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Football club Manchester City has won approval to redevelop a stand at its stadium in Manchester, UK, to increase capacity while adding a museum and hotel.

Designed by architecture studio Populous, the redevelopment of the Etihad Stadium’s North Stand will increase the venue’s capacity by more than 5,000.

The expansion will also include the creation of a large entertainment and hospitality building connected to the stand. Flanking a covered square, it will contain a 400-bed hotel, a museum and a club shop.

The development of the North Stand, which received planning approval last week, will see a large upper tier added above the existing lower tier that will be retained.

A sky bar with views of the pitch will be integrated into the top of the stand, which will be topped with a “stadium roof-walk experience”. This is similar to the one Populous created above the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, which opened in 2019.

The redevelopment is the latest expansion to Etihad Stadium, which is home to Premier League football club Manchester City. It was originally designed by Arup as a 38,000-seat venue to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Following the games it was restructured into a 48,000-seat football stadium.

Populous previously added an expanded South Stand to the building in 2015, which increased the stadium’s capacity to 54,600.

The current expansion is set to be completed in 2026. It is being built as part of the redevelopment of the Etihad Campus, where Populous is also creating the Co-op Live arena that will open next year.

“For Populous, it is extremely exciting to witness the development of this project, located just a stone’s throw away from another of our projects, the Co-op Live arena,” said Populous senior principal Mike Trice.

“These ambitious ventures represent two of Manchester’s greatest loves — football and music, and will bring significant benefits to the local area by drawing in visitors and delivering further regeneration.”

Architecture studio Populous also recently unveiled the largest purpose-built soccer stadium in the US and is currently designing an “intimate yet intimidating” stadium for NFL team Buffalo Bills and a solar-powered arena as a “landmark for Munich”.

The imagery is courtesy of Populous.

The post Populous set to add hotel to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium appeared first on Dezeen.

In 2016, a bunch of outdoor enthusiasts went on an outdoor excursion in the backwoods of Maine, only to be disappointed by how incapable their EDC was. “Even some of the most reputable names in the knife space had failed in the harsh northeastern environment,” they said “The cold and brutal conditions left our knives chipped, dull, and unreliable.” The group of people returned from their excursion with an idea – to develop some of the most capable EDC knives out there for real-world situations. Tekto’s knives sit at a unique cross-section of being beautiful enough to appeal to collectors and enthusiasts, but hard-built and rugged enough to be a top pick for law enforcement, military personnel, and first responders looking for a knife that just gets the job done.

Although known for popularizing OTF (out-the-front) switchblade-style knives, Tekto also has some incredible folders under their belt. We’ve been fans of Tekto’s portable knives for over a year now – they ranked an impressive 7th on our list of major EDC brands, outshining bigger brands like Gerber, Kershaw, and SOG. Tekto’s knives have always impressed with their no-nonsense edgy designs, rugged builds, and reliable performance. All of Tekto’s knives are proudly built in the USA and come backed by a limited lifetime warranty. Here are 5 of our favorite Tekto Folders and OTF knives, designed for virtually anything life throws at you.

F1 Alpha

Tekto flaunts the F1 Alpha as the ultimate tactical knife for “military personnel, first responders, and anyone who demands unwavering reliability in the most challenging environments.” The slick, lightweight knife boasts a razor-sharp titanium-treated D2 blade with a drop-point edge, complemented by lightweight and durable G10 and Carbon Fiber handles. Built into the handle also lies the F1 Alpha’s built-in glass-breaker, which lets you easily overcome emergency situations by breaking through even toughened glass. A state-of-the-art ceramic ball bearing mechanism helps you easily deploy and close the F1 Alpha’s blade with ease, while a cleverly engineered liner lock keeps the blade open while the knife is in use. You can choose between a G10 or a Carbon Fiber handle for your knife, and threaded holes on either side of the handle let you attach the F1 Alpha’s reversible pocket clip on the right or the left, giving you a highly capable ambidextrous blade. We like calling the F1 Alpha the “Napoleon of knives – small, but superior enough to conquer just about anything.”

