Hasta La Ideas

This carbon-fibre and aluminium bicycle with no upright in the diamond-shaped frame weighs just eight kilograms.

The bicycle comes with a flip-flop rear wheel hub so the rider can chose between a single-speed and fixed-gear mechanism by pulling a lever and flipping the wheel over.

Wing mirrors can be attached to the ends of the handlebars so cyclists can see behind without craning over their shoulders.

“High-end materials and shapes along with a new concept of urban mobility is the revolution,” says Rizoma CEO Fabrizio Rigolio, who describes the bike as ”a new alternative to the luxury caItalian bike manufacturers”.

The 77|001 Metropolitan Bike is available to buy with either matte white or shiny carbon frame finish.

We recently featured a concept for a bicycle made from steam-bent wood.

See all our stories about bicycles »

The information below is from Rizoma:

RIZOMA 77|011 – New Metropolitan Bike

Rizoma, the internationally renowned brand for all things cycling, presents the innovative metropolitan bike 77|011 dedicated to those who love style and technology.

A unique commodity, ideal for navigating urban environments with style, the 77|011 has changed the rules and the concept of motion, adapting it for contemporary culture. Technically advanced and durable, the most compelling feature of Rizoma’s newest addition is its multi-functionality: with dual single speed (with a traditional free wheel) and fixed-gear (using a threaded sprocket, a growing trend among urban cyclists who prefer the greater control by using the pedals for braking) capabilities. The rear wheel comes ready with two mounts that allow the rider to choose freely between two pulleys, depending on their preferred mode of travel.

The 77|011 also comes with mounts for the optional brakes included on the base model. Rizoma’s interpretation of the ‘Made in Italy’ style and the philosophy are clearly seen in the simplicity of the design and in its plug and play functionality, all in a single frame size (thanks to the adjustable seat 92 > 96 cm), removing the complication of choosing a best fitting model.

The metropolitan bike 77|011 by Rizoma is the fusion of a cutting-edge concept with an exclusive design. The sleek carbon fiber structural skin frame and the simplicity of the belt-drive contribute to a decidedly modern look. Aluminum elements, machined from solid, make the 77|011 distinctive and a mere 8kg, so it’s easy to carry on a shoulder when climbing stairs or going into the subway. Shiny carbon and matte white (all made of carbon-fiber) are the two color variations available for Rizoma’s newest icon.

The Rizoma 77|011 costs €3,700 and can be purchased in select stores or online at www.rizoma77011.com.

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by Rizoma appeared first on Dezeen.

« By the Bus Stop » vient de l’idée du photographe anglais Richard Hooker, passionné par l’arrêt de bus en tant que lieu de transition et de mélange social. Il a donc immortalisé à travers Londres les passagers de bus entre les années 2001 et 2005. Une idée simple mais très réussie à découvrir dans la suite.

News: Finnish design company Marimekko‘s classic floral print will appear on the livery of two Finnair aeroplanes as part of a collaboration that also includes a range of textiles and tableware for use onboard.

A Finnair Airbus A340 featuring Marimekko’s signature Unikko floral print from 1964 is already operating between Helsinki and Asian destinations, and another aircraft in Marimekko livery will appear next year.

From spring 2013 all of the Finnish flag carrier’s aeroplanes will use the Marimekko for Finnair tableware collection, which includes teapots, cups, plates and napkins.

“We hope that Marimekko’s sympathetic Unikko poppy flowers flying up in the sky as well as our other iconic prints as a part of the in-flight experience bring joy to people around the world,” said Mika Ihamuotila, Marimekko’s President and CEO. “I believe that the Marimekko and Finnair design collaboration will bring to hectic and often grey air travel joy, peace of mind and beautiful memories.”

The Marimekko products will be available for purchase by Finnair customers for the duration of the three-year collaboration.

Several national carriers have recently teamed up with home-grown design talent to give their services a local touch. Earlier this year we reported on news that Dutch designer Hella Jongerius was creating new cabin interiors for KLM, while fellow Dutch designer Marcel Wanders produced a set of tableware for the Dutch airline in 2010. Before that, Australian designer Marc Newson teamed up with Qantas Airways to design its First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne airports.

