Zhuhai Shengun Internet Technology was ordered to pay 200,000 yuan (£22,900) in compensation to SOHO China by the Chaoyang District People’s Court in Beijing for a piece that criticised the design of the office complex and said it had brought bad luck to its tenants.
The court in Beijing ruled that the article, based on “superstition”, had damaged the developer’s business renting out space in the Wangjing Soho complex.
A Feng Shui expert claimed the buildings were bringing bad luck to its tenants
The writer, an expert in Feng Shui, said the design of the three undulating towers resembled “pigs kidneys” and listed a number of tech companies that had done badly after renting office space in the building.
ZHA had designed the trio of curving towers to resemble smooth pebbles, the tallest measuring 200 metres high.
The location, rising from an island between main roads leading to Beijing Airport, was poorly chosen to attract good energy, said the Feng Shui expert.
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese belief that the way buildings are arranged and orientated can bring in positive “qi”, a form of energy. Its positive and negative effects are often taken into account when designing a building and choosing its site.
The website the published the story was ordered to pay compensation to the developer
Beijing officials have also been cracking down on estate agents who use claims about good Feng Shui to sell their properties. In April 2017, the Financial Times reported, the city government ordered property websites to remove any adverts that mentioned “Feng Shui and other feudal superstitions”.
Many architects actively work with Feng Shui experts when it comes to designing buildings.
British lighting brand Tala has designed its “super simple” Alumina range with urban nomads in mind, in a bid to appeal to a more transient rental market.
Comprised of a plug-in pendant and a table lamp, Tala’s latest collection is manufactured from alumina – a high-grade technical ceramic base typically used in industrial applications.
This material grants the lights their matte white finish, which is complemented by a minimal, pared-back design. While the table lamp is simply formed of a bulb, stand and a tuner, the plug-in pendant consists of just a node and a bulb.
Tala’s Alumina plug-in pendant consists of just a node and a bulb for easy installation
The simple componentry and “plug and play” design caters to the growing rental market, allowing users to easily install and reinstall the lights without the need for an electrician.
“Pushing design boundaries is a part of Tala’s DNA, but we also want to create accessible design pieces for residential and commercial environments,” said Tala co-founder Josh Ward.
“Alumina was the natural choice of material for this new range, which we designed to be versatile and sustainable, and allow for easy-installation desired by today’s urban nomads,” he added.
Designed for simplicity, the Alumina table lamp is formed of just a bulb, stand and a tuner
As a substance that is used as a starting material for the smelting of aluminium metal, alumina is highly durable in addition to being cheap to manufacture.
This aligns with Tala’s aim to design products that are both affordable and “built to last”, making the range suitable for “life on the move”.
“A lot of people we’ve spoken to over the last few years have really admired the Tala products, the brand, and so on, and they really wanted to get involved in what we were doing,” fellow co-founder William Symington told Dezeen.
“But none of them were actually buying our products,” he continued. “It was only when they started to reach their late 20s, early 30s, that they started actually buying these products from us, and we realised that it was only the people who had bought their own homes.”
The Alumina lighting range has been released alongside Tala’s new dim-to-warm light sources, Sphere and Light Engine
When people are renting and moving from house to house, Symington explained, the process of having to remove elements such as light fixtures that have been hardwired into the ceiling is seen as a barrier, and often prevents people from buying a nice piece of design for their home.
“So what we’ve done here is created something super simple that plugs into the wall, or secures with two screws into the wall and two further screws for the nodes into the ceiling, so that people can have accessibility to a nice little piece of design in their home,” he added.
“And to bring them down, it’s just as simple as unscrewing them, packing them up in a box, and taking them to the to the next place – with a tiny bit of Polyfilla in between.”
The brand’s dim-to-warm light sources adjust their colour according to the time of day
The Alumina designs have been released alongside Tala’s new dim-to-warm light sources, called Sphere and Light Engine, which aim to use light to benefit users’ wellbeing.
Each light source is fitted with state-of-the-art “circadian” driver technology that allows the colour temperature and ambience to dim from cool to warm, in accordance with the human body clock.
This means the bulbs can be dimmed to mimic natural light sources, ensuring users aren’t kept awake at night by the after-effects of white light.
The new Sphere and Light Engine light sources reflect Tala’s interest in the link between wellness and lighting
“The Sphere and Light Engine ranges are an expression of our research and interest in the link between wellness and lighting,” explained Ward.
“Whilst there is nothing better than natural sunlight, we wanted to advance the conversation on artificial circadian lighting and provide solutions that improve our quality of life.”
The Alumina, Sphere and Light Engine ranges were released during this year’s Milan design week, which took place from 9 to 14 April.
