Dezeen School Shows: a double A-frame building rendered pink in Utah, USA, is included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at Torrens University Australia.

Also included is an apartment building that blends minimalism with brutalism and a design for a home in New South Wales informed by the work of architecture studio MORQ.

Torrens University Australia

Institution: Torrens University Australia
School: Billy Blue College of Design
Course: Built Environment

School statement:

“Billy Blue offers a suite of Built Environment courses across interior design and architectural technology, allowing you to choose a course that suits your career goals – whether that is developing creative solutions for residential or commercial interior spaces, or designing and documenting innovative and immersive buildings.

“Regardless of which you choose, you’ll graduate with a qualification designed in collaboration with industry, ensuring you are equipped with in-demand skills that employers desire.

“From industry-standard software like SketchUp and AutoCAD to building information modelling concepts, you’ll work on real-world projects to gain practical experience and set yourself up for a successful career in the industry.”

Wadba Wadba House by Hannah Cooper

“Nested in Toonumber Forest, New South Wales, Wadba Wadba House draws inspiration from MORQ and various Australian designs that embody a luxurious, rustic, minimal interior.

“This dwelling is designed for an artist or collector to refresh their mind and immerse themselves in their work, stimulated by the natural surrounding environment.

“The project aimed to achieve cohesiveness in architecture through consistent approaches to structure and form; which was then mimicked in the interior design.”

Student: Hannah Cooper
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) – Theories of Space and Place
Tutor: Robert Tuckwell
Email: hannahcstudio[at]gmail.com

The Upper North Side by Santiago Muriel Perez

“Blues Point Apartment is a fusion of modern trends and 17th-century design, driven by the client’s desire for an elegant living space in Australia, merging their American roots with European influences.

“The project showcases detailed mouldings, luxurious marble finishes and ornate gilded accents, creating a visually captivating mix of historic charm and modern sophistication, establishing symmetrical layouts reminiscent of the Belle Époque era as the core of the design.

“The project offers a harmonious blend of Baroque-inspired luxury and contemporary refinement, and it caters to discerning clients seeking a distinguished living environment that balances opulence and functionality, standing out in a world dominated by clean aesthetics and minimalism.”

Student: Santiago Muriel Perez
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) – Environment Design 2
Tutor: Robert Tuckwell
Email: santiago.murielp[at]gmail.com

Roseus by Srishti Shukla

“Geometry is an integral part of design – this project harnesses that power through the use of the CUBUS method formulated by Robert Tuckwell, which began by creating various geometries on ‘grids’.

“Creativity and freedom of design and expression played crucial roles in this project.

“The use of natural light, layering and circulation all add to the inspiration derived from the works of Louis Kahn.

“Roseus was designed as an ode to the Renaissance, as well as to create an experience of drama and beauty.”

Student: Srishti Shukla
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Commercial) – Work Integrated Learning
Tutor: Robert Tuckwell
Email: srishtigopal.shukla[at]gmail.com

Mnemosyne Serviced Apartments by Cristina Ogliari

“Imagined as sanctuaries where tenants can immerse themselves for three days or even three months, the units were created by combining linear and curved elements.

“The floor-to-ceiling openings create flowing visuals of the city skyline and allow for natural light-filled rooms emphasising the relaxing ambience.

“The primary emphasis of the project lies in the qualities and textural characteristics of materials, creating a distinct experience for individuals.

“The apartments possess an enduring design, which aims to harness the comfortable and serene influence of the minimalist aesthetic, providing an unforgettable experience for residents.”

Student: Cristina Ogliari
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) – Environment Design 3
Tutor: Richard Salman
Email: ogliari.arch[at]gmail.com

Luxury Apartment Residential Project by Sophie Pilati

“The brief for this proposed 40-storey residential project was to explore luxurious materials and a modern colour palette that caters to a diverse clientele.

“The interiors showcase consistent use of marble and timber in various shades and forms, including herringbone flooring and marble benchtops.

“Timber panels on the curved wall add an organic feature, introducing warmth and balancing the rectilinear design elements.

“Expansive three-metre-tall floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light, unveiling uninterrupted views of Sydney’s beautiful city skyline.”

Student: Sophie Pilati
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) – Environment Design 3
Tutor: Robert Tuckwell
Email: sophiepilati[at]hotmail.com

Cosy Club by Elysia Kiernan

“Cosy Club is owned by the hospitality group Loungers, based in England, who specialise in creating memorable restaurant bars.

“This project offers British Expats a slice of home located in Brisbane’s Queen Street heritage-listed building, providing the traditional authenticity of Loungers’ brand identity whilst encapsulating British style.

“A sense of warmth and cosiness is enhanced by incorporating textured wallpaper, rich brown tones, rustic furniture and accent lighting.”

Student: Elysia Kiernan
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Commercial) – Environment Design 4: Commercial
Tutor: Michele Wake
Email: elysia.kiernan[at]outlook.com

Cassowary Wellness Centre by Natalie Boyd

“Motivated by the quote: ‘wellness is a connection of paths: knowledge and action’, the Wellness Centre provides the residents of a city in Queensland, Australia, with inspiring approaches to holistic wellness.

