Top 20 Trends of the Week

Brutally Realistc Fightography

20. Sustainable Fitness Centers

Jean Marc Rivet is a French architect who I believe has built the fitness center of the future. His French gymnasium boasts several eco-friendly innovations designed to cut down on the typically ravenous power consumption of modern-day athletic facilities.

Jean Marc Rivet’s structure incorporates rooftop gardens to aid in insulation, while a large skylight provides light during the day. Photovoltaic cells store the sun’s energy during the day and use it to provide illumination after dark.

Sustainable Fitness CentersSustainable Fitness Centers19. Stunning Satellite Art

‘Earth as Art’ is a stunning collection of photos created by the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS took satellite photographs taken all over the planet and added color to them to create some truly stunning images.

From the desert to the Arctic, almost no corner of the planet is left untouched in ‘Earth as Art’. These photos really help you appreciate just how beautiful and enormous our planet really is.

Stunning Satellite ArtStunning Satellite Art18. Knockoff Art Exhibits

Mitsuhiro Okamoto is a Japanese artist behind ‘Batta Mon’ a new exhibit in the Kobe Fashion Museum that examines the relationship between knockoff and luxury fashion bags.

Mitsuhiro Okamoto constructed several locusts out of knockoff handbags each featuring a famous fashion label. I’m not the biggest art or fashion guy, but even I have no trouble appreciating an original and creative work of art when I see it. Check out Mitsuhiro Okamoto’s ‘Batta Mon’ in the featured gallery.

Knockoff Art Exhibits

Knockoff Art Exhibits17. Anorexic Twin Towers

The island nation of Taiwan has become a hotbed for innovative architecture, with the Taiwan Towers as no exception. These twin towers were designed by Steven Ma, San Liu, Xinyu Wan and Emre Icdem to be super-slim eco-friendly skyscrapers, showing off Taiwan’s past, present, and future.

Anorexic Twin TowersAnorexic Twin Towers16. Miami Vice Court Kicks

The Nike Lebron South Beach is perhaps the best thing to come from Lebron James’ decision to “take his talents to Miami.” The eagerly anticipated shoe is set for release today and features the unique ‘Miami’ colorway.

The Nike Lebron South Beach has a turquoise body with pink accents along the tongue and eyelets. James’ new shoe is perfect for his new surroundings with its flashy colors and signature design.

Miami Vice Court KicksMiami Vice Court Kicks15. Alien Construction Equipment

If humans ever do decide to move explore new worlds to live on, they’d better take the Rapid Clearance Concept Vehicle with them. This vehicle from designer Vil Tsimenzin was designed to help interstellar explorers quickly clear land for human settlements.

The Na’vi wouldn’t stand a chance against the Rapid Clearance Concept Vehicle.

Alien Construction EquipmentAlien Construction Equipment14. Pop-Up Puppy Eateries

Londoners now have a new place to drop off their dogs for a day as Lily’s Kitchen has just opened. Lily’s Kitchen is a pop-up restaurant created by the pet food brand of the same name that specializes in organic pet food.

The staff at Lily’s Kitchen will wait on your dog hand and foot, providing services such as story readings and holistic veterinarian treatment.

Pop-Up Puppy EateriesPop-Up Puppy Eateries13. Intense Techy Keyboards

The Razer Nostromo Keypad is designed for the small subset of gamers that would classify themselves as “hardcore.” These are the people who run off of microwaved hot pockets and energy drinks due to convenience and an urge to stay up and game.

The Razer Nostromo Keypad has a unique design that allows it to save space and increase efficiency. With only 16 keys, the Razer Nostromo Keypad can be mapped to fit specific games.

Intense Techy KeyboardsIntense Techy Keyboards12. Sustainable Prism Apartments

The ‘Pyramid Project’ is a unique concept for a sustainable housing complex to be built by LAR in the Mexican city of Merida. The city of Merida is on the Yucatan Peninsula, home of the ancient Mayan civilization.

The ‘Pyramid Project’ would be constructed just like an ancient Mayan pyramid, complete with modern, eco-friendly amenities.

Sustainable Prism ApartmentsSustainable Prism Apartments11. Origami-Inspired Architecture

Coll-Barreau Arquitectos has designed what has to be one of the most beautiful bureaucratic buildings ever. The Health Department building in the town of Bilbao, Spain was designed to be aesthetically pleasing while meeting the city’s strict building code.

Origami-Inspired ArchitectureOrigami-Inspired Architecture10. Glass-Roofed Eco Sedans

Nissan is attempting to completely reinvent the sedan market with the new Nissan Ellure concept car. This concept sedan features a slew of design innovations created to make driving a four-door as cool as it is driving a coupe.

