Hasta La Ideas

MSCHF created the bag through a global game of “telephone”, in which they sent vague instructions and reference images in succession to four leather-working factories to form a final design.

The project seeks to “protagonize” these factories, which do work where name-brand design labels might leave ambiguities.

“Factories do a tremendous amount of creative work behind the scenes,”  said MSCHF. “The goal of Global Supply Chain Telephone was to use this hidden creative labor from the factory as the design process for the bag.”

“MSCHF has seen this over and over again with our shoe program and beyond, where problem-solving happens factory-side that we didn’t anticipate, or decisions come back from the factory that surprises us with an unexpected piece of problem-solving – even if it’s not always ‘good,’ it’s distinctly creative.”

MSCHF decided to use this behind-the-scenes problem-solving as the full design process to create the Global Supply Chain Telephone Handbag.

Made of leather and twill interior, its final form features a sharp-cornered, curved bottom, with a twisted handle, curved front flap and a shoulder strap.

A front pocket is closed with a curved zipper, while an internal pocket and back pocket have been inscribed with labelling.

MSCHF  began the design process by sending the instructions “knock off a Birkin bag” to a factory in Peru, keeping the prompt vague to leave the bulk of the creative decision-making to the manufacturers.

“Typically factories proactively fill in the gaps where designers have not (or did not know) to specify something,” said the studio. “We deliberately left as many such gaps as possible.”

The resulting design of this first prompt was then sent to a Portugal factory, with MSCHF asking it to adjust the design “to be more like” the Celine Luggage Bag.

At the third factory in India, the already-modified “Frankenstein” bag was adjusted to appear more like the kidney-shaped Dior Saddle Bag and at a fourth studio in China, it was made to look more like the Balenciaga Hourglass Handbag, where it received its distinctive curved silhouette.

The studio performed a final pass on the result, creating custom hardware, and making some adjustments to materials and validating its construction.

The project aimed to highlight the global supply chain as a tool used by many.

“The global supply chain is a single, enormous, merged ecosystem with myriad individual interfaces,” said the studio. “We all, if you trace back high enough up the chain, are using the same tool. And the tool is alive.”

“Anyone seriously engaged with manufacturing understands the factory is not a computer, taking in perfect instructions and outputting perfect execution. The factory performs tremendous amounts of invisible creative labor.”

The studio often explores projects surrounding consumerism, such as its microscopic Louis Vuitton bag, which used its dwindling size to comment on a lack of functionality in luxury fashion.

“A practical object is boiled down into jewellery, all of its putative function evaporated; for luxury objects, useability is the angels’ share,” commented the studio on the project.

It has also landed in legal trouble when playing with the limits of influence and trademarks. In 2021, MSCHF was sued by Nike for its “unauthorised” Satan Shoe.

The photography is courtesy of MSCHF.

The post MSCHF creates handbag to highlight “hidden creative labor” of global factories appeared first on Dezeen.

American studio SOM has created a “vertical campus” for the US Department of Transportation in Massachusetts that features aluminium fins on its sides and a landscape installation by designer Maya Lin.

Completed last year, the James A Volpe National Transportation Center brings all of the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) operations under one roof in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It also serves as an innovation centre for the DOT, which has been operating since the 1970s.

SOM described the building as a “vertical campus” and said its architecture “puts the institution on display through several strategies.”

It wanted its design for the transportation centre to open up the building to its surroundings, while still respecting security concerns by setting the structure back from the perimeter of the site.

In the grass sections nearest the entrance-side street, designer Maya Lin created a series of undulating mounds.

The studio opted for a vertical approach to the building, landing on a 13-storey building with a wide base and a set-back tower. The tower is set back at different heights on each side.

The first setback creates a greenspace directly on top of the base, while the second, higher setback forms an outdoor space that wraps around three sides of the tower’s middle. For security reasons, the crown of the building had to be blast-resistant.

The three-storey base has an entrance with a triple-height glass facade in its middle, showing the interiors of the ground floor, which holds the majority of the building’s amenities.

On the south side of the building, a series of numbered steel garage doors open for vehicles.

Its facades are a mix of glass and white-painted aluminium, placed at various positions based on the sun’s path.

“The facades with the least surface area face the east and west, where glare is strongest in the mornings and evenings,” said SOM.

“The eastern and western facades are clad in glass with vertical aluminium plates that stretch outward like the fins of an aircraft to block glare and solar radiation.”

Inside, the triple-height entry leads to a social staircase with terrazzo and wood elements. A lobby backed by black metal panels holds the entrance desk.

The ground floor also holds an “enclosed outdoor playground”, while a cafe and large conference room lay at the top of the main staircase.

A fitness level is located on the sixth floor, beside the second terrace.

Labs for testing and research are spread throughout the upper levels of the building and were designed by global design studio Gensler.

The landscaping includes simple sections of grass bordered by trees and straight circulation paths, designed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture.

SOM implemented several sustainable elements for the building, working with New York-based consultants Atelier Ten. These included a photovoltaic roof and stormwater capture systems.

