On 14 March 1935 in the Bronx, New York, a man named Frank Spano was shot to death in front of his 12-year-old son Dominick. John Guerrieri, the man who held the gun, was their neighbor and father to Dominick’s friend—and would later…
Sundog Creative Director, Michal Hrk and solidThinking have got together to bring you a free webinar on how to move from an initial sketch, explore styling alternatives, and visualize new products with realistic renderings, before exporting the digital models required by others in the product development process. The event will last for about 1 hour, including the Q & A session.
Michal will demo a typical workflow with solidThinking Evolve v9.5 — Single User License – a key tool in their design process. I had the opportunity to ask Michal a few questions myself, and here they are:
Me: As a designer, what is the biggest challenge that you face while using the computer vs a sketchbook
Michal: I am quite particular when it comes to every detail of the product. I have a picture in my mind that I want to come to as close to as possible. Sketchbook is where I hash out the final idea behind a surface or shape before I move into 3D. In a computer things don’t usually come together as planned, sometimes the simplest surfaces are the toughest to create. But what the computer and solidThinking gives me is the ability to find alternatives and sometimes better end result.
Me: How has solidThinking Software helped you in your quest for perfection?
Michal: The ability to communicate even the smallest intricacies with people across the world. If picture is worth a thousand words, an exported STP file that I share with our manufacturers is worth ten thousand. They can see exactly what the intent of a particular design is.
Me: Can you share 2 of the most important tips and tricks that you discovered while using the solidThinking Evolve?
The construction tree provides a huge flexibility in modifying geometry far into the modelling process.
And the “Intersect” tool which is probably my most used tool.
This concrete house in Tokyo was designed by Japanese firm Apollo Architects & Associates for a family that regularly accommodates foreign exchange students (+ slideshow).
As well as two bedrooms and a large family living room for the house’s main occupants, Apollo Architects & Associates included a pair of guest bedrooms that open out to a private terrace at the front of the house.
“One of the key design concepts is to respect the privacy of the family and guests to achieve comfortable and relaxing lifestyles,” said studio principal Satoshi Kurosaki.
The terrace is invisible to people passing on the street because it is hidden behind stainless steel louvres, which interrupt the raw concrete that otherwise dominates the house’s exterior walls.
“The authentic and solid materiality of concrete is contrasted by sharp stainless steel louvres and this facade gives a touch of elegance to the streetscape of the neighbourhood,” added Kurosaki.
Named Calm, the three-storey residence is located in Bunkyo, just north of central Tokyo.
Rooms are arranged around a courtyard in the south-east corner of the building. On the ground floor, it sits adjacent to a music room and a traditional Japanese room that can also function as a spare bedroom.
Sliding doors allow all three spaces to open out to one another, as well as to the entrance hall and dining room behind.
“The floor can be used as a large open space welcoming many guests on occasions such as lectures, parties and more,” said the architect.
Balconies overlook the courtyard from the first and second floors above, plus a steel staircase connects it with a terrace on the roof of the building.
The living and dining room occupies the majority of the second floor, creating a space big enough to host a large group. A kitchen lined with mosaic tiles runs alongside and is lit from above by a narrow rectangular skylight.
Guests also have access to a separate bathroom, which is located on the ground floor.
Photography is by Masao Nishikawa.
Here’s a project description from Apollo Architects:
Calm
This three-story residence is designed to function not only as a house but as a guesthouse that occasionally accommodates foreign guests and exchange students. It is made of concrete using wood formworks composed of 40mm-wide cedar.
The authentic and solid materiality of concrete is contrasted by sharp stainless steel louvres covering the second floor window, and this facade gives a touch of elegance to the streetscape of the neighbourhood. Louvres effectively provide security and privacy at the same time.
On the first floor, a Japanese-style room, which is used as guest room, is located in the back. It is attached to a courtyard enveloped in exposed concrete walls with inscribed horizontal patterns of cedar formworks. By opening the sliding doors, it is seamlessly connected to open space facing the street.
The first floor can be used as a large open space welcoming many guests on occasions such as lectures, parties and more. Toilets and bathrooms for guests are located next to the entrance hall. A soundproof music studio is located at the end of the entrance hall. It is illuminated with soft natural light from the courtyard filtering through the translucent glass facade.
On the second floor, main bedroom and child’s room are located adjacent to the courtyard. Each room has a private courtyard and individual or common bathroom attached. One of the key design concepts is to respect privacy of the family and guests to achieve comfortable and relaxing life styles.
Spacious family room with an attached bathroom is provided on the third floor. By fully opening up wide stainless steel windows, the interior space is integrated with the courtyard of exposed concrete. One can access the roof balcony by exterior stairs from the third floor.
Our goal is to create an ultimate space for relaxation, like a hotel lobby or a salon, where one can feel free to enjoy himself/herself and appreciate elegant Joseon Dynasty-style furniture and art works that are placed here and there.
The interior and the exterior merge into each other at intermediate zones, and the host and the guests gather in harmony. This very atmosphere represents the warm welcoming hospitality of the Japanese culture.
Architecture: Satoshi Kurosaki/APOLLO Architects & Associates Location: Bunkyo ward, Tokyo Date of Completion: April 2013 Principal Use: Private Housing
Le designer Taïwanais Yenwen Tseng nous propose un horloge surprenante. Appelée Big Hands Clock, cette création et ce concept cherche à explorer la perception du temps, avec des aiguilles aux largeurs différentes. Un projet intéressant à découvrir en images dans la suite de l’article.
