This project is rooted in an entertaining exercise: clients ‘from the future’ seeking a multi-functional abode that can be configured to fit their needs. The quirkiness does not end with the design itself, though, as even if the finished-layout photographs feature curiously pixelated occupants.

Created by Dash Marshall, there are four core components to this futuristic “space age” project – first, some space-saving strategies: (1) replacing hallways with sliding walls to eliminate relatively-useless circulation areas, (2) a flexible living-plus-bedroom with a walk-in closet, all enabled by a thick pivoting wall, giving the feel of secret rooms.

Next, things get futuristic – (3) flush-fitting, easily-vanishing, built-in storage the recedes from view when not in use and (4) a reflective, glossy, and rounded interior to bounce light throughout and make the entire residence feel more open.

As engaging as the apartment is in and of itself, this entire sequence from concept to realization to representation also shows a level of consistency not always found in design work – every step reinforces and reflects the core ideas that went into the process and final product. The story is told in part by the choice to computer-blur people in the final pictures, and even to round the corners of the photographs themselves.

“This client came to us with an apartment in the Kips Bay complex designed by IM Pei in the 1960s. We responded by designing a space capsule temporarily docked here on earth.”

“They wanted a home to charge up between missions: a place where every boot and book, every single little thing could be hidden away. They wanted something that would make the most out of their 715 square feet.”

“We measured and labeled the total volume of possessions (569 cubic feet) so we would have the necessary data to design a place for each and every thing to be hidden away.”

“Central to our strategy is a rotating storage wall called the Transformer. By moving a series of translucent sliding panels the floor plan to be reconfigured easily for different levels of privacy.”

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The post Modern, Mobile, Modular: DIY Slot & Slide Shelves System first appeared on Dornob.

The machine is everything you want a coffee maker to be: functional, easy to use, reliable, and attractive. At a glance, it looks like a more colorful version of an average consumer espresso machine with all the parts you’d expect to find, including a hopper, brewer assembly, and water tank. Turn it around and you’ll find that all the typically mysterious interior parts are visible and clearly labeled, including the water pump, flow meter, thermoblock, and power adapter.

Each module has intuitive interaction points so it’s easy to see how to pull it out and reattach it. Aligning magnets ensure that each component fits securely into place, and a repair drawer includes all the tools a user needs to disassemble the machine completely (as well as a few spare parts like extra screws and water pipes).

The Kara uses only one type of screw with two different lengths, both color-coded so it’s easy to tell exactly where they go. The water pipes running from one component to another are visible so you can physically see if there’s a problem. When you do need to self-service, the same touchscreen on the front that lets you choose how the machine brews your beverage also guides you through the repair process.

“Repairing the most common failure points does not require specialized tools and can be done easily and safely by a layman even without much technical knowledge,” says Mair. “The housing is designed so every part can be 3D printed if you don’t have access to original replacement parts, and technical components can be replaced or substituted because they are part of an open system.”

Mair’s vision of more sustainable consumer appliances isn’t just repair-oriented — it also incorporates the ability to substitute parts as needed. He calls for industry-standard parts and components that can be switched out easily by the end user. If mainboards in washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances were universal, for instance, they could all be easily repurposed.

When possible, components should be made of a single material to make them more recyclable when they do break down. Parts like knobs and buttons should be designed so their replacements can be 3D printed or laser-cut while still offering the same performance. All objects should also be built to last, so we don’t have to replace them constantly.

The Kara is a brilliant proof-of-concept, demonstrating that sustainable consumer appliances aren’t actually that hard to produce. We’ve all just been suckered into a form of consumerism that finds disposability not just acceptable but desirable.

The corporations that manufacture all the things we use every day count on us throwing away the old version in favor of the new on a regular basis. While it’s unlikely that those companies will voluntarily switch to a system like Mair’s, which would probably net them fewer profits in the long run, perhaps future legislation will put consumers and the environment first. One can dream, anyway.

The post Kara: The Sustainable Coffee Machine That Lasts a Lifetime first appeared on Dornob.

Lagerkvist and Lindgren’s design process involved researching the therapeutic benefits of nature to determine what people find most calming and relaxing. The designers believe the allure of stone lies in its symbolism, representing “nature’s slow and boundless rhythm.” When translated into malleable materials, those same qualities can feel like the reassuring embrace of Mother Nature herself.

