The SIX is the best travel luggage ever designed… and it doesn’t have any tech inside

You could add a self-driving module or a biometric lock on a travel suitcase and call it innovation, but is that honestly a better designed suitcase? Yes, it has more features, but it isn’t an improvement on the existing problems, now is it? The G-RO SIX Carry-on is what you get when you design a radically better travel-case, not by feature-adding, but by problem-solving. The G-RO SIX has a better, more spacious design, features a handle that’s angled for better navigation, and six wheels designed to let you push your suitcase (yes, not pull, push) for longer distances without the wrist-pain, and even down the stairs without having to lift your heavy bags. The G-RO SIX isn’t a better suitcase because you can unlock it with an app, or you can charge your phone with its in-built power bank. The G-RO SIX is a better suitcase because it categorically solves the real problems we’ve been having with suitcases for decades now… not through a tech intervention, but through good design and great engineering.

The G-RO SIX is a radical improvement on the hard-shell bags we’ve been seeing and using all this while. Its design is punctuated by a strip running diagonally across the side, forming the SIX’s angular handle. Rather than have vertical handles like most suitcases, the G-RO SIX’s 66° angled telescopic handle was optimized for easy traveling. Taking on a detail found in pushcarts and prams, the handle eases wrist and shoulder fatigue by allowing you to easily push instead of pull your luggage. You’re much more in control, with the bag in front of you, and the G-RO SIX’s wheels allow you to easily maneuver the bag wherever you go.

The wheels on the G-RO SIX are redesigned for better navigation too. With two larger hubless rear wheels for easier, ergonomic pushing, and four swiveling custom-designed durable castor-wheels on the front for better navigation, the G-RO SIX requires lesser effort to maneuver around large airports and cities. The larger wheels are even designed to overcome terrain as well as push down a flight of stairs, making it easier to roam around with your luggage on any sort of terrain, be it flat surfaces, carpeted floors, roads, or even cobblestone. The wheels also come with an optimized ground-clearance, giving you as much as 10% more space along with better mobility.

These crucial innovations result in a bag that, aside from being better, looks different too. The diagonal handle running across the bag is its signature element, and comes with its share of well-engineered details that make the bag a class apart and very difficult to counterfeit. The handle comes with a rotating grip and a recessed button to activate its telescopic extensions, which come made from magnesium, making them lightweight but incredibly durable. The handle design also splits right through the middle when you open the bag… a detail engineered to perfection to make sure it stands the test of extreme usage over years of traveling. Meanwhile, a TSA-approved lock sits on the front, giving the bag its security. All these details sit recessed into the bag’s expanded design, which gives unto 10% extra storage space on the inside, while fitting the dimensions of a regular carry-on case on the outside. G-RO even went the distance to give the bag a perfectly flat top, making it ideal for resting other bags or even using as a makeshift laptop-resting table while you’re waiting for your flight.

G-RO’s design process involves paying attention to the common travel suitcase’s real, physical setbacks. It solves real problems through real design thinking, giving you a no-nonsense travel luggage-case that’s more spacious, more durable, just as secure, and easier to travel with. The SIX combines a PolyCarbonate hard shell, Aluminum chassis, Magnesium handles, Aluminum hinges, and durable PolyUrethane-lined silent-wheels to make every frequent-traveler’s dreams come true… all with a lifetime warranty!

Designer: Netta Dor Shalgi

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The SIX: Carry-on Luggage You Effortlessly Push Forward

The Spinner Re-imagined: A durable pushed bag with all-terrain wheels, increased volume, and advanced ergonomics for an effortless ride. This is G-RO’s sixth product, with six wheels and a handle tilted at 66 degrees. Thus, the team decided to name it “the SIX.”

The Push Configuration

After years of multidisciplinary research and hundreds of thousands of miles of travel, G-RO developed the concept of ‘push’ luggage. With the new push configuration, the user’s body weight acts as a counterbalance, requiring zero additional energy to roll the bag. It makes maneuvering through crowded places, and navigating through narrow airplane aisles, as easy as pushing a baby stroller.

Features & Components

Push Forward – Changing the Rules of the Game

The SIX bag was created for effortless travel. The SIX was designed to always be pushed forward, virtually eliminating all the effort required when using traditional luggage. When we lug or roll other bags, we use muscle groups we don’t activate regularly. This can create major pain and discomfort. Pushing forward concentrates the entire activity on the main muscle groups we already use on a daily basis. As a result of this design, the SIX is the healthiest travel bag ever created. All travel-related pain – in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, elbow, and back – is eliminated. It makes travel truly effortless.

