Seriously Swedish tick-tock brand TRIWA has launched a series of self-assembly watches, which are now available through Dezeen Watch Store.

Launched internationally on 1 April, YNGVE is designed to minimise shipping and production costs, giving the customer plenty of time on their hands to build their own watch.

The DIY package includes quartz movement parts, watch case, battery, glass, dial, hands, crown, strap and lots of really small cog thingies. It also includes the tools needed for assembly: an Allen key and loupe.

This world-first product comes in an extremely thin package, to further minimise its environmental impact, and includes detailed step-by-step instructions.

TRIWA hopes the watch will mimic the success of other self-assembly products, like IKEA furniture.

“We like to find inspiration outside our industry and we’ve seen other Swedish companies in other industries who have been fairly successful with the DIY concept,” said TWIWA creative director Ludvig Scheja.

“If it can be used for, let’s say furniture, why couldn’t it be used for watches?” he asked.

“We’ve presented YNGVE to various focus groups before the launch and we’re happy to say that we’ve seen some good results, but it helps if you’re in a clean environment and have a steady hand.”

This watch is exclusively available from TRIWA, but can be purchased via Dezeen Watch Store from 1 April 2017.

It comes in white, green and black, but may also come with a red face.

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The Quarter Dome Air Hammock($219) from REI is tent hangs in the trees. REI’s Quarter Dome Air is a 3-season hanging 1-person tent that gives you the best of both with the option to just run it as a hammock anytime. Strong enough to hold up to 250 pounds, it weighs just 3.2 pounds…(Read…)

Our first Dezeen x MINI Living Initiative video explores Italian architect Stefano Boeri‘s radical proposals to build “forest cities” to combat urban pollution.

Boeri’s Forest City concept is a proposal to build a city in Shijiazhuang, China, which would act as a prototype for a new generation of green urban developments across the country.

The proposed city is comprises towers covered in trees and other plants, a concept that Boeri calls Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest.

The concept aims to provide sustainable high-density housing and office space in urban areas, while helping to depollute the surrounding environment by filtering dust particles from the air and absorbing carbon dioxide.

The towers also provide a habitat for birds and insects that would otherwise struggle to survive in an urban environment.

The architect has already completed a pair of Vertical Forest towers in Milan, which feature a mixture of trees, shrubs and floral plants on balconies on all four sides of both buildings.

Between them the towers host as many trees as could be planted in a hectare of forest.

Another pair of plant-covered towers by Boeri’s studio Stefano Boeri Architetti are currently under construction in Nanjing, China.

Over 1,000 trees and 2,500 cascading plants and shrubs will line the facades of the structures in the city’s Pukou District.

Boeri has also proposed a 36-storey tower in Lausanne, Switzerland, called Les Terraces des Cedres, which would be covered with various species of cedar tree, which are native to the area.

Boeri believes that building whole cities of Vertical Forests across China could help the country combat its well-documented problems with air pollution, while allowing its population to continue growing.

All images in the video and story are courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

This movie is part of our Dezeen x MINI Living Initiative, a year-long collaboration with MINI exploring how architecture and design can contribute to a brighter urban future.

Watch all the movies as we publish them at: www.dezeen.com/miniliving

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Mexican firm Intersticial Arquitectura has built a home on the outskirts of Querétaro, using local materials such as light-coloured bricks, rough masonry blocks, and an exposed concrete frame.

Casa Zirahuen is a 350-square-metre residence built on a deep, narrow plot. The two-storey building encompasses four bedrooms, and is named after the street it is built on.

Intersticial Arquitectura described the surrounding areas as monotonous and isolated – the adjoining plots are cut off by high concrete walls for protection.

“The proposal’s idea is based on a different integration to the site, one that dignifies and offers better ways of living in its outside and inside space,” the local studio said.

Two distinct courtyards help organise the home’s layout. At the back of the property, a large garden wraps around the side of the house and provides an exterior dining area.

Another, smaller courtyard lies at the centre of the home. “The use of a central patio works as a natural lantern that articulates and ventilates – a witness to the house’s everyday life,” said the firm.

The home is entered through a large wooden door that leads to the lobby. This space is adjacent to the central courtyard, and contains an open staircase that overlooks it.

“The house works around a main guiding axis that splits and distributes the public program on the ground floor and the private program on the first level,” said the architects.

Social spaces are located at the back of the property. The kitchen and dining room connect to an outdoor seating area. Beyond, a few steps lead to a sunken living room at garden level.

The architects included a guest bedroom at the front of the house, which provides more privacy. Instead of facing the street, this bedroom’s window looks out onto the courtyard.

The resident’s sleeping quarters are located upstairs. Each has its own bathroom, and the master suite contains a small office space.

“The exposed materials reveal [the home’s] constructive honesty,” said Intersticial Arquitectura. “The polished concrete and bare brick reflect the quality of artistry and craftsmanship the region has to offer.”

For the designers, using local materials was a priority. “These textures and tones respond to a natural palette found in Querétaro’s semi-desert context,” they explained.

Intersticial Arquitectura recently completed another home in same area, just north of Mexico City. The renovated 1980s industrial building is now used as a combined home and studio.

Other recently completed projects in Mexico include a revamped art-deco building with an expansive rooftop terrace, and a home that pays homage to modernism by using local materials such as volcanic stone.

Photography is by Marcos Betanzos unless otherwise mentioned. 

Project credits:

Project leaders: Ian Pablo Amores, Rodolfo Unda
Team: Gildardo Olvera, Andrea Oliveros, María José Milke, Mauricio Salmón

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Bulleit Sign Build and Install

It’s fun watching Jimmy DiResta install the letters of this steel sign he made for Bulleit HQ down in Kentucky. I like the layout trick he uses:

Blower Housing Shape Experiments

This will appeal to the technical-minded among you. Matthias Wandel combines science and functional design, conducting a series of measurable experiments in order to determine the ideal shape of a blower housing for a dust collector. He makes an interesting discovery concerning which is more important, CFM or static pressure:

Bandsaw-on-a-Dolly Sawmill Improvements

Matthias analyzes the flaws of his bandsaw-on-a-dolly rig, designs and builds some improvements, then identifies more potential improvements. Be sure to check out his excellent explanation at the end, which cleverly uses a carrot as a demonstrative tool:

Building a Metal Carport – Part 1

Seems like there’s nothing April Wilkerson can’t do. This week she tackles her largest project to date, a 20′ x 24′ steel carport for her folks’ property:

Kid Size Maui’s Hook from a 2×4

Marc Spagnuolo’s son loves the Disney movie Moana, so here makes him a version of demigod Maui’s magical hook:

Using the Glowforge Laser Cutter

Glowforge backers have had to be patient, but here David Picciuto’s got his hands on a pre-production model and demonstrates its use. There is a brief hiccup with a hold-down issue, which he handily fixes with a couple of pennies: