Spring 2009 sees Zavod Big host its annual architectural conference,  this year entitled ‘Sustainable Excellence’. As issues surrounding  quality, sustainability and responsibility become increasingly central  –  not only to architecture but to every creative enterprise – the conference theme has particular relevance, implications and impact.
The conference addresses questions that explore the relationship between quality design, innovation, sustainability, creativity and responsibility; and the inspiring possibilities intelligent approaches to these issues can produce.
We have assembled a selection of internationally-active and engaged architects who address these issues through their exceptional work, and to present their production through a dynamic dialogue-process within the framework of ‘Sustainable Excellence’.

Speakers:

Snøhetta AS / Ole Gustavsen
Bucholz McEvoy Architects / Klaudia Cacic
WORK Architecture Company / Amale Andraos in Dan Wood
SeARCH bv / Bjarne Mastenbroek
Julien Zanassi/Nicolas Ziesel; PLAN01/Philéas
H Arquitectes / David Lorente Ibáñez & Josep Ricart Ulldemolins
Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects / Jenni Reuter

All-day entrance: EUR 50, valid until 1st May, subject to availability. Please apply here.

Eye Candy is a revolutional gadget that by using Sensory Substitution Technology transmits vivid emotive images into your mind’s eye and in this way changes your feelings.

Each of your senses (touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing) sends information to the brain at a different frequency. The brain determines where the sensorial information it receives comes from by the frequency at which it resonates, it can then process it in the appropriate way (e.g. turn sight information from the eyes into pictures in the mind). An array of resonators positioned on the surface of an Eye Candy transmit information from the tongue to the brain at the frequency that the eyes usually send visual information to the brain. A pleasant sensation of soda bubbles can be felt on the tongue as the mind decodes this sensorial information as vivid pictures.

Eye Candy is available in six unique flavours, each helping you achieve the right state of mind by projecting specially created evocative imagary into your field of vision.

Orders here

Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto is a concept of GPS device that uses roll out touchscreen. Wristwatch-like GPS gadget by Jukka Roitto takes a lot less space than usual solid screens.

Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto has the wristband section of seek which is adjustable to fit any wrist and it’s made
of elastic rubber. In outer shell of Seek is OLED-touchscreen which changes along with use situations for example clock, main menu, media player or translation options. With Wi-Fi connection Seek searches trough local tourist info, areal advertisers and possible services like music downloads. In future there is also available phone functions which makes Seek the ultimate gadget. Measurements of roll out touchscreen of Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto are 10 x 4 cm (3.9 x
1.6 in).

Features which Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto includes:
- Translation offers many options for communication with people who speak different languages (translated
voice playback)
- The Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto will locate global placement, and promptly deliver the route to any near location upon request.
- The Media Player option of Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto offers the choices to listen to music, watch movies, store photos and review photos.
- The Food option assists in pinpointing local restaurants, bars, and grills, with the help of an intricate search menu.
- Arranging for a days event with Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto is no problem when using the Planning icon.
- Need a place to sleep, with the assistance of the Accommodation icon on Seek GPS by Jukka Roitto it’s effortless to search through local hotels, motels, hostels, and more for a good nights rest.
- Entertainment icon for descovering  coolest local club, the nicest theatre in town, or a gym or spa for relaxation.

Watch on thumbnail TX54 is futuristic gadget: you can wear it on your thumbnail! While its translucency makes it blend seamlessly with the hand, a selection of text color options and a glow feature that activates on command make it easy to read. 

Timekeeping goes off the wrist and onto the fingernail. Let’s see, when you fly to other place, you can keep your home time on one hand and the destination time on the other!
Watch on thumbnail is ideal for all those who have a habit of being late or who compulsively bite their nails.
Napoleon Merana, Steffen Schubert and David Takacs made this concept for Timex2154: THE FUTURE OF TIME design competition organised by Timex in collaboration with Core77 to celebrate 150th Anniversary of Timex.

The theme of 5th Peugeot Design Contest was to create a concept car which is designed to evolve within the cities of the future. Hre are some of 29 finalists that I like the most.

OXO  by Lou Ke for Peugeot concept car competition: Very futuristic  electric power car.