Forming a Perfect Rectangle

The SIX utilizes every cubic millimeter of the 22”X14”X9” dimensions for packing space or the components of the bag. Even when overpacking, the bag will compress your belongings to the allowed size and will always fit in the sizer and the overhead bin – no surprises when you arrive for your flight!

Superior Maneuverability

The SIX will roll and maneuver on many different terrains and surfaces without ever needing to pick it up and carry it. If the terrain is a bit rough, simply apply a small amount of pressure on the handle (extend the main handle all the way up for improved leverage) to lift the spinners from the ground, and the bag will roll on its back axle-less wheels to smoothly conquer any terrain.

Super Spacious

The SIX is a super spacious bag. By recessing all of the components into the polycarbonate shell, lowering the bottom and lifting the top, we optimized the internal volume for a carry-on. We kept the internal compartmentalization simple and clean to reduce the weight and the complications of packing. The SIX offers 38L of pure packing volume.

Superior Rolling

Since their first project, G-RO has been recognized for its large-diameter, axle-less wheels (which never break and come with a lifetime warranty). They have developed world-class expertise in the field of luggage wheels. They have now taken that expertise to the next level and have conquered the spinner wheel.

Each of the wheels has passed rigorous testing, which simulates real-life abuse. Specifically for this bag, G-RO developed durable full-bearing wheels, complete with lightweight and silent polyurethane tires for unmatched rolling. The combination of two of our signature GravityRoll™ wheels in the back and two of their new, custom G-RO spinner wheels in the front creates a bag that rolls like nothing on the market.

Advanced Handles

G-RO angled the main handle at precisely 66 degrees for effortless steering. This handle is made of magnesium tubes and coated with a protective layer of oven-cured paint for lightness, structural strength, and durability. The SIX’s main handle features a unique mechanism that splits the handle in half, with a special lock to make sure it’s firmly locked when in use, and a patent-pending “throttle grip” for extension.

G-RO used 2 single-tube profiles for this bag, due to its special function and configuration, and used magnesium instead of aluminum to reduce the weight. All handles are recessed in the shell for impact protection and increased durability. The main handle is recessed at the corners into a special casing that protects the handle from impact.

This revolutionary handle has passed a wide range tests, and meets or exceeds industry standards for strength, functionality, and durability.

A Completely Flat Top

During long wait times spent sitting at the gate, in the food court, in a busy lounge, or on public transportation, you could always use a little personal space. The only physical item that you carry with along is your bag. For that reason, G-RO created the SIX with a completely flat top so it can be utilized for your needs, even if just to place a cup of coffee, a laptop, or put your feet up for a few minutes. You will be surprised how useful this feature is once you start using it.

Tough and Durable

The SIX has been tested and passed a series of aggressive tests that simulate both real-world and extreme scenarios. G-RO dis this in order to make sure the bag they deliver to you will endure and last.

The SIX and TSA

The SIX is equipped with a TSA-compliant lock – with one slide of the lever, the bag’s aluminum channel is locked in two locations. To open the SIX, you first open the lock on the handle and then slide the main lock upwards to unlock it. To lock it, you will lock the bag first, making sure none of the contents are trapped in the aluminum channel, and then lock the main handle sections together.

The G-RO Way & Their R&D Process:

Architecture: the “pillar” of the design. This includes all the detail about what the product will do, how it will function, what features it will include, and what the product will accomplish for the user.

Mechanics: after we know what we want to build and we’ve laid out the frame, we begin to execute it and decide on the materials, how things are going to perform, and how everything will work mechanically. This is where many considerations come into play, such as manufacturing and logistics capability.

Cosmetics: the cosmetic decisions complete the process and include all of the aesthetic and branding decisions that do not affect the performance of the product. This includes commercial aspects such as color (outside and inside), textures of the lining and exterior, density of the mesh, and zippers that are not structural, as well as identifying and addressing potential concerns like scratching or fading.

As the G-RO team go through each step, factors inevitably arise and affect the previous steps. For example, they might find that a certain feature they planned to include in the architecture was not mechanically possible to implement. At that point, they would revisit the previous step and find the best way to update their plans and move forward.

