In a significant medical breakthrough, the Texas Heart Institute and BiVACOR have successfully implanted the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) in a human patient at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. This development marks a substantial advancement in treating severe heart conditions, particularly for patients with biventricular and univentricular heart failure, who are unsuitable candidates for traditional devices like left ventricular assist devices.

Designer: BiVACOR

The BiVACOR TAH features a titanium rotary blood pump utilizing magnetic levitation technology. This innovation minimizes the wear and tear commonly seen in traditional artificial hearts. With only one moving part, the TAH emulates the human heart’s function by efficiently pumping blood while reducing damage to blood cells.

The maglev technology allows the rotor inside the heart to operate without contacting other parts, reducing friction and extending the device’s lifespan. Inspired by high-speed trains, this technology enables the artificial heart to function quietly and smoothly, enhancing patient comfort. The TAH is designed to sustain patients until a suitable donor heart is available for transplant.

This successful implantation is part of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study to assess the TAH’s safety and effectiveness in real-world conditions. Daniel Timms, founder and CTO of BiVACOR, noted that this technology brings us closer to providing more options for patients ineligible for traditional heart transplants.

Heart failure is a leading cause of death worldwide, affecting millions. In the U.S. alone, about 6.2 million adults suffer from heart failure. The National Institutes of Health estimate that up to 100,000 U.S. patients could immediately benefit from mechanical heart support like the TAH.

Dr. Joseph Rogers, president and CEO of the Texas Heart Institute, emphasized the importance of this new technology. Collaborating with BiVACOR and Baylor College of Medicine, they aim to revolutionize heart failure treatment and offer new hope to patients in need.

Comparing the Titanium Maglev Heart and the Biological Heart

The titanium maglev heart looks and functions quite differently from a natural human heart. Constructed from titanium, this heart implant features a strong, metallic design, which stands in stark contrast to the soft muscle tissue of a biological heart. The maglev heart’s sleek design includes various ports and connectors that allow it to work seamlessly with medical devices. Meanwhile, a biological heart has a more organic look, with textures and colors that highlight its living nature, without the industrial elements present in the titanium heart.

BiVACOR: The Total Artificial Heart, made of titanium

Design-wise, the maglev heart appears more mechanical, with visible joints and parts tailored for specific functions, resembling a machine more than an organ. Conversely, the biological heart is smooth and compact, with chambers and valves seamlessly flowing together without sharp edges or mechanical parts.

Functionally, the maglev heart includes technology for monitoring and control, allowing for potential remote adjustments. Its ports and cables are designed to connect to external devices. In contrast, the natural heart’s connections are biological, including arteries and veins, without external interfaces.

Size-wise, the titanium maglev heart may be larger than a biological heart due to the space required for mechanical components like motors and the magnetic levitation system. A biological heart is typically more compact, fitting efficiently within the chest cavity.

The titanium maglev heart shows how science and engineering can merge to provide new solutions for patients who cannot receive a biological heart transplant. Its design and features highlight advancements in medical devices, offering a promising option for those in need.

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New York studio Pei Architects has unveiled a skyscraper in Toronto, Canada, wrapped in precast concrete balconies and above a travertine podium.

Pei Architects – founded by the two sons of modernist architect IM Pei – created the 56-storey residential tower for the Tower Hill Development in Midtown Toronto.

Designed with local studio Quadrangle Architects, the 2221 Yonge Street Tower is 593 feet high (180 metres) and has a six-storey podium, which is clad in travertine and is slightly skew from the tower.

According to Russell Masters, vice president of Tower Hill Development Corp, Pei Architects was commissioned to create a tower that would stand out in Toronto, which he described as  “the mecca of condominiums in North America, if not the world”.

This led to the concrete-forward approach of Pei Architects.

As the tower rises, it takes on a slightly hexagonal form. White precast concrete cladding surrounds the boundaries that wrap around the structure, interspersed in parts on the wide side by glass.

“We aimed to celebrate Toronto’s rich tradition of concrete architecture by creating a tower that stands out amidst the sea of glass box apartments sprouting up across the city,” Pei Architects partner Toh Tsun Lim told Dezeen.

Lim also noted that the concrete balustrades across the structure’s face are turned slightly upwards in order to increase privacy and create a “striking” effect from a distance.