The Nissan Ellure sports a hybrid motor and a unique glass roof that is sure to steal the show wherever it goes. The exterior is covered in smooth and soft eco-materials designed to appeal to today’s greener consumer. No word yet on when or if the Nissan Ellure will make it to the market, so for now you’ll just have to check it out in the featured gallery.

Glass-Roofed Eco SedansGlass-Roofed Eco Sedans9. Abstract Shoelace Art

Most people don’t see shoelaces as art, but Colombian artist Federico Uribe is not most people. Federico Uribe has created stunning works of abstract art using hundreds of colored shoelaces.

That’s right, all of the astounding images you see above are made with shoelaces.

Abstract Shoelace ArtAbstract Shoelace Art8. Futuristic Nature Watches

If you’re sick of high-tech watches that resemble cell phones more than anything else, then you need to take a gander at the Saat55 Watch. This watch was designed by Fatih Baltas as an escape from today’s tech-heavy and lavish watches.

Baltas designed the Saat Watch to have a soft feel and organic form that brings wearers back to the basics. The minimalist design is evident in the Saat Watch, as numbers and markings are nowhere to be found. Get back to nature the easy way by checking out the Saat Watch above.

Futuristic Nature WatchesFuturistic Nature Watches7. Battling Baboon Shots

I almost forgot how awesome a magazine National Geographic was until I saw these entries for the 2010 National Geographic Photography Competition. The magazine’s annual photography competition features pictures from photographers around the world falling into the categories of people, places and nature.

Battling Baboon ShotsBattling Baboon Shots6. Cliff-Clinging Treehouses

Artur Nesterenko’s ‘The Sanctuary’ is one of the most baddass treehouses that I have seen in some time. ‘The Sanctuary’ is designed after the Ora tree, a sacred Banyan Tree in French Polynesia.

Artur Nesterenko takes the whole treehouse living concept and flips it on its head. Today’s treehouses are designed to be easily accessible and comfortable. Artur Nesterenko deviates from that design by putting ‘The Sanctuary’ on the side of a cliff and making people find their own path to it.

Cliff-Clinging TreehousesCliff-Clinging Treehouses5. Queer Coffins

German funeral directors will soon start selling ‘Gay Coffins’ targeted specifically at homosexual men. The coffins will be decorated with a posh, plush interior and feature homoerotic artwork on the outside.

I honestly didn’t know what to think when I first heard about these Gay Coffins. The designers Mike Konigsfeld and Tom Brandl are a gay couple who say that the coffins will tap into the spending power of other gay couples.

Queer Coffins4.  Exclusive Designer Autos

Male fashion fiends are going to lose their minds when they find out about the new Bijan Rolls-Royce. Ultra-luxury fashion designer Bijan Pakzad has teamed up with Rolls-Royce to create 30 signature Phantoms, each bearing the Bijan touch.

The Bijan Rolls-Royce will not be available for public purchase; instead, the custom Phantoms will be available to a select list featuring the world’s most powerful people in 20 different countries. I can safely say that I have never wanted to be president more than I do right now.

Exclusive Designer AutosExclusive Designer Autos3. Internet-Inspired Notepads

If the Interface Website Notepad isn’t a sign of changing times, then I don’t know what is. This notepad was designed specifically to look like a website to appeal to the masses who’d rather take digital notes than written ones.

The Interface Website Notepad has one page filled with sticky notes of varying sizes while the rest of the pages are left blank. You can play with your planner’s design to find the setup that works best.

Internet-Inspired NotepadsInternet-Inspired Notepads2. Brutally Realistc Fightography

If fighting is your thing then you need to check out ‘Fight’ from Cynthia Lara. This small photo series contains brutally realistic photos that show just how violent and chaotic a street fight can be.

I really like ‘Fight’ from Cynthia Lara because it doesn’t try to dress up or glamorize a fist fight. The photos seems to be almost untouched and the subjects look as if they are truly trying to kill one another.

Brutally Realistc FightographyBrutally Realistc Fightography1. Nerdy Love Blogs

I thought I was a big fan of Star Wars until I saw the ‘Red and Jonny’ blog. This Tumblr blog captures young couple Red and Jonny living their lives and going about their daily business…as stormtroopers.

The Red and Jonny blog is incredibly geeky and romantic at the same time. The couple does everything a normal couple would such as dancing, getting married and picnicking, all while wearing stormtrooper helmets.

Nerdy Love BlogsNerdy Love BlogsRead more on: TrendHunter.com