Month: August 2010

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Ground Zero Mosque to be the First LEED certified Mosque in the U.S.

 

The “Ground Zero Mosque” and community center has been one of the hottest topics lately to the extent of taking over the devastating news of the floods in Pakistan. This is a clear indication of the rise of hate and fear that has conquered over many Americans in particular after the propaganda against Islamists in the past few years. Putting this topic out of political context , the latest news is that the project developers are planning to go green and achieve LEED certification. This is remarkable news in many ways. For those not familiar with the term LEED, it is "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design", according to Wikipedia it is " an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts."

A report on the dailybeast.com by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin author of Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet, indicates that the developers of Park51 , the Islamic cultural and community center, are serious about going green and achieving the LEED certification. An architectural bureau has not been assigned for the mission yet, but if they abide by what they promise, this will be the first LEED certified mosque in the U.S.

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Pizza Anyone? | Restaurant Design

 

The initial idea for this post was actually making the pizza itself, but it got me wondering about the fast growing and internationally welcomed concept of pizzerias. We can see well around us the growth pizza parlor concepts  many of them replicate the Italian authentic pizzerias.

 

A traditional pizzeria should have the wood-fired oven, its mere existence in the place gives the feeling of security, that the owners know what they are doing. A perfect example in Kuwait is Pizza Rustica located in Avenues. Not only is their food amazing, the feeling of the space is just right. The colors, the flashy display of the wood fired ovens is just perfect.

 

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Carrie’s Apartment in Sex & the City

 

Most people don’t take the time or effort to know what really is behind every great movie scene and what makes it authentic. The details that go into decorating such spaces is tremendous, one of the movies that was having most of the hype at the beginning of this summer was Sex and the City 2, and ofcourse many of us were waiting to see Carrie’s walk-in closet after marrying Big which is when she got her toy.

The designer behind that particular scene is Lydia Marks who made sure to include all details even to what magazines Carrie would read. The furniture of the apartment from the first movie weren’t saved, so she had to start from scratch.

The two vintage armchairs are from Bergdorf Goodman, The light fixture is of handblown glass globes laced with 14 carat gold available at Lindsey Adelman Studio for $15360, and the Dining table at Alan Moss Studios.

Most of the other pieces were rented or custom made.

Personally I just love her walk in closet ….

Source: Stylist.com

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The World’s new Clock: The Mecca Royal Clock

 

For over a century Big Ben has been the symbol of world time, but now funded by the government, Saudis seek to divert the attention and set their own time.

It is an amazing idea since our local and arabic channels use Mecca time as the standard time, but why should they copy the West yet always taller and bigger? Shouldn’t the Arab and Islamic World have architectural icons instead of replicating the Big Ben and Empire state building? Even the engineers are Swiss and German.

 

The concept is already being realized with impressive specifications that in a way meet the aura of the place.

The complex housing the clock (601meters high) will be the world’s second tallest building after  Burj Khalifa, (828meters high)  the recently inaugurated skyscraper of Dubai. The clock is 40m in diameter and is made with 98 million pieces of glass mosaics, its faces are lit with 2 million LED’s.

Built by a government-controlled fund, the complex has seven huge towers . Six are between 42 and 48 stories, and in the middle is the clock tower, appearing nearly twice as tall as the others.

The entire complex will have 3,000 hotel rooms and apartments, a  shopping center and prayer and conference halls, and a  four-story astronomical observatory and Islamic museum all taking up around 1.5 million square meters  of floor space.

At the peak of the hajj the complex should accommodate around 65,000 people.

About 21,000 white and green coloured lights ,probably indicating the Saudi flag colors ,will flash to as far as 30 kilometers  five-times a day signaling prayer times.

Sources: Fox News, The Telegraph

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Concept Hit: Dinner in the Sky

Being a twitter junkie myself, i got introduced to the " Dinner in the Sky" idea a few months back and didn’t really get the idea of how the whole concept functions, until I visited Beirut 2 months ago and saw something that looks like a UFO hovering over Beirut Central District.

After asking around I realized what they were talking about. As Lebanese always are, seeking originality wherever the source and not fearing any massive reactions, the concept was brought to Lebanon by Alfred Asseily of La Table D’Alfred and Alf events which is in charge of Dinner in the Sky, Beirut edition.

The Lebanese TV channel MTV has taken this concept and created an entire progam out of it for the holy month of Ramadan. The program is hosted by Wissam Breidy who has a variety of guests daily for 30 days with a different country theme everyday reflected through sharing with the viewers the rituals and habits of the assigned country of the night. Their Chef goes as far as to prepare meals significant to that country.

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Panton Chair turns 50 | Iconic Pieces

It is not surprising that this chair gets the attention it has been getting for the past 50 years. Vernor Panton’s (1926-1998) initial idea for this 20th century iconic chair dates back to 1958-1959. In 1967 Vitra released it to the public, since then it was manufactured in four different kinds of finishes and versions. The idea of having stackable molded plastic chairs back then was a craze in itself.

 

 

In 2005 the kids version was released and was an instant hit due to the polycarbonate finish in addition to the various colors it has been manufactured in.

 

Due to its history and specifications, the Panton chair is desired by most designers. Its seat height makes it supportive thus being a great chair for use behind desks yet stylish enough to be used in other places as well.

One of the world’s most renowned architects, Zaha Hadid, has used it in the Chamber music Hall at the Manchester Art Gallery for the Manchester International Festival. It has been used in churches as well.

 

United Nude created the Lo-res chair after being inspired by the Panton Chair.

Chris Bosse  sliced up Panton Chair as part of the Re-loved: designer stories exhibition at the Sydney Powerhouse Museum that runs from 31 July – 30 September 2010.

 

The manufacturer for the Panton Chair  is Vitra (www.vitra.com). Agents for Vitra furniture are found throughout the world. In Kuwait there is no current agent for the home collection, in Lebanon the agent is Vivre , Jal el Dib Hwy Phone: + 961 4 72 41 11.

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My First Post

This is an introductory post for those wondering what this blog really is about.

I wanted this blog to be a resource yet a fun approach to everything related to interior design, furniture, and all other items that contribute to making our life more beautiful. Posts related to food & well being as part of this enhancement will be posted as well. I am a bit shaky at the beginning of this journey, hope you will come along and share your views.

There will be regular and organized posts by day of the week to encounter issues such as green architecture and design, designers from around the world, tips for designing, inquiry section, even daily life enjoyments such as food and its presentation.

Can’t wait to share with you 🙂

Sahar 🙂

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