“Our 56-story tower continues the esteemed legacy of Toronto’s concrete skyscrapers, echoing the bold spirit of the city’s historic landmarks,” continued Lim.

“It stands in the tradition of iconic structures like the Brutalist City Hall towers, the modernist Sheraton Centre, and the legendary CN Tower.”

In addition to the dialogue with the structures in Toronto, the studio was also forthcoming with a dedication to the legacy of IM Pei.

Though, it tried to differentiate the approach, mostly through the “dynamic and playful pattern” created by the alternation of concrete and glass in balustrades.

“Our project draws inspiration from the precast concrete apartment towers designed by IM Pei and Partners, such as Kips Bay, Society Hill, and the NYU Faculty Apartments,” said Lim.

“The inherent versatility of concrete allows us to sculpt it into a distinctive façade pattern that defines the identity of our project. While IM Pei’s original towers featured orderly, grid-like modular windows, our Toronto project takes a different approach.”

The interiors were created by local designer Alessandro Munge and feature details that reference the “neomodernist” architecture of the exterior.

For example, the lobby features monumental black room divides and a massive stone fireplace arranged around dark-toned seating elements.

“I wanted to keep the transition from the exterior into the interior very fluid and seamless,” said Munge.

The tower was completed in late 2022, though was only recently photographed.

Other skyscrapers recently completed in Toronto include a 250-metre-tall tower clad with “three-dimensional diamonds” by WilkinsonEyre.

The photography is by Kerun Ip.

Project credits:

Design architect: Pei Architects
Architect of record: Quadrangle Architects
Interior design: Alessandro Munge
Structural engineer: Jablonsky, Ast & Partners
Mechanical/electrical: United Engineering
Landscape architect: Ferris + Associates Inc
Construction manager: Toddglen Construction

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Dezeen School Shows: a textiles project which incorporates Bangladeshi weaving techniques is included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at University of the Arts London.

Also included is housing intended for artists, alongside a wardrobe which takes cues from both postmodernism and Polish design.

University of the Arts London

Institution: University of the Arts London
School: Chelsea College of Arts
Courses: BA (Hons) Fine Arts, BA (Hons) Graphic Design Communication, BA (Hons) Interior Design, BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design, BA (Hons) Textile Design, MA Curating and Collections, MA Fine Art, MA Textile Design, Graduate Diploma Fine Art, Graduate Diploma Graphic Design, Graduate Diploma Interior Design and Graduate Diploma Textile Design

School statement:

“Chelsea College of Arts has a reputation for producing some of today’s leading artists and designers.

“Our students are encouraged to radically engage with contemporary fine art and design practice. We offer fine art, design and curating courses.

“At Chelsea, we look at art and design in a social, cultural and political context. We are particularly interested in the effects of globalisation. – this could either be on the creative practice itself or its response to it.

“View our recent graduates’ work online here: UAL Showcase.

“Join our open days to learn more about Chelsea College of Arts and our courses.”

Fabricate Furniture Kit by Charlotte Hamilton

“Around 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded each year in the UK and less than one in ten people consider repairing their furnishings to extend its life span.

“Due to the endowment effect, an effect in psychology that explains the tendency to overvalue things we own or have made – making your own furniture could begin to solve the furniture waste issue.

“I created a furniture kit which makes woodworking accessible through teaching and up-skilling in order to reduce furniture waste.

“You can build your own chair, stool or table using basic woodworking skills.”

Student: Charlotte Hamilton
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design
Email: charham2807[at]gmail.com

One-1ine series by Jaeun Sim

“I am a multidisciplinary artist and researcher interested in sculptural objects.

“My work focuses on material culture as well as the customs and beliefs surrounding objects and it is intended to connect with the viewer on an individual basis.

“My furniture designs give users freshness and fun – they are produced using a new combination of materials.

“I combined weak materials, such as thread, with other materials that together create a 3D object that can support people and objects.”

Student: Jaeun Sim
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design
Email: simjaeun0503[at]gmail.com

The Flexibility of Self-identity by Jing Wang

“My project examines human actions and interactions within society to reveal how these norms influence identity.

