Metropolis (May 2009)

The latest issue of Metropolis has come into the Learning Centre and is now available for loan.

Contents:

Features
Harvesting the Wind by Suzanne LaBarre. Three young French designers hatch an ingenious plan to use existing infrastructure to create clean energy.
Next Generation Runners-Up by Metropolis staff. This year's competition asked designers to fix our energy addition, and they responded with an impressive range of ideas that take on one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Next Big Thing by Peter Hall. Ross Lovegrove's new series for Artemide is just the latest in the company's 50-year investment in important designers and state-of-the-art research and development.
Making the Cut by Julie Taraska. A breakout effort by two young Salvadoran designers lends fresh flair to Bernhardt Design's Global Edition collection.
Making It Happen by Marc Kristal. By developing their own projects, Jared Della Valle and Andrew Bernheimer have succeeded in New York without going through the "right" schools or firms. Now, just as the economy collapses around them, they are completing their first two buildings in Manhattan.
Just One Word: Bioplastics by Mason Currey. As the environmental hazards of plastic become hard to ignore, a new generation of plant-based alternatives is creeping into commercial applications. Now it's time for designers to take them to the next level.
A Perfect Fit by Veronique Vienne. The collaboration between Pierre Paulin and Ligne Roset appears as tight as the famously taut slipcovers of its stylish seats.

Departments
Off the Book New and exclusive on the Web
Contributors
Notes from Metropolis It's not a good idea to ignore what architecture teaches us.
Dialogue Readers' letters, news and a correction.
Observed
--Easing into a house in Hokkaido, Japan
--A forest rises in the New York sky.
--Getting to know APRRO/Maharam and Nike, the dream team
--Graphic designer David Gibson leads the way
--ICFF turns Japanese
--MoMA goes to Brazil./In the kitchen with Duravit/Renzo Piano arrives in Chicago.
--Dieter Rams, documented
America by Karrie Jacobs. Why the great Jenny Holzer is more relevant than ever.
Learning Curve The latest incarnation of the Yale Building Project has students constructing homes for veterans in need.
In Production Mark McKenna's ultra-efficient Element lamp should win over even the fiercest resisters of LED technology.
Materials By coating its designs in liquid polyurethane, the Belgian company SixInch readies them for the outdoors.
Trends Objects and architecture that exploit the fragile beauty of glass.
Productsphere In uncertain times, some manufacturers emphasize subtlety and restraint, whole others offer bursts of optimism.
Bookshelf New and notable books on architecture, landscape, and design history.
Text Message Renny Ramakers talks about first steps, last steps, and thinking in the bathtub.
Reference More information on people, places, and products covered in this issue of Metropolis.
Ben Katchor Indecent Exposure