A loom bench was an ergonomic piece designed specifically for weavers. Its curved seat was comfortable and stable enough for the worker, while the drawer added extra storage. Photo courtesy Skinner, Inc.

Scott Welker of GoodWeave will join us to discuss the artisans who create rugs, and how the organization monitors labor practices around the world.

Women make up a large percentage of the workforce in the rug industry; Welker will discuss how GoodWeave is improving conditions for them.

Created by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, University Tower at The New School in New York's Greenwich Village features a green roof, 20 percent recycled materials, and a banded brass face and lower-than-average glazing ratio (31.5 percent compared to the typical 70-80 percent) to minimize the energy impact of the city's volatile climate.

The most dramatic view in the apartment, the First Presbyterian Church looms large in the Kovel living room.

Architect Stefano Girodo explains the building has a “completely prefabricated and modular structure.” It was built using recyclable and environmentally friendly materials and designed to ensure easy mechanical assembly once on site.

What's it like to work with this piece of machinery? "The loom can be very cantankerous and I have had to learn a few mechanical tricks to keep it in good repair. There are parts that are rigged with aircraft cable and it eventually breaks and needs to be replaced, sometimes mid-project. The brake mechanism consists of heavy rope, springs, turnbuckles, and bar-bell weights that hang from arms on the two large back beams. It is all mechanical, nothing automated. Some have asked me if it is some kind of work-out machine."

Old Yarn Bal Kilim by Loom. This particular collection, from an Australian rug company with an eye for subtle color variations and rich materials, uses yarn unraveled from vintage kilims.

Why is the loom so colorful? "Originally the loom was painted gun-metal gray. My partner, Jeff, is an artist, and he suggested that he would like to paint it bright colors. I agreed, and that is how it came to be the piece of art it is today. We have had artist friends tag it, so there are some interesting and varied vignettes on it."

What kind of loom do you use to make your rugs? "It was custom made for a technique called shaft-switching. I'm the second owner and long knew of the man who built it before the loom came on the market. When I bought it, the loom had been disassembled and on the previous owner’s garage floor for three years. Once I got the loom to my studio I needed to figure out how it went together. There was no instruction manual...an engineer friend helped set it up. After that, I was up and running."

Ahmad Ahmadi of Ariana rugs is a weaver and GoodWeave-certified rug dealer who will discuss the rugmaking process.

Girodo describes LEAPfactory’s architecture as being “molded according to the needs and stresses imposed by context.” In this setting, strong winds and snow loads are serious concerns. The shell’s composite sandwich panels and aluminum shingles ensure that the school can withstand the elements.

You don't need a full greenhouse to successfully grow herbs, just a dedicated spot that will get at least six hours of sun a day. In fact, your indoor herb garden can be as simple as a row of potted plants.

Benjamin Moore's Vintage Vogue paint coats the exterior.

A core element of the design scheme is a series of outdoor classrooms and play areas.

Light will stream through the pathways between classrooms at Kokokali school.

The School of Dance designed by Porro.

Interested in attending Dwell on Design New York? Get your show passes now for a chance to participate in three days of discussions, installations, and more.

Mackintosh drew inspiration from Scottish castles and tower-houses for his Glasgow School of Art. The large, industrial windows offset this historical influence, giving the building an eclectic sensibility unique to Mackintosh. Photo courtesy Mackintosh Architecture, University of Glasgow.

A rendering of the elevation plan shows how the concrete forms will envelop the indoor and outdoor rooms.

The Guiuan National High School, illustrated as mass shelter during a natural disaster. Says To: "The challenge was, 'How can we create a school that is inviting and resilient at the same time without looking like a bunker that would always remind people of the next possible typhoon hitting land?'"

The plaza at the culinary school by graciastudio. Photo provided by graciastudio.

The model's elevation shows the school plan taking shape.

The model of the school shows the layout, based on a simple ribbon.

Swedish textile designer Simon Key Bertman (one of Dwell's Young Guns picks for 2014) collaborated on a line of woven blankets with Muuto. See the tangerine colorway of the Loom Throw at the Stockholm Design Fair along with several key introductions from the brand, including the new Base Table by Mika Tolvanen.

One of the brands on view is London studio H, who is teaming up with British textile designer Ptolemy Mann to present custom versions of the Loom collection, colored with traditional dying techniques.

The Courmayeur Ski & Snowboard School's home is part of a cluster of buildings located in the ski area of Plan Checrouit, at the foot of Mont Blanc. LEAPfactory’s design for the facility, while crisp and contemporary, echoes the design of its neighbors, particularly their asymmetrical gables.

Architect Burton Baldridge donated his services to Casis Elementary—his daughter’s large public school in Austin, Texas—to design and build an outdoor classroom that would augment an organic gardening program.

Among the textiles on offer will be handwoven scarves and towels from Loomed, who recently represented Louisiana in our 50 Reasons to Love Design Made in America roundup. Loomed co-founders Paul and Molly Babineaux are part of a handful of New Orleans designers who will be present at the shop's Meet the Designers event on May 9.

MAT-TER chose bamboo as the primary building material, "in order to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible throughout all stages of the building's lifespan," says To. The bamboo and interior modular units resist the effects of climate change and are flexible to local repair should a disaster incur damage. These interior units support each other and the main flooring system and are also elevated aboveground on a grid of concrete pilotis "to allow wind to pass underneath and protect flooding."

The humpbacked Diamond Head looms behind Waikiki Beach.

Louisiana. Based in New Orleans, Loomed NOLA produces hand-woven, organic Turkish textiles, from tea towels to blankets.

Geothermal-controlled ventilation and a highly insulated envelope contribute to an energy savings of nearly 30% at the Cafeteria and Day Care Center by Aldinger Architekten in the Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany. Photo by Roland Halbe

Modern skyscrapers loom over large swaths of coastline.

For PS 234 in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood, Macrae-Gibson designed a colorful walkway to connect the main school building to a modern addition designed by the firm in 2008. The walkway, adjacent to a play yard, protects students and teachers from the elements as they move from one area to another.

Macrae-Gibson designed this competition swimming pool for Truman High School in the Bronx. The space features glazed acoustic concrete block walls and a ceramic mosaic pool and deck.