Architecture firms Gensler, HDR and Luis Vidal have revealed a proposal for a new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport, featuring an undulating rooftop and curved windows.

Billed as a “new gateway for the region”, the 635,000-square-foot (58,993-square-metre) terminal will encompass ticketing, baggage claim, a meet-and-greet area, security checkpoint, along with retail and various concessions.

Renderings of the trio’s proposed design show a T-shaped building, covered by a roof formed from undulating sections offset from one another. Windows are slotted in the gaps between to fill the terminal with natural light.

Each of these portions of the roof extend over the sides of the building to rest on tree-like structures. This formation creates covered areas for the terminal drop-off points, with the building underneath completely glazed.

The update planned for Pittsburgh International Airport forms part of Allegheny County Airport Authority’s Terminal Modernization Program, which aims to offer better travel experiences in the region.

Gensler, HDR and Luis Vidal win contest for project

Gensler – which has a total of 48 offices across the world – has a host of experience in airport design. Past projects including new terminals at Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Airport, San Francisco International Airport and New York’s John F Kennedy Airport (JFK).

Madrid-based Luis Vidal + Architects, meanwhile, is behind London’s Heathrow Terminal 2 building and Zaragoza Airport in Spain.

Teaming with Omaha’s HDR, the firms were awarded the Pittsburgh project ahead of 10 others, after submitting to a request for proposals, issued by the airport last year. This is the first time the trio have revealed their concept for the new Pittsburgh International Airport terminal.

The scheme aims to offer a seamless passenger experience. The structure is intended to celebrate “technological advances”, as well as its surroundings in the city’s suburbs, according to Gensler.

“The design philosophy – NaTeCo – combines nature, technology, and community, as a nod to Pittsburgh’s location, its local residents, and their commitment to innovation,” said the firm. “The result will be a more modern, adaptable facility that truly reflects Pittsburgh and belongs to the local area.”

US cities make major upgrades to airports

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is among a number of US cities that are making major updates to their airports.

Chicago is currently on the hunt for an architecture firm to design a new terminal at O’Hare International Airport, with Foster + Partners and Santiago Calatrava among the list of firms on the shortlist.

New York has plans for a new $1.4 billion terminal at Newark Airport and is in the process of completely replacing LaGuardia.

The city also recently updated the masterplan for the major overhaul of JFK, where the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed terminal has been transformed into a hotel. Gensler has also designed an animal terminal and a Jet Blue Terminal at the airport.

The post Gensler, HDR and Luis Vidal propose wave-shaped terminal for Pittsburgh Airport appeared first on Dezeen.

In this week’s comments update, readers are questioning the thinking behind Gus Wüstemann’s concrete-heavy housing block.

Material matters: Zurich studio Gus Wüstemann has divided readers with its low-cost housing block, designed for the Baechi Foundation that boasts an abundance of concrete.

“I love concrete and this is wonderful,” praised Aigoual.

Duckusucker agreed: “Beautiful, textured, functional simplicity: well done!”

However, others thought it was self-indulgent, with Beartoe saying: “This is classic, extreme architecture for other architects. How, um, does one hang a picture on the wall?”

Blackout also raised a question: “Truly affordable, or affordable for young professionals and assorted hipsters who can already afford rents in city centres, but would prefer to spend a bit less?”

Regardless, this reader was impressed by at least one of the flats’ features:



What do you think of the apartment block? Join the discussion ›

Sleep wear: Milan Fashion Week saw Moncler unveil a polarising collection of padded full-length evening dresses, designed by Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.

“Everyday would be a duvet day. Bliss,” wrote a delighted Interior Addict.

Sim was also complimentary: “A welcome change I guess for female stars. Finally clothes that will keep them warm on the red carpet.”

“Why are so many ‘creative’ designs totally incompatible with reality? It’s like designing a great car with no wheels,” said Hikoo, in contrast.

The Resistance was even less impressed: “Modern fashion is ugly and out of touch.”

One word was all this commenter needed to summarise their thoughts:



Would you wear a padded dress? Join the discussion ›

Supersized: readers are horrified by the scale of Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s new campus building at the University of Toronto, which towers over neighbouring buildings.