“In this city, where hypertension is the most prevalent chronic health condition, the centre offers self-discovery, education and motivation.

“The centre’s interior and exterior materials are informed by vernacular architecture.

“This immense structure features a variety of versatile spaces, including a library dedicated to holistic health, an amphitheatre, a yoga studio, a cafe, a juice bar, a computer area and a public herb garden.

“Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity, the building is equipped with facilities for those with mobility challenges, including an elevator, accessible toilets and convenient access to the amphitheatre.”

Student: Natalie Boyd
Course: Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration – Major Project
Tutor: Nicole Dann
Email: contact[at]natalieboyd.design

Winangali by Barbie Payton

“Winangali was developed as the next culinary venture for renowned Australian Chef, Paul Iskov.

“Winangali is an intimate dining space that provides the user with an evolving theme of connectedness, bush food innovation and an experience intended to connect diners to country, spirit and community.

“Winangali means ‘to listen’ in the language of Australia’s First Nations, Ngyiampaa people.

“The space takes on the persona of gratitude, respect, and all emotions we cannot see, feel or explain when exploring our country.

“With Chef Paul’s firm belief that Mother Nature teaches us best, the design of Winangali required a holistic approach, focusing on local materials presented by the Lake Mungo archaeological landscape.”

Student: Barbie Payton
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Commercial) – Environment Design 4
Tutor: Michele Wake
Email: hello[at]onyxstudio.design

Moab Desert House, Utah by Aisha Ahmad

“Perched amidst the rugged beauty of Utah’s mountains stands a strong pink A-frame house, an architectural ode to the surrounding nature.

“The house seamlessly integrates with the landscape, offering panoramic views of the majestic Utah desert.

“The outdoor space is a sanctuary featuring an outdoor kitchen, dining and a refreshing pool that mirrors the sky’s hues during the day and transforms into a tranquil oasis under the night sky.

“The facade stands as an inspiring testament to architectural creativity, embodying a visual narrative that resonates with innovation and design.”

Student: Aisha Ahmad
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) – Theories of Space and Place 2
Tutor: Robert Tuckwell
Email: aha80[at]hotmail.co.uk

Mnemosyne Serviced Apartments by Rebecca Bartlett

“The adjoining apartments of the Mnemosyne Premise explore a delicate balance between minimalism and brutalist interior design, known as ‘brutal minimalism’.

“Strong concrete surfaces, marble textures and carved interior spaces through monolithic and geometric forms celebrate the structure of brutalist architecture, whilst juxtaposing an interior saturated with warmth and light through complimentary soft furnishings and an expansive glass facade.

“This design was carefully planned to work in harmony with the complex floor plate, with each space separated into private and public realms.

“The spatial planning uses the given geometry, flowing with and following the walls and curves, rather than working against them.”

Student: Rebecca Bartlett
Course: Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) – Environment Design 3
Tutor: Richard Salman
Email: rebeccajbartlett98[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Torrens University Australia. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Ten interior design projects by students at Torrens University Australia appeared first on Dezeen.

This Memo X gizmo, by Taiwan-based manufacturer Zenlet, lets you make your own sticky notes out of any paper. You stick a piece of paper into it and press down; in one motion it cuts the paper and applies the light-tack adhesive.

While you can cut your paper to the standard square size, the cutter is also adjustable to lesser lengths.

You can also separate the adhesive stamper from the cutter, if you want to apply the adhesive to a piece of paper without cutting it.

The ability to turn discarded paper packaging and the reverse side of junk mail into usable Post-Its is appealing. The question is whether that’s worth the $74 Kickstarter price. Also bear in mind, the adhesive doesn’t come out of thin air; the gizmo is loaded with a roll of the stuff. One roll is good for 250 applications, then you’ve got to buy a new roll from Zenlet at $3 to $4 a pop (depending on how many you order).

The Memo X has been successfully Kickstarted, with 2 days left to pledge at press time. The units are expected to ship this September.

Julie Arrive´ and Alex Hulme are the co-founders of Approach Studio and will serve as Jury Captains for the 2024 Core77 Design Awards Emerging Technologies category. This category features systems, services, research, hardware, or software products created with the aid of recently created or developed software and hardware technologies. Examples can include projects that incorporate the use of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), blockchain technologies, robotics, biometrics, advanced materials or new production processes.

Julie Arrive´, Co-Founder and Design Director, Approach Studio

Julie Arrive´, Co-founder and Design Director, Approach Studio

From fishnet sensors to footfall counters to machine vision for farming, Julie Arrive´ loves to see innovative technology ideas – in even the most unexpected contexts. “As consumers, we’re used to [seeing] products for [ourselves] and our homes, but the world of B2B technology products is fascinating, and we love coming across great use of technology in very specific sectors.”

