That may all be true, but as the open office trend has grown, so has an entire industry of products designed to correct all of the problems they present for employees who struggle to focus, hear one another, and enjoy any measure of privacy in their distraction-riddled environments.

Sound-dampening privacy pods provide a compromise between the new open office ethos and hallways lined with separate enclosed rooms for each employee. Enter the headquarters of just about any large company today, and what you’ll see is almost certainly a wide open space filled with modular pods designed for small meetings or solitary concentration.

At an office like AirBnb’s San Francisco headquarters, these “pods” might actually take the shape of padded illuminated niches cut into a giant wooden “ship” or house-shaped booths for private phone calls, but you don’t have to have the budget of a multi-billion-dollar corporation to make the concept work for your space.

The “Planet for Two” by Ukrainian design duo MZPA is a portable solution that can be placed in any open space for instant privacy, and it’s cool-looking, too. Built to fit two people (as its name suggests), this geodesic meeting room is made from connected triangles of plywood, powder-coated metal connectors, and a plush fabric mattress in customizable colors. It’s based on a previous design called “The Planet,” which itself accommodates a single user.

The designers envision both of these geometric pods as multipurpose rooms-within-rooms that can be used for meetings, lounging, brainstorming, phone calls, or even in place of a desk for employees who work more efficiently in less open environments. Communication is key in any business, they note, and while open office plans seem like they should foster more of it, too much noise and activity can make people feel like they have to shout over each other to be heard, worsening the problem.

Available for delivery anywhere in the world, the Planet for Two retails for $5,700 and comes with a built-in LED lamp, speaker system, USB charging port for electronic devices, and even a few optional solar panels so you can place it outdoors if you like. It’s easy to imagine these pods fitting right into places like airports, cafés, and college campuses.

“It’s great for moments when you need to stay alone, gather your thoughts and focus, and have a cup of coffee,” say designers Julia Kononenko and Artem Zakharchenko.

More than anything, pods like the “Planet for Two” demonstrate the need for offices to remain flexible to both the diverse needs of staff and changing trends in office interior design. Give your employees enough privacy and quiet, and they might not have to resort to such desperate tactics as noise-cancelling helmets that look like a joke from a comedy set in outer space.

The post Planet for Two: Expanding Geodesic Pod Offers a Cozy Soundproofed Refuge first appeared on Dornob.

The coolest thing about the Living O’Pod is the fact that it rotates in a full circle, spinning on its base to change up the views whenever you feel like facing a different direction. Depending on where you put it, you could be gazing out at the forest by day and enjoying the moonlight glimmering on a body of water after dark. Though it looks like it a lack of insulation would make it hard to keep cool or heated in extreme weather, UN10 Design says the pod is equipped with a thermal insulating layer and heating system to ensure normal operation in winter.

The interiors are designed to be comfortable enough for two people, featuring a kitchen, bathroom, and living room on the lower level and a curving sculptural white staircase leading up to the mezzanine bedroom, which is itself large enough to include a desk and seating area. The entryway is a circular glass door that appears to be the only part of the pod’s shell that opens to the air. The interior elements are all made of plywood.

The Living O’Pod is hypothetically set within the Repovesi National Park in Finland, one of the country’s most popular parks featuring picturesque hilly landscapes and forests that are now recovering from heavy commercial timber production. It seems that the company hasn’t yet built an actual prototype, but they explain that all of the pod’s components, including the main steel frame, would be prefabricated in a factory and transported to be assembled onsite to ensure the precision of the spherical shape.

UN10 Design doesn’t get into the technical details, so it’s unclear whether this glass living pod is just a beautiful dream or a fully fleshed-out concept ready to hit the assembly line. In either case, it at least seems possible to achieve. Glass dome homes and houses that rotate on a spinning base both already exist, so why not put the two ideas together in a form as captivating as this one?

“Home should be a personal space where you feel secure, creative, and inspired,” says UN10 Design. “The next housing concept should nurture the habitant’s soul, mind, and also be resilient for upcoming social, environmental, and technological challenges. Minimal, decentralized but connected, smart, and functional spaces need to be considered instead of the conventional urban fabric. The Living O’Pod is a space where you can communicate with mountains, trees, the sky, and streams.”

The post Glass Living O’Pod Rotates 360 Degrees for Unmatched Views 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.

