Top 10 Apple MagSafe accessories every tech head needs for their iPhone

The reinvention and return of MagSafe were an instant hit! There is a great sense of satisfaction, in my opinion, to have things just stick to your phone. Be it a pair of earphones (maybe that’ll be the next generation of AirPods) or have your phone just conveniently stick to a charging pad – it’s almost like magic. The reintroduction of the MagSafe led to a whole new world of accessories being unleashed. Designers and creatives were racing to create a whole range of products for the repurposed MagSafe. And we’ve been loving every bit of it! From an aramid fiber MagSafe iPhone case to a minimalist 3-in-1 MagSafe charger that defies the laws of physics  – there’s a MagSafe accessory out there for your every need. And, we’ve curated many products that we truly believe are worth buying and investing in. This army of accessories will truly amp up your Apple experience!

1. The G4 Charger

The G4 charger is a wonderful throwback accessory that reminds me of that Elago charger that turned the Apple Watch into the Macintosh. Its design, however, doesn’t seem to have aged the way the Macintosh has. Even by today’s standards, the iMac G4 is an incredibly eye-catching device that you’re sure to be amazed by. The charger condenses that beauty down into a small device that is equally good at drawing your attention to the iPhone that sits on it.

Why is it noteworthy?

Eponymously named the G4, this quirky little charger pays a hat-tip to its 20-year-old predecessor. It sports the same dome-shaped base and chrome-plated stand which sits the MagSafe wireless charging element that lets you snap your iPhone to it. Once the iPhone comfortably nestles in place, it transforms almost into a miniature computer, hovering above the ground in a way that makes its display easy to view as well as to use, by allowing you to tap and swipe away!

What we like

  • The dual joint system on the back of the charger lets you angle and position your phone however you please
  • A nifty light within its domed front lights up when your phone begins charging

What we dislike

  • Needs to be kept standing on a surface, always taking up a fixed space

2. Ice Speed Freezemat Magsafe Wireless Charger

Christened “Ice Speed Freezemat Magsafe Wireless Charger” this proposed Apple accessory uses a very interesting method to dissipate heat, keeping the innards at optimum temperature while gaming or during fast charging rituals.

Why is it noteworthy?

Crafted out of aviation-grade cooling material, Ice Speed Freezemat has an interesting cooling mechanism inspired by the way the human body sweats to dissipate heat. Unlike other similar accessories on the market that makes use of fans drawing power from the source, this one has a greener, low-noise cooling material mode.

What we like

  • As the iPhone 14 gets heated, the water content in the hydrogel is evaporated, then heat dissipation happens, and ultimately the water is again absorbed by the layer

What we dislike

  • Can have better charging versions than the current 15W charging speed
  • Not available yet

3. The Native Union Profile Fox Cases

These bad boys from Native Union and Maison Kitsuné come crafted from premium Italian leather. They’re perfectly made for your iPhone 14, are designed with drop-protection and lips around your screen and camera bump, and the case has its own set of magnets to reinforce the attachment of its companion MagSafe wallet, which holds two cards.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Native Union Profile Fox cases feature a premium leather construction, and both the case and the wallet are emblazoned with Maison Kitsuné’s signature fox logo. The cases and wallets are available in ‘Wine Lees’ brown and ‘Medium Blue’, and are designed to age and patina beautifully with time, creating a product that’s more unique to look at as time goes by.

What we like

  • The case guards your phone, protecting it from drops of up to 6 feet
  • The Profile Fox case and wallet come with a 2-year warranty on construction and manufacturing defects

What we dislike

  • Roughly the same price as Apple’s own cases and comes with only 2 colour variants

4. The Zens 4-in-1 Modular Wireless Charger

Designed to provide you with an organized desk, the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Wireless Charger enables you to charge all your precious Apple Devices in one go, and in the exact same locations. It helps you maintain a neat and tidy desk or nightstand.

Why is it noteworthy?

The main station of the Zens charger can power your iPhone, iPad, and AirPods, and you get a magnetic attachment for fastening the Apple Watch charger to the main system. This magnetic Apple Watch extension is actually what makes the wireless MagSafe charger “modular.”

What we like

  • A convenient solution for a quick and fast charge to all your Apple devices

What we dislike

  • Exorbitantly priced at $180

5. SHARGE

Portable power generators have become en-vogue because of that new outdoor lifestyle, but if you need something more portable and more stylish, this SHARGE concept is something you’d wish was an actual product already.