Samuel Taipale -alias Eljackson sur Instagram- est un photographe professionnel et globe-trotter finlandais. Rien à voir avec l’acteur et producteur américain de renom donc…
Quoiqu’il en soit, cet artiste, en compagnie de sa femme (elle aussi influenceuse sur le réseau social de partage photos), dévoile ses nombreuses aventures et ses innombrables clichés aux quatre coins du globe. Tantôt nichés dans leur tente an Islande, tantôt en road trip en Nouvelle Zélande dans leur combi, leurs comptes atteignent à eux deux plus de 851 K followers complètement ébahis par leurs aventures, dont 393 K pour lui.
« Pour moi, le pays le plus incroyable fut l’Islande » mentionne-t-il. Où poseront-ils leurs valises la prochaine fois ?
For the longest time, the Fashion Design Industry eluded the entire approach of designing through problem-solving. Infamously enough, the fashion business is known for setting trends, creating aesthetics, and developing styles, but not solving problems… why else would women’s pants still not have pockets? (P.S. The real answer is so that women continue to buy purses. Create pockets and purse sales will immediately tank.)
The minute you ask the public what they want in the clothes they wear, the answers will surprise you. That’s what the guys at Baubax did. They put forward a questionnaire to their quarter-million backers from their earlier Travel Jacket project and the answers came back… People wanted clothes that were first and foremost comfortable and breathable (the next top request was for zippered pockets, FYI).
Tasked with creating a perfectly comfortable line of clothes for traveling, Baubax created what they refer to as the world’s best travel pants. Designed and engineered for comfort, durability, dirt-dust-stain resistance, and an entire feature list that should put your wear-it-all-week joggers to shame, Baubax’s travel pants are comfortable, breathable, AND stylish. Available in four styles for each gender, the Travel Pants are here to reintroduce the fashion industry to the good old method of problem-solving.
Baubax’s Travel Pants are made from their proprietary fabric, a blend of bamboo and merino wool. Bamboo fibers stay an average of 3 degrees colder than cotton, and are 3 times more absorbent (they’re also used in premium bed-sheets). Merino wool, on the other hand, has the ability to retain body warmth in the winters, and cool down by dissipating heat in the summers. Merge the two in a signature weave, and you’ve got a fabric that combines the sheer silky softness of bamboo and wool, along with the ability to stay breathable, and wick moisture, keeping you fresh at all times.
Designed for travel, the pants are more than just comfortable and cozy. They’re engineered to be UV Resistant, anti-microbial, and anti-odor, allowing them to be worn for as long as 3 days without needing a wash. When you eventually do need to wash them, they wash easy and dry quickly. Designed to be the one pair of pants you’ll invariably wear any and everywhere, the guys at Baubax gave the pants a hydrophobic, liquid-repellent coating that protects them from accidental water, coffee, or wine spills. And when you’re not wearing them, the pants roll up to occupy lesser space in your suitcase than most pants, and are practically half the weight of denims.
And they also armed the pants with pockets. Loads of them! With as many as 5 pockets, Baubax made their pants as functional as they’re comfortable and stylish. Built with 3 hidden zippered pockets, you can carry valuables around safely, without ever having them stolen. Women, you may not even need that bulky purse after all! Available across trousers, chinos, leggings and joggers, there’s a Travel Pant for every style, designed to be worn nearly every day, Baubax’s Travel Pants let you travel more, carry more, and be more carefree and comfortable while looking stylish in the same pair of pants for days. How’s that for problem solving?
Designers: Hiral Sanghavi & Yoganshi Shah for Baubax
The world’s best travel pants with 15 Features! These Travel Pants are made from a magical blend of Bamboo and Merino to offer you unparalleled comfort and functionality when you are on the go!
The only pants in the world made from a unique fabric blend of insulating Merino and cool Bamboo.
Baubax also armed the pants with pockets. Loads of them!
With as many as 5 pockets, Baubax made their pants as functional as they’re comfortable and stylish.
Built with 3 hidden zippered pockets, you can carry valuables around safely, without ever having them stolen.
We’re looking for a passionate Creative Lead to join our User Experience team and focus on defining compelling hardware product experiences in our Consumer Electronics Division. Someone who’s excited to bring concepts from advanced development to fruition across our various physical product forms. Someone who has a desire to drive
This mind-bending illusion may just result in your food going cold, as you attempt to separate the intriguing sculpture in order to release your cutlery!
Designed to be an engaging decoration for the table, JOIN presents the cutlery in an engrossing and truly unique manner. Constructed from a long-life, high-tech plastic, it can be used to leave your guests confused and frustrated for years to come, as they witness you ‘magically’ free their cutlery before their very eyes!
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been staring at this unique form for an embarrassingly long amount of time and I’m still no closer to understanding the solution to the frustrating puzzle! Are you able to enlighten me?