Designed by Dutch architect Koen Olthuis, the SeaPod is supposed to represent a new way of living in harmony with coastal ecosystems. Ultra-minimalist and nearly all-white, the unusual home features 830 square feet of living space spread across three levels, including a bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and storage areas. It’s perched on a 7.5-foot-high pillar connected to a floating base hidden beneath the surface of the water. This stabilizing base uses more than 1,688 cubic feet of air-filled tubes to stay afloat. To get to and from the home or order supplies, occupants wear a smart ring that summons a vehicle or a food delivery drone. Prices range from $295,000 for the smallest and most basic pods up to $1.5 million.

https://twitter.com/CheapPontoon/status/1573666146062159873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1573666146062159873%7Ctwgr%5E0f76dc8e78cd05537be98ae3a6c85b3c265fc7ef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https://luxurylaunches.com/real_estate/seapod-sinks-after-unveil.php

The idea behind the SeaPod is to unlock the ocean as a new frontier offering a high quality of life. In contrast with “green technology,” which usually refers to sustainability, Ocean Builders calls its philosophy “blue technology,” turning rising sea levels into a positive by working with the oceans instead of against them. The design of the SeaPod is based on the forms and materials of sea shells, which the company cites as beautiful, organically shaped, and naturally strong.

Ocean Builders CEO Grant Romundt says: “Every day, thousands of people all over the world move closer to the top 15 major metropolitan cities which are within 50 miles of a coastline—a trend that will continue to grow… We’ve been motivated by the opportunity to change and challenge the traditional real estate and tourism models and create first-in-class living experiences that can give back to our ocean environment.”

If all of that sounds a little too futuristic to work, the failure of the launch event might seem like a sign that this technology isn’t quite ready for prime time. Ocean Builders says the embarrassing incident was caused by a bilge pump malfunction that affected the balance of a steel spar in the prototype and caused it to flood. They insist that there was no damage, and in a statement to Autoevolution, a spokesperson for the company says “Like all innovation and new technology, there is a likelihood of trial and error, and that provides an opportunity to learn, improve, and continue to innovate on ocean technology.”

Every innovation has its stops and starts along the way, and an incident like this isn’t necessarily indicative of failure. But one interesting thing to note is that the prototype is so visually different from the company’s renderings. What was revealed in Panama last month looks more like a standard marine lookout tower than a sexy futuristic floating home, raising the question, once again, of whether this launch was just a tad rushed.

The post Eco-Friendly SeaPod Prototype Home Collapses on the Day of its Launch first appeared on Dornob.

Now, a new kind of space tourism vehicle is on the horizon. Last month, the Florida-based company Space Perspective unveiled their design for a spherical space capsule meant to ferry passengers to infinity and beyond.

Resembling something like a high-tech hot air balloon, the “Spaceship Neptune” will be the largest craft of its kind to ever fly so high, according to Space Perspective representatives. It will also boast a one-of-a-kind “splash cone” at its base to make ocean landings softer and safer, in addition to a slew of luxe amenities meant to elevate the space travel experience. A stellar room with ample windows, the capsule will allow passengers perfect panoramic views of the cosmos, while its “Space Lounge” equipped with a telescope and interactive screens makes the experience more immersive.

According to the company, the Spaceship Neptune is already under construction at the Space Perspective Shuttle Landing Facility, appropriately located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Commercial flights are expected to begin as soon as late 2024. And while Space Neptune won’t actually reach space, it will be slightly different from the flights offered by companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, which only reach orbit briefly.

Instead, the Space Neptune’s flights will offer a more leisurely ascent to approximately 100,000 feet, giving guests out-of-this-world views of the atmosphere set against the vastness of space. From initial liftoff to splashdown, the passengers (which can include up to eight people, plus a pilot) will be treated to a relaxing and gentle ride over a total flight time of six hours. Additionally, passengers will not experience zero-gravity weightlessness during the trip, as they aren’t technically reaching space. This makes for a more comfortable and easy experience for all, and a chance to enjoy the thrill of space travel without the rigorous astronaut training.

Still, it doesn’t seem like Space Neptune’s flights will differ too much from its competitors in the way of exclusivity. After all, all space flights are expensive, and the ticket prices will likely remain firmly out of reach for people without deep pockets. However, they are significantly less than Virgin Galactic’s $450,000-per-seat price tag, currently selling for about $125,000 each. According to Space Perspective reps, almost 900 people have already purchased tickets for the trip in the balloon pod.

As more and more companies venture into space travel, more affordable space flights may soon be on the horizon, and not just for celebrity A-listers. The Arizona-based company World View is already planning a similar experience to Space Perspective for a significantly lower price tag, approximately $50,000 per seat. And while 50k is still out of reach for most of us here on the ground, with new developments in space tourism, it’s easier than ever before to envision a future when we can finally touch the sky.

