Hasta La Ideas

Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh says that her restrained and environmentally conscious Serpentine Pavilion reflects current views on architecture in this exclusive interview.

Speaking to Dezeen at the opening of this year’s Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens, Ghotmeh explained how she believes that each of the commissions since 2000 have reflected the eras they were built in.

“My first approach was to think about what the Serpentine commission actually is,” she said.

“For me, it’s about really a reflection of the times that we live in. Every pavilion, in a way, recalls the questions and challenges of the day.”

“It’s not about a pavilion that you can just shoot in one photo”

Built around a large communal table, Ghotmeh’s pavilion was constructed from glued laminated timber (glulam) and birch plywood.

Designed as a place to gather, it sits below the level of the surrounding trees and neighbouring gallery and has views out to the surrounding parkland through fretted screens on all sides.

“I feel like my approach is more like an architecture that is emerging from its place that is more about the interiority of experience, actually, and that doesn’t scream loud in its context,” she said.

Ghotmeh designed the pavilion to be experienced in person rather than being a one-liner to be enjoyed in pictures, she explained.

“The approach to detail and the buildability of the structure is important, as is the depth of experience,” she said. “It’s not about a pavilion that you can just shoot in one photo and you have uncovered everything through it.”

“It’s really a layered experience – about one’s memory, about the research that has gone into it, about the buildability, about understanding how it is done,” she continued.

“If you build something it has to be worthwhile”

Another key factor in the design was sustainability, which early pavilions prioritised less.

“Previous pavilions were heavy on carbon footprint and thankfully we are more aware of that today,” Ghotmeh said.

“It’s urgent and that’s what’s interesting in this commission because you have very little time to think and build the project,” she added. “This little time pushes one to think about the urgency of the moment, and you have to be able to react urgently to our climate disaster.”

“So if you build something it has to be worthwhile, it has to also have a lightweight foundation, it has to be low carbon, it cannot just be like crazy construction without taking into account all this.”

The focus on sustainability had a direct impact on the materials that were used to build the pavilion, with Ghotmeh choosing glulam to reduce the pavilion’s carbon impact and create a lightweight structure that would require less substantial foundations.

“Also it is about limiting oneself with the materials that you can use,” she said. “I didn’t want to use steel, because of its carbon footprint. I was more conscious about what to use as a material and that of course also limits the shapes and what you can build.”

“Beauty and the construction had to go hand in hand”

However, Ghotmeh doesn’t believe that a focus on materials and reducing the carbon impact of buildings means that architecture can not be interesting or beautiful.

“[With this pavilion] beauty and the construction had to go hand in hand,” she said.

“I don’t think if we are sustainable and we are trying to build low carbon construction, that it has to be invisible.”

Ghotmeh’s pavilion is the 22nd Serpentine Pavilion to be built. Last year, Chicago artist Theaster Gates created a black chapel-like structure, which was one of the most sustainable ever.

Also designed to be fully removable from the site, Ghotmeh’s pavilion will have a similar carbon impact and the architect hopes that future pavilions will push this concept even further.

“I think every year also what’s important is that we are learning,” she said. “As we move forward from one pavilion to another, we are learning and that’s important. Each pavilion is a learning process. I hope the next one will even be pushing that further.”

The post Serpentine Pavilion “a reflection of the times” says Lina Ghotmeh appeared first on Dezeen.

The late entry period for Dezeen Awards 2023 ends today, Thursday 8 June at midnight London time.

This is your final chance to enter Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors, before the late entry deadline tonight, Thursday 8 June at 23:59 London time.

Enter now

There are 39 project categories spanning architecture, interiors and design, as well as six sustainability categories. This year we have three new sustainability categories that reward sustainable renovations, sustainable building products and material innovations.

Remember to enter dezeensustainability20 at the payment stage to receive a 20 per cent discount on all your sustainability entries!

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The entry fees are now £230 per category entry for small studios and £460 per category entry for large studios.

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Entries close today at 23:59 London time

You can enter your projects until tonight, Thursday 8 June at midnight London time. There will be no extension to the deadline, so this is your very last chance to enter Dezeen Awards 2023!

