Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Temporary Plastic Bubble House Reflects Classic Glass Home

Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT

alex schweder performance architecture transparent plastic bubble

Philip Johnson’s Glass House has long been a highly admired piece of American architecture, but until now it has been admired on its own without the consideration of additional surrounding architecture. Artist Alex Schweder wanted to do his part to help the public see the Glass House in a new light, so he created a companion piece to the iconic glass-walled home.

raised bubble house performance architecture

transparent bubble house

Schweder’s work is called “Rehearsal Space,” and it too features transparent walls. The room is a plastic bubble that is lifted 22 feet off of the ground by a scissor lift attached to a van. An electrical cord runs from the Glass House to the Rehearsal Space. All in all, this little plastic bubble is somewhat of a mobile living unit.

philip johnson glass house

rehearsal space inflatable bubble house

For ten days, Schweder lived alone in his bubble and studied Philip Johnson’s own writings. The goal of the display, according to the artist, was to encourage viewers to consider the issues of exposure and intimacy, two elements that are in constant opposition in our daily lives.

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Elevating Bathtub: Accessible Tub has Neat Slide-Up Sides

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT

accessible bathtub design

Stepping over the side of a bathtub sounds like the easiest thing in the world to someone who has a full range of mobility, but for those with somewhat less flexibility, it can be tricky or even downright dangerous.

accessible shower bath

Hence the award-winning Elevated Bathtub by Zhang Jiangpeng & Zou Tao, the body of which slides up and out of the way so you can walk right into the center of the bathing area to enjoy a bath.

accessible mobile bath

Alternatively, users can leave the sides up entirely to take a shower, in which case the elevated enclosure serves as a water shield to keep the spray from spreading around the room.

accessible tub specs

A simple wall-mounted LED display is easy to access from a sitting or standing position for enhanced usability, and utilizes universal symbols to engage different modes and select between temperatures.

accessible tub closeup

The concept is certainly neat, but the question remains: how long does it take to drain? Waiting for a while after you are done with your bath could be a bit of a downer if you are in any kind of a hurry.