Dezeen Showroom: Dutch lighting brand Humble Lights has added black and beige colour options to its Two table lamp, which was designed by APE Amsterdam to deliver the cosiness and romance of a candle.
Two is a portable, rechargeable and dimmable lamp with a small domed shade that casts a circle of light on the table below, making it a practical and safe alternative to a candle at the dinner table.
The new Two lamp versions include a design with a black base and smoked shade
The lamp is designed to provide versatile lighting for different scenarios with three brightness settings — candle, ambient and work.
With the addition of the new beige and black colours, the Two lamp is available in 12 colour variations.
The lamp’s base is made from aluminium and the dome lampshade comes in a choice of aluminium, frosted or smoked translucent finishes.
The portable, rechargeable lamps also come in beige
It contains a low-energy LED that can provide up to 96 hours of light from a single charge, and it can be charged either via USC-C cable or wirelessly with any QI charger.
To extend the lamp’s lifespan, Humble Lights designed Two so its components are easily serviceable and replaceable.
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Well-known Chinese automotive pro GAC Group has just popped up an advanced design studio in Milan which is their first ever in Europe. While there are no plans to open one in the US as of now, the complete focus of the event centered on the flamboyant two-seater concept to dive into the countless surprises set on the horizon.
The roofless electric sports car strikes a good balance between The Need for Speed craving, and minimalism defining the aesthetics of vehicles in a decade’s time. Latter being spotlighted by the flat avant-garde shape resembling a flashy coffee table.
Designer: GAC Design
The semblance of Italian automotive influence from the 80s and their previous in-house concept cars is understandable. The show car dubbed GAC Barchetta is the first one in the Car Culture series that debuted in the design district of Milan in Via Tortona, with a vision to celebrate Italy’s abundant car culture. We should get to see more such interesting concepts coming from GAC Design, and for now, this two-seater EV has set the bar really up high.
The open-wheel design of the two-seater EV has a flattened chassis with no windshield to get the minimal aesthetics going. According to the design team, the car is divided into three parts. The flat chassis being one of them, contains compact batteries, something akin to a smartphone battery. Secondly, there is the streamlined body courtesy of the robust mono-material aluminum frame, keeping everything lightweight and visually timeless.
The third one is the ultra-futuristic interior that comes with a drive-by-wire steering wheel that doubles as the heads-up display for showing vital information like speed and battery levels. To keep the minimalism going, driver and passenger seats are crafted from recycled plastic material. Unlike the usual sports car seats, they gravitate to a shell weighing only 6.6 pounds. When GAC Barchetta is parked or not in use, the steering wheel and panels slide into the cabin. The futuristic headrests and the rear-view mirrors also slide into the body shell, making the EV seem completely flat.
According to Stéphane Janin, design director of GAC Advanced Design Milan; they have concrete plans to create such “innovative projects every year” during the design week. While we desperately wanted to learn more about the technical specifications like the battery capacity and the power delivery ratio, for now, we’ll have to do with the visual treat that this concept EV has turned out to be!
On view at ICA, an immersive installation that’s informed by movement, emotion and the environment
Mist, leaves, sunlight and shadows all play intrinsic roles in artist and architect Suchi Reddy’s latest work, unveiled today at ICA Miami. While they might not be elements often conjured up when thinking about cars, the project is a collaboration between Reddy (along with her NYC-based studio Reddymade Architecture and Design) and Japanese carmaker Lexus. Informed by movement and emotion, the immersive work—called “Shaped by Air”—is one that Reddy hopes will evoke a reminder of just how enmeshed we are with our environment. “We are one and the same,” Reddy says. “I wanted to create a sense of oneness with our surroundings. I want people to feel a sense of oneness with their environment, and discovery.”
