Core77 is a non-partisan rag, but when McMansion Hell’s Kate Wagner goes after Betsy DeVos’ 22,000-square-foot summer home, we can’t not cover it. Because it’s freaking funny.
“Two weeks ago, somebody untied Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s $40 million yacht from its mooring,” Wagner wrote in Vox. “It got me thinking about another opulent display of wealth owned by DeVos: her 22,000-square-foot nautical-themed summer mansion, located in Holland, Michigan. Just a few more years of climate change and it’ll be floating too.”
It appears this was a work-for-hire, meaning Vox owns these images, so we don’t dare post more than the three we snagged here just to promote the piece. We recommend you click on over and check out all of it, and read Wagner’s rationale while you’re at it.
Who’dve thought that the real killer app for augmented reality would be measuring things? Arrim One, a little widget that plugs into your iPhone or Android, essentially turns your smartphone into a tape measure, angle finder, laser level, diameter-calculator and more; the tool can be used to measure not just straight lines, but angles, curves and circles. Take a look at what it can do:
They’re claiming an accuracy of +/- 1.5mm over a distance of 20 meters. Too good to be true? Perhaps, and the Arrim One isn’t on store shelves. It was a recently-funded Kickstarter campaign that did gangbusters, garnering $273,639 on a $20,000 goal. They expect to begin shipping next month, and we’re curious to see if the product can live up to the promises.
Yesterday morning, adidas Soccer revealed the first Real Madrid CF kit ever from the club to be mass-produced from Parley’s Ocean Plastic material. The new coral-hued kit will be worn during the 2018/2019 season. The jersey’s coloring represents various shades of coral, paying homage to the beauty of the oceans.
The jerseys were unveiled yesterday morning by real Madrid players, including Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema over in Queens. The unveiling also served as a showcase for the work being done by Parley For The Oceans, and before the reveal, a Parley workshop took place where guests could learn more about the program and how to address marine plastic pollution. adidas, Parley and MLS first collaborated in 2017 when four clubs wore Parley kits on Earth Day, but this will be the first time a team will wear the jerseys all season.
“Real Madrid has the power to amplify our message, to share it with their massive global following and to bring it to life with their own decisions and actions. The message is an urgent one. It addresses the survival of our oceans, of our own species. It addresses the massive problem of marine plastic pollution. It questions the material itself and defines plastic as a prime example of a toxic substance which we can’t afford anymore. It creates too much damage to our oceans and our own health. That is why we are calling for a Material Revolution.” —Parley For The Oceans founder Cyrill Gutsch
adidas and Parley For The Oceans have been collaboratively turning plastic waste into high-performance footwear and apparel (even swimsuits!) for awhile now, and jerseys for one of the most well-recognized sports teams out there seems like a wise next step to spread Parley’s message that much more. The jersey is available beginning today and will be worn on the field for the first time tonight at 8PM EST when Real Madrid takes on AS Roma.
The Space Needle observation tower in Seattle has reopened to the public following an extensive overhaul by American firm Olson Kundig Architects, which involved adding “the world’s first and only revolving glass floor”.
Olson Kundig’s Century Project saw the renovation of the 184-metre-high structure, which was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, and has remained a landmark on the skyline and a popular tourist attraction.
The firm reconfigured and stripped back the interiors of the disc-shaped volume at the top of the tower’s massive hourglass-shaped stilts, where an observation deck is located above a restaurant.
Photograph courtesy of Space Needle and Rod Mar
Inside the restaurant, the team replaced the existing rotating floor with a glass version called The Loupe, which they claim is a world’s first.
Like its predecessor, the new glass floor makes one complete orbit per hour. But it now offers diners views of the tower’s structure and mechanics, as well as the Seattle Center campus below.
Other changes focus on offering uninterrupted 360-degree views of downtown Seattle and the Puget Sound – an estuary along the northwestern coast of Washington state – from the deck located on the level above.
Tall glass screens take the place of wire safety cages and metal barriers, which previously wrapped the outer deck and blocked views from the platform. The glass panels measure 11 by 7 feet (3.4 by 2.1 metres) and are slanted to avoid glare, while glass benches are interspersed between.
Photograph courtesy of Space Needle and John Lok
“The Space Needle has always been a treasured place where we can observe the contrast between the changing city of Seattle juxtaposed against the natural resources that surround it,” said Olson Kundig design principal Alan Maskin, who led the project, in a statement. “Our design ‘widens the lens’ of that human perspective.”
