Dezeen promotion: Spanish lighting brand Vibia has launched its latest customisable lighting system, which features blown-glass spheres supported by a metal matrix.
The Algorithm LED lighting system is made up of light globes suspended at different heights and anchored to the ceiling by a tubular steel structure.
Each blown-glass sphere features a pattern on its surface that casts a textured and diffused light.
Like other solutions in Vibia’s Crea collection, the Algorithm lighting system is designed as a “kit of tools” that gives architects and interior designers more freedom when choosing their fixtures and fittings.
“The intention was not to design a completely defined and finished product, but a tool which allows any customer to create his own lighting lamp, in relation with the architecture space, the area to light and the desired kind of graphic pattern,” said designer Toan Nguyen.
“These individual parts constitute the kit of tools that designers can mould and adapt to individual commissions, a system of multiple modules that allows the specifics of each project to dictate the optimum lighting solution.”
Vibia is based in Barcelona, and has previously collaborated with the likes of Arik Levy, Martin Azúa and Ramón Esteve to create modular lighting systems.
Visit the Vibia website to find out more about the Algorithm collection.
A skeletal grandfather clock and a bulging chair are among the products showcased in this exhibition at DesignMarch, which brings together designers from countries in the Baltic region and Iceland.
The Roundabout Baltic exhibition features designers from eight nations with a shoreline on the Baltic Sea: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.
It was previously shown in Malmö and Tallinn. But as it is now being presented at DesignMarch in Reykjavík, it has been updated to also include the work of Icelandic designers.
The Roundabout Baltic exhibition features the work of designers from nice Baltic countries, and has now been updated to also include Iceland
Each design in the exhibition reference coastal landscapes. Rather being organised geographically, the works are divided up into six “zones” that refer to different things, including horizons, nets, harbours and shells.
Seafaring materials such as nets and rope have been used to create poufs and hammocks, while spiky cord lamps and hand-blown glass vases resemble stones and coral.
Featuring projects by over 40 designers, the exhibition showcases design influenced by coastal landscapes
Curator Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka wanted the exhibition to evoke shared memories of growing up by the Baltic seaside, regardless of nationality.
“In this exhibition, experiencing the sea is the key to the selection. The objects representing countries are strikingly different, but connected thanks to the coastline,” she said.
The exhibition is on show at Nordic House from 13 – 31 March as part of DesignMarch 2017, Iceland’s largest design fair.
Here are eight highlights from the exhibition:
Sipp og Hoj! by Thórunn Árnadóttir
Icelandic designer Thórunn Árnadóttir combined traditional craft practised by local netmakers in East Iceland with locally sourced materials to create a nautical-themed collection, which included a hammock and a swing.
Deform by Milena Krais
German designer Milena Krais created her knitted Deform furniture series while studying textiles in Hamburg. The series of chairs are squashed out of shape and contorted to reference the imperfect form of the human body.
Grandmother’s Clock by Chmara Rosinke
Ania Rosinkie and Maciej Chmara of Vienna-based Chmara Rosinke have created a contemporary version of a grandfather’s clock by stripping the form to its bare bones.
Wooden Aquarelle by Meike Harde
German product designer Meike Harde experimented with water soluble dyes for her wooden aquarelle table series. Her Knitted lamps also feature in the exhibition.
Yacht by Malafor
Polish duo Agata Kulik-Pomorska and Pawel Pomorski of Malafor referenced their background in industrial design for their Yacht stool, which comprises an inflatable bag balanced on a tubular frame.
Bow by Lisa Hilland
Swedish designer Lisa Hilland designed the Bow chair for Sweden’s oldest bentwood factory, Gemla. Made from beech, the chair uses minimal amounts of materials thanks to its curved form.
Konkret by Jonas Edvard
Copenhagen designer Jonas Edvard uses natural materials such as limestone, bio-resin and leather in his lighting designs. His Konkret lamp is dyed with a natural wood stain and mounted with a leather strap.
Farming by Sampling Architects
Latvian duo Manten Devriendt and Liene Jākobsone of Sampling Architects created their Farming pouf by hand, using woven yarn to upholster seats on top of wooden legs. They were heavily influenced by animal forms and natural landscapes.
An angular, blackened wood structure sits atop two concrete blocks to form this house in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, designed by Cubo Design Architect.
Located in the city of Odawara, in the vicinity of a 15th century castle, Hafye is designed to create the feeling of being suspended in mid-air – hence the top-heavy design.
This unusual form, described by locally based Cubo Design Architect as animal-like, was developed directly in response to the brief set by the client.
“The client, who was born and raised in Odawara, wanted a relaxing home where he and his family could look out on this familiar, yet constantly changing landscape” said the team.
“The gently linked rooms are divided into zones by differing floor elevations and ceiling heights, but one can enjoy the views and natural light from each space.”