SOM recently completed a pair of supertall skyscrapers in New York City and a restoration of the iconic mid-century modern Lever House building, also in New York.

The photography is by Dave Burk courtesy of SOM.

The post SOM puts Department of Transportation “on display” at Cambridge building appeared first on Dezeen.

Over the years we’ve looked at multiple designs for stair-climbing handtrucks. The UpCart uses a triangular configuration of wheels:

The TechLift design used mechanical advantage in a clever way, but the product didn’t last in the market:

Dutch company Matador seemed to give up on making it easy, and simply installed protective glides on this unit that the user was meant to schlep up the stairs.

That last one is an older design, and Matador has since updated it with their battery-powered M-Stairs design:

Here’s how it works, if you couldn’t guess:

The M-Stairs can haul 150kg (331 lbs).

I don’t doubt it does the job, but it will require quite the enlightened employer to pony up for one of these: The asking price is €5,484 (USD $5,876).

Garrett Brown is the inventor of the Steadicam and other camera stabilization systems.

Having invented the Steadicam way back in the 1970s, Brown has retained his deep understanding of how to balance weight to create stability. In recent years, he turned this mastery towards solving a non-cinematography-related problem.

While spending time with his 97-year-old father in various care facilities, Brown observed that many of the residents had difficulty transitioning from sitting to standing. Additionally many used walkers or, even though their legs still worked, wheelchairs, simply to make getting around easier. But the unnatural postures adopted while using these devices have negative side effects: Digestive, circulatory and skeletal systems are all impacted by stooping or sitting for longer than we’re meant to. “And there’s a social aspect, too,” Brown points out, citing how wheelchair users must constantly peer upwards to speak with standing company.

Brown wondered if he could invent something to ease the mobility of the elderly. “I made my name lifting 70 pounds of cameras,” he said. “Can I lift a 300-lb person?”

Interestingly enough, the first thing Brown thought of was the Draisine, the proto-bicycle invented in 1816:

Brown removed the pedals from a bicycle and had his dad try it out:

This did take some of the weight off, but still prompted the poor posture of using a walker, as one must lean forward to hold the handlebars. And a bike is too unwieldy to operate inside. So this was more of an experiment.

Brown pressed on and began making mockups of a mechanism, first by using toy building parts. “I’m big on experiments,” he explains. “I’ll use a humble K’NEX set if my brain can’t wrap around the way something works.”

Next he began welding and bolting together working prototypes and testing them out. From the Draisine, he kept the saddle, but got rid of just about everything else. This version below enables the user to easily transition between sitting, standing and walking:

The prototype below is more refined:

Brown put together a team and went through what look to be countless prototypes:

He’s now arrived at a finished product, called the Zeen (in homage to the Draisine).

Here’s the finished product in action:

The units are non-powered, with the lifting assist provided by gas springs.

The Zeen retails for $3,980. That places it well above the $500 to $1,500 you’d pay for a standard wheelchair, and firmly into powered wheelchair price points; but to be fair, this is a different sort of device, offering pretty different functionality, and is really in its own category.

Here’s the development story, if you’re interested:

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Canada’s Acorn Tiny Homes recently launched an innovative tiny home design that is expanding the concept of small living. Dubbed the True North Retreat, this thoughtfully designed home can squeeze up to seven people and will feature all the amenities and comfort you can expect from a tiny home. But it does have one exciting addition – a barbecue area that can be accessed from the outside.

Designer: Acorn Tiny Homes

Based on a quadruple-axle trailer, and measuring 38ft in length, the True North Retreat has an increased width of 10.6 ft, which means it will need a permit to be towed on a public road. The tiny home is finished in faux stone and metal siding, and roofing, with interesting green wall sections. The dedicated BBQ station can be accessed from the outside through a section of operable facade, and this will accommodate the gas barbecue itself, as well as a sink, fridge, and cabinetry.

You can enter the home through a standard door or glazed sliding doors. The interiors measure 546 square feet, and it houses a living room at the center, equipped with a sofa, mini-split air-conditioning system, and a coffee table. The living room seems quite spacious and comfortable, owing to the extra width. It will also feature generous glazing which allows natural light to stream in throughout the day. The kitchen is located adjacent to the living room. It has an interesting U-shape and will accommodate a quartz countertop, a fridge/freezer, an oven, a sink, a breakfast bar, and custom cabinetry.

The bathroom is located on the other side of the living room, and it includes a toilet, sink, shower, washer, and dryer. The master bedroom is situated in the raised section of the trailer and can be accessed via stairs. It has plenty of headroom to stand straight, which isn’t commonly seen in tiny homes. It also includes a double bed with integrated storage space, glazing, and wardrobe space. The home also includes two secondary bedrooms, although they are the typical loft-like spaces with low ceilings you see in traditional tiny homes. The bedrooms can be equipped with double beds or can be utilized for storage.

The post Spacious Tiny Home With A Dedicated Barbecue Area Is A Perfect Fit For Big Families first appeared on Yanko Design.