“The gargantuan and completely inappropriate scale of this behemoth is frankly ridiculous. It’s like one of Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python cartoons – Bigfoot terrorises university campus!” argued Alfredhitchcock.

Jon agreed: “Scale is quite aggressive and the formal articulation is dated – would not be out of place in the portfolio of a less-talented studio.”

“If anything is worthy of erosion, it’s this fad of effing gimmicks,” continued Colonel Pancake.

Rob Swain added: “Everything about this is wrong, and it appears everyone on here agrees!”

At least this person was stunned:



Is “everything about this wrong?” Join the discussion ›

Time to reflect: the decision to update Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Manhattan with an OMA-designed, multicoloured glass escalator, hasn’t gone down well with readers.

“They couldn’t afford to do anything more than iridescent film? Why even hire a firm like OMA if this all you are going to fund?” quizzed Davvid.

Idracula responded: “Iridescence – the solution to retail”.

“The 1960s are calling… they want their iridescence back,” continued Frank sarcastically.

Slime thought the design was particularly hilarious: “LMAO”

Whether this comment was ironic is up for debate:



Does the design elevate you? Join the discussion ›

The post “Extreme architecture for other architects” appeared first on Dezeen.

The YD Design Storm takes a look at products, services, and spaces that are storming the internet. The idea? To turn internet-storming material into brainstorming material! Scroll down for our collection of handpicked works from design websites, portfolios, and social media. Get inspired, save projects, pin images, or share links with fellow design enthusiasts!

Watch this space for your digest of design brain-fodder… and an ever-evolving map of design trends!

Cage Archibird by Grégoire de Lafforest.

Perch Light by Umut Yamac.

PUMP table lamp by Kutarq for Woud Design.

Precarious series at MASA by Vissio.

Vases with stone by Martín Azúa.

Amble Hanging Seat by Tom Raffield.

I write a lot about bags. It’s the nature of my job. It’s also the nature of my job to find the best in each bag and highlight it, making sure the reader who’s looking for that exact feature finds a bag that they’ll end up owning and loving. Every now and then I come across a bag with a nice feature. It’s either anti-theft, or it’s modular, or trackable, or just darn stylish, but the Wings bag by Wool & Oak is different.

Around 15 seconds into the video above, I knew I was looking at something simply different. The guys behind the Wings bag stumbled upon a model that just clicks. The bag’s a cross between a backpack and a duffle, and that makes it ambidextrous. This means the bag can easily be accessed by you from either side without you needing to take your backpack off just to unzip and access your belongings. Slide it off one arm and the backpack becomes almost like a duffle or a handbag, allowing you to access your belongings through zips on either side. The bag also has a vertical flap like traditional bags, letting you access your belongings the old-fashioned way too. This layout gives the Wings bag its appeal and also its name (because the bag’s side flaps open to form wings)

The Wings backpack comes with an incredibly lightweight design (it weighs less than a kilo) and sports an Italian leather construction all around, with a breathable fabric at the back that lets your skin breathe as you carry the bag around the city with you. The bag’s lined on the insides with a water-resistant and stain-resistant PU coated fabric and is spacious enough to carry all your gear, including but not limited to photography equipment. In fact it’s actually perfect for photography equipment, given how the side-access zips make it so easy to whip out your camera while on the go. The bag also comes with magnetic side pockets and a secret front pocket for your necessary belongings, and if all of that wasn’t enough, it also flattens out to make it easy to store and carry around with you.

Wool & Oak’s Wings backpack is refreshingly different just for the way it’s designed to be used. I’ve owned backpacks for decades now and each one has the same problem. You want a pen, you need to take the bag off your back, open the zip or the flap, and dig your head in as you search for a pen. The Wings backpack’s UX is much more elegant. Designed to be a backpack that can be used as a duffle when you need to instantly access your belongings, the Wings alters the unquestioned, virtually canonical blueprint of bag design… for the better.

Designers: Gizem Mut-Webster & Johnathan Webster of Wool & Oak

Click Here To Buy Now: $195 $345 (45% off). Hurry, Super Early Bird Special with Limited Stock.

Wings is ‘The World’s First Technical Leather Backpack’ with 12-in-1 versatility: Providing the functionality of a technical outdoor backpack and the premium style of a classic leather backpack. The bag can easily be accessed by you from either side without you needing to take your backpack off just to unzip and access your belongings.

