Hasta La Ideas

Over the past decades, the minimalist and stark aesthetic has become the favored kind of design, from vehicles to gadgets to kitchen appliances. While there are certain people who appreciate this kind of look and would prefer their homes to be the same, there are also people who prefer to have some more color and more vibrant designs to our home appliances and decorations to add something more to our spaces. AI designs may be a bit controversial now but there are some designers who are using it to create their own takes on furniture and appliance designs.

Designer: Marcus Byrne

Catalan Architect Antoni Gaudi has been one of the most popular and decorated names when it comes to modernist works. What if he also designed much more mundane but still useful things? That is the idea behind this series of designs of regular household appliances based on Gaudi aesthetics using artificial intelligence image generator software. What the visual storyteller came up with can fit in as museum pieces but also will add a bit more pizzaz to your kitchen if they actually get made into appliances.

The different appliance designs have various flowing shapes and textured surfaces that bring to mind natural things like trees, caves, and other organic formations. But they have splashes of various colors to add to the opposite of minimalist aesthetics. The designs are combinations of various art styles like neo-gothic, art nouveau, and modernist, creating some interesting looking appliances like a toaster, a mixer, a vacuum cleaner, a microwave, a coffee machine, a kettle, an iron, a hair dryer, etc.

The sometimes abstract-looking designs add to the modern look of these appliances although the various shapes and textures may also affect the functionality if these designs ever come to fruition. They will make interesting conversation pieces for sure although I for one would hesitate to use them often as they have more of a museum feel than something you will want to use every day. There are still a lot of issues about AI-generated designs but that’s a conversation for another time.

The post AI-generated Gaudi-like kitchen and home appliances add aesthetics to your space first appeared on Yanko Design.

As the end of 2022 draws near, our review of the year pays tribute to the architects, designers and industry figures we lost in the past 12 months, including Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake and Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs.

Marcus Fairs

Dezeen founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs died suddenly and unexpectedly on 30 June 2022, aged 54.

Fairs was a brilliant journalist and visionary entrepreneur who changed the landscape of design journalism.

He launched Dezeen in 2006 from his spare bedroom, and it grew to become the world’s most popular and influential online architecture, interiors and design magazine. Before that, he was the founding editor of the design magazine Icon.

A tribute article written by Justin McGuirk, chief curator at the Design Museum and a former colleague of Fairs, describes him as “one of the design world’s pre-eminent power brokers.”

Find out more about Marcus Fairs ›

Fernando Campana

Brazilian architect, designer and Estudio Campana co-founder Fernando Campana died on 16 November.

He and his older brother Humberto – more commonly known as the Campana brothers – earned international acclaim for furniture designs that were rooted in Brazilian culture and tradition.

Their breakthrough project was the Vermelha Chair, made from 500 metres of red rope, which was put into production by Italian brand Edra, but they are perhaps best known for their Banquete chairs, which are made out of stuffed toys.

Campana was described by London’s Design Museum as “one of the most important designers of our generation”.

Find out more about Fernando Campana ›

Issey Miyake

Japanese designer Issey Miyake, founder of the eponymous fashion brand, died in Tokyo on 5 August following a battle with liver cancer.

Miyake was an innovator who embraced both craft and technology, using a range of materials and fabric manipulation techniques to create his pioneering fashion collections.

With both the Issey Miyake brand and sub-labels – including Pleats Please, A-POC and Bao Bao – he created revolutionary sculptural, technical and pleated garments.

Miyake stepped back from his nine brands in 1999, turning over responsibility to his associates, but he maintained final oversight until his death, aged 84.

Find out more about Issey Miyake ›

Ricardo Bofill

Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill passed away on 14 January, aged 82, leaving behind a legacy of bold, experimental architecture.

After founding his studio Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) in 1963, he went on to design the monumental Walden 7 and La Muralla Roja apartment blocks, both in Spain.

Other celebrated works include Castell de Kafka in Catalonia and Les Espaces d’Abraxas near Paris, as well as his award-winning home and studio, La Fábrica, a repurposed cement factory.

Find out more about Ricardo Bofill ›

Doreen Adengo

The untimely death of Doreen Adengo, founder of Uganda-based Adengo Architecture, followed a long-term illness. She died on 22 July, aged 45.

