Saturday, April 28, 2012
Monday, August 23, 2010
# 11 X FOLD
Having to move a lot and uninstall and re-install furniture is tiring and time consuming; time is too precious to waste at dull repetitive tasks.
X FOLD comes in one piece, minimal assembly parts and minimum assembly time.
The unit is purchased folded down to an easily transportable flat pack; it is unfolded and stabilized with tension cords; it can be expanded by joining together more than one units. In case of moving, the process reverses : undo the tension cords, fold, carry.
X FOLD is ideal for the restless urban dwellers.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
#10 SpiderGoth
New York is the birthplace of the Contemporary Virtual, the intriguing cityscape where human imagination constantly generates new urban myths. New York is more than the physical metropolis of our times; it is the epicenter of modern mythology. Here, countless superheroes live and work. Extraordinary figures rule the skyline and the citizens' imagination : they symbolize and protect the ideals of the entire western world.
In the NY context, it would be an interesting experiment to invert the process of physical producing virtual. What if virtual figures worked together to construct a protective structure for the citizens of NY? What if, say, Spiderman and Batman, engineered a shed that combines the symbolic and even structural characteristics of each ones' identity? How would that structure look like ? How would it work?
A modular webby, lightweight construction with a Batman/Gotham inspired geometry, could be the synthetic answer. Spider-goth.
Monday, November 2, 2009
#9 Ancient Pop: an Olive Oil label
The product's visual impact needs to express strong presence that will allow it to stand out at the supermarket shelves, and to differentiate its look from competing Spanish and Italian products, by incorporating an esay to grasp, yet stylish re-interpretation of its identity.
In order to achieve this, the theme of ancient red-figure pottery was exhaustively researched, as a departure point that both addresses the issues of impact and origin. A Cretan scene of olive harvesting was an ideal cover image for a pop-style review of the classical themes: the naked, "superficial" image becomes the visual bridge between the new content and the classical values.
Friday, October 30, 2009
#8 The Pacifier (for adults)
When things look that desperate, wouldn’t you give everything for even the faintest notion of harmony? Could that “something” give a fresh departure point to your tired mind, your broken heart or your confused inner self? Introducing the PACIFIER(FOR ADULTS) , an object with the sole purpose to fit perfectly in your palm, and fill you with hope that things can actually fall in place, and that even the darkest night is followed by morning light.
The pacifier is custom-made, using the user's palm as a mold. It can be made out of clay, and then translated into any moldable material (e.g. PVC, silver, titanium, etc.) according to the taste of the user.
Kostas Poulopoulos 2008
Thursday, September 17, 2009
#7 upto35 competition : D_Transpose
Transposition (music) : the process of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval, while maintaining their original relation.
This project explores the transposition of the number D (Δ, in the Greek building code, here 4.55 m) throughout the 9 plots; its structural potential, its formal language and the possibilities of creating a new typology. The 2 main objectives are : a. the creation of a network of voids that are architecturally and socially meaningful; b. the invention of a synergistic building type that exists symbiotically with both its siblings and the host environment.
A rigorous investigation of the 9 plots yields a typology with stable DNA, that can be easily transformed to fit in all cases. These transformations are: 'stretch' and 'mirror'. By stretching, the building fits the plot; by mirroring, it creates communal voids of 2Dx2D.
Each building has 3 apartments and a common kitchen per floor, while the top floors have mezzanines. The roofs of the buildings create an undulating surface that is ideal for a fresh and relaxing (horizontal, as opposed to vertical) Athenian roof scape.
Design Team : Kostas Poulopoulos, Eva Poulopoulou
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
#6 Dunes /Caves
The project Dunes/Caves received 2nd place among 107 participations at the competition “In Cyprus relax: as architects reinterpret” , for the 11th Venice Bienalle of Architecture, under the title “Out there: Architecture Beyond Building” and was ehxhibited on the Cyprus Pavillion of the 2008 Biennalle.
The aim of the project Dunes/Caves is the interpretation of the man-made landscape in terms of synthesis and not contradiction, of the human and the natural realms. Let alone the philosophical, ethical and ecological issues that can be addressed by such an approach, economies that are tourism and culture-based, might have important economical benefits.
The case scenario here is the habitation of a deserted beach (Akrotiri, South Cyprus) in such a way that human provisions be made for the users. This is possible through the invention of an undulating semi-artificial, semi-natural surface, that provides a minimal, camouflaged shelter from the hard Cypriot sun. Each dune/cave is constructed by prefabricated concrete elements that can be easily assembled in-situ (4 pieces). Consequently, they can easily be removed, without any trace of construction left. Sand and local vegetation are covering the dune/caves creating a uniform appearance ,that resembles the original status of the landscape, which , however, is hereafter transformed into a habitat.
This lanscape "perceives" people as ants that disappear and reappear in the sun.
copyright: Kostas Poulopoulos 2008
