“There is a little bit of playfulness in Orolog watches” – Jaime Hayon

Movie: in this exclusive interview Spanish artist and designer Jaime Hayon discusses the design of his first watch collection, which is available to buy now at Dezeen Watch Store.

 

Orolog by Jamie Hayon

Orolog is a new watch brand created by Hayon and his business partner Ian Lowe.

The OC1 series, the brand’s first collection, is a chronograph timepiece featuring a square stainless steel case and leather strap.

Orolog by Jamie Hayon

“The idea of the watch is very simple,” says Hayon. “I wanted to do a very compact case that has details of different influences that I thought were nice to put together.”

“It’s a little bit of a new classic, that’s the idea I had from the beginning.”

Orolog by Jamie Hayon

The OC1 series comes in five colourways, including a green and blue version among more traditional colours such as brown, black and white. Each colour is available in a limited-edition run of 999 pieces.

Orolog by Jamie Hayon

“I thought about a mixture of colours and combinations that could be classic as well as some that could be sporty or some that are more, let’s say, shocking,” says Hayon. “The pieces are going to be limited, they’re pretty exclusive.”

Orolog by Jamie Hayon

Orolog features a number of subtle details. The face of the watch has a distinctive quilted texture, while the glass that encases it is slightly curved.

Each watch is made in Switzerland and features a robust Ronda quartz chronograph movement inside.

Orolog by Jamie Hayon

“There’s a little bit of playfulness in the watch, which I wanted from the beginning,” Hayon says. “The idea was always to create something strong enough that also looks good and has those little details that make it unique.”

Orolog OC1 by Jaime Hayon is available now at Dezeen Watch Store with free worldwide shipping.

You can buy all of our watches online and you can also visit our watch shop in Stoke Newington, north London – contact us to book an appointment.

 www.dezeenwatchstore.com

Jaime Hayon
Jaime Hayon. Copyright: Dezeen

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8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

London firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has completed a 34-storey office tower in Sydney with criss-crossing red braces on its sides and an elevated terrace cutting through its middle.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners collaborated with Sydney firm Lippmann Partnership to design the tower for Australian real estate company Mirvac.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Located on Hunter Street in Sydney’s Central Business District, 8 Chifley comprises a pair of glass volumes that are separated by a triple-height private terrace on the eighteenth floor.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The structural framework extends to the exterior of the building. Red steel beams brace the walls on the sides of the tower, plus larger members offer support where there are gaps in the floor plates.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

A five-storey-high void at the base of the tower creates a lofty public plaza leading to the entrance, while a landscaped roof offers another accessible outdoor space.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Spaces inside the building are divided into seven zones, each comprising a stack of three floors. There are openings between levels in these clusters, intended to encourage interaction amongst employees.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

“[8 Chifley’s] emphasis on community, both indoors and out, from ground to roof, celebrates Australia’s passion for a balanced quality of life and the great outdoors,” said architect Ivan Harbour.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

“The building finally forms a focus to Chifley Square, drawing the public plaza up to its front door and forming a great loggia for all Sydney-siders to enjoy,” he added.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Photography is by Brett Boardman.

Here’s more information from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners:


8 Chifley

8 Chifley is the Sydney Central Business District’s newest and most progressive commercial tower from Mirvac.

Dramatically different to anything seen before on the Sydney skyline, this 34-storey office building, is the product of a global collaboration between the internationally renowned UK architectural practice Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Australia’s Lippmann Partnership.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

It is the first completed building in Australia featuring the distinctive design philosophy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners but remains a project very much of its place. The distinctive red bracing on the exterior of the building reveals the structural skeleton of 8 Chifley, combining structural efficiency, elegance, and most importantly highly functional space planning.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Cross section – click for larger image

The building is made up of two stacked modules of 12 and nine floors, with seven ‘villages’ of three-storey communal workspaces, providing connectivity and vertical integration between the floors which create the feeling of extensive space. Central to the building’s sense of community is the elevated ‘village square’ on the 18th floor, set within a three-storey void. This area will provide a focal point for occupants of the building, allowing meeting and interaction within a light and airy space.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
North elevation – click for larger image

The building has been designed to make the most of its prominent, north-facing site, bounded by Elizabeth, Hunter and Phillip Streets. Its highly transparent façade, high ceilings and legible structure ensure the building enjoys open and unobstructed views out over the city and a sense of space and light within.

