the heavy snail-shaped door stopper shown in the picture below has an important function in this design office: without it, the door will automatically get shut.


mark from experientia explains that it is a typical traditional door design in turin / torino, italy, quite suitable for the cold winter.


energy-efficient traditional designs fascinates me. in light of the approaching energy crisis, i hope we will revive lots of local wisdoms. furthermore i hope we will make more use of other localities’ wisdoms that suit our own culture and environment. the picture below is the interior of a riad in marrakech, morocco. the center of the house is a huge open space, and rooms are with loft-style high ceilings to keep the air cool indoors.


the alleyways in the residential areas of marrakech are covered by buildings and therefore kept pleasant temperature even when the sun is shining blazingly hot.


below is a passage leading to guest rooms in hotel lingotto in turin, italy, designed by renzo piano. looking at photos from earlier trips - i am quite behind with my postings but looking forward to catching up as my carbon footprints become lower in november.


the conference that brought me to turin (torino), italy left me with lots of thought-provoking experience, one of them being the death of my close family members. furthermore, spending time with friends and inspiring thought leaders like mark, elizabeth, adam, nicholas, jeffrey, and bruce+yasmina marked my last summer. my special thanks goes to mark who was an exceptional host for all the visitors.