Christmas Tree Made from 1,000 Beer Bottles

from: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/21/christmas-tree-made-from-1000-beer-bottles/

At the start of every Christmas season, environmentalists inevitably spark the real-versus-artificial tree debate. But this year, Chinese designers decided to take an entirely different approach to celebrate the holiday, crafting a huge tree from 1,000 Heineken bottles. The massive sculpture is currently providing some festive flair to Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China.

Although the bottles provide the tree with its breathtaking green hue, the statue’s design is not so eco-friendly. Instead of diverting empties from the recycling bin and repurposing them, designers opted to use full beer bottles to make the tree! We’re not quite sure why designers chose this material because we’re guessing it would’ve been just as easy to build the statue from the oodles of empties available.

For all you crafty types out there, perhaps a more environmentally sensitive (yet still impressive) project could be creating your own decorations from all the empty bottles of nog, wine, brews and spirits consumed during seasonal celebrations.

In Case you are Traveling to NY this Holiday you may want to check out....

Robert Restaurant at the Museum of Arts and Design

On the ninth floor of NYC's new Museum of Arts & Design, the even newer restaurant Robert adds a definitively modern look inside the controversial building. The dining spot, opened just a week ago, offers sweeping views of Manhattan, all the better taken in from the confines of the sculptural furniture designed by Philip Michael Wolfson.

An extension of Wolfson's Line and SoundForm series, the furniture designed for the restaurant includes cocktail tables, reception desks, a dramatic 15-foot long steel communal table and bar stools. Coated in powder aluminum, the stools' mirrored finish reflects the neon pink acrylic and metal rectangles hanging from the ceiling above—an installation designed by Johanna Grawunder—creating an optical illusion of the bright forms floating on the surfaces below.

Playing to the restaurant's vast interior, the oversize communal table and reception desks elegantly command volume while their radically abstracted forms also speak to Wolfson's previous experience working with cutting-edge architect Zaha Hadid.

Like his mentor, the upshot of Wolfson's recent work fuses sculpture with ergonomic design, harmonizing form and function while keeping with the ongoing movement of throwing a little art into the design mix.

Source: http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2009/12/museum_of_arts.php

January Events at the Corcoran Gallery of Art

 VERGE Ensemble
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2010      4 P.M.

 Stefan Sagmeister on Design and Happiness
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010      7 P.M.

 Splash in a Flash: An Evening with Underwater Photographer David Doubilet
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010      7 P.M.

 Teaching Through 21st-Century Art
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010      4:30–8:30 P.M.

 Windows of Wonder
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2010      10:30 A.M.-12 P.M.

 Gwendoline and Margaret Davies: Pioneer Collectors of Modern French Art
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010      7 P.M.

 Turner to Cezanne: An Evening with Corcoran Scholars
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010      7 P.M.

 Musical Afternoon Series - Subscription
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010      4 P.M.

 Musical Afternoon Series - Circle Subscription
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010      4 P.M.

 Triple Helix Piano Trio
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010      4 P.M.

January Events at the National Building Museum

Tuesday, January 5, 2010
      Book of the Month: Urban Animals 10:30 AM

Friday, January 8, 2010
      CityVision Fall 2009 Final Presentation 6:30 PM

Sunday, January 10, 2010
       Model Airplane Workshop 2010 9:00 AM
      Flying in the Great Hall 2010 11:00 AM

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
       Building for the 21st Century: Paving the Path to Platinum at Dell Children's Medical Center 12:30 PM

Saturday, January 16, 2010
      Construction Watch Tour: 800 17th Street PNC Place 10:00 AM

Monday, January 25, 2010
       The Business Side of Smart Growth: Local Assets, Local Approaches 12:30 PM
      Parking Garages: Beauty or the Beast 6:30 PM

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
       For the Greener Good: Urban Agriculture 6:30 PM

CREW VA Committee Membership Interest Program

The VA Chapter of CREW hosted a membership/committee member drive at Reston Town Center last week. It included ice skating, shopping, and a wine tasting. A good crowd came out and it looks like all the committee's will be filled with some old and new faces. They are looking forward to a good year in 2010!

Happy Holidays from Lusive!

From Interior Design Magazine :

DWR Snatches Edelman Leather CEO and COO

Edelman's and McPhee's move takes effect on Sunday, January 3, 2010.