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Alexander Wu designs himself a house on tiny plot in Atlanta

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta architect Alexander Wu chose one of the city’s smallest properties to build this home for his family.

The two-bedroom home was a self-initiated project by Alexander Wu, who started up his architectural practice Alex Wu Architect in 2016.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

Wu was looking to expand his practice with residential work. His career previously focussed on institutional work while at Chicago firm Perkins+Will, and his portfolio lacked single-family residential designs.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

“Without a portfolio of residential work, it was challenging to find a client who would give me a go,” the architect said in a project description.

“Eventually, I determined that it would be easier to do it myself without a client, pursue financing, and build a spec home.”

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

The six-metre-wide lot is located just south of the city’s downtown area. It is reportedly the third smallest in Atlanta and was considered “unbuildable” according to local development standards.

Wu was able to afford the property, and calculated that he could design a suitable home for the site.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

Two volumes make up the home, making the project measure 4.3 metres in width. A two-storey structure built with pale brick is located at the front of the lot, with a slender, three-floor gabled structure at the back.

A glass block containing the staircase separates these two volumes, and forms as the main entrance to the home.

The residence’s ground floor features an open-plan kitchen and living room at the rear. Sliding glass doors open from here to the garden. A dining room is located at the front of the home, in the brick portion.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

On the first floor are a children’s bedroom and a small game room. This second room receives natural light from two orientations. A balcony is carved out from the playspace to overlook the street.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

A second staircase leads from this floor’s mezzanine to the master suite on the second floor. Here, Wu included an en-suite bathroom and a home office.

The roof above the dining room can accommodate a terrace, but this feature wasn’t implemented during construction as a cost-saving measure.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

“I designed the window in that playroom to be knocked out and switched to a door for access to a future roof deck,” Wu told Dezeen.

“The deck wasn’t included in the project because my financial model suggested that it would have been a very expensive item to complete, with low return for a spec buyer,” he added.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

The ceiling of the entire top floor follows the roof’s profile, which helps make the interiors feel spacious and bright. Architectural designer Jennifer Bonner used a similar trick for another house built on a small plot in Atlanta.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

For the interiors, Wu kept to a minimal palette of white walls, using wooden accents for certain ceilings and structural elements like the stairs. He contrasts these neutral tones with bold dark frames around the doors and windows.

“The project seeks to tell the story that design matters making even the most undesirable and restrictive lot into one that is humane, beautiful and desired,” he said.

A Mews House by Alexander Wu in Atlanta, Georgia

Although the architect was ready to use the home as his family residence, it proved successful on the market, and was sold in January 2019. “Whether we built it for ourselves or sold it, I always treated the budget as if we planned on selling it,” he told Dezeen.

“Part of the experiment was to see if one could build a designer’s house as a speculative project and make a profit,” he added.

Other examples of tiny homes include a scheme by New York practice Only If Architecture that proposes modifying zoning laws to allow more creative uses for tight lots and a red brick home in Seoul by STPMJ that fits on a 100-square-metre lot.

Photography is by Garey Gomez.


Project credits:

General contractor: Francisco Reyes, F M Studio LLC
Structural consultant: Mike Law, Law Engineering Consultants, Inc.
Furnishings: BoConcepts, Lisa Sisom, Furnishings, Design2Sell
Artwork: Hannah Wisdom, Daniel Byrd, Rhett Scott & Michael Brown. Students and Faculty from the Painting Department of the Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta Campus.
Landscape consultant: Micah Lipscomb

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Soaring brick archways define Sydney's Rail Operations Centre

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

Architecture practice Smart Design Studio and Jacobs have used red brick arches on a “heroic scale” to create the Rail Operations Centre in Sydney, Australia.

Nicknamed Red Roc, Smart Design Studio and Jacobs referenced historic train stations for the centre, where all the systems for running and monitoring Sydney’s rail network are housed under one roof.

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

“By evoking the audacious architectural and engineering achievements of railway buildings from a bygone era, our design celebrates the heroic scale and confidence of a remarkable modern building,” said Smart Design Studio.

The Rail Operations Centre combines a secure, almost windowless upper-level housing a control room and plant with a lower level that has a more open connection to the city.

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

“We have conceived the building as an inverted pyramid which offers protected areas beneath its overhangs, and the entire form has been enclosed within a massive masonry wall for strength and security,” the studio added.

Wide arches of this heavy, redbrick upper section are perched on a precast concrete base.

