Modesthouse, eco-friendly home design from NY

Designed by New York architect Jeffrey McKean, Modesthouse brings architecture home with an elegant balance of tradition and technology. With a refined structural system and generous use of glass, Modesthouse defines space and creates an intimate connection with the surrounding landscape. Modesthouse utilizes a system of pre-manufactured parts such as structural insulated panels (SIPS) for the roof, walls and floor, and FSC certified timber for primary framing to offer an affordable and practical high-end alternative to custom homes.

Valcucine recognizes great in value in Modesthouse, as it focuses on environmental consciousness combining sustainable building practices, green energy systems and the choice of materials and finishes, aspects which match with our corporate identity and guidelines.

To learn more about Modesthouse and its Systems click here.

Artematica Noce Tattile on Wallpaper magazine

Deliciously Green by Design

Valcucine Los Angeles and FORM magazine covered by GreenHouseVideos.com BALCONY MEDIA, INC. will host Chef Katie Chin, slow food proponent, and Valcucine’s 100% Recyclable Kitchen Design, Invitrum on Thursday July 30th 6-9 PM.

FORM magazine and Balcony Media premiers Valcucine’s totally recyclable glass kitchen cabinet system, a new recipe for kitchens, one that is truly eco-conscious. The counter base unit is made from 100% recycled glass. The slim frame of Invitrum is made of recycled aluminum, which takes “just 5% of the energy needed to obtain primary aluminium.” Come discover Invitrum’s other superior design innovations and have fun all at once.

To partecipate, please RSVP to rsvp@formmag.net. Include name, title, company, phone and email.

Valcucine for Morphosis House

Valcucine, the award winning Italian kitchen cabinetry company, has been commended as leading the world’s standards in environmental production. They became, therefore, a “natural” choice, in many ways, for Thom Mayne, and the house he is designing for the Make It Right Foundation’s building project in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Brad Pitt’s Foundation chose thirteen outstanding architects and designers to create new homes using sustainable and environmentally sound materials and production techniques. Mr. Mayne’s firm, Morphosis Architects, will produce the prototype for what will be one hundred and fifty (150) homes to be constructed in the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Valcucine’s remarkable commitment to environmentally sound practices, as commended by the EU, has brought the Italian firm to the attention of the world’s most discerning and eco-concerned architects. Their products are tested against independent standards, they control toxic emissions; use natural finishes and have drastically decreased their use of energy and materials. Emphasizing what they call “dematerialization,” the determined reduction of unsustainable resources in favor of recycled or recyclable materials: aluminum, wood, glass, recovered stone, carbon fiber and rubber, and FSC woods with low VOC finishes. In addition to their manufacturing practices, at the end of each year Valcucine plant trees to mitigate their carefully factored carbon footprint. These kitchens combine technological innovation with impeccable aesthetics and are as environmentally responsible as they are visually striking, but also provide unparalleled durability to the impacts of weight, water, humidity and heat. The kitchen, named Demode by Valcucine, was designed specifically for the Morphosis house, is fabricated in a ribbed white laminate with a graphite laminate countertop. It incorporates the newest in kitchen design with integrated appliances; a Liebherr Energy Star refrigerator and Gaggenau dishwasher have door panels that integrate access with seamless style. The Morphosis designed house will be installed this summer.

Preview of Artematica Noce Tattile

Learn more…

Green Good Design Award 2009 – aims and winners

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd. has presented the Museum’s annual GOOD DESIGN® Awards Program for the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial, product, and graphic designs produced around the world for the year 2009.

GOOD DESIGN is an international symbol of a company’s firm commitment to innovation and superior design embodiment. The emphasis is on quality design of the highest form, function, and aesthetic—a standard beyond ordinary consumer products and graphics. The Chicago Athenaeum’s GOOD DESIGN program forwards the ideals of a design process that embodies product excellence and endurance and strong public identity.
Now in its 59th year, GOOD DESIGN is the oldest and the most prestigious Awards Program organized worldwide, which honours the yearly achievements of the best industrial and graphic designers and world manufactures for their pursuit of extraordinary design excellence. Annually, designers and manufactures in over 30 nations have been honored for their singular achievements in producing hallmarks of contemporary design.

The deadline for this year’s edition was the 1st July. The enrty winners become property of the Permanent Design Collection at The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

Among the winners, we mention:
The Kingdon of Sweeden (category: Government 2009);
GreenWorks Center, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA (category: Corporations 2009);
International Polar Foundation Belgian Antartic Base: Princess Elizabeth (category: Foundations 2009);
Stefan Behnisch (People 2009);
Bosch Evolution Dishwasher (category: Products/Industrial Design 2009);
Farsa Village Sustainable Redevelopment Plan, Farsa Village, Island of Kefalonia, Greece (category: Environment/Landscape 2009);
World Wildlife Fund Headquarters, Office Building, Zeist, The Netherlands (category: Arquitecture 2009).

To learn more about the past editions, click here

Salone del Mobile – Milan, 2009

Even this year we survived to Salone del Mobile. We’ve run from East to West, from North to South of Milan trying to see everything… What’s the feeling remained?
Click here to vote our survey or leave a comment. Thanks!

E-Creative 3rd-5th June: the European network for the development of the relation art-business

E-Creative is the European network for the development of the relation art-business, an international platform made by institutions, universities, artists and ‘Made in Itlay’ firms, joint in a team to create projects in the fields of arts, entrepreneurship and technological innovation.

