Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen Showroom: office furniture brand Bogaerts has launched the Mono study pod, which provides a sound-dampened workspace that can be folded away.

Designers Philip Bogaerts and René Vullings created the Mono pod to be flexible and mobile with a design that folds down in three steps.

It features a high back that encompasses the workspace and is available with single- or double-sized seats built into the back wall.

T has a fold-out table and also comes with optional wheels for easy transportation.

Alternatively, the Mono Desk and Mono Phonebooth versions feature desks on the back wall at seated and standing heights respectively.

Mono pods are made from plywood and recycled PET felt that provides sound absorption. Individual pods can be linked together for a unified workspace configuration.

“Mono is ideal for usage in spaces where temporary extra working settings are needed or it can be installed permanently,” said Bogaerts.

“By using the integrated linking system, the Monos can be placed facing the front or front and back to create a more individual setting.”

Product: Mono
Designer: Philip Bogaerts and René Vullings
Brand: Bogaerts
Contact: info@bogaerts.design

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Dezeen’s top five Houses of the month for March 2023 include a snake-like dwelling in India and a converted 19th-century school in southern Italy.

A brutalist holiday home in a Mexican forest, a minimalist residence in Massachusetts and a Vietnamese family home with a massive roof complete the list.

This roundup is the latest instalment in our Houses of the month series, which collects five of the most popular residences featured on Dezeen every month from all around the world.

Read on to find out more about Dezeen readers’ favourite houses in March 2023:

Casa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy

This stark concrete home by Ludwig Godefroy sits in a pine forest and was designed “to look like a cube that crashed on the floor among the trees”, according to the Mexico City-based architect.

It features unusual formal twists, such as an angled walkway jutting out below the front door that is intersected by a barrier wall, as well as irregularly-sized windows – from the very small to the very large.

Find out more about Casa Alférez ›

Chuzhi, India, by Wallmakers

Winding around trees and rocks on a steep site in the Indian village of Shoolagiri is the Chuzhi house, designed by Wallmakers.

These spiralling elements help to define the different living spaces and are intended to evoke the shape of a chuzhi – the word for whirlpool in the local Malayalam language.

Find out more about Chuzhi ›

Casolare Scarani, Italy, by Studio Andrew Trotter

Architecture practice Studio Andrew Trotter created this house in Puglia from a girls’ school dating back to 1883 that was abandoned in the 1960s.

Through a delicate renovation, the studio sought to bring the dilapidated building back to life while retaining as many of its original features as possible. These include a stone portico with a vaulted ceiling that looks out onto the garden.

Find out more about Casolare Scarani ›

Casa Annunziata, USA, by Specht Architects

Located in The Berkshires in Massachusetts, this symmetrical glass pavilion was created as a place to showcase antiques as well as a home.

Texas-based Specht Architects sandwiched the glass box between a matching white floor and roof plate and raised it slightly above the surrounding meadow.

Find out more about Casa Annunziata ›

House in Quang Yen, Vietnam, by Ra.atelier and Ngo + Pasierbinski

An oversized terracotta-tile roof defines this family home in Quang Yen, Vietnam, designed by local studios Ra.atelier and Ngo + Pasierbinski.

The house sits in the centre of a walled garden that has been owned by the family for generations, its square plan dividing two semi-circular outdoor areas.

Find out more about House in Quang Yen ›

The post Dezeen’s top five houses of March 2023 appeared first on Dezeen.

Architects are increasingly using mass timber in the hopes of creating net-zero buildings but carbon assessments are missing key sources of potential emissions, researchers tell Dezeen in this Timber Revolution feature.

The standard method for determining a building’s overall carbon footprint is a whole-building life-cycle assessment (LCA) that breaks down emissions at every stage – from the sourcing of raw materials to their ultimate disposal.

These calculations tend to indicate significantly lower emissions for timber structures compared to those made entirely out of concrete and steel. But experts warned that LCAs only tell part of the story.

“LCAs do not typically consider anything that happens in the forest,” said forester and timberland manager Mark Wishnie.

“And the land management side is, from a climate perspective and a biodiversity perspective, enormously important,” added Steph Carlisle of the Carbon Leadership Forum research group. “That’s really where all the action is.”

End-of-life “very, very important”

Because so few mass-timber buildings have been constructed – let alone demolished – researchers are also unable to reliably forecast what will happen to engineered timbers at end of their life and what emissions this would entail.

“There’s not a lot of data available to predict end-of-life and that can be very, very important,” Wishnie said.

This leaves both researchers and architects with an incomplete picture of mass timber’s climate impacts, which urgently needs to be addressed if the industry is to scale up sustainably without adverse effects on the environment.

