Nail guns can be handy but also bulky and awkward, not to mention: limited by the presence of batteries or electrical outlets. A new tool for the kit comes from product designer Michael David Young: the automatic nail-dispensing hammer.

Strips of nails are loaded into the device, a tap sets the nail in place and readies it to be hammered home, speeding up the process while also reducing the risk of injury.

After years of drawing and testing, explains Young, “I finally got it to work after many many prototypes, got my provisional patent and shipped it around to the big tool companies.” He says major brands have expressed interest in his creation.

Beyond this single application, Young’s process shows the potential for rapid prototyping using digital design tools and 3D printers — versions can be modeled, printed, tested, scrapped and iterated upon in succession all for little upfront cost.

Walking down the vintage commercial strip of Lyons, Nebraska, it looks like any other building with shop windows and a front door, sharing walls with neighboring structures, but that’s all a disguise.

In fact, the disguise predates this creative conversion — when artist Matthew Mazzotta came to town, the lot behind the front wall was empty, making it a perfect place to create something new. Now, however, hydraulic cylinders on either side lower a series of platforms with bench seating over the sidewalk and facing into the low-traffic street, turning the town core into a public venue space.

Screens can be rolled in and performances accommodated on demand. “Both the seats and the screen retract and disappear when not in use, giving the impression that there is nothing unusual in this town, leaving only word-of-mouth accounts for inquiring visitors” explains the designer. The goal is to inject some life into a small town of just under 1,000 people, creating reasons for locals to gather and others to visit.

Residents donated time and money to create the project, and sponsored an area filmmaker to document the process. The Storefront Theater now hosts video game nights, movie screenings and musical guests.  “The new energy that the venue has brought to Main Street has also inspired another Lyons native to purchase the empty building right next to the theatre, and turn into an art gallery that had its first show in December and is booked with a different show for the next six months.”

Designed to help citizens of Wroclaw, Poland, reclaim neglected parts of their city this site-specific “microinstallation” provides comfortable urban furniture for an otherwise hard-to-occupy staircase.

Developed by No Studio for DoFA (AKA the Lowersilesian Festival of Architecture), padded bed-chair combinations made for sitting and lounging were placed along public steps near an historic bridge.

The normal stairs are not only made of uncomfortable concrete, but they are spaced for walking, not sitting, making it uncomfortable to spend time in any position other than standing at and leaning against the riverside railing.

Visitors, who would normally pass by with few excuses to stop, were suddenly encouraged to have a seat in the sun, all thanks to rather simple but fit-for-function works of urban seating.

Part practical project, the endeavor also reflects an subtle thesis: small and low-cost moves can radically transform our experience of public open spaces.

No Studio aims to turn temporary changes into memorable experiences and lasting inspiration: “We create spaces, design for a while and a little longer. We have fun working on serious things. We try to solve problems rather than create monuments.”

Known for his work on large-scale art projects, including the world’s biggest interior art installation, artist’s latest piece features over 1,000,000 square feet (100,000 square meters) of shimmering yellow fabric, wrapped around floating docks that span for miles up to and across Lake Iseo in Italy.

Undulating with the waves, the Floating Piers project lets visitors walk between Sulzano, Monte Isola and to the island of San Paolo; the floating platforms are visible from surrounding mountains as well.

Christo conceived of the idea with his Jeanne-Claude as far back as the 1970s, exploring different potential venues for its installation. While Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009, Christo has carried on the idea, and finally found a place for the temporary work in Northern Italy.

Many works by this long-standing pair of ambitious artists were self-funded, in part through the sales of concept drawings and models in advance.

“like all of our projects,” says Christo, “The Floating Piers absolutely free and accessible 24 hours a day, weather permitting. There are no tickets, no openings, no reservations and no owners. The Floating Piers are an extension of the street and belong to everyone.” The project opened this weekend and will run for just 16 days. Images by Wolfgang Volz.

The Moooving Art project in Shepparton, Australia, promotes the region’s dairy industry via dozens of fiberglass cows creatively painted by local artists.

The Moooving Art Project was established in 2002, inspired in part by the very successful “Merry Moos” campaign featured at the Shepparton agricultural show. So what’s the deal with Shepparton and cows, you might ask?

In a nutshell, Shepparton is the largest town in the Goulburn River valley, located just over 100 miles (175 km) north-northeast of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The region is Australia’s largest producer of dairy products and the aim of the project is to celebrate the positive impact the cow-driven industry has made on the local economy. Flickr user rotheche snapped some of these “outstanding in their field” designs in April of 2009.

Though most of the models sport the standard bovine pose, a few feature out-of-the-ordinary modifications. Fancy some relaxing on the above “Cowch” whilst enjoying a sunny summer’s day down under?

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Cows Of A Different Color The Moooving Art Project