From a cult game on the mobile phone to theme park, who would have thought that Angry Birds could get so big, so fast?

The first – yes, there may be more – authorised angry Birds theme park has opened in Finland, designed by the gang who made the game. Don’t be surprised if there’s one here, Stateside in the coming years. After all, a TV series is in the works.

Angry Birds Land mimics the game that has been downloaded more than 500 million times, featuring some…

…recognizable features from the games across 12 rides, Angry Birds wandering around the park and character-based food outlets [Crushed Pig, anyone?]

Park Manager Miikka Seppala commented: “The opening of Angry Birds Land in Sarkanniemi is a really big deal for us. The theme and design of Angry Birds is internationally renowned, so we are delighted to welcome visitors from around the globe to experience the product for themselves.”

Sadly, the park does not allow visitors to launch real birds from catapults at cute pigs or mischievous monkeys.

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The first gold medal of the London 2012 Olympics has gone to the, er….Olympic Torch?

That’s right, the Olympic Torch designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby has clinched Design of the Year from London’s prestigious Design Museum

The overall winner was chosen from 89 entries to claim the winning title and, somewhat surprisingly, it beat out the 2012 Olympic Velodrome in London for the overall award. The stunning Velodrome which Funktion covered here [London Unveils Sweeping Olympic Velodrome] – did scoop the Architecture Award though.

The judges agreed that the Torch is ….

“not only a beautiful symbol of the Olympic Games but it also meets a demanding design brief”. Made from aluminium, the torchwill have to be tough enough to be carried over 8,000 miles and is perforated with 8,000 circular holes, each representing a bearer who will run with the torch. Decoration aside, the holes also act to reduce the weight of the torch and prevent heat from the flame being conducted to the bearer’s hand.

Deyan Sudjic Director of the Design Museum said of the winning entry “Nothing is harder to get right than designing for the Olympics. The lightness and simplicity of Barber Osgerby’s London 2012 Olympic Torch does just that. The torch not only captures the spirit of London as Olympic host city but also demonstrates how design can celebrate traditional ideas in a modern way”.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, added: ‘The Torch is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Olympic Games and we are thrilled that our design has won this prestigious title”.

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They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure but this villa constructed in Rome entirely out of trash really is something else.

Constructed by 24 students as part of the RE-cycle exhibition in Rome, the OFFICINA ROMA is made from stuff discarded by others, ranging from old oil barrels and car doors to window frames and bottles.

There’s a kitchen entirely built from old bottles, a bedroom featuring walls made from car doors and the workshop using wooden windows and old furniture with a ceiling made of oil barrels.

It may not be the prettiest thing you will everyday see but I’m a big fan of the curving glass walls and the sheer ingenuity that goes into turning the stuff we throw away every day into something quite unique and practical.

Some more photos after the jump.

[Source]

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We all have dreams of building that extra garden room at the bottom of the garden – that grown-up shed you can retreat to when you need to get out of the house and away from the kids.

Sadly, the time involved, the back breaking labor and the cost – is enough to ensure that the dream remains just a dream. But what if you could – with some help and planning – build a environmentally friendly, energy efficient cottage in just 8 hours?

This was the challenge set by Mandala Homes in British Columbia and the result is their Round Green Home. OK, so the foundation posts are already in place, and the sub-floor and the panels are pre-fabricated but still, to assemble something of this size in 8 hours is some feat.

Check out the time-lapse video below:

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It was a fierce battle among some of the most cutting edge and stunning homes out there but in the end, there could only be one winner of the WAN House of the Year AWARDS 2011.

We covered some of the entrants a few months back [Read: House of the Year 2011] but, from an original field 99 homes, which was whittled down to a long-list of 28 and then again down to a shortlist just 6, followed by a head-t0-head of just 2,  The Complex House in Nagoya, Japan by Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates, was crowned the 2011 winner.

Comments on The Complex House came from David Levitt – one of the judges – as he acknowledged the ‘serious design intent of The Complex House in contrast to The Stone House as a luxurious holiday home’. He added: “Cities are the challenge; 21st-century urbanisation of big cities is the crucial thing to consider.”

Fellow architect and judge, Sarah Wigglesworth, added:….

…“I do think this is a modern interpretation of the classic ‘house’ with its clever grading of areas and outdoor spaces that are still private but mediate between private and public, something it actually does very well, as it allows little glimpses in to the family realm but it doesn’t allow you to see anything you aren’t supposed to. I think this is ingenious.”

