1. 28 Films for Black History Month
For the 28 days of Black History Month, the New York Times’ film critics have selected 28 films centered on African Americans’ experiences in 20th century USA. Beginning with “Within Our Gates” (1920), the list……
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This week on Dezeen, Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Swedish furniture company IKEA died aged 91 and MIPIM organisers were attacked for their soft approach to alleged sexual misconduct at the event.
Tributes poured in following the death of IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad this week, with the company calling him “one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century” on their Instagram page.
Dezeen marked the news by taking a look back at some of the brand’s key furniture designs under Kamprad’s watch, as well as 10 of their most game-changing ideas and innovations.
Also this week, the Financial Times’ exposure of sexual harassment at a Presidents Club dinner led to criticism of property event MIPIM – after it was revealed a large number of the industry’s senior figures attended.
Reports of prostitution, sexual harassment and discrimination at previous MIPIM events resurfaced, leading to RIBA president Ben Derbyshire warning any attending architects to adhere to the body’s code of conduct.
An Architects’ Journal’s survey revealed that the number of architects who are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender in British practices had fallen over the past two years, with homophobic and transphobic slurs in the workplace also on the rise.
Plastic was in the headlines this week, as the winners of a $1 million prize to develop plastic alternatives were announced at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, while The New Circular Design Guide was also launched at the event.
Meanwhile, a group of sustainably minded designers discussed the importance of using recycled plastic with Dezeen, amid growing concerns of global pollution.
Dutch firm MVRDV was also featured on Dezeen heavily this week, as they unveiled renderings for a mirrored office block in Germany and a collaborative scheme with Hassell to combat flooding in San Francisco.
In other architecture news, retail giant Amazon completed a set of glass orbs filled with gardens for their Seattle headquarters and designs for the first Serpentine Pavilion to be built outside of the UK were also released.
It was announced that the regenerated brutalist Park Hill estate in Sheffield is to be converted into student housing by local practice Whittam Cox Architects.
In other UK news, BBC arts editor Will Gompertz attacked the British education system for teaching children to “regurgitate information” like computers, rather than designers.
Popular projects on Dezeen this week included IKEA and Tom Dixon’s modular bed, a mountain cabin in Norway clad in contrasting materials and a tiny 15-square-metre roof apartment in Beirut.
The post This week, IKEA’s founder passed away and MIPIM was criticised appeared first on Dezeen.
A crane overlooking Amsterdam‘s IJ river has been transformed into a luxury rental apartment, featuring three stacked shipping containers accommodating living spaces designed by Edward van Vliet to reference the area’s industrial past.
The rental apartment is operated by local firm, Yays Concierged Boutique Apartments, which oversaw the crane’s refurbishment in collaboration with the local municipality, and an organisation dedicate to the conservation of historic buildings and sites.
The crane is located in the Eastern Docklands area of the Dutch city, which was heavily bombed during the second world war. Following the war, the Royal Dutch Steamboat Company (KNSM) commissioned the construction of several new cranes, including Figee crane 2868.
The crane was named for the Figee brothers – owners of the Haarlemsche Machinefabriek that constructed it. It was completed in 1957 and operated until 1979, when container transport took over and the IJ river subsequently became too small and the cranes too fragile.
As part of the area’s transformation into a residential neighbourhood, which began in 1975, Figee crane 2868 was retained on its site on KNSM-Island as a reminder of the area’s industrial heritage.
The structure was relocated to the Frisian village of Franeker in 2016 for renovation, before returning to the former port, which is now a thriving creative hub with many popular art galleries, restaurants and independent boutiques.
The process of repurposing the crane for use as a holiday retreat was overseen by local designer, Edward van Vliet, whose studio previously developed a furniture collection for Moroso that is upholstered in a patchwork of different fabrics.
The design seeks to pay tribute to Amsterdam’s industrial history, while providing guests with a premium experience focused on maximising views and a connection with the surrounding area.
“Thanks to the original location and unique neighbourhood, guests will still feel the crane’s history and enjoy ultimate comfort at the same time,” said a statement released by Yays.
The apartment has a total floor area of 40 square metres, distributed between three repurposed containers that are stacked within the crane’s skeletal framework.
Stairs lead up from the harbourside to an entrance that opens into a seating area on the lowest level. A metal-clad staircase incorporating built-in storage separates this space from a compact kitchen and dining area.
