Hasta La Ideas

White-brick walls enclose gardens and outdoor walkways of this house in Amatepec, Mexico, designed by Manuel Cervantes Estudio to create “a game between light and shadows”.

The project, called Housing in Amatepec, was designed by Mexico City’s Manuel Cervantes Estudio in the hilly town of Amatepec, which is about a four-hour drive west of Mexico City.

Its site slopes downwards from the street towards a ravine and has unusual proportions – measuring 14 metres wide and 77 metres long.

The residence is composed of several overlapping and interlocking volumes, two of which enclose a courtyard with an existing Jacaranda tree at the front on the site.

Outdoor steps pass this front garden to lead towards the main entry that is concealed by white ceramic-brick walls.

“The main access to the house is given with an almost blind volume lined with white ceramic material that creates a game between light and shadows with the different volumes,” said Manuel Cervantes Estudio.

Gardens and outdoor walkways link three volumes on the ground floor. These include the front volume, which has a study and bedroom, the middle unit containing the kitchen and dining room, and the rear volume occupied by the living room and a larger dining area.

Glass doors run along the rear of the latter to fold open to a patio. In the foyer and living room, glass walls enclose another courtyard that is filled with tropical plants.

“The project reflects a combination of overlapping volumes lined with the ceramic material, creating an enclosure that opens to the outside,” the studio added.

Throughout the house, the white walls are punctuated by sliding wood doors and windows. Interiors feature off-white- walls, pale wood floors and dark wood built-in furniture.

The first floor, above the kitchen and dining room, contains two bedrooms separated by a bathroom, while two other bedrooms are in the rear volume and have ensuites. Each room is designed with different views.

“On the upper floor, a hallway connects with a family room overlooking the Jacaranda and the main garden, two bedrooms overlooking the central garden and finally, two bedrooms overlooking the ravine,” said the studio.

The four-storey house is complete with a slender rooftop and a basement that contains a sitting room and bathroom.

In addition to this Mexican residence, 0ther white brick houses are Three Chimney House in rural Virginia, Pedro Miguel Santos’ TS House in Portugal and Ruckers Hill House in Melbourne.

Photography is by Rafael Gamo.

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Currently on auction at Bring A Trailer, this extremely modified 1973 VW Bug is the perfect vehicle for riding around town while pretending you’re vacationing on a lake somewhere. Before jumping into the bidding pool you need to note that this vehicle is NOT actually seaworthy/waterproof or otherwise intended to go in the water. But in terms of sheer execution it is a pretty impressive build.

The car has a Facebook page with the backstory, more photos and a video of the build process. The award for Most Awesome Dad Of All Time goes to the owner who apparently built it for his daughter, who thought it would be cool to have a carboat like the one in Sponge Bob. I mean, of course that would be cool. Do you even have to state that? Even better is that the donor Bug is the car Kevin Bacon drove in Footloose. So many pop culture references here!

OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology: Fenics is a modular and customisable remote controller developed by Roc H Biel to cater for quick reaction times. 

The remote controller is intended for use in gaming or to power digital tools, such as drones, and functions by translating a user’s gestures into commands.

Customisable pressure buttons invite users to set up gestures to trigger certain actions, while its modular composition allows the controller to be used as a single, one-handed device or combined with various attachments.

According to Biel, enabling a user to personalise its function in this way caters for quicker reaction times.

Fenics was developed by Biel while studying the Royal College of Art‘s MA Design Products programme, during which he answered a brief set by OPPO London Design Centre – the design hub of global technology company OPPO.

“Fenics is a multi-purpose controller system that, starting from one-handed use, can be expanded with multiple compatible modules and attachments to control devices and digital tools,” said OPPO London Design Centre.

“Fenics is designed to translate user gestures and tactile force based on 3D input to different functionalities.”

Global technology company OPPO is presenting seven people-centric projects by five Royal College of Art students that were developed in collaboration with its design hub, OPPO London Design Centre.

The five featured students were among eight of those mentored by the global technology company while studying the MA Design Products programme, during which they answered a brief entitled Humanising Technology.

See OPPO’s selection of projects from the OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology collaboration here.

The post Roc H Biel’s modular remote controller Fenics is designed to be customised appeared first on Dezeen.

OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology: Eric Saldanha’s wall-mounted Wearloop device relies on airflow and UV light to clean dirty clothes.

Wearloop can be attached to walls, the inside of a wardrobe or on a door, and has been developed to alleviate the negative environmental impact associated with excessive washing, drying, ironing, and dry-cleaning of garments.

The technology instead relies on airflow and UV light to kill harmful bacteria and evaporate any moisture and sweat on a piece of clothing so that it can be worn again, or returned to a wardrobe.

Saldanha intention for the project is to reduce people’s dependence on washing machines and in turn normalise the re-wear of clothes.

Wearloop was developed by Saldanha under a brief set by OPPO London Design Centre – the design hub of global technology company OPPO – while studying the Royal College of Art‘s MA Design Products programme.

“At the current rate, the textile industry would account for 26 per cent of the world’s carbon budget associated with a two-degrees-celsius pathway by 2050,” explained Saldanha.

“Wearloop is a dedicated space to hang clothes at the end of the day. The active ambient airflow and UV-C light will kill the secondary-bacteria and evaporate any residual moisture and sweat on the garment, rendering the garment suitable for wearing again.”

Global technology company OPPO is presenting seven people-centric projects by five Royal College of Art students that were developed in collaboration with its design hub, OPPO London Design Centre.

The five featured students were among eight of those mentored by the global technology company while studying the MA Design Products programme, during which they answered a brief entitled Humanising Technology.

See OPPO’s selection of projects from the OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology collaboration here.

The post Wearloop by Eric Saldanha cleans clothes using only air and UV light appeared first on Dezeen.

OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology: SmartKit is a set of three children’s toys that are designed by Matthieu Muller to be used in tandem with smartphones.

Muller developed SmartKit to enrich a child’s experience of technology and simultaneously help them develop a healthier relationship with it by “combining the physical and the digital world”.

The toys, which include a car, plane and spaceship, are all made from cardboard and are animated using the features of the smartphone. This includes its speakers, display, and flash, all of which can be controlled by the children via an app on the smartphone in use.

SmartKit was developed by Muller while studying the Royal College of Art‘s MA Design Products programme, during which he answered a brief set by OPPO London Design Centre – the design hub of global technology company OPPO.

“Today, 70 per cent of children start using tablets and smartphones at three years old or younger,” said OPPO London Design Centre.

“SmartKit aims to teach children to use technology in a healthy and productive way by combining the physical and the digital world.”

Global technology company OPPO is presenting seven people-centric projects by five Royal College of Art students that were developed in collaboration with its design hub, OPPO London Design Centre.

The five featured students were among eight of those mentored by the global technology company while studying the MA Design Products programme, during which they answered a brief entitled Humanising Technology.

See OPPO’s selection of projects from the OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology collaboration here.

The post SmartKit by Matthieu Muller helps children “use technology in a healthy way” appeared first on Dezeen.