1. Binishells
Binishells piqued our interest with their undulating, sculptural forms and drew us in with their tagline, "A Smarter Way of Building: Inspired by Nature." This building method was invented in 1964 by Dante Bini, an Italian industrial designer who discovered that by topping a nylon-coated neoprene air bladder with wet steel-reinforced concrete, then slowly inflating it, he could make a naturally aerodynamic and durable thin-shell bungalow. Bini's son, Nicolò, a Beverly Hills-based architect, is now reimagining his father’s innovation, and recently completed work on a Binishell pool house for the actor Robert Downey Jr.
2. New Art at Splinter Creek
Meet the newest addition to our Splinter Creek sculpture family! The Hill Climb by artist Jim Collins from Chattanooga is perfectly installed at the top of the Seven Hills Trail by the North Lake. Special shoutout to Oxford-based sculptor Earl Dismuke for helping locate the right home among our 650 acres of natural wooded landscape.
3. Clover Lawns
Clover lawns—which recently went viral on TikTok—are the new trend in drought-friendly, heat-tolerant, and eco-forward landscaping. Homeowners everywhere are considering adding a bit of clover to their turf in an attempt to offset common lawn problems brought on by the climate crisis. There are many intentional clover-covered spaces at Splinter Creek, and we would love to see more!
4. Talking to Children about Climate
While it might not be a fun conversation, it is an important one. There are few books, shows or other tools to help parents and teachers talk to preschoolers about global warming. But “Octonauts: Above and Beyond” is one of the first to try. The recent spinoff of the long-running BBC program attempts to strike a delicate balance: gently showing 3- and 4-year-olds that their world is already changing, without frightening them with the consequences.
