Hovering via electromagnets, the key innovation is the laser-guided stabilization system that keeps it floating in one place rather than tilting one way, tipping another or flying off entirely … a definite upgrade from those childhood hovercraft toys that were always impossible to remote control correctly.

While not a direct duplicate of the movie classic version, the zig-zag pattern and use of pink and other atrociously 1980s-era colors clearly makes this a direct homage to the original – but perhaps the next version can look a little more timeless.

The post The Future is Back: Real-Life, High-Tech Hoverboard Design first appeared on Dornob.

The 13-foot, tear-shaped electric motor boat can accommodate up to five adults in its jacuzzi seating and comes with a gas-powered, ambience-enhancing fireplace. It’s self-cleaning, self-heating, and can cruise for up to five hours on heavily regulated bodies of water.

With its electric engine, the Spacruzzi is a more eco-friendly watercraft option. “Unlike most power boats on the water, our all-electric propulsion and our patent protected electric and propane heating system do not put pollutants into the air or water,” Kanwetz said in a statement.

While it’s not designed to go far, it is simple to operate, and users can always swap out extra batteries for longer fun. “The boat will not travel more than four or four and a half miles per hour,” notes Kanwetz. “It’s about getting to a space, getting comfortable, and just sitting there. If you’ve never driven a boat, you’re an expert after about 30 seconds.”

The company, which manufactures all its Spacruzzis in its Nevada and Montana facilities, uses a patent-pending UV and saltwater filtration system to circulate and clean water throughout the boat, and an onboard gas fireplace to keep the soaking temperature perfectly pleasant. A ladder connected to the back of the fiberglass hull makes it easy to take a dip in the lake when passengers are ready to cool off.

The floating hot tub’s popularity has been explosive ever since its release. Speaking to a Lake Tahoe news outlet in June, Kanwetz said: “We expected to build a hundred boats this year.” But after a 41-day soft-site opening, the company had completely sold out.

“Since we launched, we’ve seen immediate growth in both our rental and direct-to-consumer sales ,and this is continuing to grow,” Kanwetz said in a separate statement. “As you begin to see more rental operations popping up, we expect the awareness of the product to grow on the national level as more people see that this isn’t just a novelty item, but an experience that can’t be matched on the water.”

At just 1,200 pounds, the Spacruzzi is relatively easy to transport. “We have customers putting these boats on a trailer, along with a generator, and taking them to auto races, concerts, you name it,” Kanwetz adds. The vessel’s onboard heater even converts the local lake into a year-round leisure option. “You’re in the lake, it’s snowing. It’s gentile. It’s a mind-blowing experience. It’s really, really cool.”

Spacruzzis sell for about $50,000 and can be ordered on the company website. They’re available for both rental fleet and individual owner options. Buyers can customize the decking, paint, metal, and wood finishes. Further add-ons include shade towers, floating drink caddies, underwater lights, and trailers. Just be ready to wait a little while for yours, since the company says the construction-to-delivery process can take up to 120 days.

The post Floating “Spacruzzi” Hot Tub Takes Luxury to the Lake first appeared on Dornob.

Responding to the threat of rising sea levels and other hazards of climate change, Land on Water envisions a flexible, sustainable solution that totally eliminates the need for environmentally harmful materials like styrofoam. Floating homes, campsites, community centers, small parks, and structures supporting all kinds of other functions rest on flat-pack mesh cages made of reinforced recycled plastic and filled with upcycled flotation materials.

If the needs of the occupants change and they want to expand or increase the weight of whatever the foundations are supporting, they can simply add more flotation materials to the foundations. MAST imagines that such a system could help avoid the waste that plagued the architecture of the 20th century, which was too rigid to support changing needs and lifestyles.

“The system was inspired by gabion construction, an ancient technology which utilizes mesh cages filled with rubble to create extremely sturdy, low cost foundations,” says MAST. “In this case the concept is inverted; and the modular ‘cages’ are filled with locally sourced, upcycled flotation supporting the weight of any structure built on top. They are also much more adaptable than existing solutions since flotation can be added or adjusted at any time if weight is added or shifted around above.”

