Welcome to the blog series inspired by the exhibition Scraps: Fashion, Textiles,and Creative Reuse.

Though it weighs in at just 80 milligrams, you’ll definitely want this little RoboBee in your corner. Designers Kevin Y. Ma, Robert J. Wood, Pakpong Chirarattananon, and Sawyer B. Fuller at Harvard School of Engineering and Applies Sciences, in collaboration with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, followed nature as their guide to create...

Join Harlem-based landscape architect Elizabeth Kennedy as she presents her work on the Brooklyn Grange farm, a massive 65,000 sq ft roof towering eleven stories over the East River, atop Building no. 3 at the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. Constructed as a Stormwater Management Tool funded by a NYC DEP Green Infrastructure Grant under PlaNYC,...

I’ve long admired Donald Deskey’s drawing, Design for "Sportshack" (1940) in the Cooper Hewitt’s collection. When I first saw it, I immediately imagined what it might be like to live in this elegantly proportioned little gem of a house. As one half of a couple sharing our own micro-apartment,  I understand the challenges of paring...

On April 13, 2012, as part of his popular Design Talks series, Bill Moggridge, Director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, spoke with architect Annabelle Selldorf about some of her notable projects. One of many exciting projects for Selldorf Architects, the new David Zwirner, particularly caught my attention. Selldorf described that she and Zwirner...

According to Jim Pynn, Superintendent of Newtown Creek’s 52-acre water waste treatment plant, the plant’s star architectural feature is eight futuristic, stainless steel–clad “digester eggs.” Tours of the facility began less than a year ago. Our tour started early in the morning in the new Visitor Center. Once inside, it was hard to hear over...

At the recent Social Impact Design Summit in New York, organized by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, one issue that received attention was the need to build local capacity so that projects can be self-sustainable. Any successful model should be built on local capacity, knowledge, and engagement. Designers sometimes assume that local communities cannot...

Cities all over the world are rapidly expanding and facing issues such as climate change, rapid urban migration and overburdened public services. This panel discussion focuses on initiatives that seek to include those who have been marginalized by established cities, especially the poor, women, youth and entire communities. Panelists include representatives from: – Kounkey Design...

DesignBoost NYC was a two-day design conference held at Cooper-Hewitt in June 2011. Thirteen speakers specializing in everything from biomechanics to filmmaking addressed the conference’s theme, “Design Beyond Design” in this series of short talks.

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is a fun place to visit each year for new trends and ideas in commercial design. Sustainability was a hot theme in the school projects represented at the ICFF: ICFF School One project in particular highlights a rising trend in product design and marketing. The product-design program of the University...

Designers, engineers, students and professors, architects, and social entrepreneurs from all over the globe are devising cost-effective ways to increase access to food and water, energy, education, healthcare, revenue-generating activities, and affordable transportation for those who most need them. And an increasing number of initiatives are providing solutions for underserved populations in developed countries such...

Dutch designer Claudy Jongstra recently showcased her tapestries of raw wool and silk here in New York at the United Nations. A participant in Cooper-Hewitt’s 2009 Fashioning Felt exhibition, Claudy has a unique design process that is committed to sustainability, biodiverisity, and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage. Claudy keeps her own sheep, her...

The 2010 National Design Award for Corporate and Institutional Achievement goes to the U.S. Green Building Council. The U.S. Green Building Council promotes a sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. Since its founding in 1993, it has developed many services, including the LEED green-building-certification program that rates the design, construction, and operation of...

Nordic Design Now consists of two panel discussions, Social Awareness & Sustainability and Design Policy: Lessons Learned, co-presented by the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and Scandinavia House. These panels are held in conjunction with two design exhibitions: National Triennial 2010: Why Design Now? at Cooper-Hewitt and Nordic Models + Common Ground at Scandinavia House. The...

The trend toward organic goods and ethical trade is spreading in the fashion world with a wealth of new initiatives to connect designers to sustainable resources and materials. Hear from Summer Rayne Oakes, Co-founder/CEO of Source4Style — a B2B marketplace that allows designers — both fashion and interior — to search, compare and purchase more...