A decade after they designed the canteen within the building, designers Roelof Mulder and Ira Koers returned to come up with a mobile furniture solution that’s also every bit as elegant as the architecture demands (because let’s be honest, folding chairs were never going to cut it). The duo’s mobile bamboo work islands fit together like puzzle pieces and include cutouts for massive potted plants and trees to make full use of the room’s grand scale.

The 12 units are set on wheels so they can easily be rolled into various configurations or out of the space altogether. Once pushed into place, they appear to be one large workspace combining comfortable couch-like upholstered seating with large platforms that can be used as desks. There’s no one correct way to orient them, so the spaces within can be spontaneously created as desired. They’re often arranged symmetrically, with an opening in the center so that users can nestle within the living greenery in chairs or at small café-style tables.

Made of durable bamboo, the mobile work islands are equipped with bumpers so they can be shifted around safely. The same semi-circular cutouts that wrap around the potted plants when they’re placed in the center of the room can also accommodate the giant beams along the perimeter. When the units are pushed to the edges, they maintain seating while offering a large open gathering area in the center.

The greenery adds privacy, dampens sound, and changes the overall mood of the room. What could feel like an overly large space full of echoes becomes intimate and comfortable, creating new vantage points from which to admire the hall’s many brick arches opening to other spaces. Mulder and Koers eliminated some existing curtains and frosted glass in the hall to encourage more open lines of sight and views of the city outside.

Keeping the use of this central hall flexible pays tribute to the building’s long and varied history. First built as a Catholic orphanage in 1780, it was converted into a bank in the 1960s. What was then an open central courtyard was roofed over to create the hall as it is seen today. That same decade, the Maagdenhuis became the administrative center for the University of Amsterdam, the site of historic student protests in 1969.

With Mulder and Koers’ mobile work islands, the Maagdenhuis atrium remains open to evolution, responding to whatever needs the University might have. The design duo recently created a similarly lush planted courtyard effect in the central hall of the in The Netherlands’ Dijklander Hospital, updating the original 1980s design by Jan Tennekes with a modern aesthetic that “resuscitates it with biophilia.”

The post Mobile Bamboo Work Islands Turn This Events Hall into a Co-Working Space first appeared on Dornob.

The architects were tasked with building for the long-term while using present resources wisely, working with designers, consultants, builders, and craftsman to develop a space that improves the success and well-being of students. The College wanted The New Library to honor its past without just passively “blending in.” The result is an inspiring structure that preserves a human scale.

“The result — a solid and confident, yet deferential new kid on the college block,” says Allford. “The light-filled, warm-wood interior lifts spirits and fosters connections. The overarching commitment to build something that will stand the test of time can be felt in every material and detail, and from every viewpoint. This is the epitome of how to build for the long-term.”

Sited in a sensitive historic setting along the boundary wall between the enclosed Master’s Garden and open Fellow’s Garden, The New Library is a contemporary, sustainable addition to the Magdalene College campus. Its exterior consists of elegant brickwork set adjacent to the wood-and-glass gables. The older college buildings are made of load-bearing brick with timber floors and similarly gabled pitched roof structures — the architects simply translated these elements into modern forms that maintained a sense of harmony with the historic facilities.

The interior spaces are built with cross-laminated timber structural elements as well as hardwood bookshelves and tables. There’s a sense of rhythm to the layout, with all the roof lights, columns, light baffles, windows, and balustrades forming an orderly “warp and weft” throughout the space. Natural light comes streaming in at just the right angle to illuminate the library without creating glare or damaging the books. Spaces are single, double, or triple height, ranging from small and intimate study areas to awe-inspiring halls with contemplative views.

“The library is approached from Second Court, through a little doorway, and out under an old Yew tree,” say the architects. “From this shady corner, you sense the presence of the river opening out at the edge of the lawn. We wanted to make the building a journey that gradually rose up towards the light. On the way up there would be rooms, galleries, and places to perch with a book. At the top, there would be views out over the lawn towards the water. We wanted to create a variety of ways for someone to situate themselves depending on inclination. You might sit in a grand hall, a small room, or tuck yourself into a tiny private niche.”

They add: “For us, good architecture plays a variety of experiences against underlying order so as to produce harmony. The new library is based upon a logical latticework of interrelated elements. A regular grid of brick chimneys supports the floors and book stacks and carries warm air up to ventilate the building. Between each set of four chimes, there is a roof lantern bringing light down into the spaces below: air rising and light falling.”

The selection marks the first time the RIBA Sterling Prize has been awarded to a college. It’s also the first win for Níall McLaughlin Architects, who have previously been shortlisted for the prize in 2018, 2015, and 2013 for its timber Bishop Edward King Chapel.