American studio Graham Baba Architects has used perforated metal, blackened steel and salvaged wood to create an industrial-style, mixed-use building in Seattle, which includes a beer hall.
The Klotski building is located in the city’s trendy Ballard neighbourhood, a waterfront district with a maritime and industrial history.
The design of the three-storey building aims to draw upon the area’s “eclectic vibrancy and gritty nature”, according to local firm Graham Baba Architects.
Measuring 10,041 square feet (933 square metres), the building contains a tap room at ground level and an office on the second floor.
The top storey houses a caretaker’s apartment and a work studio, which are separated by a courtyard.
Steel and concrete blocks were used for the building’s structural system.
On the street-facing elevation, the team incorporated a patchwork of perforated metal screens that slide up and down, allowing occupants to modulate levels of shade and privacy.
“Riffing on the idea of shifting uses and planes, the design takes its visual cue from a sliding tile puzzle, also known as a klotski, where the object is to rearrange tiles to solve the puzzle,” said Graham Baba Architects in a project description.
Inside the building, rooms feature exposed structural elements, concrete flooring and high ceilings.
Graham Baba Architects designed a roof deck and an interior courtyard to “round out the spaces, ensuring ample indoor-outdoor opportunities”.
The Trailbend Taproom occupies the building’s ground floor. The 1,700-square-foot (158-square-metre) beer hall takes its name from the nearby Burke-Gilman Trail, which bends as it passes through Ballard.
The design team was tasked with creating a contemporary space that was “distinctly Pacific Northwest in character, and that captured the spirit of its light-industrial Ballard neighbourhood location”.
In response, the team employed a sparse yet rich palette of materials, including wood and blackened steel.
A glass wall and sliding doors enables the taproom to connect to the streetscape and showcases the activities taking place within.
Fronting the building are several picnic tables so that customers can drink and dine outdoors when weather permits.
A focal point of the taproom is a bar topped with polished walnut. Behind it, 42 taps are set within a backsplash made of white Carrara marble.
Beer offerings are posted on a split-flap sign inspired by displays in historic train stations. A ladder on wheels enables the staff to change the listings as needed.
The space features several seating options, from bar stools to booths and long tables. Much of the decor was fabricated using lumber from old “sinker logs” that were found on the bottom of the nearby Willapa Bay.
“Together, the honey-coloured wood and blackened steel yields a warm, industrial aesthetic,” the team said.
Graham Baba Architects was founded by architects Jim Graham and Brett Baba in 2006.
Architect: Graham Baba Architects Building design team: Jim Graham, design principal; Susan Tillack, project manager; Andy Brown Taproom design team: Brett Baba, principle in charge; Francesco Borghesi, designer; Andy Brown, project manager Owner/developer: David Milesi Structural engineer: Harriott Valentine Engineers, Inc Civil engineer: Sitewise Design Geotechnical engineers: Geotech Consultants Inc General contractor: Dovetail General Contractors Window wall and sliding doors: Quantum Metal work (taproom): Architectural Elements Furniture and drink rails: Firelight Forge Furniture woodwork: Oxbow Fab Sinker wood: Glenwood Valley Timber Graphic design: Turnstyle Neon signage: Western Neon
Ils affolent leur communauté sur Instagram bien qu’ils ne soient que des boules de poils. Henry et Baloo, un chien Berger allemand croisé Husky et American Staffordshire Terrier, et un chat croisé siamois, ne cessent d’émouvoir par trop de mignonnerie toutes celles et ceux qui suivent leurs aventures en plein coeur des montagnes du Colorado aux Etats-Unis.
C’est en suivant les aventures de leurs propriétaires, Cynthia Bennett et Andre Sibilsky, deux amoureux de la nature, que ces derniers ont eu l’idée si cute de mettre en scène et photographier leur complicité. Selon Cynthia, « Baloo pense qu’Henry est sa propre mère ». Elle croit aussi qu’il [Baloo] « pense lui-même être un chien ».
Les photographies et les vidéos des deux animaux ensemble, l’un blotti sur le dos de l’autre, explosent le compteur de likes sur Instagram. 160 000 likes en moyenne !
Lighting suspended from belts and lamps that appear to grow out of tables were launched as part of Flos‘ extensive 50th anniversary collection at this year’s Salone del Mobile.
The lighting brand enlisted heavyweight designers such as Michael Anastassiades, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio, Formafantasma, Piero Lissoni, Nendo, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola for the 2019 collections.
Pieces shown by the brand also included two reissues – the Chiara lamp by Mario Bellini from the 1960s, and a re-release of the first edition of the brand’s Bulbo lamp – a 1957 design by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.