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Dezeen Awards 2023

Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.

The post Dezeen Awards 2023 late entry ends tonight at midnight London time appeared first on Dezeen.

Promotion: companies that prioritise sustainability in their office design are preferred by workers according to a report commissioned by developer Brookfield Properties and architecture studio Foster + Partners.

Named Design of the Workplace, the report reveals that 93 per cent of people working in an “environmentally friendly office” feel happier in their job. It was also found to boost workers’ productivity and wellbeing.

“The workplace of the future is about creating spaces that support a greater range of activities and diverse working practices while focusing on wellbeing and offering people a sense of community,” said senior partner at Foster + Partners, Dan Sibert.

“Allied to this is a thorough analysis of the building’s carbon footprint – both operational and embodied carbon.”

Natural ventilation and lighting important

The publication, which surveyed more than 3,000 office workers in the UK, was released by Brookfield Properties and Foster + Partners at the Ecocity World Summit conference.

Participants said a sustainable workplace design means having good quality air and natural ventilation, as well as natural lighting and recycling facilities.

However, a fast internet connection, effective heating control and adaptable desks and chairs were also important factors to employees.

“Since Covid-19, every aspect of the building design needs to show how it impacts human health,” said Foster + Partners deputy head of workplace consultancy, Grant Kanik. “Workers, particularly younger workers, want to know what the air filtration systems are like, they want to know what the fresh air return rates are.”

“They want to understand their lighting systems, not only if they are energy efficient, but also if they are healthy. Basically, they simply want control over their environment. And that is what buildings should deliver,” he continued.

Material reuse should be considered

According to Design of the Workplace, if factors such as natural lighting and recycling facilities are not considered in a workplace, happiness levels drop to 55 per cent.

Three in 10 office workers who participated also said they would consider leaving their job if their company were not committed to sustainability. However, as many as 65 per cent of office workers were unaware of their office’s carbon footprint, with 75 per cent wanting to know more about it.

Team also showcasing workspace installation

Foster + Partners deputy head of workplace consultancy Kanik said longevity is also key.

“There’s the inherent sustainability of a building – the carbon embodied, the design and the energy consumption that goes into our design parameters as a matter of course now. But I think real sustainability goes beyond that, it’s about longevity,” he said.

Alongside the report, Brookfield Properties and Foster + Partners are showcasing a co-designed workspace installation at Ecocity World Summit.

The installation includes new “climate-forward” products by Foster + Partners that will later be used at Brookfield Properties’ own workspaces.

“Design of the Workplace and our workstation installation at the Barbican in collaboration with Foster + Partners reflects the feedback from our occupiers and office workers generally,” said Brookfield Properties’ executive vice president, Dan Scanlon.

“There is a strong desire from companies and individuals to understand the carbon footprint of their workplace, and importantly how they can make meaningful reductions and deliver upon their own ESG goals.”

To download and read the report, visit Brookfield Properties’ website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Brookfield Properties as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Design of the Workplace report reveals sustainability is “non-negotiable” for workers appeared first on Dezeen.

The time of electric scooters in the spotlight is over. Electric bikes or eBikes are now rising in popularity because of their health benefits as well as their sustainability. Most people, however, simply see this hybrid mode of transportation as simply that: a way to get from A to B. With the right design, however, these foot-powered, motor-assisted vehicles can transform those boring and tiring travels into exhilarating adventures, letting you feel the rush and the energy of the wind in your hair. That’s the kind of exciting ride that this full-suspension eBike promises, bringing together power, safety, comfort, and style to make every journey a memorable one, whether you’re exploring rugged mountain trails or cruising down concrete roads on your way to the office.

Designer: Max Shojaie

Click Here to Buy Now: $3304. Hurry, only 3 left!

At the heart of every electric bike is the motor, and the Nireeka Mega eBike has the heart of an adventurer. Powered by the 1500W Bafang Ultra mid-drive with a peak torque of 200nm, this wonder vehicle can take you on speeds of up to 38mph, making short work of commutes and long distances. And with a removable 840Wh extended battery, you can easily reach a range of 51 miles on a single charge or go the distance by swapping it out with a spare.

