Two New Modern Architecturally Inspired Dollhouses, The Dylan and the Edward.

Just in time for the holidays when a new dollhouse makes a wonderful gift for children and adults alike, brinca dada, manufacturers and designers of some of the most beautiful modern dollhouses have released two new products. Like their Emerson House and Bennett House, these modern toy houses have been inspired by well-known architects as Richard Neutra and Tadao Ando.

The Dylan House:






Inspired by the minimalist masterpieces of Paul Rudolph and Tadao Ando, Dylan House features a concrete-and-glass feel, but with the breezy openness of a beachfront home. Floor-to-ceiling windows open to allow natural light into the house and play from many angles. The Dylan House has five living spaces on three levels: living room/dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and roof patio. Dylan House is created in 3/4” scale. Furniture (shown below) is sold separately.
$139 USD

Specs:
23” x 15” x 16”
Eco-friendly MDF
Non-toxic and lead-free paints

Furniture for the Dylan House:


The Dylan House Furniture set contains twenty-three pieces...enough to fill five living spaces on three levels: living room/dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and roof patio. Dylan House is made of durable foamboard and is created in 3/4” scale.



Specs:
Designed by: Michelle Everett
23 pieces
Durable foamboard


Also new is a variation on the Emerson House (about which I have blogged and I actually own), The Edward House:








Inspired by Neutra’s Kaufmann House and Gary Cooper's home designed by A. Quincy Jones, brinca dada’s Edward House features many distinguishing architectural features like glass corners, minimalist cut stone fireplace, and hardwood floors. The Edward House has six rooms including a living room, kitchen, library/office, master bedroom, bathroom and child's bedroom. With its large, open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Edward House enjoys year-round sunlight. Finally, the dollhouse is easy on the environment with only eco-friendly woods and non-toxic and lead-free paints. Assembly required.
$349 USD Edward House Ships Dec 5th.

Specs
Designed by: Tim Boyle
25” x 21” x 18”
Scale: 3/4”
Made of eco-friendly woods
Non-toxic and lead-free paints

Both houses and furniture are available for purchase from brinca dada

The LEAP (Living Ecological Alpine Pod), a Prefab Modular Hut for High Altitudes & Mountain Living.

A new modern bivuoac for mountain living. Designed in Italy by Luca Gentilcore and Stefano Testa, the Alpine huts are modular, highly sustainable and complete with a comfortable interior. The LEAP (an acronym for Living Ecological Alpine Pod) is a technologically sophisticated shelter, prefabricated and assembled offsite, that does not alter the environment in which it is placed.




This type of installation represents an interesting form of support to trekking and mountaineering activities with a much lower environmental impact than the traditional mountain shelters. LEAP solves all the problems of existing types of bivouac. It is entirely built off-site, suitable for transport by helicopter and easily installed on location at high altitude requiring a limited number of operations. It is built using state-of-the-art technology for durability and to withstand all kinds of mechanical and atmospheric stress. It offers comfort beyond any present proven standard.

3D models:




Designed to resist the stresses of extreme altitudes the pod has photovoltaic film incorporated in the outer shell to provide the energy necessary to run the installed equipment:



The Interior Space:


Even if limited, the interior space is furnished for a pleasing and rewarding stay under all aspects. The selected materials guarantee durability, hygiene and safety (class A1 fire-reaction) while providing a warm and welcoming interior of refined design. The proposed solutions are fully customisable both for the functional layout and the finish of the materials used. LEAP can be equipped with technological systems for the production of energy and a unit to measure local conditions (self-diagnosis, weather conditions, web-cam, emergency rescue communication) connected with logistic and rescue headquarters. A sanitary module is available, equipped with a biological toilet that disposes of all sewage without polluting the environment.


above: Entrance unit with thermally isolated inner door, storage/drying rack and rescue equipment compartment.


above: Living/dining unit with pantry and cooker (electric induction hob).


above: Sleeping unit with adjustable bunks for maximum comfort, according to the number of users.

Effective and Flexible


Each module is identified by a specific function. It is possible to organise the best layout for each location in terms of sleeping accommodation, living room space, number of entrances. Different accessories allow the choice of the outside view, including impressive scenic solutions. This kind of layout also gives the opportunity to change the layout of the bivouac over time: increasing the size or swapping around the functional units. In the case of serious damage it is very simple to remove modules to be taken off-site for repairs or replacement.





Respects the Environment
The aesthetic features of LEAP don't try to mimic or resemble any traditional alpine structure. On the contrary, the intention is to effectively declare its unrelated look in the surroundings through the expression of its high-tech features. The ecology of LEAP lies in its transitional nature and total reversibility. At the end of its "life cycle" the pod can be lifted away by helicopter without leaving any permanent trace of its presence in the natural environment. The industrial off-site construction makes use of ecologically certified materials and processes and leaves no production waste.





• All materials used throughout production are rated with a certificate of ecological origin and recyclability.

• The overall cost of LEAP is highly competitive with the traditional solutions thanks to a fully industrialised production and its high-end engineering process.

• The construction technologies are derived from the nautical and aeronautical industry. The remotely controlled diagnosis equipment reduces running costs for higher effectiveness.


Information and images courtesy of Leapfactory

Re-engineering Jewish Tradition. The Design Winners of Sukkah City, 2011.

above: one of the ten winning submissions, 60 degree Sukkah by Filip Tejchman of Brooklyn, NY, and Cambridge, MA

Some of my readers may recall a post I wrote last year on Sukkah City, a design competition held in New York that proposed redesigning a Sukkah, a traditional shelter created for the Jewish Festival Of Sukkot.

Building and expanding upon New York’s Sukkah City 2010, Sukkah City STL proposed a re-imagination of the Sukkah, an ancient and temporary structure used by both nomads and harvesters. The jury selected work that defined and defied boundaries using ancient law and the contemporary experience of shelter. The design winners are below.

Emery McClure Architecture, Lafayette, LA - Tené



Act3 (Ben Kaplan), Trivers Architecture and STL Beacon, St. Louis - Storycubes


Sean Corriel, New York - Thru-motion


Lea Oxenhandler and Evan Maxwell Litvin, Philadelphia


Alexander Morley and Jennifer Wong, St. Louis - Exodus



Casey Hughes Architects, Los Angeles - Sukkah Collective


Christine Yogiaman, Forrest Fulton and Ken Tracy, St. Louis - Gleaned


John Kleinschmidt and Andy Sternad, New Orleans - L’Chime Sukkah


Bronwyn Charlton and Linda Levin, St. Louis. - Heliotrope


Learn more about each of the designs here.

WHAT: Sukkah City STL: Defining & Defying Boundaries
WHEN: Oct. 18-22
WHERE: Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis, near the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building
COST: Free and open to the public

The Jewish Feast of the Tabernacle, Sukkot, begins at sundown on Oct. 12, 2011, and ends at nightfall on Oct. 19.

Support for Sukkah City STL is provided by the Charles and Bunny Burson Art Fund at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.