When approached by the car brand to work on an installation inspired by their next-generation Electrified Sport, Reddy looked into the brand’s ethos and decided it was a great fit for collaboration. “Lexus has supported the arts, they are interested in craftsmanship, their history of having masters on their assembly line, and their various commitment to sustainability—it felt like the right ethos,” she tells us. When thinking about the project, to envision the vehicle in her own way, she “decided it had to be about how the car and the environment work together.” It’s an approach that reflects Reddy’s work and interest in neuroaesthetics. “The environment impacts us and we impact the environment. I don’t think design really looks at that in that way; generally speaking it’s usually a one-sided conversation about what we are doing to the environment, never what the environment does to us.” With that front of mind, Reddy embarked on a nature-inspired interpretation of the car as only she can.
The concept centers on nature and the environment, as does the actual installation itself, which is on view in ICA Miami’s sculpture garden. Reddy, who has created works outdoors before, found great inspiration in the garden. “I’ve been [featured] in a park and in Times Square, but an actual sculpture garden… When I came to this place, to be surrounded by sculptures by amazing artists was like, ‘Oh my God, what a beautiful place to be,’” she says. Here, the time of day and the weather will affect the work—the environment can change the piece at any given moment. “You see how the sunlight plays on it and the shadows of the leaves on it,” Reddy continues. “There are so many layers and complexities, and it revolves around the fascination we have for nature. All of these things can create endless interest. It really felt like that was the perfect setting.”
Reddy had already been thinking about having mist play a role in the work—which mimics the form of the vehicle using actual car parts—when, during a conversation with the car’s designers, the team mentioned having it be shaped by air. “My immediate instinct was to work with the material that was maybe the polar opposite of what one might make a car out of, which is maybe the most evanescent thing,” Reddy says with a laugh. “I really wanted the mist to express the movement of the car, and we decided to work with mist and light, to really express that sense of movement.”
As always with Reddy’s creations, there’s an inherently human touch. This time it’s a visceral memory recreated. “It’s almost like bringing experiential images of being in a car—like seeing headlights in the fog—and being on the road together in a still installation. So I had to find the moving elements to do that.” For this, Reddy looked to handcrafted car parts and repurposed some for the artwork. These industrial pieces balance the mist, shadows and sunlight, to create a juxtaposition of materials, weights, shapes, and natural and human-made elements.
Now that “Shaped by Air” is poised to be unveiled, Reddy has some distance from its inception, fabrication and installation, and is most excited about individual interactions with it. “It’s really beautiful to see how people react to it and they often see things that I don’t. I’m curious,” she says. “Every time I do something interactive, it’s very humbling. It’s humbling to see how people react to the sense of wonder and discovery, which is something that I try to explore in pretty much everything that I do. It’s really beautiful when I see people feeling that, and it opens avenues for me to explore next time.”
British airline EasyJet and engineering company Rolls-Royce have run a commercial aircraft engine on hydrogen in what they claim is a “world first”, potentially paving the way for the decarbonisation of plane travel.
The companies trialled the engine in a ground test at the UK Defence Ministry’s Boscombe Down aircraft testing site using renewably-made green hydrogen and a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100 – a regional aircraft engine.
The engine is considered an early concept demonstrator, so the technology is still in its infancy. But both Rolls-Royce and EasyJet say they are committed to proving that hydrogen can be a safe and efficient zero-carbon fuel for civil aviation.
Rolls-Royce has converted one of its aircraft engines to run on hydrogen
“The success of this hydrogen test is an exciting milestone,” said Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini.
“We are committed to continuing to support this ground-breaking research because hydrogen offers great possibilities for a range of aircraft,” added EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren. “That will be a huge step forward in meeting the challenge of net zero by 2050.”
The test, which the companies claim was a “world first”, used green hydrogen supplied by the European Marine Energy Centre and created with the help of wind and tidal power in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.
This renewable electricity was used to power an electrolyser, which separates hydrogen from water in a process called electrolysis.
It was produced in partnership with EasyJet
To maximise the amount of hydrogen that fits into a tank, the gas is compressed to a pressure of 200 bar – equivalent to around 200 times the atmospheric pressure on Earth.
Rolls-Royce’s AE 2100-A engine was converted to combust this hydrogen instead of conventional fossil fuel-derived kerosene.
