Hasta La Ideas

Welsh designer Kieren Jones has devised a concept for harnessing the destructive power of erupting volcanoes by using lava flows to cast components for buildings.

Having discovered that the current method for controlling lava from the world’s most volatile volcanoes is to redirect it using huge concrete barriers or cool it with sea water, Kieren Jones developed an alternative scenario in which the lava pours into casting beds excavated in the shape of structural building blocks.

“Not only would these casting beds protect the population at the base of the volcanoes but they will also provide them with a constructive material in which to aid the recovery of a community post eruption,” Jones explained.

The designer believes that the accuracy with which volcanic activity can be predicted using sophisticated geological data could enable the casting beds to be positioned at the most effective points to capture the molten rock.

“Lava as a material is naturally light and thermally insulating and has the potential to be a strong building block,” said Jones.

Models of 16 of the world’s most active and researched volcanoes, known as the Decade Volcanoes, were presented alongside drawings and scale models at an exhibition called Blanks in Between, curated by Workshop for Potential Design during this year’s London Design Festival.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

The Volcano Project
By Kieren Jones

In 2013 there are 16 volcanoes that have been identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior of being of particular interest to study due to their history of destructive eruption and proximity to populated areas – these 16 volcanoes are known as the Decade Volcanoes.

Traditionally people have toyed with living at the base of volcanoes, as the ground is highly fertile fuelled by the ash and molten lava of past eruptions. Within the immense destruction of these often vast and bubbling mounds lies potential for a constructive future.

The United Nations are currently able to predict with relative accuracy when each Decade Volcano is likely to erupt and determine the direction in which the lava will flow. At present the method for mitigating the destruction of lava flows is to place large concrete blocks in the predicted path of the flowing lava and spraying it with sea water in order to try and cool this molten material.

Intrigued by the potential that these destructive happenings have and keen to find a way to harness this powerful flow into something constructive I have been investigating the potential of creating architectures from the flowing lava. Lava as a material is naturally light and thermally insulating and has the potential to be a strong building block. In fact the early Romans created some vast domed structures using this molten material.

Therefore instead of placing large concrete blocks in its path, I propose to create large casting beds into which the lava can flow, creating building blocks for future shelters. Not only would these casting beds protect the population at the base of the volcanoes but they will also provide them with a constructive material in which to aid the recovery of a community post eruption.

On the occasion of the Blanks in Between exhibition during the London Design Festival 2013, I presented a series of experiments and investigations into the potential that the Decade Volcanoes have to build future architectures providing constructive solutions out of natural destruction.

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by Kieren Jones appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in this movie filmed during London Design Festival, leading figures from London and abroad explore the pros and cons of working in the city and discuss the threats to its status as one of the major design centres of the world.

“London is the most international and vibrant city there is, probably worldwide,” says Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, who lived in London for three years.

Eero Koivisto of Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune agrees. “It’s truly multicultural in the same way New York is,” he says.

Patrizia Moroso, creative director of Italian brand Moroso, describes the city as “a sort of belly of the world.”

She explains: “Many young people, people from all over the world, are attracted [to the city] because London is open.”

Being an open city is one of the key reasons for its success, argues Kieran Long, senior curator at the V&A Museum.

“London has always been a place that is incredibly tolerant of new things,” he says. “The city is based on immigration.”

Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic agrees. “London is a remarkably successful place for attracting really smart, bright, gifted young designers,” he claims.

However, Sudjic warns that it can also be a difficult place for young designers to start up: “London is a very expensive place to be. You might find yourself migrating right out to the external edges of the city.”

“Production is not the most amazing,” adds Hayon. “You’ve got to travel a lot when you’re based in London and that’s costly and it’s complicated if you’re setting up a business.”

“Many young, fresh designers come from London, but you don’t have many strong brands,” observes Mimi Lindau of Swedish furniture brand Blå Station.

Sudjic agrees: “London has based its success on 150 years of having great art schools,” he says. “[Designers] come to study here and lots of them stay and build a practice, not necessarily based on clients here, but on clients around the world.”

London’s schools are one of the major reasons for the proliferation of architects based in the city, claims Alex de Rijke, co-founder of architects de Rijke Marsh Morgan and dean of architecture at the Royal College of Art.

“We’re spoilt for good schools for architecture here,” he says. “The overly large proportion of architects in London is obviously because the education system has been strong here.”

However, he adds a note of warning: “Schools are coming under threat from a lack of government funding.”

In September, the UK government announced changes to immigration rules that make it more difficult for international students to extend their leave to remain in the country once their course ends.

Long claims the move could endanger London’s status as one of the world’s leading design centres.

“Any political agenda that tries to limit the influx of international students to the UK is a disaster,” he says. “It’s a disaster for the schools, it’s a disaster for design culture here because, let’s face it, there’s no manufacturing here, there’s nothing else. What we are is a crossroads for great creative people.”

