Over the next two weeks on the Cooper-Hewitt Design Blog, students from an interdisciplinary graduate-level course on the Triennial taught by the Triennial curatorial team blog their impressions and inspirations of the current exhibition,‘Why Design Now?’. The Capsula Mundi coffin is designed to allow a body to decompose naturally and provide nourishment for a tree...
The third of the grand challenges posed by Secretary Wayne Clough for the new strategic plan of the Smithsonian is explained by the sentence: “As a steward and ambassador of cultural connections, with a presence in some 100 countries and expertise and collections that encompass the globe, we will build bridges of mutual respect, and...
This is the second of the grand challenges posed by Secretary Wayne Clough for the new strategic plan of the Smithsonian, with the explanatory sentence: “We will use our resources across scientific museums and centers to significantly advance our knowledge and understanding of life on earth, respond to the growing threat of environmental change, and...
Why? Contour Crafting is a construction technology that potentially reduces energy use and emissions by using a rapid-prototype or 3-D printing process to fabricate large components. Comprised of robotic arms and extrusion nozzles, a computer-controlled gantry system moves the nozzle back and forth, squeezing out layers of concrete or other material to fabricate a form....
Why? Most folding bicycles are heavy and difficult to collapse. Conceived as portable luggage, the IF Mode is made of lightweight materials and eliminates oily chains, complex tubes, hidden dirt traps, and much of the clutter of conventional bicycles. As mobility systems become more interconnected, portable, folding designs like this will facilitate transfers between different...
Why? Preindustrial construction methods can provide fundamental lessons about sustainable design and environmental impact today. In this site-specific installation, thin tile vaults stretching across large spaces without formwork is part of a 700-year-old construction method that is energy-efficient, utilizes local materials, and achieves high structural strength. All of these factors have important applications in the...
Why? Oceangoing ships present significant health, pollution, and efficiency challenges. The concept vessel E/S Orcelle is designed to be propelled without oil. Made of lightweight materials, it relies on energy sources obtained at sea—solar energy collected through photovoltaic panels in the sails, wind energy obtained through propulsion sails, and wave energy from fins, which can...
Why? Learning Landscape is a universal, adaptable approach to elementary math education. This simple grid of half-submerged tires can be built anywhere in the world from cast-off materials. Using chalk to mark numbers on the tires, teachers and students play games that mobilize the natural excitement of group competition and physical movement. The concept comes...
Why? Trains are among the most sustainable forms of transportation, and the AGV is at the forefront of high-speed, energy-efficient train design. Ninety-eight percent of the train is built from recyclable materials, its traction systems and low weight are energy-efficient, and its permanent-magnet synchronous motors and regenerative braking system create electricity and minimize energy loss.
View from Central Park Yes, I’m starting to feel at home at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, having started work here this week. On the first day Angela Hall, who looks after everyone’s well being here, gave me a complete tour of the place. She introduced me to more than sixty people and showed me...
Rodarte show was like no other—breathtakingly beautiful materials in muted tones combined to communicate a dreamy state. Gorgeous pieces with surprising, mixed use of knits, lace, felt and silk. Fabulous from start—with invitation design by Patrick Li using personalized wax finish—and eerily gorgeous roundels of light emanating from the back wall, to conclusion with high...
Two Volume Set, The Story of Eames Furniture This is my favorite design book from 2010. Yes, it’s huge! That’s a twelve inch ruler in the photo. It runs to 800 gloriously printed pages containing over 2,500 images, with a sturdy box to protect the volumes. Congratulations to Gestalten for such a superb production! And...
Join us for a discussion with Emily Pilloton, author of Design Revolution, Allan Chochinov, founder of Core77, Susan Szenasy Editor in Chief of Metropolis Magazine, and Cynthia E. Smith, Curator of Socially Responsible Design at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Design Revolution, features more than 100 contemporary design products and systems — safer baby bottles,...
Most people go to exhibitions to look at the objects. Eggheads go to read the labels. Design geeks (and museum professionals like myself) want to study the installation itself. How are the platforms and cases constructed? How are the texts laid out? How are supplementary graphics handled? Cooper-Hewitt’s new exhibition Design for a Living World...
The winner and two finalists of the Corporate Achievement category are, together, quite different from the winners of the past. As a whole, they represent what is possible at a smaller scale. The Walker does its amazing work in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Heath Ceramics has been handcrafting tiles and tableware in the same way for over...