The designers wanted “Pebble Rubble” to transcend the functions and qualities of an ordinary seat, reminding the user to slow down and appreciate the resilience and dependability of the natural world. The shapes of the rocks call to mind the process by which all the jagged edges were polished over long periods of time by the rain and wind, perhaps cloaked by a coating of moss or a layer of fallen leaves.

“Imagine we find ourselves upon a massive, mysterious slab of stone,” say Lagerkvist and Lindgren. “As if, in a time long before our own, someone gifted with superhuman strength lifted and positioned it, creating a megalithic seat. Let’s imagine that all this occurs in an unexpected location – in the entrance of a bank, the lounge of a hotel, or in the halls of a library. Lastly, let’s imagine that we are getting closer to its surface and only then becoming aware of their softness.”

“Our new system of furniture for Moroso took its forms from found shapes in nature. As children in our native Sweden, our playground was the forest, and we imagined rocks, moss, and fallen trees to be furniture and places for the body to rest and occupy. For this seating group, we 3D scanned rocks we saw on our many forest walks, and composed these organic shapes together into furniture pieces.”

Designed for Italian furniture brand Moroso, the modular cushions of the Pebble Rubble sofas come in 15 different shapes and sizes, and a range of colors including beige, gray, brown, green, lavender, and orange. Each one is available in 16 new textiles produced by Kvadrat by digitally scanning natural surfaces like moss, minerals, and snow for a realistically organic effect.

You can custom-order your preferred combination to create oversized river rock vignettes that fit your space, choosing from shapes that can act as base cushions, back support cushions, throw pillows, and stools.

The Pebble Rubble collection was produced with the hospitality and corporate sectors in mind, but it’s easy to imagine them in the home, too. You can purchase them online from shops like Mohd Furniture, with prices available upon request.

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When Cerri first released the Ouverture sofa in 1982, it was unlike any other furniture at the time (or any that had come before). The design draws inspiration from music, architecture, and technology, incorporating industrial elements like a distinctive metal frame perforated by circles. And while the framework of most sofas remains hidden beneath upholstery, the Ouverture puts it on full display, leaving the T-shaped steel bar and simple legs visible as a major design element.

The sofa’s load-bearing beam is free of joints, supporting its weight in such a way that it almost appears to float. Finished with matte black epoxy powder, the metal is meant to evoke a high-tech aesthetic, contrasting with the warmth and malleability of the cushions. Poltrona Frau has only tweaked a few small details from the original for this new reissue: the cushions were modified to be more ergonomic, and the sofa now comes in two sizes, a two-seater measuring 239 centimeters long and a three-seater measuring 318 centimeters.

The Ouverture sofa may be 40 years old, but unlike most other furniture pieces from the 1980s, it remains a contemporary classic. Original vintage sofas from the first release are sought-after collectibles, selling on sites like 1stDibs for $7,000 to $10,000.

“Apparently simple in form, the cushions conceal a wealth of details: from the backrest buttons, a recurring detail of 1980s designs and nod to traditional upholstery, to the slight tapering of the joint between the seat cushions and the backrest, for the optimum overlapping of the two elements,” says Poltrona Frau. “The cushions, with removable covers in either leather or fabric, are filled with goose down and polyester wadding with a polyurethane foam insert that ensures non-deformability and absolute comfort.”

Poltrona Frau rereleased Ouverture as part of its celebration of the company’s 110th anniversary in 2022. It’s available in various upholstery options, including bouclé, twill, piqué, and the company’s signature Pelle Frau leather in a pleasing variety of shades. Dusty eggplant, tomato red, malachite, tranquil marine blue, and a bright goldenrod are among the more colorful options, alongside plenty of neutrals. Prices are available on request.

Pierluigi Cerri died on November 29th, 2022 at the age of 83. He is celebrated as a visionary three-time Compasso d’pro laureate. In addition to his work in the worlds of design and architecture, he was a curator, graphic designer, academic, and editor for Casabella and Rassegna magazines. He handled the design of collections for Italian publishing houses like Electa and Einaudi and designed objects and layouts for well known brands like B&B Italia, Unifor, Desalto, and Fontana Arte.

The post Poltrona Frau Reissues Pierluigi Cerri’s Iconic Ouverture Sofa first appeared on Dornob.