Art against the crisis: the art is a transformation engine in urban contexts, an innovation factor for the firms, and a radar to suggest answers on the topic of environmental sustainability.

The meeting in June, from 3rd to 5th, is the first appointment of a list of activities to develop the topic art-busines, in view of the European project that the network will present in October 2009.
The debate will be diffused on the web to be enriched by contribution and proposals from the public and the online press, through the pages created on social networks:
- A live blogging system, featuring news, videointerviews and photos, diffused on the main social networks, and a live streaming broadcast of the meetings through the webtv Glomera will allow the public to follow the meetings online and to interact with the debate;
- The interactive game The Future: a better place, by Log607, will collect suggestions for a sustainable future. It will be based on the debate opened during the meetings and on the social networks: it will gather, until October 2009, suggestions, proposals, projects, which will be published and finally will feed the European project.

NETWORK
Fnv, Venice
Brandit, Pordenone
Log607/H-Farm, Treviso
Studio Camuffo, Venice
Venice International University, Venice
University of Leeds/School of Design, Contemporary Art, Leeds

Ietm, Bruxelles
Metadistretto DigitalMediale, Venice
Encatc, Bruxelles
Euratechnologies, Lille
NIRI Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute, Leeds

MEDIA PARTNERS
Ottagono For forty years Ottagono has been the magazine of reference in the world of design
Glomera TV in the global multimedia era
Venezia da vivere (Live Blogging) The creative guide to the contemporary city

TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT
Personal computers provided by Apple Italia srl, in collaboration with abc.it srl, Apple Premium Reseller di Padova, Vicenza e Mestre.
Palazzo Barbarigo is a design hotel in a Venetian Palace overlooking the Canal Grande, between Palazzo Grassi and Rialto, which decided to dedicate its spaces to the event and to participate to the debate on art and business.
Press Room opens from 01:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The spaces in Palazzo Barbarigo will be connected through wifi and will have some Apple work stations available for journalists participating to the event and for accredited guests.

EVENTS PROGRAMME

E-CREATIVE art for a better future
03.06  6pm  Art and urban transformation
04.06  6pm  The relation art/business
05.06  6pm  Round table and conclusions
05.06  7.30pm Cocktail Party

Wednesday, June 3rd 2009 6 pm
Art and urban transformation: the most interesting experiences at national and international level about projects in which the art is a transformation engine in urban contexts and the art change the perception of the spaces and the way we live them.

Thursday, June 4th 2009 6 pm
The relation art/business: As radar to suggest ideas to business, the art, set in the processes of product innovation, becomes a competitive asset on the global market, and an innovation factor to offer answers to the most urgent problems: environmental sustainability, social responsibility.
Speakers: Giuseppe Avesani, President, Brandit; Tomas Barazza, Manager, Log607/H-Farm; Marco Bettiol, Head of Creativity, Venice International University; Pino Bisazza, Trend; Pascale Debrocq, SEM Ville Renouvelée, Tourcoing-Roubaix-Wattrelos, Lille; Elena Catto, Palazzetti; Cesare De Michelis, President, Marsilio Editori; Alberto Del Biondi, President, Alberto Del Biondi Industria del Design; Alvise Ferro, Galliano Ferro; Fabio Fornasier, Fornasier; Patrizia Moroso, Moroso; Florence Laly, Euratechnologies, Ville de Tourcoing, Lille; Alessandro Lolli, direttore, Ottagono; Luciano Marson, Horm; Stefano Micelli, Dean, Venice International University; Marzia Vianello, Andromeda Murano; Walter Nicolino, Architect, carlorattiassociati & SENSEable City Lab; Mauro Olivieri, Vistosi; Diego Paccagnella, Lateral Director, Lago; Daniele Prosdocimo, Valcucine; Marco Raiola, Artemide; Monica Scanu, Direttore Med, Master in Cultural Experience Design and Management, Domus Academy; Gianandrea Seguso; Laura Scarpa, Director, Venezia da Vivere.

Friday, June 5th 2009 6 pm
Round table and conclusions
The Future: a better place
An interactive game, by Log607, collecting suggestions for a sustainable future.
June 3rd, 4th, 5th
Press Room opens from 01:30pm to 9pm.

CONTACTS
E-Creative is a project by Fnv Srl
Giudecca, 212, 30133 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 2446939
Fax +39 041 2446921
www.fnv.co.it

To learn more click here

gReenaissance | Milan Design Week 2009

Valcucine new glass kitchen @ Dom showroom

Lengthy research into materials and into their limits of resistance have allowed Valcucine to revolutionise the furniture industry, making the first 100% recyclable base unit in glass of which some parts are in recycled aluminium. The production process of recycled aluminium has the advantage of consuming only one-twentieth of the energy needed to obtain primary aluminium. Traditional kitchens usually supply base units that are installed side-by-side which means that the chipboard side panel is doubled, reaching a thickness of 36mm; Valcucine, on the other hand, has developed the structure of its kitchen horizontally and has applied a single carcass side in glass that is only 10mm thick. For as much as regards disposal, Valcucine knows that an already existing product consists in a potential resource for the future. The entire new glass base unit system is easy to be disassembled because it is joined using only mechanical joints instead of glues. It is easy to divide the materials of which the base unit is composed because it is made up of one-material components.

Valcucine New York
66 Crosby Street NYC
 +1 212 25 35 969
info@valcucinena.com
http://www.valcucine.com