Metropolis (March 2010)

The latest issue of Metropolis is now available for loan from the Learning Centre.

Contents:

FEATURES

• The Ripple Effect by William Bostwick and Shonquis Moreno -- The problems we face may be vast, but individual efforts add up.
• Water Works by Peter Hall -- Led by a hard-charging CEO and his right-hand man, Grohe uses design to remake both the bathroom and its own business.
• Kit of Parts by Belinda Lanks -- The open-source model has begun to make inroads into the world of industrial design. Now an innovative new program attempts to bring that ethos to the scale of buildings.
• Where Do We Go From Here? by Martin C. Pedersen -- The design directors of five leading contract-furniture companies stare into a hazy crystal ball.
• GRN AIR by Suzanne LaBarre -- Southwest Airlines' new "green" plane flies on a message of saavy environmentalism and even savvier marketing.
• The Cost of Convenience by Jennifer Kabat -- In a heroic effort to source and fabricate each part of an everyday appliance himself. Thomas Thwaits produces the world's most expensive toaster.

DEPARTMENTS

• Metropolismag.com New and exclusive on the Web
• Notes from Metropolis Young designers bring derring-do into a marketplace starved for fresh ideas
• Dialogue Readers' letters
• America by Karrie Jacobs Is Avatar beautiful? No more than Grand Theft Auto
• Learning Curve Mechanical-engineering students design a better bathroom fixture.
• In Production Philippe Nigro's table legs pair as well with Ligne Roset's luxurious wood tops as with an old barn door.
• Perspective Marc Kristal An award-winning planning study for Lower Manhattan may act as a model for future development.
• Materials Maya Romanoff looks to traditional Himalayan artisanship for its latest wallpaper collection.
• Productsphere Smart manufacturing gives new products and updated classics better environmental profiles.
• Review New and notable books on architecture, culture, and design
• Text Message James Dyson answers a few questions on engineering, hands-on work, and protecting your ideas
• Reference More information on people, places, and things covered in this issue of Metropolis
• Ben Katchor The Parking Male

OBSERVED

• Hope Floats Architects find promise in New York's rising sea levels.
• Zaha's Jewels The flamboyant architect adds another project to her crown of built forms.
• Hidden Potential Specht Harpman celebrates the uninspired architecture of a 1960s dormitory.
• Fair or Fowl? Israeli chicken farmers object to the government's new plan for industrialization.
• Unusual Activity Sarah Gluck and Robyne Kassen design street furniture to get you moving.
• An About Face/Tray Cool A clock with a personal twist and a platter with a handy surprise.
• A Complete Rethink William Mitchell and the MIT Media Lab take on one of urban America's hidden foes: the car