Hasta La Ideas

Electric, Hydrogen and Hybrid vehicles are going to partly solve the environmental crisis, but the fact remains, the number of vehicles on the roads isn’t going to reduce. The battle for every inch of road space will intensify in the future, no matter how desperately the compact concept vehicles try to gain popularity.

The only viable solution then left are the flying cars which I’m now a great fan of due to their mostly impractical approach to things in real-life conditions when air space is going to get crowded. One probable solution for tropical regions in particular is an amphibious vehicle that’ll bypass traffic congestions on freeways for timely travel schedules.

Designer: Bernardo Pereira

The CROSSER V1 is designed keeping in mind the commuting needs of coastal cities. The primary idea of this kind of transportation is to have flexibility of transportation in such regions for speedy commuting. The fact that this is an electric vehicle reduces the amount of noise created, and also the levels of pollution. The fleet of CROSSER vehicles creates a customized service for inhabitants of urban cities to meet the 24×7 hour needs of every kind of user.

According to the designer, the rise in sea level will eventually lead most of the world’s population to migrate to these regions and look for viable means of earning livelihood. This will lead to an increase in road congestion and pressurize the already overburdened mobility systems. Thus, leading to the dire need for new mobility solutions when owning a private vehicle will no longer be of interest to the majority of Populus.

The future of mobility will be dominated by diverse needs that depend on the user’s travel intention, interaction and lifestyle. This leads to a transition that allows for interconnected mobility systems that are in line with sustainable practices and technologies. Bernardo initially created four different iterations for this concept and the final design is this amphibious transportation service that serves the users. The vehicle has an intelligent navigation system that takes the fastest route, either on land or water.

The CROSSER is developed to be an adaptable service that goes beyond passenger transportation and bears modular features for modifying the interiors depending on the needs of the user. By default, the vehicle comes with a four-seat configuration with a display to beam all the route information, weather and warnings. The vehicle boasting a panoramic view has seats with sensors and adjustable headrests.

When it’s time to tread on the waters, the CROSSER V1 employs the suspension system to raise the maximum height angle by 90 degrees. Everything is done autonomously aided by the LiDAR and Radar sensors, without the need to stop the vehicle. The in-built dual cameras with a 150-degree viewing angle further add to the feed of the user’s display. This whole system not only aids in water travel but also identifies obstacles on land.

The post This amphibious electric vehicle has the smarts for practical urban mobility needs first appeared on Yanko Design.

A wonderful twist on how crockery gets stored in cabinets, the Gere Multifunctional Crockery Shelf turns your plates into decorative panels that contribute to the furniture’s aesthetic. The Gere Multifunctional Crockery Shelf looks like a gorgeous piece of furniture with abstract art on the front… but what appears to be art is, in fact, a series of partitioned plates for eating different food. Each plate has a uniquely different partition design, which not only contributes to the shelf’s eye-catching facade, but also makes eating a rather fun experience! Behind each plate lies a storage area for your other crockery, giving you a fun, yet functional shelf for your kitchen!

Designer: Florian Beser

The inspiration behind Gere stems from the growing trend of minimalism and the need to optimize small living spaces. The project focuses on addressing the issue of large shelves filled with round plates that result in wasted space. The goal is to create a crockery shelf that is compact yet caters to the storage needs of individuals in smaller households.

To achieve this goal, the design team employed a comprehensive research process that included surveys, market analysis, interviews with the target audience, and the creation of a user journey map. The insights gained from this research provided a deep understanding of kitchen storage preferences, structuring items in the kitchen, and interaction points with shelves and plates.

Gere seamlessly combines shelves and plates, utilizing the plates to form a relief-like front for the shelf. This unique design creates additional interior space that can be efficiently utilized to store more crockery, cups, glasses, and other kitchen essentials. The gridlike structure of Gere allows for scalability, enabling larger or smaller versions to cater to different household sizes.

Ideal for placement in kitchens or dining rooms, Gere can be hung on the wall. The individual rows of plates can be folded down, providing easy access to stored items or allowing the removal of a plate from the front. The plates themselves feature segments, enabling users to separate main courses and side dishes on a single plate for convenient transportation. In addition to the front storage, Gere offers additional shelf space for storing crockery, cups, glasses, and more, making it a modularly expandable crockery set.