“‘Land on Water promises a far better underwater environment than existing solutions. While steel and concrete foundations are commonly treated with toxic anti-fouling paints, Land on Water provides an ideal habitat for fish and crustaceans and an anchor point for mollusks and seaweeds.”

MAST says a floating community could be as small as several homes belonging to members of a single family or as large as an entire city. The architects imagine its use everywhere from houses in Seattle to campsites on an Oslo fjord and saunas on the riverfront of Hobart in Australia.

The modules can be assembled into all kinds of configurations, incorporating areas of open water connected by walkways as sheltered places to fish and swim. Large terraced decks can double as outdoor auditoriums and dance floors. The bases are also strong enough to support the growth of mature trees, potentially allowing for the creation of small floating forests.

If any of that sounds unrealistic to you, here’s a great example where a similar floating neighborhood system worked in the real world. Designed by Dutch firm Rohmer, these 75 mixed-income units on Steigereiland on the Netherlands’ IJ Lake are also designed to grow and change. However, this community is made of more conventional materials like steel and concrete. While both concepts have the potential to help us envision a new way of living, MAST’s design improves upon the idea with its focus on sustainability.

The post Land on Water: A Modular Floating Building System by MAST first appeared on Dornob.

“One of the major future crises of the world is rising sea levels, which could pose a serious threat to human survival,” says Navidi of his design. “… We need a system that can adapt to sea level conditions. Nature always has the best answer for us.”

He used the lake village of Ganvie in Africa’s Benin region as an example of a place where his idea might have great benefits. The people there build their houses right on the water, but with constant exposure to the elements, they get easily worn out and destroyed over time. Residents live under constant threat of collapsing homes and potential loss of life from this unpredictable occurrence.

Navidi’s creative solution to the problem began by looking to the survival skills of that area’s native animal populations. With many varieties of pufferfish in the nearby Lake Nokoué, the architect studied their biomimetic structure and the way they escape enemies by means of water or air inflation.

The scheme of the resulting Puffer Village is comprised of individual dwelling pods that can rise to the water’s surface when the tide is high or as the level rises gradually over time. It can also deflate and hunker down during stormy conditions, protecting the homes from floating away or being damaged.

The process involves balloon skins integrated on the roof and under the water that can fill with air or water according to climate conditions. In stable water and weather periods, the skins are closed and collapsed, giving the roofs of the houses a flat appearance. When the sea level rises, a sensor is triggered that activates the air fan under the house, inflating the balloon skins and causing the structure to rise to the surface of the water. During storms or times of rough seas, a separate water wave sensor tells the base pores to let in water, making the houses heavier and better able to withstand the wind and breaking surf.

Even better, each pod is meant to be self-sustaining in its energy needs. A tidal energy system will generate electricity from sea waves, while flexible photovoltaic panes on the roof will produce additional power from solar radiation. An aquaponic system will support food production by supplying fresh water to the plants growing vertically on the houses’ wooden walls.

Each home is secured to a concrete column in the sea floor, and Navidi envisions placing pillars all over the region to allow for generational village expansion.

Navidi’s unique Puffer Village proposal was a top ten finalist (out of 2,000 entrants) in the 2021 Jacques Rougerie Foundation competition, an annual contest promoting innovative ideas for living on the sea or in space.

Photos of Navidi’s inflatable village and his other works can be found on his Instagram page.

The post Inflatable “Puffer Village” Concept Protects Homes from Rising Sea Levels first appeared on Dornob.

The lifelong dream of Australian developer Doug Tarca and his son Peter, the hotel blew past its budget during construction by a Singapore-based company, ultimately costing in excess of $40 million. Tough environmental regulations required expensive upgrades like non-toxic paint on the hull, on-site sewage and liquid waste treatment, and solid waste incineration. Once the hotel was finally complete, it was towed from Singapore to a prime location off the coast of Townsville, with views of the John Brewer Reef. Before it even had a chance to open, it was struck by a cyclone, which damaged the swimming pool and delayed opening for two months. That meant missing Australia’s prime tourist season, which should have brought a lot of revenue.

