Hasta La Ideas

Royal College of Art graduate Po-Chih Lai has invented an add-on for a stove-top coffee pot that uses pressurised steam to froth up the milk (+ movie).

The Milk Brother is designed to fit into a moka pot, which works by passing steam through ground coffee.

Usually a pump is required to produce enough steam pressure to make hot milk foam, but Milk Brother simply makes use of the steam created in the coffee brewing process.

The aluminium device fits into the moka pot to create a space where the steam can be stored under pressure.

When the coffee has been poured, the pressurised steam is released into a jug of milk to heat and froth it, without the need for additional machine power.

Po-Chih Lai graduated from the RCA’s Design Products course. We recently featured his design for a skateboard that can go down stairs, which is on display at Show RCA 2012 until 1 July.

See more stories about coffee »

Here’s more information from the designer:

The MILK BROTHER / MOKA MILK FROTHER is inherited from the moka pot, also known as a macchinetta (literally ‘small machine’) or Italian coffee pot, a stove top coffee maker which produces coffee by passing hot water pressurized by steam through ground coffee. Moka pot was first patented by inventor Luigi De Ponti for Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. Bialetti Industrie continues to produce the same model under the name Moka Express.

MILK BROTHER is used to create hot milk foam via an intermediary middle valve. Hot milk foam generally relies on steam pressure which normally requires a pump, this pot employs an additional area where steam is stored under pressure‚ ready to be used for frothing milk. The combination of milk frother and moka pot provides a concise concept for a simple, integrated and lightweight solution which continues in the spirit of the original product‚ one which has inspired the public for the past 80 years. This project aims to eliminate any unnecessary tooling, design artefacts and functions. There is no pump machine, hand power, electrical requirement or extraneous function.

The vertical arrangement of the assembled product combination affords an easily comprehensible interaction and usage scenario. Steam breaks through the ground coffee from the bottom to the top, the MILK BROTHER further leverages the thermal transmission to an additional end‚ adding value and potential to the coffee making experience. Same Pot, Same Heat, More Potential.

Milan 2012: when Johanna Agerman-Ross from Disegno magazine came into Dezeen Studio in Milan, she spoke to us about the future of print magazines and current design trends.

Disegno launched its second issue in Milan and Johanna shared her ambitions for the magazine and her thoughts on why print is still relevant.

She also discusses trends amongst young designers, who are finding alternative ways to market themselves with entrepreneurial thinking and a return to local craft, giving Hacked Lab at La Rinascente from this year and Milan Uncut from last year as examples.

We published an abridged version of this interview in our Tuesday TV show (below).

Dezeen was filming and editing all week from Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST. See all the TV shows here.

World Architecture Festival 2012: Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI National Museum of the XXI Century Arts is the focus of our next movie about the World Architecture Festival, as programme director Paul Finch explains why the jury unanimously voted for it to win the festival’s World Building of the Year award in 2010.

The museum was one of the first prominent buildings in Rome to be designed by a female architect and the jury were impressed with how its plan flowed into the existing fabric of the city, as well as the strength of the competition-winning design that required few changes during construction.

MAXXI was also the winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize for the greatest contribution to British architecture in 2010, although its future currently hangs in the balance after its funding was severely cut by the Italian government last month.

This year’s World Architecture Festival will take place in Singapore from 3-5 October and will be the event’s fifth year.

Dezeen is media partner for World Architecture Festival 2012 and readers can save 25% on the early rate cost of entering the WAF awards. Simply enter MPVOUCH25 in the VIP code box when registering to enter online (see voucher above for more details).

Here’s some info about WAF:

World Architecture Festival is the world’s largest live architecture festival and awards programme.

Now in its fifth year, the World Architecture Festival has attracted over 8000 attendees to date. 2012 is a landmark year for the Festival, heralding our relocation to the Asian gateway and design hub, Singapore. WAF’s move brings with it unparalleled opportunities for east to meet west and for you to obtain inspiration, develop your global network and plan new exciting projects.

In 2011 over 400 architects from across the globe were shortlisted and battled for a WAF award. The festival saw over 30 international practices become winners of a revered WAF yellow W trophy.

To be at the centre of all WAF has to offer, and that includes global PR, doors opening, new connections and a celebration of your fervour for the power of life changing architecture, you need to enter the projects that you want to shout to the world about. You have less than six weeks to enter, so start yours today.

The World Architecture Festival Awards offers you multiple opportunities to showcase your best work and most exciting ideas to the world, including the most influential names in the design and development community. All you have to do is decide which projects will be representing your practice at the world’s largest, live architectural awards programme and festival.

There are 30 categories to choose from and projects can be completed buildings, future projects, landscape projects, masterplans or interiors. You can enter a project into more than one category (which will of course increase your chances of walking away with that rather handsome WAF award).

With 35 awards and prizes covering 100+ different building types, World Architecture Festival is your opportunity to promote your latest completed building, interior, landscape or masterplan globally.

How to enter the WAF Awards:

Entering the World Architecture Festival awards is easy. All entries must be submitted through our website www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Just follow these simple steps:

»Open your WAF account or if you have entered WAF previously just log onto your existing account – log in here.
»Choose the section and category that you want to enter – remember you can enter a project into more than one category.
»Tell us what project you are entering
»Pay for your entry
»Create your online entry by adding images for the project, your details, a description and any professional credits – all entries must be completed by 30th June 2012.

