(Images courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects © Michelle Litvin)

Thanks to the intrepid reporting of Steve Delahoyde, UnBeige’s Man in Chicago, you know almost all there is to know about the Burnham Pavilions. Designed by Zaha Hadid and Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, the two temporary structures were commissioned as part of the centennial celebration of the Plan of Chicago conceived by Daniel Burham and his associates. The pavilions are on view in Millenium Park, but we wanted to offer a closer look to those who can’t make it to the Windy City before they disappear on November 1. First up: Hadid’s space egg, as Steve so brilliantly dubbed it. Hadid and Patrik Schumacher set out to create a 21st-century pavilion (which, by the way, is fully recyclable) that would also reference Burnham’s vision. “The structure is aligned with a diagonal in Burnham’s early 20th century Plan of Chicago,” said Hadid, who pinpointed where the street would fall if extended into Millennium Park. “We then overlay fabric using contemporary 21st-century techniques to generate the fluid, organic form, while the structure is always articulated through the tensioned fabric as a reminder of Burnham’s original ideas.” That’s much easier than she makes it sound.

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Craftstylish contributor Kayte Terry discusses at length how to build a collection of those oh-so-elusive Japanese craft titles. While she says it’s challenging to find them on Amazon, it’s doable. She also suggests searching for a Japanese book store (in Arlington Heights, Ill., there’s Mitsuwa) and searching on etsy. If that doesn’t tickle your crafting fancy, no worries. American publishers are beginning to catch on to the appeal of these neato books. There this upcoming Chronicle tome and this new Stewart Tabori Chang title. If you’re still determined and bound to find something crafty and Japanese, Terry says this blog can provide some pointer even if you don’t speak the language. Once you actually have these books and start using them, this Flickr group can help you.

That’s it for from this guest contributor, Steve Delahoyde will return next week to continue enlightening the masses.

This is Mary Beth Klatt, once again filling in for the intrepid Steve Delahoyde for the rest of the week. While he’s busy doing a Funny Ha Ha reading among other things, this writer is focused on more important things, let getting ready for the 2008 Knitting Olympics. Instead of flexing muscles in the gym, thousands of knitters everywhere are sharpening their knitting needles and replenishing the yarn stash for this challenge of skill, stamina, the thrill of standing on the winner’s stand and saying, “I did it. I won.” This Olympiad of the crafty variety, alas, does not take place in smoggy Beijing, but rather on the Internet. In 2006, it was led by the fearless Yarn Harlot otherwise known as Stephanie Pearl McPhee. We can’t find this year’s rules just yet, but here’s what we found for 2006. And the results. Let this all inspire you to greatness and the gold. Yes, it’s quite within the rules to start swatching now, that’s considered “training.”

Almost a year to the day, Greensburg, Kans. is coming back greener after being virtually wiped out by a tornado that killed 11 people on May 4, 2007. The terrible twister flattened turn-of-the-century brick buildings, stately Victorians, and prairie-style homes.

Now that a water tower and a traffic light have been restored, neighborhoods are coming back to life. Town officials are encouraging returning businesses to install energy-saving lights and rainwater collection systems. ”It will be a stronger, better, greener community,” said Erica Goodman, a newly elected city councilwoman. “I think the green initiative is really what will set Greensburg apart from every other rural community in the United States.”

Forty residences have been constructed to environmentally-friendly specs. They have additional insulation, double-pane windows, and high-efficiency compact-fluorescent lights, according to an Associated Press article. Some structures have larger, south-facing windows to use sunlight for heating and illumination. Returning homeowners are recycling lumber and bricks salvaged from the tornado. A local farm equipment dealership is building a wind turbine to take advantage of the area’s high winds. More are being planned.

Now this writer only hopes the new structures can withstand any future twisters sent Greenburg’s way. By the way, Steve Delahoyde will be returning to this space beginning Monday.

Uh oh. You already know something’s up because I’m not writing in the third person, huh? But I assure you, it’s not you (and it’s not we), it’s me. Exactly two years ago today, Steve and I took the UnBeige reins, and as you may know, two years is practically a lifetime in blog-years. I decided that this was as good a time as any to make a change, a decision that was only slightly influenced by the fact that this is the very same night that Lost returns to television (8/7pm Central).

Over the last two years my life has changed in ways that I can’t begin to explain in what I hope will be a short and sweet post. I’ve traveled all over the country, met my heroes, and hopefully, introduced you to a few worthy people and causes along the way. When I started at UnBeige I was terrified by this big scary design world that, frankly, I didn’t know nearly enough about. Now I look over there at that blogroll and I see a list of my dearest friends.

Thanks to the dearest of all those new friends, Steve Delahoyde, and that’s saying a lot since we have still never met in person. Steve is such an effortlessly funny human being–he is the only person in the world I can count on for a solid laugh at 7am–and I will miss being his partner in crime. But I would never have felt comfortable leaving if it wasn’t for one Stephanie Murg, who has leapt into this role with grace and wit. Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend Keith Scharwath, who provided me with so much support, advice and good tips that thanking him every time would have made it seem like he was writing this blog instead. Thank you to Jen Bekman and Eva Hagberg, who left gigantic, like, size 12EEE shoes to fill. Huge thanks to both Bryn Mooth and Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who recommended me for the gig in the first place. And to Laurel Touby, who has always been a big inspiration to me, but especially when she sold mediabistro.com for $23 million freaking dollars.

Finally, thank you to everyone out there who read this over the years, all 15 of you, even though four of you are my immediate family members and read this blog even though you have no idea what I’m talking about. I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing next (although I’m fairly certain you won’t find me anywhere near a computer for the next week or two), but you can always find out what I’m up to at my personal blog, Gelatobaby. And if you want to be kept abreast of my situation, just drop me a line at getthescoop AT gelatobaby.com. I’m sure we’ll meet again.

Love, Alissa

Hotlanta delivered with a 90-degree day as we made our way to the sizzling little school we used to frequent only a few years ago. As always, the walls were slathered with fine work, the halls buzzed with laughter, Hank Richardson played tennis in a classroom, and students carted boxes of projects in various states of completion up and down the stairs. It was great to be back.

As promised to our incredible audience, we’re posting the links to the many, many people we noted in our presentation who’ve inspired us recently, which also reads like a Best of UnBeige list. Here goes: Steve Delahoyde and the cool kids at Coudal, Dave Werner and his killer portfolio, UnBeige 2006 Crush Ze Frank, Stefan Bucher‘s Daily Monsters, proud parents (of Speak Up and other little things) Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit, Materials and Applications, Treat Street (shhhh, don’t tell!), Jen Bekman and Hey, Hot Shot, Kate Bingaman and her Obsessive Consumption, the lovely Marian Bantjes, Sally Hogshead‘s Radical Careering, Debbie Millman and Design Matters (with Steven Heller today!), Eric Mahoney aka Samurai Love God, Dan Rollman‘s awesome t-shirts, Khoi Vinh‘s Subtraction, Nathan Davidson and his Unibrow, and Keith Scharwath, Aaron Rose and all of the Beautiful Losers.

Thank you to the kind people at the Portfolio Center for having us back and of course, to Ciao Bella Gelato, our favorite gelato in the whole wide world.