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

Behind this is a deeply recessed glass curtain walls, shading spaces from the sun while giving a sense of openness to a large foyer, a cafe space with an external terrace and communal areas for the centre’s workers.

Each brick facade wall has one-metre-thick reveals, and the arches on the north and east facades span between 40 and 45 metres.

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

“The commonplace nature of brickwork and its familiar texture have been used as a counterpoint to the extraordinary scale of these architectural gestures,” said the studio.

A glazed stairwell sits at one end of the centre’s foyer, with low, wide treads and large landings to encourage impromptu meetings between the building’s users as they move through the building.

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

Slim cuts in the upper level along with skylights provide the principle source of light to the control room area, and at two of the building’s corners deep, full-height reveals draw in light and create terrace spaces.

The less visible sides of the building, which face an area of nearby industrial buildings, are clad in precast concrete panels to create a more utilitarian appearance.

Sydney's Rail Operations Centre by Smart Design Studio and Jacobs.

Smart Design Studio have previously used similar ideas of monolithic, sculpted forms in a large concrete house for an art collector in Sydney.

For another project the practice perched two concrete boxes atop a sandstone plinth.

Photography is by Ross Honeysett.

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IKEA reveals 3D-printed Uppkoppla accessories designed for gamers

IKEA reveals 3D-printed accessories designed for gamers

IKEA has unveiled a collection of customisable 3D-printed accessories created to help people play video games at home in greater comfort and style.

The Uppkoppla collection comprises a series of prototypes developed to improve the lives of gamers by addressing issues relating to furniture design, customisation and accessibility.

The initial prototypes include a wristband, keycaps and a mouse “bungee” designed to improve gaming precision.

IKEA reveals 3D-printed accessories designed for gamers

The Swedish company collaborated on the project with UNYQ, a design company producing bespoke 3D-printed medical wearables, and Area Academy, which develops educational programmes and courses linked to e-sports.

UNYQ offers a body-scanning process that is used in this context to tweak the design of the printed objects so they become more ergonomic and tailored to the gamer’s style.

With more than two billion people playing video games around the world and the numbers steadily increasing, IKEA identified a market with unique needs that are not currently being confronted by design companies.

“It’s true that we haven’t seen the full potential of this group earlier and we haven’t looked into their specific needs at home as much as we should,” said Michael Nikolic, creative leader at IKEA.

“There are many myths and misunderstandings surrounding gamers. In fact, it is a large group of people of all ages where gaming is even a full-time job for some.”

IKEA plans to develop a broader range of home products such as desk supports, chairs and tables. These will be customised using an app that will gather the necessary biometric data.

The company has said it wants to apply the knowledge gained from this project to other user groups such as people suffering from physical disabilities or strains.

IKEA reveals 3D-printed accessories designed for gamers

“This is an exciting chance to create products that can be personalised and unique for people with particular needs,” Nikolic added. “We’re looking forward to customising other kind of products for more groups of people.”

The prototypes were presented during the Democratic Design Days event at IKEA’s headquarters in Älmhult earlier this month. The Uppkoppla collection should be made available to customers in 2020.

Also during Democratic Design Days, IKEA announced a partnership with artist Olafur Eliasson’s Little Sun project that encourages people to harvest their own solar power.

The company has also collaborated with American start-up Ori to design a robotic furniture collection that transforms small living spaces, and has launched a range of home accessories made from rice straw to help reduce pollution in India.

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This week, iMac and iPhone designer Jony Ive announced his plans to leave Apple

Jony Ive leaves Apple

This week on Dezeen, Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive announced his plans to resign from the technology company after nearly 30 years to start his own venture.

In a statement shared on Apple’s website, the British-born designer said he intends to leave the company later this year to establish an independent design company called LoveFrom.

Whilst Ive disclosed very few details about his new project, he did reveal that it is likely to work in the fields of healthcare and wearable tech, and count Apple as one of its clients.

Jony Ive top 1o designs
10 of Jony Ive’s most revolutionary designs for Apple

Ive is responsible for many of Apple’s most successful and distinctive products, including the original iMac, the iPhone and the Apple Watch.

In light of his departure, we took a look back at 10 of his most revolutionary designs for the company that changed the face of tech.

V&A Dundee by Kengo Kuma
RIBA reveals the best of British architecture for 2019

Over in the architecture world, the Royal Institute of British Architects named the winners of its national awards, as well as the longlist for its annual House of the Year competition.