In March 1988, the hotel welcomed its first guests ferried 43 miles from shore in water taxies, but boat after boat of them arrived seasick due to rough waters. Unpredictable weather meant guests might be unable to access the hotel at all, or stranded aboard until conditions calmed. A fire aboard one of the water taxies added to growing marketing headaches. It wasn’t long before the hotel was financially underwater, albeit still physically afloat.

In 1989, the hotel was sold to new owners and relocated 3,100 miles to the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, operating as the Saigon Floating Hotel until 1997. Locals, who flocked to its two nightclubs, called it “The Floater.” Tucked up against the dock beside the famous Tran Hung Dao Statue, it wasn’t exactly living out Tarca’s dream on the open seas, but it did well enough for a while. Eventually, however, it ran into more financial problems. The hotel was sold to yet another buyer, who transferred it to the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region of North Korea, right on the border with South Korea.

Opening in 1998, during a time when hopes were high for reconciliation between the two nations, the floating hotel became known as the Sea Kumgang Hotel, or Hotel Haegumgang. It enjoyed another decade of relative success until July 2008, when a North Korean soldier accidentally shot and killed a South Korean woman after she wandered into the restricted zone between the two Koreas. Tours to the tourist region were suspended, and the hotel languished. It has remained in place ever since. Current photos of the ship’s condition are rare, but it can be glimpsed from above on Google Maps.

A recent visit from King Jong-Un decided the hotel’s fate. The North Korean leader was said to be disgusted by its “backward” and “shabby” facilities, and ordered it to be demolished, along with many other structures in the area. It’s unclear exactly when that will happen, but one thing’s for sure: it’ll be a sad ending for such a unique attraction.

The post Australia’s Five-Star Floating Hotel Faces Demolition in North Korea first appeared on Dornob.

Now, a team of designers called Flyte plans to recreate this lost pyramidia in spectacular floating form, as the world’s largest magnetically levitating artwork.

Named Py, the sculpture will be at least 20 feet (six meters) tall and showcased both in person at an art gallery and online in early 2022. The designers have developed custom-built maglev technology capable of levitating up to 220 pounds, and have already built a smaller-scale working prototype measuring 13 feet high. While this prototype is just made of carbon fiber rods, the full-scale version will be solid. They’re currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter to fund the project, including its exhibition, and backers get a pretty awesome reward in the form of a mini levitating capstone of their own.

Aiming to help remind us all that “there’s still a place for mystery and magic in our everyday lives,” the mini Py features a built-in light that you can turn on and off by touching the base. It comes in black, white, gray, iridescent, gold, and premium or iridescent glass versions.

The designers explain that “Py is a combination of the words Pythagoras, the Greek Philosopher, and Phi or Golden Ratio. 1:1.1618. Both are present in the structure of the installation. The Great Pyramid of Giza has a base of 230.4 meters (755.9 feet) and an estimated original height of 146.5 meters (480.6 feet). This also creates a height-to-base ratio of 0.636, which indicates it is indeed a Golden Triangle, at least to within three significant decimal places of accuracy.”

“Throughout the centuries, the ancient pyramids have been a source of inspiration to artists, writers, mathematicians, and architects. Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla had an obsession with the Egyptian pyramids. Tesla believed they served a higher purpose and was investigating them throughout his life. He believed the pyramids contained a power to send energy wirelessly due to their shape and location, which provided the inspiration for his experimental Wardenclyffe Tower and his designs for generators that could theoretically use the Earth’s ionosphere as a source of energy. His triangle-shaped design became known as Tesla’s electromagnetic pyramid.”

Flyte, which specializes in home decor and lighting products, previously created the world’s first levitating light bulb, which was recognized as one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2016. Like Py, the Flyte bulb hovers in mid-air using magnetic levitation, powered wirelessly through the air.