One-seater urban city vehicle by Seung Hoon Yoo

Basically this vehicle employs an electric hub-less wheel configuration on 2+1 wheel drive-train.
For the rear, there is a mono wide wheel, which is a drum type. It is for better power support and stable stance for the sport performance. he vehicle is constructed from 3 parts, which are the front axle, folding middle shaft and rear axle.
The front and rear axle have commonly a fuel cell electric engine on the each wheel. And it is combined with the electric disk brake system. These devices make no knocking-noise and zero emission to make the environment clean.

Peugeot Verde  by Michael Witus Schierup

Peugeot Verde by Michael Witus Schierup is a Green concept, that combines the luxuries of today’s standard size cars, with the size benefits of a micro car. Verde is designed to be able to change its length depending on the environment it is being used in - it has 3 settings: Highway, where it will extend to its full length ( about 5m ) to provide stability at high speeds, Urban, where it compacts itself to ca. 3,7 m, which allows it to utilize its articulated wheels, both front and back, hence allowing the driver much better maneuverability than todays cars. The last mode is park, where it compacts further to take up as little space as possible, making it easier to live with in a crowded city with limited parking space. ž

GALapagos  by Igor Yastrebov

GALapagos project by Igor Yastrebov shows the evolution of Vehicle for the future. It can be adopted to any road situation, that can happens in the MEGALOPOLES with transformable wheel base. GALapagos can be Motor bike with narrow weel base or can be a real comfortable car for two passengers.

Echo by Sun Rujun

Echo by Sun Rujun gives a concept of self-drive and smart “mind” in the roads of cities.In the future,with the increasing technology,completing policy and variety of public traffic facilities,cars will merge to the high-assemble traffic system of the cities(governments provide lots of information and navigations like road marks for the AI cars),without operating cars,Echos can drive via its information collector itself or city navigations.If you want to feel the interesting of operating a car,you can also drive it!by the self-detect system,your drive will become more safe.

Tall&Tiny are two Vinyl sticker-lamps by Alice Rosignoli. The shape of Tall remind of a large living-room lamp and the shape of Tiny of a small bedside lamp.

As a decorative furniture, Tall&Tiny answers the desire/need for home furnitures while considering the problem of ever-decreasing living space. In fact the sticker allows the transformation of a 3D object into a 2D one, givin the illusion of a lamp without the encumbrance of the material.

Dimensions are: 30×20 cm for Tiny and 180×50 cm for Tall.

Price for the shops: 40 euro Tiny, 60 euro Tall.
On-line sale exclusivity of Designboom.com

Photo:Lucio Patone

The concept of CARD REMOTE has been developed from noticing how people spread out the cards in their hands when playing cards.

The users of this device will be able to enjoy a new type of fun while maneuvering the buttons right & left or up & down as.

Remote controls that assist consumers with operating devices such as TVs and DVD players have multiple and complex buttons. CARD REMOTE will assist users in operating an electronic device more easily since the volume and channel controlling buttons, which are the most frequently used buttons, will be made more visible and the other buttons made simpler.

Designer : Sungwoo Park

Cocoon by John Moriarty is shelter for extreeme conditions and environments. Hang it off a tree or a cliff face or anywhere you else you need to.

Inside, the user is comforted by a warming colours and materials that will ensure they stay warm no matter what the conditions are like outside.

Co-Designed with Billy Harney

dew - Life Recording Interface by NEC allows memories and impressions to be automatically stored without our awareness. Dew is a life style device for all people to benefit from the information society in a more natural way.

Dew camera constantly records your daily experiences. Using emotional recognition through vocal rhythms and gesture recognition by hand motions, the camera catches fun memories and special memories to record. A server saves your viewed scenes in real time through the network.

Dew viewer reproduces your memories. You can look back on memories selected and saved though emotional and gesture recognition. You can also enjoy looking at the images of yourself that have been taken by a Dew camera worn by someone else. The images of yourself are automatically searched through other people’s visual data shared on the network.

Dew is only future design concept and is not actual
future product plan of Nec Corporation.
Credits: Courtesy of NEC Corporation. Unauthorized use not permitted.

Floger by Designnobis is a simple and modern chair with its compact and unique form.

It is an example of uniformity in variety concept. It is a dynamic seating unit with its sharp lines and its aesthetic appearance differs from other seating units. It can be used in the offices, homes and fits perfectly in the dynamic spaces because of its various color options. It is stackable, closing the back rest provides smaller size and easy storage.