He continues: “We should keep London as open a city as it can be.”

See our earlier story on how the UK’s new immigration laws will affect design »

Sudjic agrees that London should not take its position in the design world for granted. “Design is a very competitive process, lot’s of places want to be the design capital of the world,” he says.

“London is a great place to be, but it can’t be complacent. It has to go on being interesting and attracting new people, smart people, and getting them to stay.”

We travelled around London in our MINI Cooper S Paceman. The music featured in the movie is a track called Temple by London band Dead Red Sun.

See all our Dezeen and MINI World Tour movies »
See all our stories about London Design Festival 2013 »

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great creative people” appeared first on Dezeen.

Product news: originally designed for a Shoreditch restaurant, this chair by London studio Very Good & Proper has now gone into production.

Very Good and Proper‘s MT Club Chair was designed for Shoreditch restaurant Merchants Tavern.

The dining chair is constructed from a soft moulded shell with bent plywood legs. It is available in either leather or pure wool and can be customised on request.

The chair launched at trade fair 100% Design as part of London Design Festival 2013 – see our roundup of highlights here.

Other products that featured at London Design Festival include a glass blown lamp with a digitally created lozenge pattern and a four-tier shelving unit with bulging leather shelves.

Very Good & Proper also designed the furniture for London restaurant chain Canteen and fitted out the interior of its Covent Garden branch.

See more chair designs »
See more furniture designs »
See all our coverage of London Design Festival »

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Very Good & Proper appeared first on Dezeen.

Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle has created a carafe and set of tumblers printed with fine black lines that overlap to create a moiré effect when the pieces are clustered together.

Each item in the Cumulo collection by Liliana Ovalle is decorated with fanned-out linear patterns that become finer as they radiate outwards, creating a cross-hatching effect where they reach round to the other side and can be seen through the layers of glass.

“The glasses and carafe acquire a more complex three-dimensionality when combined together,” said Ovalle. “As the patterns overlap in various arrangements, the accumulation of lines reveals hidden depths and densities.”

The prototypes were blown in borosilicate glass. They were exhibited at the Okay Studio & Friends exhibition in Ben Sherman‘s Mod_ular Blanc event space during London Design Festival last month, along with opaline glassware by Mathias Hahn and a circular mirror with a large brass weight by Hunting & Narud.

Having graduated from London’s Royal College of Art in 2006, Ovalle joined the Okay Studio design collective in 2011 and continues to operate from their space close to the Dezeen offices in Stoke Newington – see more projects by Okay Studio designers.

Ovalle also presented a series of clay vessels based on the geological phenomenon of sinkholes as part of a group show at Gallery Libby Sellers in London for the festival.

See more work by Liliana Ovalle »
See all our coverage of London Design Festival 2013 »

Photography is courtesy of the designer.

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Liliana Ovalle appeared first on Dezeen.

London designer Benjamin Hubert created a screen of branching modular structures to surround the auditorium at trade show 100% Design during the London Design Festival (+ movie).

Called Amass, the modular system comprises three different components that can be configured in several orientations.

“The branched form of Amass was inspired by the controlled randomness found in nature and the building blocks of life,” said Benjamin Hubert.

For 100% Design, 46,000 pieces were hung in curtains around the stage and seating area to create a permeable visual barrier defining the space.

“The brief called for a visually iconic space that would create a reference point within 100% Design,” Hubert explained.

“Based on observations from previous years, the auditorium needed to accommodate an audience for the seminar programme without excluding passers-by.”

Although other modular plastic partitions already exist on the market – Algue by the Bouroullec Brothers perhaps being the best-known example – Hubert points out that his system can be used to create structural compositions like walls and corners as well as simple curtains.

“Amass was created to build architectural structure as apposed to other modular plastic products, which only act as simple curtains or dividers,” he said.

“The Amass geometry allows for walls of varying thickness and corners to be created, forming three-dimensional structures.”

The parts are made of injection-moulded polypropylene, which can be recycled, but they are also reusable.

“Each year, trade shows reportedly generate more than 600,000 tonnes of waste, much of which comes from the exhibition design and structure,” Hubert noted.

After an event using his system, the whole installation can be taken apart and reassembled elsewhere.

Following its debut hosting the talks programme at 100% Design, the product will be made available for space division in commercial and contract interiors. It has applications ranging in scale from one square metre to over 100 square metres.

100% deign took place from 18 to 21 September as part of the London Design Festival, and also featured a pavilion made from 1500 metres of undulating paper strips.

Elsewhere at the festival, Hubert showed his expanded Pelt collection of furniture for De La Espada and what he claims is the world’s lightest timber table as part of a solo show at Aram Gallery.

See more design by Benjamin Hubert »
See more coverage of London Design Festival 2013 »

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for 100% Design appeared first on Dezeen.