In this series, Matthew Sullivan (AQQ Design) highlights some designers that you should know, but might not. Previously, he looked at the work of Jacques Adnet.
Martino Gamper: Born in Merano, Italy, 1971
So many design movements have come and gone in recent times, with each new one obfuscating or damning the previous, that we are often left to think that replacement (and probably a relativistic stasis) is all there is. It can seem like there is no genuine, conscientious dialogue; that the child is impervious to the parent. Whether this is an entrenched biological strategy of evolution or simply not seeing the forest for the trees is not for me to know, but . . . the feeling is certainly a drag.
Countering this tendency and this feeling is possible, but it would require a particular intelligence and temperament, a standalone perspective with buoyancy and perhaps joyousness. This person would need to have a conversational and extemporal technique for problem-solving, not inclined towards specious, ex nihilo design innovations.
Martino Gamper is such an empathic and curious personage, and is a fair and welcome exception for our times.
Above: Gamper’s 2010 Vigna chair for Magis (left) and a chair from the exhibition Tu Casa, Mi Casa, now on view at the Modern Institute in Glasgow, Scotland. Top image: three chairs from Gamper’s 100 Chairs in 100 Days series
Add a little humor to the holiday season by presenting friends and loved ones with a reason to laugh in the form of a useful object. From Perks and Mini’s Carefree Willy keychain to Muffin Top muffin cups, or the gift everyone can get involved in—Cards Against Humanity—here are 10…
We’ve teamed up with V-MODA to give one lucky duck the Crossfade M-100 headphones. I’ve been using V-MODA for years and although I review many headphones, I always come back to my Crossfades. The build quality is exceptional, the cord never tangles, and it looks menacingly minimalistic. How to win? Leave a comment below. I wanna know why you deserve it. Open to North Americans only. Ends this Wednesday the 11th.
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (V-MODA Giveaway! was originally posted on Yanko Design)
News: a tower under construction in Miami by Porsche Design and Dezer Development is to feature car elevators, allowing some of the world’s wealthiest people to park right next to their living rooms (+ slideshow).
The sixty-storey Porsche Design Tower will feature three automobile lifts to transport vehicles up to “sky garages” integrated into each of the 132 units.
Twenty-two billionaires – just under two percent of the world’s total – have already purchased property in the tower according to The Atlantic Cities.
“Featuring the level of superlative quality and groundbreaking ingenuity synonymous with Porsche Design’s iconic style, buyers understand the unprecedented value of these properties,” said Porsche Design CEO Juergen Gessler about the first real estate venture for the company.
Located in Sunny Isles Beach, a seaside district north of Miami, the cylindrical design developed by Dezer Development will rise 198 metres from the shoreline.
Depending on their size, units will have two to four garages that will be visible through glass walls inside the apartments. Resident’s vehicles will be washed and maintained by a concierge service.
The residences will include double-height spaces with ocean views, with plunge pools and outdoor kitchens on expansive balconies. Other amenities in the tower will include a spa, a cinema, a game room and a seafront ballroom.
Construction began in April 2013 and the first residents are predicted to move in during early 2016.
$214 Million Construction Loan Secured for Porsche Design Tower
Largest loan for a single construction project in the Southeast United States
New York/South Florida-based Dezer Development today announced that it had closed a $214 million loan from Wells Fargo for construction of the iconic Porsche Design Tower Miami, located in Sunny Isles Beach. It is the largest loan approved for a major construction project in the Southeast United States since the real estate recession, and exponentially larger than any post-recession loan of its kind in South Florida. At $214 million, it is almost 30 percent larger than the previous largest substantive construction loan for a South Florida project since the recovery began.
The 132-residence, 60-story, ultra-luxury Porsche Design condominium tower is located at 18555 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. The project has already secured $535 million in sales – representing over two-thirds of the units – far exceeding the benchmarks for securing the loan. Sell-out of the remaining units is anticipated to occur towards the end of the year at the current absorption rates. The building’s expansive residences range in size from 4800 to 17000 square feet and are priced from $4.8 million to $32.5 million. The building is slated for occupancy first quarter of 2016.
“This is extremely positive news for real estate financing and the recovery of the residential real estate market in South Florida,” says Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Development. “It is also a testament to how this one-of-a-kind project has been received by our buyers, as well as the lending community.”
“The opportunity to be part of Porsche Design’s first-of-its-kind real estate venture has been paramount to our sales success,” says Juergen Gessler, CEO Porsche Design Group. “Featuring the level of superlative quality and groundbreaking ingenuity synonymous with Porsche Design’s Iconic Style, buyers understand the unprecedented value of these properties.”
Reflecting the Porsche Design luxury brand’s hallmarks of technical innovation, forward-thinking and its timeless Iconic Style, the Porsche Design Tower Miami features a one-of-a-kind automobile lift system which will allow owners to park their vehicles in “sky garages” directly next to their units. While typically a luxury reserved for the most elite of penthouses, the building features plunge pools and outdoor summer kitchens on the balconies in almost every unit which completes the feel of the sky residence.
Other incomparable building amenities include a state-of-the-art spa equipped with treatment rooms featuring Vichy showers, sunset terrace complemented with twin over-sized spa tubs, an oceanfront ballroom and multipurpose clubrooms including a movie theatre and game room, and a Car Concierge who will tend to a resident’s vehicle, by assisting with regular maintenance, tire rotations, washing and other services.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
Above: Gamper’s 2010 
