McLaren’s vision for the 2050 Formula 1 is sheer adrenaline!

Looking like something either out of a videogame or a movie about videogames, this is MCLExtreme, an amped-up vision of what a fully-electric F1 will look like in 2050, courtesy McLaren.

Sparing literally no detail, and quite literally painting an incredible picture in the process, McLaren’s vision for 2050 has quite a few interesting predictions. A completely electric drivetrain is a given, considering Formula One’s gradual drift towards it. The cars won’t just be electric, they’ll charge wirelessly too. The track will supply power to the cars at strategic intervals as they drive in circles. However, where it gets interesting is that McLaren says that in order to charge effectively, drivers will have to slow down to gather more energy. Drive slow and you charge more, drive fast and you save time. The concept of the pit-stop doesn’t exist in 2050 either. The car’s tires will be crafted from a much more durable and self-repairing material that makes them last longer and eventually repair over time, therefore never needing replacing.

The cars themselves will be able to morph as you drive too. The car will morph to grow wider at corners, allowing them to grip the road better and stay stable, but will grow narrower on longer, straight stretches, giving them the aerodynamics they need. Formula 1 will retain the closed-cockpit design, especially since these cars will come with the capacity to reach top speeds of 500km/h. However, to retain the human element that would get lost by enclosing the driver in a covered cockpit, McLaren’s even designed an emotion-sensing bodysuit that connects the driver to the lighting units in the car’s wheels. As drivers get aggressive and angry, the car wheels will turn red, and when the drivers remain collected and calm, the wheels shine blue. This allows fans to feel emotionally engaged and invested in the F1 experience, retaining the overall addictive, entertainment element of the sport. Sounds like an extremely far-fetched vision of the future, but remember that the world could be an entirely different place 30 years from now!

Designer: McLaren

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Embr Wave Helps Your Body Temperature Stay Regulated Both Indoors and Outdoors

If you’re in New York City right now—or any other city experiencing extreme drops in temperature—you know how it goes: One day the winter chill is tolerable, then the next you’re wearing three jackets, two beanies, and a scarf wrapped around your entire face except your eyes. And then the next day, you’re sick as a dog. 

Yes, heated jackets are a solution to staying warm and ditching a few layers, but what about when you ride overly heated public transportation or when you get to the office and your coworkers are fighting over who gets to adjust the thermostat?

That’s where Embr Wave comes in. A wearable that acts as a personal thermostat, Embr Wave lives on your wrist similar to an Apple Watch. When you’re feeling a bit too hot or too cold, simply press a button and let Embr Wave’s thermotechnology take its course. A light strip down the face of Embr glows blue when you’re in cooling mode and red when you’re in heat mode to ensure comfort and awareness. You can also operate the device through its accompanying app. Embr Wave’s design is unassuming, but through a mixture of technology and mental stimulation, the device is able to alter your body temperature up to five full degrees in either direction. 

Are Embr Wave’s temperature powers too good to be true? On the floor at CES 2019, (and with the help of Covestro), we met with Embr co-founder Sam Shames to learn more about the technology behind Ember Wave and what he aims to accomplish:

If you’re ready to try Embr Wave out for yourself or as a gift for a loved one struggling with temperature regulation, you can learn more and preorder Ember Wave here.

View more CES 2019 coverage here

Dezeen Weekly features flood-proof Georgian townhouses for future London

The Kentish Classic by The D*Haus Company

The latest edition of our newsletter Dezeen Weekly features the winner of the Dezeen x MINI Living Future Urban Home Competition and footage of the hundreds of abandoned chateaux in Turkey. Subscribe to Dezeen Weekly ›

The post Dezeen Weekly features flood-proof Georgian townhouses for future London appeared first on Dezeen.

Kalos Eidos refurbishes Extro-Intro townhouse in Brooklyn

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

This townhouse in Brooklyn was renovated by New York studio Kalos Eidos to include designated floors for “extroverted” and “introverted” activities.

Levels were overhauled into separated public and private portions at the Extro-Intro Residence – a two-storey home in the New York City borough’s Boerum Hill neighbourhood.

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

Based in the city, Kalos Eidos redesigned the original layout to suit what the studio described as extroverted sections on the top floor, and introverted rooms on the lower level.

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

“The project was a gut renovation of the lower half of a Brooklyn brownstone, for a woman who shares the house with her sister’s family, who lives in the unit above,” said Ryan Brooke Thomas, principal at Kalos Eidos.

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

“The goal was to maximise the modest 1,200-square-foot (111-square-metre) interior space to allow for a very extroverted take on living, working, and entertaining on the parlour floor, while accommodating a series of nested, more introverted living spaces at the lower level,” said Thomas.

