Although many people know about the benefits of using products made from recycled materials, few actively seek them out. The only times they do buy something that uses recycled materials is when it’s actually part of a bigger whole, and they have no choice on the matter. There are many presumptions and misconceptions about the quality of recycled products, which may have been true decades ago. Fortunately, designers, science, and technologies have moved forward since then, breaking the mold of what you can expect from recycled materials. This translucent resin-like material, for example, is so eye-catching and beautiful that you might not believe that it’s 100% made from bits and pieces that would have otherwise been thrown away.
Back in the day, you could easily tell recycled paper from virgin paper with a single look. Recycled paper is often rough and brown or gray, properties that are unappealing and sometimes even unusable in some applications. That’s no longer true today, of course, but there are still some things that are difficult to pull off when using recycled materials. Most products using recycled materials, for example, are often opaque, which is what makes this striking material even more impressive.
Flek Pure is a resin-like material for use as panels in doors, partitions, decorations, and anywhere else you would need a durable and sustainable slab that would be a stand-in for glass or fiberglass. The “Pure” variant, specifically, looks like frosted glass with a few random specs of colors that give it a terrazzo-like character. Like frosted glass, it is translucent, and you can make out shapes and shadows behind the panel, creating an interesting visual that still maintains your privacy.
That translucency is a rare trait among materials made from recycled bits, especially one that’s 100% recycled, like Flek Pure. The company uses a unique and meticulous process that creates pellets from internally sourced waste or upcycled materials and then sorts these pellets according to their clarity and cleanliness. This is how the translucent appearance is achieved, and the bits that aren’t so clear are still used to create the “imperfections” that give Flek its terrazzo aesthetic. Nothing is wasted, which makes Flek Pure an excellent solution for environment-conscious designers.
Of course, not everyone will find Flex Pure’s clear whiteness always appealing. There are other colorways available as well, which all maintain that translucent quality. The addition of color, however, does pull the sustainability a bit down to using only 92% recycled material, but it’s still a significant win, especially compared to opaque or muddy panels that use even less recycled parts.
The skyscraper has been completed in Brazil after eight years of construction as part of a 2014 master plan to redevelop parts of the city. It is located in the São Paulo neighbourhood of Tatuapé in the east of the city.
Königsberger Vannucchi has completed São Paulo’s tallest skyscraper
Standing 172 metres tall with 46 storeys, Platina 220 unseated Aron Kogan’s Mirante do Vale, which previously held the title of tallest in the city at 170 metres tall.
“In light tones, the central prismatic block with terraces and window frames arranged in different positions creates a stimulating effect of contrasting lights and shadows,” said the studio.
“Thus, the building looks like a monolith carved into the landscape,” it added.
“In darker tones, the side blocks preserve the main block’s verticality. They also stand out as buttresses by providing the building with a sense of support.”
The differences in colouration make the smaller volumes appear like buttresses
On the main volume, the set-back balconies of the porcelain facade-clad exterior allow for maximum shading to the programs within the tower, which include residential, hotel, offices and retail.
On the ground floor, the tower terminates at a podium that is made from glass and dark steel with an awning that stretches around the entryways, creating a covered walkway around the base of the structure.
It has recessed balconies on the facade
The skyscraper was built to bring more commercial interests to eastern São Paulo.
The intersecting goals of creating both visual integration with the city and economic development led KV founding partner Jorge Königsberger to compare the project to a Tangram, a puzzle where different geometric pieces are slotted together.
It has a glass-and-steel podium
“We have also made sure the building positively impacts surrounding areas,” said the studio.
“It delivers mixed-use, active facades, and harmony with the street, among other elements.”
While the tower is the largest in the city, it is far off from the tallest in the country, which is One Tower in southern Brazil, standing at 290 metres tall.
Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados was founded in 1972 in Brazil and has completed over 1,000 projects, including an apartment block with shifted balconies.
It is part of a larger development project
Platina 220 is part of the Eixo Platina development. It is being developed by Porte Engenharia e Urbanismo and encapsulates six large-large projects in the area.
Local studio DKA Architects has designed a white wood-clad home with three connected gables in Terrebonne, Quebec, just outside of Montreal.
Set within a large manicured lawn, the Comtois Residence was completed in 2022 by DKA, a mid-sized studio founded in 2009 in nearby Biosbriand.
The home has an H-shaped layout
The 6,835-square-foot (635-square-metre) home is composed of three gabled bars arranged in a short H-shape.
