Hasta La Ideas

News: interior designer Christopher Jenner has been appointed creative director of rail company Eurostar, stepping into shoes vacated by Philippe Starck who designed the firm’s train interiors, lounges and staff uniforms a decade ago.

Christopher Jenner has been taken on board to work on new and existing design projects for Eurostar, the company that runs the high-speed passenger trains that link the UK to mainland Europe, as it prepares to launch a new fleet of trains.

“This partnership gives me the opportunity to bring my design skills to a wide range of customer touch points,” said Jenner. “Travel plays such an important part in our lives, and this collaboration with Eurostar will allow me to further elevate the customer experience.”

Starck was previously tasked with redesigning the train interiors, terminals, check-in lounges, signage, staff uniforms, cutlery and food for the company in 2001 and continued to work with the firm as a consultant until 2005.

Jenner designed a conceptual Eurostar cabin in February 2012, which featured individual seats covered in quilted yellow fabric, plus a combination of hardwood and carbon-fibre surfaces.

Main image of Eurostar trains is courtesy of Shutterstock.

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News: a vehicle described as “the world’s first solar-powered family car” has come first in a photovoltaic-powered race across Australia (+ slideshow).

Stella, a four-seater car developed by Solar Team Eindhoven from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands, today claimed victory in the Cruiser class at the World Solar Challenge 2013.

The vehicle completed the 3,000 km journey with an average of three people on board at an average of 67 km/h and a top speed of 120 km/h.

The Cruiser class, a new category at the biannual World Solar Challenge, was inaugurated in order to encourage the development of commercially viable solar-powered vehicles. Whereas other categories focus on speed alone, the Cruiser class takes into account practicality for everyday use.

“The team was judged on several aspects like comfort, features, styling and aesthetics but also parallel parking and cargo space,” said Solar Team Eindhoven. “Being the only one with a license plate, the road registration of Stella added up in the final score.”

“I congratulate Team Eindhoven on their innovation, practical design and foresight, to think outside the square and add the extra seats,” said World Solar Challenge director Chris Selwood. “‘Stella’ is a wonderful solar car in a field of exceptional cars and teams. I look forward to 2015 and the prospect of more cruisers as we work toward the world’s most efficient electric car.”

Stella, developed over a year and a half by Eindhoven students, features solar panels on its roof and rear. The rear panels can be flipped up to face the sun, recharging the onboard batteries when the car is stationary. It generates more power than it uses, meaning it could supply surplus electricity to the grid.

“The car generates more energy than it needs, therefor it will be possible to give back electricity to the power net,” said Solar Team Eindhoven spokesperson Charlotte van den Heuvel.  “The car needs only half the power that the solar cells achieve. Therefor the car is energy-positive.”

Solar Team Eindhoven describe the car as “ultralight, extremely aerodynamic and has an exceptionally efficient drive train, with electrical motors in the wheels, a sophisticated energy management system and a minimal battery pack.”

The team developed Stella in order to explore the potential of solar-powered consumer vehicles. “The design of the car of the future has to meet the needs of modern consumers,” the team said when the car was unveiled earlier this year. “The car must be capable of transporting a family from the Netherlands to France in one day, it needs to be suitable for the daily commute to work, and it needs to achieve all this in comfort.”

“Since the Solar Team Eindhoven wants to contribute to the development of a car of the future, the design demands more than just a focus on speed,” the team added. “Comfort, ease of use, and feasibility are all key terms.”

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A flightless spaceship is slowly creeping around a former Cold War airbase near Utrecht (+ slideshow + movie).

Secret Operation 610 by Rietveld Landscape and Studio Frank Havermans is an art installation and mobile research space located at a former Royal Netherlands Air Force military base in Soesterberg, 14 kilometres north east of Utrecht.

The project comprises a 4.5 metre-tall black vehicle with two large wing-shaped legs that exit a diamond-shaped cockpit and have caterpillar tracks on the feet. “The object revives the mysterious atmosphere of the Cold War and its accompanying terrifying weaponry,” said the designers.

There is seating for ten people to work inside the object, which will be used by visiting researchers. “The unconventional combination of nature and Cold War history offers an exciting environment for the development of knowledge about nature, technology and aviation,” said Ronald Rietveld.

The vehicle is housed in a former F15 plane hanger and when in use travels along the disused airstrip. “The lethargic pace of the caterpillar wheels gives viewers a long period of contemplation of the elevated vessel and its historical context at the military airbase,” the designers said.

“Due to this brutal object’s constantly changing position in the serene landscape, it allows the visitor to experience the area and the history of the military airbase in new ways.”

The elevated vehicle was designed to resemble military aircraft but remains flightless. It is 4.5 metres tall, 11 metres wide and eight metres long.

A third leg extends over the back end of the capsule to provide stability and has a wheel on the foot for maneuverability.

The machine is constructed from steel and wood that is sprayed with liquid black rubber. The interior is lined with painted wood.

“It is a functional piece of work that serves as a research station,” said the designers. One of the first groups to use the workspace is aerospace engineering researchers CleanEra from Delft University of Technology, who are researching environmentally-sound aviation.

