| |  | August 4, 2011 |  | | | It’s always good to see Kiwis doing well overseas and architecture firm Warren and Mahoney is at it again, this time nabbing the contract to redesign the National Australia Bank (NAB) network of banks — all 760 of them. It'll be joined in its efforts by fellow Kiwi co-conspirators DNA. More … | |  | | | With fuel prices sky rocketing, the petrol-guzzling Hummer’s days have been numbered for some time now and, when GM announced last year it was closing its Hummer operations down, the fate of the vehicle was sealed. So what to do with all that clunky Hummer material? Rather than it wind up in a scrap metal yard somewhere, two architects from a Los Angeles-based firm have proposed a novel and yet very practical solution: turn them into houses, of course. More … | |  | | | Each year 25,000 people benefit directly from its building initiatives. It has 75 chapters in 25 countries and elicits the help of more than 4,650 volunteer design professionals. At a recent lecture in Auckland, founder of charitable organisation Architecture for Humanity Cameron Sinclair shared exactly how his organisation has grown from a one-man show to one with massive global outreach. He also offered some words of advice for the Christchurch rebuild. More … | |  | | | If you’re yet to obtain a ticket to design and creative technologies event We Can Create, here’s your chance to win one. We have two passes to give away (one VIP and one GA) and to nab one, all you have to do is tell us which speaker you’d most like to meet from this year’s line-up, and what question you’d ask them. More … | |  | | | As it gets set to host the leather-clad man with the big voice and a penchant for very long songs, otherwise known as Meatloaf, the Bay of Plenty’s largest venue Baypark has unveiled a new branding effort that comes complete with a pun. The rebrand features a new and much more colourful logo carrying the newstrap line: ‘Where there’s plenty going on.’ More … | |  | | | Tangleball is the latest addition to the growing worldwide trend of DIY makerspaces, also known as hackerspaces. It’s a concept born of a desire to get offline and start creating tangible objects while sharing knowledge in a community-oriented way. More … | |  | | | From the outside, the Meridian First Light house is a thing of wooden beauty. Cast your eyes skyward and you’ll see the solar panels on top, immediately alluding to the house’s energy savvy principals. But what about what’s on the inside? In its latest blog, the First Light team explains how the the challenge of limited space brought out the team’s crafty and innovative streak. More … | |  | | | Feast your eyes on Noise Ink, an interactive animation system commissioned by New Zealand Post for the Auckland Arts Festival 2011. More … | |  | | | Proving that even the oldest of buildings can make energy efficient gains, New Zealand’s first museum has also become the first in the world to gain CEMARS certification. Auckland Museum, which was established in 1852, has cut its electricity use by six percent in the past year, all with the help of some basic technology improvements. More … | |  | | | And speaking of saving energy, skylights are a great way to provide natural internal lighting, but installing them is expensive and, if you live in the slums of Manila, you’d think it impossible. Not so. A group of innovative MIT students has found a solution by way of some old soft drink bottles. More … | |  | | | It may have been around for 2000 years, but in all that time the purpose behind the Pantheon’s unusual design has never quite been understood, until now perhaps. Two researchers, including one from New Zealand, say the design might well have served as a sun dial, positioned to illuminate the building entrance just as the emperor was walking in. The Telegraph’s Nick Squires explains. More … | | |  | Idealog Design is brought to you by |  |
