Hasta La Ideas

People are dunked in a pool of wax to create sculptural dresses by Dutch fashion designer Bart Hess as part of a futuristic city on show at this year’s Lisbon Architecture Triennale, which kicked off yesterday in the Portuguese capital.

Bart Hess created the installation to explore ways in which humans can augment and extend the shapes of their bodies, creating a kind of prosthetic that is unique each time.

To create the garment, individuals are strapped to a robotic harness then lowered into a pool of water and wax. As the wax moves in the water it begins to set, bonding itself around the body.

The person is then lifted out of the water, encased inside a cocoon of wax that can then be cut or broken.

Speaking to Dezeen, Bart Hess explained that temperature affects the end result.  “More complex shapes require hotter temperatures, so you need to build up a tolerance to the heat,” he explained. “But it only hurts on the surface for a few seconds.”

The Garment District is one of five zones in the Future Perfect exhibition, which was conceived by curator Liam Young as an exploration into how technology will shape future cities.

“Telling stories about the future is a way of thinking about ideas,” said Young. “It’s about opening up a a discourse of what a city could be. Architects need to be operating beyond the now, developing strategies and tactics that will connect people with the future.”

The Lisbon Architecture Triennale continues until 15 December. Follow Dezeen’s coverage of the event »

Earlier this year Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen creates a dress modelled on splashing water. See more stories about fashion »

Here’s a short project description from the exhibition organisers:

The Garment District

Our bodies are end­lessly photographed, monitored and laser scanned with millimetre precision. From this context of surveillance, facial recognition, avatars and virtual ghosts, we imagine a near future where digital static, distortions and glitches become a new form of ornament.

For the youth tribes of Future Perfect the body is a site for adaption, augmentation and experimentation. They celebrate the corrup­tion of the body data by moulding within their costumery all the imperfections of a decaying scan file. Shimmering in the exhibition landscape is a network of geometric reflec­tive pools of molten wax. Their mirrored surface is broken by a body, suspended from a robotic harness, plunging into the liquid. A crust of wax crystallises around its curves and folds, growing architectural forms, layer by layer, like a 3d printer drawing directly onto the skin. Slowly the body emerges, encased in a dripping wet readymade prosthetic. It is a physical glitch, a manifestation of corrupt data in motion, a digital artefact. They hang from hooks like a collection of strange beasts and frozen avatars. Body prints, imperfect and distorted and always utterly unique.

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at Future Perfect appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture and interior design studio Project Orange have renovated and extended a home in central London to provide more practical spaces for a family that hosts a monthly dining club (+ slideshow).

East London-based practice Project Orange moved the principle kitchen to the first floor so it is next to the dining room where the family entertain their guests.

The new dining room features tables that can be arranged to accommodate different numbers of guests and built-in shelves at one end continue above the door on the perpendicular wall.

Utilitarian, off-the-shelf products are used to furnish the kitchen, resulting in a practical space that is customised to the needs and tastes of the homeowners.

The architects also designed an infill extension at the rear of the property that houses a smaller kitchen with a large skylight.

Floorboards removed when new underfloor heating was laid have been reused on the walls and work surfaces in the downstairs kitchen.

Partitions were introduced on the ground floor to create a small office and a snug, while the basement has been repurposed as living quarters for the family’s son and bedrooms, a master bathroom and another study are located on the second floor.

Project Orange have also extended a redundant brick warehouse in Sheffield, England, by placing a contrasting black steel volume on top of building.

Recent residential extensions on Dezeen include an addition to a single-storey house in Melbourne, Australia, with a translucent roof that looks like a lightbox, and an extension in Dublin, Ireland, covered in terracotta tiles that resemble brickwork – see more residential extensions.

Photography is by Jack Hobhouse.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Eaton Square house renovation

The client for Eaton Terrace runs a monthly dining club from their home in central London, and our brief was therefore not only to design a small extension providing more living space for the family, but to also reconfigure the existing house to better accommodate guests.

The key move was to shift the kitchen to the first floor alongside the dining room and reintroduce partitions at ground floor level to create an office and snug.

To the rear of the house we designed an infill extension with a huge rooflight to form a new day room. Bedrooms, the master bathroom and a second study are found on the second floor, with the basement re-designated as the son’s quarters.

An original extension off the main stair contains a guest WC and second bathroom at half landings.

Both the kitchen and built-in furnishings have been carefully designed using standard products but with detail nuances introduced to help provide a bespoke and more quirky aesthetic.

A new underfloor heating installation requires the removal of the existing floorboards, which in turn are inventively re-used in the ground floor kitchen and a bespoke door lining to the dining room.

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Project Orange appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Music Project: this surreal music video for Dutch production trio Kraak & Smaak’s new single Good for the City blends live action with an assortment of animated characters taken from old cartoons. 