See all our stories about aircraft »
See all our stories about tableware »

Here’s the full press release from Marimekko:

Marimekko and Finnish airline company Finnair are teaming up to enhance the air travel experience with a new design partnership. From spring 2013 all Finnair aircraft will feature a Marimekko for Finnair collection of textiles and tableware, featuring Marimekko’s classic patterns. The Marimekko for Finnair collection is specially designed to add a light and fresh visual and tactile dimension to the onboard experience, while lightening the airline’s carbon footprint as well.

Two of Finnair’s long-haul aircraft will also wear livery based on Marimekko designs. An Airbus A340 featuring Maija Isola’s iconic Unikko floral print from 1964 is already operating between Helsinki and Finnair’s Asian destinations, and it will be followed by another aircraft in Marimekko livery in spring 2013.

“Finnair has a strong design heritage, and this cooperation brings our design thinking to a new level,” says Mika Vehviläinen, Finnair CEO. “Our goal is to become a design airline, and bring our customers unique experiences for all five senses. Cooperation with Marimekko is an important step towards this target. Finnair aircraft will become roving ambassadors of timeless Finnish design and creativity, giving our customers a special experience when they fly with us.”

”We hope that Marimekko’s sympathetic Unikko poppy flowers flying up in the sky as well as our other iconic prints as a part of the in-flight experience bring joy to people around the world,” says Mika Ihamuotila, Marimekko’s President and CEO. “Lately, we have wanted to connect Marimekko’s colourful design and fashion with surprising parties and forms of art, such as ballet, modern dance or visual arts. Now it is time to do something unforeseen up in the sky. I believe that the Marimekko and Finnair design collaboration will bring to hectic and often grey air travel joy, peace of mind and beautiful memories.”

During the three-year collaboration, an exclusive selection of Marimekko design products are also available for Finnair customers in in-flight sales and the Finnair Plus Shop.

In addition to adding value to the customer experience, both companies look forward to the collaboration helping build more awareness of their brands. Both companies have a long established presence in Japan but are growing rapidly in other Asian markets, China in particular.

“Finnair is a natural partner for Marimekko, as in my opinion it has been the first airline in the world to lift up design and place it strongly at the center of its service,” continues Ihamuotila. “With our collaboration we want to show how design can help improve the well-being of people in different moments of life. Furthermore, our design collaboration with Finnair supports our growth strategy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, which is one of Marimekko’s key market areas.”

“Both of these brands are about bringing positivity, high quality and peace of mind to customers,” adds Vehviläinen. “We believe this collaboration will help generate new experiences and lasting, positive memories for a whole new generation of Finnair passengers in Asia.”

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Finnish airline appeared first on Dezeen.

News: while Foster + Partners think simply increasing capacity is the way to improve New York’s Grand Central Terminal, architecture firm SOM has proposed adding a floating observation deck that slides up and down the sides of two new skyscrapers (+ slideshow).

The moving deck is one of several public realm strategies that the firm is promoting for the 100-year-old station, following an invitation from the Municipal Art Society of New York to re-think the spaces in and around the building.

SOM suggests that the hovering deck would would improve the quality of the public space around the building by offering an “iconic landmark” with a 360-degree panorama of the city skyline.

“Throughout the history of New York City, urban growth has been matched by grand civic gestures,” said SOM partner Roger Duffy.

The doughnut-shaped structure would be attached to the sides of two new office towers, which would fit in with the current rezoning proposals of the New York City planning department designating it as a commercial area.

The plans also include new pedestrian routes to help ease congestion, as well as a series of public spaces that are privately owned and managed.

SOM and Foster + Partners both presented their proposals last week at the third annual MAS Summit for New York City, alongside American firm WXY Architecture.

See Foster + Partners’ proposals in our earlier story.

See more stories about stations »

See more projects by SOM »

Here’s some more information from SOM:

SOM presents vision for Grand Central’s next 100 years

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) presented its vision for “Grand Central’s Next 100″ at the Municipal Art Society of New York’s third annual Summit for New York City. Led by partners Roger Duffy, FAIA, and T.J. Gottesdiener, FAIA, SOM’s design transforms the public spaces around Grand Central Terminal, creating new pedestrian corridors for increased circulation and visualizing innovative options for new public amenities.