Bellini’s Chiara lamp was reissued by Flos as part of its 2019 collections
The Italian lighting company joined the newly incorporated Design Holding group in September 2018, along with B&B Italia and fellow lighting brand Louis Poulsen.
Michael Anastassiades debuted an outdoor version of his Captain Flint lamp
Formafantasma‘s WireLine is composed of an LED light source within a ribbed glass extrusion and supported by swooping lengths of flat pink rubber cable designed to look like belts.
“The lamp plays on the contrast between the industrial feeling of the rubber and the sophistication of glass,” explained Formafantasma founders Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin.
Formafantasma’s WireLine features lengths of flat coloured rubber
Mushroom-esque light fixtures are combined with tabletops in Haeru – a modular lighting system by Tokyo design studio Nendo.
Haeru consists of eight parts in total: three types of tables, two types of light fixtures and three supporting legs that can be used to create custom configurations.
Haeru by Nendo is a lamp embedded into a three-legged table
“The basic structure of the object is made of a three-legged table with a built-in battery. Two of the legs are cut shorter, thus allowing the user to change and add light fixtures and tabletops depending on their preference,” explained Nendo.
“The object’s name, Haeru, means to grow in Japanese and refers to the way that the tables and lamps appear to be growing out of each other.”
Belt by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec is a system of leather-wrapped LED modules secured by buckles
Following on from the success of Aim, the popular minimal suspension lamps designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec that were launched in 2013, the French designers have created Belt.
Like Aim, Belt is a suspended lighting system with an unusual suspension element. For Belt, the designers have devised a system that connects leather-wrapped linear LED lighting modules with soft and flexible leather belts secured by buckles.
Philippe Starck’s In Vitro outdoor light comes in four variations
“All the elements are uniformly made of leather belts. Some of them carry the weight, some of them carry electricity, then of course some of them carry the light,” the designers explained.
“Belt is a line that can progress endlessly. The line can grow into the space, rotate, rise or fall. Of course, the leather is a key for Belt. It has some freedom, but also a certain stiffness that makes the line harmonious.”
Patricia Urquiola’s Flauta wall lamp was one of the Spanish’s designers products launched in Milan
Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has created an outdoor lamp called Caule and a wall lamp called Flauta.
Available in different heights and configurations and inspired by the structure of a flower, Caule is an outdoor lamp with a flexible and slender stem that Urquiola describes as “almost a natural element”.
Urquiola’s Caule is an outdoor lamp featuring a curved stem
Meanwhile, the Flauta is an indoor lamp particularly suited to contract environments. Its cylindrical body, which comes in three different shapes, two textures and four finishes, is inspired by the shapes of organs and flutes.
“The spotlights in this collection stand out thanks to a small circular reflector that captures and reverberates the light emitted,” explained Urquiola.
Michael Anastassiades’ Coordinates system consists of grid-like strip lights
Long term Flos collaborator Michael Anastassiades has created four new lights for the brand. These include a lighting system called Coordinates that consists of horizontal and vertical strip lights that form custom illuminated grid-like structures across the ceilings.
A second lighting system by Anastassiades, called My Circuit, is made up of simple individual curved and linear sections that can be joined together to create custom configurations. Mounted on the ceiling, the curved sections can be used in tandem with five pendant fixtures which are fixed along the track.
Finally, the London-based designer has created two outdoor versions of his existing floor lamps, IC and Captain Flint.
Anastassiades’ My Circuit lighting system has a fixed track that curves across the ceiling
Another outdoor lamp in the 2019 collection is designed by Philippe Starck. Called In Vitro, the series consists of bronze or silver aluminium lanterns in four variations – a ceiling lamp, three different sizes of floor lamp, a wall lamp and an “unplugged” portable version.
“The collection of outdoor lamps imagined for Flos is a little miracle,” said Starck. “Since forever, the lightbulb is protected by a glass globe. Today, this disappears in favour of the light. It is the both poetic and surrealistic idea of dematerialised architectural lighting and the memory of the space occupied by the light.”
Piero Lissoni’s Diversion is a minimalist indoor lighting track design
Meanwhile Antonio Citterio has designed a pipe-like outdoor LED lighting system called Walkstick made from painted aluminium, and Piero Lissoni has contributed two minimalistic indoor track lighting designs called Atom and Diversion.
During the Salone, chairman of Design Holding and CEO of Flos Piero Gandini, revealed to Dezeen that he is exploring ways that Flos and Louis Poulsen, which both produce lighting, can find efficiencies.
“The two companies can perfectly work together,” he said. “We are already sharing procurement offices. Flos is starting to distribute Louis Poulsen in Italy.”
The annual Salone del Mobile this year took place from 9 to 14 April and is a key part of the sprawling Milan design week.
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