Hasta La Ideas

Now that China has stopped accepting waste from California and lawmakers rejected a bill to phase out single-use plastic containers last September, the city is getting more creative with its recycling solutions. In partnership with Technisoil, the city will soon be testing a new paving material made largely out of recycled plastic. The first test site—at West First Street and North Grand Avenue, near the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Hall—will receive the treatment before the end of the year.

Image of the area near the forthcoming test site via Flickr Creative Commons

As The Architect’s Newspaper first reported, Technisoil’s “plastic asphalt” is made by converting shredded recycled plastic into an oil that replaces petroleum-based bitumen to become the binder “in an otherwise traditional method of street pavement.” The city’s Department of Street Services predicts the new material will reduce costs by 25 percent. In addition, Inhabitat reported that plastic roads may be more durable—up to seven times stronger than regular asphalt—and will require significantly less maintenance.

“This is an exciting technology and a sustainable technology,” said Keith Mozee, assistant director at the Department of Street Services. “And it’s something that we believe going forward could be game-changing if we deploy on a large scale.”

In response to environmentalist concerns that the plastic will leach into waterways, the company says they’ve already performed tests that show it’s a safe alternative. Further details about that and just how much recycled material will actually be used are expected after the test run at First and Grand is completed and proven viable.

UC San Diego installed the first road made from recycled plastics in the US last October.

Los Angeles is the first city to consider implementing this material on a wide scale, but the first application of a similar material was done at the University of California at San Diego campus last October. The university partnered with UK-based company MacRebur to test out their patented plastic road material, which has already been implemented in the U.K. and Australia.

“Creating alternative uses for recycled plastic will be a crucial challenge that we all must resolve and maintaining over four million miles of roads in the United States will be an ever-growing problem,” said Gary Oshima, UC San Diego’s construction commodity manager. “The recent moratorium on exporting recycled plastic to China has had a profound impact on the U.S. recycling industry and it has created an even greater need for viable alternative uses for our plastic waste.”

There’s an urban-dweller archetype that I’m sure you’ve come across multiple times while walking on a pavement, while standing in the subway, or while sitting in a café. If you’ve stopped to just look at the people around you, I’m positive you’ve seen this one person who just blends right in. Subdued clothing, a casual sense of style, walking (or standing) with a sense of purpose, but you can’t really figure out what the purpose is. Maybe he’s a writer, maybe he’s a part-time actor, a guy working at the grocery, delivering mail, or working a regular 9-to-5. Meet the city-dweller.

There are billions of them, and the Urban Pack was designed for these people, who make up the city. The bag comes with a sense of style that complements practically anything this urban-dweller wears. Whether it’s a basic hoodie, a casual turtle-neck, a wind-breaker jacket, or even a semi-formal shirt and a pair of trousers, the Urban Pack’s aesthetic sits well across the shoulders, as a vertically-worn on the back, sling, or even a messenger.

The Urban Pack is slim, because this city-dweller has a slim laptop, a slim notepad, and carries just the basics. It comes with a set of straps to secure an umbrella for inclement weather, features waterproof YKK zips too in case the urban dweller gets caught in the rain, and allows you to wear the bag in three different ways, vertically – on the back, across the body like a sling-bag, or on one shoulder, like a messenger bag. Its ambidextrous design lets you wear it in any way deemed comfortable, whether right or left handed.

Urban Pack’s interior is designed for efficiency. A padded laptop slot (for a 13″ laptop) is an absolute must, but the backpack even has multiple compartments for segregating your other belongings, and an organizer area for separating your pens from your cables, hard drives, and pen drives. It packs an additional RFID-blocking compartment too, for your wallet and/or your cards, along with an easy-to-access outer pocket for your phone, keys, and other EDC, plus a secret pouch for valuables.

The outside is as mindfully designed as the interiors. Apart from the Urban Pack being ambidextrous, it comes with a ventilated back-panel too, keeping things easy-breezy for those hot summer days. The overall 1680D ballistic nylon construction makes sure your bag is entirely waterproof as well as incredibly durable. Designed to suit the needs of every urban dweller, the Urban Pack almost complements this archetypal resident of the concrete jungle. It adapts, overcomes, and accommodates, all while blending right into your life.

Designer: Loft of Cambie

Click Here to Buy Now: $75 $125 ($50 off). Hurry, less than 12 hours left!

Urban Pack – Convertible EDC Pack with Suspension Strap

The Urban Pack is a convertible & ambidextrous design which can be carried on either shoulder as a cross-body pack, vertical sling pack and horizontal sling pack.

With a slim and low profile design, it is the minimal everyday carry field bag for your journeys.

Features a suspension straps system that can effectively reduce the stress on your shoulders and improve wearing comfort for your daily commute.

The interior of the urban pack is designed to keep your EDC organized. It fits up to 13″ Macbook Air/Pro and your everyday carry. Secret pocket and RFID protected pocket protect your valuables and digital information.

Built with ultra-durable ballistic nylon, YKK® water-resistant zippers and lined with velvet protection for your laptop.

Designed for the Minimalist

Refining the Urban Journeys

Click Here to Buy Now: $75 $125 ($50 off). Hurry, less than 12 hours left!

We’ve hit a huge social media milestone, one million followers on Pinterest.

To celebrate the occasion, Andy Mac Manus created this illustration for us.

