Lina Ghotmeh designs Serpentine Pavilion as a space for "people to get together"

Architect Lina Ghotmeh discusses her design for this year’s Serpentine Pavilion in London, in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen for the gallery.

Set to take the form of a timber shelter housing a concentric table for visitors to congregate around, Ghotmeh’s pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens will open to the public next Friday – 9 June 2023.

The pavilion will be open to the public in June. Image by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, courtesy of Serpentine Galleries

Ghotmeh is the 22nd architect to be commissioned for the Serpentine Pavilion. She designed the structure, named Named À table, as a space for exchange and celebration.

“The pavilion emerges around this concentric table that allows people to get together,” said Ghotmeh.

“[It’s] named À table, which is the French call to get together around the same table,” she explained. “When you’re young your parents would tell you to come down and get together to eat, discuss.”

Ghotmeh is based in Paris. Photo courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture

The architect described her design philosophy when creating the structure as “archaeology of the future”

“Archaeology of the future is a concept that I came up with early on in my studies of architecture,” she told Dezeen. “It’s a way of looking at architecture as a constant research of traces, of elements coming from various disciplines, that are synthesised into space,” she continued.

“Growing up in Beirut, a city that has been constantly rebuilt after the war, growing up in the city [I was] imagining spaces and completing spaces, because sometimes you would see a ruin and imagine how would this be completed, to be finished as a building?”

“The structure is like a leaf. If you look in a microscope at a leaf, if you will see this main vein,” she added.

The pavilion takes the form of a timber shelter housing a circular table. Image by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, courtesy of Serpentine Galleries

The pavilion will be made predominantly from timber, with an emphasis on bio-sourced and low carbon materials.

“The pavilion is really just composed of this cantilevering beam built in wood.” Ghotmeh explained. “As we speak today that pavilion is being built – you can see the skeleton being built, almost like a spider actually, like an organic being sitting and emerging from the site.”

“I’m really looking forward to see it finished, and also to see people inhabiting it and creating a community,” she added.

The pavilion will house 25 tables and 57 stools crafted from oak. Image by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture

Ghotmeh is the latest architect to be commissioned to design the pavilion. Her first major commission was designing the Estonian National Museum, near the city of Tartu.

Working with Paris-based architecture office Dorell Ghotmeh Tane (DGT), Ghotmeh won the competition to design the museum in 2005 alongside DGT co-founders Dan Dorell and Tsuyoshi Tane. The museum opened in late 2016.

The 34,000-square-metre museum has a wedged shape, with a huge slanted roof that evokes the old airbase that used to occupy the site.

Ghotmeh’s Estonian National Museum is the largest in the Baltic States. Image by Takuji Shimmura

The ramp-like form was intended to evoke the country’s emerging history, as it “takes of” into a new future.

Floor-to-ceiling glass panels make up the walls of the structure, allowing plenty of natural light into the exhibition spaces, alongside a sheltered courtyard.

Ghotmeh’s more recent projects include her Stone Garden housing project in Beirut and the Maroquinerie de Louviers workshop for fashion brand Hermès.

The Stone Garden housing project is located in the Al Marfa’a district in Beirut. 

Stone Garden is an apartment block located in Beiruit, Lebanon, completed shortly after the Beirut explosion in 2020. The project was named architecture project of the year at Dezeen Awards 2021.

The building was constructed from a mix of cement and local earth, and the facade was hand-combed by local artisans to create a ridged effect. Apartments are accompanied by deep-set balconies which act as gardens for residents. The block also houses an art platform.

Ghotmeh wanted the building to reflect the character of Beirut, moving away from a traditional Western canon of architecture. The apartment block is notable for it’s use of Lebanese and Middle Eastern aesthetics, bringing to mind natural structures such as the Pigeons’ Rock on the coast of Beiruit, as well as ancient structures such as the city of Shibam in Yemen.

The shape of the building also references the brand's famous square silk scarves.
The form of the architect’s workshop for Hermès references the brand’s silk scarves. Image by Iwan Baan

Ghotmeh’s most recent project is a brick workshop situated in Louviers, France, designed for the luxury fashion brand Hermès.

The  6,200-square-metre workshop is designed to house 260 leatherwork artisans. The building is characterised by large swooping brick arches, which are intended to invoke the movements of a leaping horse.

The building is notable for being the first industrial building to achieve France’s highest environmental labelling, the E4C2 label.