Wastewater management tends to be a big problem in rural India. In villages like Kundli, located on the outskirts of Dehli, hundreds of factories have popped up in a matter of decades, often releasing water contaminated with chemicals directly into the ground. The problem is that these factories, which manufacture items like plastics, rubber, jewelry, and polyester, typically don’t have enough space for high-tech water treatment solutions, even if they could afford them. The pollutants in turn make their way into groundwater and nearby waterways, contaminating the local bathing and drinking water.

The Indus tile system’s algae-based bioremediation process involves placing a wastewater tank on top of the building and then allowing gravity to funnel the water though “veins” in the “leaves.” The designers traveled to India and observed the production processes of textile dyers in Panipat and bangle makers in Kolkata, where various processes release different types of heavy metals into the wastewater. The team found that one particular type of algae was able to reduce cadmium levels in the water by 10 times within 45 minutes.

Fabricated in Khurja, India, which is known for its ceramics, the Indus tiles are made of clay and deeply textured to hold onto a viscous hydrogel containing the most promising pollution-busting species of algae. The vein-like channels are shaped by an algorithm to optimize their ability to absorb pollutants. As the water flows over a tile, the microscopic algae cells absorb and store the substances for energy. The hydrogel acts as a “biological scaffold” that keeps the algae alive, and it’s biodegradable. The materials required to prepare the hydrogel and algae cells can be supplied in a powdered form and reapplied to the tiles as needed.

The modular tiles fit together into a beautiful pattern using half-lap joints, so individual tiles can be replaced as necessary without disassembling the entire wall. This also makes it easy to scale the wall size up or down, tailoring it to each site. In the future, the designers hope to integrate a second phase in which the saturated hydrogel packed with heavy metals is removed and sold to high-tech companies, which can use the metals in their own manufacturing processes. The Indus tiles are set to undergo performance tests in the UK and then a pilot project in India itself.

The creators imagine adapting Indus wall tiles to different regions and needs, making them from local materials like stone or even waste materials. Different tiles could be tailored to different pollutants, infused with the particular type of algae that works best in that context. Given that the end result is so beautiful, it’s not hard to imagine the concept extending to residential applications, too. Just imagine installing a wall of these at the edge of your own roof instead of a gutter, cleaning rainwater for personal use later on.

The post Leaf-Shaped Wall Tiles Full of Living Algae Absorb Pollutants from Rainwater first appeared on Dornob.

Semi-Solid State Batteries

The SuperBase V claims to be the first home energy storage system using semi-solid state batteries. Offering 228 Watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), they provide up to 42 percent more energy per pound than a traditional lithium-iron phosphate battery. Zendure says that customers who use their battery management software can expect the SuperBase V internal battery to last for at least 10 years.

“Semi-solid state batteries also pose less of a safety risk if damaged, which is critical for home energy management,” the company says. “The extra capacity is ideal for long-term outages.”

Stackable Power

The SuperBase V can be scaled for several different power needs. A single unit can provide up to 3,800 watts (W) of power, while two connected units can supply up to 7,600 W. That amount is enough to power a typical washer, dryer, heater, and refrigerator at one time. For maximum wattage, two SuperBase V units can be stacked with four Satellite Batteries each for a total capacity of 64 kilowatts (kWH).

Power Your Home for a Week

With the maximum battery configuration, the SuperBase V has enough juice to power a typical household for a week or more. This means you never need to fear a power outage, since the SuperBase V will automatically kick on in the event of a power grid failure. You can also use Zendure’s “Time of Use” app to monitor, manage, and customize your energy usage and save money on normal energy bills.

If a natural disaster ever strikes your area, you’ll still have enough power to get you through the worst of it. Alternatively, if you’re simply ready to go off-grid, you can hook up the SuperBase V to a solar panel system and figuratively cut the cord to your power company.

Untethered RV Life

The Zendure Satellite Battery also boasts an Anderson port to meet any RV and camper electrical needs. Through the XT90 port, the modules can also glean up to 600W of solar power. For those looking to truly get some peace and quiet in remote areas, the SuperBase V TT-30 port can provide up to 30 amps to 120V camper or RV appliances.

Charge EVs on the Go

With its 2 EV outlets and up to 12,000W of power distribution, the SuperBase V can charge two electric vehicles quickly and at the same time, so you’ll never have a dead car battery in the event of emergencies. In addition to powering up your cars at home, Zendure’s plug-and-play system can recharge your EV on the go and in between charging stations, extending your driving range indefinitely.