The Secret Operation project was originally created for arts festival Vrede van Utrecht 2013.

Here’s a movie of the vehicle in action:

Rietveld Landscape is a design and research office based in Amsterdam. Its other projects include an arched foam screen with hundreds of building-shaped holes inside a disused chapel in Utrecht and a crisscrossing bridge. See more coverage of Rietveld Landscape »

Previous work by Frank Havermans includes a bright red tower resembling the head and neck of a monster and a sunken concrete pavilion built by a stream in the Netherlands.

See more transport design »

Images are by Michiel de Cleene and René de Wit, courtesy of Rietveld Landscape.

Here’s a full project description:

Secret Operation 610 by Rietveld Landscape and Studio Frank Havermans

When aircraft Shelter 610 opens its ruthless doors, a monstrous black behemoth slowly comes driving out. The object revives the mysterious atmosphere of the Cold War and its accompanying terrifying weaponry.

At an almost excruciatingly slow pace, the artwork uses its caterpillar tracks to cross the seemingly infinite runway. Due to this brutal object’s constantly changing position in the serene landscape, it allows the visitor to experience the area and the history of the military airbase in new ways.

At the same time, the artwork functions as a working environment for researchers. Their temporary stay creates opportunities for innovative research programs that otherwise would be impossible.

The general aesthetic of the sculptural object resembles something from a science fiction movie. However, it is a functional work that serves as a research station. One of the groups occupying the space is CleanEra: technical university (TU) delft aerospace engineering students who are developing the ‘no noise, no carbon, just fly’ technologies for the future of flight.

For example, inside the object, students of the Technical University Delft will develop a program for the innovative flying of the 21st century: “no noise, no carbon, just fly”. The old runway is the perfect test site for state of the art aviation experiments.

The mobile sculpture and shelter 610 are perfect spaces for research, experiment and innovation for groups coming from various disciplines. The unconventional combination of nature and Cold War history offers an exciting environment for the development of knowledge about nature, technology and aviation.

Design team: Frank Havermans, Ronald Rietveld, Arna Mackic
Production leader: Koos Schaart productions
Location: Former Flight Base Soesterberg, The Netherlands
Client: CBK Utrecht, Vrede van Utrecht
Coordination: Ella Derksen

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A car service pavilion with a canopy shaped like a giant Pringle potato crisp has been completed in northern Germany by GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architeken (+ slideshow).

Berlin-based GRAFT Gesellschaft collaborated with WES & Partner Landschaftsarchitekten to design the structure for Autostadt, a visitor attraction at the Volkswagen factory in the city of Wolfsburg.

The structure is part of a 15,000-square-metre driving space allowing guests to test features in new cars including driver assistance systems, automatic parking, traffic sign recognition and automatic distance control for safer driving in traffic.

Anchored to the adjacent service centre and a small hill opposite by just two points, the suspended roof forms a shelter for cars to drive through and park, protecting them from sunlight and rain.

Built from a foundation of reinforced concrete, the roof features a double-curved frame of welded steel plates and a frame of steel wire ropes that criss-cross underneath.

The steel cords are integral to the structure, keeping the curved frame in shape and supporting the translucent exterior membrane.

“The space had to be protected from rain and direct sunlight, while allowing enough daylight to avoid the usage of energetically expensive and unnecessary artificial light,” they said.

In the adjacent service pavilion, customers can ask questions about the cars, purchase accessories and find out about other visitor attractions at the site, which include a pavilion with a curled-over steel roof showcasing cars from Porsche and a permanent sustainability exhibition by J Mayer H.

Other Pringle-shaped designs we’ve featured include the 2012 Olympic Velodrome and a glimmering structure covered with reflective pixels and brass pieces at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week.

See more transport stories »

See more German architecture and design »

Photographs are by Tobias Hein.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Autostadt Roof and Service Pavilion, Wolfgang, Germany

Driver assistance systems, including automatic parking, traffic sign recognition and automatic distance control, are becoming more common in today’s cars. The new ‘Ausfahrt’ at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg offers guests an opportunity to try out these technical systems in models manufactured by Volkswagen. This helps to ensure safer driving in road traffic. Covering 15,000 square meters, the new driving attraction was built in ten months’ time and opened in August 2013.

GRAFT was commissioned to create a quiet area where the buyer of a new car could get familiar with all the functions in an almost private atmosphere. The space had to be protected from rain and direct sunlight, while allowing enough daylight to avoid the usage of energetically expensive and unnecessary artificial light.

GRAFT developed the idea of a horizontal leaf that protects the landscape underneath with its organic form. “WES-Landschaftsarchitektur” planned the landscape surrounding the roof. In the architectural application of this image, it was necessary to produce the greatest possible lightness: A special static principle allows for the unique roof structure to be anchored in just two points.

It lays in the landscape and defines a clear and protected room. The planning of the structural framework was done by “Schlaich Bergmann und Partner”. The orientation of the roof represents a welcoming gesture through its curvature. The elegant amorphous geometry of the roof structure forms an evident bridge between top and bottom, between sky and landscape.
The associated service pavilion fulfills various functions: the customer can ask questions about his new car, purchase accessories or get information about Autostadt attractions and activities. As the roof follows the concept of a leaf, the pavilion is integrated into the architectural landscape and not designed as a separate building. Basic forms of the roof can be found in the interior architecture.