The post Py: Colossal Levitating Pyramid Display Pays Tribute to Missing Ancient Capstones first appeared on Dornob.

“The goal of the project was to build a resilient, sustainable residence that responded to the needs of the environment but didn’t sacrifice the comforts of modern living,” says principal architect and owner Adam Wiesehan. “Building and living on water has been an incredible experience. Architecture on water has a more immediate need to be in tune with natural surroundings, and I’m grateful that this project has put me in closer touch with the local environment.”

Wiesehan, an architect with Rekstur, and his wife Margaret Day, a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library, both grew up coastside (in Texas and Massachusetts, respectively). After they met and married five years ago, they decided to build a home that would bring them back to the sea. “The [coastal] culture is fairly infectious. We wanted to do something ourselves that mixed in my background of architecture with our shared love of the water,” said Wisehan in an interview with Architectural Digest.

The resulting two-story “Kairu House” was constructed from two 40-foot-tall cube containers that were sliced in half diagonally and stacked on top of each other. The structure rests atop a welded-together platform of two 11-foot by 30-foot steel sectional barges. The couple describes the 470-square-foot dwelling as an “upside-down house,” with the bedroom, bathroom, and living space on the first floor, and the kitchen, dining room, and two decks on the second.

In lieu of traditional windows, the couple recycled old doors into fold-out awning-style ones. They also hired a local metalworker to provide a custom oversized front door.

“Unlike a lot of New York residences, it’s very much an indoor-outdoor home,” Day notes. “We have these big awning windows that we open up, the big front door, the big patio doors on the second floor, and in the warm weather, which is when we’re here the most, it so fits our love of nature and our desire to be outside.”

All that easy access to the outside also eliminates the need for an HVAC system. The couple stresses that they “don’t use air conditioners. We have no need for that in the summer because we get such a wonderful breeze through the house.”

The freight boxes inside were transformed into a fully-fledged home with the help of sapele hardwood floors and maple walls. Special accents include a kitchen backsplash of handmade turquoise tiles and a distinctive stone sink in the bathroom.

“We selected fixtures and finishes that reference our bohemian inspiration,” explains Wiesehan. To be extra sustainable, the design also features a composting toilet and plans to expand the existing DC power with solar panels.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the Kairu House’s potential for adapting to global warming. With its ability to move with rising sea levels along the coast, the design could mark the start of an affordable and resilient trend for future living.

The post Couple Turns Reclaimed Shipping Containers Into Floating NYC Summer House first appeared on Dornob.

Not too long ago it would have sounded like futuristic science fiction, but here it is – the world’s most expensive luxury bed that is not suspended but, instead, is tethered to the ground so it does not simply drift up and away.

Seven years of study went into the development process of the permanent, non-degrading magnetic support system for this seven-figure sleeping platform. The bed frame itself is a simple rectilinear board, painted black, that appears to hover on invisible legs.

As the old argument goes: if you are going to spend a third of your life lying on something, you might as well make it something nice. Since it can hold up over fifteen hundred pounds, well, weight will not pose a problem for most people.

To be fair, it is worth questioning the real value in such an expensive solution. How is this floating magnetic bed so fundamentally different from a normal bed – or a hanging, water or other specialty sleeper? And what is it about that experience that makes the design worth as much as a mansion? Perhaps it is just another plaything for the rich, for now at least, but who knows … as technology evolves maybe it will be a teenage fad ten years from now, too. What the military did for flight, architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars may just do for the sleep (or entire furniture) industry. Maybe.

“The Floating Bed was designed as a pointer towards gravity. An omnipresent force that dictates our lives here on earth. It was done by making the exception, a Floating Bed that seems to fall up instead of down.”

“Essential in the long process of testing, engineering and designing was to make a piece of furniture that, visualy, is not dictated by gravity. Four thin cables that are tethered to the floor communicate hanging upside down. The direct surroundings and custom made covers form an integral part of the product. It can be used as sofa or mere art piece.”

