mercoledì 6 luglio 2011

Furniture with a conscience

An enphatic article written by Ana Maria Luca for Now Lebanon on my recycled furniture.




Electricity cables arrive at Electricité du Liban on big, wooden cylinder-shaped stands. Usually, these rolls end up in a garbage dump after the cables run out. But if you ask Nicola Santini, an Italian architect committed to recycling materials he uses, the stands can be used as tables, and anybody who’s ever been to Demo pub in Gemmayzeh probably sat at one of them.
(...)
Recycled architecture and design has been an alternative to conventional design for around five decades. Taking an eco-friendly approach when building a house brought to life ideas found only in sci-fi stories: walls made of old beer bottles and houses built using cardboard, used car tires and straw bales. Architects with a green mindset use materials perceived to be junk, such as pallets, boards, sinks, glass, re-used or modified old furniture, tires and even metal, in their projects.And although Lebanon is far from topping the list of countries when it comes to recycling, Santini and his two partners, Italian Pier Paolo Taddei and Lebanese architecture professor Charbel Maskineh of Notre Dame University, are trying to change their clients’ mindsets one step at a time.

(...)

But Santini spoke warmly of one success story, which was designing an eco shop in the Chouf. The client loved the result (...)

To read more: http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=221460#ixzz1RL5WHfoh

venerdì 8 ottobre 2010

POSITIVE VISIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY


Nicola Santini è invitato a participare a POSITIVE VISIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY, il meeting dell' European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy (EPBRS) sotto il patronato dell'UNESCO.

Nicola Santini is invited to participate at POSITIVE VISIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY, The meeting of the European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy (EPBRS). Positive Visions for Biodiversity is under the patronage of UNESCO.

"Imagine a future where people understand and treasure their place as part of a complex ecosystem. A world where the focus is no longer on dramatic losses and catastrophic scenarios, but the extraordinary natural wealth that still surrounds us today. That future is achievable.
Positive Visions for Biodiversity is a unique opportunity to shape our strategy for realizing the future that we want and need. During the first two days, over 250 participants will engage in a live brainstorm to create an ambitious, aspirational vision for the future of biodiversity conservation. The vision will trace a credible pathway through the next critical years of biodiversity work—and establish achievable targets for policy and research that will inspire us to get there.

As the International Year of Biodiversity comes to a close, we face not only a critical responsibility, but also an historic opportunity to shape an ambitious future for biodiversity science and research and ultimately, our planet. Will you be there for the journey?"

from the official website http://www.biodiversity.be/epbrsbe2010

lunedì 23 agosto 2010

RECYCLED WOOD FURNITURE. BEIRUT









the counter. realized with recycled scaffolding wood.



the display. realized with local recycled wood.



design: nicola santini (avatar architettura, santini - taddei)

lunedì 2 agosto 2010

RECYCLED BAR

Concept: doing a brand new bar using zero km recycled material and furniture as much as possible.
Materials: Recycled wood from existin
g wooden furniture in the bar, recycled stools, tables, chairs and sofa, recycled pallets.
Strategy: scratching to re find original materials and textures.
Recycling and modifying existing furniture in the bar: wooden stools, chairs, wooden bar counter.
Design: Nicola Santini, Charbel Maskineh. 2009














domenica 5 luglio 2009

RECYCLED SURFACE

RECYCLED SURFACE per Re-value/Poltronova a Beyond media, Visions 2009.
9-17 luglio 2009 Stazione Leopolda, Firenze.

http://www.beyondmedia.it/?open=37&pg=18&year=2009
http://www.poltronova.it

Progetto seduta Recycled Surface:
Nicola Santini.

Progetto Re-Value Poltronova:
Creative director: Pier Paolo Taddei. Creative system management: Peter Lang.

Progetto allestimento installazione a Visions: AVATAR ARCHITETTURA.

Fatti la tua seduta!
Contribuisci a trasformare la futura spazzatura in un meraviglioso oggetto utile che rispecchi i tuoi gusti, non i miei!
Contribuisci a rimettere in circolo i pregiati resti di magazzino!
Scegli i tuoi materiali e i tuoi colori preferiti!
Riempi Recycled Surface ed avrai una bellissima seduta, unica, personalizzata!





Versione con listelli di truciolare impiallacciati di recupero.

versione con resti di gommapiuma.

il contenitore primadi essere riempito.


nicola santini, roberta meloni (poltronova), foto: pier paolo taddei


magazzino poltronova, foto: pier paolo taddei.





Fabio a lavoro su Recycled Surface.

prototipo realizzato di recycled surface. foto: nicola santini

prototipo realizzato di recycled surface. foto: nicola santini

prototipo realizzato di recycled surface. foto: nicola santini

prototipo realizzato di recycled surface. foto: nicola santini

Recycled Surface è una seduta-vassoio che cambia aspetto in base alle disponibilità di materiali di recupero Poltronova. La struttura e la forma sono ridotte ai minimi termini per evidenziare il ruolo di contenitore.
I materiali disponibili per il riempimento al momento della realizzazione del primo prototipo sono: strisce di gommapiuma, listelli in legno, tondini cavi in metallo e pomelli in legno.
I pannelli di riempimento che formano la superficie di seduta e schienale sono intercambiabili.
La struttura base è in “multistrato di recupero Poltronova” grezzo.
L’idea è che il “cliente-consumattore” scelga i colori e i materiali tra quelli disponibili al momento nel magazzino e crei la seduta secondo i suoi gusti e desideri.

mercoledì 1 aprile 2009

EVOLUTION. Evoluzione in Architettura.


Evoluzione in Architettura.
Conferenze di Prof. Purini, Prof. de Rubertis, AVATAR ARCHITETTURA, Ian+, 2A+P/A, n!studio.

martedì 24 marzo 2009

SEGNALAZIONE: Civic Space in Scattered Cities/ Lo spazio pubblico nella città diffusa


Teddy Cruz Estudio Teddy Cruz Architect, La Jolla, California

Civic Space in Scattered Cities
/ Lo spazio pubblico nella città diffusa
SUF School of Architecture Symposium
March 25, 2009 - 3.30pm
Ospedale degli Innocenti, Salone Brunelleschi
Piazza SS. Annuziata, Florence

As the world’s cities continue to expand, with more than 50% of the current population urbanized, urban form becomes increasingly spotty and disconnected. Despite their greater size and productivity, cities generally have not made a corresponding investment in the public realm. The aesthetic, social, and environmental problems of low-density sprawl beg for attention. This year’s Syracuse Architecture Symposium offers the theme of "Civic Space in Scattered Cities" to explore the possibilities of creating culturally significant forms in the urban hinterlands of Europe and North America. Three distinguished architects and urbanists will present projects and strategies that address the spatial and social anomalies of the fragmented city. Their differing approaches to formal, technical, and sociological solutions will lead to a lively debate about civic identity in the increasingly diffuse metropolitan city.

Principal participants:
Margaret Crawford, Professor, GSD Harvard University
Teddy Cruz, Architect, Estudio Teddy Cruz, San Diego
Winy Maas, Architect Principal of MVRDV, Rotterdam

Co-curators
Lawrence Davis, Coordinator SU Florence School of Architecture
Richard Ingersol, SUF
Pino Burgellis, Targetti Foundation

Co-sponsors
Syracuse University School of Architecture
Syracuse University in Florence
Targetti Foundation

http://www.syr.fi.it/img/PDF/architecture/civic-space-in-scattered-cities.pdf