zecOO: new electric motorcycle

Designer: Kota Nezu
Company: Znug Design
Country: Japan  
Speed: 130 km/h
Charge time: 6 hours

Completely electric powered, the zecOO was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show this March and is reportedly headed for small scale production at the end of the year. As a design artifact, the body impresses with its single-sided swing-arm, hub-center steering and long, raking windshield (how aerodynamic the latter is, I'm not sure?). Although the performance specs aren't quite as bad-ass as its sleek low-rider aesthetic, it still promises to breathe new life into the e-bike movement. (Probably at a pretty penny, however... hey I can dream)

http://www.zecoomotor.com/

I NEED this couch/bunk-bed transformer

I had to post this, as it is just pure awesomeness. I love convertible toys!

Find it at Bonbon: Compact Living Solutions:
http://www.bonbon.co.uk/clei/doc.htm

Starry Night: LED Installations by Lee Eunyeol

Photographer Lee Eunyeol constructs elaborate low-energy LED light installations that appear as if the night sky was flipped upside down with glowing stars and planets nested inside tall grass or between deep earthen cracks.

In his own words:
"Starry night expresses private spaces given by night and various emotions that are not able to be defined and described in the space. I’ve chosen analogue type for the expression which attempts to install electric bulbs in an object to be expressed using back space of night by taking advantage of huge studio. There are two spaces in photographs. One is a space before electric bulbs of familiar landscape are installed and the other is a space after electric bulbs expressed by dispersing personal emotion are installed. Unified light from these two spaces generates a mysterious landscape"

 

AirHotel: Mobile Hanging Hotel

Time Circus, a group of Belgian artists, have designed a temporary mobile aerial hotel alternative – a pop-up installation comprised of sleeping pods made entirely of recycled materials. AirHotel will be moving to different festival locations, starting in the woods of Norfolk, England, and will offer guests themed pods such as The Drop, The Lotus, and El Ambassador. After a healthy breakfast and visit to the sauna, you can request room service (a love song, a sweet music box or a disco party) by "airhostesses" and waiters. Accommodations are ~$50 CAD/night.

For more info, check out the Time Circus website: http://timecircus.org/en/airhotel

I love green roofs: West Kowloon Terminus

Another cool project: Express Link West Kowloon Terminus by Aedas & AECOM, will connect Hong Kong to the National High Speed Rail Network. The distinctive terminal will be characterized by arching fins, abundant natural daylighting, and covered with pedestrian paths and green roofs. The Express Link West Kowloon Terminus will be the largest underground facility of its kind, and it will reserve its above-ground area for nature. The roofscape circulation will link to retail and nearby subway and public transit points. (I don't know how legal those grades are from the renders, but looks pretty cool all the same.)

DIY Green Graffiti

You'll need:

• 1-2 handfuls of moss
• 2 cups of buttermilk or yogurt
• 2 cups of water (or beer)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• Corn syrup (optional)  

• Paintbrush
• Blender

Steps:
1) Wash the moss to get as much soil out of the roots as possible.
2) Break the moss apart into manageable pieces and place in blender.
3) Add the buttermilk/yogurt, water/beer and sugar. Blend the mixture until completely smooth. You'll want it to have a paint-like texture.
Note: If the mixture is at a consistency where you feel it will drip, add corn syrup until the consistency you desire is reached.
4) Use a paintbrush to apply the moss-paint to the surface on which you wish your design to grow.
5) If possible, check back weekly to either spray the design with water (to encourage moss growth) and/or apply more moss-paint.

Reclaiming Osaka: Urban Renewal at its Best

Project: Namba Park
Location: Osaka, Japan
Architect: The Jerde Partnership
Built: 2003

Formerly a baseball stadium (abandoned in 2003), the Namba Parks project is yet another striking example of Japanese innovation at it's best. Being located at Namba Train Station, in a busy commercial area, NER finally decided to convert the stadium area into an amazing rising public garden complex - a natural intervention in Namba’s dense and harsh urban condition.Within the park lie an array of towers, a commercial center, as well as gardens, trees and waterfalls. The sloping park connects with the street, giving cars and passers-by comfortable access to the complex. Below the park there are also various restaurants, as well as a shopping mall with eight floors of gardens.

Another ingenious project: Gate Tower Building, also in Osaka, intersected by the Hanshin Expressway. So clever, those Japanese.