Design 21: Social Design Network

The image posted is not the model that will be used in Africa. As a single speed that features Italian birch wood rims, boutique components and real Texas steer horns, the "Steerhorn Bicycle" is a high-end specialty bike appreciated by a small subset even within the cycling enthusiast community.

The company produces many different bicycle frame models, including those more suitable for riding on dirt roads and other variable terrain, hauling cargo, etc. Of course, the potential to produce an even more regionally-specific design also exists.

The new California Academy of Sciences Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Renzo Piano, is scheduled to open in 2008 as a LEED® Platinum Green Museum. Its roof, looking something like a sod house on the U.S. frontier with a Dr. Seuss-ian twist, is getting a blanket of green.

Designed in collaboration with Renzo Piano, the Academy, Rana Creek Living Architecture, Chong and Partners Architecture, SWA Group, and ARUP Engineering, the roof – whose the bulbous form is meant to mimic the rolling hills of the surrounding landscape – will feature five native plant species.

In addition to introducing the 160,000 square feet of green overhead, the building’s new design will allow two acres of land to be returned to Golden Gate Park. Other features include earthquake-safe construction and recycled building materials such as denim insulation.

website.

Check out coverage of Design for the Other 90% from yesterday's New York Times. Many recent mentions on D21 appear in the article, which appears in the Science section.

The bamboo bicycle concept mentioned in an earlier post is making its way to Africa. California-based bicycle maker Criag Calfee is teaming up with David Ho, John Mutter and Vijay Modi to introduce the sustainably produced vehicle and stimulate a self-sustaining bicycle industry.

According to the Bamboo Bike Project's website: [...] bicycles currently used in Africa are utterly inappropriate for transportation in these regions. They are a throwback to the British colonial period, meant for the amusement of the wealthy classes in well-paved cities, not for critical transportation of poor rural people. They are manufactured outside Africa in China and India, and shipped complete. Despite the critical need for bicycles in Africa, there are no local bicycle building businesses anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Incorporating locally-grown bamboo, according to The Bamboo Bike Project, is a key element in realizing the project's potential for sustainability. The manufacture of a bamboo frame requires very little in terms of equipment and resources relative to other bikes.

After the initial visit to Accra, Ghana, the project will undergo a testing phase the Earth Institute at Columbia University's Millennium Villages.

I had heard of the bamboo bicycle around town. I was a little skeptical. Then I came across the Calfee Design booth at this year's Sea Otter Classic bicycle race-cum-festival held in April in Monterey, CA. Bike frame builder Craig Calfee’s line of strong and efficient bamboo rides handily stole the show.

The award-winning frame is made of smoked and heat treated bamboo with either hemp or carbon fiber lugs. It comes in a variety of standard models as well as a custom option. According to the company’s website, this bike has easily the smallest carbon footprint of any on the market. Aside from its environmental advantages, a spin around the maze of vendor booths proved that ultra-light bamboo a winner in terms of performance as well.

Image of the Steerhorn Bamboo Bike provided by Calfee Design.

Spreading the writing seed with the flair of a well-heeled pirate, link to the San Francisco branch of the McSweeney's-affiliated non-profit, 826 Valencia here. The SF chapter features a David Byrne-endorsed pirate supply store. Across Valencia Street is another McSweeney's affiliate, Little Otsu publishing. Other 826 locations are in Boston, Chicago, LA, Ann Arbor and Seattle.

This March, San Francisco passed a measure to ban the use of plastic shopping bags in large groceries and pharmacies, making it the first U.S. city to take such action. The city joins Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Africa, Zanzibar, areas throughout Europe and other regions that ban or impose fees on the use of plastic bags.

Opponents of the ban claim that alternatives to the petroleum-based bag are no improvement, citing the high cost of corn starch-based bags and other biodegradables, and the environmental impact of producing paper bags. Getting people to reuse their bags – the obvious alternative – faces the old and unpopular challenge of changing culture.

Here we see a golden opportunity for good design.

What will replace this ubiquitous part of life? How can design intervene to provide a functional and sustainable alternative to the use and disposal of plastic bags?