The functionality of Gere relies on the careful consideration of material properties. The shelf is crafted from local oak wood, chosen for its sturdiness and resistance to water. The plates, conceptualized using 3D graphic software, are 3D printed, translated into plaster molds, and ultimately cast in porcelain.

Specifications for Gere include 240mm x 240mm x 20mm dimensions for the plates and a prototype shelf measuring 1200mm x 200mm x 1300mm. The customizable size of the shelf ensures that Gere can be tailored to the specific needs and preferences of different users.

Gere stands as a testament to the marriage of form and function in the realm of kitchen storage. Its innovative design not only maximizes space utilization but also brings an element of aesthetic appeal to the utilitarian aspect of crockery storage. As the demands of modern living continue to evolve, Gere offers a practical and elegant solution for those seeking to optimize their living spaces without compromising on style or functionality.

The post The panels on this crockery shelf are actually designer plates that you can remove and dine in! first appeared on Yanko Design.

US studio Inaba Williams Architects has created two mirrored houses with courtyards in Santa Monica, California that are clad in white stucco and have net-zero energy use, according to the studio.

Completed in 2023, the twin five-bedroom houses measure 3,900 square feet (362 square metres) each and are divided by a privacy wall and rectangular lap pools.

Brooklyn-based practice Inaba Williams Architects followed strategies laid out in Title 24 – California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards – to create net-zero emissions houses “better suited to our future climate conditions”.

“Having far fewer windows, the buildings reduce heat gain and energy use, while allowing residents to enjoy indoor outdoor living,” the studio told Dezeen. “With less need for air conditioning and generous access to landscaped areas, they offer a more natural, less tempered experience with the environment.”

Set on 40-foot (12-metre) wide lots, the linear homes measure only 20 feet (6 metres) at their widest, leaving plenty of space for outdoor areas on either side of the house for residents to enjoy.

Residents enter from a small courtyard on the outside street-edge corner of the lot into a rounded entryway that passes directly into the main exterior courtyard.

At the northern end of the site lies a small two-storey volume that holds a media room and a private suite.

Moving deeper into the house, the living, dining and kitchen areas are collected into an open-plan space with windows and sliding doors that look onto the outdoor areas – including a dining patio – which bring daylight in from three sides.

A bedroom suite, garage, and a secluded zen garden hold the southern edge of the site.

Above, a family room and terrace sit at the top of the staircase in the centre of the plan. Two suites are located on the rear of the site, while the primary suite takes up the rest of the level with a private embedded balcony.

“The courtyards are the focal point of the side-by-side homes,” the team said. “Following the Energy Standards’ option to use glass on just 20 per cent of the exterior surface area, the limited amount of glazing is concentrated around these central outdoor areas. “

Positioned to maximize daylight, the courtyards and auxiliary areas capitalise on the coastal location’s mild climate and can be used every day.

“Similarly, taking into account the solar path, the building massings let ample sunshine into the courtyards over the day and year,” the team said.

The all-white houses have simple materials to accentuate their forms, with stucco on the exterior. White walls and terrazzo and hardwood floors feature on the interiors. The coving along the ceiling is made of glass fibre-reinforced concrete from a local vendor.

Outside, brick pavers are set in a herringbone pattern that provides a soft geometrical detail to the smooth forms and green planted beds add color and texture.

Combined with the low glass-to-surface area building envelope, root-mounted solar panels help the homes meet California’s Zero Net Energy criteria, however hitting performance metrics wasn’t the team’s driving force.

“We think the more approaches there are to creating a sustainable future the better, and the Standards could have a cumulative climate benefit,” the studio said. “Just as the New York 1916 Zoning Resolution shaped the highrise tower type, California’s Energy Code can help shape the house type by being a framework for experimenting with its form and layout.”

“Its requirements can be guidelines to think inventively about climate-oriented design – to evolve our collective thinking about the type in a positive way.”

Other recently built courtyard houses in Santa Monica include a brick house centred around a decades-old olive tree by Woods + Dangaran and a cedar- and zinc-clad L-shaped home by Walker Warner Architects.

The photography is by Brandon Shigeta.