Why is it noteworthy?

The opposite face of the power bank has some ridges but are finer ones compared to the backside. The most important detail here is the large circle that today has become associated with Apple’s MagSafe charging tech for iPhones. It often indicates where the magnet is located on a charging accessory, though the magnets are also meant to align charging coils anyway. When attached to an iPhone, SHARGE gives the stylish phone a more rugged, outdoor personality, even if only for a brief period.

What we like

  • Rugged + outdoor aesthetic

What we dislike

  • The battery level indicator still uses the same old 5 LED indicator instead of giving a specific battery level.

6. Oakywood MagSafe Collection

This Oakywood MagSafe collection offers solid and multi-functional bases that not only keep your iPhone or Apple Watch in place but also add some life to your desk. With a mix of wood and matte aluminum materials, these stands and mounts look handsome on any motif you might have going for your desk, providing eye-catching ornaments without being distracting.

Why is it noteworthy?

One actually mounts onto an edge of a shelf, preferably one on or near your desk, while another sticks to a wall. In all cases, the MagSafe charger they hold can be removed and used as normal, just in case you prefer not to see the device’s screen but still want the beautiful presence of these wood and metal ornaments.

What we like

  • The stands and mounts themselves don’t have any non-sustainable components, which also helps prevent more e-waste in the long run

What we dislike

  • Lack of material/color options
  • The design could have been modular as well

7. STRICKERS

Now there are dozens of magnetic wireless charging accessories, including those certified for Apple’s MagSafe branding, that take advantage of this development. Unsurprisingly, some are better designed than others, especially when it comes to both appearance and usability. This power bank concept, for example, is designed not only to keep your phone alive before you reach home but also to keep it standing so you can watch your favorite videos in comfort.

Why is it noteworthy?

This STRICKERS concept, for example, utilizes an ultra-thin power bank that magnetically attaches to the back of a phone, most likely an iPhone. Current technologies do allow such a small pack to have a 10,000mAh battery capacity so that it won’t add too much bulk to your phone’s back.

What we like

  • What makes STRICKERS really special is the sheet of bendable silicone material that turns the power bank into a smartphone stand

What we dislike

  • Since this is a concept, the design may turn out thicker in reality

8. MAG.L MagSafe Powerbank

MAG.L MagSafe Powerbank 10000mAh Product Designer

 

MAG.L MagSafe Powerbank 10000mAh Product Design

There are plenty of MagSafe-compatible products, but there are few power banks available. We may have seen a few already but nothing like this MAG.L MagSafe Powerbank with its 10000mAh capacity. Introduced by Neo Bie and Leigui Lui for Stylepie, this thing aims to improve the wireless charging and power bank experience for anyone.

Why is it noteworthy?

The MAG.L MagSafe Powerbank will remind you of an old Gameboy for its shape and design. It features the usual four operation buttons: SELECT, START, A, B, and a d-pad (directional pad). The lower part of the yellow power bank has a cover that slides to work as the stand of the power bank. There is also an LCD screen that shows basic information like date, time, battery level, or charging status.

What we like

  • Has a fun Gameboy-inspired aesthetic

What we dislike

  • The stand comes with a set angle that cannot be adjusted as per the users liking

9. The Rmour Candy Corner Protectors

Rmour’s candy-inspired corner protectors give your iPhone an understated bling upgrade while protecting the most vulnerable areas of your gadget. The best part? They don’t interfere with your iPhone’s MagSafe or wireless charging abilities.

Why is it noteworthy?

Designed to be protective jewelry for your iPhone, the Rmour Candy Corner Protectors come made from 925 silver with a decorative enamel inlay to match your iPhone’s color. Made to fit comfortably on iPhone 12 and newer models, the Rmour Candy Corner Protectors attach to the 4 corners of your iPhone using a strong-yet-non-destructive adhesive tape that keeps them firmly in place. When attached, the corner protectors create a 1mm lip around your iPhone, safeguarding the edges, back, camera bump, and screen from damage if you drop your iPhone on any flat surface.

What we like

  • Serves as functional jewelry for your iPhone

What we dislike

  • It becomes useless if you switch up and get a newer model

10. The MagEZ Case 2

Determined to make some of the best Apple accessories your gadgets could ever wish for, PITAKA’s back with an aramid fiber iPhone case that protects your smartphone without sacrificing sleekness. The Fusion Weaving MagEZ Case 2 is available for all iPhone 13 makes and comes constructed from Aramid fibers (which are as tough as carbon fibers, but more flexible too) with an overall thickness of 0.055 inches or a mere 1.4 millimeters.