The post $1.6 Million Dollar Magnetic Hover Bed first appeared on Dornob.

The Cluvens IW-SK zero-gravity esports gaming chair and workstation is intimidating enough when it’s static. Its black metal form arches over upon itself, supported by eight sharp legs. The user climbs inside, cradled by a scorpion’s tail, face to face with monitors mounted to the mechanized creature’s “stinger.”

But the real kicker is that this thing moves. The chair starts in an inclined position with its tail curved back, making it easier to sit. Activate its transforming feature, and it curls itself around you, two movable arms trapping you in with surfaces for your keyboard and mouse. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic — but it could be for someone who wants all their colleagues to be absolutely terrified of them, probably.

As the company puts it, “with a touch of a button, it transforms into whatever you need it to be.” Cue the horror movie music.

Honestly though, if you aren’t afraid of scorpions, it’s pretty cool. Both the angle and distance of the monitors is adjustable, and you can have either a single or triple-screen setup. The motorized cockpit can sit you upright or lay you back, and the chair even features massage and heating functions so you can relax after a long day of evil plotting.

Since the pandemic is generally keeping us from being in offices together, most buyers will have to settle for terrorizing members of their own families for now. But if you’re willing to drop $3,299 on this showstopper, you’re probably also willing to wait for the perfect opportunity to give more people the scare of their lives when you press that button.

The Cluvens team adds that “the Scorpion’s claws look a little sharp, but they actually [have] rounded corners. So you don’t have to worry about getting cut by the corners. Its main function is used as a keyboard and mouse stand. On its side there is a slot that conveniently stores a remote control for the cockpit. A simple press and the Scorpion will change into your favorite pose.”

“The Scorpion’s legs are surprisingly mobile as well. It really looks like a live scorpion. So sometimes I feel like it’s my pet and not a machine. You don’t have to worry about the Scorpion’s feet scratching your floor [though], because these legs aren’t actually touching the floor. While each Scorpion requires a reservation, once you get it, you will never regret the weeks of waiting. Meanwhile, your social circle will be busy, because all of your friends will want to know where you got this next-gen toy.”

Gamers, is this your dream chair, or is it more like a nightmare? Let’s just hope this thing is never connected to the internet so it can become sentient and crash through your window out into the streets.

The post Zero-Gravity Gaming Chair Nestles You Into a Giant Scorpion first appeared on Dornob.

Danish architecture firm Waterstudio.NL made this dream a reality with “Arkup,” a new avant-garde floating home. Designed to combine the best qualities of yachts, houseboats, and modern residences, this double-decker creation stands on retractible hydraulic pilings that can raise it 20 feet into the air when needed, making it as stable as any conventional house. It’s also rated to withstand Category 4 hurricane winds of up to 155 miles per hour.

It doesn’t spare any details when it comes to feeling like a real home, either. There’s nothing cramped about it. Measuring an impressive 4,350 square feet, the Arkup is even more spacious than a lot of urban residences, and it has all the bells and whistles you’d expect to find in a high-end townhouse. In fact, everything about it looks more like a house than a boat.

When you’re ready to move, all you have to do is pull up anchor and start the engines: a pair of 100 kW (134 hp) electric azimuth thrusters, to be precise, which allow the 75-foot-long houseboat to reach speeds of 7 knots. Dock at a metropolitan marina for access to city amenities, or take a cruise down to a quieter and more scenic setting. The prototype is currently docked at Vice City Marina in Miami, Florida.

The Arkup is self-sufficient, producing its own power via a 36 kW solar panel array and a 1,000 kWh battery bank. Rainwater is collected from the roof and purified to make it safe for drinking, though it’s unclear how waste is dealt with. A smart communications system includes satellite TV and Wi-Fi antennas to keep it connected at all times, and all technical elements are stored within its modular hull. All the houseboat’s glazing ensures spectacular views of the water wherever you’re docked. A boat lift at the stern makes it easy to dock a jet ski, and the sun deck can be immersed and turned into a sea pool.