To maintain views on this level from indoors, the team stripped out the lower portion of the deck’s wall and added in more glazing. In total, the amount of glass in the Space Needle has increased by 196 per cent.
“The extraordinary skill and dedication required to design and build the Space Needle in 1962 brought out the best of our collective design and consulting team,” said project architect Blair Payson.
“In collaboration with Richard Green at Front, Arup, Hoffman Construction and MKA, we pushed the use of glass to the very limits of contemporary technology in a manner we are confident the original designers would support.”
A spiral steel, wooden, and glass staircases leads from the observation deck to the the restaurant, eventually landing at a glass oculus where another window reveals the structure below, as well as the elevators. There are also wider stairs and a wheelchair lift to improve access to the observation deck.
Olson Kundig’s updates – first revealed last year – aim to maintain the existing profile of the Space Needle – which is apparently based on the shape of a tethered balloon and a flying saucer.
To help with this, the team enlisted experts in historic preservation. They included the City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, local architecture historians and preservationists, as well as a structural engineer who worked on the original design.
Photograph courtesy of Space Needle
The Century Project marks the third renovation to the tower since it was completed by architect John Graham with businessman Edward E Carlson. The 1982 addition of the SkyLine event space at 100 feet (approximately 30 metres), and the new Pavilion entrance and expanded retail space added in 2000, were among previous changes.
Maskin is among the five principals that run Olson Kundig. The others include Jim Olson – who founded the practice in 1967 – Tom Kundig, Kirsten R Murray and Kevin M Kudo-King.
Along with a host of private houses across the US, the firm’s other projects include plans to complete the Bob Dylan Center in Oklahoma.
Design and engineering partners: Olson Kundig, Front, Fives Lund, Arup and Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) Construction partners: Seneca Group, Hoffman Construction Company, Herzog Glass and Breedt Production Tooling & Design
IKEA has enlisted the help of Dutch design duo Scholten & Baijings to create fresh takes on its Klippan sofa and Poäng armchair by adopting the widespread trend of hacking.
Inspired by the creativity of people within the IKEA hack communities, the Swedish retail giant choose to take on this DIY task itself, with the help of designers Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings.
The Lyskraft collection sees the duo overhaul a series of IKEA’s most popular items, including the Klippan sofa and the Poäng armchair, by introducing new textures, colours and patterns.
“Our products have always been made for everyone. And everyone has always taken the opportunity to express themselves through our products – by modification or customisation, repurposing or DIY,” said IKEA’s creative leader Michael Nikolic.
“Altering IKEA products to fit your personality and the soul of your home may be described in many ways, but commonly goes by the name of ‘IKEA hacking’,” continued Nikolic.
“The hackers are an inspiration to us, and with Lyskraft we feel it’s our time to show we got inspired by them.”
Taking its name from the Swedish word for “luminosity”, the Lyskraft line aims to fuse the stability and reliability that come with staple IKEA products with the trendy and colourful elements characteristic of Scholten & Baijings.
The hope is that the reworked products will make it easier for everyone to repurpose some of the IKEA’s most popular but basic furniture items, in support of the hacking spirit.
The Poäng armchair has been given a colourful makeover, now boasting three different designs in coral, blue and bright yellow.
Two quilted covers and a series of pastel-coloured, geometric legs have been introduced to spruce up the Klippan sofa. According to the designers, this new quilting technique adds an “exclusive” touch to the piece through its soft shapes and fresh pops of colour.
The duo also designed glassware made from pressed glass for the new collection, as well as napkins and melamine trays.
“Stefan and Carole both embed the type of curiosity and playfulness that we wanted to celebrate. Together we’ve captured the essence of the IKEA functionality, quality, design and value,” said IKEA’s creative leader Michael Nikolic.
“We think all the hard work paid off in the end,” said Baijings. “The collection carries our personal signature and is bursting with colours. The pressed glass collection is our highlight because it’s completely different from what’s on the market today.”
The limited edition line launches this month alongside the Swedish firm’s Gratulera collection, which celebrates its 75th birthday by relaunching “vintage” furniture pieces from the 1950s to the 2000s.
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects’ vast transit hub in downtown San Francisco will eventually connect 11 regional, state and national public transport modes, and is topped with a public park.
The Salesforce Transit Center encompasses 1.5 million square feet (140,000 square metres), stretching five blocks parallel to Mission Street in the heart of the city.
