The renovations to the 1968 home, originally designed by architect George Cody, included adding cedar cladding, raising the roofline to expand windows and brightening the interiors.
The three-bedroom weekend home – located in a resort community that lies just south of Santa Cruz in California – was designed for a Silicon Valley couple and their three children.
When renovating, the architects stayed true to the original footprint of the home but worked closely with the client to incorporate their vision. Readers appreciated that “the targeted interventions seemed to minimise change and maximise impact.”
“Gorgeous. I can’t seem to find anything to improve on”, wrote one commenter.
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There should be transparency between staff and students in architectural education, says The School of Architecture dean Stephanie Lin in this exclusive interview.
As dean, Lin aims to focus on students well being at a time when global architectural education is under scrutiny and The School of Architecture (TSOA), which was formerly called the School of Architecture at Taliesin, itself is going through changes following disputes with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
After splitting with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the school moved to Paulo Soleri-designed Arcosanti and Cosanti in Arizona. Photo by Carwil
“Because the school has gone through so much in the past two years, we have put a lot of investment into the continuity and health of our community amidst a lot of changes,” said Lin.
“More broadly, this is an important period of transition not just for TSOA but for architectural education at large,” she said in reference to scrutiny towards architecture education made public in recent controversies at the Southern California Institute of Technology (SCI-Arc) and Bartlett in London.
Lin joined the faculty of TSOA in spring 2021 a year after the school, which was founded by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1932, was forced to change its name and move out of its historic home at Taliesen West.
Split with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
In 2020, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation decided to close the school, but the decision was ultimately reversed by the school board and outside funding was secured after a public outcry at the closure.
After leaving the Taliesin facilities in Arizona and Wisconsin, the school ended up housed in the studios and residences at Cosanti residence with additional facilities set up at the nearby experimental desert community Arcosanti, both designed by Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri in Arizona.
Lin believes that the renamed school can use its collaborative model to emphasise an alternative model of architecture education.
“I really believe our school can serve as a strong model in this context, as we look ahead and continue to find new forms and formats of equitable interaction that are at the core of our culture and pedagogy.”
She believes that some of TSOA’s methods allow for “transparency and respect between students, faculty and school leadership”.
She previously taught at the architecture and design school Cooper Union in New Yor City, runs her own design practice called Present Forms and is part of the architectural collective Office III.
Dialogue between staff and students essential
For Lin, dialogue between staff and students and leadership roles for learners “fosters a very strong sense of trust” and “camaraderie” which “does not lend itself well to exploitation”.
These practices include “a very active student government” and student involvement with curriculum creation.
“There’s representation for students on the Board of Governors meetings that we have every quarter,” said Lin.
TSOA employs a model where a handful of staff stays onsite at the school during the academic calendar. Students and staff share amenities and interact daily outside of the classroom.
“I think it’s part of a larger ethical model in which students and faculty they’re forced into a collaborative mode,” she continued.
“There isn’t a whole lot of hierarchy, for better or for worse,” said Lin
“There aren’t a lot of schools in which students and faculty and staff kind of live together and see each other on a 24-hour basis or a daily basis.”
Students should understand material properties
During their stay at the school, students can either live in dormitories at Arcosanti or in the shelters built by students in previous years.
The exposure to past work and the environment allows students to understand materials as a basis for architectural education is a high priority for Lin at TSOA.
“It’s a tool for imagining new forms of architecture,” said Lin. “Really diving deep into material properties, learning their behavior, learning how they might be used beyond their typical applications.”
Lin believes that this exposure to materials is essential to architectural education after leaving Wright’s Taliesin West. The school has found a home in what Lin calls “the epic desert landscape” at the architectural community Arcosanti, managed by the non-profit Cosanti Foundation.
Cinders by Jessica Martin was one of the shelters produced by TSOA students. The photo is by Aubrey Trinnaman
“We’ve been continuing the same curriculum,” said Lin. “Much of the same faculty has stayed on board. We’ve also onboarded new faculty.”
Lin said that architectural education could use fewer dividing lines between the different disciplines like landscape architecture and studio workshops.
“Finding ways to overlap those classes so they’re not thought of as distinct is not a new idea in education, but I think we do have the opportunity to do it in our own way,” she said.
Working with underserved communities
Students also take part in a curriculum called the Usonia 21 Program that sees them work in “underserved communities, with an emphasis on innovative affordable housing and economic development”.
The program has students do documentary research, and help to design with input from communities.
The most recent iteration involved the student’s work in Seabreeze, North Carolina where “students are working with the community to co-design a new multi-use development that will feature commercial and culinary spaces along with affordable housing and a small museum dedicated to the history of the community and the place,” according to TSOA.
