Hasta La Ideas

Sneaker blogs are abuzz with word of Reebok’s new ZigMaze kicks, which feature an unusual upper featuring a maze-like etching. Reebok is either trying to go stealth with these or someone in their PR department is about to get fired, because although they’re reportedly popping up at Reebok Concept Stores, there was zero mention of the shoes on their website at press time.

The Sole Movement blog got the scoop on the ZigMaze (if you can’t tell by their name plastered on the photos), but even they don’t know what performance advantage, if any, the mazelike texture is supposed to confer. Sneaker News theorizes that the texture provides structure while still being breathable and lightweight, which sounds possible; but there’s no attribution, so the bottom line is until Reebok PR gets into gear, your guess is as good as ours.

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This cafe by Harris Butt Architecture is perched on the edge of an active volcano in New Zealand’s oldest national park (+ slideshow).

Also located beside a ski resort, Knoll Ridge Cafe is built to withstand sub-zero temperatures, wind speeds of up to 125 miles per hour and heavy snowfall in the winter season.

Despite its heavy-duty specification, the building had to be constructed from prefabricated modules light enough to be carried to the site and assembled by a helicopter.

The base of the building is a system of concrete panels, while the angled roofs and glass curtain walls are supported by a chunky timber frame.

Dining areas for up to 400 visitors occupy most of the ground floor level and spill out onto terraces that face down towards the foot of the mountain.

For more architecture featuring volcanos, see our earlier stories about an observation deck in Chile and the entrance to a volcano park in Spain.

See more projects from New Zealand »

Photography is by Simon Devitt.

Here’s some extra information from Harris Butt Architecture:

Knoll Ridge Cafe

Knoll Ridge Café is located at Whakapapa Ski Field on Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park. Situated on the side of a mountain the commercial ski field is also sited on what is New Zealand’s largest active volcano.

The café replaces the original Knoll Ridge Chalet which was destroyed by a fire in February 2009. As a result an ambitious design and build programme was initiated to replace the chalet with a temporary prefabricated facility for the 2009 winter season.

Once the debris of the original chalet were removed, a 220sqm temporary cafe was erected on the remaining floor slab. This tested the methodology which was later adopted for the construction of the café.

Rapidly changing weather is typical of the conditions encountered on New Zealand mountains, with Mt. Ruapehu no exception. Designing a building for such a severe environment provided its own set of unique challenges.

Limited road access to site and stringent requirements meant extensive planning and logistics were required just to get materials to site.

Prefabricated concrete floor panels had to be rapidly constructed and delivered before the snow melted, these were then hauled over snow 700m up to site before construction began the following summer.

A major consideration in the design of the building was the issue of the remote location. The entire building, from foundation beams/floor panels to roof sections and windows was broken down into a modular panelised system, which allowed for delivery, placement and erection by helicopter on site.

Insulated sandwich panels constructed of plywood and LVL form a large extent of the walls and roof of the café. These like most of the buildings components had to be designed with careful consideration not exceed the helicopters 800kg max load limit.

A 100% thermally broken purpose built glass curtain wall was designed for what is possibly one the most challenging environments to build in.

The glass and framing system had to withstand wind speeds of up to 200km/ph and temperatures well below freezing. Twenty-five tons of glass was used in the 415m2 of glass façade which was all predetermined and ordered from calculations without a site measure.

All the glass units were fitted with 3 equalizing tubes to facilitate onsite argon gas filling, equalizing tubes were also used as a precaution for rapid altitude acceleration during flight.

In the summer season the eastern face of the building can be seen set above the volcanic rock formations located on the edge of the drop off to the Te Heuheu Valley. The north face looks back down the mountain whilst to the west is the chair lift and ski area.

The form of the building reflects the strong geological features of the mountain. The “gull wing” roof was to appear to “cradle” the mountains peak. On a practical level is used to manage the snow. The building is designed to cover with up 3.0m of snow.

Timber has been used extensively inside and out to create the warm “feeling” of the “traditional” mountain chalet without adopting the traditional form.

The glass exterior (particularly to the east wall) is the other feature of the building – allowing full exposure to the magnificence view to the Pinnacle Ridge.

The new café is located approximately 50m down the mountain from the original chalet site, with the main café floor at approximately 2010m ASL.

The new building accommodates café seating for approx 400 people with servery, kitchen and support facilities all on one level.

At this same level, a deck area for approximately 200 people is provided.

The main public toilet area, staff facilities and storage are on the level below with separate access from the outside as well connection to the café via an internal stair.

Architects: Harris Butt Architecture Ltd.
Location: Whakapapa Ski Field, Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Architecture Team: Grant Harris, Ian Butt, Kerry Reyburn, Ben Brown
Completion: 2011
Building Size: 1,516 sqm

Modern life “outdoors” is a surprisingly dominant focus at Dwell on Design, from the entire “Dwell Outdoor” section to “Design Materials” focused on outdoor to a not-insignificant amount of adaptable in/out and outdoor furniture and accessories. So it’s no surprise that designer Joey Roth chose to debut his newest creation there: a terracotta self-watering planter, which he showed as part of the Remodelista Market. Roth has explored making the perfect pot of tea with his Sorapot; he created beautiful ceramic vessels for sound with his porcelain speakers; and now he ventures into the outdoors with the planter.

The new design provides an elegant solution to the timeless problem of providing plants with the appropriate amount of water. Each of the two compartments is made entirely from terracotta, such that the pot is essentially a straight-walled bowl with an enclosed tubular chamber in its center. Plants and dirt go in the outer ring, water goes in the center; over time, as the plant’s soil and roots need it, water naturally seeps from one chamber to the next, through the terracotta. It’s a clever use of the amazing properties inherent in both the terracotta and plants’ root systems.

Of course, these properties have been celebrated for years with the ancient tradition of Ollas, which inspired Roth’s planter. The Olla has been used in the Southwest for years to easily and effectively irrigate plants. An Olla is buried next to a plant, and filled with water it naturally irrigates the plant over time. Roth was inspired by this, as well as moving to a home with a garden in California for the first time.

Roth said that he has done some tests in earthenware, which he likes for its dark-brown tone. But, he’s not yet convinced that it has the same effectiveness in watering as the terracotta, and continues to test it. He said he is also refining the design to elevate the water chamber up from the planter’s base more, so that water won’t seep out from the bottom, but hopes to have the first round of production available by August.

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Lo studio DKNG ha recentemente disegnato questo poster dedicato alla cantante blues e gospel Mavis Staples. Stampato in 175 copie, disponibile da domani.