“We have created a new type of water” – Philippe Starck

In this movie we filmed in New York, French designer Philippe Starck explains how his Organic tap for bathroom brand Axor dramatically reduces water consumption by combining it with air.

"We have created a new type of water" - Philippe Starck
Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

“We have created a new type of water, which we call ’empty water'”, says Philippe Starck. “You have the feeling of having a lot of water, but you have a lot less. That is a new standard that uses less than half [as much water as] before.”

Unlike most taps, the water temperature can also be preset at the top so there’s no need to adjust it once the water is running. “[Normally] when we change temperature, we lose a lot of water,” Starck explains.

"We have created a new type of water" - Philippe Starck

“That’s why this product is not a new faucet, it’s a new philosophy,” he continues. “It’s a big revolution because it fits with what we need for today and tomorrow.”

Starck cites his inspiration for the form of the tap as a childhood memory of a farmyard water pump. “We have to find the bone, the essence, the centre, the spirit,” he says. “I dug into my memory of childhood, and the first time I saw water was in a farm.”

"We have created a new type of water" - Philippe Starck

He also wanted the form to mirror nature. “All the lines come from our body, all the lines come from vegetation,” he says. “I tried to [capture] the organic energy.”

"We have created a new type of water" - Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck

Find out more about the Organic tap in our earlier story, or see all our stories about design by Philippe Starck.

The post “We have created a new type
of water” – Philippe Starck
appeared first on Dezeen.

Innovation Tower at Hong Kong Polytechnic University by Zaha Hadid Architects

Hong Kong-based architecture photographer Edmon Leong has sent us a set of exclusive photos of Zaha Hadid’s nearly-completed Innovation Tower at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (+ slideshow).

The 76 metre-high building, located on the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus close to Hung Hom station in Kowloon, is being built to house the institution’s design school.

Innovation Tower at Hong Kong Polytechnic University by Zaha Hadid Architects. Image copyright Edmon Leong.

Providing 12,00 square metres of space for 1,500 students, the project is part of a strategy to turn Hong Kong into a leading design hub in Asia.

The building is conceived as a variant of the tower-and-podium typology, with the concrete podium and the louvred tower visually united by flowing forms.

Zaha Hadid Architects were appointed to design the building in 2008. “The Innovation Tower design dissolves the classic typology of the tower and the podium into a seamless piece,” Hadid said at the time. “The design unashamedly aims to stimulate a vision of possibilities for the future whilst reflecting the history of the institution.”

Innovation Tower at Hong Kong Polytechnic University by Zaha Hadid Architects. Image copyright Edmon Leong.

Hadid first came to international prominence in 1983 for a project designed for Hong Kong – a hilltop spa and leisure club called The Peak that was never built.

“I am delighted to be working in Hong Kong again,” Hadid said when the Hong Kong Polytechnic University project was announced. “The city has such diversity in its landscapes and history; this is reflected in an urbanism of layering and porosity. Our own explorations and research into an architecture of seamless fluidity follows this paradigm so evident in Hong Kong.”

She added: “One of our seminal projects was designed for the city exactly 25 years ago, and the Innovation Tower design is a realization of this continued research.”

All images are copyright Edmon Leong and used with permission.

The post Innovation Tower at Hong Kong Polytechnic
University by Zaha Hadid Architects
appeared first on Dezeen.

London by Meike Harde

Clothing can be tucked away behind the textile skins of these storage units by German designer Meike Harde.

London by Meike Harde

Meike Harde created the London series of bedroom furniture by stretching different fabrics over metal frames.

London by Meike Harde

Included in the collection is a cabinet enveloped in pleated purple material, which bunches when the doors are slid open on a mechanism hidden within the fabric.

London by Meike Harde

An adjustable metal rod can be added on top of the cabinet to hold a circular mirror.

London by Meike Harde

Rhomboid-shaped frames wrapped in light translucent green cloth form a series of shelves.