The post Níall McLaughlin Architects Wins the 2022 RIBA Prize for Magdalene College Library in Cambridge first appeared on Dornob.

Voluminous Bedding

https://www.tiktok.com/@melissa__joy/video/7122860970061466922?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20room%20decor&t=1660935289126

Here’s a hot tip from numerous TikTokkers: buy queen-size bedding for your twin bed. You’ll have enough fabric to drape over the entire bed, hiding the frame and creating a feeling of luxury. Another hack from user @melissa__joy turns two flat sheets into a bed skirt big enough to fit the awkward size of an elevated twin bed, so you can hide storage underneath. Total cost? Just $13.

Oversized Canvas Art & Glam Headboards

https://www.tiktok.com/@essentialswitheden_/video/7129322083506638126?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20transformation&t=1660936801546

Large items will give you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to making a visual statement and distracting from less-than-cute elements in your room. Adding a big glamorous headboard to complement your bedding and throwing some giant canvases on the walls can make a blank room feel livable in a matter of minutes, as in this TikTok dorm room transformation by @essentialswitheden_.

Color-Coordinated Accessories

https://www.tiktok.com/@shariamorhomedecor/video/7132620252231503150?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20room%20decor&t=1660935289126

TikTok user @shariamorhomedecor turned a bland dorm room into a beautiful color-coordinated space using lots of new accents in white and pale robin’s egg blue. Sticking to a limited color palette defines the space and pulls it together, whatever color you might choose.

Bring in Boho Vibes

https://www.tiktok.com/@gabbyosorioo/video/7007592769375964422?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20room%20decor&t=1660935289126

Macrame plant hangers, chunky throws, wood desk organizers, and accents made of natural materials make a UC Davis dorm room decor feel a lot homier in this transformation by @gabbyosorioo.

Colored Accent Lights and Removable Wallpaper

https://www.tiktok.com/@aletheajay/video/7132462007973989674?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20room%20decor&t=1660935289126

Talk about a serious transformation. TikTok user @aletheajay tacked up some removable wallpaper to get rid of the cell block vibe, completely covered the entire bed frame, and added oversized wall art. A variety of accent lighting completely changes the feel of the space, including the bedside light and battery-powered stick-up track lights on the ceiling.

Neon Lights and Statement Rugs

https://www.tiktok.com/@ansleyspinks/video/7130812397287247147?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20transformation&t=1660936801546

At Ole Miss, students tend to go big on their dorm room transformations. This one by @ansleyspinks uses custom neon lighting, giant statement rugs, color-coordinated accessories, and a comfy couch to feel more like home.

Faux Vines and Other Amazon Accents

https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymariemiller/video/7129692106876079406?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20room%20decor&t=1660935289126

TikTok user @abbymariemiller added personality to her dorm room bed with a few cheap and fun items she found on Amazon, including faux greenery to hang overhead and a sequined Harry Styles throw pillow.

Shared Sitting Area

https://www.tiktok.com/@laney_hulbert2/video/6995711590712626438?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20transformation&t=1660936801546

If you and your roommate have similar tastes, creating a little sitting area between your beds can be a great way to maximize the space. Pick out a cute (but compact) couch, coffee table, area rug, and console table to make your room feel more like a luxury hotel suite. In this room, posted by @laney_hulbert2, a gold and blue color palette unites the entire space while accent lamps, wall art, and throw pillows offer plenty to look at.

Details, Details, Details

https://www.tiktok.com/@yoitsar/video/7004475064242523398?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=dorm%20room%20decor&t=1660935289126

Sometimes it’s the small things that really make a space feel like your own. For TikTok user yoitsar, bringing in elements like a basket full of blankets, a large mirror, or a storage cart makes a big difference.

The post 9 TikTok Dorm Room Decor Trends Crashing the College Scene first appeared on Dornob.

Following the recent announcement of winners for the ADI Medals of Industrial Design and ADG Laus Awards for Graphic Design and Visual Communication, winners in the student categories shared their thoughts on what the competitions meant to them, and how the student experience at EINA had shaped their personal and professional development. EINA is a university in Barcelona that is uniquely dependent on a private non-profit foundation, and is an extension of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

With their entry Magnet App, a team made up of Carles Giménez, Marta Pardina, and Laia Xixons took home the Silver Laus, awarded by the Association of Graphic Designers and Art Directors of the FAD (ADG-FAD). A team representative expressed: “We are very happy; for us it is the recognition of a job well done. To receive an award like this at the end of our career at the university, and in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, is a push to continue.”