The post Will Space Perspective’s Balloon Capsule Revolutionize Space Travel? first appeared on Dornob.

Dubbed the “world’s first eco-restorative homes,” SeaPods are the brainchild of the company’s Head of Engineering Rüdiger Koch and Chief Executive Officer Grant Romund. The two partnered with Dutch architect Koen Olthuis and his firm Waterstudio to design a home suited for an aquatic lifestyle.

The pods’ floating capabilities were inspired by the physical properties of an iceberg. Just like most of the mass of an iceberg is underwater, the SeaPods have over 1,688 cubic feet of buoyant, air-filled steel tubes that rest below the surface, pushing the spherical living spaces almost 10 feet above the water.

Each Pod offers 833 square feet of living space within its three-and-a-half floors, including a master bedroom with stunning panoramic views, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The entire space is futuristically simple with hidden light switches, power outlets, and lightbulbs. LED light strips that can provide either blue-toned daytime or yellow-toned nighttime lighting are tucked within floor and ceiling grooves for a true minimalist look. Even cooler, all functions are controlled by “smart rings” worn by the residents, allowing them to turn on their music or unlock a door with just a wave of their hand.

“If Apple had built a home, I think you would end up with the SeaPod,” said Romundt in an interview with CNN. “…There’s a lot of technology built into the homes. I like to think of it as, instead of having a phone as a digital assistant, your home actually becomes your assistant, and you can use it to optimize your life.”

The pod structure is crafted to grow with changing technology. “We have designed Pods to be easily upgradable,” the company writes on their website. “There are set locations behind walls where new devices and components can be plugged in like LEGO pieces for upgraded functionality as technology improves.”

The software controlling the Pods can also be updated remotely. It will be like “a mobile phone where you can install new ‘home apps’ that are constantly being developed.” New automations and sensors can be hot swapped as needed.

Perhaps the best part of the SeaPod lifestyle is the symbiotic existence with the natural world. Instead of destroying natural habitats when a traditional house is built, “when you build a home on the water you actually create a habit for ocean life to thrive,” Ocean Builders said. “…Anytime you put something in the water that makes shade it attracts sea life. It often starts with barnacles and other life starts to grow on the underwater surface of your Pods. This can lead to coral growth and eventually homes for fish.”

The first set of pods are already under construction in Panama’s Linton Bay Marina and are scheduled to be completed and revealed online in late September. They’re expected to sell for between $295,000 to $1.5 million each, with potential buyers being able to move in at the end of 2023. An additional 1,000 pods will go into production by 2024.

Also in the works from Ocean Builders are two other pod models: the land-based GreenPod, and the eco and budget-friendly EcoPod.

The post SeaPods Provide Oceanfront Living While Restoring Life Below the Surface first appeared on Dornob.

Set on the grounds of Fiskars, an art and design hub, the KOJA treehouse has been realized in 1:1 scale for the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale. Made of sustainable materials like wood and wool, the treehouse captures Polestar’s design language and planet-protecting values, “symbolizing a shift in both the way we use materials and the way we define a space,” as the brand explains.

Designer Kristian Talvitie was inspired to create a structure that allowed people to immerse themselves in nature without traveling far. The idea is that while it’s important to make the technologies we use to travel more sustainable, it’s also important for everyone to travel less in order to respond to the climate crisis. The treehouse nestles up into a tree canopy, which can be located virtually anywhere — even in a backyard, or a public park in a major city. That makes the experience of relaxing among the branches more accessible, reducing the need to intrude upon the wilderness.

The design is a black capsule with a nearly 360-degree ribbon of glass along the facade, granting occupants sweeping views of their surroundings. Stairs at the back grant access, and inside, visitors will find a bench wrapped around the tree trunk, essentially turning it into a sculptural focal point. Padded benches and work surfaces also line the interior walls. The roof is made of glass, too, so you can look up and gaze at the stars. This modern treehouse is made of locally sourced materials to help it blend in with its environment but has a futuristic aesthetic, demonstrating that sustainable design can be sleek and interesting, too.

“It’s amazing how well it embodies our brand values,” says Martin Österberg, Head of Marketing for Polestar Finland. “It’s beautiful in its simplicity, and the fact that it’s made from locally sourced spruce really emphasizes our focus on sustainability. We think we found the perfect home for it here at the Biennale.”

KOJA wasn’t the only sustainable micro-house displayed at the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale. As part of the exhibit “House by an Architect,” it joins six other mini-homes which are available for rent through Airbnb. KOJA will remain open to the public through September.