Click Here to Buy Now: $139.99

F2 Bravo

Tekto’s sophomore folder is a nimble, elegantly designed beast. The F2 Bravo is like the Slender Man of knives – tall, slim, well-dressed, and seriously wicked. Embodying sheer simplicity and timelessness, the knife comes with a sleek design that EDC enthusiasts will appreciate, complete with a 3.10-inch titanium-coated D2 steel drop-point straight-back blade sitting within a handle that’s made either of G10 composite or carbon fiber. A ceramic ball bearing mechanism ensures your blade deploys as smoothly as you’d expect from this suave EDC, and at 2.4 ounces (68 grams), the F2 Bravo is the lightest of Tekto’s flippers, making it a perfect collector’s item. That doesn’t necessarily take away from the F2 Bravo’s capabilities, because it still means business. The fine-edge titanium-coated blade feels extremely high-end but does rather well in scenarios where you’d need a knife. Although built for modernity, the F2 Bravo braves the outdoors equally well, cutting and slicing through tough materials without making a fuss.

Click Here to Buy Now: $149.99

F3 Charlie

The burliest of the bunch, the Tekto F3 Charlie isn’t your average pocket flipper. It’s significantly larger than your average knife and comes armed with a whopping 3.8-inch blade that’s directly inspired by hunting and skinning knives, and comes made from the same D2 steel with a titanium coating as Tekto’s other folders. Measuring 9 inches when open, the F3 Charlie’s broad G10 handle offers a supreme, reliable grip, with a grooved design for a firm grasp, and jimping on the top of the blade to rest your thumb on while you work the knife. For its size, the F3 Charlie clocks in at a pretty lightweight 4.5 ounces (127 grams) with most of the weight lying in the blade itself. This effectively lets the knife do the work for you, letting you easily perform outdoor actions like piercing or stabbing, scraping, slicing, skinning, and more. Deploying the blade is easy too, with a finger-flipper that lets you rely on the blade’s weight and momentum to smoothly glide open. To shut the F3 Charlie, a button lock lets you release the blade, which then obediently folds back into its handle. A deep pocket clip lets you then slide your EDC into your shirt or pant pocket, and a lanyard hole built into the handle’s end also lets you easily attach it anywhere.

Click Here to Buy Now: $129.99

A3 Delta

With the folding knives behind us, the A3 Delta gives us a taste of what Tekto’s really good at – automatic knives. Designed to deploy with a simple flick of a switch, the A3 Delta is a folding automatic powerhouse that’s inspired by the swift, stealthy, tactical spirit of the US military. There’s nothing the A3 Delta says no to, with an ambidextrous design that boasts of an ergonomic G10 grip and a 3.6-inch titanium-coated D2 steel blade that’s just as capable and hardy as any of the blades seen on Tekto’s other knives. What truly sets the A3 Delta apart, however, is its switch-activated choreography that borders on being just about as enjoyable as a fidget toy… except this fidget toy “emanates dominance, firmly establishing authority on any battlefield,” as the folks at Tekto rightfully mention. Once the A3 Delta’s done for the day, a button lock lets the blade retreat right back into its handle.

Click Here to Buy Now: $159.99

A4 Humvee

The A4 Humvee gets its moniker from the eponymously named legendary vehicle of the Gulf War, the M998 HMMWV Humvee. The Humvee was designed as a replacement for Jeeps and touted as a highly versatile, durable, and capable vehicle, tasked with transporting troops and cargo in uncertain conditions and terrain. Tekto’s homage to the Humvee comes in the form of a tactical-ready OTF knife that’s designed to intimidate. The knife’s blade pops out the front, unlike any of the past flippers, and deploys instantly as you hit the switch on the handle, eliciting a ‘wow’ from whoever’s watching. This unique opening mechanism also informs the A4 Humvee’s blade design, which comes with a double-edge spear-point tip and a serrated base to help you pierce, slice, or even saw away at objects. The Titanium-coated D2 steel is almost symbolic of Tekto’s knives and the A4 Humvee isn’t different, barring the handle which now comes made from 6061-T6 Aluminum, inspired by the rugged metallic build of the Humvee. In keeping with its tactical automotive inspiration, the knife’s handle also comes with a glass-breaker located on its bottom end, giving you an all-round EDC that’s built to survive even the most demanding conditions.

Click Here to Buy Now: $219.99

The post Top 5 Ultimate Tactical EDC From Tekto To Keep You Prepared For Any Situation first appeared on Yanko Design.

Carl Pie kicked off a new chapter of his successful journey with the Nothing Ear (1) TWS earbuds, then followed by the Phone (1). One thing common with every Nothing product release to date is its share of hype and leaks. Ever the more reason for creative digital artists to come up with their proposed concept versions of a Nothing inspired product.

To be honest, any Nothing iteration piques my interest, and this portable speaker follows suit. The concept is an interesting piece since portable speakers should fall right into Nothing’s core technology expertise. So, there’s no reason for anyone to believe that there won’t be a portable speaker on Carl’s timeline in the coming years.