As recent graduates of EINA, the trio all give credit to the institution for creating a foundation to help them launch their careers from, commenting that the college’s atmosphere encourages creative thinking, a deep understanding of design, and confidence — obviously a winning combination in this case.

Paula Terra, an EINA alumni with a Master’s Degree in Graphic Design, won the ADI Silver Medal (awarded by the FAD Industrial Design Association, ADI-FAD) for her Final Degree Project (FDP) Dröp: a non-invasive treatment for type 1 diabetes. When asked what the award meant to her, her response shadowed that of the Magnet App team’s, saying: “This award means satisfaction on a personal and professional level. It is a recognition of the effort and dedication to the project, but also an impulse to continue enjoying and working with the same enthusiasm and dedication.” She continued by expressing her gratitude for having an opportunity to share and develop a real-world application to make diabetes easier to monitor, an opportunity she likely wouldn’t have had without the university and design competitions.

Manu González won the ADI Medal of Opinion for his Final Design Degree Project TMBLight. Like other entrants, Manu focused on a product aimed at solving a problem (in this case, overcrowding on public transportation during peak travel times). The TMBLight connects to the system and provides real-time feedback of occupation levels in each carriage in the system, giving riders the option to avoid the highly congested areas.

The award reinforced Manu’s place in the design world both to others and himself, which seems to be a common feeling amongst winners. He summarized by saying, “I am extremely happy that it was the members of ADI who gave me this medal, because that means that not only do I believe in this idea, but there is a very large group of designers in Barcelona who also believe in it.”

Other top finishers included Marc Villalba, who took home the Bronze Laus Award for his 451, Literature en Llamas and Judit Serra, who won a Bronze Laus Award for “Poética,” a visual system that offers a graphic interpretation of lyrical poetry. Finally, Carles Giménez won a Bronze Laus Award for FOURTURES, a book and app that reinterprets a way of conceiving possible futures, based on the book “Four Futures” by Peter Frase.

The post Students from Barcelona’s Prestigious EINA Speak on Recent Design Competition Wins first appeared on Dornob.

In an effort to promote more eco-friendly building practices and reduce the risk of annual wildfires, California has opened the doors to a new competition encouraging the creative use of mass timber products.

Well established in Europe and increasingly accepted in Canada as a viable building material, mass timber most commonly comes in the form of structural panels, posts, and beams made by using glue or nails to press several layers together. For extra strength, the wood grain of each layer is stacked perpendicular to those next to it. California is the largest consumer of engineered wood products west of the Mississippi River for a variety of reasons, yet none of the materials are made in-state. Now planners and developers are looking at ways mass timber might help solve other state problems such as limited housing, pollution, and wildfires.

Another benefit of mass timber construction is a lower rate of carbon emissions. The production of mass timber yields less CO2 than steel or concrete, and perhaps even better, the finished product helps store carbon within buildings, keeping it from ever spilling out into the atmosphere. Andrew Ruff from Gray Organschi Architecture, a leading proponent of the laminated wood revolution, explains that “the typical steel and concrete building has an emissions profile of 2,000 metric tons of CO2. With mass timber you can easily invert so you are sequestering 2,000 tons of CO2. Instead of adding to climate change, you are mitigating climate change. That’s the goal.”

Mass timber is produced using a variety of materials, many of which have traditionally been less desirable by building materials production companies, including the wood from relatively small-diameter trees and trees that are dead or dying due to insects or disease. For California, this creates an opportunity to clear out underbrush that could potentially contribute to future wildfires — an increasing problem within the state.

In short, mass timber is super strong, fire-resistant, aesthetically pleasing, and able to work both alone and alongside other materials as a structural element.

With this information in mind, the WoodWorks Wood Products Council recently sparked a competition offering designers and architects an opportunity to present their best mass timber projects. With $500,000 on the line, four projects ended up receiving funding, while two others were acknowledged through honorable mentions.

“Increased use of mass timber can benefit forest health and rural economic development while reducing carbon emissions related to construction in California,” says Jennifer Cover, president and CEO of WoodWorks. “The winning projects further highlight the design possibilities of timber and encourage wider adoption of its use throughout the state and across the country.”

The California College of the Arts Campus Unification Project in San Francisco, presented by Studio Gang Architects, received $200,000 for their campus expansion plan that fit neatly with the larger project goals for remaining carbon neutral.

The Skid Row Housing Trust also received $200,000 for a multi-housing structure intended to house low-income groups in Los Angeles. Michael Maltzan Architecture designed the 77,190-square-foot, 14-story building, which will include 150 studio apartments in a project called “The Fifth.” In the past, building codes across the country have been a major contributing factor in the slow acceptance of mass timber, with many requiring significantly more expensive steel or concrete materials for buildings over six stories high. But in places like L.A. where land is sparse and expensive, cost-effective construction has become key.