Despite all that power and speed, the Nireeka Mega doesn’t skimp on comfort and safety. A full-suspension geometry with 140mm travel on both ends absorbs the bumps so that you can go wild on a wide range of off-road trails without fear of being thrown off your balance. Fat 26″x4″ tires also act as natural shock absorbers while providing more traction to grip even slippery or smooth surfaces. Whether you’re trekking mountains or navigating snowy trails, the Nireeka Mega ensures you’re riding your A-game.

Of course, safety is a primary consideration, and the eBike’s Blubrake-powered ABS brakes bring all the stopping power you need, even in the most unpredictable scenarios. Disk brakes provide consistent braking regardless of weather conditions and dissipate heat better during frequent or prolonged breaking. The Nireeka Mega is also equipped with an embedded taillight that has its own Gyro sensor, lighting up the brake lights at every stop. Whether it’s in the dark or during the daytime, this eBike will make sure you’re visible and safe from harm.

It may sound like a beast when it comes to features, but the Nireeka Mega is a dapper gentleman when it comes to looks. Its monocoque carbon fiber frame not only flaunts a visually seamless frame, it also provides a lightweight yet durable body that efficiently transfers power to the wheels for a more dynamic riding experience. Available in Matte Black, White, Blue, and Red, this eBike can also become an extension of yourself, proudly displaying your style everywhere you. Powerful, sleek, and safe, the Nireeka Mega full-suspension eBike gives you everything you need to turn rote rides into thrilling trips at every turn for just $3,304.

Click Here to Buy Now: $3304. Hurry, only 4/25 left!

The post This Game-Changing eBike Turns Every Ride Into a Thrilling and Safe Adventure first appeared on Yanko Design.

For a $3,499 USD device that’s designed to replace your phone, laptop, watch, tablet, television, and even your mouse, you bet that Apple’s Vision Pro is absolutely crammed with sensors that track you, your movements, eyesight, gestures, voice commands, and your position in space. As per Apple’s own announcement, the Vision Pro has as many as 14 cameras on the inside and outside, 1 LiDAR scanner, and multiple IR and invisible LED illuminators to help it get a sense of where you are and what you’re doing. Aside from this, the headset also has a dedicated R1 Apple Silicone chip that crunches data from all these sensors (and a few others) to help create the best representation of Apple’s gradual shift towards “Spatial Computing”.

What is “Spatial Computing”?

“Vision Pro is a new kind of Computer,” says Tim Cook as he reveals the mixed reality headset for the very first time. “It’s the first Apple product you look through, and not at,” he adds, marking Apple’s shift to Spatial Computing. What’s Spatial Computing, you ask? Well, the desktop was touted as the world’s first Personal Computer, or PC as we so ubiquitously call it today. The laptop shrank the desktop to a portable format, and the phone shrank it further… all the way down to the watch, that put your personal computer on your wrist. Spatial Computing marks Apple’s first shift away from Personal Computing, in the sense that you’re now no longer limited by a display – big or small. “Instead, your surroundings become a canvas,” Tim summarizes, as he hands the stage to VP of Design, Alan Dye.

Spatial Computing marks a new era of computing where the four corners of a traditional display don’t pose any constraints to your working environment. Instead, your real environment becomes your working environment, and just like you’ve got folders, windows, and widgets on a screen, the Vision Pro lets you create folders, windows, and widgets in your 3D space. Dye explains that in Spatial Computing, you don’t have to minimize a window to open a new one. Just simply drag one window to the side and open another one. Apple’s VisionOS turns your room and your visual periphery into an OS, letting you create multiple screens/windows wherever you want, move them around, and resize them. Think Minority Report or Tony Stark’s holographic computer… but with a better, classier interface.

