Dezeen Showroom:Spanish tile manufacturer Emotion Ceramics has created a collection of stone-effect, porcelain tiles informed by the Hollywood film, Pulp Fiction.
The Fiction collection aims to provide residential and commercial settings with a contemporary and balanced finish, which can be used across walls, floors and internal and external applications.
The collection was informed by the film Pulp Fiction
Fiction is constructed from porcelain and has a stone effect-finish with subtle veins running through.
The tiles are matt-finished and are available in rectified and non-rectified formats in a range of four hues.
“This stone-effect porcelain has a distinctive character with small inlaid effects and soft veins,” said Emotion Ceramics sales director Andy Pennington.
It is constructed from porcelain
“With its beautifully balanced colours in four hues, the series features a palette that is ideal for any commercial or residential space,” Pennington continued.
Three larger options range in size from 60 to 100 centimetres, while other sizes feature rounded edges and range between 30 to 60.5 centimetres.
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.
iPod Classic brought about a divine change in personal music consumption and it inspired various renditions within Apple’s assembly lines and beyond. I wouldn’t expect it to be an inspiration for a device in 2022 but the detachable little part of the One Plus Bluetooth Speaker does take me back in time.
It features an iPod Classic-like circular control panel and a speaker system on top where the little screen rested on the portable music player from Apple. It detaches or clings back into the body of the One Plus speaker (which as the name suggests is a one + one device: the main speaker plus the detachable tiny tot).
Designer: Jiayan, Li
Designed in neat white with subtle orange accents, the speaker system is meant to play music with hands-free ease from your smartphone or computer using Bluetooth. Since we carry the most suitable speakers for different situations – whether indoors or outdoors – Jiayan, Li has conceived this blend of a mini and a large speaker for us. The combo can be used independently or combined to build a music system at home or outdoors.
One Plus Bluetooth Speaker, therefore, allows you to enjoy listening to music around the house while reading a book or reconfigure the setup to relish crystal clear music while exercising outdoors. According to the designer, the form factor of the One Plus speaker is pretty geometrical. It is based on square, circle, and pill shape: the elements in combination create the complete design.
Meant for portable usage, the speaker(s) is lightweight and has an ergonomic design, whether you consider the pill-shaped detachable option or the larger book-like form factor, which features a handle for convenience on the go. The speaker automatically connects to devices over Bluetooth or presumably latches on to the Wi-Fi network to stream audio directly from your device. So the only thing you have to think of is, what song to play!
Salmon Eye is a floating exhibition pavilion and aquaculture visitor centre on Norway’s Hardangerfjord, which Kvorning Design created with a facade formed from stainless steel plates designed to mimic fish scales.
Salmon Eye was designed to host exhibitions and provide information about the possibilities of sustainable aquaculture. The project was conceived by local salmon farming company Eide Fjordbruk.
The structure’s name and bulbous shape take cues from the rounded shape of salmon eyes, while the 9,500 stainless steel plates that cover it are arranged to look like the fish’s scaly skin.
It has a facade that mimics fish scales. Photo is by Rasmus Jurkatam
“The pattern and the dimensions of the plates create a perfect double-curved surface,” Kvorning Design told Dezeen. “This material, the dimensions, and the reflection of light from the plates look very much like salmon skin at a distance.”
Accessed by electric ferry, Salmon Eye includes a basement and ground and first floors connected by a spiral staircase. An open-air roof terrace also provides dramatic views of the surrounding fjord and mountains.
Ballast tanks are positioned on the ground floor in order to keep the floating structure stable, while a kitchen, cinema and various open spaces are reserved throughout the curved interior for programmes that provide visitors with information about the salmon farming industry.
Visitors also pass an Eide Fjordbruk production platform on the journey from the shore to the centre, which intends to introduce them to the project’s themes.
The centre is accessed by electric ferry
“Salmon Eye was developed for facilitating learning sessions and discussions about the possibilities for a sustainable way of fish farming,” explained Kvorning Design.
Visually striking visitor centres have been constructed all over the world. Other recent designs include a centre in China that resembles a stack of ice cubes and one in Denmark that is disguised within a hill.
The images are courtesy of Kvorning Design unless otherwise stated.
Not everyone might be buying that whole metaverse spiel, but many might have been enamored by the idea of having a virtual version of themselves in certain spaces. Imaging ourselves in a different form inhabiting different worlds goes back farther than VR and AR, but the technologies to enable such an experience haven’t exactly been available until now. Sure, you can already have a Mii or a Bitmoji to represent you today, but having them actually move like you is a completely different thing. For that, your avatar will need to be able to read and copy your body’s movements, and Sony’s latest wearable tech is going to make that as easy as wearing six sensors on your body.
