Hasta La Ideas

Fresh from designing their own building in Amsterdam, Thonik’s Nikki Gonnissen and Thomas Widdershoven discuss what sets graphic designers apart from architects and what that could mean for a more collaborative future

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Students of Accelerate, a UK design mentorship scheme run by Open City and the Bartlett, explore the theme of dichotomies in their graduate show.

Now in its seventh year, Accelerate organises workshops and mentoring sessions for a group of 30 to 40 sixth form school students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the architecture industry.

Open City is the charity behind Open House London, and the Bartlett School of Architecture is part of University College London. Together, the organisations devise a brief for the Accelerate students, organise lessons on architectural sketching and planning, and put on the end of year exhibition.

“This year, the workshops and mentoring were devised around the theme of ‘Dichotomies’ which has brought about provocative conversations and some incredible collaborative work,” said Open City.

“There is confidence and bravery in the work on show, which is remarkable for students at this early stage in their creative journey.”

Exploring ideas about contrasts between opposite states are the Accelerate graduates of 2020: Alessandra Villanueva, Alex Awosanya, Aretha Ahunanya, Artiola Bera, Beverley Fotsu, Camelia Friptu, Elvir Baliu, Emily Voang, Emily-Rose Manning, Eneida Berisha, Gianna Federizo, Hunaiza Ilyas, Isabella O’Conner, Ismail Dadew, Jamal Mansaray, Jaqueline Tigis-Marcalla, Khadija Begum, Kron Muharemi, Lamiya Kazi, Lena Lali, Malina Nawal Pervaj, Mariam Boota, Matthew Watts, Nadir Mohamed, Raiyaan Rizwan, Roxana Rus, Sabbir Ahmed, Salima Begum, Sara Abbod, Sarica Somasundara-Moorthy Shakira Ahmed, Shromiya Kulendiran, Tharsathepa Lohanathan, Thaslima Begum, Victoria Boateng, Vijay Keshwala, Yeliz Ibrahim, Zaynab Alege, and Zisan Agca.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Accelerate 2020 show is being held online and is permanently available to view here.

Scroll down to see five of the students’ work on the theme of dichotomies:

Alex Awosanya, Graveney School, Wandsworth

Alex Awosanya made this reflective model as part of the Accelerate scheme under the mentorship of architecture firm WilkinsonEyre.

“I had a great experience at Accelerate,” said Awosanya. “Not only did I learn countless things about architecture, I also made good friends that share my passion and made the experience a lot better.”

Thaslima Begum, Langdon Park Community School, Tower Hamlets

Thaslima Begum was mentored by architecture firm Grimshaw during the Accelerate scheme.

“One of the things I learnt that amazed me was that there are different ways of portraying movements,” said Begum. “For example, thermal drawing and choosing colours to map people’s movements.”

Roxana Rus, Sir George Monoux School, Waltham Forest

Architecture studio Waugh Thistleton mentored Roxana Rus, who learned how to make models from sketches.

“I adored the casting/still-life drawing workshop because I learnt how to take the measurements of objects by using a pencil and also how to prepare the composition of plaster,” said Rus.

Mariam Boota, Woodford County High School, Redbridge

Mariam Boota learned about mapping in London’s Barbican Estate while being mentored by architecture practice BDP. “During these sessions, I learnt about the importance of space in architecture,” said Boota.

“Space is important to allow an individual to not feel confined nor to let them feel isolated by their surroundings,” she added. “Accelerate has helped me to further understand the job of an architect and what it entails. I hope to study architecture in the future.”

Sara Abbod, Upton Court Grammar School, Berkshire

Architecture studio Stanton Williams mentored Sara Abbod, who produced this vibrant collage that experiments with photography and scale.

“Having the special access and careful explanations to each building was also something I enjoyed, as it brought that special meaning to every place we worked in,” said Abbod. “Working with Stanton Williams meant I was able to explore the dichotomy of solid/void, looking at the progressive construction of cores.”

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Architecture practice Partners Hill has designed this lengthy shed-style home in the Australian town of Daylesford, Victoria to incorporate living, cooking and agricultural facilities.

Described by Partners Hill as “a study in inclusion”, Longhouse contains a farm, restaurant-cum-cookery school, guest rooms and living quarters for its owners, Ronnen Goren and Trace Streeter.

The practice worked alongside Goren and Streeter over a period of 10 years to design the multifunctional property.

“The Longhouse recalls a Palladian tradition of including living, working, storing, making in a single suite rather than referring to the Australian habit of casual dispersal,” said the practice’s founding partner, Timothy Hill.

“It emphasises how much – or how little – you need for a few people to survive and thrive. A handful of animals, enough water and year-round crops.”

Nestled amongst a 20-acre plot of land just outside the town of Daylesford, the 110-metre-long building overlooks rolling plains of bushland.

Goren and Streeter were charmed by the site’s natural vistas but, after several visits, came to realise that the area was subject to extreme weather conditions including strong winds, erratic downpours of rain and snow during the colder months.

A variety of animals such as kangaroos, wallabies and foxes could also be found roaming the site.

This “beautiful but hostile” environment is what encouraged Partners Hill to design Longhouse as a huge shed-like structure which would be “big enough and protected enough for the landscape to flourish inside”.

Translucent panels of glass-reinforced polyester wrap around the exterior of Longhouse, which is punctuated by a series of windows that offer views of the landscape.

“Smart gel-coated cladding provides different levels of UV and infrared resistance,” explained the practice.

“Panels with different finishes have also been deployed to optimise solar penetration and shading depending on the orientation of each facade and roof plane.”

An algorithm was used to design the home’s 1,050-square-metre roof, which has been specifically sized to harvest an optimum amount of rainwater.