Rolls-Royce and EasyJet now plan to analyse the test data to improve their understanding of how to handle and operate hydrogen as an aviation fuel.
The partners are also planning future tests, starting with further ground tests before they move on to carrying out test flights.
They also plan to bring in a jet engine, the Rolls-Royce Pearl 15. This is more powerful than the AE 2100-A, which is generally used for smaller turboprop planes.
As signatories of the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign, both Rolls-Royce and EasyJet are committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 in an effort to keep global warming below the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The engine was tested at a military facility in the UK
Coming up with an alternative aviation fuel is a huge challenge for airlines, which currently contribute about 2.5 per cent of global CO2 emissions.
Green hydrogen is seen as a possible solution because it is made using renewable resources – green energy and water – and theoretically could see planes emit only water when used as a fuel.
There are several potential ways to use hydrogen in an engine, including as a liquid rather than a gas and as a fuel cell rather than through combustion.
However, critics have doubts whether jet planes will ever have the capacity to carry as much hydrogen as is needed to make their long journeys, and it is likely that aircraft would need to be quite heavily redesigned.
Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning studio SANAA has extended the Art Gallery of New South Wales with a series of pavilions that step down towards Sydney Harbour.
Set to open to the public on 3 December, Sydney Modern is designed to contrast with the existing art gallery’s 19th-century neo-classical architecture, with the two buildings connected by a public art garden.
SANAA’s Sydney Modern opens to the public this weekend
SANAA aimed for the extension, which is set in a prominent location on a hillside overlooking Sydney Harbour’s Woolloomooloo Bay, to act in harmony with the scenic location.
“We aim to design an art museum building that is harmonious with its surroundings, one that breathes with the city, the park and the harbour,” said SANAA principals Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.
The gallery overlooks Sydney Harbour
The building contains 7,000 square metres of gallery space – almost doubling the exhibition area for the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
It comprises a cluster of interlocked, rectilinear pavilions grouped around a large, glass-walled atrium at the building’s centre that reaches over eleven metres at the highest point and has views across the harbour.
The extension comprises a series of rectangular pavilions
On the lower levels, rammed earth was used to construct the walls using materials sourced from across the Australian state of New South Wales.
Meanwhile, on the upper levels, glass walls were placed to create views across the Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Harbour. On top and between the pavilions are a total of 3,400 square metres of courtyards and rooftop terraces, which will be used to host various art installations.
It is arranged around a central atrium
The extension contains a range of large spaces for displaying art, with a gallery dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art placed on the entrance level.
There are four more galleries, including two that are each over 1,000 square metres with 5.5-metre-high ceilings, located at the lower levels. The building also contains a range of smaller exhibition areas, learning studios for children and school groups and a dedicated studio for creating multimedia works.
“Our vision has been to transform the Art Gallery into an art museum campus with seamless connections between art, architecture and landscape,” said director of Art Gallery of New South Wales Michael Brand.
“Our expansion has such a strong sense of place and such an innovative display of art,” he added.
The architecture was designed to contrast the gallery’s original building
Below the building, a world war two naval fuel bunker has been converted into a 2,200-square-metre space named the Tank.
The unique underground space has seven-metre-high ceilings and will be used for large-scale, site-specific commissions.
The Tank will be used for large installations. Photo is by Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter
Sydney Modern is the first public art museum in Australia to achieve a six-star Green Star design rating. The building is powered entirely by renewable energy, with 10 per cent of the energy created by solar panels on the entrance pavilion roof. Rainwater is captured for reuse in irrigation and cooling towers.
Sydney Modern is Japanese architecture studio SANAA’s first project in Australia. Founded by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 1995, the Tokyo-based firm was recently named winner of 2022 Praemium Imperiale for architecture.
The classic gamepad with the Nintendo Entertainment System was hard to live with due to its boxy corners, but gamers loved it to the core because of the gaming goodness in the era. The nostalgia factor of the gamepad still lives on, and reason enough for 8BitDO to morph into a utility wireless charger.