Smart Virtual Assistance Interface

For added ease of use, the SuperBase V can interface with smart home assistants like Alexa and Google, allowing customers to turn it on or perform other functions with voice commands.

Zendure’s Kickstarter campaign blew way past its initial goal of $10,000, attracting over a thousand backers and over $5.3 million in pledges. The basic SuperBase V model is currently going for $2,699 and is expected to start shipping in December 2022.

The post Kickstarter Campaign for First Plug-and-Play Home Energy Storage System Garners Over $5 Million first appeared on Dornob.

The idea for Muuw started during the pandemic when Tommy Truup, an expert in steel fabrication, decided he wanted to create work-from-home spaces that could also act as backyard retreats. Truup founded Muuwspace and designed his ideal one-room escape, with a shape inspired by beehives and the carbon structures in human cells.

Three of the pod’s six walls are floor-to-ceiling windows, so the 100-square-foot space feels much more expansive than it really is. Insulated glazing from Saint-Gobain features a metallic blue external reflection so you can maintain privacy and avoid getting overheated.

The cabin is constructed from durable galvanized steel, insulated fully for all climates, and capable of withstanding a heavy snow load on its roof. It also boasts luxurious floor heating, a quiet speed-controllable ventilation system, dimmable LED lights inside and out, a triple-glazed aluminum entry door, wall-integrated speakers, five electrical sockets, and two separate USB charging sockets. It even comes with an attached terrace with a frame made of hot dip galvanized steel.

A variety of interior finishes are available for the Muuw backyard work pod, including oak laminate on the ceiling and walls. The outdoor deck and screen at the entrance of the pod can be made of ash or pine wood. Buyers customize the Muuw to their liking and send the order to Muuwspace’s factory, where it’s built and delivered to the installation site in separate pieces. Assembly takes just one or two days depending on access to the installation site, which could be a backyard, garden, terrace, or even remote land. The whole thing is delivered on the back of a truck.

“Muuw can be used as an add-on to your main home or placed in a completely separate area of your choice – depending on whether you’d use it for focused work, productivity, reading, self-development, hobbies, or full relaxation,” the company says. “The interior is a calming, personal space – fitting snugly inside the building’s hexagonal structure. Each Muuw space boasts modern interiors and vast, panoramic views.”

“The unique exterior design also feels incredibly contemporary, using minimalistic materials combined with warm, traditional wood that’s sure to attract everyone’s attention. Just picture yourself stood in the Muuw, looking out over the horizon – we guarantee it will provide you with the feeling that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, with relaxation being the key to productivity and accomplishment.”

Pricing for each Muuw pod starts at $32,000, depending on the options you choose. Muuwspace is currently able to deliver and assemble the pods throughout Europe and the United States, including the UK, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland. It takes 8 to 16 weeks to receive your Muuw after ordering.

The post Upgrade Your Home Office with the Muuw Backyard Work Pod 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.

Expandable and customizable, The Dresser starts with a single base for all sizes. You simply select the drawer units that fit your needs now, with the ability to swap them out in the future if your needs change. Start with either the Two Unit Dresser, which is 47 inches wide, or the Three Unit Dresser, which is 71 inches wide. Then choose your drawer configuration from eight available combinations. You could have a smaller number of larger drawers, a larger number of smaller drawers, shelves with cabinet-style doors, or a combination of any of the three.

Then, you get to choose your frame and top color in walnut, maple, or beige, and your drawer/door covers, available in the same options plus jasper green and canary yellow. You can always change your mind later and purchase new drawer units in different configurations or colors. If you want to go from a double unit to a triple unit, just add an extra base surface.

The idea behind Floyd’s modular system is that your furniture can easily move and grow with you. The modularity makes it easy to transport — a key reason why many people buy from IKEA in the first place — and easy to shift into new shapes and sizes as needed. Say you move into a studio apartment, and suddenly that huge bookcase you bought no longer fits your space. If you had Floyd’s shelving system, instead of getting rid of it, you could just assemble it into a different shape, or break it into multiple units.

The heavy duty base materials, including 11-gauge steel and FSC-certified walnut, mean that unlike most modular minimalist furniture you’ll find on the market, these pieces could be a new version of the old family heirloom, adapted to the more nomadic modern lifestyle. Founders Kyle Hoff and Alex O’Dell launched Floyd in an effort to reduce our reliance on disposable furniture, designing the pieces to be as inclusive as possible.