The Waterstudio team explains that “you can lie at anchor in a marina or a bay. You can cruise silently in waterways, bays, or open sea. You are free to move your home as you want. Enjoy the freedom and the variety of scenery. Live in comfort and luxury in total independence and make your life between the sea, the sky, and the city. No matter the weather conditions and high winds, surge and floods are no longer an issue thanks to this self-lifting system, making you feel 100-percent safe and protected. The four spuds allow your livable yacht to be completely stabilized and even lifted out of the water, avoiding any sea-sickness.”

“There’s just something about living on the water and coming home to the light shimmering on the surface after a long day in the city. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. Live ecologically while being self-sufficient with water and electricity. Enjoy living off-the-grid and feel the satisfaction of minimizing your carbon footprint.”

The firm adds that it plans to produce more Arkups for sale to private owners, 1/4-shared “fractional” ownership similar to a time share, and as hotels. If you go the fractional ownership route, Arkup maintains management services, taking care of details like insurance, dockage, maintenance, and even concierge services. They suggest generating revenue by chartering the vessel when you’re not using it, renting it out for four days per quarter at $2,500 per day to offset the expense of recurring operating costs.

As you might suspect, all of this still comes at a significant cost. The total cost to own an Arkup is $5.5 million USD, and fractional ownership sells for $1,375,000. But the company intends to make an “affordable version” too, whatever that means.

The post Solar-Powered Yacht Villa Can Rise Above High Water on Demand first appeared on Dornob.

The project began as a simple idea, as all do, but when a storm in 1992 deposited a load of lumber in front of the couple’s cabin and the original owner didn’t seem to want it back, they saw it as a sign to begin construction immediately. Ditching the power tools in favor of an old-fashioned handsaw and hammer, the first floating platform took shape.

“Wayne started building the house on the beach at that cabin, and it was about three months later that it was done enough that we could move into it, and we towed it over to the cove,” explains Catherine.

Over the years, they’ve raised two daughters on the island and added new sections to the base as their needs changed and they were able to procure more materials. Today, the island is made up of 12 separate floating platforms that support several greenhouses, an art gallery, a dance floor, a studio where the couple lives, and a guest lighthouse. All of this is painted in bright shades of teal and hot pink. At some point the campus was dubbed “Freedom Cove,” and it’s since gone on to garner all kinds of international attention as an example of unique off-grid living.

The platforms are anchored to shore with thick ropes, of course, but other than that, they’re basically free-floating. The couple admits that there are many challenges to maintaining such a home, and that it’s really more of a lifestyle. Winter storms endanger the crops and structure itself, so it seems there are always repairs to be made. Pests are another issue. Apparently trying to raise chickens on the island didn’t work out too well, as they only attracted other wildlife.

Still, their lifestyle is heavily, although not entirely, sustainable, with the couple growing the majority of their own food right outside the front door. Occupying a half-acre of land mass in total, the island actually offers ample space to grow food, but the irony is in the water. Even though the couple is literally floating around in the stuff, fresh water for the platforms must either be collected from a nearby waterfall or captured when it rains.

Living off-grid means making adjustments. To conserve power, for instance, Wayne and Catherine decided to go without a freezer or refrigerator. But hey, at least this decision makes eating fresh an easy one. The remaining power for the home was previously generated by 14 solar panels, but once they started malfunctioning, the couple decided to switch to a generator as their primary power source.

“We also do lots of composting,” adds Catherines. “As a result, we always eat food that’s fresh and seasonal.”

When considering their lifestyle as artists who spend their spare time composing music, writing, carving, painting, and dancing, it’s easy to see why sustainability was also important to them.

“We wanted to live close to nature because as artists that’s what inspires us. That’s why we decided to build this floating home. It works ecologically, in order to limit as much as possible its impact on the environment,” says Catherine.

The garden section is made from mostly recycled materials. As wood rots, salvaged steel from fishing farms replaces it. Another example of this is the large piece of plexiglass here, which came from a torn-down hockey rink and now allows views through an “ocean lookout” to the frolicking marine life below.