How the M2 and R1 Chips Handle Spatial Computing

At the heart of the Vision Pro headset are two chips that work together to help virtuality and reality combine seamlessly. The Vision Pro is equipped with Apple’s M2 silicon chip to help with computing and handling multitasking, along with a new R1 silicon chip that’s proprietary to the headset, which works with all the sensors inside and outside the headset to track your eyesight, control input, and also help virtual elements exist seamlessly within the real world, doing impressive things like casting shadows on the world around you, changing angles when you move around, or disappearing/fading when someone walks into your frame.

The R1 chip is pretty much Apple’s secret sauce with the Vision Pro. It handles data from every single sensor on the device, simultaneously tracking your environment, your position in it, your hands, and even your eye movements with stunning accuracy. Your eye movements form the basis of how the Vision Pro knows what elements you’re thinking of interacting with, practically turning them into bonafide cursors. As impressive as that is, the R1 also uses your eye data to know what elements of the screen to render, and what not to. Given that you can only focus on a limited area at any given time, the R1 chip knows to render just that part of your visual periphery with crisp clarity, rather than spending resources rendering out the entire scene. It’s a phenomenally clever way to optimize battery use while providing a brilliantly immersive experience. However, that’s not all…

Apple Engineer Reveals the (Scary) Powerful Capabilities of the R1 Chip

A neurotechnology engineer at Apple lifted the veil on exactly how complex and somewhat scary the Vision Pro’s internal tech is. While bound by NDA, Sterling Crispin shared in a tweet how the Vision Pro tracks your eyesight and knows how you’re navigating its interface so flawlessly. Fundamentally, the R1 chip is engineered to be borderline magical at predicting a user’s eye journey and intent. “One of the coolest results involved predicting a user was going to click on something before they actually did […] Your pupil reacts before you click in part because you expect something will happen after you click,” Crispin mentions. “So you can create biofeedback with a user’s brain by monitoring their eye behavior, and redesigning the UI in real time to create more of this anticipatory pupil response.”

“Other tricks to infer cognitive state involved quickly flashing visuals or sounds to a user in ways they may not perceive, and then measuring their reaction to it,” Crispin further explains. “Another patent goes into details about using machine learning and signals from the body and brain to predict how focused, or relaxed you are, or how well you are learning. And then updating virtual environments to enhance those states. So, imagine an adaptive immersive environment that helps you learn, or work, or relax by changing what you’re seeing and hearing in the background.” Here’s a look at Sterling Crispin’s tweet.

I spent 10% of my life contributing to the development of the #VisionPro while I worked at Apple as a Neurotechnology Prototyping Researcher in the Technology Development Group. It’s the longest I’ve ever worked on a single effort. I’m proud and relieved that it’s finally… pic.twitter.com/vCdlmiZ5Vm

— Sterling Crispin (@sterlingcrispin) June 5, 2023

A Broad Look at Every Sensor on the Apple Vision Pro

Sensors dominate the Vision Pro’s spatial computing abilities, and here’s a look at all the sensors Apple highlighted in the keynote, along with a few others that sit under the Vision Pro’s hood. This list isn’t complete, since the Vision Pro isn’t available for a tech teardown, but it includes every sensor mentioned by Apple.

Cameras – The Vision Pro has an estimated 14 cameras that help it capture details inside and outside the headset. Up to 10 cameras (2 main, 4 downward, 2 TrueDepth, and 2 sideways) on the outer part of the headset sense your environment in stereoscopic 3D, while 4 IR cameras inside the headset track your eyes as well as perform 3D scans of your iris, helping the device authenticate the user.

LiDAR Sensor – The purpose of the LiDAR sensor is to use light to measure distances, creating a 3D map of the world around you. It’s used in most self-driving automotive systems, and even on the iPhone’s FaceID system, to scan your face and identify it. On the Vision Pro, the LiDAR sensor sits front and center, right above the nose, capturing a perfect view of the world around you, as well as capturing a 3D model of your face that the headset then uses as an avatar during FaceTime.

IR Camera – The presence of an IR camera on any device plays a key role in being able to do the job of a camera when the camera can’t. IR sensors work in absolute darkness too, giving them a significant edge over conventional cameras. That’s why the headset has 4 IR Cameras on the inside, and an undisclosed number of IR cameras/sensors on the outside to help the device see despite lighting conditions. The IR cameras inside the headset do a remarkable job of eye-tracking as well as of building a 3D scan of your iris, to perform Apple’s secure OpticID authentication system.