“The design was generally inspired by the vernacular language of the agricultural landscape based on the origins of the site and its surroundings,” the studio said.
A swimming pool is located in the back garden
The volumes were arranged based on site orientation, program and spatial relationships that allow the home’s circulation to be fluid and symmetrical.
The vertical, white-wood cladding and standing-seam metal roof reference regional agrarian buildings, but with contemporary refinement.
The exterior is covered in white wood cladding
“Accordingly, the light monochromatic home helps to emphasize and appreciate the natural colours of the site and its surroundings,” the studio said.
“Furthermore, a generous setback from the street reduces the noise and improves the level of privacy. As a result, the home becomes in symbiosis with nature and landscape.”
The discrete entrance is marked by a protruding flat roof tucked into the corner between two gables.
The gable to the right of the entrance includes a concealed garage and a large covered patio with ceramic floors and a fireplace that is open to a backyard with a large pool.
The crossbar gable – with an arcade of large windows on either side – contains the family spaces with an open plan kitchen, dining and living space under a vaulted ceiling.
The bedrooms have views of the surrounding landscape
The other end gable holds three bedrooms and a staircase that descends to the basement level with two more bedrooms and a media space.
On the interior, differences in ceiling height help define spaces through various scales, but the white walls and ceilings and warm hardwood floors create continuity throughout the house.
The interior is finished with white walls and wooden flooring
The bedrooms balance privacy and view through minimalist punched windows, a contemporary reinterpretation of classic farmhouse windows.
“Every volume of the home was designed in accordance with the time of day and the sun path,” the studio said. “As a result, the interior spaces obtain quality views and receive an abundance of light throughout the day.”
The home is set within a large manicured garden
The client’s family lived in an existing home on the property while the Comtois Residence was constructed, pushing the house back further in the site and giving it privacy and noise reduction from the street. The original house was later demolished.
Wooden gabled houses are not uncommon in the area, as the pitched roof helps shed snow each winter. Also in Quebec, Atelier Pierre Thibault constructed a guesthouse with two offset gables and Pelletier de Fontenay took the concept a step further for a home with three steep gabled forms.
Atmospheric, eerie and layered, “Winter’s Eve” by singer-songwriter and musician Kishi Bashi (aka Kaoru Ishibashi) is the title track for a short film by Max Lowe. Written during the annual polar bear gathering in the subarctic near to Churchill, Manitoba, the track is a haunting lament. Ishibashi explains, “The polar bears in this region spend most of the summer onshore, away from their seal prey, and begin gathering on the shores of Hudson Bay in the fall, waiting for the sea ice to return so that they can trek across the frozen bay to hunt for seals. I was deeply moved to learn that polar bears here now spend three to four more weeks off the ice than their grandparents did. It made me think about how the arrival of winter is so important for polar bears near Churchill, and how they are anticipating and awaiting their return to the ice and the cold. ‘Winter’s Eve’ is about perspective. While many of us associate the winter with darkness, restraint, and lifelessness, polar bears see the opposite. It is a time of vitality and vigor, and the anticipation of hunting and mating can be seen and felt when visiting them as they gaze upon the unfrozen ocean, waiting for it to freeze. Unfortunately, due to global warming, the Arctic ice is melting, and the winter is setting on later and is remarkably shorter, causing an incredible strain on the polar bear population. ‘Winter’s Eve’ is about embracing the perspective that all living things on this planet are infinitely intertwined within a delicate ecosystem, and that climate change will cause catastrophic failures that will ultimately leave this world uninhabitable for our future children.”
Since the discovery of superconductors—materials that conduct electricity without resistance—back in 1911, their use has always been limited by the fact that they only work at below-freezing temperatures. A groundbreaking new study reports the discovery of a superconductor capable of working at room temperature, which not only liberates the material from its historic constraints but also opens doors to new applications of electric energy (like, for instance, levitating trains). This new superconductor is composed of the rare earth metal lutetium, hydrogen and a bit of nitrogen that is then compressed to a pressure of 14,500 pounds per square inch. According to the study, this composition can create superconductors that work at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Learn more about this development at The New York Times.
Image by J Adam Fenster, courtesy of University of Rochester
We’ve seen the birth of a new kind of computer chair, one that integrates not only the computer but even the monitor as well. While these gaming-oriented behemoths are equal parts impressive and bewildering, they are, like most office and computer furniture, made for the majority of able-bodied people, to the exclusion of those with physical disabilities. This latter group often needs more specialized equipment, but few actually design office furniture with accessibility as the top priority. In contrast, this furniture concept was made specifically for people with physical disabilities, and it creatively combines ideas and mechanisms from existing products or systems in order to create something that is new yet also familiar to the people who will be using them.