Although the couple is off-grid, they do go into town every few weeks to stock up on goods they can’t grow or catch themselves. However, they stress that minimizing packaging is a priority in maintaining their nearly zero-waste lifestyle. For money, the two sell their art to local businesses and offer tours of their home. Although “Freedom Cove” has been the nearly-perfect home for Wayne and Catherine, it’s not for everyone — especially now that floating homes are no longer allowed in the area.

“It’s been our intention to share with people what we do and inspire people to follow their own dreams and live life the way they want to,” Catherine says.

The post Couple Builds and Lives on Floating Island for Nearly 30 Years first appeared on Dornob.

It’s the latter characterization that interests Yuko Nishikawa, a Japanese designer and contemporary ceramicist based in Brooklyn. Her new lighting collection, “You See a Sheep,” is just as much a sculptural installation as it is a series of hanging lamps with organic shapes. If it feels a little disorienting to be surrounded by these strange objects, all the better.

The bulbs are housed within hand-built ceramic shells and suspended by thin metal wire so they appear to float in midair. Holes cut into the paper-like surfaces emit “a mysterious yet warm glow,” and the effect changes depending on how you arrange them, which ones you pair together, and how many you install.

“The title You See a Sheep is inspired by two stories. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, where The Prince finds his favorite sheep in a drawing of a box, and Model T Frankenstein by Hideo Furukawa, which opens with the line “You see a goat,” suggesting that it is in our perception that the goat exists. I mix paper fiber in a wet clay body to achieve strong lightweight shells, using a coiling technique to emphasize the uneven surface and the irregular enclosed forms. Then, once the clay firms up, I cut out the holes. Next, I apply color clay to the surface, and then finally fire them in an electric kiln.”

“This chandelier that you see with 24 ceramic shells was made for the group exhibition ‘In Good Company,’ held in Fernando Mastrangelo Studio | FM/S in New York in September 2018. I saw this exhibition as a celebration of art and design and an opportunity to build a supportive community of the designers and the users. So I designed this chandelier with some shells hanging low to the ground, others floating high, altogether creating a conical volume. It becomes an environment where people can walk through and physically engage with the installation.”

Each one is handmade without a mold, and although the artist roughly reproduces individual designs, they’re all slightly different. They’re especially striking in large installations, but notable alone as well. Each one is also available for purchase. Hoh-Tel, for instance, is a pendant lamp consisting of three “You See a Sheep” ceramic shells — the Hoh-Tel, Key-Low, and Wun-Wun designs — installed with a single canopy. Cables hold the shells aloft while their electrical wires flow a little more loosely, becoming a part of the overall composition.

Nishikawa specializes in “fantastical installations, whimsical lighting, and collectible objet d’art,” all of which perfectly describe this collection. She was raised in a beach town in Tokyo, which clearly influenced her sense of aesthetics. She currently works out of a studio full of furniture handcrafted by her friends and herself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The post Yuko Nishikawa’s Organic Floating Lamps Made of Handcrafted Ceramic Shells first appeared on Dornob.

On the surface, floating cities seem like a far-out, somewhat unrealistic approach to dealing with climate change. Can we really be self-sustaining without immediate access to land? In the Netherlands, a thriving community of floating homes has proven that it really is doable. Each individual home is equipped with rainwater collection, solar panels, geothermal heat, green roofs for food gardens, and a small wastewater bio-refinery that produces additional power.

This model could potentially be scaled up, too, introducing all sorts of new possibilities to the contemporary design world. And when you look at its success, it’s a lot easier to imagine a futuristic concept like “Current for Currents” by DADA Studio becoming a reality. Based in Manila, DADA’s team of architects has dreamed up an unusual solution to the ever-present threats of natural disasters, storms, and rising sea levels facing the Philippines.

“Current for Currents” is a circular arrangement of modular housing units floating on the surface of the water. Each dwelling is made of molded plastic in a shape reminiscent of ships, anchored to the sea bed and powered by both tidal and solar energy. With the motto of “blue is the new green,” this floating coastal community connects residents to essential resources and services in a way that’s difficult to do using conventional boats.

