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In case you missed it, we’re re-publishing this popular post for your material pleasure. Enjoy!
Continuing with our materials-themed posts celebrating the launch of AD Materials (our US product catalog), we decided to round-up eight materials/products (from a light fixture made from woven irrigation hoses - really - to a wall made from shoeboxes) that make their interiors truly ingenious. Enjoy!
Recycled Roof Tiles
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To convert an old slaughterhouse into a cutting-edge cultural center in Madrid, the architects, Arturo Franco, came up with an ingenious and efficient solution: take the tiles from the roof (long in disrepair) and stack them within, providing for thermal and acoustic comfort.
"Big Ass" Ceiling Fans
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This ceiling Fan, designed by the aptly named company Big Ass Fans®, may not seem like anything out of the ordinary at first. However, these industrial fans are so silent and move air so slowly/softly, that MASS Design Group incorporated them into their award-winning Butaro Hospital in Rwanda, a project whose design was motivated in large part by the need to prevent the spread of airborne diseases via ventilation.
Woven Spaces
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In this creative Cinema in Spain (oddly enough, another converted Spanish slaughterhouse), the architects, ch+qs arquitectos, were inspired by local basket weaving to create a permeable, woven space that would filter light. How did they do it? By weaving irrigation hoses and LED lights along bent steel frames.
Low-Profile LED
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A subtle way to use LED, these energy-saving Recessed Lights integrate lighting into facades, flooring - any where necessary.
Piled Panels
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For this lounge in Osaka, Japan, Kengo Kuma & Associates - masters in wooden architecture - ingeniously piled up pieces of wooden panels to create an interior that resembles natural topography.
Sliding Countertops
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One of those ideas you wonder why you never thought of: a countertop that slides open (instant table/bar) to reveal a cooktop/sink.
Shoebox Storage Space
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For this space-strapped shoe store in Santiago, Chile, the architects - MoVe architects- took the humble shoebox and made it into the store's central focus (killing the need for storage and visual interest with one stone), creating a shoebox-wall made from 6 plywood sheets and 140 wooden X's.
3D Art
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A remarkable technique, invented by Valcucine, that allows you to transfer any drawing you can imagine onto glass surfaces.
If you're interested in learning more about the products/materials we have on offer, check out our new US prodcut catalog - AD Materials - now!
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