sustainable Archives - The Design Writer

Object Stories: 1 Hour Bag by Dowel Jones

February 18, 2020January 1, 2023despc

Fabric waste is a huge contributor to landfill and, while textiles can be recycled, it doesn’t happen as much as it could or should. Enter Adam Lynch and Dale Hardiman of Melbourne design studio Dowel Jones and their concept, New Model, a zero-waste approach to design. The first project for New Model, the 1 Hour Bag designed by Soft Serve Studio, utilises surplus, remnant and waste materials.

Blue bag, New Model by Adam Lynch and Dale Hardiman

The 1 Hour Bag is made from pieces of upholstery fabric that are too small to be used for upholstery and would otherwise go to waste. The majority of the bag is made from this recycled material, with any small parts made from new material coloured bright green to provide maximum transparency on which parts of the bag are recycled.

Review: Marrickville Library by BVN

October 4, 2019January 1, 2023despc

By Penny Craswell

The new Marrickville Library by BVN is a strikingly beautiful adaptive reuse of an existing hospital building, which was originally built in 1871 and is heritage listed. BVN won an invited design competition for their scheme, which favours a community-first approach with a heavy emphasis on sustainable building practices.

Marrickville Library entrance by BVN. Photo: Brett Boardman

“Incorporating a building as historically rich as the old Marrickville Hospital, and developing it into a piece of contemporary architecture, to meet the needs of Marrickville’s diverse community, was a truly rewarding project for us,” says BVN Project Director Brian Clohessy.

Review: ‘Broken Nature’ Triennale in Milan

July 13, 2019January 1, 2023despc

By Penny Craswell

There is no question that the world is in climate crisis, with school children on strike and increasing numbers of governments around the world declaring a climate emergency, so the theme of the XXII edition of the Triennale di Milano this year is particularly apt. Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival is an exhibition and series of international installations that explores what designers are doing to tackle the problem.

Totems, Neri Oxman and the Mediated Matter Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Triennale Milano. Photo: Gianluca Di Ioia

Broken Nature takes as its starting point the inevitable extinction of humans and explores the myriad ways that designers are attempting to tackle the problem. “Humanity is in peril… the strain we are placing on environmental bonds is significant, the needle measuring the tension is already in the critical zone, and the pressure is mounting,” writes Italian-born NY-based curator Paola Antonelli in the catalogue essay.

Exploring small living with the Moonlight Cabin

December 5, 2015January 1, 2023despc

By Penny Craswell

Unlike other parts of Australia, the South West coast of Victoria does not get very hot – summer maximum averages are around 23º (73ºF) while winter minimum averages are around 6º (42ºF). Architecture firm Jackson Clements Burrows have designed a small holiday cabin along the coast here as an experiment in small living as well as a way to test the best architecture to suit the climate.

Small footprint living at the Moonlight Cabin by JCB. Photo: Jeremy Weihrauch of Gollings Studio

Called Moonlight Cabin, the structure has a small footprint at only 60sqm (645sqft), an intentional choice to challenge what size is necessary for a holiday house. Inside, the cabin is one large space, with the kitchen, bathroom and utilities clustered in a central “pod”. Read more →