There is a staggering number of lamp designs available in the market today, each of them trying to address a particular use case or setting. Some try to cast their nets wide, but it’s sometimes difficult to have a “one size fits all” solution that doesn’t make too many compromises in return. Some people need a concentrated beam of light, while others prefer a more scattered glow. While it’s trivial to change a lamp’s intensity, changing its spread is a little trickier to pull off with traditional designs. This concept design tries to diverge from well-trodden paths to come up with a solution that could satisfy most, if not all, needs, and it ends up having a unique, eye-catching design that, oddly enough, also looks like an eyeball.

Designer: Julian Topor

Lamps serve different purposes depending on where they’re placed and how they emit their light. Ceiling and pendant lights serve to illuminate an entire space, while wall lamps aim to enhance the ambiance. Table lamps often give a more limited amount of light in their surroundings, while most desk lamps focus the light in a specific direction. Solus is a desk lamp design that tries to check off most of those boxes, at least without leaving your desk, and it uses planets revolving around the sun as inspiration.

In this case, what orbits around a ball of light isn’t a planet but four curved plates that can cover parts of a sphere that houses the bulb. These covers can move independently of each other, so you can cover parts of the sphere only while leaving other sections exposed, even if those parts aren’t adjacent to each other. You can expose at most three-fourths of the sphere, for example, or show only a quarter of the ball, making it look eerily like an eye.

With this rather unusual design, you can have precise control of how the light is distributed around the area. It can be spread far and wide by uncovering the majority of the upper half of the sphere, or it can be directed at a single location by covering everything but the direction you want. You can even illuminate different directions by leaving opposite sides open. Of course, the lamp’s brightness can also be controlled, this time with a ring slider on the base of the lamp.

Although the source of its inspiration isn’t immediately obvious, Solus’ unusual design, not to mention its color options, makes it a fun yet multi-functional lighting solution for almost any table or desk motif you have going. It might not take the role of a ceiling or wall lamp, but its flexible configuration definitely makes it worth more than a few single-purpose lamps. Plus, its odd and eerie design is a great eye-catching piece, pardon the pun, that’s sure to get friends and guests talking or even envying your latest acquisition.

The post This eerie table lamp looks like an eyeball but can easily adapt to your lighting needs first appeared on Yanko Design.

Minneapolis-based architecture studio MSR Design has installed a tech campus within the shell of a 70-year-old abandoned steel mill in Pennsylvania, adding three colourful buildings and adding a massive solar array to the rooftop.

The adaptive reuse project is located on a former brownfield site just a few miles from downtown Pittsburgh, in the city’s Hazelwood neighbourhood. It overlooks the Monongahela River.

MSR Design nested three buildings within the massive shell of the historic mill, bringing the total floor space to 263,200 (24,452 square metres).

The campus was designed for tenants in the high-tech and manufacturing fields.

The steel rolling mill, known as Mill 19, was built in 1953. It remained in operation until 1997, making it the last steel mill to operate within Pittsburgh – a city that played a central role in America’s now-withering steel industry.

“Mill 19 is a living emblem of Pittsburgh’s transformation from its industrial steel-making past to a future of sustainable, advanced manufacturing,” said Minneapolis-based architecture firm MSR Design.

Preserving the site’s history was a guiding concern for the architecture studio, leading it to retain the 1,360-foot-long (415 metres) and 100-foot-high (30 metres) skeleton of the old mill. The structure was power-washed and tested to ensure no contaminants remained.

“The design team took a unique approach to adaptive reuse by peeling away the existing mill’s deteriorated sheet-metal skin, exposing its dramatic steel skeleton, and installing a sequence of speculative, high-tech office, lab, and manufacturing structures within the ruinous frames,” the studio said.

The trio of steel-framed buildings inserted within the mill’s skeleton have different types of metal cladding.

An outdoor corridor runs along the southwestern elevation, between the new buildings and the old skeleton. Overhead, skybridges cross the interstitial space and connect to bright yellow staircases.

For the interiors, the team prioritised openness and adaptability. Large stretches of glass usher in natural light.

“The internal building layouts promote flexibility, clear space and daylighting to meet the needs of the high-tech tenants,” the team said.

Throughout the campus, a series of gardens, terraces and plazas allow for “a range of experiences, from individual contemplation to large-scale community gatherings”. Minneapolis-based TEN x TEN served as the project’s landscape architect.

A number of sustainable elements were incorporated into the campus, enabling the project to win a 2023 AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Award.

Of particular note is the two-megawatt, rooftop solar array, which is among the largest, single-slope arrays in America. It generates enough power to meet much of the site’s energy needs.

Other sustainable features include an extensive system of rain gardens, channels and cisterns for managing and reusing stormwater.