Perhaps the defining feature of the project is the six-storey open space at street level that not only forms a grand entrance to the building, but creates a new, significant area of public space which addresses and completes Chifley Square. The open space is repeated midway up the building and again at the top, integrating Australia’s outdoor lifestyle into the city’s work environment.

8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
East elevation – click for larger image

8 Chifley is also one of the greenest buildings in Sydney, it has achieved a 6 Star Green Star Office Design v2 certified rating representing “world leadership” in environmentally sustainable design and is committed to achieving a 5 Star NABERS Energy Rating. The design, is very specific to the climate and culture of Sydney. The result is a beautiful piece of architecture that enhances the public realm while providing occupants with wonderful internal spaces within which to develop working communities.

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SKVÍS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

Images of fantasy goddesses are hidden in brightly-coloured graphics on the walls, floor and ceiling of this exhibition space in Reykjavík, Iceland (+ slideshow).

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

Berlin-based Icelandic graphic designer Siggi Eggertsson created a set of eight posters that fit together in different ways to form a seamless, patterned wallpaper across the interior of Spark Design Space.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space
Photograph by Vigfus Birgisson

Eggertsson used a mixture of curved and straight lines to generate the complex pattern. “My work is all based on grids and construction of geometric shapes,” Eggertsson told Dezeen.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

“I normally work with warmer and less saturated colours, but for this exhibition I wanted to create something overly colourful, so I decided to use only pure CMYK colour blends,” he said.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space
Photograph by Vigfus Birgisson

On closer inspection, the graphics merge together to form images of women or ‘skvís’, the Icelandic term for a young, pretty and smart girl.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space
Photograph by Vigfus Birgisson

“They are sort of imaginary muses, said Eggertsson. “I knew I wanted to make a system of modular posters that could connect to each other in numerous ways to create a seamless pattern, but didn’t really know what to draw.”

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

“At first I thought about creating abstract patterns but then realised it would be more fun to draw pretty girls,” he added.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

The exhibition continues until 16 November.

Here’s some information from the exhibition organisers:


SKVÍS at Spark Design Space

There is a special relationship between mind, sight, fine muscular movements and hands which, together with its reflection in the virtual world of digital technology, has given birth to a new species of of homo sapiens. The American science fiction writer William Gibson wanted to refer to this new-born species as “Cyber-punks”.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

That was 30 years ago. This species has from early childhood had an almost unbreakable bond with a keyboard, a computer screen and a mouse. The infinite virtual world seems to be a dwelling place, an extension, and a reflection of their feelings and thoughts. When this proximity reaches a certain stage they become one and the same, the virtual world and the species.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

Siggi Eggertsson is an artist of this new world. He was born in 1984 and will turn 30 next year. His life has been a constant journey in the virtual world almost since birth. He has never paused to consider the ordinary. He dives deep into the basic squares which the visual presentation of the screenshot and the printed matter are based on.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

If patterns were a pure geometry without reference to the biological world such as flora or fauna, they were arabic or eastern. Patterns with a reference to flora or fauna, plants and birds, originated in Rome. A combination of the abstract and the real are found in Indian or Chinese mandalas.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

The methodology is in fact the same. Squares based on horizontal and vertical lines. The density of the squares, or the resolution as we now call it, is the only thing that decides whether we can read into the pattern a representation of something real. The highest resolution digital photograph can be blown up until it ends up like squares on a ruled page without a reference to anything real. Siggi also uses a quarter of a circle pasted into a square – that is what his personal style is based on.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

The exhibition consists of eight modular posters. The nature of the pattern is almost always spiritual – a suggestion of divine beauty. This beauty of infinity is always present in Siggi’s work. This may be related to methods for expanding ones mind, whether by use of substances or meditation.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space

That world has goddesses floating about, as can be seen in Siggi Eggertsson’s representation. He invites us on a guided journey as someone who has seen a world none of us have seen. This is a journey into infinity where we fleetingly catch a glimpse of the goddesses and make the briefest of eye contact.