Designer: Divyanshu Garg
There are many types of physical disabilities and impairments, but for those who can still do some form of office work or another, the most common type is a walking disability. These people can still work with their hands and even use a computer, but their mobility is hampered, making it difficult for them to go places. Some even have to use wheelchairs, which could be a major obstacle to productivity and comfort, even at home. There are, however, also plenty of tools and devices designed around this kind of disability, but very few are meant to make office life more bearable or even more enjoyable.
This office furniture thesis tries to combine some of these features with other mechanisms that people from all walks of life might be familiar with. Everyone will want proper lighting and a comfortable chair, for example, but not many of these are made for those who aren’t able to walk. In this concept, for example, the chair shifts forward to facilitate moving from the chair to a wheelchair, something that is already used in cars made for accessibility.
The person, however, might not even have to move at all, presuming the office, home, or facility is built with a system that can move the furniture around. The concept allows for a motorized track running across the ceiling for that very purpose, like trains on a rail. There’s also a desk that pivots and slides in and out as needed, similar to those chairs used in some classrooms. The entire ensemble is enclosed in an open cubicle shape with smart glass that can go transparent or opaque, depending on whether the person inside needs visibility or privacy.
This is admittedly a rather ambitious design, but with the exception of the motorized ceiling track and privacy glass, it might actually be possible to implement. The thesis does at least demonstrate how an accessibility-focused design process can make a huge difference, one that could ironically benefit even those without disabilities in making their office life a bit more convenient and comfortable.
Lightweight, towable campers designed for electric vehicles are gaining traction by the day. Inclined on the idea of zero emissions travel, these trailers are integrated with a battery pack that makes extended off-grid stays possible, and allow peace of mind with the possibility of recharging the towing electric vehicle, if need be.
Joining the ranks is the luxury-packed Lightship L1 camping trailer towable by an EV pickup truck. It comes with a 40kWh battery onboard (upgradable to 80kWh), which can power the built-in systems and all electric appliances, charging the vehicle while off the grid. The roof and dual awnings are installed with solar panels that produce up to 3kW of energy, which the trailer uses to keep the battery charged.
Almost ‘3 times as aerodynamic as a classic trailer,’ the L1 is designed to look different, but the difference is not limited to its openable glass panel windows all around. Constructed from automotive-grade composite material, the trailer derives its aerodynamic shape using a virtual wind tunnel.
There is manifold ingenuity in the L1’s design. Beyond the aerodynamism, the camping trailer features an interesting pop-up design. The roof extends upward, by a good three feet in Camp Mode, from 6.9 feet when the trailer is on the road (Road Mode).
The Lightship’s electric travel trailer measures 27 feet long, 8.6 feet wide, and weighs 7,500 pounds. The lightweight design and aerodynamic combination together allow the trailer to minimize drag. For EVs towing a classic trailer efficiency is a major concern: most EVs experience drop in the range when they’re towing. Lightship L1 is efficient in that its drivetrain powers the wheels independently, adding little haul weight to ensure the electric tow vehicle loses the least in its range.
Continuing the automotive-grade construction on the inside, the L1 trailer comprises interiors fashioned in textiles made from 70 percent recycled polyester. The liveable space inside is confined within glass walls and durable construction capable of accommodating up to 6 people. It features convertible beds, two (indoor and outdoor) kitchens, and a bathroom complete with rainfall shower and toilet.
The kitchen on the inside along with the usual cooktop, oven, and sink, includes a dishwasher. The slide-out kitchen on the other hand is equipped for a quick bite with a camp-style induction cooker and collapsible sink. Interesting highlight here is the countertop made from upcycled ocean waste. Available on preorder starting at $125,000, the Lightship L1 electric travel trailer makes traveling efficient, clean, and remarkably comfortable.
The multi-disciplinary talent outlines her powerful contribution to a recent group show
Multi-disciplinary Black artist Turiya Adkins is perhaps best known for her powerful works that explore a connection between Black track and field athletes and the historic Great Migration across the US. Stemming from that body of work, Adkins displayed the painting “COWBOY” during the Helmut Lang Seen By Antwaun Sargent: YOBWOCexhibition at NYC’s Hannah Traore Gallery. The show—which also included work by Awol Erizku, Justen Leroy, Devin B Johnson, Daniel Obasi and Quay Quinn Wolf—explored and expanded upon the cliche of the cowboy. The prevailing stereotype of the cowboy, a white man riding a horse on open plains, erases Black individuals (around 25% of cowboys between the 1860s and 1880s were Black) from the lore. Through photography, sculpture, painting and more, the artists involved in YOBWOC expanded, recontextualized and reimagined the Wild West. As part of the relaunch of The Standard Talks series, we spoke with Adkins to discuss her thought-provoking work.