The workshop is heated using geothermal energy from 13 probes that reach a depth of 150 metres, in addition to 2,300 square metres of solar panels. The interior of the structure is designed in order to utilise as much natural light and ventilation as possible, limiting energy needs.

Ghotmeh’s Serpentine Pavilion follows last year’s Black Chapel, which was designed by artist and designer Theaster Gates. Previous Serpentine Pavilions have been built by architects such as Frida EscobedoBjarke Ingels and Sou Fujimoto.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for the Serpentine Galleries as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Ross Gardam features an array of lighting designs on Dezeen Showroom

Glass lamp on table

Dezeen Showroom: Australian designer Ross Gardam has listed a selection of lighting designs on Dezeen Showroom, including a table lamp with a Brutalism-informed composition made from glass.

The Vestige lamp was created in collaboration with Australian artisan and glass artist Peter Kovacsy, who creates sculptures that take cues from the wild and remote landscapes of Western Australia.

Cloudy white lamp on dark background
The sculptural Vestige lamp is made from crystal glass

An upright, rectilinear shaped block sits on top of a slim base made from raw aluminium and supports a hemispherical block that acts in the same way as a traditional lampshade.

The geometric composition is bolstered by a conical dimmer that sits on the lamp’s wire, allowing the strength of the lighting element inside to be easily adjusted.

Ceto Circlet chandelier by Ross Gardam in an open living space with a green sofa
Circular lights line a round frame in the Ceto Circlet statement pendant light

Another lighting fixture with rounded features, Ceto Circlet comprises a circular aluminium frame studded at regular intervals with rippled, hand-blown glass lights.

The piece is designed to be suspended from ceilings horizontally and is available in several colour options.

Black and white table lamps on white background
Mene is designed to look weightless

The Mene collection includes both a pendant and table lamp that share soft, rippling glass shades.

Lamps come in either black or white with clear and frosted finishes available in both colours, and emit a soft, warm glow when in use.

Noctiluca light by Ross Gardam
Noctiluca is hung vertically

Noctiluca is also available in two monochromatic finishes, presenting 32 individual Ceto light fixtures mounted onto a wheel-like aluminium chassis.

Each lamp is assembled by hand in the company’s studio and makes for an eye-catching focal point.

Chandelier in concrete interior
Volant has a minimalistic appearance

The brand’s Volant pendant light has a striking composition made up of vertical and horizontal rods with tubular lamp shades threaded onto and hung from them.

The light was designed to appear as if it was in motion despite being static and comes in a range of metal and glass finishes to suit a host of interior schemes.

Volant chandelier by Ross Gardam
Tubes act as lampshades threaded onto horizontal bars

Ross Gardam is an Australian brand that designs and manufactures lighting, furniture and homeware with an emphasis on traditional craftsmanship and innovative materials.

The brand was founded in 2010 and is based in Melbourne, Australia.

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

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Copenhagen in Common exhibition shows the city's best and worst architecture

Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre

An exhibition has opened at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen filled with models that explore the history and future of the city’s buildings and landscapes.

Copenhagen in Common tells the story of the Danish capital’s successful architecture and urban design, but also identifies the challenges facing designers working in the city today.

With the city named by UNESCO as the World Capital of Architecture for 2023, hosting the UIA World Congress of Architects in July, the exhibition aims to not just highlight the city’s successes but also its issues.

Hanging tree branches in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
Copenhagen in Common is on show at the Danish Architecture Center

“As the port of Copenhagen has become more attractive, it has also attracted investment, and new apartment blocks and offices are rising along the harbourfront as never before,” said curator Sara Hatla Krogsgaard.

“Analyses show that, over the past decade, natural space per capita has fallen for Copenhageners,” she told Dezeen.

At the heart of the exhibition is a digital model that charts Copenhagen’s development since 1947, when the municipality released its Five Finger Plan urban strategy, up to the present day.

City model in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
The exhibition centres around a digital city model

This reveals some of the city’s most successful development schemes and those that have “made blood boil”.

Highlighted projects include Kalvebod Brygge, a waterside office, hospitality and office complex that has been criticised for forming a wall between the harbourfront and the streets.

“It was devastating to see how unused areas along the quayside, formerly serving as common free spaces for Copenhageners, disappeared as the docklands turned into business,” explained Krogsgaard.

“On the other hand, it was also the catalyst for people in the city to begin discussing architecture. It created a new awareness,” she said.

Kastrup Sea Bath model in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
Architecture models include Kastrup Sea Bath designed by White Arkitekter

The exhibition features both scale models and full-size architectural fragments, revealing key details from some of the city’s most successful new additions.

