Hasta La Ideas

This week on Dezeen, British architect Norman Foster said that the coronavirus pandemic will not fundamentally change cities.

Foster believes that the pandemic could accelerate the adoption of sustainable buildings, urban farming and monorails, but will not have a long-term impact on cities.

“Is Covid-19 going to change our cities?” asked the founder of London studio Foster + Partners. “I suggest that it might seem so now, but in the wider arc of history, the answer is no.”

This week saw Scottish-Ghanaian architect Lesley Lokko resign as dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture at City College in New York.

Lokko, who resigned due to a crippling workload and a lack of empathy for black women, described the move as a “profound act of self-preservation”.

Meanwhile, D&AD deputy president Ben Terrett declined to take on the role of president of the UK design and advertising body saying “there has not been enough diversity” in industry leadership roles.

In design news, Swedish furniture retailer IKEA unveiled a buy-back initiative that will see it buy back unwanted IKEA products for up to 50 per cent of their original price.

“Sustainability is the defining issue of our time and IKEA is committed to being part of the solution to promote sustainable consumption and combat climate change,” country retail manager and chief sustainability officer of IKEA UK and Ireland Peter Jelkeby said.

“With the launch of Buy Back we are giving a second life to many more IKEA products and creating more easy and affordable solutions to help people live more sustainably.”

In London, Joshua Abbott highlighted ten modernist architecture projects in the city’s Metro-land.

The projects were taken from his recently completed book Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land, which focuses modern architecture in London’s northwestern suburbs, which sprung up in the 1920s and 30s along the route of the Metropolitan Railway.

In architecture news, Danish studio BIG revealed its design for the Virgin Hyperloop Certification Center in West Virginia, which will be used for testing and certifying its high-speed transportation system.

Pritzker Prize-winning studio SANAA also unveiled its design for a major project – an extension to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which will incorporate an underground world war two oil tank.

Popular projects on Dezeen this week include a hotel for cats and dogs in Portugal designed by Raulino Silva Arquitecto, a coffee factory in Tbilisi wrapped in folded concrete and a courtyard house in Washington designed by Wittman Estes.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

The post This week Norman Foster made predictions about post-coronavirus cities appeared first on Dezeen.

This week on Dezeen, British architect Norman Foster said that the coronavirus pandemic will not fundamentally change cities.

Foster believes that the pandemic could accelerate the adoption of sustainable buildings, urban farming and monorails, but will not have a long-term impact on cities.

“Is Covid-19 going to change our cities?” asked the founder of London studio Foster + Partners. “I suggest that it might seem so now, but in the wider arc of history, the answer is no.”

This week saw Scottish-Ghanaian architect Lesley Lokko resign as dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture at City College in New York.

Lokko, who resigned due to a crippling workload and a lack of empathy for black women, described the move as a “profound act of self-preservation”.

Meanwhile, D&AD deputy president Ben Terrett declined to take on the role of president of the UK design and advertising body saying “there has not been enough diversity” in industry leadership roles.

In design news, Swedish furniture retailer IKEA unveiled a buy-back initiative that will see it buy back unwanted IKEA products for up to 50 per cent of their original price.

“Sustainability is the defining issue of our time and IKEA is committed to being part of the solution to promote sustainable consumption and combat climate change,” country retail manager and chief sustainability officer of IKEA UK and Ireland Peter Jelkeby said.

“With the launch of Buy Back we are giving a second life to many more IKEA products and creating more easy and affordable solutions to help people live more sustainably.”

In London, Joshua Abbott highlighted ten modernist architecture projects in the city’s Metro-land.

The projects were taken from his recently completed book Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land, which focuses modern architecture in London’s northwestern suburbs, which sprung up in the 1920s and 30s along the route of the Metropolitan Railway.

In architecture news, Danish studio BIG revealed its design for the Virgin Hyperloop Certification Center in West Virginia, which will be used for testing and certifying its high-speed transportation system.

Pritzker Prize-winning studio SANAA also unveiled its design for a major project – an extension to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which will incorporate an underground world war two oil tank.

Popular projects on Dezeen this week include a hotel for cats and dogs in Portugal designed by Raulino Silva Arquitecto, a coffee factory in Tbilisi wrapped in folded concrete and a courtyard house in Washington designed by Wittman Estes.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

The post This week Norman Foster made predictions about post-coronavirus cities appeared first on Dezeen.

It’s safe to say that mosquitoes are probably one of the most disliked species of bugs in existence today. Mosquito spray and bug zappers stock the shelves of convenience and grocery stores during the warmer seasons, with the latter solution being the most popular option. After rendering their take on the bug zapper, PUURFUN LIN produced a mosquito killer lamp visual design that’s stylish in appearance and effective in purpose.

The finished design is sleek, contemporary, and suitable for either indoor or outdoor spaces. Inspired by expandable lanterns and handheld lamps, this take on the bug zapper is as chic as it is reliable and resembles a minuscule, cyborg, silent assassin. Doubling as a lamp, this device provides enough lighting for an evening spent outside on the porch or one spent inside, reading a book with the windows open. In addition to the design’s light features, it also zaps bugs. Mosquitoes are irresistibly attracted to the lamp’s ultraviolet light rays, which then brings them to the device’s killing snare. As the mosquitoes fly closer towards the ultraviolet light, a killing entrapment takes care of the pest so summer nights can carry on without worry. This portable mosquito killer lamp fits in nicely amongst other household objects as its shape, structure, and color scheme is subdued and unassuming, but attractive and minimal in its presentation. Being that this design is both a lamp and a mosquito trap, the final product is wireless and portable, making it easy to transfer from place to place.

Nothing gets in the way of a relaxing, warm evening like pesky mosquitoes. No matter the endless rows of citronella candles or cups of DEET bug-repellent, mosquitoes just keep on coming. Devices like this one, from PUURFUN LIN, are imperative to make those summer nights feel a lot less itchy and much more enjoyable, keeping the looming threat of those tiny bloodsuckers away for good.

Designer: PUURFUN LIN

Composed of 95% pre-consumer recycled cashmere and 5% virgin wool, Patagonia’s more environmentally friendly take on the classic scarf offers comfort and warmth. Stretching 62 inches, with a generous width of 8.5 inches, the accessory is on the larger side. It’s available in two colorways, with our preference being navy.

The Varier Ekstrem was built to evoke a reaction. Now it doesn’t matter what reaction it is as long as it’s extreme (as the chair’s name suggests), but I’m guessing designer Terje Ekstrøm is going for a combination of shock-value and absolute delight, because as eccentric as the Ekstrem armchair looks, it surely looks hypnotic too!

The Ekstrem comes with an incredibly bold-looking silhouette, thanks to its pipe-shaped design. The chair distills the seating experience to its most basic form, and then exaggerates it with thick cushioned columns that curve and intersect to create a seat that’s still comfortable to sit on. The armchair comes with a backrest and a seat, each created by four pipe-columns merging together. The pipes then branch out, becoming either the armrests, or the legs of the chair, creating something that’s absurd to look at, but something you’ll undeniably want to sit on!

Each chair comes with an internal stainless steel frame, covered with PU foam, giving the chair its soft appeal. The foam members are individually upholstered with a bespoke woven woolen fabric, giving it breathability along with elasticity that allows the fabric weave to naturally stretch when you sit on it. The chair comes in six Pantone color variants, ranging from the classic black and light Gray Violet, to more vibrant options like Shaded Spruce, Port (maroon), Sulphur (yellow), and Bridge Orange.

Designer: Terje Ekstrøm for Varier

Varier Ekstrem Extrem Slangenstoel