More shots below. So, a worthy winner? Check out the shortlist here.

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How do you fit an office into your home/apartment when you don’t have a dedicated room to spare?

Well, you need a transformer office, of course, like this beautifully crafted giant steamship-styled trunk, that hides all your office-y bits like computers and paperclips, and then closes up neatly when it’s not needed.

This retro beauty is Restoration Hardware’s Mayfair Steamer Secretary, designed and made by antiques dealer and furniture maker, Timothy Oulton of London, However, before you go scrambling for your credit card, be aware that it cost a cool…

…$4,000 and there is only one. Sorry. Also, it’s huge. I’ve lived in places smaller than this trunk. See another shot of it at the end of this story.

There are lots of other options however, but sadly many of them are either still concepts, ugly or too expensive.

The most sensible, if somewhat boring looking, is the Scandinavian-inspired Norwegian Desk in a Box. Much cheaper – if a few years old – at around $500. See photo below.

Check out 12 transformer offices here and let us know what you think.

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There’s no doubt that some buildings exert positive vibes, making us feel good while others can induce a sense of dread, depression or claustrophobia.

Take most of the hospitals you’ve ever been to as a good example of buildings designed to make you feel worse, not better.

The idea that structures can heal is explored above by Michael Murphy, the CEO and president of MASS Design Group, who believes that while some structures can make us feel worse, a well-designed building can make us feel better.

Taking it one step further, he encourages designers to use local materials and labor to improve the economies of the communities that the building – in this case hospitals – will serve.

Are there buildings out there that make you feel worse?

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As theme parks goes it’s on top of the heap. Hell, there’s even a place called Dollywood based on singer Dolly Parton but now, the French are planning a new, and strange, twist on the theme park with ‘Napoleonland’.

Based around the famous French general, emperor, sometimes tyrant and military genius – Napoleon Bonaparte – it is the brainchild of former French minister, Yves Jégo.

Unlike other theme parks with parades of cartoon characters played by bored teenagers in giant smelly suits, this one would recreate giant battles featuring hundreds and thousands of extras.

His grand plan is to build the theme park just south of Paris on the site of the Battle of…

…Montereau. There will even be a giant water show to recreate the sea Battle of Trafalgar and, more bizarrely, a ski run through a snow covered battlefield littered with frozen bodies of soldiers and horses and a recreation of Louis XVI being guillotined during the revolution. Ironically, Jego promises it will ‘fun for all the family’. Those wacky French, eh?

All he needs now is permission and the small matter of $285 million.

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What do you get when you cross good urban design with paranoia? Bomb-proof trash cans apparently.

Believe it or not, these cool looking recycling bins have just started being deployed in London’s financial district and yes, they really are bombproof too. With terrorist bombing fears still fresh in the minds of its politicians, the Renew bins are the first to be deployed since London removed its cast iron bins a few years ago.

The bins’ armor has been tested in the deserts of New Mexico but it’s not the only feature of this $47,000 litter box. More photos after the jump.

You read correctly, each of the 25 bins cost a cool, recession-proof $47,000.

Each bin also comes with two large LCD displays showing news, adverts, financial information, and weather reports. They also offer Wi-Fi.

Good idea or waste of money? You decide. Another photo below.

[Treehugger]

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Yes, it’s an odd headline but it’s actually the name of a very interesting and well-received documentary about the architectural works of Sir Norman Foster.

Referred to by one reviewer as the ‘Mozart of Modernism’ the documentary ‘How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?’, by First Run Features, has been winning rave reviews from the press in Europe and the US.

Check out the trailer above.

The makers describe the film as “a portrait of one….

….of the world’s premier architects, How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? follows Norman Foster’s unending quest to improve the quality of life through design. By investigating his origins to how his dreams and influences inspired the design of emblematic projects such as the world’s largest building to its tallest bridge, Foster offers some striking solutions to humanity’s increasing demand on urban centers”.

For anyone with an interest in architecture, this is the perfect place to start checking out the stunning works of one of finest architects of the modern age. As one reviewer puts it:

“Elegant and stylish. This rich, revealing documentary about world-renowned, prolific British architect Norman Foster — as productive and creative as he is inspirational — could attract legions of young people to the profession just as it enlightens older “civilians” to the beauty and function of architecture in a new, more demanding century. The true poetic beauty of the film comes across most strikingly by way of screen time given to many of his hundreds of projects—huge and small structures spread across the globe.”

-Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal

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