Sling the bag to the side, open and access the contents.

Securely carry your drinks and other things, in the side-pockets that hold together magnetically.

Go from work to play!

Features of The Wings Bag:

Wings is the only everyday bag you need: It is super light, weighing only 0.9kg (that’s less than 2lbs and considered the lightest leather backpack in the market), versatile, accessible, and super comfortable.

The Wings features two full zip side panels, which allow you to access any of your items within seconds. It has 2 external magnetic pockets and 1 zippered front pocket that can safely hold your water bottle or phone and wallet. Inside, there are 4 dedicated pockets for meticulous organization.

The 20l capacity can generously hold an extra sweater, pair of sneaker or whatever you fancy throughout your day. The Climate Control Mesh on the back panel lets your back breath for those extra long days. The 3D Nylon Weave shoulder straps add comfort.

Colors Options:

Click Here To Buy Now: $195 $345 (45% off). Hurry, Super Early Bird Special with Limited Stock.

Good lighting in our homes is essential. We need light to read books, work on projects, and perform basic household tasks. The brightness and hue of the lighting we choose can change the look and feel of our home.

When I was growing up, most homes had incandescent light bulbs sometimes kitchens and workshops had fluorescent ones. Our choice of light bulbs was fairly limited. Today, however, there are many options including LEDs, compact fluorescent (CFL), halogen, and ‘smart’ bulbs that can change colors and turn on and off with voice commands.

Lowes Hardware has a great explanation of wattage, light output (lumens), and temperature (Kelvin) of light bulbs and a guide for choosing the correct lighting in your home. We encourage you to read their articles if you are unsure of what type of lighting and lightbulbs you need.

Personally, I prefer LED bulbs. They are energy efficient and are cool to touch. They do not contain mercury like fluorescent/CFL bulbs so they are easier to dispose of. With LED smart bulbs, you can dim or change the colour/hue. This is helpful because with the smart bulbs, one lamp can serve many purposes. You can increase the brightness and change the colour to cool white to easily see your sewing project then turn the brightness down and the colour to warm enjoy a relaxed ambience.

LED bulbs are expensive (especially the smart bulbs) compared to many other options however, if you gradually replace your regular bulbs with LED bulbs over time, the financial impact will be reduced. Because LED bulbs last for many years, you won’t need to replace them very often!

Unclutter light bulbs

Go around the house and collect all of the light bulbs you may have stashed in various closets and cupboards. Dispose of any lightbulbs that are broken, damaged, or no longer work. You may need to test some of them in a lamp. Remember that fluorescent and CFL bulbs contain mercury so you cannot throw them in the trash. The Environmental Protection Agency has advice on how to dispose of them responsibly and where to find local disposal facilities.

Separate the remaining light bulbs into categories. For bulbs of all the same size and shape, you could separate them by brightness and hue (wattage, lumens, temperature). You may have specific bulbs for specific fixtures so they could be in a separate category.

Store light bulbs

Light bulbs can be easily stored in the package they come in. If they ship from the warehouse to the consumer without breaking, that package is sturdy enough. Be sure to label the box with the type of light bulb and where it is used, for example, LED 60W soft white for ceiling fixtures in living room, hallways, bedrooms.

If you have uniquely shaped bulbs, such as those for outdoor floodlights or chandeliers, you could wrap them in packing paper and write on the paper the type of bulb and what it is for.

You can create your own lightbulb storage by gluing plastic or foam cups to cardboard sheets and stacking them in a bin. Professional organizer Linda Chu from Vancouver demonstrated this technique for storing Christmas ornaments but it would work equally well for lightbulbs. Re-purposing a cardboard bottle tote is an option too.

We store light bulbs in a small Rubbermaid tote, either in the original packaging so it is easy to see what the bulb is, or we wrap the bulbs in fruit net wrap that the local grocery store was going to throw in the garbage anyway.

Designate one spot in your home for light bulb storage. It could be in a basement or linen closet. When you remove the last bulb of a specific type from your storage box, remember to add that type of light bulb to your shopping list.

If you have any light bulb organizing tips to share with our readers, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Post written by Jacki Hollywood Brown