Motion capture, or mocap, has been around for decades and is primarily used in the entertainment industry to make 3D models move more realistically. At first, only large studios were able to utilize this technology due to the sheer size and costs of the equipment needed to make it happen. Today, there are more affordable forms of mocap systems, but they’re still way out of reach of ordinary people who just want a virtual avatar to mirror their moves.
Sony’s new mocopi, short for “motion copy,” was designed to cater to this crowd. The entire system is composed of nothing more than six sensors that look like Apple AirTags, as well as five straps and a clip to attach them to different parts of your body. Four sensors go around your wrists and ankles, one clips behind your lower back, and another wraps around your head. As far as hardware goes, that’s really all there is to it.
The magic unsurprisingly happens on the software side, particularly with a companion mobile app that displays your live avatar of choosing. Using Bluetooth technology, the app is able to read the sensor’s motion data and translate that into the avatar’s movement in real-time. This video can later be used in different applications, like live streaming, VRChat, and more. At the time of launch, the only way you can use mocopi is with that smartphone app, but Sony plans on making a software development kit (SDK) available so that it can be integrated into other applications as well.
mocopi isn’t going to be as detailed and as fluid as professional mocap systems, but at around $360, it is significantly more affordable. It’s designed for more casual use, targeting an audience of content creators that are more interested in creating fun ways to express themselves than professional animated avatars. If it takes off, it could at least make such affordable mocap systems more common. Sony mocopi is launching in Japan in late January 2023, and it will be coming in zero-plastic packaging to boot.
Presents by designers, artists and other makers of color
Being thoughtful about where you spend money can go a long way. When buying from brands—especially smaller ones—that are owned by people of color, you address and potentially even reduce the racial wealth gap, while bolstering local economies and celebrating community. It’s an act of optimism and enthusiasm. The items in this gift guide (which includes covetable home goods, apparel, skincare products, art, books and more) are from Black and Indigenous individuals and people of color—whether they are the company owners, the designers, artists or makers. For even more present ideas, take a look at our complete BUY section, which is updated every day.
Dezeen Showroom:British furniture brand Coco Wolf has released an outdoor furniture collection designed by its co-founder and creative director Rebecca Lorimer and informed by Costa Rica’s tropical setting.
The Tamarindo collection is made up of sofas, swivel chairs, footstools and drum chairs and is named after a beach town on the north Pacific coast.
The outdoor furniture characteristics incorporate bold lines and sweeping curves that are said to mimic forms found in nature.
Tamarindo is an outdoor furniture collection by Coco Wolf
“The Tamarindo collection draws inspiration from Costa Rica’s tropical wonderland of jaw-dropping natural scenery, where nature cradles the soul, inspires new adventures and brings people together outside,” said Coco Wolf creative director Rebecca Lorimer.
“With organic curved edges that reflect the natural world these designs add softness onto outdoor areas and create a calming sanctuary – a stylish yet relaxing space where you can unwind.”
The collection was informed by nature
Each of the pieces is upholstered in recycled fabrics and includes wooden structural elements, constructed using wood with an FSC certification.
The line was created for use within residential as well as commercial settings. Modular sofas allow the furniture to be extended upon to better suit its environment, while bespoke pieces can be custom ordered to similarly add a unique touch.
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.
The secretary-general of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has said that at least 400 migrant workers died building the World Cup.
In an interview with presenter Piers Morgan, World Cup Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy secretary-general Hassan al-Thawadi was asked what “realistic total do you think of migrant workers who died as a result of work they’re doing for the World Cup?”
“The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500,” said Al-Thawadi. “I don’t have the exact number. That’s something that’s been discussed.”
Al-Thawadi’s comments are the first from a senior Qatar official that seem to contradict the official figures. However, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy later released a statement stating that Al-Thawadi was referring to “national statistics covering the period of 2014-2020 for all work-related fatalities (414) nationwide in Qatar, covering all sectors and nationalities”.
Later in the interview, Al-Thawadi made the case that safety standards had improved at the World Cup sites since construction began.
“One death is a death too many, plain and simple,” he said. “Every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least the World Cup sites – the sites we are responsible for.”
“It’s abundantly clear that there is a great distance still to go”
“Although Qatar has made important strides on labour rights over the past five years, it’s abundantly clear that there is a great distance still to go,” said Steve Cockburn, head of economic and social justice at Amnesty International.
“Thousands of workers remain stuck in the familiar cycle of exploitation and abuse thanks to legal loopholes and inadequate enforcement.”