After years spent working with industrial design consultancies around the globe, Julie has moved into the role of Design Director of Approach Studio. Through this design agency, Julie and her colleagues develop hardware solutions using emerging technology, serving a client mix of startups and larger, more established organizations. Julie also enjoys experimenting with speculative and future technology usage and brings that innate sense of curiosity and excitement to her role as Jury Captain for the Core77 Design Awards Emerging Technologies category.

Given the substantial energy and attention she has devoted to considering new technology products, Julie has learned to prioritize certain qualities. As she said, “The line between great hardware products and gadgets can sometimes be fine, so making genuinely great products that solve problems, bring joy, and add value to people’s lives is a preoccupation when designing.” She also warns against focusing too narrowly on “materiality” when designing a product with sustainability in mind, believing that a product with a long lifespan can be equally, if not more, valuable in the long run.

To Core77 Design Awards entrants, Julie emphasizes the power of good storytelling in their submissions: “What the product does (or how it came about) can be as important as how the final idea looks.”

Alex Hulme, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Approach Studio

Alex Hulme, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Approach Studio

After two decades spent designing and manufacturing products, Alex Hulme now spends much of his time exploring the convergence of digital and physical interaction and crafting tomorrow’s technology products. Much of that work involves implementing new technology for the post-smartphone world. “Through smartphones, we’ve all become digital interface experts, but physical objects are playing catchup in many ways,” said Alex.

As Creative Director of Approach Studio, Alex strives to help clients (from big tech like Google, Logitech, and Nothing to up-and-coming hardware startups) not just catch up but get ahead. Before co-founding Approach, Alex spent the best part of a decade at Map Project Office, where he served as studio co-director and oversaw creative output for clients like Sky, Google, and Deutsche Telekom.

Today, Alex is focused on making technology that lasts. As he said, “Emerging technology products often have short lifespans, and making them long-lasting is even more challenging than in more established categories.” To meet this ongoing challenge, Alex and his team continue to focus on finding new, better ways to design, build, prototype, and mass produce.

Casa Pop-Up Desk for Logitech from Approach.

For Core77 Design Award entries, Alex hopes to see strong projects that have a clear sense of the problem they’re solving: “If you have that, often the project speaks for itself.”

MouthPad^ by Augmental

The 2023 winner in the Emerging Technologies category was Mouthpad^, by Augmental, an intraoral interface that uses the tongue to interface with computing devices used in daily life, an innovation that has enormous potential for those in the disability community as well as for continuous health monitoring and more.

If you’ve got a great story to tell about your groundbreaking technology, submit it to the 2024 Core77 Design Awards.

Battery Saver Mode? What’s that??

Meet the Energizer Hard Case P28K smartphone from Avenir Telecom. I hesitate to call it a smartphone because it’s pretty much a brick with a screen… but this smart brick does have a pretty incredible spec to boast about. This device is a behemoth in the battery department, boasting a staggering 28,000mAh capacity that promises to last a regular user an entire week on a single charge. It’s a follow-up to their previous 18,000mAh model from 2019, marking a significant leap in battery size and, implicitly, in user independence from power outlets.

For context, a 28,000mAh battery is roughly 9x more than your average smartphone, which has an average of around 3000mAh. That translates to much more battery capacity, stretching to a week (or maybe more) with regular use… but it also leads to, well, that massive brick-ish format. The Energizer Hard Case P28K measures a staggering 27.8mm thick (that’s nearly three smartphones thick) and weighs a whopping 570 grams (over 20 ounces). I pity the fool who texts with this in bed and accidentally drops it on their face. That being said, the phone is at least rated IP69 for dust and water resistance…

The 18,000mAh Energizer Phone from 2019 (above), versus the P28K smartphone (below)

Fast charging at 33W is also a welcome feature, considering you don’t want to spend 5-6 hours topping off the entire battery. However, details regarding the full charge time remain unspecified, raising questions about the practicality of recharging such a large battery. The phone’s specifications are modest, with no 5G support and a processor that won’t turn heads. Yet, with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a trio of rear cameras, Android 14, and a sizable 6.78-inch 1080p LCD display, it covers the basics well enough for users whose primary concern isn’t cutting-edge tech but battery life.

Scheduled for release in October at a price of €249.99 ($271.37 USD), the P28K positions itself as a unique offering in the smartphone market. However, it’s notable that it won’t be available in the US, a decision that may reflect market research or regulatory challenges, but it certainly raises curiosity about the global distribution strategy and target audience for such a niche product.

The post Whopping 28,000mAh Energizer phone unveiled at MWC 2024 with a week-long battery life first appeared on Yanko Design.

Spain-based artist Kiko Miyares carves these wonderful cars–with their high beams on—out of wood:

“I immerse myself in a creative game where shapes, dimensions, and perspective intertwine to challenge expectations,” Miyares told Colossal.

At the ends of the beams, you can see what’s in front of the driver:

If you’re collecting these but don’t have the horizontal shelf space, well, storage is a snap:

The cars are part of his “carreteras o barrancos” (“roads or ravines”) series. You can see more of Miyares’ work here and here.