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E3 2009 Teaser Star Wars Video Game

BMW Group DesignworksUSA have created the Metro40 collection of street furniture for Landscape Forms, a Kalamazoo, Michigan based manufacturer of site furniture for outdoor spaces.

The Metro40 collection includes seating, shelters, lighting, and amenities, and has been developed for use by city planners and architects to help global urban centers elevate the livability, quality of experience, design appeal and overall image of their public transit systems.

Metro40 Street Furniture by BMW Group DesignworksUSA

DesignworksUSA’s experience in automotive and other types of design for mobility, from airplanes to trains to yachts, provides a comprehensive understanding of global transportation demands. Additionally, DesignworksUSA is known as experts in translating a company’s brand values and business benefits into emotional design statements. Landscape Forms brings expertise in urban streetscape furniture and amenities of exceptional quality. Both firms share a deep commitment to design excellence and sustainability in materials, structures and processes, all of which is apparent in Metro40.

“Bringing great design to public, seemingly anonymous spaces such as transit shelters promotes a very positive, personal impact on people’s moods and daily quality of life,” says Verena Kloos, President, BMW Group DesignworksUSA. “Urban gentrification projects such as the new High Line park in Lower Manhattan demonstrate the importance and value of making cities more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing for their citizens, and the exploration of this dynamic made the Metro40 project with Landscape Forms particularly compelling for DesignworksUSA,” she concludes.

Global Function and Aesthetics

DesignworksUSA’s multidisciplinary studio in Munich led the design with input from the Singapore and Los Angeles studios to develop Metro40. DesignworksUSA provided product design, strategy, and research. Metro40 sets a new standard for function and aesthetics in the transit site furniture category. Creating a signature style for Metro40 is a daunting task when one considers the multitude of environments where it must appear in sync, and “at home,” with its surroundings. Cultural behaviors vary tremendously from city to city, as does architecture and climate. The extreme requirements of wear and tear are also a major consideration. Further, all products were designed in accordance with Landscape Forms’ strict environmental standards for BIFMA and LEED certification.

[from CONTEMPRIST]

Nottingham, England based designer Guy Brown, who is part of the British design collective FARM, has created the Reel Light.

[from CONTEMPORIST]

rman designers Marcel Kieser and Christof Spath will be exhibiting their collection at
Designblok ‘09 in Prague (October 6-11).

Kieser+Spath was founded in 2008 in Darmstadt, Germany. Seen below are photos and descriptions of five of their pieces that they’ve sent us.

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MAHONEY – Cantilever Chair

A filigree chair in which seat and backrest swing independently and though support dynamic seating. It consists of a visually circulating ribbon that shows changing facets to the viewer. Mahoney invites you with it´s sportive appearance to an exciting and comfortable seating experience.

CHIC – Coatstand

A dynamic object that plays with its owne forces by being a light construction. The circulating ribbon stabilised itselves in a geometric playfull way and becomes a solid wardrobe. Jackets and coats can easily be thrown over the upper bows or fixed at the two hangers in every bow. The# lively waisted shape makes „chic“ a sculptural roomobject for a sensual welcome in the livingroom.

LINA – Light

A sculptural light for in & outsoor use. Center ist the vertical illuminant. It is fixed to the wireframe with buttons on the textile. Without the illuminant the waisted wireconstruction can be used as a decorative object.

OCARINA – Table

The side table out of a filigree woodgrid and steal wire presents itself as a rich in detail  piece of furniture. Inspired by wirefurniture from public space there imerged a new piece of furniture by a material change. The table surface consists of 58 under steam bended beechrods. These form a stable and slighty elastic grid. Ocarina is a transparent combination of tension, force and dynamic.

ROSS WELL – Textile Table

This side table is deliberately constructed without a tabletop which is replaced by a tensed textile. Depending on the used material, the table can appear in different looks because of the exchangeable tablecloth. A base where not only glasses and plates will find a comfortable place.

The designers – Marcel Kieser and Christof Spath

[from CONTEMPORIST]

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