Scale models include Kastrup Sea Bath, a circular pier-style building designed by White Arkitekter, and Superkilen, a neighbourhood park created by artists Superflex, architects BIG and landscape firm Topotek1.

Superkilen model in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
Another model features Superkilen, a park designed by Superflex, BIG and Topotek1

Krogsgaard describes this park as “a tribute to the diversity of the neighbourhood and the city”.

“Even though it has become one of the most exposed urban spaces in Copenhagen, it just works,” she said.

“It has become a place for locals and an area that people want to explore and get to know better.”

Playground slide in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
A slide is one of several large-scale installations

Among the large-scale installations, the most eye-catching is made up of suspended tree trunks and branches.

This represents Sankt Kjeld’s Square, an SLA-designed scheme that creates green space around a traffic junction.

As well as supporting the wellbeing of people in the city, it integrates rainwater beds that protect local buildings from flooding at times of heavy rainfall.

Sankt Kjeld's Square in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
Suspended tree trunks and branches represent Sankt Kjeld’s Square by SLA

“For me, this project is the Kinder Egg of modern urban planning,” Krogsgaard stated.

“The idea is not to recreate wild nature in the city, but a new type of natural habitat called urban nature,” she said. “It is a rather humble architecture that gives something back to nature as well as to Copenhageners.”

Palads Teatret in Copenhagen in Common exhibition at Danish Architecture Centre
Also featured is Palads Teatret, an old theatre building under threat of demolition

Palads Teatret, a long-standing but outdated theatre building under threat of demolition, is represented by a model and a huge collage that showcases its candy-coloured facade.

A wall of posters tells the story of Freetown Christiania, while a playground slide draws attention to Kids City, an innovative children’s centre by NORD Architects.

Freetown Christiania posters
A wall of posters tells the story of Freetown Christiania

Other featured projects include MAST’s vision for floating buildings and the COBE-designed Israels Plads, a former car park that was reclaimed as a space for public leisure.

Copenhagen in Common is on show at the Danish Architecture Center from May 5 to October 23, 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The photography is by Astrid Maria Rasmussen.

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Competition: win a blanket from Italian brand Bolzan

Spinapesce blanket by Bolzan

For our latest competition, we’ve teamed up with Italian brand Bolzan to offer readers the chance to win its Spinapesce blanket.

Spinapesce is Bolzan‘s wool blanket made of 97 per cent wool and three per cent cashmere designed by Italian design brand Studio Salaris in collaboration with fabric producer Lanificio Bottoli.

Created exclusively for Bolzan, the Spinapesce blanket is made from ecological yarns and is ideal for various seasons and even places with warmer temperatures.

By entering our latest competition, four lucky Dezeen readers will win a Spinapesce blanket.

Spinapesce blanket being held up by Bolzan
Four Dezeen readers will win a Spinapesce blanket

The blanket was given the name Spinapesce due to its pattern, which is informed by the structure of a fish’s backbone. The design also resembles the classic clothing fabric herringbone but has a design that gradually fades.

The Spinapesce comes in two colours, beige and dove grey. To create the Spinapesce blanket, Bolzan partnered with manufacturers that “focus on sustainable processes”.

To diversify its colour range whilst remaining environmentally friendly, Lanficio Bottoli developed a dyeing technique that involves dyeing wool using a coffee by-product.

Spinapesce blanket by Bolzan
Bolzan collaborated with Studio Salaris to design the Spinapesce blanket

Spinapesce was designed to match products in the Bolzan catalogue, which include beds and furniture.

According to the brand, the Spinapesce aims to create a cosy environment and is an “invitation to relax”. To find out more about the brand, visit its website.

This competition is closing on 2 July. Terms and conditions apply. Four readers will win a Spinapesce blanket. The winner will be selected at random and notified by email.

Partnership content

This competition is a partnership between Dezeen and Bolzan. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

 

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Sarah Sze designs artwork for hidden Victorian waiting room at London train station

Illuminated globe shaped piece at Sarah Sze exhibition Peckham Rye

New York-based artist Sarah Sze has created a large-scale art installation in a vaulted space above Peckham Rye station that had been boarded up for the last 50 years.

Once a large Victorian waiting room, the space was closed to the public in 1962, making Sze‘s exhibition the first time it has been used in more than half a century.

Bird murmuration display at Sarah Sze installation
The central piece resembles an open globe

Named Metronome, the artwork comprises an illuminated sphere-shaped piece that hangs at the centre of the installation, surrounded by a scaffolding-like structure of thin steel rods.