Client: Autostadt Wolfsburg
Architect: Graft Gesellschaft von Architekten
Planning of the structural framework: Schlaich Bergermann und Partner
Landscape Architect: WES – Landschaftsarchitektur
Contractor Roof Structure: Eiffel Deutschland Stahltechnologie with Taiyo Europe

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Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have unveiled a prototype electric car that folds in half.

The Armadillo-T was conceived by a research team led by In-Soo Suh, associate professor of the Graduate School for Green Transportation at KAIST, to enable drivers to park in tight spots within dense urban environments.

When folded, the micro-car shrinks from 2.8 metres down to 1.65 metres. “Once folded, the small and lightweight electric vehicle takes up only one-third of a five metre parking space, the standard parking size in Korea,” said Suh.

Suh and his team based the car’s design on the behaviour of an armadillo, which rolls into a ball when faced with threats from predators. “Just as armadillos hide themselves inside the shell, Armadillo-T tucks its rear body away,” Suh said.

Watch the Armadillo-T in action:

Using a remote control, drivers can roll up the back of the car, spin it 360 degrees into the correct position and reverse it snugly into a parking space.

The prototype car features two seats and it has a motor in each of the four wheels. The vehicle’s battery and motors stay in the same place when the car folds.

It weighs 450 kilograms, has a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour and can travel 100 kilometres on a 10 minute charge of the battery.

Other cars we’ve featured recently include the BMW’s first fully electric production car called the BMW i3 and a preview of MINI’s new car that includes Union Jack door pockets and a disco floor.

See more car design »
See more transport design »

Here’s more information from KAIST:

KAIST unveils foldable micro electric car, Armadillo-T

The small and light electric car completely folds in half when parking, making it a perfect fit for public or private transportation in an urban environment.

Looking for a parking space for hours at a busy shopping mall or being stuck on roads jammed with cars releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide are all-too-familiar scenes for city dwellers.

A group of researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) recently developed a possible solution to such problems: a foldable, compact electric vehicle that can be utilised either as a personal car or part of the public transit system to connect major transportation routes within a city.

In-Soo Suh, associate professor of the Graduate School for Green Transportation at KAIST, and his research team introduced a prototype micro electric car called Armadillo-T, whose design is based on a native animal of South America, the armadillo, a placental mammal with a leathery shell.

The research team imitated the animal’s distinctive protection characteristic of rolling up into a ball when facing with threat from predators. Just as armadillos hide themselves inside the shell, Armadillo-T tucks its rear body away, shrinking its original size of 2.8 meters (110 inches) down to almost half, 1.65 meters (65 inches), when folding.

Armadillo-T is a four-wheel-drive, all-electric car with two seats and four in-wheel motors. Since the motors are installed inside the wheels, and the 13.6 kWh capacity of lithium-ion battery pack is housed on the front side, the battery and motors do not have to change their positions when the car folds. This not only optimises the energy efficiency but also provides stability and ample room to drivers and passengers.

Once folded, the small and light (weighs 450 kg) electric vehicle takes up only one-third of a 5-meter parking space, the standard parking size in Korea, allowing three of its kind to be parked. With a smartphone-interfaced remote control on the wheels, the vehicle can turn 360 degrees, enhancing drivers’ convenience to park the car, even in an odd space in a parking lot, the corner of a building, for example.

Professor In-Soo Suh said, “I expect that people living in cities will eventually shift their preferences from bulky, petro-engine cars to smaller and lighter electric cars. Armadillo-T can be one of the alternatives city drivers can opt for. Particularly, this car is ideal for urban travels, including car-sharing and transit transfer, to offer major transportation links in a city. In addition to the urban application, local near-distance travels such as tourist zones or large buildings can be another example of application.”

The concept car has loads of smart features on board, too: the cameras installed inside the car eliminate the need for side mirrors and increase the driver’s ability to see the car’s right and left side, thereby reducing blind spots. With a smartphone, the driver can control Armadillo-T and enable remote folding control. The car has a maximum speed of 60 km/h, and with a ten-minute fast charge, it can run up to 100 km.

Professor Suh explained that the concept of Armadillo-T was originally initiated in 2011 as he focused his research interest on the sub-A segment of personal mobility vehicles (PMVs), which are smaller and lighter than the current compact cars, as a new personalised transport mode.

“In coming years, we will see more mega-size cities established and face more serious environmental problems. Throughout the world, the ageing population is rapidly growing as well. To cope with climate, energy, and limited petroleum resources, we really need to think outside the box, once again, to find more convenient and eco-friendly transportation, just as the Ford Model T did in the early 1920s.

A further level of R&D, technical standards, and regulatory reviews are required to have these types of micro vehicles or PMVs on the market through test-bed evaluations, but we believe that Armadillo-T is an icon toward the future transport system with technology innovation.”

The research project has been supported by the Korean government, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, since December 2012.

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micro-car by KAIST appeared first on Dezeen.