Moreover, the site features salvaged material from the steel mill. For instance, the site’s original concrete slab was broken up into pieces and incorporated into the landscape.

Mill 19 is the first portion of a 170-acre (69-hectare) redevelopment project called Hazelwood Green, which is rising on the riverfront site that once belonged to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation.

“Mill 19 serves as a catalyst and sets the tone for redeveloping all 170 acres into a sustainable, mixed-use, high-tech innovation district that reconnects the surrounding neighborhoods to the river’s edge,” the team said.

Current occupants include Motional, an autonomous vehicle company, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute, along with a public-private consortium called the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute.

The site has attracted both local and national attention. In 2022, US President Joe Biden toured Mill 19 and delivered a speech there about American manufacturing and innovation.

Other adaptive reuse projects in Pittsburgh include a children’s museum housed in a historic library that had been damaged by a lightning strike and the transformation of a Ford Motor Company factory into a biomedical research laboratory.

The photography is by Gaffer Photography.

Project credits:

Lead architect and interior designer: MSR Design
Associate architect for phases A and B: R3A
Landscape architect: TEN x TEN
General Contractor: Turner Construction Co.
Client: Regional Industrial Development Corp.

The post MSR Design places colourful buildings and walkways in skeleton of Pittsburgh steel mill appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen School Shows: an urban scheme of vertical farms and a wellness centre informed by Islamic building typographies are included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at Canadian University Dubai.

Also included is a community hub that helps young people to reconnect with their cultures and a centre for marine preservation and education that specialises in the restoration of coral reefs.

Canadian University Dubai

Institute: Canadian University Dubai
School: Architecture and Interior Design
Course: Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Gunay, Sophie Johnson and Professor Gisela Loehlein

School statement:

“The course emphasises design thinking throughout the curriculum and encourages students to make conscious efforts towards addressing the academic influences of previous years, as well as their individual architectural and interior design values.

“It builds on the theoretical investigations of related topics and the analysis and explorations made in research and design courses.

“The course advances the students’ ability to create and formulate comprehensive and unique design solutions – synthesising responses to specific human needs and elaborating in detail the combinations of building components.”

VERTI-grow by Abdullah Altaas

“VERTI-grow is a communal environmental centre for researching and applying plant cultivation, hydroponics and vertical agriculture.

“The proposed project is an institution that acts as a response to climate change and the region’s loss of arable lands.

“The facility will be able to create a food community within the larger context of Dubai, distributing food while engaging and educating the public about the processes involved.

“The facility aims to study and propose future innovative designs of vertical agriculture by establishing a valid ecosystem that connects multiple vertical agricultural activities together in one structure, while at the same time focusing on sustaining the environment.”

Student: Abdullah Altaas
Course: ARC 562 Senior Project – Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Günay and Professor Gisela Loehlein
Email: 20170006004[at]students.cud.ac.ae

Feel the Rhythm: The Dubai Academy for the Performing Arts by Edriel Perez

“This design evokes the true essence and dynamism of the performing arts: musicality, rhythm and natural movement, which is expressed through the use of modules and linear elements that are executed through patterns and visual rhythm.

“This project intends to promote the facilitation of social synergies, collaboration and engagement, providing free and welcoming spaces that enhances an artist’s wellbeing.

“The importance of the cultural heritage of Dubai and modern urban lifestyle is recognised, establishing the Dubai Academy of the Performing Arts as a creative and cultural destination.”

Student: Edriel Perez
Course: ARC 562 Senior Project – Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Günay and Professor Gisela Loehlein
Email: edriel_perez037[at]gmail.com

UN’s World Tourism Organisation Headquarters by Arya Ramesh

“The relocation of the UN’s World Tourism Organisation Headquarters to the UAE is set to spur the promotion of innovative architecture and worldwide awareness of sustainable tourism practices.

“The aim of this project is to transport users from the bustling urban environment into a tranquil and serene world of nature, promoting a sense of well-being and mindfulness.

“The unique design combines the imitation of the natural formation of sediments with sustainable design principles, resulting in a harmonious and sculptural shape.

“This organic building creates an immersive experience that inspires people to value the beauty of nature.

“Recognising and appreciating climate-conscious youths, this safe space provides the users with pouches of activities that can cultivate the minds of all.”

Student: Arya Ramesh
Course: ARC 562 Senior Project – Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Günay and Professor Gisela Loehlein
Email: 20180006548[at]students.cud.ac.ae

Al Tazir Wellness Village by Marie-Pierre Mavioga

“Al Tazir wellness village is a wellbeing centre at the centre of the neighbourhood of Dubai Healthcare city, and aims to create awareness of wellness-related topics.

“As more people are voluntarily trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle by focusing on various aspects of their well-being to prevent diseases, Al Tazir Wellness Village positions itself as the epicentre of wellness in the UAE, as per the specification of the UAE national programs for happiness and wellbeing.