The Municipal Art Society (MAS) challenged SOM to re-think the public spaces in and around Grand Central Terminal in celebration of the landmark’s centennial. The design challenge coincides with a rezoning proposal from the New York City Department of City Planning, which, if approved, would allow the development of new office towers in the area around Grand Central, thereby increasing the density around the station exponentially.

The proposed zoning would also require developers to donate to a fund that would make improvements to the infrastructure in the area, including additional access points to the subway platforms and a pedestrian mall on Vanderbilt Avenue. Along with Foster + Partners and WXY Architecture + Urban Design, SOM was one of three architecture firms invited by MAS to present ideas about the future of Grand Central Terminal’s public realm.

SOM’s vision proposes three solutions, all of which provide improvements – both quantitative and qualitative – to the quality of public space around the station. The first solution alleviates pedestrian congestion at street level by restructuring Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) to create pedestrian corridors through multiple city blocks, connecting Grand Central to nearby urban attractors.

The second is a condensing of the public realm through the creation of additional levels of public space that exist both above and below the existing spaces. These new strata would be funded privately but under public ownership – Privately Funded Public Space (PFPS).

The third proposal creates an active, 24-hour precinct around Grand Central Terminal in the form of an iconic circular pedestrian observation deck, suspended above Grand Central, which reveals a full, 360-degree panorama of the city. This grand public space moves vertically, bringing people from the cornice of Grand Central to the pinnacle of New York City’s skyline. It is a gesture at the scale of the city that acts both as a spectacular experience as well as an iconic landmark and a symbol of a 21st-century New York City.

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over Grand Central Terminal appeared first on Dezeen.

News: American studio Höweler + Yoon Architecture has won the Audi Urban Future Award 2012 with a concept to combine individual and public transport in the region between Boston and Washington nicknamed BosWash (+ slideshow).

As one of four firms invited by automotive company Audi to explore how cities will function in the future, the architects have imagined a controlled transport infrastructure that stretches across the BosWash region to connect the suburbs with the cities, serving a population of 53 million people.

Eric Höweler and J. Meejin Yoon explain how the suburbs were constructed around the “outdated” American Dream of “the single-family home, with a front lawn and two-car garage.” They describe how within the “infrastructural leftovers of this now outdated dream” lies a possibility to create “alternate paths, different trajectories or new cultural dreams”.

In their proposals, all forms of transport would be connected to a single artery, following the 450-mile route of the existing Interstate 95 motorway.

Höweler + Yoon Architecture are the second recipients of the Audi Urban Future Award, following German architect J. Mayer H, who presented proposals in 2010 for a digitally integrated city.

The text that follows is from Audi:

The Audi Urban Future Award 2012 is presented to the American architecture practice Höweler + Yoon Architecture for their proposed concept for modern urbanization in the Boston/Washington metropolitan region. With their ambitious planning and architectural idea of the “shareway” the American team of architects revolutionize commuting between places of living and work. Their basic idea is to merge individual and public transport by means of a new kind of mobility platform. This combines existing infrastructure with intelligent flows of traffic and networks. For their holistically controlled traffic system Höweler + Yoon Architecture are awarded prize money of 100,000 euros.

John Thackara, design theorist and chairman of the interdisciplinary jury, explained the decision: “The jury selected as its winner the Boswash project by the design team of Höweler + Yoon Architecture. The jury concluded that this was the most thoroughly resolved response to the competition brief, and noted that it also has the potential to be realised, at least in part, within the 2030 timeframe prescribed by the competition. The jury also noted with approval that the winning entry is based on thorough research into its social and economic context; it involves both social and technical innovation at a system-wide level; and real architectural quality is evident in its execution.”

“The winning proposals are a visionary document setting out what is required for cities of the future. This city dossier will be a specific set of instructions about how to plan or remodel a metropolitan region, in order to tackle increasing density”, says Rupert Stadler, chairman of the executive board of AUDI AG.

The Audi Urban Future Award is intended to make a contribution to learning how to understand more about cities of the future. Because the question “in which form will individual mobility be possible?” can only be answered by the development of cities. In order to play an active part in shaping tomorrow’s world, Audi has to understand significant patterns of urban planning worldwide and their relevance for future mobility.

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Audi Urban Future Award 2012 appeared first on Dezeen.