The first floor provides space for a bedroom and a bathroom with a freestanding bathtub and separate shower.
The top container accommodates another bedroom, in which one wall has been removed and replaced with a glazed structure that protrudes outwards to allow a panoramic view of the surroundings.
Throughout the interior, Van Vliet used material, fittings and details that recall the structure’s past. Exposed steel beams, Critall-style windows and wide wooden floorboards all contribute to a contemporary industrial aesthetic.
“The crane is back in its home port after a thorough restoration and redecoration,” added Yays CEO, Peter Heule.
“We’re pleased to have the honour to manage the former Figee crane 2868 and to offer it a new life. This is the how we would like to contribute to the development of the city of Amsterdam.”
The post Edward van Vliet converts crane into three-storey holiday retreat in Amsterdam appeared first on Dezeen.
Disguised doorways, moving walls and geometric folding panels are among our pick of the best entrances showcased on Dezeen’s Pinterest boards.
Casa Marindia, Uruguay, by Maza Arquitectos
Wooden doors made vertical slats open up this house in Uruguay. When closed, the timber panels are hidden as they appear to be part of the external walls.
Find out more about Casa Marindia ›
Mountain Cottage, Poland, by HOLA Design
Traditional folk motifs are referenced with a decorative carving on the front door of this gabled lakeside cottage in Poland.
Find out more about Mountain Cottage ›
Half-Tree House, USA, by JacobsChang
A floor-to-ceiling pivoting window serves as a doorway in this tiny timber cabin, called Half-Tree House.
Find out more about Half-Tree House ›
F Coffee, Vietnam, by Wangstudio
This coffee shop in Vietnam features a grid of 24 red brick arches, which all serve as entrances.
Find out more about F Coffee ›
Uniform Wares office, UK, by Feilden Fowles
A small door hidden inside a larger door features in this London office. The dark timber partition pivots open to allow access to the design studio, with a smaller door inside providing easier access.
Find out more about Uniform Wares’ office ›
Board + Batten, USA, by Birdseye Design
This rural guesthouse in Vermont features a door crafted from dark-painted boards and mirror-polished stainless-steel panels. This style evokes the traditional board-and-batten siding found across New England.
Find out more about Board + Batten ›
Evolution Door, Austria, by Klemens Torggler
Austrian artist Klemens Torggler reinvented the door by creating this folding and pivoting system. Named the Evolution Door, the design folds into four triangular sections that collapse in on themselves, instead of a single panel being attached to two hinges. Each segments then turns around and straightens back up into a rectangle.
Find out more about the Evolution Door ›
Casa Meztitla, Mexico, by EDAA
Huge glass walls pivot from this stone-walled mountain home, which sits at the foot of Tepozteco mountain in Mexico, creating different entranceways.
Find out more about Casa Meztitla ›
A wide folding glass door, which serves as the entrance to this office building, concertinas from the river-facing facade onto an area of raised decking.
Find out more about Rivershed ›
Indian Trail House, USA, by Design Hound
Design House created a larger entryway to this Texan house by extending the pattern of the door vertically past it frame.
Find out more about Indian Trail House ›
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The post 10 impressive entrances, including doors that fold, pivot and rotate appeared first on Dezeen.
Cat VS Boxespart one, part two below!..(Read…)
“We can thank the Romans for our chaotic complex calendar system. February has been a neglected month throughout history. Essentially, it got it’s 28 days because the Romans used the lunar cycles to design the months when they should have based their calendar off of the sun. Superstition and politics also played a major part in creating the months. In any case, it’s too late to change it now. “..(Read…)
British jeweler Nahrena Kohli has created a line of wonderfully modern sterling silver “Ear Climbers”. he Ear Climbers come in four styles: triangle, square, circle and heart. Cool design!..(Read…)
At the headquarters of Cloudflare, in San Francisco, there’s a wall of lava lamps: the Entropy Wall. They’re used to generate random numbers and keep a good bit of the internet secure: here’s how…(Read…)
A Nikon camera lens is cleverly pounded down with a wooden mallet into a lens cap without a scratch…(Read…)
“I was watching tv when heard a lawn mower running. I looked outside to see a guy mowing his lawn which was covered in snow!”..(Read…)
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