Hasta La Ideas

If trying to stop the production of designer knock-offs of bags, shoes, and other apparel sold on the streets of New York with back alley busts and police raids at the supply level don’t seem to be making enough of a dent in the illegal industry, one city council member wants to bring the battle to the street. Later today, Councilwoman Margaret Chin will introduce a bill making it a crime to purchase counterfeit trademarked items, “turning the action into a class A misdemeanor that could include jail time or a $1,000 ticket.” If the bill passes, Chin hopes the fear of a ticket might strike a major blow to the underground industry, while also putting some tax revenue back in the city’s pocket after consumers are then forced to go buy the real thing (or something less expensive, considering $50 probably won’t buy you a genuine Coach bag). Passage of the bill also holds hope that the less money received from the sale of knock-offs will help curb the financing of things like terrorism and child-labor as well. We think New York‘s blog The Cut, also makes a fine, funny point in writing, “Here’s a Great Way to Fine Tourists and City Residents for Being Tacky.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We’ve loved writer Joe Queenan since as far back as we can remember (we have some particularly fond memories of reading his response to the overnight success of director Robert Rodriguez in his book The Unkindest Cut). It makes us even happier when, every once in a while, our little design-based world collides with his. A few months back, Queenan wrote a terrific piece about New York’s art deaccessioning plans. Now he’s written a bit about architecture, claiming to have found “an Iowa-based philanthropist and architecture aficionado” who will pay any city in the world $300 million if they agree never hire Frank Gehry to build something there. Per usual, it’s a wonderful pile of Queenan snark, and in particular we love his constant use of “swoopy” in describing the starchitect’s go-to style. It’s highly encouraged reading, Gehry fan, hater, or otherwise. Here’s a bit from the beginning, a quote from this mysterious, wealthy Iowan:

There’s a swoopy Frank Gehry building in L.A. There are swoopy Frank Gehry buildings in New York, Seattle, Cleveland, Toronto, Cambridge, Mass., and Princeton, N.J. That’s not to mention the swoopy Frank Gehry buildings in Basel, Switzerland, Miami Beach, Las Vegas and Bilbao, Spain. Everywhere you go on the planet, whether it’s an art museum, a concert hall, a corporate headquarters or a hospital, there’s a swoopy Gehry building. I’m not saying that the world doesn’t need any more swoopy Gehry buildings that look like dented Miller Lite cans. I’m just saying that maybe the world doesn’t need quite so many.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

From the There’s No Way This Thing Can Be Real department: A company called BPG Motors is taking advance orders for their Uno III, a scooter that rides around on two self-balancing wheels, Segway-style. The rider can hit a button and deploy—on the fly!—a third forward wheel that extends forward, letting the bike ride like a traditional motorcyle.

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Chair and bench made from carbon fiber and epoxy resin.

This Saturday, Chicago-based Volume Gallery opens its fourth show. Jonathan Muecke, Cranbrook alum and recipient of the 2010 Veuve Clicquot Award, will show Open Objects, a collection of pieces all tightly tuned to the possibilities of their own particular properties. Unlike a series, these works were developed independently of each other, each one conceived as its own project.

Muecke seeks to rediscover and re-embed potential in objects. In Open Objects, a tenuous, enigmatic latency is the one binding force between the pieces. He touches on this in his poetic, precise (and somewhat obscure) artist statement:

Principally, objects present limits—figured in function/process/
material/form/idea and so on. In this case objects are measured to each variable and equally fixed in the variables. In this normal and productive way objects are figured backwards. My interest is going forward—remaining inconclusive to the terms of measurement. In this way potential remains in an object.

The show runs from April 30th through May 15th, opening this Saturday at 328 South Jefferson Street at 6pm. Preview more works at the Volume Gallery website.

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A stark concrete multi-purpose space occupies the ground floor of this house in Osaka by Japanese architect Takeshi Hamada.

This sound-proofed studio/gallery space within the three storey House A is used for live music performances, art exhibitions and social gatherings.

The two upper levels of the house contain the private living areas and feature exposed timber columns and beams, as well as natural lighting.

Photography is by Yohei Sasakura.

More Japanese architecture on Dezeen »

Here is some more information from the architect:

House A

Concept
Narrow house in downtown, low cost, live studio, mixed structure

Background, Atmosphere

The location is Abeno-ward Osaka, Japan. Though it is a superb location just 10 minutes from Tennoji Station, it is in the downtown streets filled with traditional emotion, there are traditional tenement houses, old houses and shops, just 1 block from the main street. I planned the house in the narrow vacant land for 56-square-meters in this area. The house is light and open, and the residents can enjoy their hobbies.

Its owner, K families, those are a couple and one daughter, like music. Especially, their daughter, who is 27 years old, is a musician and received fifth winner in the recital. This family requested “Hobby Room, Live Studio” in their house that they can enjoy music. Sometimes, they will open mini concert with other band members and usually, they will use the room as an art gallery. And sometimes, they want to have a party with close friends by drinking. To maximize the locality with good access, that can create linkages between people through hobbies, such space was required.

Architectural Plan

Use as a distribution, I planned the first floor for “Hobby Room (studio and gallery and bar, live) ” and a few floors as a living space. For Live Studio, because high sound insulation is required, I used the RC sturucture for the first floor, and I considered soundproof for doors, sashs, ventilators, and among others. On the other hand, I tried to make cost down in total for the second and the third floor, by using simple space of Japanese traditional wooden structure.

Facade Picture

RC Fair – faced with a facade of spraying material. Stainless steel bay window adds accents.

The first floor, “Hobby Room”

To ensure maximum width of the building, the concrete formwork for the construction with adjacent separator and exterior insulation was used. As a result, interior walls and ceiling are fair – faced the decorative RC. For the floor, I adopted used scaffold boards of cedar wood. For the flexibility to cope with the internal scene, the lighting equipment and orientation can be adjusted to the light.

The third floor, LDK
To achieve low cost, a few floor living space has a simple wooden structure and space. Especially, the third floor studio is a one room space with no joinery. By exposing the column and beam with bracing, the spatial and visual spread is ensured. The floor is solid wood used in unpainted pine. Since the change in color and luster through the years, they can enjoy the aging of the material.

The Second Floor
There are daughter’s and parents’ bedroom with bath, toilet and kitchen. Since it’s difficult to get enough light by approaching the neighbours, I used top lights and side lights to receive natural ligjhts as much as possible. The floor is solid wood used in unpainted pine.

Live Scene
Once or twice a month, band friends of the owner gather to perform a concert. Live in the past, overcrowded by standing audience, ended in great success.

Overview
House Name: “House A”
Location: Abeno-ward, Osaka, JAPAN
Construction: August 2010 – March 2011
Structure: First Floor – Reinforced Concrete, Second and Third Floor – Wooden Structure
Site Area: 59.34 sq m
Building Area: 45.82 sq m
Floor Area: 128.28 sq m; 1F (43.66 sq m) 2F (54.82 sq m) 3F (38.80 sq m)
Architect: Takeshi Hamada

Click above for larger image

See also:

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House in Kohgo by Yutaka Yoshida Architect & Associates	Knot by Apollo Architects & Associates	House in Minamimachi 3 by Suppose Design Office