Among the winners of the RIBA National Awards were the V&A Dundee by Kengo Kuma and Heatherwick’s Coal Drops Yard, while Niall McLaughlin’s Hampshire House and Peter Zumthor’s Secular Retreat made it on to both lists.

Paris reveals plans to plant trees by landmark architecture
Paris plans to go green by planting “urban forest” around architectural landmarks

RIBA also hit the headlines after declaring a state of climate emergency, committing to a five-year action plan that seeks to make sustainable practices standard within the British architecture industry.

Other environment-centred news this week included the redeployment of The Ocean Cleanup to tackle plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, and Paris’ plans to plant an “urban forest” around architectural landmarks to improve air quality.

IKEA's iconic blue and yellow logo
IKEA is bringing its low-cost modular housing units to the UK

IKEA was in the spotlight after it was announced it plans to bring its low-cost modular housing units to the south of England.

Affordable developer BoKlok, which is co-owned by IKEA and Skanska, has signed a deal with Worthing council to build 162 apartments on land it owns. The first apartments will be available from early 2021.

Row New York by Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners reveals New York City boathouse featuring zig-zag roof

New building proposals this week included Foster + Partners’ designs for a boathouse in New York City with a zig-zag roof, and OMA’s extension to the New Museum in Manhattan.

The angular extension will be wrapped in laminated glass and metal mesh, and double the size of the original contemporary art museum completed by Japanese architects SANAA in 2007.

Blaisdell Center masterplan by Snøhetta
Snøhetta reveals masterplan for 1960s Blaisdell Center in Honolulu

Snøhetta also revealed its plans to renovate the 1960s Blaisdell Center in Honolulu – a mid-century arts and performance complex constructed as a living memorial for Hawaii’s war heroes.

The news followed the studio’s completion of a pentagonal walker’s cabin overlooking Oslofjord in Norway, which can only be accessed by foot.

Cloister House by MORG
MORQ’s rammed-concrete Cloister House hides lush internal courtyard

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included MORQ’s rammed-concrete Cloister House that disguises a lush internal courtyard, LCA Architetti’s fossil-like House of the Archeologist and a mosque in Sydney with ornamental concrete vaulting.

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Barefoot Luxury holiday villas hide among Cape Verde's mountains

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

Polo Architects and Going East have paired cobbled stone walls with neutral interiors to camouflage this cluster of guest villas against Cape Verde’s rocky terrain.

Decked out in materials that match its immediate surroundings, Barefoot Luxury has been designed by Antwerp-based studios Polo Architects and Going East to be “entirely trompe l’oeil”.

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

“The Cape Verde archipelago predominantly houses a strange moon landscape with craters, bumps and rocks as far as the eye can see,” they explained.

“It charms with beautiful shades of brown, ochre, red – and contrasts dramatically with the deep blue Atlantic ocean. Respect for the surrounding landscape was essential.”

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

The collection of 12 stone-clad villas are nestled against the rocky hillsides of Baia de João d’Evora, a secluded bay on Cape Verde’s São Vicente island.

Most of the local population resides in the nearby town of Mindelo, which is host to music venues and late-night bars.

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

Whilst ensuring that the villas don’t interrupt the landscape, Polo Architects wanted guests to have maximum exposure to the sweeping sea views and natural daylight.

Each building is therefore arranged around a central outdoor patio that comes complete with a pool and kitchen area. Large panels of kotibé wood that front the space can be pivoted to minimise the strong winds that typically blow through the region.

Tall pergolas topped with strips of rattan provide shade to white daybeds and sun loungers.

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

Going East has then added a selection of natural-tone furnishings to the villas’ interiors, which boast board-marked concrete surfaces.  Warm-hued timber has also been used to craft cabinetry and to frame the full-height windows.

“Most of the furniture in the villas is made by local artisans,” explained the studio.

“We have searched the Mindelo markets for objects ranging from shark teeth to Awalé game boards, wicker baskets and cassava mortars.”

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

Located just under 400 miles off the coast of West Africa, Cape Verde is still a largely untouched tourist destination.

Last year engineering firm WSP proposed erecting a carbon-neutral hotel in the country, which would look like a faceted concrete pod.

Barefoot Luxury hotel in Cape Verde by Polo Architects and Going East

Much like Barefoot Luxury, the Olea Hotel was designed by Block722 Architects to blend into the rugged landscape of small Grecian village Tsilivi.