If you don’t already, follow us to keep up with the best selection of architecture, interiors, design and technology projects from Dezeen. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WeChat.

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American studio Ravi Raj Architect has overhauled a 19th-century masonry building on a wooded New York property to create a contemporary weekend home for a pair of urban dwellers.

The Clover Hill Residence sits on a forested hillside in the town of Somers, located about an hour’s drive from Manhattan. The project involved renovating an unusual house that began its life as an iron foundry in the 1890s.

The clients, Claire Benoist and Derek Kilner, live in New York City and aimed to use the dwelling as a country house. To design the renovation, they turned to their friend, Ravi Raj, who had recently launched an eponymous studio in Brooklyn after working for Adjaye Associates.

The gabled building has an interesting history. It was part of a cluster of buildings constructed for an ore mining operation. The mine closed shortly after opening for unknown reasons – and the structures fell into disrepair.

In the 1940s, three artists bought the property and converted the buildings into homes for their families. In 2017, Benoist and Kilner purchased the site’s southernmost dwelling, which rises two levels and encompasses 3,250 square feet (302 square metres).

“When they first visited the house, they were immediately struck by the openness of the space enclosed by large, whitewashed brick walls with tall, framed views of surrounding trees,” the architect said.

While the house needed updating, Raj and his clients wanted to preserve historic elements where possible.

“Many of the original features of the foundry building, such as the thick brick walls and rough timber supports, were kept by the family – features which were also retained during the new renovation,” said the firm.

In terms of the building envelope, the team removed single-pane windows and replaced them with larger and more energy-efficient apertures that bring in ample daylight. An existing side addition was clad in vertical pine boards that were painted black – the same colour used to refinish an existing deck.

Major changes took place inside. To make the most of a double-height space on the upper level, the team decided to invert the home’s layout.

The ground floor – which formerly housed a kitchen, living room and dining area – was converted into a bedroom and family room. The public zone was moved upstairs, where the master bedroom and studio was located previously. The lofty ceilings and open plan give the  new public area a bright and airy feel.

Overlooking the great room is an enclosed loft, which contains a sleeping nook and screening room. The master bedroom was moved to a refurbished guest house that adjoins the main dwelling.

Contrasting materials and colours were used throughout to emphasise the interplay between new and old. Natural materials – such as charred-oak paneling, pine floor boards and a white plywood stair – are meant to “complement the original masonry and timber character of the foundry.”

Rooms are adorned with an eclectic mix of decor. In the public zone, wall lamps by Paolo Rizzatto for Flos extend over a wooden dining table, and a burnt-orange sofa faces a conical black fireplace by Malm.

The master bedroom features a Shaker Stove by Wittus, a vintage Pierre Chapo table and a globe-shaped pendant by Isamu Noguchi. The ground-level bedroom is fitted with a Sierra chair by Croft House and a pendant by George Nelson for Herman Miller, among other pieces.

“This minimalist palette serves as a backdrop for the owner’s refined furniture collection,” the architect said. “Claire, who leads her own still life photography studio, furnished the entire home, mixing newly bought fixtures and fittings with beautiful antique pieces passed down from her family.”

Other old industrial buildings in America that have been converted into family homes include the SOMA Residence in San Francisco by Dumican Mosey, which involved transforming a 1920s garage into a home, gallery and studio for a contemporary artist and her family.

Photography is by Nick Glimenakis.

Project credits:

Architect: Ravi Raj Architect
Owners: Claire Benoist, Derek Kilner
Contractor: John McNamara

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“Recyclability” and “Sustainability” seem to be the two keywords that have taken the design industry by storm. Every product designed today is being created keeping in mind the environment. And this awareness is especially abundant in the younger generation of designers. Paolo Gentile is one such product designer. He recently graduated from the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan. In a brilliant decision to combine sports tech with sustainability, he created ‘Frammento’, a collection of skateboards made from the rubber obtained from End-of-Life tires (ELT).

Designer: Paolo Gentile

Paolo says he was inspired to bring Frammento to life “[while] hanging out at a children’s playground. I became intrigued by the floor material and after some search and realizing the low cost of the rubber pellets, I started to think of new applications for it”. When End-of-Life tires undergo a final shredding process, their rubber is transformed into granules that may be cheap but manage to retain all the technical properties of rubber. Paolo realized that the properties of these granules; grip, durability, elasticity, flexibility, impact resistance, and traction are exactly the characteristics a nifty skateboard needs! Hence he decided to revive the almost extinct tires and transform them into a collection of recycled skateboards. With Frammento, a new use for recycled rubber was discovered.

‘Frammento’ was inspired by the rubber pellets used in children’s playgrounds. 

With the help of the companies Ecopneus and Casei Ecosystems, Paolo learned about End-of-Life tires and how to use them. He also collected the material with their help. After the collection of innumerous pellets, he needed to give them form. The pellets were combined with glue and the mixture was poured into a skateboard shaped mold. The mixture was then pressed into the mold, creating the final skateboard form.

The pellets are mixed with glue, and then press-molded into a skateboard.

The end result; a form of transportation that is fun, practical, safe and devoid of any pretentiousness. A skateboard that allows tires to keep on traveling, a skateboard to run around town with. Frammento seems like a fun and not to mention an eco-friendly alternative to our usual skateboards, a product I’m sure all skateboarding enthusiasts would love to get their hands on!