The landscape hotel category was virtually invented by the Juvet and the Norwegian architectural firm that designed it, Jensen & Skodvin. The idea was to create a hotel that’s minimalist in design, that blends into its environment and that offers amenities oriented outwards towards the surrounding nature.

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Shipping containers can be stacked and arranged into all manner of cool buildings. They’ve been fashioned into a shipping container amphitheater. They’ve been melded into a shipping container office park. Outside of Seattle, you can even order an extra-hot half-caf double-tall non-fat extra-dry cappuccino from a shipping container Starbucks.

The problem is: all the world’s shipping container buildings aren’t near enough to make use of the estimated 800,000 containers that are abandon by shipping companies every year. Which is why Spot Cool Stuff was thrilled to learn about the ECOntainer, the world’s first bridge to be constructed out of used shipping containers.

The ECOntainer, to be located in Israel’s Ariel Sharon Park, is the design work of Tel Aviv-based Yoav Messer Architects. Their bridge envisions taking 28 used shipping containers and laying them two-aside, end-to-end, to create a 160 meter span. The bridge will include observation decks and museum-like environmental exhibits. For those reasons, most visitors will be crossing the ECOntainer by foot, though the bridge will also be used by bicyclists and the park’s shuttle bus.

By using shipping containers as their primary material, the designers greatly reduced the cost compared to factory-ordered metal. They also limited the impact of the actual construction process — the modular nature of shipping containers allows for 70% of the bridge’s construction to be completed off-site.

But the most important reason for this particular bridge upcycling shipping containers might be symbolic. Ariel Sharon Park, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv near Ben Gurion International Airport, sits on what was once Israel’s largest garbage dump! Since 2001, local authorities have been working on transforming Israel’s greatest environmental eyesore into one of the country’s most beautiful natural areas. Already completed is the Hiriya, a 60-meter high flat-top mound (pictured to the right). From the top one can gaze out, Moses-like, upon the Mediterranean Sea and the Mountains of Judea (and the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv, which as a vista, we suppose, isn’t so Moses-like). The view is spectacular enough to make you forget that you are standing on 25 million tons of trash.

Using old shipping containers to build a bridge, then, fits into the park’s mission of eco-rehabilitation. In addition to the bridge, Ariel Sharon Park will include gardens, bicycle paths, a bird watching preserve, an agricultural school, an environmental education center, boardwalks, cafés and 50,000-seat amphitheater. When completed, it will be the largest urban park in the world  — more than three times larger than Central Park in New York City. It’s enough to make you never look at trash in the same way again.

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Related posts on Spot Cool Stuff:

Cool Gifts For Lovers of Architecture Enthusiasts
Malaysia’s Langkawi Sky Bridge
The Bridge That’s Also a Trench
The Building That Sings in the Rain
Pitch Dark Restaurants ← one’s in Israel
Yurt Glamping at the Treebones Resort
Creative Upcycled Products For Your Home

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Floppytable

Neulant van Exel

Computers no longer use floppy disks. But hat relic of desktops past lives on in the form of the Floppytable. It’s 27.5 inches wide, or 24 inches wider than the disk it is based on. It’s also very much not made of plastic. The Berlin-based design firm of Neulant van Exel constructs Floppytables out of welded stainless and hot-rolled steel. Though the table’s coolest feature is one borrowed directly from the design of the original floppy: The metal shutter can put pulled back to reveal a secret compartment. See it in action in the animated GIF, below^†.

Price: €700

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^†  You may need to wait a while for the animated GIF — the 2nd photo below — to begin. If that doesn’t work please try reloading this page. Our apologies. Much like the floppy disk itself, animated GIF technology is a bit outdated.

Star Wars R2-D2 Folding Armchair

ThinkGeek

Poor R2-D2. The lovable beeping droid from Star Wars, once tasked with delivering messages for the Rebel Alliance and keeping the blueprints of the Death Star safe, has now been reduced to holding up your butt as, literally, a piece of lawn furniture. But at least he’s doing it in style. If you’re going to a picnic absolutely nothing could say “geek” more than showing up in an R2-D2 Folding Armchair. And, unlike the other geeky furniture options in this review, you won’t have to sell a C3PO’s worth of scrap metal to pay for it.