Another $40,000 was awarded for the new headquarters at the Orange County Sanitation District — a 109,000-square-foot hybrid building that will also rely on steel for some structural elements. Naturally, the mass timber in this project will be left highly visible as an inspiration for other builders.

The fourth award went to the Sunnydale Development Company, who was awarded $40,000 for a community center within San Francisco’s Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods. The space will provide family programs and recreation services for youth in an area known for being economically distressed in recent years.

An honorable mention went to the Tahoe Regional Arts Foundation’s 75,000-square-foot freeform mass timber building, with a design set in the forest and intended for indoor and outdoor performances, exhibitions, and festivals.

A second honorable mention went to WRNS Studio’s 640,000-square-foot two-story mass timber project on Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus, which also includes a living roof.

The post California Competition Highlights Potential for Mass Timber in Architectural Design first appeared on Dornob.

The design duo joins Zaha Hadid, Kazuyo Sejima, and Carme Pigem to respectively become the fourth and fifth women among 48 laureates to have won the illustrious Pritzker Architecture Prize. Hadid took the prize on her own in 2004, while Sejima shared the 2010 prize with Ryue Nishizawa and Pigem shared the 2017 prize with both Rafael Aranda and Ramon Vilalta. Interestingly, NPR news observes that awarding the 2020 prize to McNamara and Farrell reflects the field’s growing population of women architects, although the Chicago Tribune points out there are “struggles women architects still face in a male-dominated profession, including lesser pay and fewer opportunities for advancement than their male counterparts.”

People magazine, meanwhile, showcased McNamara and Farrell’s teamwork and mutual appreciation for each other’s strengths. McNamara says of Farrell in the article that “Yvonne has an enormous sense of humanity and integrity, and she has the talent to bring that right into the center of our work.”

Farrell likewise complimented her business partner, noting that “Shelley is unbelievably tenacious. I would say fearless as well. Shelly is an architect in every molecule of her existence. She will not let things be, other than the very best.”

Leveraging the traditions of brutalist architecture, the pair employs massive rigidity, block-like appearances, and raw geometric concrete at an immense scale in the university buildings they’re renowned for designing. The Guardian has, for instance, noted that McNamara and Farrell “have a preference for weighty materials, such as concrete and stone, often sculpted in massive volumes [to] give their buildings a tough, primal quality.” Of course, they also work in other touches to offset the harshness, like “airy atria, broad meandering staircases, views between floors, [and] places to perch and loiter, celebrating the ‘free gifts’ that architecture can provide to the public beyond merely fulfilling a client’s brief.”

McNamara and Farrell are also deeply committed to extending a building’s aesthetic to encompass its location’s cultural ethics. The Guardian notes that the duo pays attention to “the spaces in between,” which accounts for their architecture being designed “as a kind of ‘scaffolding’ on which lives and events can be played out.” It is no wonder that, as Architectural Record cited, the Pritzker Prize jury selected McNamara and Farrell because of “their deep understanding of ‘spirit of place.’” The jury also emphasized that Grafton Architects, “without grand or frivolous gestures, have managed to create buildings that are monumental institutional presences when appropriate, but even so they are zoned and detailed in such a way as to produce more intimate spaces that create community within.”

The two met as fellow architecture students at University College Dublin during the 1970s. In 1978, they opened Grafton Architects with three other partners who eventually moved onto other things, gaining prominence in the early 1990s when they designed some buildings for the city’s Trinity College and Temple Bar Square.

By 2003, the pair ventured into designing architecture outside of Ireland, even winning an international competition to design the Universita Luigi Bocconi economics building in Milan, which was completed five years later. Many in international architecture circles praised the design, granting it the distinction of World Building of the Year at the 2008 inaugural World Architecture Festival and solidifying Grafton Architects’ place among the world’s premiere designers of university campus buildings. What followed after Italy were projects with universities in Peru, France, and several more in the United Kingdom. In the British Isles, McNamara and Farrell updated the University of Limerick’s university president’s campus residence, freshened up a multi-use building at Kingston-upon-Thames’ Kingston University, and most recently have begun work on a London School of Economics building, which The Guardian says will be completed next year.

In 2018, McNamara and Farrell were asked to curate the 16th edition of the Venice Bienniale, which they did with the theme “Freespace.” They also used the opportunity to articulate their ethos, explaining that “in creating our manifesto for the Bienniale, we wrote down a litany of our shared values. That came very easily, because architecture is not just ideas; it’s translating ideas into very physical realities.” The McNamara-Farrell “Freespace” manifesto, as Architectural Record cited, “highlights the generous, democratic quality of architecture to provide ‘spatial gifts for those who use it’ and to leverage resources that they call ‘nature’s free gifts’ — sunlight and moonlight, air, gravity, materials.”

