Brutalism has long been considered an architectural style most commonly used in industrial and institutional buildings. This design theory is centered around the usage of concrete, steel, and modular elements. People stay away from this style because the aesthetic isn’t inviting or warm enough for residential projects but Badie Architects proves otherwise. The Maadi Villa is nestled away from the Egyptian traffic and is an expat haven complete with a pool and open views – a gem in the city. Maadi Villa combines elements of brutalism with materials such as wood and wide windows in order to create a home that is both timeless and modern.
The angular arch over the main entrance complements the otherwise simple geometric form of the house. The wood and concrete naturally balance the cool and warm CMF of the exterior with black accents to tie it all together. The interiors also have the same modern and minimal vibe with a giant spiraling staircase that catches the eye (even from outside!). The large windows allow for plenty of natural light that adds to the ‘spaciousness’ inside the light-colored interiors. Mohamed Badie brings minimalism, expressionism, and experimentalism to life in this one project in perfect balance.
Dezeen Showroom:Fiandre has added new styles to its Maximum Marmi tile range, using the latest in research and technology to achieve sophisticated marble looks.
Currently on display in the Italian brand’s New York City showroom, the new additions to the Maximum Marmi porcelain collection are based on white and green stone.
The Invisible tile features grey veins on a pure white background
The Invisible tile has a pure white background traversed by a web of grey veins with golden accents, while Apuano Purissimo features lighter veins that fade into shaded areas to create what Fiandre describes as “a surface of unparalleled elegance”.
Verde Fantastico references an Iranian aesthetic with its dark green background and white, brown and ochre details.
The Verde Fantastico tile contains gold accents
Another green tile, Alpi Chiaro Venato, features an intensely coloured background with white veins.
The Maximum Marmi range comes in large-format slab tiles of 300 by 150 centimetres that can be used on walls, floors or facades.
Smaller format options are also available to allow designers full flexibility. Maximum Marmi tiles come in polished or semi-polished finishes.
About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.
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Wearable technology company Petit Pli has launched a clothing collection made from mono-fibre polyester that adapts to the wearer’s body shape and size.
The London-based studio, which has previously designed expandable clothes for children, launched the adultwear collection with the goal of reducing environmental damage, meeting user demand and catering to pregnant women.
The clothes are made from a mono-fibre polyester that contracts and expands to fit the wearer over time. The versatility of this patented material is meant to make it suitable for all genders, styles, shapes and sizes, including pregnant women.
Above: the design was made with pregnant women in mind. Top image: all genders, shapes and sizes can wear the collection
“Our adultwear has been engineered using placements of our patent-accepted structure in areas which see the most extreme growth in adults – the lower trunk, which can triple in size over a matter of weeks during pregnancy,” Petit Pli told Dezeen.
“The finish of the textile is our most comfortable to date. A mono-fibre construction allows clothing to be easier to recycle at the end of life since more energy would be required to separate a mixture of fibres.”
The collection can be worn throughout different stages of life
Significantly, the clothes can be worn throughout all stages of a pregnancy thanks to the way they adapt to changes in size and shape.
“The series of garments have been created to work during and after pregnancy, which sees the body go through such extreme anatomical and physiological changes,” Petit Pli said.
“Petit Pli Adultwear is soft and comfortable for ease of movement and expands across the bust, under arms and around the bump, with elasticated bands at the waist of the trousers and hem of the gilets to ensure fit. After pregnancy, the fabric contracts again, retaining its original shape.”
A close-fitting but flexible design was used
The collection consists of an outerwear gilet, inner gilet and trousers. The team wanted the clothing to be tight-fitting and shapely as an antidote to more traditional unisex clothing.
“Petit Pli Adultwear is soft and comfortable for ease of movement and expands across the bust, under arms and around the bump, with elasticated bands at the waist of the trousers and hem of the gilets to ensure fit,” the brand continued.
In addition to lasting through all stages of adulthood, Petit Pli hopes the collection will minimise the number of people sending back their clothes – another key contributor to fashion industry emissions.
“By applying our unique patent-accepted material to adultwear we had the potential to reduce emissions created by size-related returns by creating a one size adult fit design,” it stated.
