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June 2007 I.D. Magazine: Taking Care of Business

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06.13.07
Design & Architecture

id-mag-june-2007.jpg

This month's issue of I.D. magazine trains its sharp design eye on the world of business, digging in to why and how design can affect the products and commerce that make the world go 'round. In addition to stories about fast food chains cleaning up their store's interiors with (knockoffs of) high design and some ideas about what doesn't make an icon are some interesting TreeHugger-related stories, ideas and companies. Check out Mada Guitars (above, center, and on page 39 -- we spied them here), which are molded (not carved or milled, like most guitars) from hemp fibers; no joints make for a clearer sound and a groovy, smoother, rounded shape. Also, Nanjing, China's soon-to-be-completed 761-foot-tall Jinao Tower gets some love (page 32) for both its smart design -- its innovative use of X-bracing makes it less vulnerable to the flexing that comes with seasonal climate shifts, seismic activity and the speedy winds aloft -- and for its resource and materials efficiency -- SOM Architects' sandwiched glass walls effectively create a thermos, reducing the need for heating and cooling by about 20 percent. Additionally, the design of the building including what essentially amounts to a self-propelled exhaust system, using horizontal air slots every four floors that sucks air in the windward side and exhausts it through the leeward side...cool. More business as usual after the jump...

The issue isn't all sunshine and roses for business though; writer Mark Dery writes a ranting indictment of Apple (page 28) for encouraging throwaway culture with their rotating iPod releases without properly insuring responsible disposal (something that Greenpeace has given Apple hell for). The world is not lost, though, thanks to companies like Nau (featured on page 60), whose good-looking, do-gooding apparel and business plan are helping change the way we think about, buy and use clothing (something that hasn't been lost on TreeHugger). More forward-looking design and sustainably-striding business in June's I.D.; check 'em out at idonline.com

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