Besides being architects, both McNamara and Farrell are also architecture professors, teaching the youth about their profession and often highlighting the joys of the design work they do. When asked why they were so interested in designing architecture for universities, McNamara explained that both Farrell and herself were “passionately interested in education. The university should be a place where knowledge is tended like a garden. And we’re the guardians of knowledge.”

“Teaching for us has always been a parallel reality,” Farrell added on Irish Central. “And it’s a way of trying to distill our experience and gift it to other generations coming along so that they actually play a role in the growing of that culture. So it’s a two-way thing, we learn from students, and hopefully students learn from us.”

The post In Historic First, Coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize Awarded to Two Women first appeared on Dornob.

The construction and design centered around making the entire building healthy for people, beautiful, functional, and energy efficient. Any one of its green systems stands as an example of this focus — not least of which being the fact that the Kendeda Building is net positive for energy, water, and construction waste, meaning that it gives back more in these areas than it takes.

The Living Building Challenge provided a framework of requirements to meet certification standards. As explained on its official website, the challenge “is a green building certification program and sustainable design framework that visualizes the ideal for the built environment. It uses the metaphor of a flower because the ideal built environment should function as cleanly and efficiently as a flower.” This standard is gauged on several criteria, including material makeup and energy use, along with evaluation from a third-party auditor.

Like most eco-centric designs, the Kendeda Building makes ample use of solar panels to power all the systems contained within its 47,000-square-foot footprint. Interestingly enough, these solar panels also function as water collection devices. The primary heating and cooling systems then push that water through the floors to maintain a comfortable surface temperature. For additional temperature control, 62 ceiling fans inside the building help students and faculty keep the humid Georgia climate at bay.

In addition to sustainability, the Kendeda Building’s design also promotes accessibility with a centrally-located ramp for wheelchair users. Embracing diversity was an important aspect in both its planning and construction phases, with the goal of creating a space that not only teaches students about sustainability, but also educates them on other topics like math and science. Partnering with a local non-profit called Georgia Works, six people from the local community seen as high risk for chronic homelessness were also trained in construction while helping to build the building’s ceiling.

Aesthetically, the building is decidedly modern, making heavy use of wood and metal features to create a clean, minimalistic aesthetic for its two 64-person classrooms, two 24-person class labs, two 16-person class labs, 16-person conference room, makerspace, 176-person auditorium, rooftop apiary and pollinator garden, office space for affiliated programs, and coffee cart.

According to the Georgia Tech website, the project cost “approximately $397 per square foot based on total programmed space. Cost of conditioned space is expected to be $503 per square feet.” With a total cost of $30 million received from the private Kendeda Fund, the Kendeda Building stands as an example of what sustainable design should look like in 2020, and it also offers endless potential for the future. This achievement will only be reaffirmed when the building becomes the first Living Building Challenge-certified facility of its size and function in the Southeast United States, which it expects to earn following one complete year of functional occupancy.

The post Classes Officially Start at Georgia Tech’s Ultra-Green Kendeda Building first appeared on Dornob.

The holiday season is upon us, and people everywhere are heading out in droves to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. From caroling to festive fun and frolicking, there’s certainly no shortage of spirit right now, and one of the most recent trends to emerge at this time of year is that of intricate lighting displays. Whether it’s individual homes coming alive with projections of angels, snowflakes, and Christmas scenes, or plazas, squares, and boulevards decked out with ornaments, decorations, and strings of fairy lights, you’re bound to find fun Christmas lights pretty much anywhere you go. It’s also a great opportunity to go out and be a tourist in your own town.

In honor of all that, we thought we’d check out some of our favorite Christmas light displays from around the globe.

Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s capital is known for its bustling intersections, loud audiovisual spectacles, and quirky character, and this really comes to the fore at Christmas time. Various neighborhoods across the city enter into something of a competition to see who can produce the best winter light installation, giving tourists visiting the city around the holiday season the treat of glittering arrangements in lots of different districts. One of the most popular winter illuminations is located in Midtown, where visitors can see a carpet of blue lights laid out on the ground. The “Starlight Garden” area here also features a whopping 190,000 LED lights.