Photograph by Steelblue (also main image)
Positioned below the recently completed Salesforce Tower, also by Pelli Clarke Pelli (PCP) and now San Francisco’s tallest skyscraper, the centre sits among other major development projects to transform the area into a mixed-use neighbourhood.
The building comprises multiple storeys both above and below ground, bridging several roads overhead and connecting to subterranean rail lines.
At ground level, the main concourse features high ceilings, and includes retail and cafes for commuters and visitors.
A Grand Hall at the centre is designed as a public space, and is illuminated by a huge domed skylight. A series of “light columns” in this atrium is used to bring natural light all the way down to the rail platforms two levels below.
“In the spirit of New York’s Grand Central Terminal and London’s Victoria Station, the Transit Center’s soaring light-filled spaces will give San Francisco a grand entrance that befits its status as one of the world’s great cities,” said a project description from Pelli Clarke Pelli.
The building’s third storey, which includes the bus deck, is wrapped in a white metal screen. The perforated square panels are arranged to ripple along the building’s length and curve around its ends.
Thick white columns that form the structure are visible through the mesh facade, and even more apparent at street level.
“A gently undulating wall, floating above the street on angled steel columns, will be visible from afar, creating a graceful, luminous, and welcoming image,” PCP said.
Along the roof stretches a 2.2-hectare (5.4-acre) public park, with planted and paved spaces, a 1,000-person amphitheater, cafes, and a children’s playground. The park will open on 11 August 2018 with a neighbourhood block party.
“The park will present a wide variety of Bay Area ecologies, from oak trees to a wetland marsh,” said PCP, which projects that the building will achieve a Gold LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.
A series of four public artworks were also commissioned for the building to help enliven the spaces.
The Salesforce Transit Center is opening in phases. Full bus services will be operating from the hub from 13 August 2018, while all the rail connections should become active between 2020 and 2025.
Pelli Clarke Pelli was founded in 1977 by Argentine-American architect César Pelli, 91, whose portfolio includes skyscrapers around the world, including One Canada Square at London’s Canary Wharf and the International Finance Center in Hong Kong.
Photography is by Tim Griffith unless stated otherwise.
The bucolic terrain of Canada’s Fogo Island and China’s landscaped gardens provided the cues for the textural flourishes that Toronto studio Hi Thanks Bye has included in this simple steel furniture collection.
Collection 0 is the debut series from Hi Thanks Bye, which Chinese-Canadian design duo Stein Wang and Topher Tong established last year.
The duo wanted to celebrate their cross-cultural roots, so aimed to merge the “traditional Chinese garden aesthetics and the natural beauty of Canadian islands, such as Fogo”.
“As an emerging studio, we set out to create a debut collection that combines elements of our heritage with those of our adoptive country,” said the studio in a statement. “To that end, we drew on our unique mix of cultural and academic experience to interpret what furniture means to contemporary living across continents.”
The result is a minimal collection comprising a dining chair, a side table, a rug, a bar stool, a floor lamp, and a room divider that doubles as a shelving unit.
Cold-rolled steel sheets and tubes painted in matte “deep forest green” form the structure for the six-piece series, while rough handmade textiles offer a contrasting texture. Hi Thanks Bye teamed up manufactures and artisans in China and Canada to blend the materials.
The effect is exemplified best by the tall, slender lamp, featuring a tubular frame with green material threads draped over the top to shade the light source behind. Textiles also provide a soft covering over the seat and circular back of the chair.
Tufts of material in different green hues make the rug look like mowed grass. Called Carpet 00, the piece was developed in collaboration with Toronto-based textile designer Avis Ho.
For the room divider, two curved sheets are punctured with openings to create shelves that are accessible on either side. The holes have rounded edges and are oriented either vertically or horizontally across the unit.
Also in the collection is the round side table, comprising a slanted steel tube as its main support, which is then bolstered by a second tube wrapping around it.
Three tilted tubular legs are encased by a thin piece of steel to make up the base of the stool, while the seat has one curved edge and a lip that bends down to make it more comfortable to sit on.
Wang and Tong are set to launch the collection in a new colour at the London Design Fair, which takes place from 20 to 23 September 2018 during the city’s annual design festival – from 15 to 23 September 2018.
The name Hi Thanks Bye – a recent colloquial phrase used to end a conversation – follows a host of weird and wonderful monikers for design studios.
In the first of our Spirit of the City talks held at creative space A/D/O, designers will discuss the creative scene in New York, and their experiences of living and working in the city. Watch the livestream here from 7pm Eastern Time.
