Continuing the tile theme tonight is the ECOTECH tile from Domus Tiles. The ECOTECH tile is made from recycled porcelain leftovers and is available in four colors. Two finish options are also available (natural and structured).
The ECOTECH is an interior/exterior tile designed for both wall and floor use and is offered in 6 sizes with the largest being 23" x 47".
Link: ECOTECH (Domus)
ModCraft tiles from New York based designer David Clark are available in 4 styles and remind me of the Tangent 3D wallpaper tiles we featured a few years back. The Peak (featured above), Valley, and Scoop are available in 6x6 while the Dom comes in 3x7. All tiles are made from stoneware.
Link: ModCraft Tiles
Link: ModCraft Lighting
Every once in a while a new material really captures my imagination , and this OLED (Organic Light Emiting Diodes) technology being developed by GE is one for sure. Surface applications where back lighting is not possible... lit undulating, flowing surfaces... vehicle applications... not to mention the effeciency: up to four times better than an incandescent bulb.
OLEDs are thin, organic materials sandwiched between two electrodes, which illuminate when an electrical charge is applied. They represent the next evolution in lighting products. Their widespread design capabilities will provide an entirely different way for people to light their homes or businesses. Moreover, OLEDs have the potential to deliver dramatically improved levels of efficiency and environmental performance, while achieving at least the same quality of illumination found in traditional products in the marketplace today.
Funny that I just happened to run across this manufacturer of horizontal bi-fold doors on the Archinect forum since I was thinking about utilizing such a system for a project I am currently designing.
Founded with the intent to partner with architecture firms to create a line of products and buildings (thank you Michael Graves), Reveal Designs has begun to market and sell furnishings and hardware designed by their charter partner,f Cutler Anderson Architects of Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Lithistone is an environmentally friendly alternative to Portland Cement that Ryan Waxman and Brett Fitzgerald use to fabricate countertops, sinks and decorative products. Lithistone will not contribute to indoor air pollution through off-gassing because it uses natural organic high colorfast pigments from Bioshield earth pigments, and non-toxic sealers and glosses. Lithistone is made from a variety of aggregates including crushed slate, granite, quartz, sea shells, marble and limestone. Furthermore, it can be carved, cast or sculpted. Lithistone provides natural contrast to a contemporary interior.
Farrow and Ball wallpapers and paints are beautiful, tactile and unparalleled in quality and finish. Think of them as hand-crafted products that use time-tested palettes for their line of paints, and employ a 19th century method of dragging and stripping for their papers. Sound old-fashioned? Maybe, but Farrow and Ball wallpapers, Emulsions, Exterior Masonry and Eggshell paints are environmentally preferable with low VOC emissions; the same goes for their papers. 
Facade, screen, ceiling, shelter, sound and fire barrier are just some the things that the architectural wire cloth series from Haver & Böecker can be. A thoroughly versatile steel mesh, it can take on harsh weather and pollution, and is often used along highways and in industry as a filter. The aesthetic qualities of architectural wire cloth make it ideal as a skin allowing subtle changes of colour and light at different angles. It also offers a myriad of options for interior application as ceilings and screens. Haver & Böecker have been producing woven wire cloth since 1887 with their first operation in Hohenlimburg, Germany and are distributed worldwide by their parent company W.S. Tyler.
It looks like your run-of-the-mill paving block, the same kind you can pick up at your local home improvement store. But these "Eco-Pavers" manufactured by Matsuo Corp. of Ibaraki, Japan can actually retain water and, used en-mass, greatly reduce the heat island effect of large areas of paving.
You might not think of denim as a suitable building material, but its rugged fibers have been the choice of labourers since the 16th century given that its durable, comfortable and warm. Bonded Logic recognized denim's primary benefits and used it to create a sustainable and effective insulation.
Made by Columbia Forest Products, these eco-friendly composite panels are suitable for cabinetry, furniture, tabletops and wall paneling.