Las Vegas, Nevada

“America’s Playground” is undoubtedly one of the most extravagant places in the world all year round, but it really outdoes itself when it comes to Christmas lights. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a race track that’s turned into a neon tunnel every holiday season, where visitors can venture beyond the famous Strip and ride down the two-and-a-half-mile “Glittering Lights” circuit. All in all, 500 displays appear in the LED setup, so you’re sure to be entertained while you wait for your turn.

Dublin, Ireland

The Irish capital is a great place to visit at any time of year, but lovers of the winter holidays will find that Dublin has a couple extra-twinkly treats in store for Christmas. The city’s famous Christmas lights are switched on every November, but this year the city’s most prominent buildings, including Trinity College, Central Bank, and the Customs House, are used as canvases for projections of Christmassy displays that make for a great walking route for anyone new to the city and looking to explore.

Austin, Texas

The cultural capital of Texas is no stranger to top-notch light shows, as it’s been hosting its “Trail of Lights” event for some 50 years now. Visitors can follow a 2.1-mile-long trail that takes them through the city’s Zilker Park, where an incredible 800 trees are lit up. An additional 50 light displays round out this amazing spectacle, cumulatively taking over 500 volunteers to set up each year. Austin is also home to the Zilker Tree, the self-proclaimed “World’s Tallest Manmade Christmas Tree” that towers 155 feet above the ground.

The post Stunning Christmas Light Displays From Around the World first appeared on Dornob.

In their documentary In Event of Moon Disaster, the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality attempts to inform the public about deepfakes, also known as computer-based misinformation. The artsy film is set in a living room circa the late 1960s and tells the highly familiar story of the first moon landing…only this version pretends the Apollo 11 astronauts were unable to return home to Earth.

The Purpose

Since the 2016 election, the subject of deepfakes has garnered more attention with each passing day. While many still don’t believe they exist and that everything they see and hear on the internet is real and true, more and more people are becoming skeptical of what is presented online. Newer technologies are adamant about finding and exposing the frauds, with politicians frantically trying to keep them in check. MIT’s film is simply aimed at showing how deepfakes are done in the first place — and how to tell what’s real and what’s not.

The Presentation

Audiences for the film are seated on vintage furniture bordered by three screens, including a classic 60s-era television set. The screens play an abridged collection of classic footage from NASA, taking the audience on a voyage from the launch into space and then to the moon landing.

Suddenly, the middle television switches to Richard Nixon in the Oval Office reading an emergency speech written for him by his speech writer, Bill Safire, “in event of moon disaster” if for some reason the Apollo 11 astronauts are unable to return to Earth. The clips obviously do not replicate real events, but were created by combining video of a genuine Nixon speech, original recordings by a Nixon voice actor, and new artificial intelligence tech.

The Techniques

To reconstruct this stirring composition that never happened, the MIT group used deep learning techniques and the contributions of a voice actor to fabricate the voice of Richard Nixon, producing a mock speech in collaboration with the Ukrainian-based company Respeecher. They also contracted with Israeli company Canny AI to employ video dialogue substitution techniques to study and duplicate the movement of Nixon’s mouth and lips, thereby perfecting the images of him reading the fake speech from the Oval Office. The ensuing video is exceedingly credible, stressing the potential of real deepfake technology in today’s world.

Why This Event

The research team decided to produce a deepfake of this particular historical event for a number of reasons. First, space is a widely cherished topic, which makes it more likely to appeal to to a broad audience. The piece is also apolitical and less likely to estrange people, unlike other government-related conspiracies. They also felt that since the 1969 moon landing is an event widely received by the general public as actually having happened, the deepfake elements would be obvious.

The Proposed Takeaway

In Event of Moon Disaster patently provides information about what is achievable with today’s technology, with the objective of raising public awareness and the ability to recognize half-truths in the form of deepfakes. This information is included in newspapers written particularly for the MIT installation, which describe in-depth how the piece was made, how to identify a deepfake, and the most up-to-date efforts in the works to spot algorithmic deception.

“In Event of Moon Disaster” premiered on November 22nd at the International Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) as part of the IDFA DocLab program. If you didn’t get a chance to attend, don’t worry: MIT is also developing a web-based version of the installation that’s projected to go live in spring 2020.

The post MIT’s Artistic Documentary “In Event of Moon Disaster” Dives Deep on Deepfakes first appeared on Dornob.

Now that building is scheduled for construction, thanks to the efforts of Sidney Eskenazi, who was a student at IU when the proposal was born. He and his wife Lois, benefactor of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at IU, presented the plans to IU president Michael A. McRobbie a few years back, according to the Eskenazi school dean, Peg Faimon.

The Eskenazis donated $20 million for the construction, which will include many elements of Mies original design. It’s the largest gift ever bestowed by the Eskenazis. The celebrated tribute to Mies has been designated as artistic center for the school, housing both classrooms and administrative offices.