<img data-attachment-id="307255" data-permalink="https://coolhunting.com/culture/interview-artist-turiya-adkins-at-helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yobwoc/attachment/standard-talks-the-making-of-cowboy/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38276_5337448-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1828&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1828" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Sansho Scott/BFA.com","camera":"LEICA Q2","caption":"Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, Turiya Adkins, Hannah Traore, Antwaun Sargent","created_timestamp":"1676066145","copyright":"BFA","focal_length":"28","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"Standard Talks: The Making of "Cowboy"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Standard Talks: The Making of “Cowboy”" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Tell us a little bit about where your work centered on track and field came from.
For the past little while, I’ve been doing a series about track and field. It kind of all came from this video I saw a long time ago of Mike Powell jumping, beating Bob Beamon’s 23-year long jump record. Mike Powell jumped 29 feet and 4.5 inches [setting a new world record]. What I took from that video was kind of the otherworldly nature of Black people, specifically in the domain of track and field.
After that, I kind of got obsessed with track for a little bit, did some research, and then in my final year of college at Dartmouth, I started making work around track and field and trying to relate it to the Great Migration, thinking about the poetic significance of the domination of Black people in track and field and what that has to do with history of Jim Crow laws, the Fugitive Slave Act, forced migration and migration. That’s kind of where I’ve been working from for the last little bit.
<img data-attachment-id="307252" data-permalink="https://coolhunting.com/culture/interview-artist-turiya-adkins-at-helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yobwoc/attachment/helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yo%ea%93%adwo%c9%94-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338400-scaled.jpg?fit=1828%2C2560&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1828,2560" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Sansho Scott/BFA.com","camera":"LEICA Q2","caption":"Turiya Adkins","created_timestamp":"1676071870","copyright":"BFA","focal_length":"28","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOua4edWOu0186","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOꓭWOƆ" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Courtesy of BFA
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338400-scaled.jpg?fit=214%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338400-scaled.jpg?fit=731%2C1024&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” class=”wp-image-307252″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338400.jpg?resize=1024%2C1434&ssl=1″ alt=”” width=”1024″ height=”1434″ data-recalc-dims=”1″ />Image of Turiya Adkins, courtesy of BFA
How has that come to life in your pieces?
I really like to use a mix of recognizable figures through means of printmaking and collage, and contrast them with abstraction. I came to that through feeling both invisible and hyper-visible as a Black woman. I kind of attributed action to a feeling of invisibility; and the more representational collage figures, elements from the track and field magazines, and research that I’ve collected over time to represent the more hyper-visible aspect of being a Black woman. I think a lot of my work is kind of focused on the corner where abstraction and figuration meet. That’s not to say that I’m a figurative artist or think of myself as a figurative artist.
<img data-attachment-id="307251" data-permalink="https://coolhunting.com/culture/interview-artist-turiya-adkins-at-helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yobwoc/attachment/helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yo%ea%93%adwo%c9%94/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338370-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1828&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1828" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Sansho Scott/BFA.com","camera":"LEICA Q2","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1676070388","copyright":"BFA","focal_length":"28","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOua4edWOu0186","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOꓭWOƆ" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
You worked with Julie Mehetru as her studio assistant. Can you tell us more about that and how it might have influenced you?
What I find really interesting is her ability to speak with her mark-making. I think what’s so honorable about her practice, and what I’ve learned to understand a little more and gotten to witness, is her ability to create a language with her mark-making and refine this language and use this language in order to represent different kinds of issues or happenings politically and otherwise.
It’s been really great to have such a front-row seat to witness how she’s able to work from conception to completion. I definitely have learned a lot in terms of process and sitting back, kind of marinating in the work and then deciding what the next step would be.
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_02_09_003-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_02_09_003-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” class=”size-large wp-image-307256″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_02_09_003.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1″ alt=”” width=”1024″ height=”683″ data-recalc-dims=”1″ />Courtesy of Helmut Lang
What is your process like? Are there certain things that help spark inspiration or motivation?