Adengo was lauded for her commitment to affordable and sustainable architecture, and particularly to social housing.

Having grown up in Uganda, she moved to the US when she was 18. After completing a masters in architecture at Yale University, she worked in studios in Europe and the US before returning to her home country.

Her best-known projects include the mixed-use L-Building, which is formed of clay bricks, and the climate-conscious Bujuuko Schools.

Find out more about Doreen Adengo ›

Jonathan Gales

Jonathan Gales, co-founder of British film and animation studio Factory Fifteen, died tragically after being hit by a car on November 19, aged 36.

Gales and his Factory Fifteen co-founders Paul Nicholls and Kibwe Tavares directed the BBC’s BAFTA-winning trailer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The trio met while studying together at The Bartlett School of Architecture, where they produced ground-breaking films exploring the future of architecture and technology.

After forming Factory Fifteen, architecture remained a central focus in the visuals and animations produced for clients including Formula 1, Samsung, Film 4 and The British Film Institute.

Find out more about Jonathan Gales ›

Jack Diamond

One of Toronto’s leading architects, Diamond Schmitt co-founder Jack Diamond passed away on 30 October, a week before his 90th birthday.

Diamond started the firm with partner Donald Schmitt in 1975 and led the design of major buildings including the Holly Blossom Temple and Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, both in Toronto, the Memorial Hall at Marlborough College in the UK, and the Foreign Ministry of Israel in Jerusalem.

The architect also founded the masters of architecture program at the University of Toronto, where he was the first director.

His many accolades include the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s highest honour, the RAIC Gold Medal, which he received in 2001.

Find out more about Jack Diamond ›

Lucien Kroll

Belgian architect Lucien Kroll, known for his participatory and collaborative architecture, died while out walking on 2 August, aged 95.

The architect is perhaps best known for his campus extension La MéMé at the University of Louvain in Belgium, designed with the participation of the students, which features an adaptable layout thanks to moveable inner walls and partitions.

Other buildings completed by Atelier Kroll, the studio he founded in partnership with his wife Simone Kroll, include the Alma metro station.

The couple were awarded the Brussels Architecture Prize’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.

Find out more about Lucien Kroll ›

Gyo Obata

Gyo Obata, one of the three founders of American architecture, engineering and planning giant HOK, died on 8 March aged 99.

The architect is known for buildings including the Priory Chapel in St Louis County, Missouri, the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, and the Galleria in Houston.

Obata, the son of two Japanese artists who emigrated to the US, managed to avoid internment after Pearl Harbor and enrol at Washington University in St Louis – one of the only architecture schools taking Japanese-American students at the time.

He founded HOK with partners George Hellmuth and George Kassabaum in 1955 and worked on projects around the world for 57 years before retiring in 2012.

Find out more about Gyo Obata ›

Antony Hunt

Pioneering British structural engineer Antony Hunt, or Tony as he was known, passed away on 16 August aged 90.

Hunt worked with high-tech architecture pioneers Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Nicholas Grimshaw and Michael and Patty Hopkins on projects including the Sainsbury Centre, Hopkins House and the International Terminal at Waterloo.

He founded his firm, Anthony Hunt Associates, in 1962, with early projects including Neave Brown’s Alexandra Road Housing Estate. Hunt led the office until his retirement in 2002.

Friend and collaborator Norman Foster said: “Tony was a mature designer as an engineer, but he retained a child’s sense of wonderment at anything mechanical and his enthusiasm was boundless and contagious.”

Find out more about Antony Hunt ›

Max Fordham

Another pioneering engineer lost in 2022, Max Fordham died on 4 January aged 88.

Fordham revolutionised service engineering by bringing together previously disparate services trades – electrics, heating and plumbing – in an approach that is now ubiquitous.

Described by his firm Max Fordham & Partners as a “pioneer of sustainable building design”, Fordham was also committed to exploring ways of reducing a building’s energy consumption.

Key projects include Neave Brown’s Alexandra Road Housing Estate in London and Tate St Ives in Cornwall, as well as his own all-electric and energy-efficient home, the RIBA Award-winning Max Fordham House in north London.

Find out more about Max Fordham ›

Diane Haigh

Architect, educator and former Allies and Morrison director Diane Haigh died unexpectedly on 31 July, aged 73.