The clothes build on a collection made for children
The clothes build on Petit Pli’s children’s collection, which won a Dezeen Award in 2018. The innovative designs were made to stretch as children grow.
Significant tweaks were made to the structure of the children’s designs to ensure the adultwear fit pregnant bellies.
Petit Pli has also created an expandable face mask in response to the surge in plastic pollution during the coronavirus pandemic.
From queer-owned Femme Forte, this tote bag displays the accurate slogan “the future of feminism is trans-inclusive,” both forward and as a mirror image. Printed on 100% organic cotton, it’s made ethically in a process that’s wind- and solar-powered. Plus, 10% of the proceeds from each sale is donated to Mermaids, an organization focused on supporting trans and gender-diverse kids. Price is in Pounds.
A return to traditional materials and construction techniques could help eliminate carbon emissions, says Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari, who has built more than 45,000 homes from mud, lime and bamboo.
Designed for victims of natural disasters in Pakistan, the homes, built since 2005, form “the world’s largest zero-carbon shelter programme,” according to the RIBA.
“You’re building something that’s really affordable but at the same time there are no carbon emissions,” Lari told Dezeen.
“There are lots of ancient wisdoms and techniques that have been used over the years but I can’t imagine most so-called starchitects would even look at them.”
“We have to rethink everything”
Lari, who became the first woman to qualify as an architect in Pakistan in 1963, was responsible for designing some of the country’s landmark commercial buildings such as the Finance and Trade Centre and the Pakistan State Oil House.
But since she retired and closed her practice in 2000, Lari has been advocating for a different kind of “barefoot social architecture”, which uplifts impoverished communities while treading lightly on the planet.
This involves substituting expensive, emissions-intensive materials such as concrete and steel, which need to be transported to site, with local ingredients that are low-carbon, low-cost and have been used in vernacular constructions for thousands of years.
Yasmeen Lari (top) has used mud, lime and bamboo to create the Lari Octa Green cottages in Makli (above)
“When you feel that you’re a starchitect who knows everything, then you are not looking at the past at all,” said Lari, who last year won the Jane Drew Prize for raising the profile of women in architecture.
“Most of the time, you’re looking at the future and the future has always been very shiny,” Lari added. “I built these buildings in the 1980s, which were shiny, lots of cement, lots of steel, reflective glass and all the rest of it.”
“But that was a different time and a different world altogether. With climate change, with global warming, with Covid-19, we have to rethink everything and we must do it now.”
“Every family in Pakistan” could build a shelter
Lari studied architecture at Oxford Brookes University before returning to her home country of Pakistan, where she has lived ever since.
She began her work in disaster risk reduction (DRR) in 2005, when one of the most destructive earthquakes of modern times ravaged the region of Kashmir, killing more than 80,000 people and leaving 3.5 million homeless.
In the absence of sufficient aid money, Lari developed a blueprint for a shelter that could be built by anyone using traditional mud construction.
“There was donor fatigue and there was no other way to do it except to follow my technique,” she recalled.
Since then, the 80-year-old has trained thousands of locals in how to erect these shelters through the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, which she co-founded with her husband, as well as via open-source YouTube tutorials.
“Every family in Pakistan can do it, even below the poverty line,” she said. “And we have more than 50 per cent of our population living below the poverty line.”
At her Zero Carbon Cultural Centre in Makli, Lari trains locals in how to create buildings and products from low-cost, low-carbon materials
Over time, the huts were adapted to withstand different natural disasters. Some are raised on stilts to protect from flooding and most feature cross-braced bamboo frames, based on a traditional construction technique known as dhijji, which do not endanger life during earthquakes.
“We’ve had so many of these disasters, almost every year,” Lari said. “I’m very conscious of climate change impacts because we are probably the fifth or seventh in line for disasters.”
“But this has given me the opportunity to work with different materials, which are local and natural,” she added.
“And it turns out that they’re all pretty good from [a carbon] point of view.”
“It can be reused 100 times”
This helps to create buildings that can withstand the effects of global warming without further contributing to it.