London by Meike Harde

Objects are inserted through silts in the fabric and accessories can be hung on the protruding parts of the metal frame.

London by Meike Harde

Beige cotton is pulled taut over the metal skeleton of a dismountable wardrobe, which has an open bottom so long dresses can drape freely.

London by Meike Harde

Garments hang from a wooden rail, held up by holes in flaps that hang down from the top inside corners.

London by Meike Harde

The final item in the range is a stool created by a foam cube suspended off the ground by lengths of pink and blue mesh material, which attach to a four-legged black frame.

London by Meike Harde

Meike Harde has also designed benches and stools formed from folded foam mats, plus masks that cover just the eyes and mouth with idealised features from the media.

London by Meike Harde

More clever storage solutions on Dezeen include tables and chairs that clip together to form an assortment of shelving units and a cabinet that opens like a giant sewing box.

See more storage design »
See more design by Meike Harde »

The designer sent us the following information:


Commonly used storage facilities for clothes are mostly made of heavy and thick-walled materials like wood or press board. However, the walls of a storage object only serve as a protection against dust and generally do not need any static features.

London by Meike Harde

For this reason the series London makes use of textile materials. By means of a framework made of metal sticks the fabric protect the clothes from dirt to the same extent, but they make the furniture more lightweight and mobile. Additionally the textile material facilitates entirely different applications, both in the construction of the furniture as well as in its surface design.

London by Meike Harde

The violet cabinet made of organic molton makes use of the principle of a sliding door. The opening mechanism is incorporated into the textile part so that it can do without additional guiding rails. On the internal side of the textile mantle are rubber bands. These rubber bands are stretched when the furniture is closed and contract when it is opened, which results in the door gathering to the outside. The dressers smoked surface picks up the gathering of the wardrobe when opened, which prevents a wrinkling of the fabric.

London by Meike Harde

A mirror can be installed if desired. It hangs flexibly on a metal stick which is fixed to the upper open part of the cabinet. It is connected to the metal frame and adjustable in height.

London by Meike Harde

Whereas the cabinet can be used to stow folded clothes like t-shirts, pullovers or trousers, the beige wardrobe serves to hang up clothes hangers. This furniture provides room for shirts, dresses or jackets.

London by Meike Harde

The slip cover made of pure cotton was constructed custom-fit so that it gains an enormous strain and stiffens when put over the metal frame. The zip placed in the front part forms the door. Behind this door a wooden clothes rail surfaces which was incorporated into the slip cover.

London by Meike Harde

The wardrobe is intentionally kept open at the bottom so that even extra-long dresses can be stowed away. It is also completely dismountable and can be installed and uninstalled with only a couple of hand movements.

London by Meike Harde

The mint-green rhombic tower is composed of a metal frame over which an elastic textile tube can be put and then is tightened where the metal sticks cross. This creates pockets which can be filled through a slit in the textile mantle. These pockets are intended to make room for underwear, socks, caps, scarves and other accessories which can be seen from the outside due to the transparent fabric.

London by Meike Harde

The rubber foam cube is kept in shape by two net sheets that are fixed in a metal frame. This creates a wavering effect. The construction is relatively simple as the frame can be deconstructed at the corners so the net can be slid onto the metal posts. When putting it together the rubber foam cube is inserted and the frame is screwed in place.

Due to the light net the sheets of fabric overlap on the top side of the stool. This causes a slight colour mixture of the colours pink and blue.

The post London by
Meike Harde
appeared first on Dezeen.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem

Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem has renovated a 1950s house in Tel Aviv with a roughly hewn sandstone mosaic wall inside it (+ slideshow).

