Hasta La Ideas

At Sweet Farm in Half Moon Bay, CA, the story of two best friends is unfolding before our eyes…(Read…)

The tender for President Donald Trump‘s Mexico border wall has been amended, with more details added about the design requirements and the deadline for submissions extended.

The US Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection updated its notice to give bidders more information about the project, and due to a “revision of strategy” based on feedback on the original posting.

Solicitation for the “design-build structure” was pushed back two days to 8 March 2017, and the cut off for request for proposal (RFP) submissions is now 20 March 2017 – giving bidders longer than the original five-day window set out on 24 February 2017.

New details were also released about the type of structures expected from the prototype proposals.

“For planning we anticipate procuring concrete wall structures, nominally 30 feet [nine metres] tall, that will meet requirements for aesthetics, anti-climbing, and resistance to tampering or damage,” says the notice.

Vendors are required to submit concept papers of their prototypes, which will be evaluated and narrowed down.

Those remaining will have to submit a full RFP, including pricing, by 3 May 2017 – again later than the original mid-April deadline.

“The intent of this procurement is to acquire and evaluate available wall prototypes and provide some initial construction of some wall segments, but is not intended as the vehicle for the procurement of the total wall solution for the border with Mexico,” the notice says.

Last month, Trump suggested that his involvement in the design of the controversial wall would help to bring down the estimated $21 billion (£16.8 billion) it will take for construction.

A variety of satirical designs for the US-Mexico barrier have already been put forward. They include a pink wall inspired by the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragán and a spoof of an IKEA flat-pack furniture kit.

A more serious suggestion was put forward by Miami firm DOMO Architecture + Design, which created renderings showing a series of landscaped features along the border instead of a fence or wall.

In response to the Trump administration’s plans, The Architecture Lobby is calling for US architects and engineers to leave their desks and walk out in protest tomorrow.

The post US-Mexico border wall tender calls for 30-foot-tall concrete barriers appeared first on Dezeen.

These cabinets by Esrawe Studio are based on the process of making mezcal – a traditional Mexican alcohol.

The studio designed the three pieces using varying combinations of engraved black wood and brass or metal in homage to the tradition of making mezcal – liquor distilled from the agave plant.

“The whole of the design, production and process of The Agave Cabinets reflects as an analogy of mezcal making,” said Esrawe Studio, which is based in Mexico City.

To make the alcoholic liquid, artisans remove and roast the core of the agave. The heat leaves the plant with a scorched skin, which informed the use of the patterned black wood.

Brass stands supporting two of the cabinets resemble the light amber colour of mezcal. At the back, both have two shelves for storing bottles of the liquor.

Local cultures across Mexico have different ways of making and consuming mezcal. Therefore the studio designed the three pieces to look unique from one another, and asked three different artisans to construct them.

“Each of the sets designed will be slightly different due to the unique skills of the artisans that craft them,” said Esrawe.

The designers also created a set of vessels for the cabinets, to incorporate the culture of drinking mezcal into the project.

“We have collaborated with Ceramica Suro to produce a series of porcelain bottles, cups and small trays, which are a reinterpretation of the common objects used around the consumption of mezcal,” said the designers.

Dezeen listed Esrawe Studio as one of five Mexican designers and studios to watch following Design Week Mexico last October.

Other items produced by the designers include a ceramic sheet that folds into different vessels, and a reusable perfume bottle made of overlapping spheres.

The post Esrawe Studio’s Agave cabinets celebrate the culture and craft of mezcal appeared first on Dezeen.

Monks perform levitation over a huge wind tunnel at this amphitheatre, which was designed by Latvian studio Mailītis Architects for a mountain range in central China.

The Shaolin Flying Monks Theatre stands on a slope covered in cypress trees on Songshan Mountain – a mountain range in Henan Province.

The mountains are home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Shaolin Monastery, which is also considered to be the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Kung-Fu martial arts.

Tasked with creating an amphitheatre to host weekly shows where local monks as well as the general public can try flying, Riga-based Mailītis Architects wanted to create a building that respects its natural surroundings.

The shape of the building is intended to finish the peak of the Cypress Hill, with the sloped outer shell forming a grand staircase that leads up and around the auditorium in the middle.

The wind tunnel rises high in the centre, featuring a branch-like structure that splays outwards at the top.

“The concept is to tell the history of Zen and Kung-Fu through artistic performances and the architectural image of the building itself,” explained the architects.

“The architectural and conceptual image pays respect to the beauty of surrounding nature and the historical heritage of the site,” they continued.

“Developed in the shape of two symbols – mountain and tree – it serves as a platform for any kind of scenic arts focusing especially on flying performances.”

A metal banister lines the side of the staircase around the rim of the structure. On the interior of the laser-cut steel structure, stone steps form seats facing the stage.

“The building method combines modern and ancient technologies – a laser-cut steel superstructure supports stone steps handcrafted using local quarry resources,” said the architects.

In addition to the exterior surface and steps, and the inner stage, the theatre also features a three-storey interior space housing facilities for visitors and performers.

The engine room of the wind tunnel is located below the stage, and is covered by a perforated surface used to intake air and eliminate sound. It is also insulated with acoustically insulating material on the inside.

Technological devices, developed by wind tunnel-manufacturer Aerodium, are also stored here and create the air flow that goes straight to wind tunnel, which can be adjusted by the operator.

Led by Austris Mailītis, Mailītis Architects is a family company comprising two generations of architects and artists.

Other projects by the Riga-based team include a scaffolding and timber pavilion at Latvian brewery. Architects Austris Mailītis, Andra Odumāne and Reiji Kobayashi also worked with 13 students to design and build a temporary structure made from stacks of recycled material for a brewery.

Photography is by Ansis Starks.

Project credits:

Principal architect: Austris Mailītis
Architecture Design: Ints Menģelis, Kārlis Melzobs, Dina Suhanova, Valters Murāns, Andra Odumāne and Jekaterina Olonkina

The post Wind tunnel allows monks to fly above Mailītis Architects’ amphitheatre in rural China appeared first on Dezeen.

Designer Arie Hutton feels Audi’s design language has gone through constant evolution in the past few years. Therefore designing for 20 years in the future would mean creating something completely different, probably having no link to Audi’s current language, except for the iconic 4 ring logo on the front.

The Audi Formula Track 2036 has a strange backstory. It’s the year 2036, and autonomous cars have taken over… as a result of which, the car has become a travelling space, rather than an automotive product. People will end up just sitting in their cars, rather than experiencing the thrill of driving them. The Audi Formula Track therefore is the only place where people can actually drive cars for the adrenaline rush. Its racecar design implies a future where driving a car will be limited to just the racetrack, rather than actual roads. Driving may just go from a skill, to a hobby. Thoughts?

Designer: Arie Hutton