I don’t know about anyone else, but quirky and cute stationery pieces will always have a special place in my heart. I can’t pass a stationery store without finding myself sneaking in for one little snoop. In hindsight, it always seems like a terrible idea when I find my desk cluttered with tidbits I might never even end up using! Sitting and actually organizing my desk? Nah, that’s an option too tedious to even consider. So, when I discovered designer Jakob Lukosch’s Shaped Tray desk organizer, you can be sure that it tugged right at the strings of my heart!
This modern, multi-piece powder-coated desk organizer is not only super functional but aesthetically pleasing as well. Four trays of varied sizes complement each other, each a contrasting color, but all visibly soothing to the eyes. The versatile sizing of the trays allows for essentials items of all shapes and sizes to be artfully tucked into them. The largest tray is a soft grey, into which the remaining three trays are placed. This has been designed so strategically that no two trays clash, nor is any space wasted. The set features rounded edges and sleek compartments, screaming of minimalism, with a hint of mid-century inspired style.
Simplistic, sleek and coated in lovely harmonious colors that don’t scream for attention, Lukosch’s Shaped Tray desk organizer is something I can surely find myself purchasing without a second doubt for not only will it add some character to my desk, but it will help declutter the constantly rising mess on it!
A double-curved timber shell constructed from 7,700 timber pieces forms the Swatch Headquarters by Shigeru Ban in Biel, Switzerland.
The watchmaker’s campus centres on a 240-metre-long timber vault – one of the largest wooden structures in Europe, claims the practice.
The timber gridshell – a double-curved gridded structure – contains the Swatch Headquarters, snaking across the street to connect to a five-storey building.
This ancillary structure, also by Shiguru Ban, houses the Omega Factory and the Cité du Temps, a group of 18 watch brands.
The 7,700 timber pieces forming the gridshell roof of the Swatch building were engineered with a precision of 0.1 millimetres.
The architecture studio said the design is “playful, innovative and provocative” and demonstrates the capabilities of timber construction at a large scale.
Inside, a triple-height atrium leads to three storeys of office space sitting within this wooden shell.
The timber superstructure has been left exposed where it meets the edge of each floor plate and on the ceiling of the upper level.
A total of 2,800 facade elements in three varieties – opaque, transparent and translucent – cover the timber structure, controlling light levels and privacy throughout the interior.
The second building is made with a wooden frame with cross-laminated timber floors, and is raised above the ground on a colonnade that blends into the lower level.
Timber beams and columns of the structure have been left exposed, wrapped by glass walls that give views out to the town below.
At its upper level, a gondola-like protrusion from this building connects with the wooden shell of the Swatch headquarters, covering a glass bridge that leads through to a 400-seat elliptical conference hall.
At the rear of the Omega Factory a large metal spiral staircase flanked by two metal cones alludes to the watchmaking tools used within.
The entire campus is accompanied by an extensive masterplan, which has slowed traffic in the area and planted over 120 new trees.
Japanese architect and Pritzker prize-winner Shigeru Ban‘s projects seek to demonstrate the potential of wood as a construction material due to its environmentally friendly properties.
I’ll be honest, I don’t like cases but they’re an absolute necessity. I take really good care of my phone, but even I’m not a stranger to an accidental drop only to find that my new phone has a slight scratch or dent in it. It’s annoying to cover your beautiful phone in an ugly case, but it’s heartbreaking to actually damage your phone because you’re a “no case” kind of person… so here’s a best-of-both-worlds sort of case. Made from premium suede, this iPhone 11 Pro case gives your phone protection as well as a soft touch, while looking absolutely glorious. The velvety suede finish comes in midnight green to match your phone’s wonderful color, and while it doesn’t bounce light off itself the way the iPhone’s glass does, it’s an absolute upgrade over having an ugly silicone or plastic case. I mean come on, it’s suede!
Yes, your smartwatch can read your heart rate, but does it know your stress levels? Does it know how your lungs are performing? Or whether your liver is okay? Or how about your pancreas, bladder, or even stomach. Designed to help you get a more holistic view on your body, vitals, and internal organs, RaDoTech is a simple hand-held device that can, in a span of 5 minutes, help you perform a full body scan to see how healthy you are on the inside. Bring it in contact with certain acupressure points on your body, and the RaDoTech reads electrical currents to judge the health of your internal organs. The clinically tested results are sent to your phone, allowing you to see how each individual organ is performing, giving you an accurate health reading, along with personal, actionable insights to help you live better.
The RaDoTech could be labelled as a consumer tool that’s great for everyone’s health, but it’s best suited for people who want to keep better track of their internals. They could be medical patients, fitness freaks, or just people who want to take better care of their loved ones and themselves. Designed to work by simple touch, the RaDoTech helps you examine your body right down to the organ level to make sure you’re living your best life possible.