Price: $39

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(Also on Spot Cool Stuff: Stay in the Star Wars Hotel That Was Luke Skywalker’s Home)

Space Invader’s Couch

Igor Chak

Spot Cool Stuff’s first serious video game addiction came playing Space Invaders. It left quite an impression. So we could never have a Space Invader’s Couch, least we start panicking about rows of couches marching down in neat rows to attack us. But if you don’t suffer from that particular trauma — and have an extra five grand laying around — you can snag one of a limited number of these couches available from Russian-born, Japan-influenced and currently Seattle-based artist Igor Chak. Each features memory foam cushions and a secret compartment for beer. (Each couch, that is, not each Igor Chak).

Price: $5,000

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Nintendo Controller Coffee Table

Bohemian Workbench Etsy Store

This Nintendo Controller Coffee Table is made from maple, mahogany and walnut, so you might dismiss it as nothing more than an expensive piece of geek-inspired art. But here’s the cool thing about it: Remove the glass top and the table functions as a real game controller! For a real Nintendo, we mean, not a giant wooden Nintendo. See it in action in the video, below.

Price: $3,700

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Star Trek TOS Captain’s Chair

Roddenberry Shop

Here’s a piece of furniture that can take you were none has before: Captain Kirk’s command chair from Star Trek. No, it isn’t the exact chair from which William Shatner guided The Enterprise^‡. But it is a perfectly-to-scale replica, complete with all the switches, communications speakers and lights of the original.

If you girlfriend won’t let you get one . . . though, who are we kidding? If you are considering buying this thing you don’t have a girlfriend. But if the price for this replica chair is, um, a bridge too far, you can get an inflatable version for about $5,950 less.

Price: 6,000 for your Earth dollars

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^‡  That chair was sold in a 2002 auction for over US$300,000.

More from Spot Cool Stuff:

The Best, Creative Dresses for Children
Gaiam’s Balance Ball Chair
Furniture That’s Also a Musical Instrument

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In this particular case, the door is opened using a remote control.

Some of the materials used to build this door include:

• A standard fiberglass exterior door.
• Red cedar (which won’t rot and is lighter than pressure treated wood). Three 2x4s, ripped to 3″ to form a frame to offset the siding. Those are mounted to the door using 3″ lag screws and fender washers.
• HardiPlank siding.
• A Morning Industry keypad and remote deadbolt.
• A Ball Catch to hold the door shut without needing a turn-able doorknob.
• Two Richelieu 1-1/2-in x 1-1/2-in satin nickel surface cabinet hinges.
• A hose bib — used as as the exterior door handle; no working plumbing is connected to it.
• An Interior doorknob — used for pulling the door open but doesn’t actually latch.

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Install a Trap Door Wine Cellar
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Spot Cool Stuff has been busy lately researching this exact question. We’ve been testing more than two dozen pairs of flip-flops across several categories. But there’s one model we are already certain will make our final cut: the Sazzi Decimal Sandal.

One needn’t look at a Sazzi Decimal for more an instant to spot its two most pronounced features: the four toe posts and the footbed with individual toe cutouts.

The split toe footbed allows each toe have its own suspension and thus grip a surface akin to the way a bare foot does. The toes don’t move individually as much as they would inside a pair of Injinji Toesocks, for example, or even as they would in a Five Fingers shoe, but you can definitely notice a difference compared to your typical sandal. The added lateral stability is noticeable when walking across uneven surfaces.

The four toe posts are more of a mixed blessing. They definitely help keep your foot properly on the sandal. They also make it more difficult to slip the Decimal on and off. The first few times we put it on we had to use our hands to adjust the toes just-so. Though, now that we’ve had some practice we can (usually) slide into our Decimals semi-easily.