On the upper floor are an entryway and living room, as well as a powder room, dining room and kitchen. Original marble fireplaces can be found in both the lounge and kitchen.

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

Kalos Eidos mapped out spaces commonly associated with socialising on this level, to host actions like “welcome”, “entertain”, and “eat”.

“These zones in the residence centre around more extroverted and structured activities, coexisting across an open plan,” said a project description from Kalos Eidos.

Dark wood floors and white walls add a high level of contrast throughout, paired with moments of light wood for built-in cabinetry and furniture.

A new patio off the kitchen is elevated on pillars, with an outdoor spiral staircase leading to the lower level. Another set of stairs is separated from the residence’s main living areas, in a hallway off the foyer.

Two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms are located on the lower level, or basement, and have ample built-in storage and worktops. Both also have private entrances and can be isolated from the rest of the house for guests or tenants.

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

The two bedrooms are accessed through a dark grey sitting room, or “nest”, which features a curved upholstered wall and built-in seating system with a stowaway bed. A creamy felt partition can conceal the area, alongside light wood cabinets.

These lower areas are designated for “retreat”, “focus” and “privatise/isolate”. In contrast with the open-plan upstairs, the lower spaces are divided with curtains, pocket doors, and convertible furniture.

“These zones serve more introverted and loosely defined activities, each necessitating a degree of insulation or seclusion,” said Kalos Eidos.

Extro-Intro Residence by Kalos Eidos

Other renovated townhouses in Brooklyn are one in Fort Greene by GRT ArchitectsRafael de Cárdenas’s own house in Clinton Hill, and one in South Slope by Office of Architecture.

Photography is by Lauren Coleman.

The post Kalos Eidos refurbishes Extro-Intro townhouse in Brooklyn appeared first on Dezeen.

3D Maps Artwork

Scott Reinhard est un artiste américain originaire de l’état de l’Indiana, connu entre autre pour la platitude de ses reliefs, mais surtout un passionné de géologie. Il a donc entrepris un travail de remodélisation des reliefs en 3D, tels qu’ils existaient dans le passé. S’appuyant sur la base de données de l’Institut de Géologie des États-Unis, il recrée des lieux qu’il a visité ou qu’il aimerait visiter et reconstitue leur carte en relief en 1945, en 1875, aussi loin que le permettent les données dont il dispose. Il y a donc une dimension presque imaginaire dans les cartes ainsi produites, qui pourtant correspondent à l’état des sols tel qui a été, et retracent l’histoire géologique de lieux emblématiques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









Designing for the Warming World

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As the planet warms and sea levels rise, so does the need for emergency equipment innovations to assist in search and rescue operations during flooding. Designed in collaboration with local firefighters and rescue specialists, the Trident provides a reach-and-rescue solution in which emergency personnel can telescope the pole to reach individuals up to 8 feet away.

On the end, an expanding foam tip for which it’s named gives the endangered person three loops to grip with their hands or cling to by inserting their arms. It also serves as a flotation device to keep them above water during the rescue. The pole is tipped with a stainless steel disc that prevents the person’s hands from slipping and keeps it from getting settled into mud. Made almost entirely from fiberglass, the telescopic design can be collapsed for easy transport and storage.

Designer: Dominic Siguang Ma

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A Humidifier for Hipsters

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Ever notice how most humidifiers on the market look futuristic and UFO-like? How’s that supposed to work with your hipster style? The Kamome humidifier looks more akin to the silhouette of a radio than an appliance. Set on any bookshelf, desk, or side table, it subtly provides freshly moisturized air. In a selection of tasteful color tones, it’s designed to serve as an aesthetic complement to your interior rather than an eyesore.

Designer: Kazuya Koike

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Your smartphone’s very own bed-side single-bed

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I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who keeps my phone right beside my bed. Not only do I feel a strong need to browse Instagram till I lull off to a deep sleep, but my phone’s position is also crucial to my hearing the alarm and waking up in the morning.

I’m pretty sure I’m also not the only one who’s felt the need to have a product like the Phone Bed. The attachable caddy fixes to the side of your bed by latching onto your mattress, giving you a convenient bedside phone-dish to keep your smartphone and other accessories. It’s big enough to stash your phone, earphones, and watch, or even your iPad, and even comes with a small slot running through the center to pass your charging cables too. The slot even doubles up as a stand to place your phone or tabet upright in, so you can watch some Netflix in bed while your conveniently sits in its own spot, adjacent to your mattress. Now isn’t that the dream?

Designer: Chong Yong Khong

Click Here to Buy Now

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Click Here to Buy Now

Ask Unclutterer: How can I change someone into an unclutterer?