Kragh·Rosenberg is a design team based in Copenhagen that produces contemporary printed designs for the home. Their current collection consists of two patterns - Figus and Ming - which are available in an assortment of colors. Inspiration for their patterns comes from Asian and Danish design and folklore (Ming) as well as "life in the garden" (Figus). Fabrics are 100% cotton.
If you happen to be in Frankfurt August 26 - 30, Kragh·Rosenberg will be displaying their designs at the Tendence Lifestyle Fair.
Link: Kragh·Rosenberg [Thanks, Anne!]
We got excited a while back when we found a source for modern aluminum and glass garage doors made for residential application... for some reason they are somewhat hard to find. Well, we've found another source. Clopay has adapted one of their commercial models to meet the demand for such a style in the residential market.
Link: Clopay Avante
Reference: Glass Garage Doors
Morag Macpherson is the designer behind UK based Global Guru. A graphic artist, she has turned her talents to textile design for the interior and fashion marketplace. She's got some terrific patterns which in a way, remind us of the wallpaper patterns from Flavor Paper and Timorous Beasties. Great stuff, Morag!
global guru designs and manufactures a diverse variety of contemporary collections in many different colourways and repeat sections. These surface patterns can be translated into a variety of interior accessories and fashion pieces.
Link: Global Guru
Bamboo is becoming increasingly used as an alternative wood flooring material, but it's most obvious (and traditional) use is somewhat overlooked in contemporary design.
Of course, bamboo fences are a Japanese design cliché, but Mark Mortimer has taken on bamboo as a material, not a design theme. His Auckland, New Zealand based company Bamusero produces bamboo fencing, furniture and special projects and employs various techniques to expand the possibilities of the material. Why not use bamboo as an architectural cladding material? Nice work!
Link: Bambusero
Via: Grow-a-Brain
Designed by architect Marcelo Spina of Los Angeles based firm Patterns, Land.Tiles is a system composed of 118 different CNC milled and vacuum formed textured concrete blocks.
Every tile has similar sectional characteristics derived from a process of double pleating a continuous surface. The inherent complexity of the terrain's contours originates a dimensional logic of construction that through a process of subdivision, allow every tile to adjust to its site specific condition while maintaining its prototypic geometry and morphological qualities.
Designer: Patterns
Catalog of materials, products, and processes from the folks over at TransStudio.
"Unlike the artist, who interacts directly with his or her palette, the architect is one-step removed from the physical substance that makes architecture. This synapse often breeds ignorance about what materials are available or what properties they possess, which is reinforced by the fact that most buildings are still comprised by relatively conventional products and systems despite the wide variety available."Link: TransStudio
Here is a beautifully designed line of handles from Italian handle maker Valli & Valli. The design speaks for itself... very nice.
Designer: Pierluigi Cerri
Link: Valli & Valli Fusital Collection
Easy there you head banger you, we're not talking about the mavens of heavy metal rock music, we're talking ceramic tile here... whaaa? You read right, porcelin tiles that replicate the look of naturally oxidized steel.
Rock on.
Link: TAU Cerámica
"In 1994 a range of sheets made from old plastics bottles was launched. Originally containing shampoo, detergent or milk, they bottles have been collected, sorted, flaked and thoroughly washed to remove any remaining contaminants. Looking like multi-coloured corn-flakes the pieces are then compressed into sheets by a process of heat and pressure, which retains the colours of the original bottles.
The sheet materials in our second product range are made from high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and are harder and more rigid than the sheets from bottles.
Smile Plastics has range called Jazz, made from tough, industrial plastic. As this material is available in individual colours, we can offer a customised sheet by blending any combination of red, brown, blues, yellow, green, black and white in any ratio. Standard items are just two colour mixes.
Since then we have launched products made crushed CDs, plastic water bottles, toothbrushes, banknotes, and Dapple, scrap from our own factory. In 2003 we introduced recycled Mobile Phones and Wellies."
Link: Smile Plastics
"From floors to ceilings, walls to roofs, Durra Building Systems' breakthrough products deliver a better way to build."