8BitDO is already known for its impressive third-party accessories, especially controllers like the Pro 2, Zero 2 and OG NES gamepad. Now, with the NES gamepad-like wireless charger, they promise to bring home a gadget that’ll evoke sweet old memories while juicing up your device. To top it off, the price tag of $20 is the icing on the cake for all you NES lovers.
Since your smartphone will sit flush on the surface of the wireless charger, the physical buttons give way to convincing graphics, and the D-pad is also gone here. Gamers will instantly recognize the infamous Konami code from the 80s replacing the control buttons for a fuller look. Yes, I’m talking about the “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A” code list. In place are the classic black and gray color schemes, along with the red buttons to brush up the iconic look without hindering the wireless coil underneath the pad. One nifty inclusion I really love is the addition of red action buttons as the wheels to make the accessories roll forward or back. Now, that’s going to be yet another nifty fidget toy to fiddle with on your work desk.
For nerdy gamers, the charger will juice up compatible devices at 15W speed. While most of the phones from major IEMs like Google, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus and more are supported; some newer devices are still not on the list. So better go through the list before making a buying decision right away. These phones include the latest Google Pixel, Samsung’s 2022 flagship, and OnePlus’ freshest premium device. That however is expected to be sorted in the coming months.
8BitDO has made it a point not to overload the charger with unwanted gimmicks – just a LED that lights up when the phone draws power from the cool gadget. For the more skeptical lot, the NES gamepad wireless charger comes with voltage and current surge protection, and also shield against overheating.
Comprising five tester-sized (1ml) perfume oils, the Testpack from UNIFROM is a practical way to explore the fragrance house’s divine scents before committing to one. Inspired by multicultural high-rise urban living and founded by Haisam Mohammed, UNIFROM conceptualizes perfumes in Stockholm, develops them in Paris and manufactures them in Grasse. The five-pack includes Dawn, Bliss, Limbo, Cassis and Maghrib—which span scents from smoky and woody to fresh, peppery and beyond.
New York studio Ennead Architects has revealed its design for a museum that is set to be built within Shangxianhe Wetland Park in the city of Wuxi, China.
Named the Wuxi Art Museum, the building will have perforated surfaces and eroded hollows informed by the Taihu stone – a type of limestone often used in traditional gardens in the region.
Wuxi Art Museum will be located within a local wetland park
Both the perforated facade and large voids mimic erosion’s impact on the porus Taihu stone.
The punctuated limestone facade and translucent glass curtainwall will allow natural daylight into the interior of the museum while creating a contrasted finish between roughness and smooth.
The carved voids from the museum base form outdoor exhibition space
“Our vision for the Wuxi Art Museum is to set it in a larger overall composition, highlighting views in and our of the museum through subtractive carves and recesses while emulating the natural erosion of spirit stones,” said Ennead Architects partner Thomas J Wong.
At the base of the building, the carved voids will be used as sheltered outdoor spaces for hosting events and exhibitions.
Alongside the museum will be a civic plaza where art will be displayed. Different gardens, courtyards and plazas will provide flexible space for visitors to enjoy art projections, movie screenings and performances.
Ennead collaborated with West 8 Landscape Architects on the design of the surrounding landscape based on the local wetland ecology and canal system.
The design of the structure is informed by Taihu stone featuring perforated surfaces and eroded hollows
Footbridges connecting galleries on the upper levels of the museum will create viewpoints of a central courtyard with a lily-filled waterscape below.
“The new art museum will serve as a symbol of Wuxi’s past, present and future, so it was important to us that its design emerge from the cultural history of the garden city and artfully synthesise art, landscape, and the museum experience into an inextricable whole,” said Ennead Architects associate principal Brian H Masuda.
The Marien152 chair is distinguished by its ample, domestic proportions and its backrest, which gives the appearance of a soft and loose throw cushion.
At the same time, this cushion provides the back support for long periods of sitting, with a flexibility that allows it to move with the user.
Another feature of the Marien152 chair is that it is highly personalisable, with colour, material and base options that can be mix and matched.