Project credits:

Design architect: Jeffrey Inaba, Darien Williams, Sharon Leung, Nabila Morales Perez, Yasamin Mayyas, James Brillon, Andre Macias-Yanez
Executive architect and general contractor: Modative
Civil engineer: Obando and Associates
Structural engineer: Gouvis
Title 24 consultant: Title 24 Guys
Landscape architect: Studio H2O

The post Inaba Williams creates mirrored stucco-clad residences in California appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen School Shows: in this roundup, we spotlight nine student projects featured in Dezeen’s School Shows, which present meticulously detailed architectural models.

The students, who are enrolled in both undergraduate and postgraduate architecture degree courses, have utilised a spectrum of materials to create their models, including clay, concrete, wood and plastic.

The act of creating architectural models by hand is being replaced over time by increasingly sophisticated digital CAD programs and rendering software.

The models vary in appearance according to what they intend to show, for example, sectional models show a building that has been cut in half to show the interior and site models show an entire building and a portion of its surroundings.

These projects come from students enrolled on architecture and interior design courses at international institutions including UCLA, University of Hong Kong, University of Toronto, Oxford Brookes University, De Montfort University, Manchester School of Architecture and Norwich University of the Arts.

Future Histories: LA’s Film Industry by Morgane Copp and Wei Qiu

Morgane Copp and Wei Qiu’s mixed media model displays a cross-sectional view of a former Los Angeles movie studio.

The architecture students included red scale figures to show the scale of the space, as well as stage curtains and miniature trees and shrubs to bring the model to life.

“We speculate on the future of abandoned sound stage typologies of movie studios in Los Angeles due to the emerging technologies for digital scene-making, which will eventually render the currently required physical spaces obsolete,” said Copp and Qiu.

“By flipping the figure-ground, removing the roof of the obsolete sound stages, and building a program in between these containers, we imagine a new urban fabric.”

Students: Morgane Copp and Wei Qiu
School: UCLA
Course: Architecture

View the full school show ›

Intervening in the City – Ground or Facade? by Jiang Xinzi

During their time studying architecture at the University of Hong Kong, student Jiang Xinzi created a structural scheme that explores how voids between buildings can be more effectively utilised.

The structures create opportunities for climbing via stairs and ladders, as well as platforms that could be used for a range of purposes, explained in part through the medium of a plywood model.

“The design responds to the different levels of the city in two ways – creating different inhabitable spaces for a variety of views, shifting the ground level with each platform and allowing the inhabitants to climb along the wall for multiple uses,” said Xinzi.

“The design rethinks the relationship between the ideas of facade and ground, and imagines the way we inhabit the space between them.”

Student: Jiang Xinzi
School: University of Hong Kong
Course: Architecture

View the full school show ›

Timescapes Workshop Sculpture Exploring the Mining Heritage of the Site by Niya Lijo Kankapadan

During their time working towards their architecture degree, Niya Lijo Kankapadan created a project based in the Bradford district of Manchester that sheds light on the area’s coal mining heritage.

The model shows an underground view of the project, which proposes subterranean tunnels that both educate about the environmental impact of mining and aid in the research of soil.

“Kankapadan’s project celebrates the rich coal mining past of the Bradford area of Manchester – the proposal aims to provide a space to commemorate this history,” Kankapadan.

“Alongside gallery and exhibitions, spaces for the research of the soil condition on site are part of the proposal helping understand the impact of mining on the natural environment.”

Student: Niya Lijo Kankapadan
School: Manchester School of Architecture
Course: Architecture

View the full school show ›

Working Retreat by Helena Gatland

During her time studying architecture at Oxford Brookes University, Helena Gatland created a model for a stone dwelling and workspace situated in the limestone coastline of the Spanish island of Majorca.

The model displays a block-like building, as well as the topographical site it is nestled into, including steps and terraces that are made from white plaster.

“We have a continuing fascination with the landscapes, the climate and the material of place,” said Gatland.

“Throughout the world, the various intersection of these elements generates unique building cultures, distinct vernaculars and local character. “

Student: Helena Gatland
School: Oxford Brookes University
Course: BA (Hons) Architecture

View the full school show ›

The Eco-Deconstructivist Design Handbook by Daryl Quayle and Elliot Flynn

Architecture students Daryl Quayle and Elliot Flynn added miniature shrubs and wet soil detailing to their model that represents a scheme for a mixed-use site in a former abattoir.