In addition to the new Dresser, favorites from Floyd include the aforementioned Bed Frame, which boasts a simple, low-slung design with available add-ons like underbed storage, a headboard, and a size expansion kit; The Sofa, a minimalist frame covered in cozy cushions that can be expanded with a chaise; The Sectional, which is just as modular as you’d imagine; and The Table, which draws inspiration from Floyd’s original Leg.

The Dresser is available now, starting at $3,000 for the Two Unit version, $4,500 for the Three Unit version, and $1,200 for the expansion units.

The post The Dresser by Floyd Furniture is Modular, Minimalist, and Expandable to Grow With You first appeared on Dornob.

Built by Dutch company FlevoBike, the GoLo GoCamp is a tiny camper built on a recumbent e-bike platform. It offers similar amenities you’d enjoy while car camping but maintains the cycling experience. It’s based on the FlevoBike GoLo, a four-wheel cargo bike capable of carrying a surprisingly heavy load, but it adds a bunch of extra functionality and features for recreational trips. Even cooler is the fact that the camper is a removable module sitting on top of the GoLo cargo bike, so you can always take it off if you want to use the bike for more practical everyday travel.

The camper module is ultra-compact, at least compared to most RVs, but it pops up and extends a foldable canopy to offer additional length when the user is laying down. In bedroom mode, it’s also big enough to seat two at an interior fold-down table. The 33.5 by 86.6-inch mattress is comfy for a single occupant, and in its extended form, the camper features mosquito mesh and a window for ventilation. The side wall pops up to turn into another canopy offering shelter and shade.

An integrated 60W fridge, storage under the sleeping area, and wall shelves give you space to store your food, toiletries, and other items, and there’s a drawer hidden in the base for a spare wheel and bike tools. You’ll also find USB, 12V, and 220V outlets inside. Boosted by 400W solar panels mounted to the outside of the camper, the 250W motor and 1,000Wh battery provide maximum e-assist for 31 miles (50km) per charge. That may not sound like much, but most people usually only use assist when going up hills or when they’re feeling extra tired. Plus, on a sunny day, you’ll be juicing up the battery as you ride.

The camper’s narrow profile may be a snug fit for sleeping, but it’s a pro rather than a con when you’re on the road. It sticks to the width of a typical cycling path for safety. When you want to remove the camper shell to use the bike on its own, it’s fairly easy to do, simply clicking in and out of the bike’s base. Designed with delivery and service fleets in mind, the GoLo e-bike itself is comfortable and easy to ride, even when pulling a load this large, thanks to its recumbent design.

The GoLo GoCamp bike camper is still brand new, and the company has only produced one prototype to show off what it can do. But that prototype has already traveled 500 kilometers (more than 300 miles) across the Netherlands, so it’s looking pretty promising. We know what you’re thinking: how can you get one? Contact the company on their website or Facebook for more information.

The post GoLo Solar-Powered Bike Camper Makes Cycling Trips a Lot Comfier first appeared on Dornob.

Jamais Content is a unique architectural room divider solution created by Atelier Marc Ferrand and produced by Italian furniture company Bottega Ghianda. The modular system is, first and foremost, a functional bookcase with large open square-shaped shelves. But it’s also the foundation for building your own rooms-within-rooms — even rounded ones. That’s the coolest part of this kit of parts. You can assemble them to create organically shaped spaces in your desired proportions and forms.

The modular bookcase is made of individual pieces of citronnier, a type of wood sourced from Ceylon Island, along with a satin-finished brass “cross” element that acts as a decorative fastener. Small brass bolts connect the wooden elements to the crosses and to each other for stability. The wood shelves come in two different sizes, and a leather door is available as an optional add-on to create “a fascinating interplay of solids and voids.” The process is meant to be experimental. If you build something and don’t like it, or your needs change, just start over. The name, Jamais Content, translates to “never satisfied” in English.

The possibilities of this system seem virtually endless. Sure, you could create linear installations, much like you would with any other modular bookcase or room divider system, but the ability to produce rounded rooms is just too fun to resist. Imagine creating a little rounded office, reading room, meditation space, or study area for kids within your living room. As Ferrand explains, Jamais Content is architecture, enveloping and protecting like any other shelter.