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

An Urban Villa was designed by Dov Karmi, one of Israel’s most celebrated modern architects, and Pitsou Kedem was asked to restructure the two-storey interior.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

“The main idea was to preserve the spirit of the original design whilst implementing a contemporary, independent interpretation of the existing structure and its adaptation to contemporary technologies, materials and knowledge,” said Kedem.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

Walls were whitened both inside and outside the house, while black-painted wood was used to construct the new staircase and louvred balustrade.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

“These monochromatic hues provide the background for the original materials that we decided to preserve,” explained Kedem, referring to the limestone floor and sandstone wall left intact.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

The architect selected furniture to complement the design, including an Eames chair, a marble kitchen counter and a vivid red sofa.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

Other residential projects by Pitsou Kedem include a renovated apartment with a vaulted stone ceiling and a boxy white house. See more architecture by Pitsou Kedem »

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

Here’s more text from the architect:


An Urban Villa

In the 1950s what was known as the “International Style” was highly developed in Tel Aviv. It developed thanks to architects who studied at the Bauhaus Institute in Germany and who then returned to Israel to continue their work. One of the architects who led the “International Style” was Dov Carmi. He designed many, usually large, projects. One of his more restrained projects was an urban villa in the centre of Tel Aviv which he designed in 1951.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

In his design, Carmi expressed his local interpretation of “Free Design” in which there is a continuous series of spaces created by light and shadow, view and movement without creating one large, single and open space.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

My office executed a massive reconstruction of the structure which included the changing of the exterior facade and the division of the interior. The main idea was to preserve the spirit of the original design whilst implementing a contemporary, independent interpretation of the existing structure and its adaptation to contemporary technologies, materials and knowledge.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

During the project, we took great care to create an experience of defined, intimate and continuous spaces in a relatively restricted area; and this without detracting from the overall understanding of the entire structure.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

The house is simple and minimalistic with the light and the materials creating drama and vitality. The unique range of materials was preserved throughout the project.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

The building’s external facades were painted white and the profiles chosen are decks painted black, similar to the Bauhaus style. The floor is of off-white concrete. These monochromatic hues provide the background for the original materials that we decided to preserve.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

The central wall that divides the entry space was preserved in its original form, built from hewed, course sandstone constructed in a unique composition. The floor of the living room is wild, natural limestone of earth hues and changing sections. The wall and the floor symbolise the building in its original state. Around them is modern, minimalistic architecture which emphasis the space and the light. The project’s furniture was carefully chosen to complete the overall experience of a living urban villa that conducts a dialogue between two worlds and two separate eras.

An Urban Villa by Pitsou Kedem Architects

Plot: 370 sqm
House: 300 sqm
Original structure’s architect: Dov Carmi, 1951
Renovation architect: Pitsou Kedem Architects 2010 – 2012
Design team: Pitsou Kedem, Noa Groman

The post An Urban Villa
by Pitsou Kedem
appeared first on Dezeen.

New Pinterest board: Australian houses

Australian houses

Our new Pinterest board features an extensive selection of Australian houses, including the timber-framed beach house, periscope-shaped extension and sand dune-shaped residence all published on Dezeen this week.

See our new Australian houses board »
Follow Dezeen on Pinterest »
See all our stories featuring Australian houses »

The post New Pinterest board:
Australian houses
appeared first on Dezeen.

Frame by UID Architects

A facade designed to look like a picture frame outlines a courtyard garden at this house in Hiroshima by Japanese studio UID Architects.

Frame house by UID Architects

Named Frame, the two-storey house was designed by UID Architects with a two-layer facade, comprising a black outer skin with a clean white wall behind. The courtyard garden is slotted in between and forms the house’s entrance.

Frame house by UID Architects

The pebbled floor of the courtyard continues into the house, wrapping around a wooden staircase that runs along behind the windows.

Frame house by UID Architects

Bedroom and bathroom areas sit on the ground floor, while the first floor opens out into a spacious living and dining room with a study on one side.

Frame house by UID Architects

Light penetrates the house through a long narrow skylight that spans the roof, as well as through large openings in the facade.

Frame by UID Architects

“In this house you’re able to live feeling the gentle breeze and daily sunlight as much as possible,” say the architects.