A big part of it is music. I have really bad ADHD. The kind of stimulation that I get from listening to music—kind of all the time, you really won’t see me without my headphones on—is definitely a big inspiration as well as part of my research. I really consider my practice research-based. I’m always reading, looking for new articles. I think a big part of what goes into my work is the history and the culture behind track and field, and just trying to relate track and field to a lot of other things that maybe don’t seem so obvious. But these things have a kind of metaphorical connection to Black people running and what that means in terms of cultural memory, like ancestral memory.
<img data-attachment-id="307254" data-permalink="https://coolhunting.com/culture/interview-artist-turiya-adkins-at-helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yobwoc/attachment/helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yo%ea%93%adwo%c9%94-4/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338438-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1978&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1978" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Sansho Scott/BFA.com","camera":"LEICA Q2","caption":"Antwaun Sargent","created_timestamp":"1676073558","copyright":"BFA","focal_length":"28","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOua4edWOu0186","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOꓭWOƆ" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
How did you get connected with Antwaun Sargent and decide how to approach your work for the show?
The first time I met Antoine, it was actually at the closing party for Julie’s show at the Whitney. It’s all kind of connected. But then I ended up meeting who Antoine designated as his right-hand man, Diallo Simon Point, at the after-party for Lauren Halsey’s opening, where Lauryn Hill performed. We connected over our fan-girling over Lauryn Hill and getting to see her perform in person, both of us for the first time. I had a studio visit with Antoine, which led to him hitting me up and asking if I would consider being a part of the show. At first, he mentioned that it was about cowboys and the iconic Helmut Lang cowboy T-shirt. I knew very quickly about how I would relate my practice to cowboys because it’s something that I had thought about before.
I took an art history class in college all about Westward Expansion and how that was documented through art, through landscape painting in particular. At that time, one of the essays that I wrote was about the participation in Westward Expansion of Black cowboys and why they exist, how they got the jobs. I think what I found similar was the way Black cowboys subvert this more traditional view of cowboys. It related to me in a similar way to how especially Black women track stars challenged the traditional understanding of athletic American identity.
They wanted each artist to interpret the theme on their own and relate it to their own practice, which I thought was really special. The way that they did it, the artists that they picked, I think it ended up being a very cohesive show and very fascinating because we all are kind of coming from different angles and sides, but meeting at the same place. Antoine was definitely kind of the composer of this union of all these artists.
<img data-attachment-id="307253" data-permalink="https://coolhunting.com/culture/interview-artist-turiya-adkins-at-helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yobwoc/attachment/helmut-lang-seen-by-antwaun-sargent-yo%ea%93%adwo%c9%94-3/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/coolhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BFA_38269_5338436-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1828&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1828" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Sansho Scott/BFA.com","camera":"LEICA Q2","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1676073432","copyright":"BFA","focal_length":"28","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOua4edWOu0186","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="HELMUT LANG SEEN BY ANTWAUN SARGENT: YOꓭWOƆ" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Is there anything specific you hope will resonate with viewers of your work?
I think that my work (especially the work in the Helmut Lang show and the works that have more figurative elements in them) would resonate with a Black audience a little faster because of this cultural memory that I feel we have to running—having to run, running to or for or from something. In a broader sense, what I want people to take away is that what I love about running is that I think it’s a direct representation of strife. You’re pushing yourself. It’s not a team sport. You’re kind of fighting with yourself and looking to beat yourself.
I think that relates to me because I’ve always been really hard on myself in all of my endeavors. It’s definitely paid off in some ways, but it has been a hindrance in other ways. What I want people to take away from the work is an equal understanding of this kind of strife that I think that track and field represent. I approach that by working slowly and working in layers and navigating a lot of these different elements in a lot of different ways and trying to dwindle down and refine this language (similar to Julie’s language) that I create. It might only be decipherable to me, but that I hope resonates with other people like I intend it to.
As a convention, changing the headboard is a given tip to refresh any boring bedroom’s look. Choose an upholstered headboard with a wingback design and you have a bedroom that stands out from contemporary interiors. While all headboards have the potential to solve in-room aesthetics, not all can potentially help you sleep better.
Keeping this in mind, a smart headboard called Dream Head is conceived to collect and analyze sleep information, using built-in sound sensors, usable to help you sleep better. The design of this bedhead is influenced by the wingback form factor, but it curves much deeper on both ends. The result? the aesthetics resemble a three-seat sofa with arms – to warmly surround the people sleeping in the bed.