Rendered in sophisticated materials with a focus on fine craftsmanship, Jamais Content is definitely a step up (okay, quite a few steps up) from IKEA. Based near Lake Como in Italy, Bottega Ghianda is a leader in Italian cabinetmaking known for its expertise with wood. That 200-year-old reputation shines through in this piece.

About Atelier Marc Ferrand

As the designer’s website explains: “The work of Marc Ferrand, nourished by minimalist forms, is characterized by a reflection on the temporal nature of matter and its relationship to architecture, creating a design that evolves with time and each imagination. A designer who graduated from the École Bleue (Paris, 2006), Marc Ferrand became the same year a collaborator with the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, for whom he was responsible for the design of nomadic and temporary architectures.”

“In this capacity, he was notably in charge of the Hermès Pavilion in Milan, the Shiseido Pavilion for the Venice Biennale of Arts, and the Paper Tower for the London Design Festival. Atelier Marc Ferrand develops industrial design projects with international publishers, designs reconstruction projects, and pursues research on forms and their relationship to the body and architecture.”

The post Modular Bookcase System Lets You Build Endless 3D Storage Structures first appeared on Dornob.

Commissioned by artisan café brand Colicci, architecture firm Mizzi Studio took inspiration from the verdant foliage of the Royal Parks, giving the kiosks a vaguely tree-like structure complete with curves and canopies.

This mimicry and appreciation of local environment are a common strategy for the studio. “We call our work ‘bio-architecture,’ said company founder Jonathan Mizzi in an interview with Architizer. This approach “characterize[s] our studio ethos, a philosophy that rests on bringing humans and nature closer together through thoughtful and innovative design solutions.”

“The architecture and design industry has seen a massive shift in practice towards trends that favor a nature-led approach,” he added. “Mizzi Studio has been focused on this philosophy since day one of our foundation. Our architecture holds the natural world as its greatest teacher and inspiration — this ethos is central to The Royal Parks project.”

The team started by spending months exploring the heritage of each park. After channeling “all of that research into a design strategy…driven by nature and the variety of tactile experiences it offers” (the firm’s own words), Mizzi Studio invented a fleet of kiosks, each “unique, tailored to the history, nuances, and demographics of its respective site within the parks.”

While each kiosk has a slightly different 360-degree organic profile and volume, they all share a tree-based sculptural outline, and an instantly recognizable silhouette from far away.

Set conspicuously at the entrances to Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. James’s Park, eight of the nine kiosks are covered in “steam-bent” wooden English oak timber, a sustainably sourced material, in addition to the stainless steel and copper used in the frames.

The ninth iteration — the flagship Horse Shoe Bend kiosk in St. James’s Park — got the royal treatment as it sits at the base of Buckingham Palace. While the shape follows the patterns of its siblings, this “kiosk is clad in tubular brass, mirroring the ornate precious metals of the nearby Sir Thomas Brock’s Queen Victoria Memorial,” Mizzi explains.

Each kiosk was constructed with the lowest impact to the environment in mind. Modular in design, all are freestanding and able to be transported in just two truckloads, cutting down on carbon emissions.

The timing of the kiosk project — on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic — made it especially impactful for visitors. “Aside from the spectacular landscape of the Parks, which directly influenced the design of the kiosks — our hope was that the fleet would stand as a new architectural structure and symbol of collective respite,” Mizzi says. “We believe in the power of public space to bring people together and restore them both physically and emotionally. The aftermath of the pandemic became the context for the completion of the Royal Parks fleet, and therefore we saw this as a moment where architecture could help restore mental well-being, bring people together, and offer surveillance and support at a time when the city’s inhabitants felt most vulnerable.”

The post London’s Royal Parks Kiosks Get Sustainable “Bio-Architecture” Update first appeared on Dornob.

Co-designed and built with teachers and 44 students from Haroun Tazieff high school in Saint-Paul-lés-Dax, France, ProtoCAMPO is the third iteration of a building technique developed by Frédérique Barchelard and Flavien Menu, themselves former fellows of Villa Medici (2019-2020). The first was the Proto-Habitat, built during their stay in Rome, and the second was the SOLARproto, a 300-square-meter exhibition space built in Amsterdam. ProtoCAMPO takes those concepts and builds upon them, tailored to its unique environment and purpose in one of the city’s most beautifully preserved Renaissance palaces — not to mention home to The French Academy in Rome.