The development will be located in the Mission Bay neighbourhood, on 3rd Street in between Terry Francois Boulevard and Mission Rock Street. It will span a 28-acre waterfront site on San Francisco Bay that is currently used as a parking lot.
VRDV referenced California’s mountains when designing The Canyon
Rotterdam firm MVRDV has proposed mixed-use tower, Building A, that features a 23-storey construction with box-shaped units that project out to form a pixelated effect.
It is nicknamed The Canyon because MVRDV referenced California’s mountains when designing, with the intention to bring back the city’s hilly topography missing on the flat asphalt plot.
“We wanted to establish a dialogue between the waterfront, the ballpark, and the robust Californian rock formations,” said MVRDV co-founder Nathalie de Vries.
“Those formations inspired The Canyon’s architectural form: steep rocky walls with a narrow valley running between them, thus creating a mix of apartments of different sizes, roof terraces, and lush public spaces which feel welcoming to all.”
The facade features a pixellated construction
The project comprises a central tower as a “canyon” that will “fracture” the north-east podium to make a building form of its own and also a lush space at ground level. Another volume, known as the “annex”, will contain a separate lobby on the east side of the building.
At the base of MVRDV’s tower is a podium with a similarly faceted, red exterior. Located here will be retail, office and commercial spaces.
The building will scale 240 feet (73 metres) and contain about 285 residential units. Mechanical equipment will be housed on the roof in an additional 14-foot (4.3-metre) volume, and a rooftop patio, partial basement for bike parking, and space for the District Energy System round out the design.
Studio Gang’s building features twisting floor plates
US firm Studio Gang, meanwhile, has conceived a 23-storey tower with floors that twist away from one another to create inlets for planted terraces. Ceramics will clad each floor to offer varying hues.
“Building F will be at the heart of Mission Rock, housing amenities for the entire neighbourhood that overlook a new public plaza and vibrant streetscape,” said Studio Gang’s founder Jeanne Gang.
“For the residences, we designed a tower inscribed with terraces, extending this indoor-outdoor living and offering views amidst elevated bio-diverse gardens.”
Similar to MVRDV building, Studio Gang’s project will accommodate residences, shops and commercial spaces.
Henning Larsen has designed an office tower for Mission Rock
Like MVRDV, Henning Larsen Architects has taken cues from San Francisco’s hilly terrain for Building G. The lower floors are stepped to create terraces for planting, drawing similarities to Studio Gang’s structure, while the gridded facade extends at the top to form a balustrade around a rooftop garden.
“Contrary to the contemporary trend of sleek all-glass commercial towers, the aesthetic of Mission Rock reflects the historic architecture of industrial San Francisco where tactile materials bring an inviting, comfortable environment and deep facades create a dynamic play of light and shadow throughout the day,” said Henning Larsen partner an design principal Louis Becker.
“An active ground plane with diverse retail programming and engaging streetscape design will define the success of Mission Rock as a new, yet authentic San Francisco neighbourhood,” added Henning Larsen design manager Kelly Holzkamp.
WORKac’s office building has a horizontal form
WORKac has created a more linear office building with volumes that form a pixellated exterior. The protrusions are also used to create outdoor areas.
“We thought we could take advantage of all the setbacks at the different levels by carving new openings down the face of the building,” said WORKac co-founder Dan Woo. “That way every floor has a garden, open to the sky.”
“This a building that reflects the city’s embrace of the outdoor life so that no matter where you are, you have access to workspace outside,” he added.
Mission Rock will also include a waterfront park
Mission Rock as a whole encompasses 12 plots – seven for residential, four commercial and one for parking – with a plaza at the centre.
The firms worked in unison to “collaboratively design the buildings,” according to a project statement, and teamed with local architects. MVRDV worked with Perry Architects, Studio Gang with Quezada Architecture, and the two office buildings were created in collaboration with Adamson Associates and YA Studio.
Shallow pools, steps and a dock will be integrated
Construction is slated to commence in early 2020.
The masterplan also includes the rehabilitation of San Francisco’s historic Pier 48. A new park will also be included at the north of the property – China Basin Park. It will be designed by New York landscape architecture studio SCAPE with local firms Miller and Company and Min Design.
The park will overlook Oakland and the Giant’s baseball stadium
Across the water from the park is the home stadium of American professional baseball team the San Francisco Giants, called Oracle Park. In 2010 the Giants won the rights to develop the area, currently known as Seawall Lot 337. The team will develop Mission Rock property in collaboration with Tishman Speyer.