Any water collected is stored in a series of tanks around the site – some of which are concealed by grassy banks – and can be used to service different rooms. It can also be used in the event of a bushfire.

The main entrance to Longhouse is at the western end of the building, which plays host to a sizeable garage for storing farm machinery and an enclosure for the cows, pigs and fowl.

A short walkway leads through to the kitchen where cookery workshops are held and meals are rustled up for guests dining at Longhouse. Designed to appear as a “surprisingly lush haven”, the space is bordered by leafy trees and plant beds overspilling with foliage.

Vine plants also wind down from the ceiling.

Australian cypress pine has been used to craft a majority of fixtures and furnishings, selected by the practice for its resistance to rot.

The same timber has been combined with red bricks to form a couple of gabled structures that accommodate cosy eating areas.

Some elements, like the kitchen hearth, are built from glazed clay tiles.

A set of stairs leads up to the guest rooms on the first floor, referred to as The Stableman’s Quarters. One of them features warm orange walls and is centred by an oversized daybed piled high with plump cushions.

Goren and Streeter’s private living quarters, nicknamed The Lodge, are also located on Longhouse’s first floor. Surfaces throughout have been painted a pale shade of blue.

“Even in the depths of cold, grey winters – there is an uplifting sense of blue skies and long sunsets every day,” added the practice.

In a nod to the owners’ passion for 19th and 20th-century interiors, the practice has also included a handful of decor elements that “recall the manors of a bygone era” such as clawfoot bathtubs and ornate ceiling roses.

Partners Hill is led by Timothy Hill, Simon Swain and Domenic Mesiti. Previous projects by the practice include a wooden pavilion for skincare brand Aesop – the structure was specially created for a Tasmanian music festival and was shrouded by shrubbery.

Photography is by Rory Gardiner.

Project credits:

Architecture, interior design and landscaping: Partners Hill
Cladding fabricator: Ampelite

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A team of design graduates have developed a wearable device that is hidden in the mouth as a “surveillance-proof” authentication method that could replace fingerprints and facial recognition.

The device, called Stealth, would keep users’ sensitive, digital information safe by replacing passwords with an authentication interface that verifies the user’s identity using mouth biometrics.

Sharing a visual likeness to dental wire retainers, the Stealth device would be worn on the roof of the mouth and work similarly to fingerprint recognition, identifying the individual via the unique patterns of their rugae – the ridges or folds of skin located on the mouth’s palate.

Design graduates Beren Kayali, Lu Ye, Paul Mendieta and Lea Marolt Sonnenschein from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London developed the device to make it harder for hackers to replicate “out-in-the-open” biometric data like fingerprints or voices, as well as “outdated” and vulnerable systems like manual passwords.

After the user has inserted the Stealth device into their mouth, it would scan their pre-stored palate biometrics to check that it belongs to them.

Then, in order to unlock particular devices, a “one-time sense code” would be sent to the user – a process that requires internet signal or wifi – and they must perform a certain pre-defined, intentional sensory gesture with the tongue in response to the code, like pressing or sliding.

“Within an authentication system, the human element is one of the weakest links,” said the designers. “The current authentication methods and interfaces for access control are not resilient enough in the era of surveillance.”

“Passwords are vulnerable to data breaches and shoulder-surfing by people or camera surveillance. They are also hard to manage, leading to significant numbers of compromises by careless insiders.”

“That’s why more and more companies are moving towards biometrics,” they continued. “However, people leave traces of biometrics easily and unconsciously everywhere, which makes them less reliable if they are targeted and forged.”

According to the designers, fingerprint scanners could be fooled 80 per cent of the time with technology that costs just $2,000 (£1,523).

“Once biometrics are forged or hacked, we can do nothing to change them,” they added. “If you think changing your password is difficult, try changing your fingerprint.”

According to the graduates, the mouth has multiple biometrics that are, naturally, hidden and cannot be easily collected by other people. This includes tongue print, teeth, palate rugae and saliva.

They selected the rugae, located on the mouth’s palate, as the identifier as not only are they unique to each individual, but they are less likely to repeat across generations within the family than fingerprints.

For the designers, the most exciting element of the Stealth device, however, is its potential to combine different methods of in-mouth data collection – such as biometrics, temperature, humidity and pressure – and applying this to an artificial-intelligence-based algorithm.

When connected to devices like smartphones, the Stealth gadget could also deliver digitally simulated tastes to the mouth to communicate incoming calls or messages.

A sweet taste might be used to represent a family member, for instance, and the wearer might tap their tongue on a certain spot three times to signify that they will call back soon if they are unable to pick up – similar to the automated reply on iPhones and iWatches.

“It could be the most symbiotic and robust identification system of our generation,” they said. “The overarching vision of this project is a future in which we can create a second skin inside the mouth to be used as an interface.”

They are also researching the use of saliva as a biomarker – an indicator of any diseases present in the individual.

“The data from your saliva is a mirror of your physical and mental health,” the graduates explained. “Both the data of the instant and overtime is valuable.”

“While it​’s optimistic that saliva sensors will be ready within years, we believe there has to be the right medium to make them live inside people’s mouths.”

The team have registered their first patent for the design, and are actively working on developing a prototype.

Japanese researcher Homei Miyashita also developed a gadget used via the mouth called the Norimaki Synthesizer, which uses five gel nodules made of dissolved electrolytes to replicate different food tastes.

Like the Stealth designers, the creators of the synthesiser believe that the device opens up new possibilities for human-computer interaction, and could provide an entirely new medium for multimedia experiences.

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Dr Rebecca Swift, global head of Creative Insights at Getty Images, reflects on what changes need to be made in the photography industry and the role she can play in making them happen

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