“ProtoCAMPO is both low-tech and high-tech,” explain the designers. “Low tech, as it is assembled by hand using traditional and basic carpentry and joinery assemblage techniques to build up the prefabricated timber pieces. High-tech, in the conception of the inflatable cupola that can be implemented in less than an hour to unfold a six-meter diameter dome weighing only 300 kilograms. protoCAMPO subtly plays with the rhythm of the Villa Medici’s garden framing views of the 200-year-old pine trees and the historic villa. The repetitive timber structure echoes the Renaissance grid structure of the garden being both classical and wild. The dialogue between the pavilion and the surrounding nature evolves over the day, playing with the sun’s path and the rhythm of the garden.”

The cupola of the pavilion shelters up to 350 occupants while remaining open to the sun and wind, and the wooden base is sturdy enough to withstand heavy traffic. In the first week of the festival, protoCAMPO welcomed 300 high school students as part of the Residence Pro educational program developed by Villa Medici with the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region. Now, it’s hosting events, concerts, dinners, shows, and some of the villa’s cultural events for the remainder of the year. Like WALD’s other “proto-architecture” projects, it’s prefabricated, locally sourced, and modular, so it can be quickly assembled and disassembled. No word yet on how it will be used next.

Located near Rome’s famous Spanish Steps, the Villa Medici was designed by Bartolomeo Ammanati and built by Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando de Medici in the 16th century as an estate and open-air museum celebrating the Medici family’s influence in Rome. Its grounds include Roman bas-reliefs and statues, botanical gardens, formal gardens, and palatial architecture. In 1803, it became home to The French Academy in Rome, which aims to welcome artists, creators, and art historians in residence, curate cultural and artistic programs, and conserve the palace’s architectural and landscape heritage.

The post ProtoCAMPO: An Inflatable Dome-Shaped Pavilion for the Villa Medici in Rome first appeared on Dornob.

India experienced a record high heat wave this past spring, with temperatures reaching upwards of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This led to a massive landfill fire outside of Delhi that burned for weeks, and even caused overheated birds to fall from the skies.

While modern air conditioning systems exist in Indian cities, the majority of the population is still without access to such technology. And since the greenhouse gases emitted by AC units contribute to global warming, trying to blanket the country with them may not be the best solution anyways.

That’s where Ant Studio’s eco-friendly idea comes in: using recirculated water to evaporate and cool the air as it continually flows down a beehive-shaped stack of clay tubes.

Evaporative cooling techniques date back to the ancient Egyptians. They would fan porous jars of water in their chambers, enjoying some temperature relief as the evaporating water took some of the oppressive heat with it. The Romans also employed water and clay to cool their houses, allowing the liquid to course through pipes in their walls.

Building a prototype of their brainchild outside the Deki Electronics factory in Uttar Pradesh, India, Ant Studio inserted cylindrical clay tubes into a rounded steel frame positioned on top of brick and tile basin. The Beehive’s water pump continually sends recycled water from the industrial plant up to the top of the structure, where it then flows down the surface of the clay. The multitude of clay pipes provides a larger surface area, increasing the cooling effect. Temperature measurements showed that the Beehive reduced the surrounding air to 97 degrees Fahrenheit from its previous 107 degrees.

After carefully studying various materials, Ant Studio chose clay as a material for the beehive because of its hygroscopic, or water attracting, properties. The designers found that clay carries a negative charge that bonds with the positive pole of a water molecule, allowing it to absorb water in both vapor and liquid states. Additionally, clay is completely recyclable, as it contains no complex chemicals or components.

The entire system is energy efficient and less expensive than traditional air conditioning. The use of recycled water from the factory’s existing supply minimizes waste. The water tank only needs topping off roughly once a month ,and the recirculating pump uses a small amount of electricity, making the Beehive a very economical cooling mechanism.

In areas where electricity is unavailable, the system could also be converted to a “zero-energy” model, with water being manually poured over the pots once or twice a day. While it would not have the same cooling power, it would have some effect and could still be easily built and maintained from local resources.

Ant Studio is also excited about employing pottery as part of the art/cooling device as a way of reviving what it sees as a fading ancient art. If the Beehive were to gain widespread traction, it could generate more work in the pottery market and help train new artisans in the trade.

The post This Terracotta Pipe Art Doubles as a Sustainable Cooling System first appeared on Dornob.