SKVIS by Siggi Eggertsson at Spark Design Space
Photograph by Vigfus Birgisson

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Invitation: Dezeen Watch Store autumn event 7 November

Dezeen Watch Store autumn event

Dezeen Watch Store: join us for a drink at our north London showroom and browse a selection of half-price watches.

We’ll be offering discounts of 50% on old stock, discontinued lines, samples and display models, so pick up a bargain before Christmas.

A variety of popular styles from brands such as Uniform Wares, NAVA and Ziiiro will be available to purchase during the event, as well as all the latest additions to our collection, including Stone by Denis Guidone and the 104 Series by Uniform Wares. If you’ve been thinking about treating yourself to a new watch, or you’re looking ahead to Christmas, this is the perfect opportunity to find a style that suits you.

Dezeen Watch Store autumn event

Place: The Surgery, 100a Stoke Newington Church Street, Stoke Newington, London, N16 0AP
See map
Date: Thursday 7 November
Time: 6pm until 9pm
Please RSVP to joe@dezeen.com

www.dezeenwatchstore.com

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Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

British studio Jonathan Tuckey Design has added skeletal partitions and skylights to bring more light into this renovated west London mews house.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

Jonathan Tuckey Design renovated the Grade II-listed building for a private client and his dog, creating a two-storey home with a combined living and dining room on the first floor.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

The planning authorities were reluctant to let the architects design an open-plan layout for the space, so they instead added see-through stud walls that follow the exact footprint of the original interior.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

“We negotiated a difficult planning process in order to achieve this aesthetic in the Frame House,” architect Nic Howett told Dezeen. “The open plan with frame walls allowed light to flood deep into the plan.”

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

Five skylights bring light to different parts of the space. “A large roof light over the stairs allowed light to flood down to the ground floor,” said Howett.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

Walls present a mixture of exposed brickwork and timber panelling, while the kitchen is finished in stainless steel and there’s also a reading corner.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

Entrances lead into the house on both storeys. The downstairs entrance opens into a red-painted workshop and garage, used by the client to store his motorbikes.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

The master bedroom is positioned alongside, while storage spaces line the edges of the corridor, and a bathroom and wet room are tucked away behind.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

A birch plywood staircase connects the two floors.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

This year Jonathan Tuckey Design also converted a historic chapel in Wiltshire, England, into a house with a blackened-timber extension conceived as the building’s shadow.

Photography is by Ioana Marinescu.

Here’s a short description from the architects:


Frame House

The reconstruction of a Grade II listed mews house in Holland Park, West London.

Beyond the refurbished historic exterior an entry hallway with a red-pigmented concrete floor acts as both a workshop and display case for our client’s collection of vintage motorbikes, which can be seen from within the house through a large glazed partition.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

The ground floor also houses the master bedroom and bathroom. Opposite the hallway a birch-ply staircase is inserted into a double-height space which is lined with black MDF.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

On the first floor a framework of timber studs is located where the original walls stood, creating an open, but layered kitchen and living space. The original roof structure is visible above this framework and new skylights with timber cowls bring in natural light.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

A crisp, stainless steel kitchen contrasts with the exposed brick walls and the study is lined in Douglas Fir panelling. Skilled craftsmanship elevates the modest palette of materials to create a characterful modern home.

Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Site plan – click for larger image
Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
First floor plan – click for larger image
Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Roof plan – click for larger image
Frame House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Section – click for larger image

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REK Bookcase Junior by Reinier de Jong

REK Bookcase Junior by Reinier de Jong

Product news: Dutch designer Reinier de Jong has scaled down his extendable REK Bookcase so it can be used by children to store books and toys.

