Metropolis Magazine - Metropolis Magazine May 2009

­A book on Dieter Rams—now available Stateside—offers an exhaustive overview of the master’s work.

The unusual choice of pine trees turns an urban rooftop into a virtual forest.

As the environmental hazards of plastic become hard to ignore, a new generation of plant-based alternatives is creeping into commercial applications. Now it’s time for designers to take them to the next level.

This year’s competition asked designers to fix our energy addiction, and they responded with an impressive range of ideas that take on one of the most pressing issues of our time.

The collaboration between Pierre Paulin and Ligne Roset appears as tight as the famously taut slipcovers of its stylish seats.

By developing their own projects, Jared Della Valle and Andrew Bernheimer have succeeded in New York without going through the “right” schools or firms. Now, just as the economy collapses around them, they are completing their first two buildings in Manhattan.

A breakout effort by two young Salvadoran designers lends fresh flair to Bernhardt Design’s Global Edition collection.