World Architecture Festival 2012: in our second movie celebrating this year’s World Architecture Festival in Singapore from 3-5 October, WAF programme director Paul Finch explains why the super-jury headed by architect Robert Stern selected the Universita Luigi Bocconi by Grafton Architects as World Building of the Year 2008 in the festival’s inaugural year.

The winning project, a university faculty building in Milan, beat Opera House Oslo by Norwegian architects Snøhetta (below) to the prize and Finch explains why the Irish architects’ building eventually won the super-jury over. See our stories about Universita Luigi Bocconi by Grafton Architects and Opera House Oslo by Snøhetta.

The first World Architecture Festival was held in Barcelona in 2008 and this year’s event in Singapore will be the festival’s fifth year.

Dezeen is media partner for World Architecture Festival 2012 and readers can save 25% on the early rate cost of entering the WAF awards. Simply enter MPVOUCH25 in the VIP code box when registering to enter online (see voucher above for more details).

Here’s some info about WAF:

World Architecture Festival is the world’s largest live architecture festival and awards programme.

Now in its fifth year, the World Architecture Festival has attracted over 8000 attendees to date. 2012 is a landmark year for the Festival, heralding our relocation to the Asian gateway and design hub, Singapore. WAF’s move brings with it unparalleled opportunities for east to meet west and for you to obtain inspiration, develop your global network and plan new exciting projects.

In 2011 over 400 architects from across the globe were shortlisted and battled for a WAF award. The festival saw over 30 international practices become winners of a revered WAF yellow W trophy.

To be at the centre of all WAF has to offer, and that includes global PR, doors opening, new connections and a celebration of your fervour for the power of life changing architecture, you need to enter the projects that you want to shout to the world about. You have less than six weeks to enter, so start yours today.

The World Architecture Festival Awards offers you multiple opportunities to showcase your best work and most exciting ideas to the world, including the most influential names in the design and development community. All you have to do is decide which projects will be representing your practice at the world’s largest, live architectural awards programme and festival.

There are 30 categories to choose from and projects can be completed buildings, future projects, landscape projects, masterplans or interiors. You can enter a project into more than one category (which will of course increase your chances of walking away with that rather handsome WAF award).

With 35 awards and prizes covering 100+ different building types, World Architecture Festival is your opportunity to promote your latest completed building, interior, landscape or masterplan globally.

How to enter the WAF Awards:

Entering the World Architecture Festival awards is easy. All entries must be submitted through our website www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Just follow these simple steps:

»Open your WAF account or if you have entered WAF previously just log onto your existing account – log in here.
»Choose the section and category that you want to enter – remember you can enter a project into more than one category.
»Tell us what project you are entering
»Pay for your entry
»Create your online entry by adding images for the project, your details, a description and any professional credits – all entries must be completed by 30th June 2012.

Dezeen is media partner for the fifth annual World Architecture Festival, taking place in Singapore from 3-5 October, and our readers can get a 25% discount when they enter their projects for the awards programme (see below).

To kick off a series of videos about the awards, programme director Paul Finch explains what WAF is all about and sets the scene for this year’s event.

In the movie Finch talks about this year’s venue, the Marina Bay Sands hotel and conference centre (above) designed by Moshe Safdie, as well as describing the atmosphere at the first four festivals, which were held in Barcelona.

Dezeen readers can save 25% on the early rate cost of entering the WAF awards. Simply enter MPVOUCH25 in the VIP code box when registering to enter online (see voucher above for more details).

Here’s some info about WAF:

World Architecture Festival is the world’s largest live architecture festival and awards programme.

Now in its fifth year, the World Architecture Festival has attracted over 8000 attendees to date. 2012 is a landmark year for the Festival, heralding our relocation to the Asian gateway and design hub, Singapore. WAF’s move brings with it unparalleled opportunities for east to meet west and for you to obtain inspiration, develop your global network and plan new exciting projects.

In 2011 over 400 architects from across the globe were shortlisted and battled for a WAF award. The festival saw over 30 international practices become winners of a revered WAF yellow W trophy.

To be at the centre of all WAF has to offer, and that includes global PR, doors opening, new connections and a celebration of your fervour for the power of life changing architecture, you need to enter the projects that you want to shout to the world about. You have less than six weeks to enter, so start yours today.

The World Architecture Festival Awards offers you multiple opportunities to showcase your best work and most exciting ideas to the world, including the most influential names in the design and development community. All you have to do is decide which projects will be representing your practice at the world’s largest, live architectural awards programme and festival.

There are 30 categories to choose from and projects can be completed buildings, future projects, landscape projects, masterplans or interiors. You can enter a project into more than one category (which will of course increase your chances of walking away with that rather handsome WAF award).

With 35 awards and prizes covering 100+ different building types, World Architecture Festival is your opportunity to promote your latest completed building, interior, landscape or masterplan globally.

How to enter the WAF Awards:

Entering the World Architecture Festival awards is easy. All entries must be submitted through our website www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Just follow these simple steps:

»Open your WAF account or if you have entered WAF previously just log onto your existing account – log in here.
»Choose the section and category that you want to enter – remember you can enter a project into more than one category.
»Tell us what project you are entering
»Pay for your entry
»Create your online entry by adding images for the project, your details, a description and any professional credits – all entries must be completed by 30th June 2012.