Even though Lari hasn’t undertaken a full lifecycle assessment of the shelters, she believes they are at least carbon-neutral.
“I can’t say that I’ve done any kind of evaluation but I do know that earth has no carbon emissions,” she said. “It’s locally sourced, it’s biodegradable, it can be reused 100 times.”
Lari’s other ingredient is lime, which has been used in buildings for millennia and was used by the Romans as an ingredient in the concrete used to build monuments including the Pantheon in Rome.
Lime is produced by heating limestone, which is a type of calcium carbonate. This releases the carbon into the atmosphere and leaves behind calcium oxide.
This compound, also called quicklime, is then mixed with water. And as the mixture hardens, it reabsorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The lime continues to recarbonate throughout its lifetime, slowing turning back into limestone and reducing its carbon impact.
“The more you use it, the more carbon is absorbed,” Lari said.
Lari designed this raised village school to withstand floods
The bamboo Lari uses to reinforce her buildings is a fast-growing renewable resource that sequesters CO2 throughout its life.
“I do use a little bit of steel like hinges and bolts and so on,” Lari said. “But I am presuming that whatever little emissions there might are counteracted by these materials.”
According to the architect, her design also helps to keep the operational carbon footprint of the building low, due to the natural insulation provided by the earth and the ventilation via the thatched roof.
“I understand that not everybody will use bamboo and lime and earth but everybody can make an effort to lower the carbon footprint in every kind of structure,” Lari said.
“Why is it that instead of cement we’re not using lime in buildings? There are lots of different permutations that are possible and we can use them. But the problem is that architects are not thinking in that way.”
Carbon revolution
This article is part of Dezeen’s carbon revolution series, which explores how this miracle material could be removed from the atmosphere and put to use on earth. Read all the content at: www.dezeen.com/carbon.
Mac mini powered by the Apple M1 SoC turns any monitor into a potent computer with the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and all the other hardware integrated into a very compact space. Easy to carry around for professionals and constant travelers, the Mac mini has a slight disadvantage if you are someone who likes to have the liberty of extending the internal storage space. Satechi has got you covered with the Mac mini USB-C hub which also doubles as a stand for Apple’s portable PC rig.
The silver lining with the Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with SSD enclosure is the matching design and silver finish – reminiscent of the 2020 M1 Mac mini. It is sized exactly like the Mac mini and looks a natural extension for Apple’s smallest desktop computer. This useful accessory for your Apple ecosystem increases the Mac mini’s storage without the need to depend on an external hard drive courtesy of the M.2 SATA SSD enclosure. Plug it into the USB-C port and you get additional ports in one simplified hub. This accessory has three USB-C 3.0 ports (5Gbps), USB-C data port (5Gbps), SD and microSD card readers (104Mbps), and a 3.5mm headphone jack too.
All the ports and hubs are placed on front of the accessory, making it ultra-easy to plug in or take out things. Basically, the Satechi Mac mini hub and stand makes up for what you miss out on the mac mini dual-monitor setup. If you own a Mac mini or considering buying one, this add-on is going to be a natural selection given the extended features it brings to Apple’s mini computer.
Vienna-based footwear startup Effekt Footwear has made a trainer called Alchemy-X from 90 per cent recycled materials, including ocean plastic and waste from the fashion industry.
Each pair of trainers is made with an average of 775 grams of recycled textile waste, reclaimed rubber and recovered ocean plastic, according to the brand.
“We wanted to make a sneaker that set the bar for sustainability and would create a positive impact for the planet,” said Effekt Footwear founder Ben Smits.
Alchemy-X trainers are made from recovered ocean plastic
The trainer is named after the medieval practice of attempting to turn scrap metal into gold.
“Just as the medieval chemist was trying to turn base metals into gold, we’re using ’21st-century alchemy’ to turn trash into trainers,” said Smits.
“We wish to create value from cleaning up our planet, create a business case for upcycling and help re-frame people’s perception of waste materials.”
The shoe’s name reflects the ideals of alchemy
Effekt Footwear’s low rise trainer comes in a paired-back design featuring a recycled upper lining made out of reclaimed ocean plastic and recycled textiles.