“The improvements that have happened aren’t because of the World Cup”
Qatar has made several notable labour reforms since 2017, including introducing a minimum wage, labour tribunals and a support fund to pay unpaid wages. However, the country has yet to introduce a fund to compensate the workers who have died or suffered abuse building the tournament venues and infrastructure, which Amnesty International is calling for.
According to Al-Thawadi, the improvements made to migrant workers’ conditions were not directly related to the World Cup.
“Just so we’re clear, this was something that was recognized before we bid,” said Al-Thawadi. “The improvements that have happened aren’t because of the World Cup. These are improvements that we knew that we had to do because of our own values.”
“The World Cup served as a vehicle, as an accelerator, as a catalyst because of the spotlight which we recognized early,” he continued.
Along with the human rights issues, the Qatar World has also come under scrutiny for its sustainability claims, with organisers stating that Qatar 2022 will be the first carbon-neutral tournament in World Cup history. Experts told Dezeen this claim was “built on sand”.
“It’s somewhat disingenuous, not just of the Qataris but of FIFA as well,” sport and geopolitics expert Simon Chadwick said of the carbon-neutral claim.
“It’s window dressing; it’s built on sand,” he told Dezeen.
The main image shows Lusail Stadium by Foster + Partners. The photo is by Nigel Young.
To kick off Dezeen’s review of 2022, we round up 10 of the most eye-catching architectural reuse projects of the year, from an art museum in Tehran to a Marcel Breuer-designed hotel.
Architecture has historically tended to celebrate the new, but concerns about the climate impact of construction are driving an increasing interest in projects that seek to work with existing structures.
Including ambitious conversions, careful renovations and delicate restorations, here are 10 that stood out in 2022:
First opened as a brewery in the 1920s, the Argo Factory in central Tehran became the first new private art museum in Iran’s capital since 1979 following an overhaul by US studio Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North.
This 1970s brutalist building in New Haven, designed by Marcel Breuer, was converted into a hotel by Becker + Becker after sitting unused for more than 20 years.
The interiors were updated while the facade was retained and repaired, meaning the building now achieves Passivhaus standards despite keeping the distinctive external appearance of Breuer’s original design.
Cornwall’s art deco Jubilee Pool was given a new lease of life with the addition of geothermal heating and community facilities by Scott Whitby Studio.
Greyfriars Charteris Centre is a community centre in Edinburgh (above and top) created in a former church by Scottish architecture firm Konishi Gaffney.
The renovation involved extensive use of timber for the interiors, as well as a new entryway volume slotted between the church and a neighbouring office building.
London studio Twelve Architects transformed Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct, once a key freight link but disused since 1969, into a linear park featuring weathered-steal planters.
The project is a temporary pilot project led by the National Trust, but the conservation charity is now fundraising to make it a permanent fixture.
A former pigsty was replaced with a glazed extension containing a sunken lounge as part of Jan Henrik Jansen and Marshall Blecher‘s careful reconstruction of this 120-year-old thatched cottage in northern Germany.
The project involved rebuilding most of the dilapidated structure, restoring the original facade while completely replanning the internal layout.
London studio Crawshaw Architects turned a former cow shed in Dorset into a library and office organised around a barrel-vaulted wooden nave.
The narrow brick outbuilding had previously stood neglected for more than four decades but the architects made only small structural changes, replacing two roof trusses with portal frames to open up the interior.
Amsterdam-based Civic Architects sliced circular openings into an existing brick wall to provide glimpses of the exhibition spaces inside this shoe museum in Waalwijk.
The project saw listed 1930s municipal buildings refurbished and turned into a space housing 12,000 objects as well as a cafe and design laboratories.
A series of abandoned stone quarries in Zhejiang Province were turned into cultural spaces including a library and a performance venue by Beijing-based DnA_Design and Architecture.
The studio focused on highlighting the existing character of the quarries with delicate insertions and artificial lighting as a response to the lavishly designed tourist spots that dominate rural China.
The High Sunderland house in the Scottish Borders, designed by architect Peter Womersley in 1957, but suffered extensive damage in a fire after being sold in 2017.
Loader Monteith undertook a light-touch renovation of the mid-century home, focusing on reinstate as many of the original features as possible while introducing measures to meet current sustainability standards.
Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao explains how her concrete Casa Ventura house responds to the topography of its hilltop site in the latest instalment of Dezeen’s Concrete Icons series produced in collaboration with Holcim.
The video features Casa Ventura, a large family home that emerges from a forested hillside overlooking the city of Monterrey, Mexico.
The house is made up of a cluster of intersecting pentagonal volumes
Speaking to Dezeen in an exclusive video interview filmed at Bilbao’s office in Mexico City, the architect explained how the house was designed to “flow horizontally” and be “really open, very fluid”.