Haigh was a director at British architecture firm Allies and Morrison from 1996 to 2007, leading projects including the refurbishment of London’s Royal Festival Hall, and a consultant director from 2011 to 2016.

In between, she was director of design review at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), a non-departmental public body responsible for advising the UK government on architecture and urban design.

Find out more about Diane Haigh ›

Marco Goldschmied

British architect Marco Goldschmied, a founding partner of the Richard Rogers Partnership and former RIBA president, lost his battle with lung cancer on 7 July, aged 78.

Known as the “business brain”, Goldschmied was one of four founders of the Richard Rogers Partnership in 1977. He was involved in projects including the Lloyd’s building, Channel 4 Headquarters and Heathrow Terminal 5, and served as managing director of the firm from 1984 to 2004.

Goldschmied was also co-founder of the Stephen Lawrence Prize and an important supporter of architecture education and awards through his charity, the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, set up in 1998.

Find out more about Marco Goldschmied ›

Raymond Briggs

Raymond Briggs, the British illustrator best known for creating children’s picture book The Snowman, passed away on 9 August at the age of 88.

The Snowman, which follows the story of a boy who makes a snowman that comes to life, was released in 1978. It won several awards before being turned into a BAFTA-winning animated television film in 1982.

Throughout his six-decade career, Briggs also created a number of satirical books for adults. Among his most well-known works is the graphic novel When The Wind Blows, which was also turned into an animation.

Find out more about Raymond Briggs ›

The post Remembering the design world greats we lost in 2022 appeared first on Dezeen.

Apple has always been hailed as a champion of minimalist design in almost all its products. The Apple Watch charger, for example, is nothing but a tiny puck with the customary charging cable. This simple shape has allowed the smartwatch charger to be integrated into a variety of other designs and products, adding some interesting features or shapes to the accessory. You might think you can’t get any simpler than this, and you’d be surprised to learn that the official Apple Watch charger isn’t all that it’s cut out to be. There’s still room for improvement, especially when it comes to its portability, and this innovative Apple Watch Fast Charger takes that simplicity one step further by ditching the most cumbersome thing about the charger: the cable.

Designer: Loke Fong Koh

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Although the Apple Watch itself charges wirelessly, the charger, particularly Apple’s first-party charger, still has to get its power supply somewhere. Until the day comes when we can get power out of thin air, the simplest solution to this problem is a charging cable that connects to a power brick or even a computer. This, however, is one example where a simple solution isn’t always the best, especially when something isn’t actually that simple. Cords, after all, are the epitome of complexity, always getting tangled up when you’re not looking to the point that you just give up in frustration and leave the charger at home, intentionally or subconsciously.

An abandoned charger is a useless charger, so the Maco Go 2 is designed to make sure you never have to leave your Apple Watch’s charger behind. Like its predecessor, it cuts out the middleman by removing the need for a charging cable completely. That said, it doesn’t simply cut the cord out and leave it at that. Instead of a puck, it adopts a simpler square shape with the USB-C plug poking out of a corner rather than in the middle. It may seem like a small change, but it improves the experience significantly. Not only does it mean you can plug this charger anywhere (even directly into a power brick if you wish), it also means that it won’t be fighting for space with other peripherals on your laptop’s cramped USB-C ports.

Pocket Friendly – Fit right into your denim, a true travel companion.

Ergonomic Design – Maco Go 2 intuitive USB-C placement lets you fully utilize your gadgets.

Faster than Ever – Supports fast charging for the latest Apple Watch 6, 7, 8 and Ultra.

Of course, the Maco Go 2 isn’t just a rehash of its highly successful first run of the design. This second-gen product brings fast charging support to the equation, making it the smallest MFi-certified Apple Watch Fast Charger in the market. It supports not only the latest Apple Watch Series, including the Ultra, it can even charge your AirPods Pro 2 as well.

By ditching the cable, the Maco Go 2 Apple Watch Fast Charger frees you to charge anytime, anywhere, whether it’s from a laptop, a power bank, or even an iPad. And if necessary, you can connect a USB-C to USB-A adapter or even perhaps a cable if you really need the length. For only $40, you can enjoy the freedom, mobility, and flexibility of the Maco Go 2 and never have to worry about your Apple Watch losing power at the most inopportune moment ever again.

