Cool Hunting
Soon after a report in the June edition of Wired that talks of spying and sabotage against Ferrari causing a Formula One fiasco, I was understandably a little surprised to be invited to Ferrari's Maranello, Italy headquarters to celebrate the latest installment to Formula Uomo, a program started in 1997 aimed at holistic and continuous improvement of the company. After watching test cars roll in and out of the facilities all day and touring factory grounds—including a stop at the new Jean Nouvel-designed assembly line, a gourmet Company restaurant designed by Marco Visconti and a look at the soon-to-be-released Pininforina (California)—I understand and sympathize with jealousy felt by competitors like MacLaren.
With sharp attention to design and over €200,000,000 in investments, the Formula Uomo program has bred a safe and inspiring workplace where architecture and design play a key roll in the production process. The Formula Uomo program also ensures that everyone have an outlet to express their opinions on how to improve company methodology, which ultimately results in more efficient and precise production of the automobile.
Click through the slideshow below for a look at the inner workings and production process of the enigmatic car maker. (Mouse over for notes for explanation.)
Images our own and courtesy of Ferrari.
|
previous entry Gin and Titonic Ice Cube Molds |
next entry Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music |
A couple of weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to check out the new Volkswagen CC, the German auto maker's foray into the entry-level luxury market. Having been the passionate owner of two Volkwagens already, I was more than thrilled at the prospect of test driving this introduction on the highways and byways of the Windy City. Over the years, Volkswagen had managed to...
Earlier this month, CH visited Los Angeles to check out the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles International Auto Show courtesy of GM. The world's largest car manufacturer, GM is making major moves to revitalize the brand and invited us out to get a first-hand look at their innovations in design and greener technologies. The Hummer 02 (pictured), their winning entry in the Los...
The athletes are leaving Torino now that the Winter Olympics have come to a close, but left behind among the empty stadiums and the debris from the million visitors is a series of conceptual art exhibits fashioned on a staggering scale. The simply-titled Snow Show began in 2003; it is no ordinary art exhibit, however. A collaboration between visionary artists and architects, ice and...
Blurring the lines between what is a floor and what is a ceiling, the Jenga-like structure of Final Wooden House allows its occupiers to decide how to use the space according to their position. Comprised completely of wood, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto wanted to express the versatility of lumber by creating one structure that embodies all of the typical functions normally carried out by...
Last weekend we were invited out to San Francisco, CA to try out the new 2009 Volskwagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel and were pleasantly surprised in more ways than one. It had enough torque and power to zip through downtown San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge through Sausalito, and was smooth and quiet on the winding roads up through Napa. Even better, almost...
by Tamara WarrenGrand Army Plaza, the main entrance to Brooklyn's Prospect Park, sprawls across 11 acres in a landscaped oval. With regal statues and a sparkling fountain, it's majestic and — its function as a busy traffic circle separates the cultural landmark from the surrounding pedestrian sidewalks — inaccessible. Reinventing Grand Army Plaza is an exhibit that highlights the visions of 30 top entrants...