Textile scraps, off cuts and other scrap materials from the Portuguese textile industry, are recovered before being sent to landfill. Materials such as cotton are then broken down and spun back into new yarn for the trainers.
The trainers incorporate scraps from the Portuguese textile industry
The company’s European supplier gathers material from a number of sources including fisherman and beach clean-up initiatives along the Mediterranean Sea.
Plastic from the ocean floor, floating on the ocean surface as well as from rivers, estuaries and aquatic environments that lead to the ocean is collected to make the shoes.
The trainer’s uppers are made from ocean plastic
The material is then coloured with ecological dyes and finished by hand in a family-owned workshop in Portugal.
The sole is comprised of at least 70 per cent rubber waste that was destined to end up in landfill. A small percentage of it is made from new rubber to ensure the soles are durable and long-lasting. Organic cotton in the stitching, embroidery and woven tag is the only other new material used.
Rubber waste was used to create the sole
According to Smits, the result is “a sneaker that contains 90 per cent recycled material and can be easily recycled at its end of life.”
While the entire insole is biodegradable, the rest of the shoe is “designed for easy recycling with suppliers”. Customers can participate in the Effekt Collekt program whereby their trainers will be taken back and recycled by Effekt after wear.
“I do not suggest people dispose of our soles in the garden or in nature because there is a difference between biodegradable and compostable,” said Smits. “As with many biodegradable materials and plastics which are coming into the market, it is suggested that they are managed through commercial biodegradation.”
Trainers returned to by Effekt Footwear are broken down into new materials which can be reused again.
The upper is coloured with ecological dyes
Smits believes that the minimal design will enable the Alchemy-X to be worn more often, as it can work with a range of outfits.
“While we didn’t copy the silhouettes of a Converse or a Vans, we did take the characteristics of their simple, iconic cuts to create a sneaker that can be worn by everyone and with a variety of outfits,” Smits explained.
“One shoe, many styles. That’s the cornerstone of a sustainable sneaker.”
The minimal design is intended to be appeal widely
“We envision those who wear these sneakers to be leaders, visionaries and people actively working to leave the planet in a better condition than we found it.”
“This is why we have partnered with the Kahana Foundation for this project. Portions of the sale of our sneakers will help them continue their great work in Hawaii to inspire youth and influence government to work toward a better tomorrow.”
Customers can return their trainers to be recycled
With Alchemy-X, which are available via a Kickstarter, Effekt Footwear aims to help clean up the planet through upcycling waste into raw material, allowing customers to create a positive impact and reduce their carbon footprint.
For Smits, this is the most impactful way of saving our global oceans and ecosystems.
“Personally, if producers are serious about using recycled materials, lowering their carbon footprint, employing ethical labor and opting into extended producer responsibility, then this is far more impactful than planting a tree and calling it a day.”
The footwear brand is one of a growing number of companies recycling ocean plastic to create clothing items. Sportswear brand Adidas and environmental initiative Parley for the Oceans have collaborated a number of times to create shoes made from waste plastic found on seashores.
For outdoorsy enthusiasts, some accessories are an absolute necessity – portable outdoor light being one of them. A headlamp solves a wide range of purposes when out on an adventure trip but there is still room for improvement, don’t you think? Sure, a small design evolution can bring a totally unseen functionality to something as simple as a compact light that you can carry in a backpack or even the front pocket of the pants. More so in modern times when life is an adventure unknown, whether going on a hiking trip, camping escapades or simply biking on the outskirts of the city for fitness.
Cha Hongkun, a designer from China has pondered over tweaking the design of a portable light to an extent where it addresses an even wider array of activities. Cha calls it the “Ray” – an outdoor accompanying portable light with a never before seen form factor. It’s essentially a wide strap that can be hooked onto your bike, backpack, or anything one can think of. It goes without saying – Ray is an outdoor essential accessory that’ll never let you down. The ease of use and portable credentials make it one accessory I would want in my absolute essentials for a trip anywhere.