“We need better transparency and traceability,” Carlisle said. “When architects use tools and they don’t necessarily know what’s going on behind them, they can really mislead themselves about the real emissions.”

“If we get this right, it has such incredible potential,” added Robyn van den Heuvel of the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program. “Not just for the built environment but also to ensure forests are sustainably managed.”

“But there are incredible risks of getting this wrong. It could result in the exact opposite effects of what we’re trying to create.”

Badly harvested timber has higher embodied emissions

Timber’s climate potential lies in its ability to sequester large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere during its growth – in contrast to common building materials like concrete and steel, which mostly just produce emissions.

As a result, mass timber has been widely hailed as a way to help architects make their buildings net zero and, by extension, help the built environment mitigate the 13 per cent of global emissions that stem from the construction of buildings and the materials used in the process.

Research indicates that substituting wood for steel and concrete in mid-rise buildings could reduce emissions from manufacturing, transport and construction by between 13 and 26.5 per cent, depending on the building’s design, the exact wood products used and where they are shipped from.

But due to a lack of data, the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) has warned that LCAs can gloss over the huge impacts that forest management and end-of-life can have on the overall climate impact of a mass-timber product.

Forest management is an important part of the equation, not just because it can help to prevent deforestation and protect biodiversity but also because it has a huge impact on a forest’s ability to act as a carbon sink.

Felling all the trees in a forest at the same time, in a method known as clear-cutting, can generate significant emissions by disturbing the soil and releasing the carbon it stores, which accounts for almost 75 per cent of a forest’s total carbon stock.

When this is combined with other harmful practices such as converting old-growth forests into tree plantations, this could actually make a timber building more emissions-intensive than a concrete equivalent, the IISD suggests.

“It’s neither true that all wood is good, nor that all wood is bad,” said Carlisle. “Architects really need to understand that it matters where your wood comes from.”

Forest certifications falling short

However, none of these important land-management impacts – whether good or bad – are reflected in typical life-cycle assessments.

“They don’t account for an increase in forest carbon stock or a decrease in forest carbon stock, an increase in forest area or a decrease in the forest area,” said Wishnie.

“Often, if you’ve got that wrong, it doesn’t matter what else is happening in the value chain, you already have a bad carbon story,” agreed van den Heuvel, who leads the non-profit Climate Smart Forest Economy Program.

To some extent, these concerns are addressed by forest certification schemes – the most comprehensive being FSC, which covers crucial factors such as forest health, biodiversity, water quality, and Indigenous and workers’ rights.

But these certifications do not require forestry companies to track and quantify how different management practices impact the carbon stock of a forest, which makes them impossible to represent in the LCAs used by architects and building professionals.

“Right now, I have no way of representing FSC-wood accurately in a life-cycle assessment model,” said Carlisle, who is a senior researcher at the Carbon Leadership Forum.

“There’s a lot of work happening on the certification side to do that research and publish it so it can come into our models. And we really need it because it’s not going to be sufficient in the long run for certification to be a stand-in.”

FSC certification is applied to 50,000 companies globally, making it harder for architects to discern which of these companies provides the best forest management and the most sustainable, lowest-carbon product so they can vote with their wallets.

“As the user, I can’t really make choices,” said Simone Farresin, one-half of design duo Formafantasma. “I can’t evaluate if one seller is better in community support or another in sustainable growing. It’s certified and that’s it. It’s not specific.”

“When you’re looking at materials, you have all these different grades of quality,” he continued. “And we need to reach the same in terms of sustainability – we need to be able to detect these different grades.”

“No consensus” over end-of-life emissions

Another area that is lacking in reliable information, and therefore hard to represent in LCAs, is what happens when a mass-timber building is demolished.

“There is a lot of debate about how to model end-of-life and it gets really contentious really quickly,” said Carlisle. “There is no consensus. The fight is very live.”

If a building was designed for deconstruction and its timber components are reused, this could offer substantial carbon and ecosystem benefits – providing continued long-term carbon storage while reducing the need for renewed logging as well as for emissions-intensive steel and concrete.

A small number of architects have begun to deliver demountable mass-timber buildings to facilitate material reuse, such as Waugh Thistleton’s 6 Orsman Road in London.

However, most timber demolition waste today ends up in either landfills or incinerators, with both scenarios resulting in some net emissions.

“Depending on what country you’re in, that waste looks very different,” said van den Heuvel. “But that also has a really massive impact on your total carbon story.”

In the case of incineration, all of the carbon stored in the wood would be released into the air, negating any storage benefits but potentially generating renewable electricity in the process if burned for biomass energy.