For more projects and events coming from American architecture schools, see Dezeen’s School Shows.
The portrait of Stephanie Lin is by Quin Dominguez.
American design agency Level has developed a home fitness device comprising a compact weights cabinet with a dock for a smartphone that uses artificial intelligence to provide feedback on the user’s form.
Tempo Move is an evolution of the Studio system created by San Francisco-based industrial design studio Level, which sought to use existing TVs and smartphones to remove the need for additional screens and sensors.
Tempo Move delivers home fitness with AI features
This smaller and more affordable product utilises spatial mapping and recognition software to detect the motion of weights, using a smartphone camera to capture the user’s movements during workouts.
The device connects to any TV, displaying live feedback via trainer-guided sessions. An iPhone attached to the dock replaces the 3D cameras and sensors used in Tempo‘s original Studio equipment package.
The cabinet’s compact dimensions make it easier to fit into smaller living spaces than previous versions, as well as reducing the price and therefore making it more accessible for entry-level users.
It comes with a cabinet to house weights with different colours that register on the camera-activated AI
The cabinet has a bent metal structure with fabric doors that wrap around the corners and fasten shut using magnets. The use of textiles softens the product’s appearance, while a wooden lid adds further natural detail.
“Familiar furniture-like details and a thoughtful colour and material strategy provide an appropriate aesthetic that blends into the home, encouraging frequent use and an active lifestyle,” said Level.
The cabinet has a wrap-around fabric opening and a wooden lid
“Never before has weight-lifting equipment looked so appealing and fitting in the home.”
The cabinet contains space for a range of barbells and dumbbells, along with weights in various colours that enable camera recognition via colour. This use of colour also contributes to the product’s more approachable character.
It is a smaller version of Level’s original product, Studio
“Not black, not white – Move lives in a softer spectrum avoiding the polarising palette of typical gym and tech equipment,” the studio added.
Move is designed for people who may be new to workouts and might not be comfortable using gym equipment. The form and materials are carefully detailed to make workouts safer and more ergonomic.
The cabinet’s interior holds 16 weight plates vertically in chamfered trays that allow them to roll in and out smoothly. Four weight collars and a heart rate monitor can be stored alongside the weights, with two dumbbells accessed via the hinged lid.
The circular dock on top of the cabinet is positioned and angled so the attached iPhone can sense the movements of the user’s body and the coloured weights, relaying this feedback in real-time.
The user’s phone records the workout and gives feedback through an app
The dock can be removed and repositioned anywhere in the room, or taken on trips so workouts can continue without the rest of the equipment. An HDMI cable ensures it is compatible with most TVs and it can also stream directly to the screen.
Tempo uses artificial intelligence to deliver tailored and responsive workouts for strength training, HIIT, pilates and yoga. Video chats and messaging with fitness trainers can also be conducted through the Tempo app, which operates on a subscription model.
One thing that I’ve been learning ever since I accepted that I am definitely getting older is that you can’t really eat everything that you liked eating when you were younger. High salt intake is one of the greatest enemies especially when you want to get healthy or you want to lose weight. But there are also times when you want your food to actually have a salty taste without actually using that much salt. A lot of healthy food taste delicious but are not really tasty.
Designer: Kirin
The good news for salt-lovers that are trying to cut back on real salt is that there are some food tech companies and product designers trying to get around this. Kirin in particular is developing a bowl and spoon that will give your food some taste when they come in contact with the utensils. But there is no salt that is used so the salt-like test should be good or at least not harmful to your health. Your taste buds and your heart will thank you.
How it works is that there is some sort of electricity on the surface of the bowl and spoon that releases ions when the food touches them. There are also metal strips on the tip of the spoon and the edge of the bowl and if you want to experience the full effect, you should eat from these areas. They bring a “pseudo perception” to your tongue that somehow triggers a salt-like taste and there are even four levels of intensity that you can get from these utensils.
If you’re worried about the effect of this “electricity” on your body, particularly your tongue, you need not worry as the current is “very weak” and should not electrocute you in any way. Unlike the previous “electric chopsticks” where you had to wear a separate attachment to enjoy the taste, the bowl and the spoon should work on their own, withe help of the circuit and battery that come with it. As to whether the taste can compare with actual salt, that remains to be seen, or rather, tasted.
From Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This?, the forthcoming album from The Soft Pink Truth (aka recording artist and producer Drew Daniel), the scintillating gothic-disco single “La Joie Devant La Mort” borrows words from French erotica author Georges Bataille as it delves into the thrill of queer cruising. Rapturous vocals were contributed by Jamie Stewart (best known as the founder of Xiu Xiu). As for the pensive album title, Daniel explains, “Years ago a friend was DJing in a club and a woman came into the DJ booth and asked, ‘Is it going to get any deeper than this?’ and the phrase became a kind of mantra for us. What did she really want? This album was created as an attempt to imagine possible musical responses to her question.”
These Core77 Awards entries caught our attention for their optimistic approaches to the future.
If there’s one political issue most people can agree on, it’s that cities and towns need better infrastructure. The vast majority of America is unwalkable, hospitals are depressing, and sprawling urban design makes neighborhoods feel lonely, especially for the most vulnerable populations. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and many designers and engineers are sketching out the blueprints for cities that are more compassionate, accessible, and organized.
Plenty of entries in this year’s Core77 Awards focused on healthcare, with designs that reduce strain on an exhausted system by making it easier for individuals and communities to monitor their own health. Others focused on charming, scalable, green transportation that would make everyday life easier, while decreasing traffic, accidents, and pollution. Each project gave us hope for the future by reminding us that the solutions to big problems might just be one idea away.
Nuro Zero-Occupant Autonomous Delivery Vehicle
Can you imagine a world without 5 o clock traffic? Nuro won our Service Design Award for presenting a fantastic possible alternative in the form of their Zero-Occupant Autonomous Delivery Vehicle. After noticing that 43% of personal car trips in America are for shopping and errands, they designed this self-driving car that runs on renewable electricity from wind farms. Cities that adopt this system would instantly benefit from safer roads and less traffic, while being much more livable for disabled communities, caretakers, or long-distance commuters. With access to this smart design, people could easily get what they need without a car.
Rolla
Most modern-day transportation prioritizes speed, but travel used to be much more relaxed. While over-reliance on cars can make it difficult to take the scenic route, underground transportation can make the outside world feel a bit distant. With this in mind, Speculative Design Runner Up Rolla‘s proposal for an alternative mass transit system is a literal breath of fresh air. NewDealDesign took inspiration from classic San Francisco cable cars to develop sleek, low-speed, open air vehicles that run on clean energy and are easy to install in any city.
Reimagining the Behavioral Health Experience
While hospitals are designed to provide care, visiting one can be a traumatic experience, especially in childhood or adolescence. A recent increase in young people visiting emergency departments has inspired healthcare professionals to imagine more empathetic approaches to care, and Philips stepped up to the plate with their remarkable project, Behavioral Health Experience. This adaptive pediatric healthcare environment won our Health & Wellness Award for not only creating a welcoming, non-isolating space for patients, but also making visits easier for providers and lightening the load of the healthcare system.
Atlas by HumanFirst
Anyone who’s worked in healthcare can tell you bureaucracy sometimes complicates progress. HumanFirst took note of the contemporary need for acceleration of clinical trials since the pandemic began, and worked to address traditional platforms’ weaknesses while further integrating digital health tools in remote clinical trial work. According to the company, Atlas by HumanFirst is “the first user-friendly, clinically validated repository of patient data collection technologies,” and a Health & Wellness Professional Notable in the 2022 Core77 Design Awards for NewDealDesign’s refreshing rebrand of the platform.
Koi
A chronic health diagnosis in childhood is life-changing, but it doesn’t have to be an inherently negative experience. Now that a growing number of children are being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, it’s imperative communities familiarize themselves with the everyday needs that accompany the illness. Koi, a Student Notable in the Health & Wellness category of the 2022 Core77 Design Awards, is a multi-tier system concept that assists with diabetes management by providing children with practical and emotional support tools and creating a platform for nurses to effectively manage care. We especially loved how Koi emphasized educating local communities on how to respond to a diabetic child’s needs, which removes stigma from the experience and proves the right tools and support make all the difference in navigating chronic illness.
Spot Check
Do you get worried when you see a new mole on your body? Do you have trouble even keeping them straight? What if you didn’t have to visit the dermatologist every time you weren’t sure about a spot on your skin? Design Awards Health & Wellness Student Notable, Spot Check, attracted our attention in the Health & Wellness category for making preventative skincare more accessible than ever. This personal skin cancer detection system helps people keep track of moles on their body without making them see a medical professional first, giving more power to the patient. While it isn’t meant to replace diagnosis, it’s an especially useful tool for telling the difference between everyday moles and more suspicious spots.
Each project featured above was selected as an honoree in the 2022 Core77 Design Awards. You can check out all of the 2022 winners now on the Core77 Design Awards website!