Within the metal framework, a series of flickering images are projected onto a collage of torn white paper. Cast from 42 video projectors, the fragmented footage shows various scenes, including a coin trick, a glacier melting, a volcano erupting and a bird murmuration.

Behind the central piece, white wire designed to look like “overgrown branches” surrounds a wooden desk, while revolving projectors loop images around the walls and ceiling of the waiting room.

Sound recordings of trains and a ticking clock are played alongside the moving images.

Artist Sarah Sze and overgrown wire branches at Peckham Rye Waiting Room exhibition
Sarah Sze created the site-specific installation for the waiting room at Peckham Rye Station

The Waiting Room installation builds upon an ongoing series of works that Sze refers to as Timekeepers. This is intended to explore how we experience space and time in the context of today’s technology and the centrality of images to our everyday lives.

“We are in the middle of an extreme hurricane where we are learning to speak through images at an exponential pace,” the artist said.

Designed by architect Charles Driver, Peckham Rye station in south London was first opened in 1865. In 1922, its waiting room was repurposed as a billiard room before being closed four decades later.

The recent refurbishment of the old waiting room is part of the wider ongoing regeneration of Peckham Rye station and the area surrounding it.

Other art installations that make use of public or closed-off spaces include an exhibition in a derelict São Paulo building and an installation in Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station with a focus on its industrial past.

The photography is by Thierry Bal.

Sarah Sze: The Waiting Room takes place from 19 May to 17 September 2023 at The Old Waiting Room, Peckham Rye Station, London, SE15 4RX. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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This Robot Vacuum Will Clean Your House, And Then Clean Itself… Autonomously

If the phrase “Work Smart, not Work Hard” were a robot vacuum, it would probably be the Roborock S7 Max Ultra. With a design so advanced you’ll never have to lay a finger on it, the S7 Max Ultra can navigate your house, sweep and mop every inch, and make its way back to the dock… but that isn’t all. After it’s done cleaning your house, it basically cleans itself, automatically emptying the dust, refilling its mopping tanks, washing its mop head, and then drying the mop, so that you don’t have to.

The Roborock S7 Max Ultra’s new auto-maintenance features set it completely apart from other robot vacuums, which still need you to manually empty the dust tank after every cycle and refill the mop’s water supply for the next round. It’s natural for products to get better with time as technologies advance, but the S7 Max Ultra does innovation differently. Rather than simply boasting of a higher vacuum power, a better app, or a larger battery, the S7 Max Ultra boasts of all those features, but it also further reduces human intervention. In short, it does what it’s supposed to do, and then does what you’re supposed to do too. Once it completes its cycle, it’ll automatically clean itself, dry itself, and refill itself, leaving absolutely no room for compromise. All you really need to do is watch!

Designer: Roborock

Click Here to Buy Now: $1019.98 $1299.99 (21% off). Buy a discount coupon for $18.99 and get $299 off the S7 Max Ultra.

On paper, the S7 Max Ultra makes for a pretty powerful robot vacuum. Under its hood lies a 5,500 Pa HyperForce® suction system that works hard to extract every dust particle from your floor and carpets. For spills and stains, the vacuum’s VibraRise® System uses a combination of wet-mopping, scrubbing, and vibrating to help effectively wipe stains off your floors. Moreover, the mop module can even retract upwards when the robot vacuums on your carpet, so it doesn’t accidentally get your floor rugs and carpets wet with the mop water.

It can tell the difference between carpet and hard floors, raising and lowering the mop as need to mopping where it’s not supposed to.

PreciSense® LiDAR Navigation

A powerful LiDAR sensor helps the S7 Max Ultra map out sections of your house, quickly creating a template of rooms in your home. The sensor also works in three dimensions, allowing the S7 Max Ultra to understand what obstacles can be navigated around, and what can be navigated above or under. For carpets, the vacuum climbs onto them just fine, but with sofas, it measures the crawl-space to determine whether it can slip underneath to clean parts of your home that often go neglected. The S7 Max Ultra can also detect cliffs, so it doesn’t accidentally cruise off the top of your staircase, and has the ability to map out multiple levels of your home, working on each floor effectively.