The livestream has not started yet. You will be able to watch it here or on Dezeen’s Facebook page from 7pm Eastern Time.
They will discuss the challenges and benefits of running their studio’s in New York City, as well as the creative scene at large, moderated by Dezeen’s US editor Dan Howarth.
Those who practice the BIFL (Buy It For Life) philosophy believe that you should purchase only items of high quality so they will last for your entire life and preferably beyond so you can pass them down to your heirs.
BIFL was a very common practice up until the early part of the 20th century. Afterwards, consumer goods became more affordable and technology changed at a rapid rate. This, coupled with the driving forces of consumerism caused a decline in the BIFL philosophy. And, at the same time, our homes gradually filled with more and more stuff.
Today, BIFL seems to be making a come-back. People are aware the effect of mass consumerism, from poorly paid workers in unsafe conditions, to the environmental damage caused by production and disposal of items we are driven to purchase. They also want to live in less cluttered homes.
If you’re considering becoming a Buy It For Lifer, here are some things to consider.
Buy the highest quality you can afford
If a pair of $150 boots will last you three winters and a $60 pair will last only one winter, the more expensive boot would be the better option — not only for your pocketbook but for the environment as well. Buy the highest quality (in this case the most durable) that you can afford.
A disadvantage of BIFL is that often people get convinced to pay for more ‘quality’ than needed. For example, if you never play computer games, there is no point in paying extra for a high-quality graphics card on your new computer.
Define exactly what you need the product to do and the type of performance you expect. Do some research on the internet, check product review sites, and ask your friends and family for opinions. Don’t overspend on high-end products when you can get ‘good enough’ products at much lower prices.
Choose classic styling and neutral colours
Professional Organizer Julie Bestry cleared-out a client’s closet recently and posted a photo of a classically tailored man’s suit on Facebook. She asked her friends to guess what era the suit was from. The answers spanned from the 1950s to the 1990s — an indication that time-honoured fashion transcends fad styling.
Classic styling does not just apply to clothing. Simple and elegant home furnishings stand the test of time as well. White kitchen appliances may wax and wane in popularity but they certainly outlasted those of avocado green and harvest gold. Plain dinnerware and flatware sets can be dressed up for any occasion with fancy napkins and tablecloths. A beige sofa can be jazzed up with a colourful throw and decorative cushions.
Is it repairable, replaceable, upgradeable?
When you are considering purchasing an item, inquire whether it is possible to repair it if it breaks and what the repair costs would be. Often the owner’s manual will contain a list of available replacement parts. If it doesn’t, then it may not be easily repaired.
For large items such as appliances, televisions, etc., it might be helpful to talk to local repair shops and find out which makes and models to avoid. When I took my vacuum cleaner in for repairs, I learned that certain brands should be avoided because they are almost impossible to fix while other brands can be inexpensively repaired and outperform newer models even after 20 years.
Check for a Repair Café in your city. At a Repair Café, visitors bring in their broken item and working with volunteer repair specialists, they can make repairs to their items right in the café with the tools and materials available. (Coffee and snacks are also available!) If the volunteer specialists can’t fix it, they can give you advice on whether or not your broken item is worth repairing and where the local repair shops are located.
If you have a set of items and one of the set breaks or gets lost, can it be replaced? and CorningWare offers replacement lids, and Tupperware has an almost lifetime guarantee on most of its products. Most dinnerware and flatware will sell items individually however, some patterns may be discontinued.
Technology is one area where BIFL may not make sense. Certainly keeping a computer or television for as long as possible is a good idea, but at some point the hardware will no longer accept new software updates. Look for manufacturers and retailers that offer upgrade or trade-in programs. They will accept your old technology and give you a credit towards your new product. Apple has both an upgrade program for iPhones (as do many cell phone carriers). It also has a trade-in program that gives users Apple Store credit towards the purchase of new Apple products.
Extended Warranties
Often sales people will offer extended warranties on goods and customers may be tempted especially if they are considering buying it for life. Many extended warranties are expensive and have a host of exclusions so may not be worth it for a particular product. I encourage our readers to check out the excellent advice on extended warranties by both Consumer Reports and the Toronto Star before they agree to buy.
Are you someone who buys it for life? Has it helped you stay uncluttered? Share with readers in the comments.
“How It Should Have Ended” humorously imagines some much more realistic alternate scenes and endings for the 2018 blockbuster Marvel Comics superhero film, Deadpool 2…(Read…)
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