During a news conference in Washington DC Wednesday, NASA revealed that, using the Spitzer Space Telescope, they’ve found seven new Earth-sized planets orbiting a star just 40 light years away from us. “Seven Earth-sized planets have been observed by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope around a tiny, nearby, ultra-cool dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1. Three of these planets are firmly in the habitable zone.Over 21 days, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope measured the drop in light as each planet passed in front of the star. Spitzer was able to identify a total of seven rocky worlds, including three in the habitable zone, where liquid water might be found.”The Trappist system is named after the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile, which originally discovered three of the planets and announced their findings in May of last year. With the help of other ground-based telescopes such as the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, NASA’s Spitzer confirmed the existence of two of them and discovered another five…(Read…)

That the traditional light bulb form factor still exists is purely a function of incumbency. On its own it’s effective for general illumination, but not much else; it must be aimed, guided and/or reflected with shades and housings to provide the results we want, whether it’s ambient lighting or task.

It can be tough to re-think something so entrenched, but product designer Øvind Slaatto and the folks at Danish company Shade have designed a light from scratch with function in mind. One of their insights is that there’s times when you want light shining upwards to bounce off of the ceiling, providing soft ambient light; there are times when you prefer stronger ambient lighting, as from a source going sideways; and there are times when you want it shining straight down at the task–cooking, reading, etc.–that you’re conducting.

Here’s what they’ve come up with, and though it isn’t spherical, they’ve named it the Orb:

The downside is that it’s fabulously expensive, ringing in at USD $189 per bulb or $347 for a pair. But that hasn’t stopped it from being over $250% funded on IndieGogo: At press time they were up to $125,745 in pledges on a $50,000 target.

Want one with that sexy transformable shade, the Slaatto?

That’ll set you back $794 with the Orb.

I hope that they keep developing this, and that the price comes down. I want these all over my house.

It almost seems unnecessary to say, but there are many alternatives to drinking alcohol. None, however, offer what Seedlip does. Producer in copper stills just like a premium alcohol, Seedlip is a non-alcoholic spirit quite reminiscent of gin……

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After three rejected planning applications, British architect David Chipperfield has been given the go-ahead for a residential building in New York‘s West Village.

The six-storey apartment building at 11-19 Jane Street received permission from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) earlier this month.

This is the fourth time Chipperfield‘s plans have been submitted since July 2016, with revisions to the design made each time.

Proposed to replace a two-storey parking garage, Chipperfield’s original proposal featured a light-coloured facade with large windows.

Over the various iterations, the top storey has remained stepped back to make the building appear shorter from the street, and provide outdoor space for the penthouse.

However, the cladding has been swapped for a reddish tone and the fenestration has been scaled down – both more in keeping with the neighbouring architecture.

New York’s West Village sits within the Greenwich Village Historic District, designated by the LPC in 1969, and is known for is red-brick townhouses.

The most recent tweaks made after a planning rejection in January 2017 include alterations at street level to make the building look more like two townhouses. A garage door remains in the centre, providing access to 12 public parking spaces below the seven residences.

Although the building has the green light from the LPC, the commissioners urged the team to continue to refine the design of the ground floor, according to Curbed.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, which campaigns to protect the area’s architectural heritage, is still not satisfied with the design and released a scathing statement following news of the approval.

“It is disappointing that the Landmarks Preservation Commission chose to approve a design which is so patently inappropriate for the Greenwich Village Historic District and for Jane Street,” the organisation said.

“The design is barely changed from the one roundly criticised by the public and rejected by the Commission in January. It still looks like a chain motel, it’s still too large, and it still sticks out like a sore thumb.”

“The changes made by the architect since January are the proverbial rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic,” the statement continued. “This design might look at home next to the off-ramp of I-95, but it does not make sense on this historic side street. We hoped for better from this architect, and from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.”

Another of Chipperfield‘s projects in New York is due to open later this year. The 34-storey residential building at Bryant Park will house luxury units starting at $2 million (£1.3 million).

He has also completed the interior for fashion house Valentino’s Fifth Avenue store and is working on an extension to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The post David Chipperfield’s West Village residences finally receive go ahead appeared first on Dezeen.

With Dezeen’s Brexit passport design competition underway, we’re taking a look at existing travel documents that any citizen would be proud to slap down at customs.

From a flipbook-style animation to a secret music score that appears under blacklight, these five passports show designers experimenting with what can be a limiting format.

Should these designs ignite your own creative spark, head to Dezeen’s Brexit passport competition entry page. We are calling for entries that present a positive vision of the post-Brexit UK to the world, and that represent all its citizens.

Norwegian passport

Oslo-based Neue Design Studio won the competition to redesign Norway’s passports in 2014, although the finished product is yet to enter circulation.

The passport is distinguished by its minimal double-page illustrations of landscapes from different parts of the country, which transform under UV light to include the Northern Lights in the sky. The covers for the three variations (standard, immigrant and diplomatic) feature highlighter hues with a small coat of arms in the lefthand corner.

Read more about the Norwegian passport by Neue Design Studio ›

Finnish passport

The Finnish passport is probably the only one to double as entertainment for travellers caught in long customs queues. It features an illustration of an elk that appears to walk when you flick the pages like a flipbook.

Designed in 2012 by a consortium working with the Finnish Police Board, it has unfortunately been replaced from the start of 2017 by a new design from Gemalto that introduces a flying swan in place of the elk.

Swiss passport

According to writer Richard Hollis, Switzerland was the first country to have its passport professionally designed. The current design, which has been around since 2003, has a bright red cover debossed with a pattern of Swiss crosses.

Inside, where most countries opt for pastels and muted tones, Switzerland has featured primary colours overlaid with patterns that continue to play on the cross shape.

Hungarian passport

A number of countries make use of hidden illustrations that only show up under blacklight as one of their security features. Norway has the Northern Lights, Canada has a collage of national symbols, and China makes the Great Wall look like its springing off the page.

But one of the best uses of the technique comes from Hungary, which has embedded a message in its passport. Under UV light, the passport displays the score to the Szózat, one of the country’s national anthems.

Japanese passport

In 2016 the Japanese foreign ministry revealed the design for its new passport, set to enter circulation in 2019. The design removes the border from the already elegant red or blue front cover, which features the Imperial Seal of Japan in the centre and, above it, the words “Japan passport” in seal script, an ancient form of writing.

Inside, the new passport will be filled with masterpieces – specifically, ukiyo-e woodblock artist Katsushika Hokusai’s famous landscape series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.

Dezeen’s Brexit passport design competition is free to enter and has a top prize of £1,000. Closing date is 24 March 2017. More details at www.dezeen.com/passport

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