BLOODROOT BLADES / VAN WYK & SNYDER

//Unlike knifemakers who start by grinding down stock pieces of metal, these highly sought-after blacksmiths go to junkyards and auto yards to find recyclable metals they can manipulate, whether old springs from a 1954 Chevrolet or discarded brass from a shipwreck. They transform selected scrap metals into one-of-a-kind knives so stunning that customers are willing to order the blades more than two years in advance.//

//The word cleave can mean two different things: The word cleave can mean to bring apart as in cleaver" but the word cleave can also mean bring together. And the knife does both of those things at the same time, which I think is an incredible thing. It is cleaving food from itself to cleave people together. And that's a really neat characteristic of how knives work with people.//

[ Bloomberg, MADE, Bloodroot Blades ]

HOUSE PROTOTYPE / LUIS ROLDAN VELASCO + ANGEL HEVIA ANTUNA

//This project aims to build a prototype house with minimal ecological footprint through the use of locally sourced natural materials and the drastic reduction in energy demand; energy efficiency is achieved by using natural thermal insulation throughout the external envelope and by developing strategies adapted to equatorial latitudes for solar energy capture through greenhouse effect.//

Located in Sangolqui, Ecuador, this house prototype has a layout of only 50 m². To provide more useful data for research, it has been designed to be dismantled so that it can be transported and tested in other climatic regions of Ecuador. After its useful life it will be possible to reuse or recycle it's parts.

[ ArchDaily ]

  

WALLPAPERING / DEAR HUMAN

Wallpapering are hexagonal wall tiles, hand-made from recycled paper. Except from their decorative potential the they also have great sound absorbing qualities and are easy to install. The tiles are available in a gradation of colours from natural browns to bleached whites and have endless printing options. Paper used for production is 100% post-consumer paper collected from local businesses. Combining different paper types creates all sorts of variations. After shredding and pulping the paper, the production process involves air-release dies and then follows a long drying process. Once dry, tiles are screen-printed.

The tile collection has been created by Dear Human, creative studio founded by Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell in 2011. // Since then, the studio has developed a coherent body of work in various domains that include public space projects, product design and the applied arts. Their projects offer an alternative perception to overlooked everyday landscapes by revealing the hidden potential of places and objects. After meeting at a residency in Denmark, Jasna and Noel immediately began working on ideas together and haven’t stopped since. The collaboration is rooted in their common interests in craft traditions, sustainable making, and unconventional material (re)use. Noel’s material expertise and attention to detail and Jasna’s improvisational sensibility and exploratory nature have led to a diverse portfolio. //

[ Crowdy House, Dear Human ]

ESTATE IN EXTREMADURA / ÁBATON

// Located in a privileged environment in the province of Cáceres, the goal was to transform an abandoned stable into a family home by completely renovating it in a way that would be consistent and respectful with the environment.
Problems relating to the electricity and water supply were solved through sustainability systems which ABATON uses in all its projects: a solar panel system with storage batteries was developed to supply energy during the summer; turbines were installed taking advantage of the course of the two streams that run through the estate providing electricity for the winter. //

 [ Sources: Ábaton, Designalmic ]