Illuminators – While these aren’t sensors, they play a key role in allowing the sensors to do their job perfectly. The Vision Pro headset has 2 IR illuminators on the outside that flash invisible infrared dot grids to help accurately scan a person’s face (very similar to FaceID). On the inside, however, the headset has invisible LED illuminators surrounding each eye that help the IR cameras track eye movement, reactions, and perform detailed scans of your iris. These illuminators play a crucial role in low-light settings, giving the IR cameras data to work with.

Accelerator & Gyroscope – Although Apple didn’t mention the presence of these in the headset, it’s but obvious that the Vision Pro has multiple accelerators and gyroscopes to help it track movement and tilt. Like any good headset, the Vision Pro enables tracking with 6 degrees of freedom, being able to detect left, right, forward, backward, upward, and downward movement. The accelerator helps the headset capture these movements, while the gyroscope helps the headset understand when you’re tilting your head. These sensors, along with the cameras and scanners, give the R1 chip the data it needs to know where you’re standing, moving, and looking.

Microphones – The Vision Pro has an undisclosed number of microphones built into the headset that perform two broad activities – voice detection and spatial audio. Voice commands form a core part of how you interact with the headset, which is why the Vision Pro has microphones that let you perform search queries, summon apps/websites, and talk naturally to Siri. However, the microphones also need to perform an acoustic scan of your room, just the way the cameras need to do a visual scan. They do this so that they can match the sound to the room you’re in, delivering the right amount of reverb, tonal frequencies, etc. Moreover, as you turn your head, sounds still stay in the same place, and the microphones help facilitate that, creating a sonic illusion that allows your ears to believe what your eyes see.

Other Key Components

Aside from the sensors, the Vision Pro is filled with a whole slew of tech components, from screens to battery packs. Here’s a look at what else lies underneath the Vision Pro’s hood.

Displays – Given its name, the Vision Pro obviously focuses heavily on your visual sense… and it does so with some of the most incredible displays ever seen. The Vision Pro has two stamp-sized displays (one for each eye) with each boasting more pixels than a 4K television. This gives the Vision Pro’s main displays a staggering 23 million pixels combined, capable of a 12-millisecond refresh rate (making it roughly 83fps). Meanwhile, the outside of the headset has a display too, which showcases your eyes to people around you. While the quality of this display isn’t known, it is a bent OLED screen with a lenticular film in front of it that creates the impression of a 3D display, so people see depth in your eyes, rather than just a flat image.

Audio Drivers – The headset’s band also has audio drivers built into each temple, firing rich, environmentally-responsive audio into your ears as you wear the headset. Apple mentioned that the Vision Pro has dual audio drivers for each ear, which could possibly indicate quality that rivals the AirPods Max.

Fans – To keep the headset cool, the Vision Pro has an undisclosed number of fans that help maintain optimal temperatures inside the headset. The fans are quiet, yet incredibly powerful, cooling down not one but two chips inside the headset. A grill detail on the bottom helps channel out the hot air.

Digital Crown – Borrowing from the Apple Watch, the Vision Pro has a Digital Crown that rotates to summon the home screen, as well as to toggle the immersive environment that drowns out the world around you for a true VR experience.

Shutter Button – The Digital Crown is also accompanied by a shutter button that allows you to capture 3-dimensional photos and videos, that can be viewed within the Vision Pro headset.

Battery – Lastly, the Vision Pro has an independent battery unit that attaches using a proprietary connector to the headset. The reason the headset has a separate battery pack is to help reduce the weight of the headset itself, which already uses metal and glass. Given how heavy batteries are, an independent battery helps distribute the load. Apple hasn’t shared the milliamp-hour capacity of the battery, but they did mention that it gives you 2 hours of usage on a full charge. How the battery charges hasn’t been mentioned either.

The post Every Single Sensor inside the Apple Vision Pro and What It’s Individually Designed To Do first appeared on Yanko Design.