Why is it noteworthy?

The case wraps right around your phone, with cutouts that let you access the buttons and the ports, as well as a camera cutout with a protective lip to prevent your iPhone’s camera from any physical impact. Moreover, the Fusion Weaving MagEZ Case 2 is also MagSafe compatible and works with virtually all of PITAKA’s own MagEZ 2.0 accessories, from the MagEZ Slider to the wireless charging car mount MagEZ Car Mount Pro, and even the MagEZ Wallet 2.

What we like

  • The criss-cross black pattern provides a nice visual element
  • The MagEZ Case 2 comes with PITAKA’s proprietary Fusion Weaving technology – a composite aramid fiber material that has an incredibly high strength-to-weight ratio

What we dislike

  • Its slightly more expensive than Apple’s own cases as well

The post Top 10 Apple MagSafe accessories every tech head needs for their iPhone first appeared on Yanko Design.

Mono study pod by Philip Bogaerts and René Vullings for Bogaerts

Mono study pod by Philip Bogaerts and René Vullings for Bogaerts

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.

Two Mono study pods by Bogaerts
The pods can be linked together

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.

Foldable table on the Mono study pod by Bogaerts
Mono is made from plywood and PET felt

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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Sara Kulturhus Centre "unleashed a world of previously unimagined design possibilities"

Exterior of Sara Kulturhus Centre

The penultimate case study in our Timber Revolution series is a 20-storey mass-timber building just below the Arctic Circle – the Sara Kulturhus Centre by Swedish studio White Arkitekter.

Standing 72.8 metres tall in the Swedish city of Skellefteå, the landmark structure became one of the world’s tallest mass-timber buildings when it was completed in 2021.

Sara Kulturhus and hotel in Skellefteå
Sara Kulturhus Centre is a 20-storey mass-timber building just below the Arctic Circle. Photo by Åke Eson Lindman

The Sara Kulturhus Centre is built almost entirely from mass timber, and was designed by White Arkitekter to bring the city’s long tradition of creating wooden buildings “into a new era”.

It also aims to demonstrate the potential of engineered wood as a structural material that can reduce reliance on concrete, speed up construction and reduce architecture’s carbon footprint.

“By combining the local timber tradition with innovative technology and engineering, the city’s wood heritage is now being brought into a new era,” said project architect Maria Orvesten.

“With its 20 storeys, Sara Kulturhus Centre is not only Skellefteå’s new landmark – it is also one of the world’s tallest wooden buildings,” she told Dezeen.

Buildings in Skellefteå in Sweden
The building aims to bring Skellefteå’s history of wooden buildings “into a new era”

The mixed-use building contains an art gallery and museum, along with a library, theatre and 20-storey hotel. They are unified by a structure built almost entirely from glued laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (CLT), developed with the structural engineering company Florian Kosche.

The structure is estimated to store 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is double the amount believed to have been emitted during construction and therefore enough to make the building carbon negative over its lifetime, according to White Arkitekter.

“Embodied carbon emissions from materials, transport and construction as well as carbon emissions from operational energy during 50 years are less than the carbon sequestration in wood within the building,” said studio partner Robert Schmitz at the time of completion.

“This is why we claim that the building is carbon negative.”

Tower of the Sara Kulturhus Centre
Carbon stored in the timber structure means it claimed to be carbon negative. Photo by Åke Eson Lindman

The carbon-negative footprint of the Sara Kulturhus Centre is not all that makes the mass-timber building unique, according to project architect Orvesten.

Its mixed-use program demanded a series of bespoke innovations to ensure that the mass timber could meet the required spans, adaptability needs and acoustic performance. This “unleashed a world of previously unimagined design possibilities”, she said.

“Sara Kulturhus Centre has broadened the possibilities of timber as a structural material,” explained Orvesten.

“There were no ready-made solutions when we started, we had to invent them as we went,” she continued. “It takes knowledge, but it is possible to build both high and with large spans in wood.”

Wood-lined foyer by White Arkitekter
Wood is combined with steel in some trusses. Photo by Åke Eson Lindman

For Orvesten, one of the most interesting elements of the project is the bespoke hybrid elements, where mass timber has been used in tandem with steel and concrete to exploit its properties.

“One of the most interesting solutions in Sara Kulturhus Centre was the hybrid solutions based on material optimisation,” she said. “We used the right material in the right place, based on the qualities of the material.”

