Great School Designs

I totally agree with the premise of this article from WebUrbanist: “there’s no reason for school buildings to be bland, boring boxes.”

The article compiled a list of the fifteen best school designs in the entire world, and these two are definitely my favourites:

The Ørestad High School in Copenhagen looks NOTHING like my old high school. The interior is like a huge playground – it has swirly staircases, platforms, huge orange pillows, and glass shades that rotate with the sun.

From: http://conceptrends.com/2008/04/03/the-school-of-the-future/

The School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has the most amazing green roof I’ve ever seen – it’s HUGE, covering a span of five stories. Apparently the roof also works for insulation and conserving rainwater.

From: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/01/23/amazing-green-roof-art-school-in-singapore/

What are the best buildings at York? Well…

1) Glendon Manor would probably be the first building I’d put on the list. It was originally a mansion built by financier E.R. Woods, and was donated to York in 1960. It sits right in the middle of 85 acres of parkland and has its own rose garden. It was featured in Canadian Homes & Gardens when it was built in 1926, and the whole style is a lovely mishmash of Italian Renaissance and British baronial, according to the manor’s website.

2) Vari Hall won the North York Design of Excellence when it was built in 1992, and it’s easy to see why. It broke up the Ross Building’s massive, concrete dominance over the campus landscape, and softened the look of the commons as well. It’s a student hub, connecting a lot of the major arteries of the university and serving as a student hang out, meeting point and occasional protest site.

3) I’m actually not a huge fan of the newer buildings on campus like Accolade or the TEL building – they just feel too huge for my taste. I much prefer the Vanier-Winters-McLaughlin complex – all three colleges are connected by corridors and tunnels, and have this strange zig-zaggy trajectory you have to follow to travel between them. I’ve gotten lost somewhere between the three buildings more times than I can remember, but it has a smaller, more old-fashioned appeal that makes it feel like a friendly place to be (all of the buildings pretty much look the same way they did in the 60’s). I can’t find any photos of the interior of the buildings, so you’ll have to go there yourself to see what I mean.

Retro Clock – Flip Down

For those of you who want a trendy and slick looking metallic flip down clock here is the Retro Flip Down clock, a nice piece of gadget to sit on your work desk for telling you the time. Every 60 seconds and hour, the time will flip down automatically without any need for winding or adjusting. The ony thing I’n concerned is if he makes any annoying mechanical noise when it’s flipping the time. In conclusion the Flip Down is a unique looking clock, with a sleek, modern and stylish look. You can purchase it from here. – Via – Techchee

Youthful Orange Bathroom, Milan 2010

We don’t know how many of you out there would go for a colorful bathroom design, but we consider this one to b quite appealing. Cheerful and with a juvenile feel, this orange interior is full of interesting elements and original furniture imprints. The sink is conveniently embedded in a huge sliding drawer, saving space and adding a touch of creativity to the overall design. Random words are imprinted on the mirror surface, which is an interesting approach in case the users want to read something while brushing their teeth every morning. We also like the flashy but cool orange bathtub, which complements the already mentioned bathroom furniture.

The Flip Table

The Flip Table is one of the products that I really love. I love this table because it is a great space saver, it can be a coffee table and a dinning table. Starting as a low coffee table on a solid base, the dining table legs flip out to reveal six stools for seating. With the legs flipped up, the table is at dining height. The table earns bonus points for its smart storage of the available cork dining stools, six can be stored underneath the coffee table (above, top left) and popped out for seating at the dining table. You can see how “The Flip Table” become a dinner table from a coffee table on the producer website. – Via – Treehugger

The Flip Table

The Flip Table is one of the products that I really love. I love this table because it is a great space saver, it can be a coffee table and a dinning table. Starting as a low coffee table on a solid base, the dining table legs flip out to reveal six stools for seating. With the legs flipped up, the table is at dining height. The table earns bonus points for its smart storage of the available cork dining stools, six can be stored underneath the coffee table (above, top left) and popped out for seating at the dining table. You can see how “The Flip Table” become a dinner table from a coffee table on the producer website. – Via – Treehugger

North Carlton Green House by Zen Architects

North Carlton Green House is a breutiful green project designed by Zen Architects, and is located in Melbourne, Australia. The North Carlton Green House was inspired by the clients intuitive connection with landscape and the sun, complemented by our innovative use of sustainable design principles. Plants were integrated into the building to create a living, breathing, sustainable space that is a delight to inhabit. A rooftop garden provides an urban oasis perched above the surrounding rooftops nestled in the tree tops.