Sand-coloured plaster, chutes of bamboo and offcuts of wood were applied throughout its interiors.

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Ganymede’s Series 01 Watch takes inspiration from underwater voyaging vessels

A single glance at the Series 01 wristwatch is enough to fill you with intrigue. It looks nothing like most wristwatches, and telling time using the Series 01 is strikingly different too.

Designed taking inspiration from marine voyaging vessels, the Ganymede Series 01 doesn’t have a watch face as much as it has a porthole. The rounded-square watch body comes with a capsule shaped window that has a unique way of telling the time. Peer through the capsule-shaped window and you see a bunch of numbers arranged in concentric arcs. Multiple hands make rounds of the watch’s vertical face, pointing out the time. Follow the hand’s color and read the number that it points to of the corresponding color, and there you have it. It does have a learning curve, but that’s the price of having something as uniquely alluring as the Ganymede Series 01.

The watch’s body comes made from 316L stainless steel, with a domed sapphire crystal glass on the front as well as a flat sapphire crystal exhibition back, giving you a view of the Seiko NH35A mechanical movement on the inside. The case comes in a variety of hues, ranging from rose gold to bronze, steel, and black, with leather straps to match.

Its vintage nautical equipment-inspired design is truly what sets the Series 01 apart, especially with its soft curves, sandblasted finish, and beautifully offset narrow porthole window. It may take you a moment to habituate yourself to reading the time, but that’s no big deal for the trueblue watch aficionado!

Designer: Bala Radharamanan

Sidewalk Labs reveals masterplan for Sidewalk Toronto neighbourhood

Toronto Tomorrow by Sidewalk Labs

Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs has outlined its Toronto Tomorrow masterplan to turn a parcel of the city’s waterfront into the “neighbourhood of the future”.

Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, unveiled the updated proposal for Sidewalk Toronto in its Master Innovation & Development Plan (MIDP).

Released 18 months after the team first announced plans to develop a high-tech “future city” on Toronto’s waterfront, the proposal consolidates a number of the design details that Sidewalk Labs has unveiled over the past year and a half.

The company has stripped-back its initial ambition to overhaul the entire eastern waterfront. Instead now focusing on creating two neighbourhoods in the city – Quayside and the western part of Villiers Island, which make up just seven per cent of the larger lakeside site.

Toronto Tomorrow by Sidewalk Labs
The Toronto Tomorrow plan by Sidewalk Labs aims to encourage the use of outdoor space, including the Keating Channel

The two sites will be used to pilot a suite of ideas that the team has unveiled for the project. The intention is to scale these across a broader area known as the Innovative Development and Economic Acceleration (IDEA) District, which would cover one-third of the eastern waterfront.

“This proposal aims to do something extraordinary on Toronto’s eastern waterfront: create the neighbourhood of the future in the right kind of way, with people at its centre, and with cutting edge-technology and forward-thinking urban design combining to achieve ambitious improvements in the urban environment and in the way we all live,” said Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff.

Toronto Tomorrow by Sidewalk Labs
The neighbourhoods, including Quayside, will be constructed from mass timber

The Toronto Tomorrow proposal includes plans to provide an example of an affordable and sustainable built environment with “the first neighbourhood built entirely from timber”. The mass timber development will be constructed using a new $80 million (£62,940) tall timber factory in Ontario.

Thomas Heatherwick‘s British design studio, which was tapped for the project earlier this year, has designed a group of timber structures for the neighbourhoods.

Snøhetta also previously designed proposals for the development. Dezeen contacted Sidewalk Labs to see if the architecture firm is still involved in the project but is yet to receive a response.

Toronto Tomorrow by Sidewalk Labs
Other features intended to improve public space, include curbless street design, wider sidewalks, wayfinding beacons and heated pavements

Buildings will be designed to adapt to a variety of weather conditions, as part of a wider strategy to encourage the use of public, outdoor spaces. These include the Building Raincoats, which offer protection to pavements in harsh weather, and the Fanshells, which are folding glass doors that lift up to open the interiors to outside.

Images also show three primary outdoor spaces – Parliament Plaza, Parliament Slip, Silo Park – and a number of features to improve public space, such as curbless street design, wider sidewalks, wayfinding beacons, heated pavements and accessible ride-hail vehicles. All buildings will also be reachable by bicycle.