"Starting with a long overlooked agricultural byproduct, Durra creates an innovative and environmentally sound building material. The patented Durra process uses both high heat and extreme pressure to coax out the fiber's resins, which act as a strong and permanent bonding agent. Durra dry extrudes and finishes the panels with a strong, water-resistant liner paper."
Link: Durra
"A collaborative design and product showroom featuring sustainable products and modern design.
Three architects developed alterego to make environmentally sensitive and modern products otherwise inaccessible to the general public available through a showroom environment. The design aspect of the company delivers a functional approach, providing clientele with the aesthetic of modern products and the design expertise of licensed architects."
Link: Alter Ego
Moving right along with the green theme: a building material.
PV-TV is a revolutionary new building material that transforms any glazed surface into an environmentally sound power station by day and a full colour screen by night.Whoa! Now THAT is cool.
Via: Metropolis
Manufacturer: MSK Corporation
"iColor® Tile FX creates a unlimited creative canvas in the form of a sophisticated, tile-like system that may be used independently or as part of a large-scale, multi-tiled installation. Each 2' by 2' panel conceals 144 individually addressable, tri-color nodes (432 LEDs), that are powered by Chromasic™, enabling highly intricate control to create images with light - from morphing color waves, to animated objects, logos, emblems and patterns. iColor Tile FX is designed for recess and surface mounting, and is ideal for retrofitting ceiling tiles and surfaces. The system comes with an opaque lens and offers a versatile frame structure that's engineered to accept custom lens options."
Link: Color Kinetics
Crusing around the neighborhood, we've come across some new development and remodels that have had amazingly cool garage doors installed. We've always wondered who manufactured them and short of stopping and asking the contractor, we think we've found them (well, at least one of them).
"Bryce Parker Company's glass garage doors offer an attractive alternative for Architectural, Residential, & Commercial applications. Our models: BP-350 & BP-450 HD offer a unique aesthetic appeal, maximum light transmission - without letting anyone see inside your garage - and durability. If these characteristics are important to your design, Bryce Parker is your solution!"Link: Bryce Parker Company
The holiday weekend has barely begun and we've already consumed our limit of tile. We're blogging under the influence of tile. While we don't usually feature something perhaps quite so obvious, a quick browse of the Ann Saks website today made us think: "Are we a design weblog or what? We need to bring this to the people!" So, obvious or not, here is our little "show and tell" session of tile. Thanks to Ann Sacks for carrying such great product.... we like this stuff.
And thanks to you for reading. Have a good holiday weekend if you're an American citizen, or you live in Canada or Belarus or Burundi or Cape Verde or Comoros or Malawi or Venezuela or whatever and you too have a holiday weekend.. This tile's for you.
Link: Ann Sacks
Interested in Panelite but not sure how to apply it? Looking for slightly different yet creative ways to use it? ID Magazine invited three designers to get creative with Panelite and the resulting concepts are "sweet".
"Bright, bubbly, and inclined to glow, Panelite panels make cheerful company. But this material is no floozy. Constructed of a honeycomb core of polymer, fiberglass, or aluminum sandwiched between fiberglass facings, it's strong and consistently rigid for its weight. A 4-by-8-foot panel, 3/4-inches thick, is 32 pounds, a feather compared to acrylic (144 pounds), or plate glass (316 pounds) in the same dimensions. What's more, the gumdrop colors and honeycomb cells produce vivid visual effects when light passes through the material.Image: Leni Schwendinger Light ProjectsWhat might other adventurous types do with Panelite? We asked the lighting designer Leni Schwendinger, industrial designer Gadi Amit of Newdealdesign, and graphic designer Mirko Ilic each to propose an application. They and their colleagues worked like drones to produce the concepts presented here."
"New techniques now allow recycled polyester to be created with a softer texture and hand. Insight is an effervescent yet soothing design of variously sized circles suggesting both creative process and contemplation. Gizmo, an amusing pattern whose motif brings to mind a non-specific bit of technology, is woven from a bouclé yarn for a level of texture unusual in recycled polyester. Mindscape is a sophisticated alternative to a solid or a pattern, a dreamy texture that makes the perfect background for any flight of the imagination. All three patterns are created from the same new, cleaner, and forward-thinking technology, yet most impressive of all, are colored with the usual high Unika Vaev standards and fit seamlessly into the Collection as a whole."