Equipped with multiple sources of renewable energy, the structures have clearly been designed with flexibility in mind, still capable of powering up whether the seas are unusually calm or the sun isn’t shining. Computer renderings also show hydropower turbines just under the surface of each unit. Some scientists say that harnessing the power of ocean currents could provide “a clean and limitless form of renewable energy,” though the systems must be designed to minimize threats to marine life.

In this case, DADA envisions each turbine providing more than enough power for the individual homes, and even becoming a potential source of revenue for the community at large. Inhabitants who own and maintain these structures could then sell the excess energy to communities on the mainland, reducing the need to go ashore for work.

The city’s molded plastic construction makes it exceptionally durable and easy to reproduce, and the uniformity and simplicity of its modules avoids creating an eyesore in beautiful natural areas valued by the public for universal recreational access. While DADA may have designed these particular units specifically for the Philippines, it’s easy to see how they could be adapted to other locations around the world, perhaps even with slight changes to their shapes to reflect the local vernacular.

We’ve seen lots of similar concepts over the years. A decade or so ago, architects like Vincent Callebaut kicked off a trend of floating city concepts that seemed just as untethered to reality as they were to land, but maybe that’s just because it had never been accomplished before. It’s highly likely that coastal cities grappling with unstoppable rising sea levels will eventually have to abandon their attempts to “shore up” against the problem and learn to similarly live with the influx of water. DADA’s concept is just one way to pull it off.

The post Ship-Shaped Floating Houses Form a Self-Sustaining Community first appeared on Dornob.

We’ve seen this before with “Casa Brutale” by OPA, which is actually set to be constructed in Lebanon, and “Mirage House,” an infinity-pool-topped concept home by Koi’s Associated Architects. Now, “The Air Cabin” by Yakusha Design envisions a 270-degree glass structure set on a dramatic vertical pillar.

Designed with a surfer resident in mind, this cliffside home features a recycled concrete foundation that blends into the rocks. It almost looks like the pillar was simply hammered into place, granting the open-concept 48-square-meter home a highly unusual perspective of the Atlantic Ocean.

The designers took inspiration from lighthouses for the way the home juts out of the cliff like a beacon. In addition to being structural, the pillar also contains the home’s utilities. Integrated blinds offer privacy when desired, and all of the furniture is low to the ground to enhance the feeling of airiness. The home truly feels like it’s hovering in the air — a quality Yakusha intended as a tribute to surfers’ ability to ride waves before they crash onto the shore.

Unlike Casa Brutale, “The Air Cabin” has a relatively light footprint on its building site. There’s less heavy excavation required, and the residence is small enough that it really could be supported as rendered.

The design team explains that “the idea behind this project [is] to create a feeling of instability and futility of such an architecture. From the equilibrium point of view, the volume is mounted on a vertical wall, which at the same time, not only stands on a rock but also stands in front of it. The central element takes up little internal space, at the same time includ[ing] most engineering communications, and maximizes the view outside the window.”

“The interior layout is free so that nothing interferes with the view. Functional zones flow one into another but do not contradict. Stylistically, there is a combination of modern geometric styles: straight lines, rounded forms of sofas, round lamps, ethnic: straw, roughly processed logs, decor, a bit of Asian: low dining chairs, a mat. Bathroom privacy [has also] been preserved — we used a special glass with transparency adjustment.”

It may seem like houses like these never actually get built, but that’s not true. They just tend to end up looking a tad less dramatic in real life. In another example, OOAK Architects built a stunning cantilevered concrete home overlooking Afiarti Beach on the Greek Island of Karpathos, and while it doesn’t exactly blend into the landscape, it doesn’t look like a UFO landed on the cliff, either. Still, designs like these can be controversial for the way they overtake an otherwise natural setting, emphasizing an ostentatious sense of human dominance. Do you love them or hate them?

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