However, the most impressive bit of the robot vacuum isn’t the robot vacuum itself… it’s the docking station. The newly designed RoboDock really pulls out all the stops with its pre and post-cycle maintenance routines. Every time the S7 Max Ultra stations itself within the dock, it kickstarts a laborious cleaning process. The RoboDock empties the vacuum’s dust-tank, refills the mop’s water reservoir, cleans the mop head with water, and then dries the mop head too, so it isn’t left dripping wet. It simultaneously cleans the docking zone too, where the vacuum would have probably left some traces of dirt. The RoboDock has its own built-in ‘tanks’ that collect waste as well as hold clean water for the vacuum. A 2.5L dust bag and a 2.5L dirty water tank gather all the waste from the vacuum, and can be cleaned out every few weeks rather than immediately after each cycle. This leaves more time for you to do what you’re doing, rather than cleaning out the vacuum every single time.

Cleaning can happen from any room with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Siri Shortcuts.

The Roborock S7 Max Ultra and its powerful RoboDock were designed around the premise of offering a “no compromise” cleaning experience where the robot literally does everything for you. An app lets you deploy the robot with a simple press of a button, or set custom schedules for it to deploy on its own. You can set no-go zones, highlight cliffs, deep-clean carpets, and even program it to do things like clean along the floor’s direction, so that dirt doesn’t get trapped in the floor’s texture or tile’s grouting. The robot vacuum autonomously maps out its space, effectively (and rapidly) avoiding obstacles like humans, pets, or over-enthusiastic children, and operates at a decibel level of 65 dB, so it doesn’t spook your pet the way conventional vacuums and hoovers do.

Every time the S7 Ultra runs low on battery, it’ll automatically make its way to the RoboDock, where it charges 30% faster than Roborock’s previous robot vacuum models. All you really need to do is tell it when to begin cleaning, and the vacuum gets to work, handling every step along the way… so humans can live their lives, and leave the cleaning to the robots. That’s a future I can absolutely get behind!

Click Here to Buy Now: $1019.98 $1299.99 (21% off). Buy a discount coupon for $18.99 and get $299 off the S7 Max Ultra.

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Life-sized LEGO Ferrari Monza SP1 is inspiration enough for budding automotive fans

Ferrari reincarnated a piece of history with the Monza SP1 released in 2018. The single-seater roadster revived nostalgic memories of the iconic series of cars dominating the post-war era. Fast forward to 2023 and we have a LEGO version of the naturally aspirated engine-powered scarlet racer.

The full-scale version of the powerful V12 roadster is the work of LEGOLAND Denmark as a part of the new interactive exhibit at the toy company’s Billund resort. This non-functional Ferrari Monza SP1 is fully operational in a digital avatar version wherein a 3D scan of a fully assembled LEGO model is tested on the digital version of the famous Fiorano race track.

Designer: LEGOLAND

This is not the first time a 1:1 Ferrari LEGO installation is showcased at LEGOLAND’s facility. Last year a life-size Ferrari F40 made an appearance at their California LEGO Ferrari Build and Race attraction. Now this Monza SP1 will give budding racecar fans and kids the opportunity to build the roadster piece-by-piece. The interactive Build and Race exhibition will open this summer for all to explore.  

According to the luxury carmaker, the SP1 was inaugurated by Ferrari Factory Driver Nicklas Nielsen. Even the licence plate and the side mirrors are made from the plastic bricks. Only the wheels and tires are not assembled from LEGO bricks and are the original version.

Every little detail of the LEGO Ferrari Monza SP1 is captured with maximum precision and looks like a pixelated version of the real one. Just look at that intricate front grille, side pods and rear exhausts; a Ferrari fan would have loved to hop inside and drive this thing on the open highways!

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Top 10 chair designs that deserve a seat in your living room

We often underestimate the importance of a great chair. When in reality, we really shouldn’t. We spend the majority of our day sitting on chairs, whether we’re working in our home office, enjoying a meal, or simply sitting and reading a book for leisure! Hence, this piece of furniture needs to be not only comfortable but ergonomic and aesthetic as well. And we’ve curated a collection of chair designs that meet all these criteria! From a redesign of the traditional plastic chair to a unique conical chair – these innovative chair designs are not only a boon to your back and help you maintain a healthy posture, but are also super comfy to sink into and will perfectly match the interiors of your modern homes.

1. The Flow Single Sofa

Called the Flow Single Sofa, this minimal and chic-looking armchair is part of SUNRUI’s FLOW Collection. The intriguing-looking armchair quite literally looks like a Queen’s Chair if you look closely enough!

Why is it noteworthy?