Quayside, which is billed as a new type of “live-work community”, will include more residences than commericial spaces. Villers West, meanwhile, will occupy a smaller parcel that extends to the eastern waterfront, and comprise a higher ratio of commercial and workspace.

A key element of this site a 1.5-million-square foot (139,354-square-metres) urban innovation campus, which is set to comprise Google’s Canadian headquarters, a research institute for urban innovation and an incubator for Canadian startups.

Toronto Tomorrow by Sidewalk Labs
Parliament Plaza is one of three main public areas, outlined in the plan

In total, the $1.3 billion development is estimated to bolster the local economy by providing and estimated 44,000 jobs and $4.3 billion in annual tax revenues.

The Sidewalk Labs development is set to provide thousands of new affordable housing units, with 40 per cent offered at below-market rates and 20 per cent meeting traditional definitions of affordable housing.

Sidewalk Labs has also refined its controversial proposal to collect data in the city with “the strongest governance regime for urban data anywhere in the world”.

The aim is to create an independent, government-sanctioned Urban Data Trust to oversee the collection of information to be used for the neighbourhood’s design. Data will be de-identified and adhere to Privacy by Design principles so that it is not it from being used for advertising or shared with Alphabet companies.

Toronto Tomorrow by Sidewalk Labs
The Villers West neighbourhood will occupy a smaller parcel that extends to the eastern waterfront

Toronto Tomorrow: A New Approach for Inclusive Growth also outlines a way for the neighbourhood to generate 89 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions per capita than downtown Toronto at full scale. Alongside using sustainable materials, the plan includes a proposal for a smart disposal chain for recycling, stormwater management and a “clean” thermal grid for heating and cooling.

Sidewalk Labs was awarded the development project in 2017, after responding to an open call from Waterfront Toronto, which was seeking a partner to contribute to the revitalisation of an 800-acre (324-hectare) site east of the city’s Downtown area, on the edge of Lake Ontario.

Sidewalk Labs involved more that 21,000 Torontonians, while drafting up the MIDP.

The proposal will now be assessed by Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto, who will then decide whether the project would be scaled up to cover a larger area.

Renderings are by Picture Plane for Heatherwick Studio.

The post Sidewalk Labs reveals masterplan for Sidewalk Toronto neighbourhood appeared first on Dezeen.

This concept Pixel 4 Mini is the perfect cross between a smartphone and a wearable

Bigger displays mean more energy consumption, larger batteries, and sadly, bigger disappointments because the batteries fail to deliver on the promise of a 24-hour usage cycle. While they’re great for watching videos and scrolling through endless Instagram feeds, they’re difficult to use with one hand, because screens get bigger each year with shrinking bezels, but thumbs, well thumbs don’t.

The Pixel 4 Mini is the brain-child of Jonas Daehnert, or better known on the internet by his alias, Phone Designer. Probably one of the most reliable go-to’s for any phone leak visualizations, Daehnert’s renders end up looking virtually exactly like the real deal, which may debut months later. After creating a pretty remarkable rendition of the upcoming Pixel 4, Daehnert moved onto his pet project, the Pixel 4 Mini, or in other words, the phone with the promise of a great camera, and a suitably sized screen.

Daehnert’s Pixel 4 Mini is everything like the Pixel 4, except it’s palm-friendly. With an approximately 4.5 inch screen, the Pixel 4 is the iPhone 4S of the Pixel world (if you thought that was small, the iPhone 4S actually had a 3.5 inch screen). It provides all the features of a flagship, with the usability of smaller sized phones, which mean you can operate them with a single hand and not experience thumb-pain. The Pixel 4 Mini comes with the same 3-lens camera setup as its bigger brother, and if Google’s algorithms are indication, this phone should be an absolute stunner in the photography department. A smaller phone however does have its cons too. In an effort to fit all the awesomeness in, I’m assuming the Pixel 4 Mini doesn’t support wireless charging, but a fast-charger and Pixel 4 Mini’s USB-C port should do just fine. A smaller body also means a smaller battery, but there’s ways of overcoming that… for instance Daehnert’s minimal monochrome Android UI should seriously help in salvaging some battery life.