Since we started asking for submissions to the Ask Unclutterer column, we have received many, many, many questions on the following theme:

I am uncluttered and organized, but my partner/spouse/roommate/sibling/child is not. It drives me crazy! Please tell me how I can change/fix him/her/them.

Each time I see one of these messages, my heart goes out to the people involved. I used to be the partner/spouse/roommate/sibling/child who was making messes and not picking up after myself. My college roommates used to yell at me, my parents hired someone to clean my bedroom, and my husband had to have a serious talk with me that bordered on being an intervention. Although many of you may not believe me, the reality is that being a clutterer living with an unclutterer isn’t the easiest of lives, either.

People can change from clutterbugs into unclutterers — I’m living proof of that — but wanting the change to happen doesn’t necessarily mean that it will. Here are some tips that may help to improve your situation:

  • Put Yourself in Their Shoes. Living a cluttered life is not full of puppies and rainbows. You walk around with the stress of your crap and disorganization on your mind all the time. You want to be organized, but don’t have the knowledge and/or energy to make it happen. If you had enough money to pay someone to clean up after you, you would hire someone in a heartbeat just to get rid of the anxiety. You know that you’re upsetting other people, but something is stopping you from changing your ways.
  • Stop nagging and have a conversation. The worst thing you can do is nag the clutterbug. Nagging sends the message that you have no respect for the person. Instead, have a conversation about the state of your home. Go to a public place (most people don’t yell in public spaces) like a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar, and really get to the heart of the matter.
  • Be honest about what you do around the house. Most people overestimate their contributions to work done around the house. It’s because we focus on just what we’re doing, attach a sense of worth to it, and assume what the other person is doing isn’t as valuable. Keep a list of all that you do and ask your house mate to do the same. They might not know how much you actually do, and vice versa.
  • Plan together. Walk through your home and talk about what you imagine for each space. Have everyone input their ideas equally. How do you envision yourself living together in those rooms? What storage exists? How do you use the space and what do you need to do to keep these areas maintained?
  • Create responsibility lists. Sit down and set a clear plan of action for the future. Divide up chores and layout guidelines for who is responsible for what. Make action items and be realistic with time limits. Consider asking a professional organizer to join you if you want some help with brainstorming. Also, create a daily routine list, similar to what was discussed our “exhausted after work” column. Set clear expectations so that there is no grey area. Do this together — don’t make a list and hand it to your house mate.
  • Avoid criticism in the early weeks. It may take some time for everyone to figure out the nuances of the new responsibilities. Ask if the other person needs help instead of being critical about how the work is completed. Organizing and uncluttering are things we learn, and not everyone is perfect at a task the first time they try it.
  • Use gentle reminders. Turn on music when you clean so that there is an audible cue for cleaning. Or, use the same set of songs in a playlist for cleaning time if you typically have music playing in you’re home. Make it obvious that you are tackling the items on your list. Honestly, this is a more effective encouragement tool to get someone to do their chores than nagging them to help you.
  • Positive speech. It’s important to focus on the end results of your organizing and uncluttering activities. The payoffs one gains from being organized are usually more valuable than the payoffs the person gains from being lazy.

Be sure to check out our post “What to do if you are organized and your partner isn’t” for additional tips and tricks.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

 

This post has been updated since its original publication in 2009.

Post written by Erin Doland

Pommel Horse Seating to Encourage Office Chatting, Yea or Nay?

The last time we saw equestrian-inspired seating, it was chiropractor David James France’s Workhorse Saddle Chair for posture improvement. Now we’re seeing another horse-based seat design, the Sitzbock Pommel Horse, designed for a different reason: Intra-office communication. “Nowadays, a big challenge businesses face,” writes German furniture manufacturer Willkahn, “is to find ways of nurturing a team spirit and animating staff to stop and chat, brainstorm and collaborate.” They reckon the Sitzbock would take care of that:

Just like a real horse, people can sit astride or ride “side saddle” or use it to lean on. At just 4.8 kg in weight, they’re easy to place in groups for spontaneous meet-ups, stack cross-wise or pick up and put on patios for a while. There’s also an optional anthracite, light mottled, graphite or mango-coloured felt “saddle blanket”. Grouped in small herds, the Sitzbock pommel horse seats conjure up an atmosphere that’s just as playful as it is ergonomic and invites interaction.

I can’t deny that when I worked in an office, there were times when someone said something interesting enough for me to want to linger for a few moments, but not sit; in a corporate environment, committing myself to a chair screams “let’s drag this out” and changes the dynamic of informal conversation. If I had one of these to merely lean on, I might’ve stuck around for more conversations.

What say you? Am I crazy for thinking this unusual piece of seating might actually serve a very useful function?