Place the Cubessence bottles on top of each other and they stack almost seamlessly. The trick is in the design of the bottle, that comes with an angular base, but a regular skirt around it. The bottle’s bases are placed at an angle to avoid the neck of the bottle below, but that doesn’t mean they sit at an angle when you place them on their own, because the side walls still extend downwards in a regular fashion. This allows each bottle to individually look slightly unique, but look beautiful together, as they vertically align, forming a totem-pole of sorts. This makes the Cubessence bottles both efficient to pack, as well as interesting to look at! A third benefit lies within this design too. The angled base reduces wastage. By making sure that one corner of the base is lower than the others, Cubessence makes sure the pipe within the bottle sits at this lowest corner, pumping out every ounce of the liquid to make sure the bottle is completely empty before you decide to dispose of it!
Whether wittingly or unwittingly, Canadian fabricator and skateboarder Andrew Szeto purchased a faux Eames Lounge Chair.
The only good thing about owning a lousy knock-off is that you have no psychological problem ripping it apart, which is exactly what he did.
Szeto then refabricated the back–by recycling old skateboard decks.
After cutting the decks (so many decks) into strips, he then began laminating them together.
I was wondering how he could possibly bend these pieces, which are laminated along the wrong axis to be put into a mold. Then I realized he wasn’t going to put them into a mold at all, as he began mitering the edges and laminating them into upwards wings:
Once he’d reached a rough approximation of the desired shape…
…he again impressed me by going at it primarily with rough construction/demo tools, like a reciprocating saw, an angle grinder and a power planer:
It was incredible to see how well the shape came out after some sanding:
By way of finishing, he applied a fiberglass film:
And finally, the pieces were ready for remounting:
A pretty good result, I’d say.
While I know the knockoff trade isn’t going to go away, I do wish all faux pieces would be ripped apart by their owners and re-interpreted. I damn sure wouldn’t do it with an original.
Anyways, if you’d like to see the full video of the build, it’s all here:
And if you want to see how the real thing is/was put together, click on either of the following:
A group of engineers has created this exoskeleton that allows elderly users to enjoy activities like fishing, commuting and golfing for extended periods.
Created by Astride Bionix, the Lex is a wearable chair comprising a black seat fixed onto the body with straps that tighten around the hip and just under the buttock.
Two metallic legs swing underneath to rest at an angle that forms a 120-degrees “body-thigh sitting posture”, which Astride Bionix says is best for body health.
The team behind the project – a group of wearable-robot engineers – created Lex as a quick and easy aid for older people in everyday activities.
“We decided on making a wearable product that doesn’t require an electrical motor and has a clear function so it’s easier and faster to develop,” Astride Bionix’s Don Plooksawasdi told Dezeen.
“The problem we are trying to solve is that there is a growing number of people in the world who are ageing and they find it difficult to do activities like fishing or golfing or commuting for an extended period of time,” Plooksawasdi said.
“Giving them the Lex allows them to take a little rest so that they can go extra miles.”
When not in use, Lex becomes a discrete part of the wearer’s outfit; the legs fold upwards, while the upper strap acts as a support to alleviate the weight of backpacks.
Astride Bionix said that the product has also drawn interest from those working in manufacturing environments, which often require them to stand for long periods of time.
“Not all work can be replaced with robots and if the work requires that you squat, working three to four hours a day without a chair, what option is there but to put on a machine that makes this possible?” asked Plooksawasdi.
The huge interest in the exoskeleton after an online video went viral resulted in the sale of a large number of products, Plooksawasdi told Dezeen. He added that its popularity has prompted them to create a second-generation Lex.
“Ergonomics is becoming more and more important as the world ages and augmenting our bodies will not seem such a silly idea,” he added.
Lex follows a number of exoskeletons – external frames worn by the user – that are designed to act as an aid or enhancement to the human body.
Plooksawasdi believes these adaptations are just the beginning of the possibilities for augmenting the human body.
“Exoskeleton technology is still in its early days and we will see more unconventional products until things start to look refined in the same way that Apple products do today,” he said.
“We believe that in the future, human-augmentation products should be available to empower us on specific tasks similar to how we use apps today to augment us mentally, by aiding with memory and location awareness.”
This is so cool! In the 1950s NBC had the Today show and The Tonight Show, as they do today. But they also had a show in between them called Home, hosted by Editor-in-Chief Arlene Francis. Focusing on domestic topics, Home featured a certain Eames couple in 1956.
During the segment, Charles and Ray Eames discussed their work, their work relationship, the design field, materials, their house composed of “standard factory units,” and capped it off by debuting this newfangled thing they’d come up with called the Lounge Chair.
Here’s the full segment:
If you don’t have time to watch the whole 11-minute segment, you Philistine, at least watch the three-minute clip below (we’ve cued it up for you) where they debut the chair and reveal how it’s assembled:
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