Good for the City by Kraak & Smaak is a catchy, upbeat indie disco song, featuring lead vocals by British artist Sam Duckworth, better known by his stage name Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

Directed by Jonathan Irwin, the video stars Duckworth as a yellow robot singing and dancing alongside an eclectic selection of cartoon characters.

“The band’s brief mentioned they were looking for something a bit different,” said Irwin. “As part of the treatment I created a test video of a technique I’d wanted to use for a while – an odd mixture of live action and animation, the result of which is a bit like a kid’s TV show on acid.”

Irwin used Adobe’s motion graphics software After Effects to create the animated characters, which he sourced from publicly available cartoons and added to the live footage frame by frame.

“I shot the video in a friend’s loft apartment, which we decorated with a ton of fairy lights and colourful junk,” he explained. “I used After Effects to populate the shelves with a variety of dancing cartoon characters drawn from ancient public domain cartoons, all rotoscoped and tracked onto the live action.”

Good for the City will be released on 23 September on Jalapeño Records. The music video was commissioned via Radar Music Videos, a website that matches bands and record labels up with music video editors.

Watch more music videos featured on Dezeen »

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by Jonathan Irwin appeared first on Dezeen.

Automotive brand Nissan has unveiled the first smartwatch concept to communicate with a car, providing drivers with real-time information such as average speed and heart rate (+ movie).

The Nismo Watch will connect with Nissan‘s Nismo vehicle range, enabling drivers to keep track of their speed and fuel consumption to help improve efficiency.

Racing drivers will be able to use the watch to access performance statistics while on track. Data from the car and wearer will be transmitted to a smartphone app via bluetooth, where it will be stored.

The watch will also track and rate the user’s social media activity across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram via Nissan’s Social Speed software.

“Wearable technology is fast becoming the next big thing and we want to take advantage of this innovative technology to make our Nismo brand more accessible,” said Gareth Dunsmore, the brand’s Marketing Communications General Manager.

The interface will be controlled by two buttons on the smooth band, which will secure to the wrist with a snap-fit mechanism and come in black, white, or a combination of black and red.

A lithium battery will have a life of over seven days and charge by micro-USB. Packaging for the watch will be made using rubber from racetrack tyres.

Nissan has also set up a mobile laboratory to develop and test additional features for its wearable technology.

It is hoped these new features will be able to monitor biometrics including heart rhythm intervals to identify when drivers are becoming tired, brainwaves to track concentration levels and emotions, plus skin temperature to record core body temperature and hydration levels.

The concept was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this week, close behind electronics brand Samsung‘s announcement about its own smartwatch.

Google is set to launch its Google Glass augmented reality eyewear in 2014, which the UK government wants to ban for drivers amid safety concerns.

Apple is also rumoured to be working on a smartwatch that might take the form of a slap bracelet with a video display patented by the company earlier this year. See more wearable technology »

Here are more details from Nissan:

Nissan enters wearable technology space with the unveil of the Nismo watch concept

Nissan launches first smartwatch to connect car and driver performance.

First smartwatch concept to connect driver and car Nismo Watch showcases Nissan’s intent to deliver biometric data that enhances driver performance and efficiency Nissan is investigating heart and brain monitoring technologies for future wearable tech.

Nissan will become the first car manufacturer to create a smartwatch designed specifically for drivers of Nissan Nismo cars. The Nissan Nismo Concept Watch will be the first smartwatch to connect a driver to the car and will provide drivers with real-time biometric data.

The watch, unveiled today ahead of its display at the Frankfurt Motor Show (10-22 September 2013), is Nissan’s first step into wearable technology and epitomises its “fan first” approach to performance.

The Nissan Nismo Watch will allow drivers to: monitor the efficiency of their vehicle with average speed and fuel consumption readings; access vehicle telematics and performance data while on track; capture biometric data via a heart rate monitor; connect to the car using a smartphone app via Bluetooth Low Energy; receive tailored car messages from Nissan.

Gareth Dunsmore, Marketing Communications General Manager, Nissan in Europe, commented: “Wearable technology is fast becoming the next big thing and we want to take advantage of this innovative technology to make our Nismo Brand more accessible. On track, Nissan uses the latest biometric training technologies to improve the performance of our Nissan Nismo Athletes and it is this technology we want to bring to our fans to enhance their driving experience and Nismo ownership.”

Earlier this year, Nissan launched the Nismo Lab – a bespoke, mobile laboratory that features the latest, advanced biometric training tools such as brainwave technology and JukeRide – a cutting-edge performance analysis tool, that captures live biometric and telematics data from the race cars and Nissan Nismo Athletes during races. Nismo’s vision is to take these digital age technologies and make them available to athletes from other disciplines and to Nissan owners through future wearable tech.

