Hasta La Ideas

Recharge off grid with a portable desk powered by lithium ion batteries and solar panels

For intrepid travelers, the ability to actually send an email, upload a video or simply maintain power remotely is essential. After the success of their Field Kitchen, KANZ Outdoors introduces the Field Power Desk to do all that. The desk features GoalZero lithium iron batteries and mono crystalline solar…

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Jean Prouvé’s 1949 design steals the show at Design Miami/Basel

As Design Miami/Basel continues to establish itself as the dominant satellite fair of Switzerland’s Art Basel, Galerie Patrick Seguin upped the ante this year by installing a 1,000 square-foot aluminum structure designed by Jean Prouvé. The Metropole Aluminum House was originally created as a school for rural communities that could be pre-fabricated and erected on-site. While the structure was never implemented on a mass scale, Prouvé’s aluminum school won the 1949 competition hosted by the Ministry of Education, which called for a “mass-producible rural school with classroom and teacher accommodation.”

The open floor-plan is made possible by a duo of load bearing portal frames, which drop like giant tuning forks into the main space. Beyond the living quarters and classroom, the structure can also accommodate a winter garden protected by glass. On the interior, the combination of wood and aluminum does the double duty of offering advanced heat control and a forward-thinking aesthetic. Prouvé designed the easily erected house with the post-war community of Lorraine in mind, who would require temporary structures during the reconstruction effort.

At the fair, the nostalgic appearance seemed to strike a chord with design lovers who continue to think about readily assembled structures for remote and disaster areas, Prouvé’s house representing a premonition for this increasingly important architectural niche.

See more images of the Metropole Aluminum House in our slideshow.

All images by Josh Rubin

An in-depth guide to innovative 3D forms and self-locking boxes

With the rising number of entrepreneurs among the creative community handling their own production, the value in high-quality DIY tips becomes increasingly essential. Whether you’re a Danish jewelry designer peddling pieces on Etsy, an artisan handcrafting leather belts in the Pacific Northwest or an urban partnership making ties from remnant fabrics found in New York’s garment district, the finishing touches—like original packaging—are not to be overlooked. Enter Paul Jackson‘s comprehensive new book “Structural Packaging: Design Your Own Boxes and 3-D Forms.” Packed with step-by-step instructions, the informational guide will teach any novice the fundamentals of bespoke package design or paper sculptures.

Jackson encourages reading the book in sequential order for maximum results, beginning with how to design the perfect net—the shape made when a box is unfolded flat, and the foundation for constructing any enclosed, self-locking polyhedron. According to Jackson, who describes himself as a paper artist, he was teaching modular origami when he had a game-changing revelation. Thinking about how modular origami units locked together, Jackson redefined net construction by creating “the strongest possible one-piece net to enclose any solid, based on the distribution and shape of the locking tabs.”

After the basics, “Structural Packaging” takes readers through steps on building square-cornered boxes and how to deform a cube, and offers insight on some common closures before finishing with a chapter on creating your own self-locking forms. As Jackson explains, there may be nothing new in 2D and 3D geometry as individual mathematical systems, but when thought about together, “they can be combined and deformed in a never-ending series of permutations to create a very great number of beautiful and practical forms.”

Any diligent student can master the art of innovative packaging by following Jackson’s comprehensively detailed instructions, accompanied by 175 illustrations. The book hits shelves February 2012 and will sell online from Laurence King and Amazon, where you can pre-order a copy now.

Multipurpose accessories for the day-tripper

Born out of Genova, Italy’s school for industrial design, designer Arianna Vivenzio founded Ochobags
in 2006. Centered on a modular and customizable bag, Vivenzo describes her mission as “obviously to combine function and aesthetics.”

Staring with the idea of a “useful yet fashionable object,
made of functional and mobile compartments that can contain and separate
each one of the objects a woman carries,” she gradually refined the concept to come up with a simple system. Consisting of six modular pockets in a range of fabrics, the pieces combine into personalized purses for the ultimate in adaptability.

The resulting all-purpose bags can even “be
worn by girls and women of all ages, because of its simplicity and
variety of materials. Besides, the customer base now include boys and
men who use it for running or biking,” Vivenzo explains.

Her inventiveness also includes taking inspiration from Antonio Marras Kenzo by mixing in alternative fabrics and materials such as foam mats, old
kimonos, fringed inner tubes, classic Prince of Wales wool, plastic
lace and cotton. Channeling a modern Japanese attitude, colors and materials create unexpected blends of contrasting assonance. With a new line of shoes drawing on the same principles, Ocho hints at a a new way of urban dressing.

Bags start at €50 from Ochobags.

BrickBox è un intelligente sistema modulare disegnato da Antxon Salvador e Roger Zanni. Composto da due elementi di dimensioni diverse collegati tra loro tramite perni.
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