Designer: Yechan Lee
This cocooning Dream Head offers a sense of stability while sleeping and picks up sleep information more conveniently compared to a flat headboard. Potentially a non-intrusive device for individuals who want to track their sleep pattern and improve its quality, the headboard monitors the duration of different sleep stages and any disruptions or disturbances during the night. Compare it to the wearable’s available in the market, this method seems to be the most non-intrusive way of collecting your date, where the user sleeps freely but still gets a chance to learn and update their sleep habits.
The headboard is made using sound-absorbing materials, which ideally monitor the sleeping environment by neatly blocking external noise, to ensure the collected data is accurate. The headboard despite its smart features and unique material construction is designed to work with any bed, flat or adjustable.
Most importantly the Dream Head is built in with wake-up guidance light that wakes you up with more caution; avoiding unpleasant awakenings with a loud alarm. The wake-up light syncs with the alarm app on your phone and it begins to glow in gradually increasing intensities 15 minutes before the alarm goes off.
The smart headboard, thus, also uses sleep data to personalize an alarm system that wakes the user up at the most optimal time. It allows the users to check sleep information, scores using a dedicated mobile app and also features a built-in speaker and light switch. Designed in blue, white, and brown colors, the headboard can charge wirelessly and disinfect mobile phones, if you wish!
Living spaces snake around trees and rocks at the Chuzhi house, which architecture studio Wallmakers has created on an overlooked site in the village of Shoolagiri, India.
The spiralling home is partly embedded in a steep and rocky site that had previously been overlooked as a “waste space” and considered unsuitable for a building.
However, taking a different view, the client commissioned Wallmakers to transform it into a residence that plays on the challenging topography.
Wallmakers has created a snake-like house in the village of Shoolagiri
“The client just wanted to make use of that waste space and make a residence there,” said the studio’s founder Vinu Daniel.
“The design and dimensions were derived entirely from the position of the trees and the rock formation on the site,” he told Dezeen.
Chuzhi is described by Wallmakers as a piece of “camouflage architecture”, meaning it is intended to blend in with the landscape, rather than dominate it.
The home has walls that spiral around trees
“People are obsessed with getting the most scenic views from their home but don’t give a second thought as to how their building ends up looking like eye sores in the landscape,” said Daniel.
“We were extremely mindful of the fact that we would be the first ones to construct in this virgin landscape and wanted to hide the building. More importantly, we wanted it to merge into the landscape.”
It transforms a site that had been dismissed as “waste space”
The home is characterised by its winding walls and roofscape, which swirl around the trees and rocks on the site and help to define the different living spaces.
According to the studio, these elements are intended to evoke the shape of a whirlpool, or chuzhi as it is known in Malayalam – a language spoken mainly in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
It aims to give occupants the feeling of living under a tree canopy
“Though the spirals look random and chaotic, each one of them has been carefully planned and designed on-site taking different factors into consideration,” said Daniel.
“The building manages to tuck itself away into the landscape like a snake curling up under a rock on a hot day,” added the studio.
Woven furnishings are teamed with wooden details
Chuzhi house’s spiralling elements were partly constructed with 4,000 concrete-filled plastic bottles, which were placed around the trees on the site and covered with earth.
The bottles had been dumped within a two-kilometre radius of the site and collected by Wallmakers in the lead-up to the project in the hope they could be reused.
A kitchen sits in the open-plan living space
Wallmakers filled the bottles with concrete and then covered them using the “poured debris earth technique”, a type of wet construction that offers a similar look to rammed earth.
“This technique utilises soil, waste and debris along with six to seven per cent cement that is then poured into shutters and casted,” the studio explained.
Meanwhile, the straight walls of the residence have been constructed using cob – a construction technique that combines clay, sand, straw and water.
The home’s openings are lined with glass or mesh to give residents “the feeling of living under a canopy” while allowing constant cross ventilation.
There are two bedrooms
Inside Chuzhi house is a large open-plan living space that incorporates a kitchen and is flanked by two bedrooms.
The interior finishes are described by the studio as “minimalistic” and intended to offer a contrast to the unusual and dynamic form of the house.
Straight walls in the house are made using the cob technique
Standout details of the interior include the floors that are made of reclaimed wood and complemented by wooden and woven furniture.
Meanwhile, some of the spiralling wall elements double up as useable furnishings such as cupboards and seatings.
There are glazed openings throughout
Wallmakers is an architecture studio founded by Daniel in Kerala in 2007. Previous projects by the studio include the Pirouette House in the Indian city of Trivandrum, which features a series of twisting walls made from local brick form partitions.
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