REK Bookcase Junior by Reinier de Jong

Reinier de Jong released two smaller versions of the bookcase, first designed for his son as miniature copies of the 2008 model. “Despite the iPad and its countless toddler apps, my two-year-old son is very fond of his little books,” he said. “So I decided it was time for his own shelves.”

REK Bookcase Junior by Reinier de Jong

Each unit is made from five lightweight, poplar wood sections that slot exactly into each other.

REK Bookcase Junior by Reinier de Jong

When pulled apart, compartments are created between the horizontal elements for storing small items. The sections can be pushed back together again to save space.

REK Bookcase Junior by Reinier de Jong
Scale elevations – click for larger image and dimensions

The original REK Bookcase was one of our most popular stories when we first featured it in 2008 and it’s included in our Dezeen Book of Ideas. The design went into production earlier this year.

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USM Haller System at Luminaire Lab

USM Haller System

Dezeen promotion: configurations of a flexible modular shelving system designed in the 1960s by Swiss architect Franz Haller are currently on display at design brand Luminaire‘s exhibition space in Miami.

USM Haller System

Haller practised during the second half of the twentieth century and was a member of a group of architects that became known outside Switzerland as the Solothurn School.

USM Haller System

As well as a wide array of building projects, in the 1960s he designed a storage system made up of ball joints, tubes and panels for modular furniture brand USM.

USM Haller System

Modules of the Haller System can be stacked to fit a multitude of spaces, then disassembled and rearranged if necessary.

USM Haller System

Compositions of the units are being exhibited until 24 November at the Luminaire Lab, 3901 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida.

For more details about the USM Haller System check out the Luminaire website.

Luminaire sent us the following information:


USM Haller System – Simple Versatility

Swiss timeless design strips away the unnecessary; there is a purpose for each component, and there is no need for the superfluous. That is exactly what USM offers. The Swiss firm bases its long-standing success on the premise that design should be adaptable and flexible, but never give up quality in the process.

USM Haller System

The USM Haller modular system, named after the Swiss architect Fritz Haller that co-created the furniture in the 1960s alongside founder grandson Paul Schaerer, is carefully proportioned and can be configured to fit any home or office space of your imagination. The key of the system is not only its simplicity of design, but also the ease with which it can be assembled, disassembled and reconfigured. The classic design is a manifestation of the company’s ethos – that being true to its environment a design will be timeless, relevant, and conscientious.

USM Haller System

All pieces are made up of three basic elements: a ball joint, connecting tubes, and panels. USM Haller’s pioneering system has revolutionised the way open space solutions can be presented. With clearly constructed lines and unparalleled workmanship the USM Haller system defines the space, but never overwhelms it – and the panels can provide a much-needed pop of colour.

USM Haller System

Inspired by USM’s ideology that the countless possibilities of each system will enrich daily life, Luminaire is setting up an exhibition to highlight the systems inspiration, parts, and modularity. From October 28th until November 24th, Luminaire’s Design District location, Luminaire Lab, will be displaying an inventive configuration of the systems true to the innovative spirit of USM.

www.luminaire.com

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Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

Beijing studio Atelier TeamMinus has completed a visitor centre for an ancient Buddhist memorial in Tibet, which features stone walls, a central courtyard and 11 rooftop observation decks (+ slideshow).

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

Located in the Chinese province of Yushu, the Jianamani Visitor Centre accompanies the Jianamani cairn – a historic mound of inscribed stones amassed by pilgrims over the last three centuries.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

Atelier TeamMinus was commissioned to design the building in 2010, shortly after an earthquake hit the region. As well as providing an information source for tourists, it functions as a community centre for the local residents who worked hard to repair the damage caused by the natural disaster.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

The architects used traditional Tibetan architecture as a guide when generating the plan of the building. They created a square building with a central courtyard, then surrounded it with observation towers that offer views of various historical landmarks nearby.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

Stone was used for the walls, resonating with the inscribed stones that make up the Jianamani memorial.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

“The stone masonry is done by local masons, using the same kind of local rock from which Mani stones are carved,” explained the architects.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

The rooftop decks were constructed from timber, some of which was sourced from earthquake debris.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