Click Here to Buy Now: $40 $47 (15% off). Hurry, for a limited time only!

The post The smallest Apple Watch Fast Charger cuts the cord for maximum mobility first appeared on Yanko Design.

Although a pretty large vehicle, the REE XBW has immense control, can navigate narrow areas and make sharp turns with ease, and can instantly parallel park without any effort. The secret? Its unique independent-wheel-drive build that allows all four wheels to operate independently, turning and rotating on their own to help the electric bus easily maneuver across a variety of challenging paths. Each wheel has its own motor, brake, and gearbox, and the REE XBW’s drive-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and steer-by-wire technology replace mechanical or hydraulic systems with electronic ones. This means you can design a bus with a steering wheel placed practically anywhere, giving it a sort of flexibility that other EVs don’t possess.

Designer: REE Automotive (Video directed and animated by bricktop)

The bus itself has a slick design that oozes a sense of futurism, with an interplay of reflective glass and metallic surfaces, all combined in a mysterious monolithic black box on wheels. The bus’ design is a visual palindrome – it’s exactly the same on the front as well as the back, which means it can flip directions on command, traveling in reverse if needed. The bus’ drive-by-wire technology means the steering wheel can potentially be shifted from the front to the back too, helping it reverse orientation without doing a complete U-turn. Even if it did need to do a U-turn, the XBW has a ridiculously small turning radius, thanks to the fact that its wheels can independently face in any direction, helping the large vehicle make sharper, shorter turns at corners and around objects.

The REE XBW is currently just a conceptual vehicle, although its true purpose is to highlight REE Automotive’s REECORNER technology. The EV’s IWD and x-by-wire features give it unparalleled vehicular stability, responsiveness, and safety. This helps the XBW concept run flawlessly on roads, with the agility of a much smaller vehicle and the ability to overcome bad roads, tricky turns, and even slippery surfaces with relative ease.

The independent wheel drive (IWD) system gives each wheel its own motor, gearbox, brake, and suspension.

Since the wheels all operate independently without any axle or physical connections, there’s no need for them to be physically connected to the steering wheel either. The steering wheel, as a result, can be placed anywhere inside the EV, with its sensors delivering information to the wheels electronically rather than mechanically. This makes it easy to design, redesign, and modify the XBW’s interiors to switch it between left-hand and right-hand drives, or expand or contract the cockpit based on requirements.

The post Electric Bus concept with individual-wheel drive and x-by-wire system makes it the ultimate city beast first appeared on Yanko Design.

Solar panels are a great way to create a clean energy source but it’s still not as flexible as you’d want it to be. The rigid framework limits the surfaces where you can use it and so we need something more malleable and flexible that can fit wherever you need it to fit. Solar films are the newest innovation when it comes to this kind of energy source and some European firms are trying to develop and utilize these products to create better renewable energy sources.

Designers: Heliatek and Solar Cloth

Solar films can do the same things as solar panels but they have a more flexible as well as lightweight characteristics so they’re easier to install in whatever surface you want. HeliaSol has actually been around since 2017, created by German brand Heliatek. It’s like a sticker that you can set up in places like schools, wind turbine facilities, and other areas with large surfaces, generating power of 85W per square meter and leaving a carbon footprint of less than 10g CO2e/kW. The company has also recently released HeliaFilm, this time it’s a stick-on roll of film that can stick to glass,. concrete, and metal.

Solar Cloth is a French company that previously launched their M170 solar film model. It is 0.5mm thick and can generate 170 watts per square meter and can be installed in different kinds of surfaces whether it’s straight or round. The technique they use to create the film is based on material recycling which makes it even more renewable. They said that this solar film is able to generate a 17.2% yield when they used it on a roll-up textile base.

The HeliaFilm uses organic photovoltaics (OVP) technology that basically uses light that is converted into electricity through semiconducting materials. The M170 also uses incorporates OVP but mainly uses Copper, Indium, Gallium, and Selenium or CIGS technology. While both are good technology for solar power, the latter is a bit more green since as mentioned, they use recycled materials. Because of its flexibility and malleability, solar film may become more widely used than the regular solar panels.

The post Solar films may be the more flexible future of solar power first appeared on Yanko Design.