Three key technologies have already identified for future development: ECG (Electrocardiogram) – to measure the intervals of the R-R rhythm of the heart, and identify early fatigue; EEG (Electroencephalogram) Brainwave – to monitor the drivers’ levels of concentration and emotions, and help athletes to get ‘In The Zone’; Skin Temperature – to record core body temperature and hydration levels; The Nismo Watch will also track and rate the user’s social performance across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram via Nissan’s proprietary Social Speed software.

The sleek Nismo Watch will be available in three colours – black, white and the flagship black and red. The watch design was inspired by the Nismo ring and is reflected in a seamless, futuristic and ergonomic design. The simple user interface can be controlled by two buttons and is secured onto the driver’s wrist via a simple snap-fit mechanism.

Even the packaging will have a unique Nismo identity. Dunsmore concluded: “We have brought the Nismo experience to life in every aspect of the watch, including its packaging, which will be made using tyres and rubber from the racetrack. As Nismo is the performance arm of Nissan, we wanted a way of integrating Nismo’s heritage in racing into this futuristic innovation.”

The Nismo Watch will use a lithium battery and will be charged by micro-USB, with a battery life of over seven days under normal usage conditions.

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by Nissan appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese studio Apollo Architects and Associates arranged the spaces of this tall, angular house in Tokyo to frame views of the nearby Skytree observation tower (+ slideshow).

Located on an irregularly shaped site at the end of a narrow street, the three-storey Alley house centres around a four-storey stair tower, leading residents to a roof terrace with a view across the city skyline.

Apollo Architects and Associates planned the residence for a family of four, adding bedrooms and bathrooms on the top and bottom floors, and sandwiching a large kitchen and dining room on the middle storey.

A split level creates a natural divide between the kitchen and family dining table, which is designed around a sunken space so that diners have to climb inside.

Large windows line this corner of the building to frame views of the 634-metre observation tower beyond. “People can relax while enjoying the gorgeous view of Tokyo Skytree,” explained architect Satoshi Kurosaki.

A metal staircase rises up through the tower to connect the floors. More windows bring sunlight into this stairwell, plus open treads allow it to spread through the building.

On the ground floor, sliding doors open a guest bedroom out to the entrance hall, creating a multi-purpose reception room.

“By sitting on the edge of the intermediate space, a sense of unity with the entrance hall can be felt, and this reminds us of good old Japanese houses,” said the architect.

A wooden frames gives the house its structure and is revealed by exposed ceiling beams on each floor.

The exterior is clad with galvanised steel and coloured brown to blend in with the surrounding buildings.

“The ceilings with exposed joists and the see-through stairs are lit up at night, and the exterior appears as a tower of light,” added Kurosaki.

Apollo Architects & Associates has offices in Japan and China. Recent projects by the studio include a house with a long white staircase at the entrance and a narrow residence with a glazed ground-floor gallery.

See more architecture by Apollo Architects & Associates »
See more houses in Japan »

Photography is by Masao Nishikawa.

Here’s a project description from Apollo Architects & Associates:

Alley House

A client for a house, of which I designed and supervised eight years ago, got married and bought a small lot near Tokyo Skytree, which is located in a place with a downtown atmosphere. Due to difficulty of construction within the small narrow site at the end of a narrow path, a wooden construction was chosen. Soft, dark brown galvanised steel exterior walls create a Japanese impression, and the house naturally blends into the old neighbourhood.

By using glass walls on the street side, indoor views include the surrounding environment. The ceilings with exposed joists and the see-through stairs are lit up at night, and the exterior appears as a tower of light. In addition to the large opening on the facade, the high window on the penthouse provides sufficient light to the interior, and these do not make one feel that the house is in a high density residential area.

Behind the large entrance earth floor, a small multipurpose space that can be used as a reception room was made. By sitting on the edge of the intermediate space, a sense of unity with the entrance hall can be felt, and this reminds us of good old Japanese houses. For the family room on the second floor, instead of chairs or a sofa, a hori-gotatsu (a sunken area for sitting around a built-in table) style table was designed where people can relax while enjoying the gorgeous view of Tokyo Skytree. A large U-shaped open kitchen allows the couple to cook authentic dishes together, and to welcome many guests. A step was made between the kitchen and the family room in order to add an accent and a rhythm to the small space, and indirect lighting creates an unusual impression. For the busy couple, the ‘small cosmos’ that enables them to be their natural selves is the exact ideal for their desired small house.

Location: Sumida ward, Tokyo
Structure: Timber
Scale: 3F
Typology: private housing
Completion: 2013.02
Lot area: 52.78 sqm

Builiding area 32.89 sqm
1F floor area 32.89 sqm
2F floor area 32.89 sqm
3F floor area 32.89 sqm
PH floor area 3.46 sqm
Total floor area 102.13 sqm

Structure engineers: Masaki Structure – Kenta Masaki
Facility engineers: Shimada Architects – Zenei Shimada
Construction: Kara Construction

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& Associates appeared first on Dezeen.