“By focusing on daily behaviours and interactions, I highlight the profound impact of societal expectations on identity.

“Using the language of textiles, I challenge traditional definitions and showcase the diversity and flexibility of individual identity. I transform my paintings into textiles using discarded objects as references, creating mixed media drawings inspired by street scenes.

“This process involves hand-drawing human trajectories and overlaps, translating these visual elements into textile designs that challenge conventional uses and definitions.”

Student: Jing Wang
Course: BA Textile Design

Woven Figures by Anika Alamin

“Drawing from my cultural heritage, this woven textile explores the qualities of Dhaka muslin and investigates British colonial rule in Bangladesh using indigo and jute.

“British art institutions and museums are rooted in colonialism.

“The juxtaposition of European looms with the use of traditional Bangladeshi Jamdani weaving technique allows the work to respond to the space – an opportunity previously inaccessible to Bangladeshi women.

“‘Heritage’, ‘erasure’, ‘silenced’ and ‘passage’ are words collected from members of the Bangladeshi diaspora community in Brick Lane.

“These words and the names of the important women figures in my life have been recorded into the textile.”

Student: Anika Alamin
Course: Graduate Diploma Textile Design

Artefacts by Natasha Lesiakowska

“Artefacts is a monographic visual publication that responds to the details of objects, clothing and materials that represent my design practice.

“It contains a collection of visual studies that encapsulate my interests in detail; appreciating the influences that have shaped my aesthetic – where contemporary culture and interdisciplinary practices intersect.

“Artefacts are the particularities that influence my identity beyond clothing and into design.

“It embraces the archive, forming an unconventional self-portrait and a catalogue of my design identity.”

Student: Natasha Lesiakowska
Course: BA Graphic Design Communication
Email: contact[at]natashalesiakowska.com

Memories with a Shelf Life by Drishya Subramaniam

“In a future where current traditions and cultures are affected by globalisation, how can design intervene to preserve and shape cultures for generations ahead?

“Memories with a Shelf Life began as I moved from India to the United Kingdom, sparking my quest to reconnect with my cultural heritage.

“While similarities surfaced, profound differences emerged, shaped by the legacy of colonisation.

“This fusion of cultures mirrors the transformative effects of contemporary globalisation, which allows individuals to freely adopt elements from diverse cultures.

“Ultimately, my work explores heritage conservation and the enduring nature of cultural identity in the face of globalisation.”

Student: Drishya Subramaniam
Course: Graduate Diploma Graphic Design
Email: subramaniam.drishya[at]gmail.com

Sky City by Yehang Chen

“Skateboarding is an extreme sport and its essence is actually a subculture.

“In every society, there are impacts and changes produced by the dominant culture in the face of subcultures.

“My project is mainly a venue for subcultural group activities, but the theme of the whole venue is still about skateboarding.

“The interior of the building contains a skateboarding venue, an accommodation venue, bar, restaurant, a stage and other functions.

“I referenced the flow that skateboarding has in the shape of the building.”

Student: Yehang Chen
Course: Graduate Diploma Interior Design
Email: y.chen0576[at]qq.com

The Artist Neighbourhood by Daniel Bentley

“The Artist Neighbourhood is all about autonomy; designed to insert artists into spaces that typically exclude them.

“Essentially, the project provides a home in the heart of Soho for artists, where creative camaraderie is fostered by a flexible, sociable environment.

“Graduates and students live in one of eighty-seven self-contained flats, above fourteen studios on the ground and first floor.

“Talent is shared between residents in collaborative settings that demystify creative industries.

“Affordability and accessibility are paramount to the neighbourhood’s fabric; considerate, compact design and an innovative financial model makes urban living a reality for young creatives.”

Student: Daniel Bentley
Course: BA Interior Design
Email: danielbentley[at]danielbentley.design

Post War Drobe by Maria Gil

“The idea of ‘Post War Drobe’ is to reimagine Polish design history, envisioning an alternative reality where postmodernism had the chance to exist.

“While in the west in the late 20th century a movement of playful experimentation in design was flourishing, Polish design faced challenges due to economic and political crises.

“Combining contrasting rebar and fabric, often used as substitutes for traditional furniture materials due to resource shortages, post war drobe references classical wardrobes from before world war two.

