Hasta La Ideas

To keep his 15 rescue cats occupied, home builder Peter Cohen has constructed elaborate catwalks,..(Read…)

Coffee-geeks will love Pisona as it merges the versatility of a burr grinder with the compactness of a blade grinder, creating a revolutionary two-phase grinding process that enhances the aroma and flavor of the grounds. Rather than “shave” off parts of whole beans directly, the new auger system and innovative internal configuration first crack beans to 3mm and then transfer it to be ground to the user’s desired fineness. The closest thing to the preferred hand-grinding method, its slower automated process ensures beans aren’t heated in the grinding process.

Designer: Sujith Sunny

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(Scientific Bean Grinding was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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News: construction is now under way on a public square underneath Richard Seifert’s iconic Centre Point tower in London, as part of a major redevelopment by Rick Mather Architects and Conran & Partners (+ movie).

Described by the designers as “the key piece in the jigsaw”, the new pedestrian plaza will surround the base of the 117-metre-high building that was completed by influential British architect Seifert in 1966, at the junction between Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.

The square will be surrounded by shops and cafes, and will also integrate an entrance to Tottenham Court Road station, which has been undergoing a major redevelopment as part of the new Crossrail train network.

“It’s the key piece in the jigsaw: a major new square for central London, a destination at the eastern end of Oxford Street and with improved connections to Covent Garden, The British Museum, Tottenham Court and Charing Cross Roads,” said Gavin Miller of Rick Mather Architects, who is leading the design team.

“Given its size and presence, Centre Point is the natural focal point of the new square, and we have worked carefully with the building to address this new public space.”

The building, one of London’s first skyscrapers, was designed by Seifert for property tycoon Harry Hyams. Its distinctive modular facade comprises segments of precast concrete that were produced using crushed Portland Stone.

“Our task has been to marry the spirit of the building, with the equally vibrant and creative spirit of London today,” added Tim Bower-Ridger of Conran & Partners.

“By addressing the way the tower meets the ground, it will now be able to fully engage with its context within the cultural heart of this world city.”

Led by developer Almacantar, the project involves a full refurbishment of the Grade II listed Centre Point tower, creating 82 apartments and 13 affordable homes, alongside pool, spa and fitness facilities.

The development takes places in close partnership with the £1 billion transformation of Tottenham Court Road Station – a scheme that has proved controversial as it involved the demolition of buildings on Dean Street, Diadem Court, Great Chapel Street and Oxford Street.

Soho music venue the Astoria has already been razed, while campaign groups from St Giles Church and conservation groups the 20th Century Society and the Bloomsbury Conservation Area Advisory Committee have been fighting to save the Intrepid Fox – a historic rock music pub – from the bulldozers.

“Centre Point is now the focus of Crossrail, which will trigger an explosion in visitor numbers to this part of the West End,” said Kathrin Hersel, development director for Almacantar.

“We will give a much needed new lease of life to the area and turn Centre Point into a destination Londoners can be proud of, and providing a lasting legacy. We are delighted that Camden Council, English Heritage, Transport for London and Crossrail Ltd have come together to forge a future for Centre Point and the surrounding area.”

Since launching in 2010, Almacantar has also purchased several other central London properties, including Marble Arch Tower, CAA House and 125 Shaftesbury Avenue.

While construction is underway at Centre Point, the building will be wrapped in a patterned artwork by fashion and design studio Eley Kishimoto, which will take six months to erect and a further six months to take down. Work is expected to complete in 2017.

The post Work starts on public plaza beneath
Richard Seifert’s Centre Point appeared first on Dezeen.

First we had the Bear, now Canal+ gives us unicorns…

Canal+ has returned today with another instant classic ad, created by BETC Paris, the agency behind its earlier spots including March of the Penguins, The Bear and The Closet. The new ad features the mix of hilarity and epic drama that we’ve come to expect from the brand, this time centering on the story of Noah, and his quest to make sure that all animals are present on the ark.

Making the ad led to some unexpected conversations in the agency, according to CCO and President, Stéphane Xiberras, who comments: “The most complicated part of making the film was the kind of epic discussions we had about what a pair of unicorn balls actually look like, because no one has ever seen them. We thought of putting stars there, or little furry things. We ended up opting for a bit of sobriety. Well, a sort of sobriety at least…”

Credits:

Agency: BETC Paris
ECD: Stéphane Xiberras
Creative director: Olivier Apers
Creatives: Aurélie Scalabre, Patrice Dumas
Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen
Production company: Soixante Quinze

‘The Wrist Report’ is the semi-serious, bi-somethingly bulletin from the frontier of forearm fashion and functionality.

Even earlier this month at CES it was clear that the wearables frenzy had lost some of its vigor since last year (presumedly as manufacturers try to make good on some of their overblown concept promises). Of the news that there was, it seemed that technology on the wrist was being met with much more modesty by manufacturers—Withings going simpler and cheaper with their brand activity tracker in traditional timepiece form and Swiss watchmaker Montblanc making tentative steps into the world of wearable tech by strapping a tiny OLED screen to the underside of the wrist (yeh, it looked as good as it sounds).

Fast-forward only a couple of weeks and it seems that some new entrants into the forearm function/fashion fanfare are doing away with the tech altogether. In remarkable concurrence with Debbie Chachra’s article in The Atlantic critiquing the hero worship of ‘makers’, Portland multi-tool manufacturer and Core77 fav Leatherman is gearing up to launch a multi-tool that straps (rather proudly) around the wrist. Introducing Thread.

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