Integrated Bird Houses

Some people consider city birds disastrous when it comes to their homes. The birds are especially unwanted when they accommodate at attics, making holes into wall insulation, and under roof tiles. We could install some traditional wooden bird houses in our garden, on trees or social housing for birds at other places in the city. Recently we stumbled upon even more esthetical, yet subtle solutions: bird house roof tiles. These tiles consist of terracotta with a bird house perched on top where the bird can nest in.

Another design we saw last week at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven is called Bird Bricks: built-in, customized nests for endangered species like the house martin, spotted flycatcher and the house sparrow. The bricks are set into the walls during construction and meet all requirements of building regulations. And according to Fanny Hofstra, the designer of the Bird Bricks, city birds will return every year once they nest somewhere into the walls and their young will take over when they grow up.

This article belongs to our Dutch Design Week 2011 series, in which we showcase ten great designs spotted at the Design Academy’s graduation show.

PUC × Dutch Design Week

In October of each year, the Dutch Design Week takes place in Eindhoven. The biggest design event in Northern Europe presents work and ideas of more than 2,600 designers. In more than 110 locations across the city, DDW organizes and facilitates exhibitions, lectures, prize ceremonies, networking events, debates and festivities.

Step Into VRcation And Escape Reality

Eindhoven Design Academy graduate Emma Verhoeven has designed VRcation, a fictitious travel agency offering virtual package-deal vacations.

Trash And Treasure The Game

Eindhoven Design Academy graduate Wouter Vastenow has designed The ‘De Afvalbank’ or ‘The Waste Bench’, looking at how cleaning up the streets can be changed from a chore to an inviting game.

Bike Design For The Urban Nomad

A group a nine master students presented their City Bike concept at this year's Design Academy graduation show, part of this year's Dutch Design Week. The concept combines a mobile workspace with the Dutch cargo bike. This means that 'urban nomads' no longer have to use their bike to get to their favorite workplace, but their bike becomes a workplace in itself. The cargo part of the bicycle can be transformed into a desk to work on with your laptop. Not bothered with colleagues or loud speaking coffee drinkers, this could be the ultimate form of mobile workplaces...