The Architects

Thomas Phifer and Partners, based in New York, has been tapped to construct the monumental building, which it expects to unveil in June 2021. Faimon explained why they chose the firm for the project. “We have a strong and established relationship with the firm, as they are already designing a building directly across the street. We want to achieve a clear and sensitive connection between the two buildings, and this is best accomplished by the same firm working on both projects. The firm is also known for its beautiful attention to detail and its ability to work in a modernist language, making them the perfect partners for the project.”

More About Mies

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a man whose talents were world-renowned. He is probably most famous for his designs of early American skyscrapers including the Seagram Tower in New York City, IBM Plaza in Chicago, and Lake Shore Drive Towers on Lake Michigan. He’s also the icon who created the world’s famous Barcelona Pavilion as well as designed the eminent Barcelona chair.

Also a memorable wordsmith, Mies is credited with coining the expressions “less is more” and “God is in the details,” which are still quoted today. He also went on to become head of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).

On a less positive note, Mies will always be associated with the launching the trend of the dull glass tower phenomenon with his early skyscrapers, though he was considered a pioneer in modern design, since he created these modern silhouettes in pre-war Germany.

Presidential Remarks

“The construction of this extraordinary work of architecture will support IU’s growth in one of IU’s newest schools and will serve as an enduring symbol of the legacy of generosity of Sidney and Lois Eskenazi, and an enduring symbol of the very founding of architectural modernism,” U president McRobbie said in a press release. Stay tuned to see the culmination of Mies’ vision for his alma mater.

The post New Mies van der Rohe Building Finally Under Construction After 67 Years first appeared on Dornob.

The architects describe the new Glasir Tórshavn College succinctly as being “located on the undulating fjords of Faroe Islands, with views to the capital Tórshavn, the sea, and verdant fells. Glasir seeks to harvest the [combined] efficiencies of [the] Faroe Islands Gymnasium, Tórshavn Technical College, and the Business College of Faroe Islands into one building for over 1,750 students, teachers, and staff.”

Conceptually, the college aims to retain the identity and autonomy of each of its three educational arms while providing spaces that overlap and encourage interaction, multi-disciplinary learning, and the building of communities. This is achieved by stacking each of the schools on top of each other in concentric circles, with additional spaces for administration and recreation interspersed between the layers. Rather than be envisioned as a typical school environment, the college is thought of more as an incubator for ideas, much like modern tech campuses.

Externally, the building appears both sculptural and modern. Glazing is the order of the day, whether it’s the circular volume that protrudes upwards from the undulating landscape or the rectilinear wings that shoot out from its base into the surroundings. In fact, all of the college’s facades are glazed, with structural trusses being used to help to define the silhouette. The building’s external terraced arrangement is echoed internally, allowing for a cross-pollination of students from different disciplines and years to occur naturally.

BIG says of the campus: “Cascading across several levels, the stepped topography merges the multistory building into a single entity. At the top levels, the high school and business school cantilever towards the mountain range and moorland landscapes, creating a building that opens towards the city in all directions. The outer backdrop to the stunning Faroese landscape surrounding the education center is always visible, from the courtyard and classrooms to the gymnasium and library.”

Students and teachers alike benefit from the incredible and expansive views out towards the ocean and back across the landscape, all courtesy of the glazing and the orientation afforded by both the central cylinder and its protruding wings. The dramatic entrance via a bridge that crosses over the length of the sloping site gives all that enter a taste of what’s to come, with each wing demarcated by a different-colored glass for easy navigating.

The post BIG Completes New College Campus on Faroe Islands first appeared on Dornob.

School of Art, Design, and Media — Nanyang Technological University

The green roof on one of Singapore’s two largest universities, made from reinforced concrete with deep ribs in its surface, dominates this structure, perching dramatically off of it at a nearly 45-degree angle. The building’s mishmash of stories surrounds a striking almond-shaped central courtyard, with reflections bouncing off the double-glazed panels on the interior walls.

Simmons Hall — MIT

The design of this undergraduate dormitory is based on porosity, which means that, like a sponge, it has many passages and openings. Standing 10 stories tall and 382 feet long, Simmons Hall represents a vertical slice of a metropolis, boasting a 125-seat theater, a night café, and street-level dining. As if all that weren’t enough, the building also employs a cycle of programmatic and biotechnical functions to keep natural light in check concurrent with upward-moving air.

Stata Center — MIT

Dedicated to MIT’s Computer, Information, and Intelligence Sciences programs, the Stata Center consists of 47 exclusive elements made from a range of different materials, from brick and glass to architectural metals like aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel. The building’s profile is often compared to something out of Dr. Seuss’ Whoville.