The two other winning designs of the 2021 Polestar Design Contest are “Glad to Be Dirty” by Mingwei Liu in the Student category and “Polestar H_UB” by David Vultaggio in the Professional category. The former is a small, geometric car which an architectural take on Polestar’s design vocabulary that actively filters dirty air as it goes, “allowing the user to feel proud of driving a dirty car.”

The H_UB is both a brand experience center and a place to hang out while charging your Polestar vehicle, which generates its own electricity and produces hydrogen from a biomass roof. The design is “a comprehensive reimagining of what once might have been called a garage.”

The post Electric Carmaker Polestar Translates Its Brand Identity to a Modern Treehouse first appeared on Dornob.

The Skynest pods feature two sets of three bunk beds stacked in an outward-facing V formation, with curtains you can close for privacy. Measuring 80 inches by 23 inches, they’re long enough for most people to lie completely flat. They come with bedding, including pillows, sheets, and blankets, and each pod includes its own USBV outlet, reading light, and storage pocket. They’ll be installed at the very front of the rear economy cabin in Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 787-9s, which will service the airline’s long-haul routes to cities like New York and Chicago.

Because they can’t be occupied during takeoff and landing, the bunks can’t be booked for the entire flight. Instead, they’re available in four-hour windows, with the bedding changed in between each passenger. Passengers traveling on economy, premium economy, or economy stretch (seats with extra legroom) tickets can add their nap break onto their total much like they would extra baggage. The airline hasn’t yet revealed how much this feature will cost.

“New Zealand’s location puts us in a unique position to lead on the ultra-longhaul travel experience,” says Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran. “We have zeroed in on sleep, comfort, and wellness because we know how important it is for our customers to arrive well-rested. Whether they are heading straight into a meeting, or to their first holiday hotspot — they want to hit the ground running. It’s a proud moment to finally unveil five years of hard mahi, in what truly is a cabin of possibility. One that will provide customers with options to get some shut eye wherever they’re sitting.”

The Skynest isn’t Air New Zealand’s only economy-class innovation. The Economy Skycouch is a row of seats you can change into a couch after takeoff, either by booking three seats in a row just for yourself, sharing with a partner, or cuddling your kids. The seats are the same as the rest in Economy, except you have a special footrest on each seat that you can lift halfway up to lounge or all the way up to create one big couch. It’s private,t oo, so you won’t end up sharing your Skycouch with a stranger.

Will big American airline companies like Delta, American Airlines, or United follow suit? It seems unlikely, but so did the prospect of this Skynest pod design ever actually becoming real. It was first unveiled in 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic started and seemed destined to remain a concept, especially as travel slowed to a crawl. Perhaps other airlines will find a way to make the numbers work in order to include similar features.

The post Air New Zealand Will Offer “Skynest” Sleep Pods to Economy Class Passengers first appeared on Dornob.

Built in a densely populated urban area in the middle of Oslo, Norway, the Regenerative High-Rise features a main structural frame consisting of three-story-high decks that can each support either three intermediate floor plates or three levels of versatile, varying-height pods. According to the architects, this design makes the system adaptable both horizontally and vertically. Single, double, or triple-height partitions can be inserted within each level to allow for interior layouts suited to residential, office, hotel leisure, or production uses.

The idea is that the building can be continually modified over time to suit new uses that may come up in the future. The difficulty of retrofitting old buildings is currently a major challenge for developers in cities around the world, especially in high-rises designed for a particular function, like offices or apartments. Haptic and Ramboll’s “triple-height sky villages,” as they call them, aim to bring the sense of community traditionally found in Olso’s suburbs to its urban core through mixed-use buildings that can change along with the neighborhood and the times.

The first fully realized Regenerative High-Rise even makes use of an interesting pre-existing feature onsite, incorporating a disused motor viaduct into its foundations to demonstrate how road infrastructure can be creatively repurposed.

“The natural materials bring warmth to the high-rise while also contributing to the life cycle carbon management of the development,” say the architects. “The building core has a maintenance unit at the top capable of lifting the pods and intermediate floors. This function is expected to be used during the whole life span of the building, not just during its construction. The pods also are designed to be moved and reused throughout the building to allow it to be reprogrammed over time, depending on the needs of the city.”

“The most exciting component of the Regenerative Tower is the idea of vertical land creation,” says Shonn Mills, Global Director of Ramboll High Rise. “With the tower, we are essentially producing volumes that can flex and change in use and character with the needs and requirements of the city. This makes sure the building stays competitive and relevant far longer than the normal building life cycle, which also makes it more sustainable.”