In a high-quality modern landfill, on the other hand, engineered wood products are estimated to lose only around 1.3 per cent of their carbon, although part of this carbon is released as methane – a powerful greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

“This is counterintuitive to people,” Carlisle said. “But you see very small emissions at end-of-life from landfills because that material is largely considered sequestered and stored permanently.”

“We can’t aim for perfection”

Crucially, estimates about end-of-life emissions are mostly based on products like medium-density fibreboard (MDF), which are less elaborately engineered than structural materials such as cross- and glue-laminated timber and so may respond differently.

“There is more uncertainty around what will actually happen at end-of-life because there are so few mass-timber buildings,” Carlisle said.

Researchers and institutions such as the Carbon Leadership Forum and the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program are working hard to fill in these gaps. And ultimately, they argue that governments must set national and international standards to ensure responsible sourcing and disposal if we hope to accurately assess and realise mass timber’s climate potential.

But in the meantime, all parts of the timber value chain – from forest managers to manufacturers and architects – should be more transparent about their carbon accounting.

“I would hate to see a world in which we stop everything to make sure all the certification is perfect,” said van den Heuvel. “Because buildings are still going to get built. And if we’re not using mass timber, we’re using a product that’s going to be even worse for the environment.”

“We’re running out of time, so we can’t aim for perfection. We should aim for good enough and transparency around it so that others can improve.”

The top photo is by Maksim Safaniuk via Shutterstock.

Timber Revolution
This article is part of Dezeen’s Timber Revolution series, which explores the potential of mass timber and asks whether going back to wood as our primary construction material can lead the world to a more sustainable future.

The post The “enormously important” hidden carbon impacts of getting mass timber wrong appeared first on Dezeen.

Milan design week, Coverings 2023 and Concéntrico 09 are among the architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide this month.

Among the other events taking place in March are Tigullio Design District, Orgatec Tokyo 2023 and an exhibition on Tartan at the V&A Dundee.

Tartan
1 April 2023 to 14 January 2024, UK

The V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition will be dedicated to the well-known Scottish textile that has become a symbol of rebellion and tradition.

The show will include more than 300 objects that demonstrate the history and broad use of the material. It will feature numerous historical pieces alongside work by fashion designers Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Dior.

Milan design week
17 to 23 April, Italy

This year, the world’s biggest annual design event – Milan design week – returns to its usual spot in April for the first time since the pandemic.

Taking place from 17 to 23 April, the festival will see hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on events taking place across the city of Milan.

At the heart of the event is the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, which will present thousands of brands showcasing furniture, lighting, electrical appliances, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor and workspace products.

Alongside the furniture fair, a series of events, talks, exhibitions, installations and showroom openings, which are collectively known as the fuorisalone, will take place during the week.

Many of these are held within design districts across the city, which include the Brera Design District, Isola Design District, Tortona Design Week and 5Vie Design Week.

Dezeen Events Guide has created a Milan design week guide, highlighting the key events at the festival. Find out how to get your event listed in the guide here.

Tigullio Design District
17 to 23 April, Italy

Set on the Italian coast between Genoa and Cinque Terre, the Tigullio Design District event focuses on the sea, nautical design and outdoor living.

The event will feature a programme of in-person talks and networking opportunities with Italian and international designers and brands.

Coverings 2023
18 to 21 April, USA

Set to take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, the surface and finishes trade show Coverings 2023 will present products from around 1,000 tile and stone brands.

Alongside the four-day trade show will be a series of talks and workshops exploring trends in the industry.

Orgatec Tokyo 2023
26 to 28 April, Japan

Focused on furniture and design in Asia, the Tokyo edition of the Orgatec fair takes place over three days at the end of April. It aims to be the leading international trade fair in Asia for the modern workspace.

This year’s event will feature around 80 brands and exhibitors.

Concéntrico 09
27 April to 2 May, Spain

International architecture and design festival Concéntrico returns for its ninth edition in 2023 with a programme of exhibitions, installations and other activities.

The six-day event in Logroño, northern Spain, will extend to new areas of the city. The celebration of Spanish and international architecture and design will include installations by Barkow Leibinger, Studio Ossidiana, Marc Morro, Oana Stanescu, Didier Faustino, Camille Walala and Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects.

About Dezeen Events Guide

Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.

The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks, as well as up-to-date information about what events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen’s discretion. Organisers can get enhanced or premium listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.

In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.

The post Six architecture and design events in April from Dezeen Events Guide appeared first on Dezeen.