Water consumption is minimized through collecting rainwater and re-using grey water in the garden. The gardens are watered by automated subsurface irrigation systems to minimize water lost through evaporation. Passive heating is provided by a two storey north facing void that allows sun to penetrate deep into the house heating thermal mass of exposed concrete floor and ceiling. Passive cooling is provided by windows located to catch breezes cooled by the courtyard plants and pond while a two storey void facilitates natural heat removal through stack effect

Beachfront House in California

An architectural beauty sits on the Pacific coast of Southern California where the blue ocean and sky provide all the color you need. It could be why this modern beach house is dressed in white from head to toe. Or perhaps architects Richard Meier and Michael Palladino left it up to the clients high-end art collection to do all the coloring. This home is a beautiful representation of intelligent design caused by the desire to create an interior/exterior experience with glass ceilings and walls throughout the home as well as an unobstructed view of the sea from the highway. With 4,280-square-feet of heavenly space and a massive view of the ocean, we don’t see any reason to ever want to leave…

Gorgeous stream lined architectural details define the courtyard which has been designed for a private oasis.

A double decker living room with supported glass walls provides optimum sunlight to reflect the suspended sculptural art piece- how dreamy…

Artwork as the focal point is the staple of a modern home and these guys do it BIG.

The Ultra Modern – Morphosis Omega Shower System

The Morphosis Omega Shower System from Jacuzzi is a steam shower designed by Ferrari design company Pininfarina. Equipped with steam, arometherapy and massage systems, a complete lighting system and all the other features you would expect from a system like this, the Omega is a perfect solution for your showering needs. Also as you can see from the pictures below this stunning shower system incorporates a curved teak seat, massaging pebble flooring, with endless shower combinations from soft rain shower to invigorating body sprays all encased in a sleek glass panels. Electronic controls further enhance the showering experience with adjustable lighting and temperature monitoring. Finally I think that the Morphosis Omega Shower System looks very good, but is to equipped, and if something breaks I’m pretty sure that you’ll need serious assistance. Now if you want something like this in your home you’ll need a lot of money …$27,126 but you’ll be sure that from now on any bathroom will look like crap compared with yours.

Plush iMac by Kerry Hughes

Remeber iCushion, the Iphone 3GS Shaped Pillow that we presented a few months ago ? Today here is another another “Apple product” made from plush. Just like that computer on your desk, this 17-inch tall, one-of-a-kind plush iMac comes with a matching wireless keyboard and mouse. Unlike your computer, it’s made from felt with polyester stuffing. Created by textile artist Kerry Hughes, the plush iMac appears to be running Logic Pro 8, so it’s perfect for iMac fans who are also musicians. If you are an Apple fan and love Apple and their products as much as you say you do, then you will welcome the Plush iMac into your house with arms wide open. Finally we think that this Plush iMac would look great on a piece of furniture and we’re pretty sure that it can get a lot of attention. You can get one iMac like this from Etsy. – Via – FreshBump

Compact Holiday Home with Uncommon Interiors- VilLA NM

We just received some photos from UNStudio showcasing this uncommon holiday home from Upstate New York. VilLA NM is a compact building, especially designed for weekend and vacation getaways with family and friends. The architects described it as a “futuristic hut” that has unobstructed panoramic views over the surrounding landscape and large floor to ceiling windows that establish a great connection with the exterior. Here is more information: “The kitchen and dining area on the ground floor are connected by a ramp to the living space above, the 1.5-meter (5 feet) height change allowing for a sweeping outlook over the surrounding woodland and meadows. A similar ramp connects the living area to the master and the children’s bedrooms on the second floor.

Facilities such as the bathroom, kitchen and fireplace are clustered in the vertical axis of the house, leaving the outer walls free. Large glazed windows feature in all but the most private rooms.Technically, the volumetric transition is generated by a set of five parallel walls that rotate along a horizontal axis from vertical to horizontal. The walls become floor and vice versa. The ruled surface maintaining this transition is repeated five times in the building. Standardizing and pre-fabricating of this structural element lowered the building costs without reducing the spatial quality of the interior.”

New Google Offices in Stockholm

The hits keep coming from Big G. Google offices around the world seem to be competing with one another as to who is more cool. Their workplaces are the talk of the town and since each one is built with keeping the city, country and culture in mind, it becomes delightful for any design lover to see what they offer.

Previously Google’s offices from Zurich, Milan, Madrid and Munich found their way here and this time, it is the Google office in Stockholm that catches our fancy. A very relaxed and open place to work in, this Stockholm base is designed by architects from Camenzind, is another feather added to the cap. Bright colors and a lively atmosphere ensure that creativity oozes out of every nook and corner. Even beyond that, every room is designed individually, keeping its function in mind. The game room has a funky interior while the conference room has a formal yet welcoming feel to it.

For other rooms, steal a look below.