“The project’s architectural character relies upon concepts of wellness relating to biophilic design, sustainable strategies and wellness architecture.

“The design also makes historical references of traditional building typology of bimaristans (hospitals) and the hammam (public bathhouses), resulting in a modern Islamic village-style wellness centre.”

Student: Marie-Pierre Mavioga
Course: ARC 562 Senior Project – Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Günay and Professor Gisela Loehlein
Email: 20160005124[at]students.cud.ac.ae

Rooted by Kelsey Wilson

“The concept of Rooted addresses cultural identity issues faced by Dubai’s third-culture youngsters who often struggle to reintegrate into their home countries due to being disconnected from their cultures.

“Rooted is designed to combat these issues by incorporating designs that aid integration.

“It celebrates culture and displays it in an authentic way that creates a sense of belonging for all cultures.

“Visitors can experience different cultures through immersive VR designs, enhancing their understanding of their roots.

“The name ‘Rooted’ was chosen to represent the importance of roots in the growth and development of plants, just as individuals require a strong cultural identity to navigate the world.

Student: Kelsey Wilson
Course: IND 462 Graduation
Tutor: Sophie Johnson
Email: 20190007968[at]students.cud.ac.ae

Ikigai by Jecita John

“The Ikigai youth empowerment hub works to promote holistic development in young people by facilitating a space that caters to wellness and productivity, in combination with several flexible positions that will be worked by young adults and teenagers of the UAE.

“This allows them to earn and explore the industry to gain autonomy, while pursuing academics and work in healthier environments.

“The building philosophy of the hub is to embrace the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which blends passion with a means of incurring monetary benefits, thereby generating meaning to life.

“The design concept follows an organic approach led by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi which embraces originality, imperfections and transience.

“Design for Wellness strategies such as biophilia and biomimetics are implemented to design for health and productivity.”

Student: Jecita John
Course: IND 462 Graduation
Tutor: Sophie Johnson
Email: 20190007454[at]students.cud.ac.ae

The Oasis by Maryia Ghanchi

“Dubai is a desert biome – one of the harshest natural environments.

“Deserts are usually arid and dry regions however sometimes oases can be found. These contain a supply of fresh water and where plants can grow and life can thrive.

“The hub will represent an oasis for students where they can alleviate themselves from negativity and feel comfortable.

“The hub is divided into three zones – the Replenish Zone which includes spaces such as the yoga room and meditation area, the Reconnect Zone which includes socialising places and group study areas, and the Refocus Zone which includes areas such as the library, reading and study areas.”

Student: Maryia Ghanchi
Course: IND 462 Graduation
Tutor: Sophie Johnson
Email: mariyajawed818[at]gmail.com

Zone Out by Noor Moolchandani

“Zone Out is an interactive and playful youth hub designed as a fun and safe space for children which are in states of sadness, loneliness, depression and anxiety.

“Inspired by the beautiful northern lights, this design aims to create a fun and magical experience for children.

“This concept will explores glow in the dark spaces and colours such as green, pink, purple and blue, which will create a unique atmosphere – it also facilitates the exploration of different materials that reflect and refract light.

“The overall design features a dynamic and fluid structure that mimics the movement of the aurora borealis.”

Student: Noor Moolchandani
Course: IND 462 Graduation
Tutor: Sophie Johnson
Email: noormoolchandani[at]gmail.com

AMWAYJ: UAE Oceanograhy Institute by Nouran Elshimy

“AMWAJ Oceanography Institute is a physical embodiment of the UAE’s cultural connection to the ocean and is a tribute to its enduring legacy.

“With an emphasis on coral reef restoration, the institute seeks to narrow the division between research and practical implementation, ensuring tangible actions.

“Facing the Arabian Gulf and embraced by the Khor’Fakkan’s desert, the architecture presents a fusion between the landscape’s sublime sand dunes and the ocean’s fluidity, resulting in a harmonious convergence that is intricately translated into the building’s organic design.

Student: Nouran Elshimy
Course: ARC 562 Senior Project – Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Günay and Professor Gisela Loehlein
Email: 20180006521[at]students.cud.ac.ae

The Architecture House, Museum, and Youth Hub by Salma Safi

“This project is a centre for showcasing design ideas as well as learning and teaching architecture through different methods of delivery.

“This building acts as an educational hub for the youth – it has a museum section, which showcases the work of the country, the students and the lecturers.

“It will also aid in creating a link between the community, bringing people together.”