To emphasise the difference between the upper and lower volumes, the building’s reinforced concrete structure was left exposed at the base, while the upper sections are clad in dark-stained timber.
Inside, the house contains an open-plan kitchen and living space, two main bedrooms and bathrooms, a guest room and a music room.
Initially, the concrete ground-floor volumes were only going to be used an entrance. But later, at the client’s request, this was extended to form the music room and guest room.
This dimly lit entrance space leads directly through to a staircase, bringing residents up into the light-filled “mid-air” volume above.
Here, living spaces are fronted by floor-to-ceiling windows that open out to a balcony, where occupants can look out over the city.
The children’s bedroom is located within the pointed end of the overhanging structure, which angles down diagonally to follow the slope of the road.
“The overhanging first floor looks like a nose of an elephant –which I had in mind when I first looked at the site” Hiroshi Saruta of Cubo Design Architect told Dezeen.
The internal materials and textures were chosen to resemble nature, to create the feeling of being outside. The ground floor combines board-marked concrete with wooden fittings and a stone floor.
The simply finished first floor features painted walls that can be used as blackboards, and puts focus on the kitchen’s statement unit, which is made from solid stone and wood.
The team also landscaped the sloped site, to create a space the family can use as a vegetable garden.
Cubo Design Architect is led by architects Hitoshi Saruta, Tomonori Takauchi and Masanori Kanetani. They completed Hafye in late 2015. It has a total floor area of 187 square metres.
Nike has partnered with Taiwanese architect and engineer Arthur Huang to design “sustainable and responsible” Air Max packaging made from recycled drink containers and lids.
The lightweight shoebox, which was released for the brand’s annual Air Max Day, is made to neatly interlock for stacking or display.
It is created using plastics derived from leftover consumer packaging and is manufactured with no added chemicals.
“It cushions while at the same time reducing material usage,” said Huang, who is CEO of Miniwiz – a Taiwan and Berlin-based studio dedicated to finding new uses for waste, and reducing the impact of materials on the environment.
“In this case, we’re adding features and efficiency to an existing product and by re-using non-virgin materials in a sustainable and responsible way,” he added.
The top of the box splits diagonally in half, with a central section that keeps the shoes in one place. Extra holes in the packaging allow owners to thread rope through and re-use the box as a backpack or carry bag. It can also be recycled.
The packaging is made specifically for the Air Max Royal 01, which Huang also designed. The shoes – which are also made only from recycled materials and are said to be the lightest ever Air Max 1 – were unveiled in New York earlier in the year, alongside designs by Marc Newson and Riccardo Tisci.
“What we do here is very simple, we try to use the stuff we throw away and turn that into the most sustainable way with the least carbon footprint to create a new product,” said Huang. “It’s all about turning pollution into a solution for the future.”
Huang set up Miniwiz in 2005 with fellow structural engineer Jarvis Liu, with the aim of showing how post-consumer waste could find a second life as the next generation of products. The studio previously collaborated with Nike on an installation that used Flyknit material to create a brightly coloured web in a rusting gas tower.
Miniwiz, which recently opened a new office in Berlin decked out with recycled interiors, has also created a hand-cranked power generator made from re-purposed electronic waste plastic and paper, and a brick, made from recycled plastic bottles, that can be used to build fences and roofs.
Did you ever think that the knife, probably the oldest and most primitive tool in the history of mankind, was the wrong shape? Our notion of the knife has stayed the same ever since the first tools we’ve seen since the stone age. A sharp pointed blade with one or two edges that could cut through any material. The kitchen knife bases itself roughly on that schematic and has so for millennia, until now. The Bolo knife looks nothing like the kitchen knives we’ve seen (it looks more like the Identity Disc from Tron), but it proves to be far more effective than most professional culinary knives.
The Bolo knife comes doughnut shaped, with a circular blade that the user rolls back and forth to slice/dice food. While most chefs master the rocking forward/backward technique with regular knives, the Bolo gets users to intuitively pick up the correct knife skills. Apart from cutting, the Bolo comes with tenderizing blades for meat, as well as a pastry blade for cutting confectionery. Switching the blades is a piece of cake, since the Bolo opens up to give you access to the blade. Since the Bolo relies on a rolling action, the blade doesn’t go blunt easily (because you use it correctly and evenly). Even when it does, you can just rotate the blade 180° so that the blunt portion hides inside the handle, exposing the sharper edge.
Bolo even includes a blade protecting sleeve with the knives, keeping your steel sharp, and your fingers safe!
U.S. Citizens and Permanents Residents Only Many applicants apply; please only apply for this position if you meet the minimum qualifications. INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER Graduate to Intermediate Job Description: Responsibilities and Qualifications • Proficiency with 3D modeling and drafting
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