The design is highly personalisable with the option to use multiple colours and materials
Contrasting fabric can be used for the seat, surround and back cushion, and the base comes in either solid white oak chamfered legs or a metal four-star base with a powder-coated or polished finish.
A leather pull strap at the rear allowing for the chair to be easily moved completes the thoughtful design.
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.
Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.
A spiral staircase made from plywood is the showpiece of this thatched barn in Gelderland, the Netherlands, which architectural designer Julia van Beuningen has converted into a residence.
Van Beuningen has overseen a complete transformation of the late 19th-century building, named Barn at the Ahof, turning it into a rental home with four bedrooms and a large open-plan living space.
The plywood staircase was produced by manufacturer EeStairs
The plywood staircase, produced by manufacturer EeStairs, sits at the heart of the floor plan. With its precise curved geometry and slender components, it offers a playful contrast with the barn’s rustic wooden columns and beams.
“We thought, if we’re going to do something, we have to do it properly,” Van Beuningen told Dezeen.
The staircase leads up to a new first floor within the converted barn
“This is very different and very unusual in a barn like this,” Van Beuningen added. “It’s something you either love or hate, but it’s definitely a statement.”
Barn at the Ahof is one of several buildings on an ancient farming estate named Landgoed Appel that Van Beuningen inherited from her family.
She is planning to overhaul the entire site through a mix of rebuilds and refurbishments and create a series of low-energy houses that can be used for either long-term or holiday rentals.
An open-plan living space occupies the ground floor
As the barn had been previously renovated approximately 10 years ago, it didn’t require as much work as some of the other properties on the estate.
Van Beuningen is not a qualified architect – she is primarily a cellist and works in architecture part-time – so she enlisted local studio Flip Wentink Architecten to oversee the planning stages.
However, she decided to manage the detailed-design phase herself, adding in extra details like the spiral staircase and some built-in joinery elements.
The first floor provides two bedrooms and bathrooms
On the ground floor, the staircase creates a divide between a dining area and a lounge with a wood-burning stove. A minimal steel kitchen island runs along the side of this space.
Also on this storey is an accessible bedroom and bathroom suite.
The newly added first floor, which is much smaller in size, accommodates two additional bedrooms and bathrooms.
Bespoke joinery provides in-built storage
Van Beuningen tried to use simple natural materials wherever possible.
As well as the plywood staircase and joinery, the renovated barn features walls of flax and lime plaster.
“It’s quite a proud building,” said the designer, “and it’s quite strong and industrial.”
“I wanted to respect this industrial nature, which is not easy when adding in a new floor that is quite a heavy element. So I thought we should be quite humble in terms of materials.”
Glazing skirts the edge of the first-floor bedrooms
Clever glazing details help to elevate the design.
Highlights include large glass doors that can be concealed behind stable-style shutters, tall and slender skylights, and a narrow strip of glazing that skirts the edge of the first floor.
A third bedroom is located on the ground floor
Externally, the building has a more traditional appearance thanks to its thatched roof and red brick walls.
Barn at the Ahof is the second completed building at the Landgoed Appel estate, following the refurbishment of the former bakehouse. Still to come is the overhauled farmhouse, revamped sheep shed and a new-build barn.
Large glass doors are fronted by stable-style shutters
Environmental sustainability is a key concern for Van Beuningen, so all of the buildings are being designed to incorporate solar panels and ground-source heat pumps.
Some sections of the estate have been rewilded, while ancient wetlands have been reinstated.
Skylights puncture the traditional thatch roof
Van Beuningen hopes the project can pave the way for more sustainable tourism in Dutch rural communities. At a time when the government is restricting the farming industry, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she hopes to show farmers can explore other revenue streams.
“It’s really a long-term project in that sense,” she added.
Client: Landgoed Appel Architect: Flip Wentink Architecten Interior architect: Julia van Beuningen Structural engineer: Peter Rommers/Luuk van Doeveren Architektuur M&E consultant: Peter Rommers Quantity surveyor: Peter Rommers Lighting consultant: Julia van Beuningen Staircase engineering/fabrication: EeStairs
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