LAUREL PETRIELLO -- INTERIOR DESIGN, 12/16/2009

Design Within Reach (DWR) is reaching out for new talent. The contemporary resource for modern classics announced yesterday that it plucked John Edelman from Edelman Leather, a division of Knoll, Inc., to take over as DWR director, president, and chief executive officer. Edelman’s move takes effect on Sunday, January 3, 2010. At 42, the former president and CEO of his namesake company, Edelman brings to the table more than 20 years in the industry. During his tenure with Edelman Leather, he increased profits, brand awareness, and helped facilitate the company’s sale to Knoll, Inc. in 2007. Keeping extra talent within reach, DWR has also hired Edelman Leather cohort John McPhee as the company’s new chief operating officer. McPhee was formerly chief operating officer of Edelman Leather, which he joined in 2003. "During the search process, the board met with many highly qualified candidates, but the search committee unanimously concluded that Edelman and McPhee were the perfect team to lead the future vision of DWR," Glenn Krevlin, chairman of DWR. "John Edelman is a charismatic, creative, and team-oriented executive with an approachable style. He has a strong knowledge of and affinity for the modern home furnishings aesthetic and is considered to be an industry expert in 'modern.'" Krevlin continued, "John McPhee is a seasoned operational executive who has a strong background in IT, logistics, real estate, and finance. He will be an exceptional compliment and partner to John Edelman. My vision was to find leaders for DWR that foster a culture that is maniacally focused on servicing our clients and customers. This team will help us achieve these goals." Edelman Leather welcomes executive Amy Darrah as the luxury leather company's new president to carry on the business's brand positioning and growth.

From the Washington Times- D.C. museum wants to add rooftop 'bubble'

The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., wants to add to the building a temporary, inflatable bubble that squeezes through its rooftop -- a modern concept in a city known worldwide for its classical architecture.

Officials for the contemporary-art museum, on the National Mall between Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument, want to use the translucent, fabric structure twice a year to hold special events.

In its current design, the section inside the building would include hundreds of seats, a temporary stage and a view of other visitors inside the multileveled, drum-shaped museum.

The smaller, bottom end emerges from the building's ground level and into the adjacent Sculpture Garden.

The design for the 145-foot-tall bubble was created by the New York firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro, which recently complete the popular High Line project -- a 1.45-mile long park built on an elevated freight line on Manhattan's lower west side.

Though the bubble would be a temporary structure, the project still must win federal approval.

Officials for the 35-year-old museum -- part of the Smithsonian Institution -- are scheduled Friday to go before the National Capital Planning Commission.

Museum spokesman Gabriel Riera said Thursday calling the bubble a temporary structure was not an attempt to avoid oversight.

"We going to get whatever blessing and approval from whomever we need to get approval from," he said.

He cautioned the reportedly $5 million project was still in "concept phase" but said he will be "thrilled" if it gets approved.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/dec/18/dc-museum-wants-add-rooftop-bubble/

Photo of the Week Presented by Infinity Pix

Please enjoy these stunning golf course photos provided to us from Leslie at Infinity Photography. For more information, or to include something like this on one of your upcoming projects visit www.infinitypix.com.

From Inhabitat

Vancouver 2010 Promises Greenest Olympic Games Ever

From the world’s largest hydrogen bus fleet to a six-acre multi-use Olympic Oval, British Columbia appears determined to host the “greenest games ever” in Vancouver come February. The city has constructed a series of stunning sustainably-built structures in preparation for upcoming events, and has also kicked off itsnaturally:wood website, which offers a free digital tool kit for Building Green with Wood and insight into how BC’s sustainable forestry helps LEED the way for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Read on for just a few of the Olympic buildings boasting impressive LEED certification standards.

The Richmond Olympic Oval is a sexy crown jewel of a speed-skating hall with three levels and a massivewood wave roof inspired by local ecology, using lumber affected by the Mountain pine beetle. The venue features energy-saving refrigeration and rainwater collection, and the CAD $16-million oval roof claims one of the world’s largest clearspan wooden structures, around the size of four and a half football fields.

Vancouver Convention Centre will host the Winter Games Secretariat’s International Media Centre and a six-acre living roof of 400,000 native plants, free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, that also captures rainfall to use within the building and for irrigation. The venue also features seawater heating and cooling, on-site water treatment, marine habitat built into the foundations, and shoreline restoration.

The 2010 Commerce Centre is certified as a LEED Gold structure, connecting two distinct spaces for multimedia and community affairs and decked out with submerged Douglas-fir logs and concrete countertops utilizing post-beetle mania pine chips.

As intended, Vancouver’s Olympic buildings will remain alive and well even after the games have ended.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/09/vancouver-2010-promises-greenest-games-ever/

Sustainable San Fran Concept Moving Into D.C.

Sustainable San Fran Concept Moving Into D.C.

[2009-12-17] Mixt Greens, an eco-gourmet restaurant concept founded in San Francisco in 2005, announced four new Washington, D.C., locations. The first will open on January 26 at 1200 19th Street, NW.

Mixt Greens' contemporary interior will showcase the company's green initiatives through design concepts and building materials. William McDonough + Partners, a design firm from Charlottesville, Virginia, is the architect for the new Mixt Green locations in D.C.

Mixt Greens will also feature a modern, urban design incorporating earth-friendly materials and each location will include a new edible living wall of seasonally rotating herbs and vegetables. The wall highlights indoor urban agriculture, a low-energy, high-yield farming technique, showcasing that sustainable, fertilizer/pesticide-free, healthy food can be grown indoors in urban environments. The edible, living wall also highlights the initiatives that Mixt Greens continues to spearhead throughout its operations and business practices. In addition to the restaurant at 1200 19th Street, three venues will open between February and April, 2010, at: 1311 F Street, NW, 1700 K Street, NW; and 927 15th Street, NW. Each location will be open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and prices will range from $7.95 to $11.95 for salads and $8.95 for sandwiches, which are served with a side salad of greens.