Swanston Academic Building — Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University

No matter how you turn your head, the image of RMIT will always make you feel like you’re halfway between upside-down and inside-out. The walls vary between curved and folded, resulting in a string of toothed edges that make the surfaces look as if they’re breathing. Pixilated images of the neighboring buildings add color and further fuel the campus’s disorienting effect.

Emerson College Los Angeles

Touted as a place where students live, study, and work, Emerson LA is topped by a helipad (a city-wide requirement for any building over 10 stories tall). Its design uniquely connects two dorm structures, which themselves provide lighting for the al fresco performances in a second-story courtyard and amphitheater. The resulting blend of in and outdoor spaces creates a campus that looks like an oversized piece of engaging modern art.

City Campus — LASALLE College of the Arts

Ingeniously combining the best of outdoors and indoors, the exterior of this structure is dark and foreboding, consisting of a mixture of stone, aluminum, and irregularly shaped windows that can’t help but mesmerize. Inside, a network of linking hallways and sky bridges allows for the steady circulation of air and natural light.

Aoyama Technical College Building

When architect Makoto Sei Watanabe completed this spellbinding work in 1990, he likely had no idea that the design would feel so timely in the 21^st century. The fascinating structure looks like a transformer robot and over time has reinforced Watanabe’s belief that “architecture ought to be something capable of moving people’s hearts and giving them a physical thrill in a way possible in no other art.”

Luigi Einaudi Campus — University of Turin

Keeping in mind the appeal and practicality of a conventional sheltered quad comprised of two linked buildings joined by a single canopy roof encircling a central courtyard, this Italian gem neatly wraps new spaces in time-honored packaging. It features a four-story library, private courtyard entrances for each department, lecture halls, and private offices on separate floors. The school’s 500-seat auditorium can even be divided in half to host two events simultaneously.

The post 8 Bizarre University Buildings That’ll Make You Look Twice first appeared on Dornob.

The post Frank Lloyd Wright House Donated to Arizona Architecture School first appeared on Dornob.

As businesses have begun to recognize the value of interactive technology, developers have been looking for ways to make it accessible to everyone. Thanks to Anyractive’s new GoTouch device, any screen—whether it’s in the conference room or the living room—can easily be converted into a whiteboard. GoTouch was developed as a way for instructors and collaborators to share complex information in a quicker and more visually digestible form.

The GoTouch Pen is fitted with an infrared sensor and is another key contributor to the device’s accuracy. The inventors explain: “GoTouch senses this light and ignores unintentional touches from your fingers, palm or arm.”

The post GoTouch Turns Any TV Into a Whiteboard first appeared on Dornob.

Everything a college student could ask for in a living space, from a private kitchen to a relaxing hammock chair, fits comfortably inside a mere 10-square-meter space. It’s easy to imagine multiple ‘Studentboende’ or “Student Unit” huts lined up beside each other on a college campus as an alternative to the typical cramped, uncomfortable housing, and students probably wouldn’t find much to complain about in the cozy, private digs.

The concept, by Tengbom Architects, highlights an affordable, eco-friendly way to give students their very own on-campus living spaces decked out with all the comforts of home. Displayed at the Virserum Art Museum in Sweden, the prototype is made almost entirely of cross-laminated wood to save on building costs.

The floor area is a significant reduction from the typical 25 square meters often seen in Sweden’s student housing, yet efficient use of that space ensures that occupants still have everything they need and more. A sleeping loft, small kitchen, bathroom and even a pat with a garden are included within these diminutive dimensions.

Narrow stairs lead from the bottom floor up to the loft, and the full ceiling height is used for storage space along the walls. The architects stress that in addition to the compact size of the unit, the key to affordable and private student housing is choosing a material that’s energy-efficient, locally sourced and easy to assemble.

More from the designers

“The prototype was a post in the debate about how small a home can be, if small can still mean quality, if wood can give a modern look, and what a completely industrial product in cross-glued wood could look like,” says Tengbom. “10 smart squares were only produced as an exhibition product that was never put into production.”

“The 10-square-meter prototype was built in cross-glued wood – a carbon-neutral and renewable resource. The industrial processing of KL wood provides the opportunity for new shapes on doors and windows. The wood was produced locally and is both light and malleable. Industrial construction enables shorter construction times, moisture-proof production and a better working environment for builders. The properties of wood contribute positively to the environmental sector’s environmental impact. In addition, it is a beautiful material that creates a special atmosphere for the residents.”

The post Student Unit is a Private Alternative to Cramped Dorms first appeared on Dornob.