“There are some problems with folding furniture,” observed mechanical engineer Chi-Hao Chiang, who left his native Taiwan to pursue a Masters in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. “Folding chairs can be folded flat and the seat height is proper, but it’s too long for people to carry, especially those who are short. Folding stools are easy to carry, but the seat height is too short for people to sit comfortably, especially those who are tall.”
As one of his first projects at Pratt, Chiang set out to create an easy-to-carry portable chair with the appropriate height. His ME background peeks out a bit in the sketches:
Ideation & Mockup
“Making small physical mockups to test the feasibility. The result shows that the rear legs cannot stand stably with the weight of the seat.”
“For the second concept, adjusting the proportion and thickness of legs, adding a notch and latch as a hard stop to increase the stability, while also being a handle.”
Mechanism
“These restricted-angle pivots are designed to increase the bearing strength. Two teeth on each side would catch into the grooves to make the front and rear legs unfold at the certain angle (45.65 degrees) to stand independently and stably. Using PLA 3D printing to make the prototype, then using steel 3D printing to build the final precise model.”
Full-Scale Prototype
“Building the 3D model with Fusion 360, defining the angle to make Attaché be most compact. The whole stool uses repeating angles to have a consistent design language and clean shape both in folded and unfolded form. Using CNC process on MDF to make the full-scale prototype, testing the accuracy of the mechanism and feeling the tangibility.”
Final Model
For the final model, called the Attaché Folding Stool, Chiang swapped out the MDF for maple, stuck with steel for the connectors, and used Domino joinery.
Chiang subsequently gained his ID degree, and is now working in New York as an industrial designer.
Move over Apple and Sony as a new headphones king in the making is here, but with an eye-watering price tag. The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones have shaken up the audio market, as they built on the success of the Px7 S2 model revealed over the summer.
Most of the looks have been retained from the Px7 S2 but there are some highlighting updates that make Px8 irresistible if you have got $700 to spare. Yes, these headphones cost more than a respectable smartphone. Just for comparison’s sake, the Apple AirPods Max cost $549 and the Sony WH-1000XM5 cost $400. Now, suddenly those price tags seem fair!
According to the Worthing, West Sussex-based audio equipment maker, the new headphones have the “best sound quality” ever offered on a pair of cans. That claim is based on the fact that Px8 has 40mm carbon cone drivers angled inside the earcups to produce distortion-free sound in ultra-high resolution at all audible frequencies. For audio lovers, this means a wider and more accurate soundstage closer to what the music composer intended. According to them, it is even better than the five-star rated Px7 S2 which apparently sounds great.
Flagship headphones need a winning luxurious design, and the Px8 doesn’t disappoint. Weighing 320 grams, they are encased in a durable cast-aluminum arm design with the earcups getting the attractive aluminum logo plate matching the aesthetics. The embossed Bowers & Wilkins logo and the diamond-cut edge lend the headphones a unique character one would expect from the brand. Flagship aesthetics are further honed by the Nappa leather finish on the earcups, headband and memory foam cushions. There’s no doubt these headphones will be a treat to listen to and wear for long hours.
ANC on these is the same as that on the Px7 S2, since they are loaded with six microphones – two mics a piece to measure the driver output, react to ambient noise, and bring vocal clarity courtesy of the enhanced noise suppression. Battery life on the headphones is good at 30 hours (similar to the XM5) with fast charging giving seven hours of playback with just 15 minutes of charge.
Px8 support Bluetooth 5.2, and ACC codec compatibility, and have Qualcomm’s Adaptive aptX audio codec support for 24-bit high-resolution sound from streaming services like Tidal and Qobuz. The premium headphones are surely all set to take to top spot some in two different finishes – black leather and tan leather.
The Product Innovation Manager will manage the process to not only understand current market insights, consumer trends, and technical developments, but also utilize these to shape the future of our categories through the creation and development of innovative new-to-the-world consumer products and/or solutions. View the full content here
So you splashed out on a $6,000 Toto toilet, and now the rest of your bathroom, in comparison, looks like…crap. There’s only one thing for it: You’re going to have to buy a designey toilet paper tower, like this $78 steel and wood 8-roll model from homewares brand Yamazaki.
If you’re not into wood, you can also step down to this $50 steel 8-roll model.
Or maybe your household contains some power poopers and you need more capacity. You can step up to this $56 12-roll unit.
Note that the two all-steel units are not designed to handle jumbo-sized toilet paper rolls, whereas the wood-paneled unit is. I’d love to see the meeting that led to that decision, with designers passionately arguing for and against.
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.