So, the footbed and multiple toe posts are Sazzi Decimal’s most photogenic features. But equally as important is this: The Decimal is extremely well made. The construction is not at all like a typical flip-flop. The build quality of the Decimal more compatible to that of a good shoe (and, at $80 a pair, the price is similar too).

The graphic to the right gives a sense of how each Decimal is made. The components, all of which use 100% recyclable material, include:

A) V-strap with a welded seam for performance and comfort.

B) Anti-microbial top sole with a 5mm soft drop.

C) Cushioning in the mid-sole.

D) 2mm DuraShank, which adds stability and resilience.

E) Non-marking triple density out-sole.

All that adds up to the Sazzi Decimal Sandal being one comfortable, durable piece of footwear. Though the Decimals won’t make you forget about a good pair of running shoes, you can go jogging in them. Hiking while wearing the Decimals is a delight — there’s absolutely no other pair of flip-flops we’d rather walk up a mountain in.

For our full review of the best travel flip-flops, join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or check in regularly with our travel blog.

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Barefoot Running Shoes
The Best Socks For Travel (and Everyday Life Too)
Columbia’s Powerdrain Shoe Technology

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1) The proper equipment. If you don’t have that already you can hire tools here.

2) A sufficient quality of whatever material you are working in.

3) Inspiration.

To help out with the third item on that list, we’ve found three examples of chairs made from upcycled materials: skis, jeans and traffic signs.

Skis

Usually when a ski gets retired, that’s a result of the skis edges becoming dull, its bottom getting overly scratched up, its sibling ski getting lost or destroyed or, more likely, its trend-seeking owner simply deciding to get a newer pair. Used, discarded skis are almost always structurally sound — and thus almost always a perfect material for making a chair out of. That’s because skis are designed to withstand heavy forces while also being somewhat flexible, especially towards the front and rear.

The most common type of chair upcycled from skis is an Adirondack style (pic, below) that uses a wood frame. But you can also make other styles of chairs (like the one to the right) using virtually nothing but skis.

Tools typically required: Circular saw with a metal-cutting carbide blade, drill, handsaw or band saw, screwdriver.

Jeans

As long as their denim isn’t worn thin (as regularly happens at the knees but not around the thighs and shins), old jeans can easily be reincarnated as cool chairs. In fact, old jeans that have acquired a visually-interesting patina as they’ve aged can make for better chairs than purposely-bought new denim can.

The regular method of making a worn denim chair is to choose another material for the frame. In the pic below, the chair maker started with a steel frame, draping sewed patches of cotton-stuffed denim between the front and back steel bars. If you want to make a chair entirely out of reclaimed materials, check out these instructions for a chair made from denim, cardboard, junk mail and empty soup cans!

Tools typically required: Saw, hot glue gun, heavy scissors, sewing machine.

Traffic Signs

If you hope to make a super-comfortable chair in a relatively short amount of time, DO NOT ENTER the world of traffic sign chair making. Chairs made from traffic signs, while not necessarily uncomfortable, are not the stuff of lounging around and watching movies either. And, being constructed of metal, you’ll need some skills in blacksmithing, welding and riveting — or an eagerness to learn them.

That said, there’s something undeniably cool about a traffic sign chair. They also make for superb outdoor furniture. After all, their heavy-gauge aluminum and steel material is designed to be rust-proof and to otherwise withstand the forces of nature.

Please note that there are several stores — brick and mortar as well as online — that sell used traffic signs. Don’t go out and, um, creatively acquire your own.

Tools typically required: A variety of metalworking, welding and riveting tools, including a skiving machine, cold saw, punch press, jigsaw and counterbore.

Elsewhere on Spot Cool Stuff:

3 Unusual, Upcycled Roofing Materials
Hipcycle’s Best Selling Upcycled Home Products
Used Whiskey Barrels as Home Flooring

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With that in mind, here’s our roundup of seven inexpensive—and one not-so-much—gifts for architecture enthusiasts. For this review we specifically excluded architecture magazines and books (of which there are a huge and excellent variety to choose from). We also nixed items used by working architects in their craft, like drafting tables or home design software.