Designer: Hao Ping Chang

Christened the Nothing Sound (1), this portable speaker concept keenly emulates the visual design language that a real Nothing portable speaker would adopt. A fashion accessory for home and outdoor use that’ll turn eyeballs, and will be equally capable when it comes to practicality. Portability and ease of use are the keys to this design that aims to refresh the closely contested portable speaker market.

This portable speaker is a balanced mix of contoured and geometric shapes, bringing to life a very aesthetically pleasing form. The audio accessory can sit pretty on a desk just like an Xbox Series X. Compare that to an earlier conceptual design that heavily weighed in on the contoured shapes and see-thought aesthetics. The Nothing Sound, however, keeps things simple without missing out on the classy vibe.

Controls of the chick portable speaker are seamlessly integrated into the design in the form of a rotary knob on the speaker’s top. This allows for intuitive interaction with the gadget such as volume adjustment, power on/off, and Bluetooth connectivity. Enhancing the user experience are the Glyph interface LEDs that are programmed to interact dynamically with the beat of the music. If desired, they can be deactivated for a more subtle experience.

According to Hao, the speaker is inspired by a book’s form, since they are a common companion for many on their journeys. Therefore, the aspiration is that “Nothing Sound” will accompany “its owner in a myriad of contexts and situations.” The focus of this product design is to have a pursuit of uniqueness, self-expression, passion and a style that is second nature to Nothing!

The post Nothing Sound (1) will refresh portable speaker market with aesthetic design and Glyph interface first appeared on Yanko Design.

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a 12-metre-high Wedding Cake pavilion made by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

Designed as a sculptural folly, Wedding Cake is an immersive installation at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England, which “combines patisserie and architecture as a temple to love”.

Commenters overwhelmingly loved it, calling the project camp, eccentric and indulgent. One quipped “it can’t all be modernism – plus, I love a good folly”.

Other stories sparking debate in this week’s newsletter included an interview with French designer Philippe Starck in which he argued the next generation of designers will need to account for a crisis of sexuality and should aim for an asexual design language.

Starck’s words prompted one Dezeen reader to declare: “I do not believe that one can exclude the Eros component when talking about a creative act, because creating is an erotic act in itself.” Do you agree? Join the debate ›

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

The post Dezeen Debate features “camp and eccentric” Wedding Cake pavilion by Joana Vasconcelos appeared first on Dezeen.

More often than not, door locks and other related security devices carry monochromatic and simple colors. There’s probably a reason for that which has something to do with the lock or device fitting in with doors, cabinets, etc. But there are also times when color-loving people would want some pop into their security devices to make them stand out. Yale is releasing a new variant of their famous smart lock that would appeal to that demographic.

Designer: Yale and Pantone

Click Here to Buy Now!

Yale has parrtnered with Pantone to bring what is probably their most colorful product to date. The Yale Assure Lock 2 is releasing a version of this popular smart lock that carries the color of the year: Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta. It makes your door, cabinet, or whatever room it is locking a bit more colorful if you’re already tired of the same old black, gray, metal, and other monochromatic colors that the brand usually carries. Even if this shade of magenta isn’t your favorite color, it certainly adds a certain pizzaz to your entryway.

“Partnering with Pantone, the world’s leading color authority, speaks volumes about our dedication to creating products that fit both your lifestyle and your home,” said Garrett Lovejoy, Vice President of Product, Yale and August. “We’ve taken a unique, eye-catching hue like PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta and applied it to a traditionally understated, discreet device — creating a stunning, one-of-a-kind smart lock that makes a powerful first impression of the home.”

Aside from its color, the lock is also 30% smaller than their usual Assure smartlocks so this means it can still blend in if it’s the same color as your door and if it isn’t, it doesn’t really scream out loud. It can still accentuate whatever door it is that you want to highlight in your home or office. It has all the other features that the Assure Lock 2 brings including full key-free entry, remote access, and auto-lock and unlock. It’s also compatible with most doors so there’s that assurance.

Design-wise, it’s pretty interesting to see Yale branch out into more colorful designs and it should appeal to maximalists who are looking for more colorful locks. Security-wise, I don’t know if it’s a deterrent to those who would try to “pick” this digital lock or if it’s something that screams out “pick me!” because of its color. If this is a success, expect some more colorful things from Yale.

The post Yale Assure Lock 2 adds a pop of colour to your door with Pantone’s Color of the Year 2023 first appeared on Yanko Design.