The armchair has a bulky, space-consuming, and yet deeply elegant form that manages to represent, as well as downplay, the stoicness of the sofa. It has been equipped with spiral armrests that provide the sofa with a sophisticated and classy air.  The spiral armrests add an interesting and artistic element to the sofa and also quite amusingly resemble the Ionic Order. The Ionic Order is one of the orders of classic architecture and is defined by twin volutes or spiral scrolls.

What we like

  • Meets the needs of humans and pets alike
  • Creates a shared space where the owner and cat can spend some quality time together

What we dislike

  • It’s still a concept!
  • If your pet pees or poops inside the armrests, it could be difficult to clean up

2. The Venus Folding Chair

The Venus of Willendorf was created between 30,000 and 25,000 BCE and is one of the oldest and most significant works of art. And the Venus Folding Chair drew some inspiration from it. This innovative folding chair functions as a cozy and comfortable seating option while also supplying us with a load of style and history.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Venus Folding Chair was built with great care and precise attention to detail, creating a product that perfectly marries form with functionality, as well as a bit of artistic flair. It has a unique space-saving mechanism which makes it a notable and significant design.

What we like

  • It’s an excellent seating option for people who host events or gatherings
  • Ideal for tiny flats, outdoor events, or temporary seating arrangements due to its compact and folding design, which makes storage simple

What we dislike

  • It’s a concept
  • It doesn’t seem like a great seating option for longer durations of time

3. The Conicent Chair

The Conicent Chair concept transforms the humble cone shape into a majestic piece of furniture. It features a simple cone with the front half chopped off, with a dropped top that seems to be caving in on itself.

Why is it noteworthy?

The chair features a smaller inverted cone inside that serves as the main surface for sitting. Adding a cushion makes it a comfortable indoor chair, though leaving it bare makes it suitable for outdoor use – making it a versatile chair that can be utilized both indoors and outdoors.

What we like

  •  Made to be comfortable and ergonomic, regardless of your preferred sitting position, thanks to gentle slopes and curves in every direction

What we dislike

  • Space-consuming + bulky design
  • Not a real tangible product

4. The Morph Chair

Designed by Jiung Yun and Minji Kim, the Morph chair was created for ‘quiet contemplation.’ Our daily modern lives can be quite hectic and tiresome. And we need to take a break and simply relax once in a while. The Morph Chair is designed for those moments.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Morph chair was designed for moments of peace when we can take a break, and simply lounge about on it. It attempts to function as a calm space for users to organize their chaotic thoughts and worries and take down their stress a notch or two.

What we like

  • Has a storage section integrated beneath the seat, which can be used to store books and other miscellaneous items

What we dislike

  • Aesthetics can be dull and stark for some people

5. The Knitty Chair

Designed by Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc, the Knitty Chair is a bulky and chonky armchair that takes inspiration from the large mooring ropes for ships.

Why is it noteworthy?

The huge armchair features a chunky basket-weave design that mimics a knotted rope. The chair has been upholstered in a knitted fabric that features a quilted diamond pattern and is available in 15 different colors.

What we like

  • A visually interesting armchair that has been layered with depths of personality and character

What we dislike

  • The Knitty Chair’s aesthetics aren’t for everyone; they’re quite bold and won’t work for those who prefer a simpler and more minimal style

6. Tailor Armchair

Called the Tailor Armchair, this interesting and uniquely designed armchair also doubles up as a desk!

Why is it noteworthy?

If you want to use it as an armchair, you can simply rest and place your back on the raised panel or plank of plywood that is placed at the center of the chair. The raised panel is further supported by a vertical curved panel. These panels function as the back support, allowing you to comfortably sit back against the armchair. If you wish to use it as a desk, you can instead use the raised panel as a tabletop and fit your legs into the blank spaces created by the intersection of the raised panel with the vertical curved panel. So the same panels of plywood that characterize the design as an armchair also allow it to convert into a desk!

What we like

  • Doubles up as an armchair and a desk
  • Equipped with storage space
  • Clean and minimal aesthetics

What we dislike

  • It’s not a real product yet, still a concept!
  • Space-consuming + bulky design

7. The PINCH Chair

Designed by Medium2 Studio, the PINCH chair gives your traditional and typical plastic chair a fresh and transformative makeover. Plastic stackable chairs are seen almost everywhere these days, and the PINCH chair gives them a much-needed rejuvenation.

Why is it noteworthy?

The traditional plastic chair was given a new form factor with the PINCH chair. By simply pinching and pulling the material (plastic), the designers were able to give an otherwise old-school design a new and improved look. This gives PINCH a uniform form and a visual design language that is extremely intuitive and dynamic.

