I have to applaud this designer for his creative wackiness! Wonsik Chae had a concept to let “light forms flow easily”… His ‘Lighting Bag’ resembles a Lipton tea bag (except for the tag at the end of the string that says “Draw a Light” ). But immerse this bag in water, and magically, a fluorescence appears and starts to glow. Once the “tea” bag is immersed in the fluid, the contained “fluorescent molecules” catalyze with the liquid medium to let loose a steady stream of liquid light. The effect is very like that of amber tea streaming from a newly wet bag. It can then be used to create liquid light in any form the user pleases!
http://www.onesik.com/Lighting-bag2.html
The Philips Bio Tower is one of many in line with the trend of urbanites going to the farm and farms coming to the cities. The BioTower is a self-contained farm that produces a five level slice of a farm:
![hippieflavor:</p>
<p>Philips Biotower Puts Farming in the Kitchen (With Style) - Gizmodo<br />
The Philips BioTower is a self-contained farm that produces hundreds of calories of various food sources a day, cascading nutrients from the top to the bottom. Its five-level design breaks down like this:</p>
<p>Levels 1 and 2: Plants<br />
Level 3: Algae<br />
Level 4: Fish and Shrimp<br />
Level 5: Organic Waste</p>
<p>YouTube video<br />
[h/t crazyfishor]](http://10.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kp1tboeZIn1qzsosxo1_500.jpg)
- Levels 1 and 2: Plants
- Level 3: Algae
- Level 4: Fish and Shrimp
- Level 5: Organic Waste
Benjamin Moore paints predicts color trends 2 years in advance. This year’s Color Pulse 2011 featured BALANCE as an attribute that we can all strive to better incorporate into our lives. From the rural influences to urban application, BALANCE is supported by 4 themes for COLOR PULSE 2011: The Farm, Order, Escape, and Tribe.
The farm colors selected were earthy browns, milky whites and pale, buttery yellows. Hay and terra cotta mix with accent hues straight from fresh veggies such as pumpkin, tomato, eggplant and, of course, green. They all have a soft, organic tones.
Beyond pure color, life on the farm includes fabrics suggesting the handmade. Benjamin Moore forecasters suggest we’ll see macramé, irregular knits, gingham and burlap. Tea-stained effects, tie-dyes and hand-stenciled patterns all suggest a desire to appreciate the simple things in life; getting back to basics.
In my neck of the woods, BrightFarm Systems, a commercial design consultancy providing technical services in support of rooftop greenhouses and building integrated agriculture, has created the floating barge farm in Yonkers, NY on the Hudson River. The company’s team presents a unique expertise in sustainable engineering, horticultural science, and ecological system design focused exclusively on the application of controlled environment agriculture to the built environment.
The barge hosts a carbon-neutral hydroponic farm. The floating laboratory produces tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries and pumpkins all while docked in the Hudson River which is also being used as an educational tool in collaboration with New York Sun Works. The project incorporates solar and wind power, biofuels, and rainwater reclamation while producing no carbon emissions or wastes. It saves even more energy by reducing the food miles (the distance food travels from field to table) of fresh produce for city dwellers.
Also, this month Dwell Magazine featured many farmhouse and cabin retreats for urban dwellers across the country. One of the features was the Yum Yum farm in Iowa, designed by Deforest Architects in Seattle, Washington. The owners set out to build a homestead for their future organic farm that was clean and modern, yet evoked a traditional farmhouse design. The stunning outcome of their process is show in the photos below!