The portable LED light can be charged with a USB-C compatible power bank or via a wall outlet. What’s got me hooked on here is the cool choice of colors the designer has penned for Ray. The royal blue, cool blue, and bright orange are all so tempting. Plus that hook-on functionality is truly unique for an ultra-portable personal light. Take my money and tell me it’s going to hit the shelves pretty soon!
Read on for details and visit Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
This month’s events include an exhibition of work by Zaha Hadid Architects (top image) and a tour of an Álvaro Siza-designed tidal pool as part of Open House Porto (above)
In the first Zaha Hadid Architects retrospective to be shown in mainland China, Shanghai’s Modern Art Museum (MAM) is charting the practice’s evolution over the last 40 years, as well as the technological innovations driving this change.
Across more than 200 exhibits, dating from 1982 to today, the exhibition places a particular focus on ZHA’s many projects in China, such as the starfish-shaped Beijing Daxing International Airport.
Also featured are models and renders for a roster of projects that are currently in development across six continents, including the upcoming CECEP Campus, which is set to be Shanghai’s “greenest building”.
“With this show, we aim to present who we are close up, our depth of experience, our current preoccupations and our aspirations for the future,” ZHA principal Patrick Schumacher explained.
As large, indoor gatherings remain off-limits in Portugal due to coronavirus restrictions, Open House Porto is offering tours of “quality public spaces” instead of private buildings and residences.
For the first time ever, the event is being held in four cities simultaneously, including not just Porto but neighbouring Vila Nova de Gaia, the fishing town of Matosinhos and the northern municipality of Maia, which is making its debut on the circuit this year.
Curated by Eduardo Souto de Moura’s regular collaborator Graça Correia, the programme includes 64 tours of 16 different spaces including the Leça da Palmeira tidal pool designed by Álvaro Siza.
Nomad St Moritz is set in the 16th century Chesa Planta
Collectible design fair Nomad is once again taking over the 16th century Chesa Planta mansion near St. Moritz this year, albeit this time in summer rather than in February.
As ever, prominent international galleries will curate exhibitions within the grand villa, while a VIP programme will take guests on architect-led tours of local landmarks, private homes and collections.
For those unable to jet off to Switzerland, a parallel online edition hosted by auction house Christie’s is set to showcase a selection of 24 design objects and artworks, including seminal pieces created by the late Italian architect and designer Alessandro Mendini for Alpi.
Souto de Moura, Tatiana Bibao and Kengo Kuma are among the keynote speakers at the 27th World Congress of Architects, which is being hosted by Rio de Janeiro but taking place entirely digitally.
Across seven virtual stages, a programme of more than 80 debates, talks and roundtables will explore this year’s theme of interdependence, with topics ranging from materials and processes to smart cities and sustainable development.
In a bid to replicate the feeling of an in-person conference, delegates from more than 170 countries will be able to communicate via a social network that was developed exclusively for the event.
Kengo Kuma is set to speak at the World Congress of Architects
Now in its fifth year, the Creative Folkestone Triennial will see public spaces all over the English seaside town filled with 27 newly commissioned installations.
Turner Prize-winning design studio Assemble has collaborated with local skateboarders to erect a duo of skateable sculptures, one on the Harbour Arm promenade and the other in a railway viaduct, while Morag Myerscough has designed a colourful gateway within a former gasworks.
Meanwhile, architect Shahed Saleem, who recently replicated three London mosques for the Venice Architecture Biennale, has partnered with artists HoyCheong Wong and Simon Davenport to imagine how Folkestone’s Islamic Cultural Centre could be developed in the future through collaborative community workshops.
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks, as well as up-to-date information about what events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen’s discretion. Organisers can get enhanced or premium listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.
In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.
Les photographes de la NASA Bill Ingalls et Aubrey Gemignani ont immortalisé l’éclipse partielle du 14 juin dernier qui était visible du Groenland et du Canada, mais aussi du nord des Etats-Unis. Les clichés d’Ingalls montrent le Soleil en forme de croissant s’élevant sur le Capitole. Gemignani nous présente une perspective différente, plus naturelle, nous plongeant dans un paysage onirique à Lewes Beach. Profitez de ces merveilleux clichés car celle-ci était la dernière éclipse solaire annulaire avant 2023.
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.