Designer: Jonas Daehnert (Phone Designer)

Winston encrypts your home network, preventing ANYONE from watching what you’re doing

Ever had a conversation with a friend about holidaying in Italy and found yourself automatically getting ads for holiday packages and hotel options? My friend just had a baby and I was texting her my congratulations, and the next thing you know, I find myself getting ads for childcare products. Here’s a little piece of truth. Your phone may be private, but the apps on it aren’t. Apps like Facebook, Whatsapp, Google, or those hundreds of nondescript video-editing apps and indie games lying in your app menu are all centered around what’s called the Surveillance Economy… It isn’t based around money, but rather around the collecting, compiling, and bartering of personal information.

If there’s one thing design taught me, it’s the fact that you should never assume that a human will change their behavior to accommodate your product. It’s usually the other way around. A product should help a human without causing them any friction. That’s pretty much how Winston operates. Instagram’s ad network relies on and trades in your personal data (to sell you products it thinks you’ll buy) but when has that ever stopped you from using Instagram? The solution isn’t to delete Instagram, or Facebook, or YouTube from your life, but to rather be more protective of your data… and the problem is that not everybody is tech savvy enough to be able to protect their data. That’s where Winston and its tongue-in-cheek video comes in! Think of Winston as that car-chase scene from 2 Fast 2 Furious. You’ve got two cars being chased by the police. The cars immediately zoom into this seemingly empty garage and the shutters close as the police wait outside, covering all the exits. When the garage shutters do open, after a good minute of suspense, 200 cars come rushing out of the massive garage, throwing the entire area into chaos as the police find themselves struggling to identify the cars they were originally after. Long analogy short, Winston lets you access your internet as usual, but encrypts and scrambles your traffic and behavior with the thousands of other Winston devices being used around the world. It acts as a buffer between your smart devices like your Amazon Echo or your Nest thermostat and your Wi-Fi connection, so nobody (not even your Internet Service Provider) can collect your information on the sly, and you’re now free to use any of those apps or smart devices, and all your data gets scrambled and encrypted with multiple other data-sets, much to the chagrin of Mr. Zuck, your snoopy ISP, hackers, and everyone who aims to exploit and profit off your personal data and privacy.

Designed as a mysterious pristine looking silver box (courtesy Winston Privacy’s partnership with design studio MNML), Winston has the demeanor of a trustworthy, robust, no-nonsense device. Working with Winston’s software, the box connects directly to your Wi-Fi router, providing you a secure internet across all your devices. Winston doesn’t just prevent apps and smart-devices from stealing your data. It blocks ISPs from snooping on you, blocks ads, pop-ups, and periodically deletes cookies. Ridding your internet connection of all this excess baggage, Winston allows you to browse the internet faster, and even cuts down on your data usage. Besides, it blocks hackers from being able to tap into your webcam, doorbell, or your Wi-fi router, giving complete access to a truly private internet experience that’s absolutely within YOUR control.

Designer: MNML

Click Here to Buy Now: $209 $249 ($40 off). Hurry, less than 48 hours left! Rasied over $450,000.

Winston: Take Back Control of Your Online Privacy

This is a plug-n-play hardware filter that reclaims your use of the Internet on ALL connected devices at home. It stops tracking, spying & hacking.

Winston doesn’t let big tech companies, advertisers, data brokers, hackers and governments access your data. Winston delivers true online privacy for safe browsing experience.

Below: Winston Puts You In Control

Winston vs Other Privacy Solutions

How Winston Protects Your Online Privacy

Winston’s Zero-knowledge technology doesn’t allow anyone to see, log or decrypt your internet activity. It scrambles and encrypts your home network, preventing anyone from watching what you are doing.

Complete Encryption

Winston scrambles and encrypts your home network, preventing anyone from watching what you’re doing.

Hide Your IP Address

Winston’s anonymous privacy mesh network conceals your location from advertisers, hackers and other snoops.

Below: Winston’s Encryption & Anonymity Functionality

The Hardware

Plug in your Winston between your router and your modem, and within 60 seconds, it will protect every internet-connected device in your home network.

The Software

Once plugged in, Winston routes your web traffic through 20-30 other Winston units, which are selected randomly several times each hour. This makes it impossible to correlate individual users to their IP addresses, and it does so without logging any data.

The Online Dashboard

Winston’s online dashboard lets you dig into your network analytics and see exactly how Winston is working for you. You can:

– Inspect blocked ads and trackers
– View your network health
– Monitor activity
– View detailed usage reports

This is a demonstration of cookieless surveillance methods that can be used to track your browser, even in incognito mode.

Click Here to Buy Now: $209 $249 ($40 off). Hurry, less than 48 hours left! Rasied over $450,000.