The project site was converted into a learning centre and community hub that is accessed via a gently inclined footbridge.

“The entire East Manchester area is redeveloped to remove the road network and create huge amounts of wild habitats for non-humans, including wetland, scrubland, mixed woodland and lush brownfield sites – the disused Manchester Abattoir site is repurposed to create space accessible to humans and non-human communities in the area,” said Quayle and Flynn.

“The ground level has a wetland, while the first floor has become a dedicated community hub – featuring space for local scout groups, recreational activities and hot-desking, all of which are facilities sorely lacking in the Bradford area today.”

Students: Daryl Quayle and Elliot Flynn
School: Manchester School of Architecture
Course: Master of Architecture

View the full school show ›

Amphibious Hydrological Dwelling by Oli Rash

Architecture student Oli Rash created an atmospheric model of a brewery from copper piping and plywood.

The brewery is intended to be situated in an ex-industrial, riverside area of Norwich, and aims to celebrate beer brewing and fishing – two local trades.

“This proposal draws upon the brewing history of the local area, intricately connecting the processes of making lambic beer and fishing,” said Rash.

“In addition to providing an educational environment in which these processes are made visible to the public, and local communities, this intensely detailed and exceptionally well-researched proposal engages with the wider ecology of Norfolk, where local farmers share their growing, fertilisation and harvesting procedures in exchange for spent grain, a byproduct from the brewing process, which can be used for animal feed.”

Student: Oli Rash
School: Oxford Brookes University
Course: BA (Hons) Architecture

View the full school show ›

Battle of the Tenses by Georgia Keeble

The adaptive reuse of a 15th-century flint church in Norwich was the focus of this project by interior design student Georgia Keeble.

Within the deconsecrated building, Keeble proposed the installation of a series of glowing white volumes that simulate the descent into ancient flint mines.

“Visitors can interact with artefacts and replicate cave art and flintknapping techniques as they mine ever deeper through winding and cavernous spaces,” said Keeble.

“This experience brings to light that the Neolithic flint mines are the earliest industrial monuments in Britain, first being excavated around 4,000 years ago, and promotes a renewal in the use of flint to build structures unique to the area.”

Student: Georgia Keeble
School: Norwich University of the Arts
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design

View the full school show ›

St Augustine Road by Jessika Elalam

As part of her architecture master’s degree, Jessika Elalam has proposed a project that converts a car park in Leicester into a catered to the care of people with respiratory issues.

Mycelium panels act as both decoration and air filters, represented by clay slabs in the model, which also features delicate wooden structures and small-scale trees and bushes.

“Inspired by monastery healthcare gardens, the centre merges the latest medical science together with nature-based healing approaches,” said Elalam.

“Exposed precast panels, embellished with medicinal plant patterns, form a protective layer while pink tones pay tribute to the polluted past of River Soar, Leicester, England.”

Student: Jessika Elalam
School: De Montfort University
Course: Master of Architecture

View the full school show ›

Buried Landscapes by Keenan Ngo

Master of Architecture student Keenan Ngo aimed to recognise and reinstate the historical significance of the Carrying Place Trail, a track formed and used by people before the arrival of settlers.

The track, situated between Toronto and Lake Simcoe, is represented by a mixed media model made from a centrally-placed collection of bark encircled by an etched perspex sheet.

“How can architecture reclaim urbanism and reconstruct landscapes to uncover history? How do we respect what came before and make connections between people, community and place for a sense of being?” asked Ngo.

“Four stations acknowledge scars in the land and catalogue techniques for addressing disruptions in the landscape. They are the first of many that begin a process of transformation.”

Student: Keenan Ngo
School: University of Toronto
Course: Master of Architecture

View the full school show ›

Partnership content

These projects are presented in school shows from institutions that partner with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Nine student projects that are represented by intricate 3D models appeared first on Dezeen.

Daniela Maci´as leads the Core77 Design Awards Home & Living category featuring consumer products or services designed for use in a domestic setting. Examples include home accessories, appliances, home electronics, smart home products, and security systems.

Everyday items like soap and pet food do more than just freshen and feed. For Daniela Maci´as, the Global Industrial Design Manager for Colgate-Palmolive, products like these present an opportunity for designers to create with empathy, inclusivity, and purpose – the guiding principles behind much of her work.