Inside, the building is laid out over two floors and accommodates a post office, a clinic, public toilets and a small research archive.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

The project was presented at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore earlier this month. It was shortlisted for an award in the display category but lost out to a whirlpool-shaped museum in Copenhagen.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

Read on for a project description from Atelier TeamMinus:


Jianamani Visitor Centre

Yushu is a highly regarded religious centre to Tibetans. Its significance comes mainly from Jianamani, the world’s largest Tibetan Buddhist cairn. With a history of over 3 centuries, Jianamani currently bears over 250 million pieces of Mani stones, and is still growing with new pieces added daily by pilgrims.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

In Yushu, more than 40% of the populations live on the carving of Mani stones. To the Yushu community, nothing compares to Jianamani. After the 2010 earthquake, Yushu-ers immediately set off to repair Jianamani, long before they started repairing their own houses.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

The Jianamani Visitor Centre serves both visitors and the local community. To visitors and pilgrims, it provides information about Jianamani and its history complemented by viewing the surrounding historical sites. To local Yushu-ers, it provides a post office, a clinic, public toilets and a small research archive.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

The Jianamani Visitor Centre consists of a square building with a courtyard in the centre, and 11 observation decks surrounding it. The central square volume features the typical Tibetan layout. Of the 11 observation decks, 2 point to Jianamani, 9 point to historic/religious sites related to Jianamani, including: Leciga, Genixibawangxiou, Cuochike, Dongna Zhunatalang Taiqinleng, Zhaqu River Valley, Lazanglongba, Rusongongbu, Naigu River Beach, and Kuanyin Rebirth Site.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus

The Jianamani Visitor Centre is mainly built with the local construction techniques. The stone masonry is done by local masons, using the same kind of local rock from which Mani stones are carved. The railings around the roof terrace and the observation decks are made of wood, with some parts recycled from earthquake debris.

Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus plan
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus plan
First floor plan – click for larger image
Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus plan
Roof plan – click for larger image
Jianamani Visitor Centre by Atelier TeamMinus section
Section – click for larger image

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Quattro Fleet Shuttle by Audi for Ender’s Game

This futuristic car with a continuous transparent top was designed by German auto brand Audi for the sci-fi film Ender’s Game, which premiered yesterday.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

Audi digitally modelled the Quattro Fleet Shuttle to be driven by actor Harrison Ford’s character in the film.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

He was actually filmed inside an Audi A7 Sportback and the futuristic design was then added by CGI artists in post-production.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

“We have created a car for a world in about 75 years, which integrated itself perfectly into the high-tech atmosphere of the movie,” said Audi design team member Björn Wehrli.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

The roof of the vehicle is almost entirely see-through, so the neon green light that picks out details on the interior can be seen from outside.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

Wheels are surrounded by the car’s chassis, with the all-terrain tyres only exposed at contact points with the ground.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

“Designing the Audi fleet shuttle quattro was similar to customising a tailor-made suit,” said chief designer for the film project Frank Rimili. “We adapted it to the requirements of the world in Ender’s Game and at the same time had to take care to preserve our brand values.”

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

A 1:4 scale model of the vehicle was displayed at the movie’s premiere in Los Angeles last night. It will later go on show at the Audi Design Studio in Munich.

More details from Audi follow:


Virtual vision: Audi designs science fiction car

» Movie car Audi fleet shuttle quattro displays a futuristic design
» Audi Design develops visions for the future world
» Summit Entertainment’s “Ender’s Game” features all-star cast including Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford

Futuristic, progressive and cutting edge: the Audi Design Team has developed an entirely virtual car for Summit Entertainment’s film adaptation of the award-winning, best-selling novel Ender’s Game. With its visionary design, the Audi fleet shuttle quattro blends easily into the world of the science fiction feature film and combines futuristic design with groundbreaking technology.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

The fictional Audi fleet shuttle quattro seen in the film Ender’s Game marks the first time the car company has unveiled a purely virtual Audi in a feature film. True to the company’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” philosophy, the brand with the four rings collaborated with director Gavin Hood and the production team to use the latest technology to digitally and seamlessly integrate the Audi fleet shuttle quattro into the futuristic environment of the film.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

The company noted that the technologically advanced world of Ender’s Game is reflected in the design of the model. “The Audi in the movie represents progress and it appears in key scenes that have a lasting impact on the life of the protagonist,” explained Florian Zitzlsperger, responsible for Brand Partnerships at AUDI AG. “As a result, our Audi becomes part of this fictional world.”

