Latest articles on Design by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.net Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:25:25 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.thecoolhunter.net Latest articles on Design by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1362&Itemid=6 Great, aesthetically pleasing design needn't be limited to traditional architectural forms such as houses and public buildings. Utilitarian spaces, such as car parks, present architects and designers with a unique opportunity to bring beauty and harmony to the everyday functional spaces that are normally ignored by great design minds. We're excited to report that the tide is changing, evidenced by these good-looking car parks.Modern design is all about "experience" and these car parks pictured acknowledge that one's experience of a private or public place begins the minute they pull up in their car. Innovative developers and designers are recognising just how crucial this is - it's almost too late by the time the consumer arrives at the front door. The "experience" of good design starts well before that. These samples demonstrate how luminous exteriors, bold graphics and neon bright lighting all work here to create a space that is breathing, achieving the previously unachievable - giving tonnes of drab, purely functional concrete a sense of life. - Lisa Evans Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:04:39 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1359&Itemid=6 Let’s face it, most conventional medical interiors aren’t exactly attractive. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to discover that most people are allergic to the blandness and sterility of clinic interiors. Well the new Allied Health clinic in Melbourne, proves that it IS possible for health and design (and a bit of fun) to go hand in hand.Accommodating the rather unusual combination of podiatry, physiotherapy, pathology, dietetics and psychology, the clinic feels like ‘2001 Space Odyssey meets late nineteenth century Victorian’. Designed by the Melbourne-based studio Chameleon Architecture (http://www.chameleonarchitecture.com.au/), the interior juxtaposes elements of heritage, science and future. Ornate period details like crystal chandeliers, cornices, skirting boards and ceiling roses provide a classical backdrop. Exploring the idea of the medical as molecular, large glossy white molecules or futuristic pods are planted throughout the clinic, serving as consultation suites. Once inside the suite/pod, the mood changes again. The interior of the pod, from the walls, ceiling, floors to joinery, is clad entirely in plywood stained with a clear lacquer which enriches and emphasises the grain of the wood. So instead of looking pale under the normally cold and harsh light of clinical spaces, visitors here are instantly bathed in a warm, healthy glow without any treatment having even begun. - Jeanne Tan Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:14:46 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1355&Itemid=6 The consulting arm of The Cool Hunter, Platinum (platinum), is taking on some exciting global design projects covering architecture, interior design, fashion, events and product design. Specifically we are putting out a call to our vast Coolhunter community; architects and designers who have created amazing spas wellness resorts and architecture/interiors of kids pre-schools/play centers/playgrounds/community centers. If you are an architect or interior designer with some great work in either of these areas please let us know, we'd love to see your work - past, current or future. Watch this space for new projects. If you're not a design professional but have seen something inspiring in the world of kids or spas/wellness resorts we'd love to hear from you too. Send your work/tips to (%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20var%20prefix%20=%20%27ma%27%20+%20%27il%27%20+%20%27to%27;%0A%20var%20path%20=%20%27hr%27%20+%20%27ef%27%20+%20%27=%27;%0A%20var%20addy67348%20=%20%27bill%27%20+%20%27@%27;%0A%20addy67348%20=%20addy67348%20+%20%27thecoolhunter%27%20+%20%27.%27%20+%20%27net%27;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3Ca%20%27%20+%20path%20+%20%27%5C%27%27%20+%20prefix%20+%20%27:%27%20+%20addy67348%20+%20%27%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20addy67348%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3C%5C/a%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%5Cn%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3Cspan%20style=%5C%27display:%20none;%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%0A%20%3C/script%3EThis%20e-mail%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20spam%20bots,%20you%20need%20JavaScript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it%0A%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3C/%27%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27span%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%0A%20%3C/script%3E)bill@thecoolhunter.net (mailto:bill@thecoolhunter.net)This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with either kids and spas in the subject box. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:02:43 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1353&Itemid=6 The aquatic complex Les Bains des Docks (http://www.vert-marine.com/le-havre/) (animation here (http://www.lemoniteur.fr/video/video.asp?r=1 v=144)), designed by the 2008 Prtizker-prize winning architect Jean Nouvel (http://www.jeannouvel.fr/) has just opened in the historical Port of Le Havre. Inspired by the Roman thermal baths, the 5,000-square-meter complex offers an eerily beautiful atmosphere of tranquility with the fantastic play of natural light soothing the eyes, the masterful acoustics pleasing the ears, and the pools and treatment areas taking care of the rest of the body.Although the main “color” of the complex is white, each section’s distinct atmosphere and hue is created by flowing water curtains, color walls, and various textures and surface treatments. Each pool – lap-pool, children’s pool, whirlpools – is designed, shaped and lit to create a unique “private space” for its specific users. These seemingly enclosed areas help minimize echoing and sound carriage – an annoying aspect of most aquatic centers -- as do the varying-height floors and ceilings, and the acoustic false ceilings. Saunas, a hammam, cold and hot baths, and a spa area with hydro-massage and aquagym areas complete the atmosphere of pampering and care. An external lagoon makes the summer use of the complex even more appealing. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clementguillaume/sets/72157606331384720/) The Docks in the south end of the ancient port city of Le Havre are the oldest docks in France. The area is under massive revitalization with the goal of making this a leisure, culture and shopping neighborhood. When completed, the area will include residences, a large park, a tropical greenhouse, cinemas, bowling alleys and a shopping center, plus a Nouvel-designed Sea and Sustainable Development Centre to be completed in 2011. The Sea Centre will be a showcase of shipping and sailing – exploring their economic and industrial significance as well as their environmental impact on coasts and estuaries. It will be a 120-meter-high metallic structure dominating the port and it will include exhibit areas, an aquarium, a meteorological station and a restaurant with panoramic, 360-degree views of Port of Le Havre.Nouvel’s well-known public buildings literally span the world from New York to Reykjavik, Dubai, Soul and Tangiers. Recent interesting buildings include the bright-red research center for the maker of brakes for luxury cars, Brembo, in Italy. NouveI's (http://www.jeannouvel.fr/english/preloader.html) masterpiece for La Philharmonie de Paris will open in 2012. - Tuija Seipell Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:19:42 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1334&Itemid=6 If you’ve ever wondered what a kinetic ambient reflection membrane is and what it does, we’re about to show you. And if you already know, then you’re way ahead of the game. Check out this video and you’ll see the Flare façade (http://www.flare-facade.com/) acts as a building’s skin, and computer generation controls movement of a number of metal flake components. C8POOqz2gOEThe system is modular and each flake can be programmed to tilt toward or away from the sun – reflecting light off it’s surface and creating movement in infinite patterns across the surface of a building thereby allowing the façade to interact with its surroundings. We wonder if this could be the beginning of a new direction for photovoltaic panels? By Andrew J Wiener Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:28:36 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1324&Itemid=6 To many of us it seems like advancements in technology are moving at an extremely accelerated pace, but to those who are following in our footsteps, the rate of change could not be fast enough. For some school children in Camden outside of London, Gollifer Langston’s (http://www.gollifer.co.uk/) prototype transportable Classrooms of the Future will deliver information and communication technology (ICT) on a flatbed truck in the form of an oblong gray pod capable of providing a sufficient ICT facility that many schools are unable to install within their own environments.The mobile classroom will move from school to school, and is designed to hold 15 students at a time. Once the pod is delivered, a set of hydraulics expands the unit wider, and creates an entrance as well as a stage and a small-cinema-sized screen for presentations and performances. The work space will provide mainly high school students a place to explore music and filmmaking. The Classroom of the Future will have capabilities of adapting for additional needs as technology races beyond what even the next generation can predict. By Andrew J Wiener Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:19:47 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1314&Itemid=6 Movin’ on up, now more than ever encapsulates stunning design, impeccable service, effortless living from the time the sun rises to well after the sun sets. We’ve been noticing a rising trend in the sheer number of luxury residences - we recently told you about an exclusive collection of seaside properties (architecture/Exclusive-Private-Residential-Estate-Abu-Dhabi/) in Abu Dhabi. And now from New York to Buenos Aires, and from Moscow to Beijing, we’ll reveal a few more of the coolest luxury abodes. Many of us have been accustomed to the stylistic cues offered by W Hotels across the world – but how many of us will actually have a chance to pick up the phone from our own kitchens and receive assistance from the ‘Whatever, Whenever’ hotline? Soon, for those who jumped at the chance to purchase a W-styled apartment in one of their newest locations south of the World Trade Center in New York City, the possibilities will be limitless. W Residents (http://123washingtonstreet.com/) may share the building with distinguished hotel guests in the lower portion of Manhattan, but luxury amenities such as a rooftop terrace, a fitness center and spa in the sky, a media screening room and digital lounge, as well as a entrance, will be solely for those permanently living in the upper floors of the luxury tower. While the W Hotel New York Downtown will take up the first twenty-two floors, the upper levels have been split into furnished residences (Floors 23-30) and customized residences (Floors 33-56). Interior design exceeds expectations, even by W standards, with sleek and functional kitchen built-ins to a translucent wall from the bedroom to a ‘peek-a-boo loo.’ A bit further uptown in the heart of Tribeca, Five Franklin (http://www.fivefranklinplace.com/) Place is destined be the epitome of luxury residences. The 20-storey building will contain 55 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units that will be set up as duplex lofts on the lower floors; single-level city residents above; plus three triplex penthouses each with a rooftop terrace and serviced by private internal elevators. The building itself, designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkell of UNStudio, will be wrapped in a series of horizontal black metallic bands – each of which ungulates as it curves around and hugs the frame of the structure. The façade is apparently a direct tribute to the original 19th century built form of cast iron that shaped lower Manhattan – and the metallic surface will reflect light while highlighting the magnificence of the neighboring buildings. The building’s façade is not merely about aesthetics, as the bands will also create shading from the daylight, deflect heat, guarantee every residence will have the highest degree of privacy, and simultaneously frame unparalleled views out across Manhattan. The Loft Residences on the lower levels have a double-height living area that maximizes the light entering the space. The height of the great room continues on through a gallery where a white lacquered library wall ascends up into the second level. The upper-tier City Residences feature integrated terraces off the main living areas, and all units are custom-fitted with B B Italia kitchens and built-ins throughout. The master bathrooms feature a circular sliding wall that allows the bathroom to become part of the bedroom and share its spectacular... Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:18:58 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1298&Itemid=6 The work of Belgium’s Rotor Group (http://www.rotorgroup.be) is popping up in more and more visible places. Rotor covers a wide range of projects, from basic design, branding and packaging, to events, lighting planning, interiors, showrooms, products, trade shows and art. We especially like the work they have done with Belgian lighting firm Modular Lighting Instruments (http://www.supermodular.com) creating events, showrooms and surroundings that defy definition. A great example is Rotor Designer Toon Stockman’s retro-futuristic showroom for Modular that pays homage to Modular’s Beam Squad and consists of six enormous cages supported by a skeleton of fluorescent tubing. The wild narrative for this installation — a typical Rotor tale — tells of life-destroying peril but luckily, all will be well and in about 2069, lighting will be manufactured in peace again. By Tuija Seipell Mon, 12 May 2008 15:39:50 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1291&Itemid=6 The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology merges the concepts of lighting and art with this spectacular 3D LED piece, dubbed NOVA. (http://www.nova.ethz.ch/) Created for the institute's 150th anniversary, the display is made up of 25000 lightballs.Incredibly it can display 16 million colors per second. The behemoth, which weighs 3.3 tonnes, is currently displayed at the Zurich train stations main hall, where it will live until September 2009. By Lisa Evans Thu, 01 May 2008 23:52:53 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1217&Itemid=6 For eons, walls of greenery have surrounded people and creatures living in jungles, rainforests and other lush places. Ancient Asians and Europeans since Roman times have paid gardeners to create green art and sculpture for their gardens, from elaborate topiary sculptures and mazes to vine-covered walls. And, of course, we’ve seen inventive uses of built outdoor space — including rooftops, patios and balconies — as places to bring more green into our overly concrete-covered lives. Smudging the line between indoors and outdoors, and playing with the illusion of greenery where it doesn’t really belong, are also the basis of some recent installations that we like. Mass Studies, founded in 2003 by Minsuk Cho in Seoul, Korea, has produced some great examples of this. Among them is Ann Demelmeester’s store (http://www.massstudies.com/projects/ann_pic.html) (pictured above) in Soul. It is one of only four concept stores showcasing the fashions of the Flemish designer. Green walls are not just visually interesting and environmentally beneficial, they add a sense of calm and peace that is difficult to achieve by other means. The inclusion of real, living plants on a large scale in places where you don’t expect to see them, also adds other sensory elements — the scent of the greenery, the sound of water, perhaps the feeling of humidity around the installation. The organic texture invites touch and inspires conversation — how was this installed, how is it cared for, who did it? We’ve found some interesting green installations, such as this school in the UK and a hair salon in Japan, but we’d love to see many, many more. We think there’s room for much more creativity and daring in this arena, so let us know if you spot remarkable and unusual examples. By Tuija Seipell Send to (%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20var%20prefix%20=%20%27ma%27%20+%20%27il%27%20+%20%27to%27;%0A%20var%20path%20=%20%27hr%27%20+%20%27ef%27%20+%20%27=%27;%0A%20var%20addy3704%20=%20%27tips%27%20+%20%27@%27;%0A%20addy3704%20=%20addy3704%20+%20%27thecoolhunter%27%20+%20%27.%27%20+%20%27net%27;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3Ca%20%27%20+%20path%20+%20%27%5C%27%27%20+%20prefix%20+%20%27:%27%20+%20addy3704%20+%20%27%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20addy3704%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3C%5C/a%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%5Cn%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3Cspan%20style=%5C%27display:%20none;%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%0A%20%3C/script%3EThis%20e-mail%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20spam%20bots,%20you%20need%20JavaScript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it%0A%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3C/%27%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27span%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%0A%20%3C/script%3E)tips@thecoolhunter.net (mailto:tips@thecoolhunter.net) This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:56:46 +0100