What we like

  • Gives the plastic chair a new look and form

What we dislike

  • Not a sustainable seating option

8. Loop Chair

Designed by Annabella Hevesi, the Loop Chair is the kind of straightforward and simple furniture piece that instantly makes you fall in love with it, because of how minimally and cleanly it is designed.

Why is it noteworthy?

Built using wood, the Loop Chair has a traditional and archetypical character accentuated with tricky and progressive details that lend an air of character to it. The form of the chair follows a trapezoidal shape elevated by smooth ellipsoid curves, creating a furniture piece that is visually and geometrically intriguing.

What we like

  • The seating section and the vertical backrest have been upholstered separately to increase comfort
  • A flexible fastener/spacer has been incorporated under the seating component

What we dislike

  • It’s still a concept!

9. The Nodding Chair

I love cozying up with a good old book; however, sitting in one position and reading for hours on end can be a curse for my back. Hence this unique product concept was created to function as the perfect chair for bookworms!

Why is it noteworthy?

While rocking chairs are good for relaxation, they’re not always good for floors and, if you’re like me, for our eyes and peace of mind. The designer thought of a new way to have a chair that can be comfortable and still let your body have its range of natural motion while reading, resting, or even writing (if you’re used to that). The Nodding Chair can be tilted forward and backward, letting you make smaller movements that won’t make you too nauseous.

What we like

  • Creates less pressure on the floor so you won’t get marks and scratches
  • Allows the chair to move with you as you occasionally change positions while reading

What we dislike

  • The seat itself doesn’t seem to be that comfortable as it’s just plain wood and there’s no cushion
  • Not everyone may consider the chair comfortable

10. The Hunter Chair

Classic furniture designs are classics for a reason, they’ve withstood the test of time, cementing their value and functionality as pieces that will never truly go out of style. One such design is the Hunter Chair by Torbjørn Afdal. Designed in 1960, the Hunter Chair is Afdal’s version of the “hunting chair,” a kind of seating that was quite popular during those times. And Eikund has brought the Hunter Chair to life once again!

Why is it noteworthy?

The Norwegian furniture brand decided to recreate and relaunch the Hunter Chair, an excellent specimen of classic Norwegian furniture. The Hunter Chair is considered a modern-day classic.

What we like

  • Features solid cast brass buckles, organically tanned leather, precise edge stitching details, and perfectly smooth transitions of wood
  • Gives a classic design a fresh makeover

What we dislike

  • People may prefer the original to the newer version. They may not approve of the new makeover

The post Top 10 chair designs that deserve a seat in your living room first appeared on Yanko Design.

Garmin Epix 2 Pro series arrives in three sizes with enhanced battery life, Endurance and Hill Score features

Garmin is renowned for its impeccable GPS-enabled technology. The smartwatch watchmaker is back to raise the bar with the introduction of their highly anticipated Epix 2 Pro series aka Epix Pro (Gen 2).

The Epix 2 Pro series is delivered in sleek and stylish design in three distinct sizes. This trio of smartwatches offers a trusted blend of style, advanced features, and impressive battery life. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast, a fitness fanatic, or simply looking for a smartwatch that can keep up with your active lifestyle, the Epix 2 Pro series should have you covered.

Designer: Garmin

Garmin gives you the option to choose between 42 mm, 47 mm, and 51 mm smartwatches designed to cater to different wrist sizes and user preferences. These case sizes are paired with 1.2-inch, 1.3-inch, and 1.4-inch AMOLED displays respectively that offer stunning visuals to make user interaction an interactive experience.

Garmin’s Epix 2 Pro series smartwatches are packed with advanced training features that will help you conquer every hour of the day. With 24/7 health and wellness monitoring, the Epix 2 Pro series also comes with an impressive battery life of up to 31 days in smartwatch mode, 58 hours in GPS mode, ensuring that you’re always powered up and ready to go.

The Epix Pro (Gen 2) models offer a host of features that will enhance your overall experience. With 32 GB of storage, you can carry your favorite music and apps wherever you go. Need a flashlight? The built-in adjustable LED flashlight will come in handy during your outdoor adventures. Additionally, the Gen5 heart rate sensor provides accurate readings, allowing you to monitor your fitness levels effectively.

The Epix 2 Pro series is equipped with multi-band GPS connectivity to ensure you never lose your way, no matter how remote your adventures may take you. Garmin’s suite of health and lifestyle apps Here in the Epix 2 Pro series is included with two new metrics: Endurance and Hill Score, that take your training to the next level.