Frame house by UID Architects

We’ve featured five residences designed by UID Architects, including a house where circular hollows create sunken rooms and a timber home constructed at the foot of a mountain.

Frame house by UID Architects

See more houses by UID Architects »
See more Japanese houses »

Frame by UID Architects

Photography is by Hiroshi Ueda.

Here’s a project description from UID Architects:


Frame

The house aims the space such as one integral room which is 7m×7m+X. There are bedroom and guest room, washroom and bathroom in the ground floor, also LDK and study room on second floor because of referencing around site environment surrounded 3 ways. Basically the house is designed like one integral room which is 7m×7m while considering to make each space as small as possible.

Frame house by UID Architects

In addition to that, the yard space set to road which connect to outside as extension of interior wall. Therefore we can feel the extra space more than physical extent space.

Frame house by UID Architects

Furthermore by setting this wall, it can connect to outside of area smoothly as ensure the privacy. On the second floor, it could be possible to get lighting inside without affection by around site environment from the top light which exists north to south. Regarding yard, we can feel south side lightning from LDK to study room integrally by setting yard on north to south. And also it could be comfortable study room owing to constant sunlight of north direction by locating study room to north side. In this house it’s able to live as feeling gentle breeze and daily under the natural sunlight as much as possible in interior room.

Frame house by UID Architects
Axonometric diagram

Architects: UID architects – Keisuke Maeda
Consultants: Konishi Structural Engineers, Toshiya Ogino Environment Design Office
General contractor: Hotta Construction Co.Ltd.

Structural system: wood structure
Used materials: wooden flooring (flooring), spandrel (wall), plaster board (ceiling)

Frame house by UID Architects
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

Location: Hiroshima-City, Hiroshima, Japan
Site area: 132.23 sqm
Built area: 57.85 sqm
Total floor area: 111.43 sqm
Date of completion: January, 2012

Frame house by UID Architects
First floor plan – click for larger image

The post Frame by
UID Architects
appeared first on Dezeen.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

These aluminium stools and benches by design graduate Sara Mellone are designed to look like folded pieces of paper.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

The Simple Things, Sara Mellone‘s graduate project from the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, comprises pieces of furniture made from 2.5-millimetre sheets of aluminium that have each been folded four times.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

The process of bending the lightweight aluminium gives the furniture strength and ensures that the stools and benches have a stable footing.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

“The simple shape of the double fold creates enough strength to build a bench that is three times longer then the stool,” says Mellone.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

Both designs can be manufactured without any offcuts and don’t require any additional parts for assembly.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

Mellone has also created a version finished with a white powder coating, which protects the surface from fingerprints and scratches.

The Simple Things by Sara Mellone

Other benches we’ve featured in recent months include a wavy plastic seat by Ron Arad, and a bench by Zaha Hadid modelled on a block of ice.

See all our stories about benches »
See all our stories about stools »

The post The Simple Things by
Sara Mellone
appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen archive: bookshelf staircases

Staircases with integrated shelving

Dezeen archive: this week’s look back into the Dezeen archives has uncovered a selection of staircases combined with bookshelvesSee more bookshelf staircases »

See all our archive stories »

The post Dezeen archive:
bookshelf staircases
appeared first on Dezeen.

Loft Space in Camden by Craft Design

The latest residence to feature a combined staircase and bookshelf is this loft conversion in north London by British design studio Craft Design. (+ slideshow)

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

Craft Design renovated a former office to create the open-plan residence, inserting a central bathroom that separates the kitchen and dining area from the living room, while also providing the framework for a first-floor bed deck.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

The gabled end wall is covered with bookshelves, providing storage for three different areas. The staircase is formed from a series of extruded shelves and leads up from the living room to the mezzanine sleeping area.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

“The idea was to maximise the sense of space as well as keeping a simple and efficient layout,” said designers Hugo D’Enjoy and Armando Elias.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

