into a purchase that will last a lifetime. That reduces the production of waste and the use of natural resources to a minimum. The fact that R2B2 operates nearly inaudibly earns it a lot of acceptance.

Christoph made the flywheel and the whole technique visible to make it understandable for everybody. Using the pedal, it is possible to speed up the flywheel to 400 rpm. The so stored energy is enough to work one minute with 350W. With a switch at the front, you can choose between a slow, a fast or a neutral gear. R2B2 will be shown on Ambiente Talents 2011 and SaloneSatellite 2011 with StudioMontag.

See also:

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Ekokook by Faltazi	Flow2 kitchen by Studio Gorm	Pig Truck by Studio Swine

In the midst of this summer’s controversy over Fisk University‘s desire to sell a stake in their large collection of Georgia O’Keeffe paintings, which finally came to an end recently when a judge gave them the okay, though with provisions the school wasn’t thrilled with, the museum they were planning to sell to, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, somehow stayed largely out of the picture, other than it was founded by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton. Now the Bentonville, Arkansas museum is sure to start getting a bit more press of its own, and not just because they managed to get access to a whole lot of O’Keeffes. The museum has announced that its construction should be finished by sometime next year and will officially open on November 11th of 2011. Though they’ve currently been operating in a temporary space, split between showing off plans for their permanent home and a small exhibition gallery, the museum will become a “museum” next year, when they’ve moved into the Moshe Safdie-designed complex. If you’re itching to see what it’ll all look like, their site is chronicling the building process here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Photographer Nelson Garrido has sent us some images of  a house designed by AGi Architects located next to a beach in Bnaider, Kuwait.

Called Star House, the side of the house facing the beach has floor to ceiling windows, affording panoramic views of the sea.

The design was initially for three detached houses, but the client decided on a single residence with two bungalows and a boathouse.

Photographs are courtesy of Nelson Garrido.

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The following information is from the architects:

Project Description

Nestled into the landscape, this beach house blends with the natural topography of the coastline of Kuwait. It slowly unfolds itself to the visitor, as it is approached from the desert.

Upon entry, one gets glimpses of the sea whilst going down to the public space of the chalet. On this lower level, the house extends into the landscape and the sea, accentuated by an infinity pool in the garden.

The private side of the house, located at the entry level, is concealed from the visitors by a bamboo wall. Bedrooms and private living spaces remain isolated from daily activities.

A three-way stair, placed at the center of building, organizes the different flows of family, friends and guests.

The organizational and formal structure of the beach house is dictated by the ability to maximize views to the sea.

The initial design was master planned for three detached dwellings, each with extensive sea views while simultaneously achieving privacy from one another.

The client, instead, opted for a single house, two bungalows and a boathouse, with possible plans for expansion in the future.

Click for larger image

Project Name: Star House
Type: Housing | 5000 sqm
Location: Bnaider, Kuwait
Date: 2007/2009
Client: Private

Design Team: Dr. Nasser B. Abulhasan, Joaquin Perez-Goicoechea, Georg Thesing, Bruno Martins, Alfonso Gomes, Daniel Muñoz Medranda,
Robert A. Varghese, Abdul Hafiz Mohammed, Moyra Montoya Moyano

Company Profile

AGi architects is an international design firm providing comprehensive services in Architecture, Planning, Urban Design, Interior Design, Design Research and Consulting. An integration of skills allows the creation of places that provide lasting value for clients through distinctive and imaginative solutions. AGi architects was established in 2005 by Joaquin Perez-Goicoechea and Nasser B. Abulhasan.

Click for larger image

AGi architects has introduced exceptional design, management and technical approaches to its projects in the Europe and the Middle East from its offices in the cities of Madrid and Kuwait. With a multidisciplinary staff of over 30 professionals including architects, planners, landscape architects, interior designers and other specialists, individual members of the design team can be carefully selected to reflect the necessary skills for the scope and scale of the project. Great emphasis is placed on continuity so that work is client driven rather than project centered. Clients work with architects they know and over time, the team is able to develop a thorough understanding of the clients’ business objectives and priorities and is able to make more effective contributions to their projects.

Click for larger image

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Black & White House by AGi architects	More photography by Nelson Garrido	More photography on Dezeen

A new quarterly magazine pairing storytelling with unscripted interior design

With the creation of their new quarterly shelter and lifestyle publication Anthology, editor Anh-Minh Le and creative director Meg Mateo Ilasco have introduced a beautifully-assembled magazine that juxtaposes eye-catching photographic coverage of home décor, travel, design, entertaining, and culture with compelling narratives on these subjects.

Anh-Minh, veteran contributor to publications like The San Francisco Chronicle and ReadyMade magazine, and Meg, author of several home design books and creator of the Modern Economy sample sale, came together to produce this print publication with the idea of putting together a magazine that’s not about perfection or providing a model of the ideal home. Rather, says Meg, “We’re about authenticity and real living—we ask our stylists not to bring too many props and encourage them to use what the owners have. We won’t show you a paint-by-numbers round up of products to steal the look of another home.”

“Most importantly,” Meg told us, “we’re about good stories—if there isn’t a good one to share, it doesn’t make the cut.” Anh-Minh chimed in, “Maybe it’s because we’re both writers, but we love the backstory and learning how someone or something became who or what they are today—whether it’s a piece of furniture, a home’s interior, or an individual in the design community.” Additionally, there was no trepidation about the print medium. It was a no-brainer, the two say, to match the thoughtful content to what these days is an unexpected format; the title and focus of the first issue, aptly enough, is “The Slow Life.”

With features such as the home of Jen Mankins, owner of Brooklyn clothing store Bird, an interview with Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney, contributions by photographer Thayer Allyson Gowdy, and a trip to Park City, the inaugural issue of Anthology is not to be missed. Order your subscription here.