For example, trusses made from wood and steel are used to create large open foyers and reduce the number of structural columns, ensuring they can be easily adapted for various events.

“With this solution, the wood handles pressure and the steel handles tensile forces,” she added. “By doing this, we use the qualities of each material in an optimal way.”

Theatre inside the mass-timber Sara Kulturhus Centre
The building contains a theatre. Photo by Åke Eson Lindman

Elsewhere, timber is combined with concrete, such as in the building’s top three floors to reduce the effect of wind and stop it from swaying.

Other key details of the Sara Kulturhus Centre’s structural design are the hotel rooms, which are contained in prefabricated modules stacked and supported by steel trusses on glulam pillars.

The hotel rooms were prefabricated to help minimise waste and, according to a report about the building, also “saved one year in construction time”.

Finishing touches of the mixed-use building include CLT lift shafts and a giant wooden staircase that is designed to be used for everything from a stage to a meeting space. A glass-lined facade frames views of the exposed wooden elements inside.

Wooden staircase inside Sara Kulturhus Centre
A giant timber staircase is designed to be used as a stage or a meeting space

All of the wood used in the building was sourced from forests within a 60-kilometre radius of Skellefteå, with prefabricated elements manufactured in Västerbotten and Renholmen in Sweden.

Where left exposed, the wood is treated with flame retardant to prevent the risk of a rapid spread of fire.

The building is powered entirely by renewable energy, provided partly by a geothermal heat pump and 1,200 square metres of rooftop solar panels.

The completion of Sara Kulturhus Centre in 2021 followed a pledge by the White Arkitekter in 2020 that every building it designs will be carbon neutral by 2030.

The studio hopes the project will help to raise the status of mass timber and encourage its uptake in architecture.

“As architects, we have a big responsibility to reduce our climate impact,’ said Orvesten. “Wood is the only renewable and carbon-neutral building material today.”

“Mass timber is a sustainable alternative that provides unique opportunities to create great architecture that stands the test of time.”

The photography is by Patrick Degerman unless otherwise stated.


Timber Revolution logo
Illustration by Yo Hosoyamada

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 Sara Kulturhus Centre “unleashed a world of previously unimagined design possibilities” appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen's top five houses of March 2023

Exterior of Chuzhi house in India by Wallmakers

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:


Ludwig Godefroy brutalist home
Photo by Rory Gardiner

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 ›


Exterior of Chuzhi house in India by Wallmakers
Photo by Syam Sreesylam

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 ›


Exterior of Casolare Scarani in Puglia by Studio Andrew Trotter
Photo by Salva López

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 ›


Glass house by Specht Architects
Photo by Dror Baldinger

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 ›


Exterior of a house in Vietnam with a terracotta-tiled roof and planted garden
Photo by Hoang Le

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.

Lazy Sylvester

Resin At The Disco’s vibrant, resin Lazy Susans began as an experiment (to turn a vinyl of Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel” into a Lazy Susan) that became a real product. Featuring uneven edges and swirls of fuchsia, magenta, yellow and green, this handmade, one-of-a-kind platter makes for a mesmerizing centerpiece.

The "enormously important" hidden carbon impacts of getting mass timber wrong

Image of a forest being logged by Maksim Safaniuk

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.

Skeleton of mass-timber building
Mass timber offers one potential route to achieve net-zero buildings. Photo by George Socka via Shutterstock

“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.

6 Orsman Road by Waugh Thistleton Architects in London
6 Orsman Road is a demountable timber building by Waugh Thistleton. Photo by Ed Reeve

“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 logo
Illustration by Yo Hosoyamada

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.

Loom Room shows 3D weaving is "the strongest and lightest construction"

Loom Room woven installation in a glass atrium

Dutch designer Hella Jongerius has built a large loom in a university building in Eindhoven that was used to create a nine-metre-tall 3D-woven structure, celebrating the craft and creative potential of weaving machines.

Named Loom Room, the installation is a continuation of Jongerius‘s research into 3D weaving, which she says is “the strongest and lightest construction that we have”.

Loom Room woven installation in a glass atrium
Loom Room is a 3D-woven installation

The designer built a loom machine on the second floor of a university building at the Eindhoven University of Technology and the Design Academy Eindhoven campus, which was used to create a cube-like 3D-woven structure suspended in an atrium.