The Hill Score feature evaluates VO2 max levels and training history to determine your capability of running uphill. This valuable information can be utilized to optimize training routine and reach new heights. Endurance Score on the other hand provides a detailed analysis of the impact of training on your endurance levels. It empowers you to understand your body better and make informed decisions about your fitness goals.

Garmin offers the Epix 2 Pro series at a starting price of $900 for the 42 mm and 47 mm Standard variants. If you’re looking for the ultimate in durability and style, the 51 mm Sapphire model, featuring Sapphire Crystal display cover and titanium bezel is available for $1,100.

The post Garmin Epix 2 Pro series arrives in three sizes with enhanced battery life, Endurance and Hill Score features first appeared on Yanko Design.

Epic Games creates virtual model of Moshe Safdie's unrealized Habitat 67

Habitat 67 Epic Games unbuilt rendering

Software developer Epic Games and visualisation firm Neoscape have created an interactive virtual model of architect Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 in Montreal, a housing complex that was constructed for the World’s Fair.

Epic Games and Neoscape used original plans for Habitat 67 to test new visualisation methods made possible by the latest version of Epic Game’s Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics game engine.

Using materials from Safdie’s studio – Safdie Architects – the team was able to construct a virtual version of the project as it was intended, which includes a larger complex with massive arches holding rows of cubic apartments similar to Habitat 67’s existing configuration.

Overhead view of unbuilt habitat 67
Epic Games and Neoscape created a virtual version of Moshe Safdie’s original Habitat 67 plan

“This was an opportunity to actually go, not quite into the building, but to experience it in a way that I could not have imagined when I designed it,” Safdie told Dezeen.

“And here it is. 60 years since I designed it, it seems as fresh and relevant to me as then, if not more,” he continued, noting that he has always been disappointed that the whole schema for the complex was not approved for the initial construction. 

“One thought that went through my mind was if I had this tool and I could have shown this to the federal cabinet in 1964, maybe that would have convinced them – that was my reaction.”

Virtual building on the side with trees and shadows
The progrm allows users to interact with the virtual structure

The virtual rendering of the building shows the full height of the structure on location in Montreal.

The team used drone footage of the actual site, plans and consultations with engineers to make the model seem as real as possible, and the video game technology allows users to move in and out of the arches, similar to playing a video game.

Virtual carnival with Habitat 67 in the background
The program places the structure in its would-be environment next to the realised structure

The drone footage and spatial scans allowed the designers to import not only the structure’s form but also its materiality.

Neoscape, which has been creating visualisations for Safdie for decades, worked with Epic Games to create a number of deliverables, including video walk-throughs of the project as well as an editable file that will allow users to make changes to the rendering.

Dusk on balconies
The program allows for different lighting conditions

“This is kind of like a curated experience,” Epic Games product specialist Carlos Cristerna told Dezeen.

“And then what when will release these and then people will have also the ability to download all of the source files. So they will be able to explore that there.”

Glass reflection of structure
Users can experience curated video walk throughs or edit the files directly

The program allow for different lighting conditions so that users and designers can see the project as it would look during different times of day.

The team added that in the future, weather conditions could also be added to give viewers an idea of the way that the elements like snow and rain may affect the structure.

Interior of apartment
Neoscape used drones and archival information to feed into the game engine

While the project has a historical and educational aspect, the team believes that the methodology could be useful for architects in expressing more fully-realised projects to clients and to understanding how a building would appear if built, a sentiment that Safdie echoed.

However, Safdie noted that the time and costs of the process may not make sense for every project, but he hopes that, having now seen the project at scale, he may someday be able to see it built.

“My reaction was I gotta get this built before I go,” he said. “That will be amazing.”

The product comes after an explosion of architectural renderings created for things like technology company Meta’s Metaverse, a scheme that hopes to create a 3D world where users can socialise in digitally fabricated environments.

Safdie said he was sceptical about the idea of the virtual world being a place to replace real-life interaction and that technology like this should be used to realising actual projects.

People walking alongside reflecting pool
The program presents a way to experience the project in real time

Since the completion of Habitat 67, Safdie has completed a number of large-scale projects including the massive skyscraper complex in Chongqing, China called Raffles City, which features a “horizontal” skyscraper supported by other structures on the site.

Other forays into visualising unbuilt projects include Spanish architect David Romero’s renderings of buildings designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

The post Epic Games creates virtual model of Moshe Safdie’s unrealized Habitat 67 appeared first on Dezeen.