Laptop bags are great for most days… but when you want to travel light with your gear, carrying a 4-pound laptop with its bulky charger around with you just won’t cut it. Designed as a minimalist alternative to the maximalist laptop bag, the Grip Sling from Black Ember is a modular daily carry sideways sling that’s wide enough for an 11-inch tablet, and spacious enough to keep a camera and two lenses… should you choose. Created as a compact, lightweight alternative that doesn’t compromise, the Grip Sling still has storage for the rest of your gear. It comes with an easy-adjust messenger-style strap, Fidlock-enabled key-holder, space for your phone/wallet/notepad, and optional expandable storage (with modular dividers) for your camera, headphones, drone, Nintendo Switch, or other gear. In short, everything but that heavy laptop.

Designers: Chris Gadway & Black Ember

Click Here to Buy Now: $119 $149 ($30 off). Hurry, only 3/275 left!

Wear the Grip high.

Wear the Grip low.

Their new Quick-Slide Lever lets you adjust quickly.

The Grip Sling looks and feels like the classic Messenger-style side-sling bag, but comes with a hip new design that’s built around the idea of modularity, comfort, and style. Designed to be worn in a multitude of ways, the Grip Sling features a strap with the bag’s Quick-Slide Lever, an aluminum buckle that lets you easily pivot your bag to the front, back, or hang it off the sides like a sling. Hold the buckle and pull it the way you would an airline seatbelt and the Grip Sling instantly tightens or loosens to help you adjust your bag, bringing it to the front when you want to quickly access something, and pushing it to the side or back when you’re done. Two aluminum pivot points connect the bag to its strap, giving it the freedom of mobility so you can wear the bag however you want, while carefully-designed interiors carry all your gear, organizing them in a way that makes them easy to access.

Made for Mirrorless DSLRs and similar camera sizes.

2 omni-positionable protective dividers.

Padded, magnetic tablet sleeve fits all iPads up to 11″.

A laptop bag’s size is dictated by the size of the laptop going inside it. Nothing else that goes inside a laptop is as big as the laptop, so remove it and now you’ve got yourself a much smaller footprint you can work with. That’s pretty much what the Grip Sling does. Designed around the ‘rest of your gear’, the sling comes with a padded compartment big enough for an 11-inch iPad or an A4 notebook, with a magnetic fixture that locks your tablet or book in place, and a spacious front compartment that fits your other gear, be it clothes, headphones, chargers, EDC, a bottle, or even your camera and lenses. A separate camera insert lets you store your photography equipment in the Grip Sling, with adjustable padded dividers to keep lenses, chargers, and more.

V-buckle compression straps are great for attaching gear.

The built-in key ring features its quick-release fidlock magnetic buckle.

The front pocket is divided into 2 sections with a padded divider.

Like any good bag or backpack, the Grip Sling also comes with dedicated internal and external storage pockets for other smaller gear. Internal pockets are perfect for stationery, wallets, and other essentials that you don’t need immediately, while an outer storage pocket is divided into two sections with a padded wall between them. This outer pocket is perfect for quick-access essentials like your phone, and the Grip Sling also comes with a built-in keyring that attaches to the sling via a magnetic Fidlock buckle. Optional V-buckle compression straps let you also attach additional items like umbrellas or tripods to your sling, giving you the entire gamut of gear in a compact carry-on.

Although built with a focus on style and size, the Grip Sling’s construction shines a light on security and sustainability too. The bag itself is the first ever to use CORDURA® 420D Velocity, the latest textile in the brand’s re/cor RN66 fabric collection for its outer clad. Made from reclaimed pre-consumer waste materials that have been recycled into high-quality yarns, Velocity fabric is durable and has a Matte-Shine finish with a water-resistant top coating that repels dust and dirt. The bag is also outfitted with YKK Aquaguard waterproof zippers along with Hypalon locking zipper pulls to keep your gear safe from the elements. The Quick-Slide Lever and Left and Right Pivot Points are all machined from T6 aluminum and are anodized in black to match the bag’s all-black aesthetic. The Grip Sling, like all Black Ember products, is made using the company’s proprietary BOND-STITCH high-precision construction. All textile components are laser-cut for high accuracy, before being bonded and technically sewed for a superior finish and a durable build.

The Grip Sling imagines a world where laptops aren’t a part of your everyday carry. By ditching the largest, bulkiest gadget in your backpack, it gives you something that’s smaller, lighter, more comfortable, and oozes sophistication with its uniquely customizable wearing style. The Grip Sling is priced at a discounted $119 and ships globally starting June 2023. The camera insert and compression straps are bundled separately, bringing the entire kit to a $179 price tag.

Click Here to Buy Now: $119 $149 ($30 off). Hurry, only 3/275 left!

The post You’ve seen laptop bags before… Meet the first tablet + camera bag that’s changing how we carry gear first appeared on Yanko Design.