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

“Designing the Audi fleet shuttle quattro was similar to customising a tailor-made suit. We adapted it to the requirements of the world in Ender’s Game” and at the same time had to take care to preserve our brand values,” said Frank Rimili, chief designer for the film project. “We were ultimately able to perfectly project our design philosophy into the fictional world of the movie.” Linda McDonough, a producer of “Ender’s Game,” added, “The Audi brand is already very forward thinking which made their inclusion in our film an organic fit.”

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

Based on the best-selling, award-winning novel, the feature film “Ender’s Game” is an epic adventure written for the screen and directed by Gavin Hood starring Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis with Abigail Breslin and Harrison Ford. In the near future, a hostile alien race has attacked Earth. In preparation for the next attack, humans begin training the best students to find their future leader. Ender Wiggin, a shy but strategically brilliant young man, is pulled out of his school to join the elite.

Quattro Fleet Shuttle virtual car by Audi for Ender's Game

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters the training, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. He is soon ordained as the military‟s next great hope and is charged to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race. Summit Entertainment, which co-financed the film with OddLot Entertainment, will release the film in the United States.

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“There isn’t much understanding of China’s maritime past”

Movie: in our final exclusive interview with the winners at this year’s World Architecture Festival in Singapore, architect Michael Rayner discusses the National Maritime Museum of China, which was crowned World Future Project of the Year 2013.

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

Set to be completed in 2015, the National Maritime Museum of China by Australian studio Cox Rayner Architects will be a 80,000 square metre museum located in Tianjin, China.

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

“China has been built on water,” says Rayner. “Not only has it been very much related to the sea, but it was built on canals and that’s how it evolved.”

“There’s a feeling that there isn’t much understanding of China’s maritime past. [The Chinese government] wanted the world and also their own people to understand more about how the country evolved from a water perspective.”

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

The design of the museum features five separate halls that spread out like a fan, each of which will be dedicated to a different aspect of China’s marine heritage.

“We wanted to segment it, to stop it from becoming one very large object,” explains Rayner.

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

“The brief consisted of a series of different themes, so we felt there was a good reason to give each of those an identity. So the form you see in the plan was in part about giving them a distinction and then converging to show how each of those things might relate to each other.”

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

However, Rayner reveals that the exact form of the building is still evolving, as his team are having to redesign parts of the museum as they go to accommodate the different artefacts the Chinese government is acquiring to fill it.

National-Maritime-Museum-of-China-by-Cox-Rayner-Architects_dezeen_06

“Museums at that scale need about a million artefacts to occupy them, so the government has been very rapidly trying to collect elements to work in it,” he says.

“So the design has had to adapt post competition to fit some of the things that are going to be in there. It has been an evolving process.”

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

The design team are also up against a very strict timescale to finish the project, he says.

“The government announced that, no matter what, they wanted the project completed at the end of 2015, which in our terms is a record time to do a project,” Rayner explains.

National Maritime Museum of China by Cox Rayner Architects

“They’re about to start putting the piling in at the end of this month, so it’s a very immediate kind of start but we’ve designed it in such a way that the piling and the main floor can be put in and we’ve still got plenty of flexibility to develop the curatorial brief as we go on.”

“We’re trying to dovetail the rapidity [that the client requires] with the quality that we want to get out of the project.”

Michael Rayner of Cox Rayner Architects
Michael Rayner of Cox Rayner Architects

World Architecture Festival 2013 took place at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from 2 to 4 October. Next year’s World Architecture Festival will take place at the same venue from 1 to 3 October 2014. Award entries are open from February to June 2014.

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