Student: Salma Safi
Course: ARC 562 Senior Project – Design
Tutors: Dr Serkan Günay and Professor Gisela Loehlein
Email: 20180006644[at]students.cud.ac.ae

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the Canadian University Dubai. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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We often underestimate the importance of a great chair. When in reality we really shouldn’t. We spend the majority of our day sitting on chairs, whether we’re working in our home office, enjoying a meal, or simply sitting and reading a book for leisure! Hence, this piece of furniture needs to be not only comfortable but ergonomic, and aesthetic as well. And an innovative chair design I recently came across is the PINCH Chair by Medium2 Studio.

Designer: Medium2 Studio

Designed by Medium2 Studio, the PINCH chair is your typical and traditional plastic chair with a major redesign. Plastic stackable chairs are a pretty common sight these days, you see them almost everywhere, and you have been seeing them for ages galore. They’re practical and convenient, although they aren’t the most sustainable. However, Medium2 Studio decided to give the plastic chair a new look, creating a unibody and completely stackable plastic chair. It was given a new form factor to make it a better fit for modern homes, offices, and other spaces. By simply pinching and pulling the material (plastic), the designers were able to give an otherwise old-school design a new and improved look. This gives PINCH a uniform form and a visual design language that is extremely intuitive and dynamic.

The rejuvenated plastic chair that is PINCH has a modern and contemporary feel to it. There’s a certain sleekness in its body that makes it quite streamlined, clean, and concise. It’s not an eye sore like the typical plastic chairs, in fact, PINCH has the ability to add a certain sense of character and personality to any space it is placed into. PINCH has been designed with various color options – such as green, orange, blue, and white, making the different colored chairs super fun to stack, as they will create an amusing colorful stack.

Of course, the fact that the material of choice was plastic is a bit discouraging, since plastic isn’t the most eco-friendly option out there. The designers could have opted for a different material, but the main intention behind the design was to innovate the stereotypical plastic chair, so that has to be considered – since I don’t see the stackable plastic chairs disappearing from use anytime soon, as much as we may despise them.

The post The traditional stackable plastic chair gets a makeover with this sleek innovative design first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Estonian pavilion at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale is a rental apartment with a live-in actor who is performing daily rituals to explore the challenges of home ownership.

Titled Home Stage, the exhibition challenges the contradiction of a home being both a living space and a piece of real estate.

For nine months, different actors will each spend a month living in the apartment, carrying out both scripted and unscripted performances that explore tensions between these two functions.

The first resident is Arolin Raudva, who is spending her days making replicas of visitors’ keys, meditating, playing board games with visitors, cleaning up and reading.

The apartment also contains a series of installations that pose different questions about the housing market, from an empty room to a bathroom fountain.

For curators Aet Ader, Arvi Anderson and Mari Möldre, all architects at Tallinn-based studio B210, the backdrop to the project is Estonia’s lack of housing policy and high rates of home ownership.

“In Estonia, around 80 per cent of people own their homes,” explained Ader during a tour of the exhibition.

“That means that we, the younger generation, are facing a lot of questions,” she told Dezeen. “With a very small rental market and a vast amount of homeownership, what do we do?”

Located on Salizada Streta, a residential street close to the biennale’s Arsenale venue, the exhibition is divided up into six different zones.

In the hallway, a series of boxes are coloured red and green, and arranged like a bar chart. They allude to the idea of moving house but also suggest units of value.

The living room features a shelving wall designed to look like a spreadsheet, filled with objects that include both real and fake plants, and box files with labels including “bills”, “dreams” and “ideals”. The adjoining dining area features a window that has been turned into a pendulum clock.

“When we are talking about real estate, time is a very important component,” explained Ader.

In the kitchen, every object is marked with units of measurement so that all volumes can be kept track of. The idea was for the room to feel like a data store.

A mirror installation was fixed to the ceiling in the bedroom, allowing those lying in bed to see the view of the canal without turning their head. This nods to the value that a view adds to property.

The bed sheets were embroidered with a list of names, laid out in a neat grid that also resembles a spreadsheet, while a nightstand is a safe intended to raise concerns about privacy.

One room is empty, with dust clouds on the floor, in reference to properties that are bought as investments and not rented out, in order to keep their value.

In the bathroom, water playfully squirts across the room as if it were a leak, but lands in the bath. This highlights questions about maintenance and smart home systems.

The curators hope visitors will find the topic resonates with housing issues around the world.

“The contrast between home and real estate embodies a variety of human relationships and contradictory situations: depending on our role, the attitude towards spaces and people around us also changes,” they said.

“The resulting creative mess in the Venetian apartment does not give finite answers but invites imagination and provokes critical thinking.”

Other notable national pavilions at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale include Brazil’s, which is filled with earth, and Finland’s, which declares the death of the flushing toilet.

Dezeen is live reporting from the Venice Architecture Biennale, which takes place from 20 May to 26 November 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The post Estonian pavilion takes over rental apartment to challenge housing crisis appeared first on Dezeen.