Daniela Maci´as, Global Industrial Design Manager for Colgate-Palmolive.

The Mexico native has spent the last 15 years overseeing the design process for bottles, caps, bar soaps, and much more across categories, brands, and markets. It’s a journey that took her from one of Colgate’s manufacturing facilities to their regional corporate offices in Mexico City to her current role in the company’s global headquarters in New York. It also informed her perspective on making good design accessible to everyone and the need for products that effectively combine function and purpose.

For Daniela, these products aren’t just items on a store shelf; they are experiences, ones that millions of people around the world love and trust enough to bring home regularly. In return, she believes those consumers deserve thoughtful design and products that can improve their lives. “My belief in the democratization of good design comes from growing up in Mexico, a country of deep inequalities, and from witnessing in my practice how meaningful and purposeful design of even the smallest product can help bridge some of those inequalities and drive positive change,” she said.

Early in her career, Daniela was tasked with designing accessible deodorant solutions for low-income communities – an everyday item that many take for granted. As she described: “Going into people’s homes and talking to them about their experiences around deodorant, I learned that most couldn’t afford it regularly. This led to behaviors such as shared family use, avoiding social situations, and limiting its use to special occasions – the lack of affordable solutions was ultimately impacting how people felt about themselves, relate to others, and went about their lives.”

The first bottle Daniela ever designed at Colgate Palmolive, launched in 2012 and is still in the market, for haircare brand Palmolive Optims. This project opened many doors for Daniela and led to her current role.

The experience was one of many that cemented Daniela’s conviction around linking empathy and purpose and incorporating diverse user feedback throughout the design process to achieve a human-centric design that is viable for mass production. “As designers, we hold a significant responsibility to nudge our teams towards making better choices that prioritize human centricity, based on deep insights of people’s everyday lives in diverse contexts,” she said. Daniela acknowledges that leading teams through the design innovation process can involve uncertainty and discomfort but encourages designers to stay true to a shared vision and belief – and never lose sight of the end user.

One area that Daniela has embraced throughout her career, particularly as a self-described “foreign-born woman of color leading product creation at a global CPG,” is the need for diversity in industrial design. As she said, “There are infinite missed opportunities when diverse voices are not included in the conversation and there is only a homogeneous range of perspectives to inform the creation of everything around us.”

That lack of representation has caused delays in creating products of relevance for much of the world’s population – including women. Daniela illustrates this point with several examples: wearable breast pumps were not introduced until 2017, female crash test dummies until 2022, and a spacesuit designed for women until 2023. According to Daniela, women hold only 18% of industrial design roles in the U.S. (and only 9% of senior positions), with an even lower representation among women of color. That’s a mismatch when one considers her statement that women make 80% of household buying decisions.

She also underscores the importance of diverse voices being represented against the backdrop of the climate crisis, given that the global south is expected to bear many of the adverse effects. In Daniela’s view, inclusivity is necessary to “ensure that the environmental challenges we solve through design are relevant in their context, empathetic to the people impacted by it, and responsible in their execution.” To create truly human-centered products, Daniela stresses that designers hold a unique, transformative power to design both for and with the underrepresented and underserved to “drive positive change, champion inclusivity, and make lives better through every creative decision, one design at a time.”

In this vein, she advises entrants to the Core77 Design Awards to consider the essence and fundamental purpose of their work, to go beyond aesthetics and functionality to reach thoughtful innovation with a meaningful impact that fits in people’s lives. What problem is it solving? How is it contributing to making someone’s life better? Can this be produced in a sustainable/ethical way? Is it intuitive and friendly to its users? And a fundamental question: Why does this need to exist?

As Daniela said, “I believe these questions must become essential in our practice if we intend to address real problems today and leave a better world for those who come after us.”

The paper towel pump was created by the LDA Design Team in collaboration with Frank Yang at simplehuman.

The winner of the 2023 Core77 Design Awards Home & Living category was the Paper Towel Pump by LDA for simplehuman, an all-in-one cleanup kit that integrates a paper towel holder and a removable spray pump (‘yes’ to improving our daily lives).

Do you have a human-centric design creation that will knock our socks off? Submit it to the 2024 Core77 Design Awards.