Dezeen’s review of the year: September 2013

Rafael Viñoly's Walkie Talkie "melts cars"

Rafael Viñoly’s Walkie Talkie skyscraper in London stole the limelight when it reflected the September sun onto cars parked nearby and caused them to melt.

CGI artist predicted
CGI artist predicted “Walkie Scorchie” effect a year ago

Walkie Scorchie

The tower was re-nicknamed the Walkie Scorchie for this “death-ray” effect, which a CGI artist declared he predicted a year before it struck.

“We made a lot of mistakes with this building” says Walkie Scorchie architect Viñoly

Viñoly himself then admitted he knew the problem would occur, but said he didn’t realise the beam would be so hot.

“I’m working with five architects at a time” – Kanye West

Kanye West

In an interview on BBC Radio 1, Kanye West revealed he is frustrated he’s not taken seriously as a “real designer” and that he plans to move into architecture.

Peter Saville to design identity for Kanye West
Peter Saville to design identity for Kanye West

Peter Saville announced he is working with West to create a new visual identity for the rapper, who asked Saville to “do a YSL” for him.

Paul Smith Albemarle Street store facade by 6a Architects
Paul Smith Albemarle Street store facade by 6a Architects

Most popular

The cast-iron facade of Paul Smith’s Albemarle Street store in London received the most views in September.

Khopoli House by SPASM Design Architects
Khopoli House by SPASM Design Architects

Also popular was a holiday home in India constructed from concrete with local basalt stone mixed in.

Small House by Unemori Architects
Small House by Unemori Architects

Paper-thin shutters fold out from the walls of the narrow timber house in Tokyo that was in third place.

Serpentine Sackler Gallery by Zaha Hadid
Serpentine Sackler Gallery by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid’s Serpentine Sackler Gallery extension in London’s Kensington Gardens also got a lot of hits.

Forest House in the City by Studio Velocity
Forest House in the City by Studio Velocity

A bright white house in Japan designed with a squashed diamond shape to maximise space without overlooking the neighbours finished off the top five.

Endless Stair by dRMM
Endless Stair by dRMM

Dezeen’s month

The London Design Festival took place in our home city, so we were out and about reporting from the various exhibitions and installations like the Escher-style staircases outside the Tate Modern gallery.

3D-printed gun at the V&A museum
3D-printed gun at the V&A museum

The installation’s designer Alex de Rijke explained the project in a movie we filmed for our Dezeen and MINI World Tour, for which we also spoke to Kieran Long about why the V&A museum acquired the first 3D-printed gun.

Dezeen's responsive site is live!
Dezeen’s responsive site is live!

Long joined our list of Opinion columnists along with Dan Hill, Alexandra Lange and Justin McGuirk in September, and we also launched a mobile-friendly responsive version of our site.

See all our stories from September 2013 »

The post Dezeen’s review of the year: September 2013 appeared first on Dezeen.

No Responses to “Dezeen’s review of the year: September 2013”

Post a Comment