Sustainability News
Mercury News: Scientists team with art designers to restore Año Nuevo Island, a place where animals reign supreme
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, by Allison Byers
On a tiny, windswept island off the San Mateo County coast, a team of scientists and art designers has engineered a creative solution to give mating seabirds a boost: ceramic "love shacks."
These handcrafted underground nests are one piece of the Año Nuevo Island Restoration Project, a unique collaboration between scientists and artists that hopes to reverse some of the human damage done to the island since the 1800s.
Source4Style Tags CCA's Fashion Design Program Among "Top 10 Sustainable Design Universities"
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012, by Jim Norrena
Source4Style, an online marketplace for trendsetting designers who seek cutting-edge materials for their design needs, called out CCA's Fashion Design Program as an innovative leader in the sustainability movement, ranking the college's design program fourth in its "Top 10 Sustainable Design Universities" December post!
Read the rest >>>San Francisco Bay Guardian: Looks good off paper
Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, by Allison Byers
CAREERS AND EDUCATION: Innovative degree programs for Bay Area changemakers
According to the Princeton Review, that bicep-straining tome of college rankings responsible for many a young adult's breakdown, most of the perennially popular majors (psychology, economics, communications, political science) are still alive and kicking. But plenty of alternative, even radical fields of study are blossoming that meld academic inquiry with tangible work towards change.
CCA Faculty and Visiting Artists Dominate "Landscape Futures" Exhibition at Nevada Museum of Art
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, by Jim Norrena
In the landmark exhibition Landscape Futures: Instruments, Devices, and Architectural Interventions new work by Architecture associate professor David Gissen and Architecture visiting faculty members Mason White and Lola Sheppard (333: Architecture Summer Studio) is currently on display through February 18 at the Center for Art and Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno.
Read the rest >>>Bridging Welding and Architecture Careers, CCA Student Vonnie Bower Reaches New Heights
Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011, by Jim Norrena
Architecture student Vonnie Bower was recently featured in a San Francisco Chronicle article (“Welder gets her chance of a lifetime on Bay Bridge,” by Edward Guthman) that highlighted the experienced welder and pile driver for her work in the rebuilding of the eastern span of the Bay Bridge, a dream-come-true opportunity for countless persons -- male and female alike – in and out of the construction industry.
Read the rest >>>Lucas Ainsworth: Industrial Strength
Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2011, by Samantha Braman
What do Delphi Optics (special wilderness goggles that use satellite info to provide specific information about your surroundings), Jungle Walkers (100 percent sustainable cardboard puzzle animals), and the Snowkite (a kite that pulls you across snowy slopes) all have in common? They're all the brainchildren of alumnus Lucas Ainsworth (Industrial Design 2010), and they're all in one way or another expressions of Ainsworth's passion for the outdoors.
Before he came to CCA's Industrial Design Program, Ainsworth studied environmental science at UC Davis. "I always intrinsically loved design, but I was never exposed to it growing up. I thought products were designed by mechanical engineers. Then, during my time at UC Davis I was a whitewater guide in their outdoor program on weekends. The guy who runs the program was a designer at Black Diamond, and he used to tell stories about designing and testing outdoor gear. After graduating and working for a few years, I called him up and asked what it takes to be a designer at Black Diamond. He introduced me to the field of industrial design and said, basically, 'Your only chance is to get into a top-notch design school and rock it.'"
While at CCA, Ainsworth developed and marketed all kinds of products, from toys to high-end electronic devices. It was in Jay Baldwin's Industrial Design 1 class that he conceived the Jungle Walker, an environmentally conscious toy elephant made of cardboard that, when assembled, walks and moves its head with surprising realism.
Read the rest >>>The Atlantic: Fuseproject's Yves Béhar on the Importance of Affordable Design
Posted on Monday, December 5, 2011, by Allison Byers
Yves Béhar founded and manages the California-based design firm fuseproject. The company, which has a team of around forty people, received the INDEX award for their innovative approach to socially-responsible design in "See Better to Learn Better," an initiative that provides free customizable eyeglasses to needy students in Mexico.
Read the rest >>>RTCC: Video Interview: Art and climate change, Christine Metzger
Posted on Friday, December 2, 2011, by Allison Byers
Arts and design – and climate change? An unusual combination, but one that Christine Metzger, assistant professor at California College of the Arts, argues is important.
Read the rest >>>With a Steady Grip on the Handlebars, CCA Holds Its Own at the Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Design Challenge
Posted on Monday, November 28, 2011, by Allison Byers
There’s no denying it: Bicycles are super cool. They offer cheap and sustainable transportation while looking great. But when was the last time you tried to ride your bike and carry your portfolio? A box? Your groceries? It’s not easy. Your sleek street bike doesn’t really measure up when it comes to transporting anything besides you.
Enter Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Design Challenge. Begun as the search for the ultimate utility bike for modern living, Oregon Manifest has become a one-of-a-kind design-build competition for some of the country’s best custom-bike craftspeople. As bicycle culture swells, there is a growing need for a utility bike that can truly integrate seamlessly into everyday life.
Read the rest >>>Biodynamic Structures Workshop a Big Draw for International Architects and Students
Posted on Monday, November 7, 2011, by Jim Norrena
For a second year in a row California College of the Arts hosted the summer Biodynamic Structures architecture workshop. The annual two-week intensive workshop, which took place July 11-22 on the San Francisco campus, is made possible through the Visiting School Program of the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in London.
Read the rest >>>