Designer: Dorothy Cosonas
Link: Unika Vaev
"Bruce Mau Designs collaborates with some of the world's leading architects, artists, writers, curators, academics, entrepreneurs, businesses and institutions." Just a couple of his well known designs are the font commissioned for the Walt Disney Conert Hall in Los Angeles (yes, a Frank Gehry connection) and the design for Rem Koolhaus's book S, M, L, XL. How about a little Bruce Mau on your couch? He has created several panel fabric patterns for Maharam.
MegaNano by Bruce Mau challenges the predictably static appearance of panel fabric in the corporate office environment with the introduction of two series of patterns, each centered on a singular theme presented in macro (Mega), micro (Nano) and mixed (MegaNano) scales. Constructed with 100% post-industrial recycled polyester, MegaNano Structure, Mega Structure and Nano Structure depict an elemental organic grid, while MegaNano Point, Mega Point, Nano Point and the over-scale Giga Point are based on perforated punch cards that recall the origins of our computerized society.Maharam also produces textile patterns by such designers as Charles and Ray Eames, Hella Jongerius, George Nelson and Verner Panton just to name a few.
Link: Maharam
Designer: Bruce Mau Design, Inc.
Developed by architect, Eric Rosen, and furniture maker, Joel Stearns, Terraboard is a product made from recycled papers bonded together with glues and hardeners to form durable tiles and panels for a variety of applications. Three basic product lines provide a rand of color and texture options. Custom panels can be made to incorporate graphics, special papers, etc.
Link: Terraboard
Parklex panels are manufactured from 100% natural wood fibres and treated with durable resins to create a high performance wood surface product. Different grades and treatments are availble for various applications; exterior cladding, floors, interior wall panels, countertops, etc. The panels are also available in a wide range of colors and finishes.
Link: Parklex
US Distributor: Finland Color Plywood Corporation
"This reaction breaks down filth on the glass, with no need for detergent. When water hits it, a hydrophilic effect is created, so water and dirt slides off."
Link: BBC News
"Panelite materials are translucent, lightweight, and modulate both light and vision. Providing light transmission, visual privacy, and aesthetic flexibility, they are suited to a wide range of applications including walls, ceilings, furniture, and exterior facades."
Link: Panelite
"The Rematerialise vision is to compile and maintain a versatile collection of 'Eco-Smart' materials, which by their very
nature provide a range of environmentally responsible alternatives to other resource hungry materials. By tapping into
both post-consumer and post-industrial waste streams, scrap and refuse otherwise destined for landfill is recycled and
reused which reduces waste and maybe more importantly saves natural resources. It is unfortunate that many of
these often-exciting new materials never make it into the wider market place and are tragically discontinued. Due to
a lack of demand they just disappear!"Link: Rematerialise
"The ReUse People of California reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse."
"All KEIM Liquid Mineral Coatings are harmless to the environment. They are not a health hazard and contain no organic solvents or toxic substances."
The rising cost and decreased quality of lumber for traditional "stick" framing is forcing the construction industry in the United States to look towards alternative materials and methods. This flexible concrete finish system has many benefits.
"Since Edith Heath became the first non-architect to win the prestigious AIA Gold Medal Award for the exterior tile on Pasadena's Norton Simon museum, Heath tile has been known for its high quality and design leading aesthetics. Heath tile stands out for the handcrafted feel of its glazes that contrasts with the crisp modern lines of its shapes."
Link: Heath Ceramics
"DURAT is a polyester-based solid surface material that withstands wear, humidity and chemicals. It is used to create various furniture surfaces for restaurants, cafés, shops, hotels, ships, domestic and institutional kitchens, bathrooms and public sanitary facilities. DURAT contains recycled plastics and is 100% recyclable."