The designers kept to a simple palette of wooden flooring with white walls and fittings, allowing the owner to add colour by displaying books and other collected items.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

We’ve recently featured a renovated apartment in Barcelona that also uses a bookcase as a staircase. See more interiors that combine staircases with bookshelves »

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

Photography is by Craft Design.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

Here’s a project description by Armado Elias:


London based Studio Craft Design led by Hugo D’Enjoy and Armando Elias has transformed a loft space in Camden into a bright and dynamic living-working space.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design

Originally used as an open plan office space, the challenge was to convert the property into a bespoke and innovative environment that efficiently and creatively responds to the demands of living in London.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design
3D diagram

In response to the brief, the idea was to maximise the sense of space as well as keeping a simple and efficient layout. The solution successfully achieved this with the introduction of a single volume located central to the loft where all the services are accommodated. Detached from the facades and ceilings this element has divided the open plan into several spaces for different uses such as kitchen-dinning, living room, storage, bathroom and a mezzanine for the sleeping and working area.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

The 4.5 m height party wall and roof eaves have been fully used with shelves and storage, which serve the whole space. The stair to access the mezzanine level was cleverly integrated into this single piece of furniture. The rest was about keeping a simple palette in terms of materials and colors to allow the owner collection of objects, art and books give the wall an authentic personality to the space.

Loft conversion in camden by Craft design
Mezzanine plan – click for larger image

The post Loft Space in Camden
by Craft Design
appeared first on Dezeen.

Be.e electric scooter by Waarmakers

Dutch product design agency Waarmakers have designed a prototype electric scooter with a body made from compressed plants (+ movie).

Be.e e-scooter made from plants by Waarmakers

Dutch design duo Maarten Heijltjes and Simon Akkaya of Waarmakers designed the Be.e scooter for sustainable mobility brand Van.Eko, using natural fibre-reinforced composites (NFCs) instead of traditional steel and plastics.

The bio-composite monocoque body is made of hemp, flax and bio-resins and mimics that of an egg shell. “The monocoque structure means there is no internal frame,” Akkaya told Dezeen. “The smooth outside surface is what gives the scooter its strength.”

Be.e e-scooter by Waarmakers

“The design of the Be.e proves that supporting structures in high-impact transportation vehicles, more commonly made with steel, can be replaced with more sustainable natural fibres, without losing strength or performance,” said Akkaya.

Be.e e-scooter made from plants by Waarmakers

Unveiled on 27 June, the Be.e scooter was designed in collaboration with Inholland University of Applied Sciences and NPSP composites.

Here’s a video of the Be.e in action:

Amsterdam-based Waarmakers specialise in sustainable design. Past projects include the Goedzak refuse sacks, designed for discarding unwanted items for others to collect.

Here’s a statement from Waarmakers:


Greenest e-scooter, made from plants

We designed the greenest scooter ever; this e-scooter is made from plants, seriously. The Be.e is a frameless bio-composite electric scooter, with a monocoque body made from flax and bio-resin.

Be.e scooter made from plants by Waarmakers

In a collaborative effort with InHolland, NPSP composites and Van.Eko, Waarmakers designed the Be.e; the first bio-based e-scooter.

Be.e e-scooter made from plants by Waarmakers

The Be.e has a monocoque body; a unique construction in which the object’s external skin supports the load, similar to an eggshell, eliminating the need for a frame and the usual numerous plastic panels. This structural engineering feat is made from Dutch flax and bio-resin, extremely sustainable, lightweight and strong.

Be.e e-scooter by Waarmakers

We were responsible for the overall design of the scooter, it’s monocoque and detailed parts. A task which challenged not only our engineering skills, but also our abilities to design a shape, an image, which communicates it’s unique configuration in an elegant but distinct way.

Be.e e-scooter by Waarmakers

The post Be.e electric scooter
by Waarmakers
appeared first on Dezeen.