Floorplan Pattern Dishes & Mugs

The Floorplan Collection, from the cool and abstractly-named design outlet shop Fishs Eddy, provide the blueprint for an architecturally-themed eating nook. We’re partial to the coffee mugs and dishwasher/microwave-save serving plates, but the collection also includes napkins, coasters, dish towels and tote bags. Every item in the collection features a black-line drawing of an urban abode, from luxury penthouse to student studios.

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LEGO Architecture Sets

You needn’t be a kid to love the sets in the LEGO Architecture series. Each one includes the plastic building pieces needed to construct one vaguely-to-scale LEGO version of a famous building or structure.

Long-time Spot Cool Stuff fans may remember when we reviewed LEGO’s cool architect-themed series soon after it was introduced. Then there were only two sets available: New York City’s Guggenheim Museum and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Falling Water. Happily, LEGO has come out with several more since, including London Bridge, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building; more LEGO-ized architectural landmarks are on the way.

While a single LEGO Architecture set is fun, having more than one allows you to create strange hybrid buildings, mad scientist-like. An Eiffel Brandenburg Bridge, any one? And, of course, all the pieces included in the LEGO Architecture sets are compatible with all other standard LEGO pieces too. (Tip: You can save money by purchasing an eight building bundle rather than purchasing individual sets separately.)

Also, if you love LEGOs, check out our list of 12 cool LEGO-themed products, including LEGO watches and LEGO wedding rings.

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Cheat Sheet Placemats

The cotton and machine washable Cheat Sheet Placemats would appeal to those who flunked finishing school as well as those with an interest in architecture. The soup spoon goes here, the champagne glass goes there, all layed out on the placemat blueprint-like. €17

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Cafepress Architecture T-Shirts

The online store Cafepress has all sorts of cool printed stuff. No surprise then that the site offers some superbly creative architecture-themed t-shirts. We especially like the Draftsman t-shirt (pictured, right), though the Eat, Sleep, Architecture t-shirt is both more subtle and humorous.

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Zenblocks

Is it a toy? A sculpture? A stress relieving device? A conversation piece? The cool thing about Zenblocks is that they are all of those rolled into one. The blocks, made of sustainably harvested wood, seem as if they were carved at random. In fact, the angles are such that they fit together with surprising ease and variety. Form them into an arch. Stack them one atop another. Arrange them for inspiration—or procrastination. $25

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Moleskine Notebooks

Good, study notebooks surprisingly difficult to find. Triply so when looking for notebooks with pages sans lines. Moleskine Notebooks are the best around. Spot Cool Stuff never travels without one and we know many an artsy type who always have one handy to sketch a scene or jot down an idea. Moleskines are available in a variety of styles and sizes, in both hardcover and paperback. And even if your giftee always has one, a good notebook is something difficult to have too many of.

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May 28th Architecture Watches

Most people who like wearing watches already have one. That makes them a risky gift to choose. But, oh, how cool-looking are the architecture watches from Latvian designer Agni Tilla. At the time of writing there are eight designs to choose from, though old ones go and new ones arrive with some frequency. Best of all, these watches’ quality and WOW-factor far exceed their $39 price.

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Architectonic Menorah

At $1,125 it’s way too expensive for a typical gift, but it was too cool to leave off our architecture gift list. Besides, how many architecturally-themed Hanukkah gifts are there to choose from?

The Architectonic Menorah was designed by architect Richard Meier to both look appealing and carry symbolic meaning. Each pewter candle holder is an abstract representation of a significant time of Jewish hardship, like their expulsion from Egypt or the Nazi holocaust. The menorah is sold by the Jewish Museum, both online and at their New York City location.

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But what if you want a business card that will really make you stand out? And — further — what if you aren’t a graphic designer and if you don’t want these business cards to cost a small fortune? Fortunately, there are a handful of websites where you can create unusual business cards that will wow that potential client or business partner — and do so inexpensively.

Our review of our 6 favorites:

Read the rest on our best websites review blog