Elbphilharmonie by Herzog & de Meuron

Herzog & de Meuron’s philharmonic hall on the river Elbe in Hamburg:
Called Elbphilharmonie, the project involves installing the Swiss architects’ new glass structure atop a red brick warehouse built in 1963 by the late Hamburg architect Werner Kallmorgen.http://www.dezeen.com/2010/05/28/elbphilharmonie-by-herzog-de-meuron/

First Seedbomb Vending Machine Lands in San Francisco!

by Cameron Scott

http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/24/first-seedbomb-vending-machine-lands-in-san-francisco/

Downtown Macy's to reveal its latest incarnation

By Bo Emerson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Davison’s, later Macy’s, will become event facility, have restaurants. http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-events/downtown-macys-to-reveal-531732.html

Architects at Play, Dangling Medals

On May 17, for the first time since 1983 the Pritzker Prize ceremony took place in New York: specifically, on Ellis Island. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/fashion/20pritzker.html?ref=fashion

TOMS, Charity: Water Launch Limited-Edition Shoes to Provide Clean Water

As far as groovy philanthropic endeavors go, TOMS Shoes and Charity: Water have been making ripples in the social-responsibility sphere since Day One.

http://www.ecouterre.com/17693/toms-charity-water-launch-limited-edition-shoes-to-provide-clean-water/

Paris Art Theft Adds Up: $600 Million

The five works taken from the French capital's modern art museum add up to a history of the peak of the 20th-century avant-garde. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/may/20/paris-art-theft-picasso-matisse

Story lamp by Skar+Vidal

Norwegian designers Vibeke Skar and Ida Noemi Vidal presented ceramic pendant lights with embossed surfaces in the Ventura Lambrate district of Milan last month. http://www.dezeen.com/2010/05/17/story-lamp-by-skarvidal/

Nothing Up His Sleeve, but on It

Mary Billard

THE Parisian curator Samuel Gassmann became intrigued with the materials and history of the button while researching a documentary. He used that research in designing cuff links (left) using gray and tinted mother-of-pearl (both $110) and French Jet ($250). They are sold at No. 8b, 38 Orchard Street (at Hester Street), (212) 925-5599 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/fashion/13cufflink.html?ref=fashion

Public Tower

A project by: Clara Klein Architecture, Urban Design
http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/public-tower/7610/

Stunning Glass Faceted Office Wins Green Architecture Award

by Bridgette Meinhold
The European Investment Bank in Luxembourg recently won first place in the Emilio Ambasz Prize for Green Architecture for International Buildings. http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/11/european-investment-bank-wins-international-green-architecture-award/

Brazil by Daniel Widrig

London designer Daniel Widrig has created a wooden chair with three legs that morph into armrests and a back. http://www.dezeen.com/2010/05/11/brazil-by-daniel-widrig/

Pompidou Centre spreads its wings to the provinces

By Vincent Dowd

BBC World Service

The French city of Metz has become the first provincial branch of Paris's famed art gallery the Pompidou Centre. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8674711.stm

Chandelier Black by Lorraine Peltz

It almost seems as though Lorraine Peltz's chandeliers are going through a period of introspection. Bigger and lusher than ever, they fill the canvas. http://mocoloco.com/art/archives/015355.php

Design for the First World/ The Rest Saving the West

 Here's a snippet about the competition followed by more details on their website. http://designforthefirstworld.com/the-competition/

Unleashing Secrets at Kensington Palace

By PAM KENT

Visitors to the newly renovated Kensington Palace  should suspend all expectations of a traditional experience. http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/unleasing-secrets-at-kensington-palace/

All the Picassos in the Cupboard

by Holland Cotter

When in doubt, haul the Picassos out. There have already been several such haulings-out this year, and now comes the biggest of all, “Picasso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” a display of nearly every scrap in the Met’s scrappy Picasso collection: 34 paintings, 58 drawings, a dozen sculptures and ceramics, along with 200 of the museum’s 400 prints.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/arts/design/30picasso.html?ref=arts

What Doesn't Work, Saves

by Alex Gartenfeld

This season Bravo introduces a reality television series, Work of Art, billed as a contest to find the "next great artist." http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/news/2010-04-27/work-of-art-the-next-great-artist-bravo/

The Bones of Francois Robert

Michael Bierut


For the past three years, Francois Robert has spent hundreds of hours arranging the bones of a single human skeleton into a series of striking iconic shapes, creating a photographic series he calls "Stop the Violence." The results are beautiful and haunting.
http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=12617

Dream Weavers

By Mason Currey

A look at ESI Design's Dream Cube for the Shanghai World Expo

http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20100429/dream-weavers