The loom and its nine-metre-tall woven creation were informed by the space around it, with materials draped over aluminium bars hung from the building’s structure.

Multi-coloured Loom Room woven installation
Jongerius builds her own looms to create woven designs

“I thought to make the whole building as a loom and use the beams and the architecture to hang the work in the space,” Jongerius said. “The cube was a reaction to how the building looked.”

“Now that the loom is ready I can make whatever with the loom – it’s not a fixed object,” she continued.

“The options are open and that’s also what I very much like about designing a machine instead of designing the end product.”

Multi-coloured Loom Room woven installation
Loom Room is suspended in an atrium

Jongerius used Japanese paper and polyester in different colours, cotton and linen fabrics for the woven structure. This created a soft and tactile installation that was designed to stand in contrast to the concrete modernist university building it is in.

The materials were hand-woven on site over a process of almost two months while the building was used as a study room for students studying artificial intelligence.

“It’s the function of art to be disruptive in a space and to challenge the way you look, to take you out of your own brain,” Jongerius said.

According to Jongerius, the lightness and strength of 3D woven structures mean they have useful applications in architecture, sportswear and the aircraft industry.

The designer explained that in recent years, the technique has been used to make airbags in cars, as well as aircraft bodies made from woven carbon fibres.

“Lightness in materials is very valuable. There are many ways 3D weaving could lend in our later lives, as soon as we start to fly with our cars, change something in our architecture or work with solar energy,” the designer said.

Multi-coloured Loom Room woven installation
The designer believes innovation in 3D weaving will keep the craft relevant in the future

Jongerius argues that innovation in weaving techniques is necessary to keep the craft alive.

She created the Loom Room with the aim of reintroducing weaving machines into the creative process and imagining ways the craft can be innovated for the future.

Multi-coloured Loom Room woven installation suspended in an atrium
Jongerius’s latest installation weaves together Japanese paper and fabric

“Weaving is in our culture, in our language, and that’s why we have to take it with us to the next technical innovation,” the designer told Dezeen.

“If we let this die by commercial entities like fast fashion, then we’re losing our culture.”

“I’m designing a loom to make it a creative machine again. In industry, they are efficient machines that are no longer creative – it is all about commercial efficiency.”

Multi-coloured Loom Room woven installation
Loom Room was informed by the architecture of the space around it

Her method of weaving in three dimensions, which she describes as “pliable architecture”, intends to change the hierarchy of traditional two-dimensional warp and weft weaving.

“I changed the hierarchy of warp and weft so the weft sometimes turns into the warp and there is this third angle,” Jongerius said.

“I really liked the whole idea of changing the hierarchy of the threads and come with a third thread, which I named the wix – it’s a new name for the z angle.”

Loom Room is a permanent installation that is open to the public and forms part of Jongerius’s ongoing work and research into 3D weaving. Her previous work includes an installation called Space Loom, which comprises a giant loom with 16-metre-long threads hung in a building in Paris.

The designer believes that 3D textiles could eventually replace concrete and cement in construction.

The photography is by Roel van Tour.

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Six architecture and design events in April from Dezeen Events Guide

Concéntrico 09

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.

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Grand Bitta seating by Rodolfo Dordoni for Kettal

Living room with Collection of Grand Bitta sofa

Dezeen Showroom: architect Rodolfo Dordoni took visual cues from the ropes used to moor boats when designing the Grand Bitta seating collection for the Spanish brand Kettal.

Designed for use indoors and outdoors, the Grand Bitta seats are characterised by braided polyester cords and large cushions that Dordoni has used to conceal aluminium frames.

Living room with Grand Bitta seating
Kettal has launched the Grand Bitta seating collection by Rodolfo Dordoni

“My aim was to create dense braiding that would still let the air through, reminiscent of the braiding of the ropes used to moor boats, which makes the pieces look lightweight,” said Dordoni.

“At the same time, they look just like cosy nests in natural colours to sit back and relax in.”

Modular sofa by Rodolfo Dordoni for Kettal
The seats reference the ropes used to moor boats

The newly launched Kettal collection comprises six different styles of seating, ranging from a chair for one to a three-seater sofa, available with various upholstery options.

There are also modular components available without armrests, which allows them to be combined to create different arrangements suited to the user’s needs.

Product: Grand Bitta
Designer: Rodolfo Dordoni
Brand: Kettal
Contact: marc.martin@kettal.es

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You’ve seen laptop bags before… Meet the first tablet + camera bag that’s changing how we carry gear

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.