“What we did was kind of break the volumes of the house,” Bilbao said. “Every volume is connected to the next one, with very few steps.”
Completed in 2011, the residence comprises a series of connecting pentagonal volumes that sit atop a steeply sloping hill with an uneven topography.
The house features full-height glazing and cantilevered structures
Each unit was arranged to follow the form of the irregular terrain, featuring cantilevered structures with full-height glazing and terraces that optimise the panoramic views towards the city.
“The house floats on top of the hill according to the natural topography that was there,” said Bilbao.
Raw concrete was chosen due to the site’s structural and climatic conditions
The building is made from raw concrete, which was selected due to the site’s climatic conditions and demanding structural requirements, as well as to suit the surrounding landscape.
“The weather here changes through the day very extremely,” said Bilbao. “These changes need to be controlled in a more natural way and concrete is the only material that would allow us to do that.”
The angular forms and textured surfaces of the exterior give the house a monolithic quality, resembling a geological formation such as a cliff face.
“The residents were really eager to work with concrete. They really liked the aesthetics. They liked the roughness,” said Bilbao.
“They liked the honesty. So these were some values that we really shared because in our office we also think of architecture as really needing to be very honest.”
The house is designed to frame the vistas of the surrounding hills and the city
The distinct units allow the house to be divided into public and private spaces, with a spiral staircase that provides access to each level.
Communal areas are accommodated at the lowest, flattest part of the site, while private rooms are housed in units that gradually step up and around the slope.
Shared spaces within the house are located on the lower levels
Bilbao founded her eponymous studio in 2004. Its projects include cultural institutions, installations, masterplans and affordable housing typologies.
Concrete Icons is a six-part video series created in partnership with building materials company Holcim, which profiles the most striking contemporary concrete buildings by the world’s leading architects.
Previous instalments in the series focus on MAD’s sinuous Cloudscape library in Haikou, China, and The Broad museum in Los Angeles, US, by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
The house features a spiral staircase that enables access to each floor
The photography is by Rory Gardiner unless stated otherwise.
Partnership content
Concrete Icons is produced by Dezeen for Holcim as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
Build the icons of the future with Holcim’s low-carbon ECOPact concrete, delivering up to 90 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to standard concrete with no compromise on performance.
Find out more about how Holcim works with architects here.
Sliding panels of thin wooden slats provide shade and ventilation to the interiors of this apartment block in Palma on the island of Mallorca, designed by local architecture studio OHLAB.
Located on the popular Paseo Mallorca, the block contains 15 apartments with a basement spa and gym for residents, organised around a courtyard and private green spaces that step upwards through the building’s centre.
The apartment block was designed by OHLAB
Residents enter the building through an area of textured, ribbed stonework and an area planted with Mediterranean reeds that references the nearby Riera canal.
The entrance leads through into a central courtyard that extends from the basement to the first floor, where planting and a small waterfall have been introduced to create an “oasis of vegetation and calm” that is overlooked by the surrounding apartments.
It was wrapped in wooden screens
“The inner courtyard, with its different levels, acts as an inner lung of vegetation and trees until it reaches that landscape terraces with pools on the fourth, sixth and eighth floors of the building,” said the studio.
“The courtyard also connects with below, providing lighting and vegetation to the basement which houses the resident’s pool, gym and spa, transforming it into a unifying vertical axis that links the building’s vegetation and allows for cross-ventilation.”
The building contains 15 apartments
The apartments form a U-shape around the courtyard, with the stepped form of the building used to create a variety of penthouses which open onto private landscaped terraces with swimming pools and panoramic views across the city.
Around a central stair and lift core, two smaller wings overlooking the courtyard contain the more compartmentalised bathrooms and bedrooms, while to the south large living, dining and kitchen spaces overlook the city.
Two contrasting finishes define the exterior, with a more solid, stone cladding used for privacy in the bedrooms and movable screens of slatted wood used around the tall, southern corner of the building to shelter the large living areas from direct sunlight.
“A permeable skin made of wooden slats filters the sun and plays with the light and shade in the day areas of the homes,” explained the studio.
The interiors were decorated with wood and plaster
A rich palette of rough plaster, dark wood and rustic fittings defines the interiors, which were designed to draw on materials and finishes typical to the Mediterranean.
In the penthouses, the sliding wooden screens open to reveal large patios with seating areas and dining tables, with small infinity pools overlooking the city below.
Interior finishes aim to highlight the Mediterranean setting
“The selection of natural and local materials, highlighting the essence of the Mediterranean, has been very important…taking every detail, texture and smell into account,” said the practice.
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