“It mourns the lost cultural heritage, destroyed and looted from Poland during the war.”

Student: Maria Gil
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design
Email: mary[at]gheell.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and University of the Arts London. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Eating outside, whether at an al fresco restaurant, the beach, backyard, or park, is one of the best ways to bond with loved ones. However, your greatest enemy there are the insects that fly and crawl around, particularly flies. You can shoo them away using fans but that is pretty inconvenient and tiring. Having a device to shoo them away would be the best thing to have.

Designer: Andrew Smith

The ShooAway is a fly repellent fan that has one job: to keep flies away from your food. The best thing is that it is 100% chemical free so you know your food is safe not just from insects but from other harmful elements. It can also work not just outdoors but indoors as well. You can place in on the table or even directly over a plate of food without worrying about anything.

The device is battery-powered and the fan blades themselves are safe since they are soft and will automatically stop if it happens to touch your hand. There are also dots on the blades which are their patented Holographamatic Repel Dots. They shoo away the flies because of the movement of the blades and also the refracting light which apparently they hate.

The on-guard fly swisher can work as long as it has battery so you don’t need to worry about it running out when you’re in the middle of a meal. So instead of your arms getting tired from shooing flies away, you can just get tired from eating all that delicious food.

The post Fly repellent fan is the safest way to keep flies away from your food first appeared on Yanko Design.

Promotion: car brand Bentley has unveiled the most powerful road car it has ever produced, updated with several new design elements.

The new Continental GT is the company’s first high performance car with a V8 hybrid engine. This milestone is described by Bentley as “a landmark moment” in the brand’s 105 year history.

“It is an engineering masterpiece,” said Markus Thiel, Bentley’s research and development director for vehicle motion.

The car has been designed to be sleeker, with simpler lines compared to other performance cars. It also appears wider and planted closer to the ground. The company said it set out to create “a completely new face” with “a more modern approach”.

The new look has been achieved by a composite of several new elements, most strikingly new headlamps, tail lamps, bumpers and grilles.

The most significant upgrade, however, is under the bonnet, stressed Thiel.

“We wanted to do something no other luxury car manufacturer had achieved so far,” said Thiel. “Could a hybrid electric car also offer the thrill of a performance petrol car?”

Thiel said the creation of a new powertrain (the mechanism that propels a vehicle) was a breakthrough in the development of the car and accelerated the process to reaching its goals.

The new powertrain has been pivotal in creating the most powerful car Bentley has ever produced, according to Thiel.

The Continental GT can reach a top speed of 208 miles per hour and be driven for 50 miles on a single charge. It isn’t just the speed or the acceleration that’s most striking about this car, he added.

“We measure speed, power, torque and the range of the battery,” he said. “What we can’t quantify is the emotion a car can bring, and I think this is the most incredible aspect of this car.”

“If I’m honest, I really didn’t expect the extent of emotion this car could deliver when we started to build a plug-in hybrid,” said Thiel.

He cited a critical moment after “several intense months”, during the first ever test of the new prototype. It took place on the race track on the island of Anglesey in north Wales.

“Up until that point the team knew they were working on a groundbreaking powertrain but were unsure on how it would perform,” said Thiel.

The results surpassed the expectations of the team, he said.

“We were taken aback immediately and thought: ‘This is massive!’ The balance was so good, the car felt much quicker than we expected. It was an emotional moment.”

From that point, Thiel said his team were locked in a tense 30 week period with a series of technical iterations and testing.

“There is always pressure to deliver a car on time, but we were innovating on so many fronts with this as well,” he added.

Testing was carried out in different conditions varying from Germany’s autobahn, an iced over lake in northern Sweden and a gruelling safety test in New Zealand during the southern hemisphere’s winter months.

To test the capability of the new hybrid engine, the team drove the GT 28 miles up Mount Evans, the highest mountain in Colorado – an altitude of 4,307 metres.

Reflecting on the history of iconic Bentley GTs and the goals the company sought with its new model, Thiel said: “I’m quite an optimistic guy. Maybe some people would say naive but there is a history at Bentley of doing ambitious things.”

“I believe the new GT has also achieved something amazing and I can’t wait to see people experiencing it.”

Partnership content

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

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