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/news/story.phtml?id=9877

From HD Magazine- GOING SLIM

Peerless Industries, manufacturer, designer, and distributor of A/V solutions for the hospitality market, is pushing the bar with the world's slimmest tilt mount for ultra-thin screens. The Ultra-Slim Tilt Mounts has many features, but these go far and beyond: holds screens .68-inch from the wall for a clean look, a tilt range of up to 17.5 degrees for optimal screen positioning, and industry-first hinge technology that speeds installation by providing 5.5 inches of unobstructed workspace behind the screen. The new Ultra-Slim Tilt Mounts offer a tight fit, eliminating intrusion into the public space, while hiding the mounting apparatus. The 17.5 degrees of downward tilt provides a wide tilt range, enabling the screen to be adjusted to the optimal viewing angle even for exceptionally high flat panel installations. This new product also reduces installation time because of Peerless' exclusive high-tension torque hinge mechanism that provides 5.5 inches of space between the panel and wall when fully extended, enabling installers to use both hands for wiring and cable installation (that adds up to about three inches of extra back-of-the-screen work space). The mount's hinge feature, which is similar to the hinge on a laptop computer, also eliminates obstructions and slip risks of kickstand construction as well holding the screen firmly in place without needing to lock it once positioned. Other installation features include a lockdown tab that prevents the screen from shifting, an open wall plate design that increases access for electrical and cable management options, and horizontal adjustment up to 8-inches for improved screen positioning. Peerless' Ultra-Slim Tilt Mounts are available for 22- to 40-inch (SUT632P), 32- to 46-inch (SUT645P), and 37- to 60-inch (SUT660P) ultra-thin flat panels, offering compatibility with ultra-thin screens with up to a VESA 800x400 mounting hole pattern.

http://www.hospitalitydesign.com/hospitalitydesign/products/Going-Slim-1127.shtml

Washington Business Journal- People on the Move

Architecture

SmithGroup in D.C. announce that Lora Schwartz, AIA, LEED AP, and Viral Amin, PE, LEED AP, have been elected as principals of the firm.

Maginniss & del Ninno Architects in Alexandria named the following officers: H. “Skip” Maginniss, AIA, LEED AP, president; Theresa del Ninno, AIA, LEED AP, vice president; and Mary Maginniss, CFP, as chief financial officer. Kevin Hanlon, Associate AIA, LEED AP and Kimberly Jesada, AIA Associate, LEED AP, recently joined as architect/designers.

From Interior Design Magazine :

The Wright Restaurant Opens in Guggenheim Museum

The walls and ceiling of the nearly all-white eatery features a colorful site-specific sculpture by of powder-coated aluminum planks by British artist Liam Gillick.

NICHOLAS TAMARIN -- INTERIOR DESIGN, 12/11/2009

Though it’s approaching the end of its year-long 50th anniversary celebrations, New York’sSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum isn’t through with the festivities yet: December 11 saw the grand opening of its newest restaurant, The Wright. Named after the Fifth Avenue museum’s architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, the 58-seat restaurant was designed by Andre Kikoski Architect and features a modern American menu by David Bouley protégé Rodolfo Contreras featuring local seasonal dishes like seared diver scallops in sea urchin sauce and slow roasted suckling pig with quince and violet mustard.

“It was both an incredible honor and an exhilarating challenge to work within Wright’s iconic building,” said Kikoski. “Every time we visit, we see a new subtlety in it that deepens our appreciation of its sophistication. We sought to create a work that is both contemporary and complementary.” “Inspired by and created within an institution renowned for its art, architecture and innovation, The Wright will extend that experience to its food and service,” adds the restaurant’s director, Aaron Breitman. “The Wright will appeal to neighbors seeking stylish and sophisticated dining as well as visitors who want to experience the thrill of New York in one of the city’s greatest cultural treasures.”

Centered on a communal table, Kikoski’s channeled Lloyd Wright’s iconic spiraling white design from 1959 in the nearly all-white 1,600-square-foot-space. Standouts include a curvilinear walnut wall layered with illuminated fiber-optics offsets a bar topped in seamless white Corian and clad in a shimmering skin of custom metalwork. A sweeping banquette is glammed up with vivid blue leather seating backed by illuminated planes of woven gray fabric underneath a layered ceiling canopy of taut white fabric. The ceiling is also home to the restaurant’s signature artwork, a colorful site-specific sculpture of horizontal powder-coated aluminum planks by British artist Liam Gillick that marks the entrance and descends from overhead to cover the Wright’s walls—just like in the museum’s galleries. Images courtesy of The Wright.

Photo of the Week Presented by Infinity Pix

Please enjoy this beautiful photos provided to us from Leslie at Infinity Photography. For more information, or to include something like this on one of your upcoming projects visit www.infinitypix.com.