If you see high-rise timber projects like this as giant tinder boxes waiting to ignite, you might be interested to learn that recent research shows materials like glulam, CLT, and LVL are surprisingly resilient in a fire. The charring of wood creates an insulating layer that protects the inner part of the timber, leaving cross-sections of undamaged wood capable of carrying heavy loads after the fire is out. Steel, on the other hand, melts at high temperatures, and concrete collapses without its reinforcement. Produced with extreme precision, engineered wood components are also easy to assemble, and they come from a renewable source.

The post Regenerative High-Rise: Modular Timber Tower Design Can Be Adapted for Any City first appeared on Dornob.

Joining forces with renowned architect Masayuki Sono, winner of NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, Serendix and Sono designed a small house that could be printed quickly enough to serve as emergency housing after a natural disaster like an earthquake or hurricane that destroys the population’s homes.

“The skeleton weighed about 20 tons, and its assembly was completed in 3 hours,” Serendix said in a press release. “Housing construction such as waterproofing and openings was completed in just 23 hours and 12 minutes.”

While the assembly time doesn’t include installation of windows, doors, or interior features, these can be prefabricated and added on site within a few extra hours, allowing these “instant homes” to provide temporary shelter for disaster victims in as little as a day after a catastrophe hits.

The entire pod costs just 3 million yen, or roughly $25,000 USD, to construct thanks to the lack of human labor required. “Using a 3D printer and advanced robotics, we are working on a design that only works with robots and uses as little human hand [input] as possible,” the firm explains.

The home’s distinctive shape was chosen because of its large surface area-to-volume ratio and for its high structural stability. The Sphere is fashioned from 12 identical base segments cut from a cylinder. The pieces are then assembled into a single cocoon-like form. The result is a pod that can look round, square, or hexagonal depending on the particular vantage point.

“This creates a dynamic effect as if it is constantly changing its profile as people walk around the structure,” the firm says. “When multiple units are installed in a cluster such as in the case of cottage or camping ground, this provides diversity and avoids the next house from looking monotonous while maintaining a consistent design vocabulary.”

With its rib-reinforced double shell structure, the 3D-printed dwelling meets both European heat insulation performance standards and Japanese seismic operation requirements. And because it’s made up of separate but easily conjoined parts, the Sphere can be manufactured either onsite or pre-printed as needed. “The goal is to print each unit on ite for highest efficiency,” Serendix says on its website. “Due to identical base geometry of all [pieces] it can also be pre-printed in a controlled factory environment and assembled onsite in case the site condition limits use of in situ printing.”

The 3D-printed structure can also easily be customized for multiple uses. The “window locations can be flexibly adjusted and even the entire base model can be rotated in [a] vertical orientation to achieve variations in design and form.” This could include vaulted, domed, and pitched roof profiles. Multiple units can also be connected to create larger spaces for bigger families or community groups.

Serendix reports that it has already printed its first full-scale prototypes on two different continents and assembled a proof-of-concept unit in Japan. The firm is further improving the fabrication process for upgraded models.

The post This 3D-Printed Housing Pod Can Be Built in Under a Day for Less than the Price of a Car 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.

Designed by Beijing-based DAGA Architects, the Metal Hands Coffee house was intended to be an “immersive space café journey.”

The firm describes the background in detail to give patrons the full picture. “Interstellar passengers have traveled the vastness of space and the infinity of time in search of a new home for humanity to escape from a devastated Earth. Finally, awakened from hibernation by an alarm. Climbing out of the fallen space capsule, the world was uncannily familiar, with Earth-like plants and oxygen to breathe. Everything was so beautiful, but there was a vague sense of something different.”

“Cutting through the trees, instead of the familiar wood fibers, is a smooth, mirror-like metallic substance. The trees float in the air, eerie cross-sections reflecting this wonderful but strange world. Eventually, the frustrating reality is discovered: there are no humans here, and no nature either, this is not real-world, everything is unreal.”

The main focal point of the 970-square-foot shop is the giant metal space capsule with its flipped-up hatch. Customers can climb inside with their steaming cups and study the peeling aluminum wall panels and the vines and flora that have started to grown in-between all the ship’s cracks, taking over its mechanical attachments.

A large, metallic column supports the pod on the inside, while the exterior is adorned with electrical ports that look just right for R2D2 or BB8 to come along and tap. The capsule’s hatch has been converted into an overhead light, delivering a comfortable wash of illumination over the nearby folding chairs and crate-like coffee tables.

Another soft glow is added to the room by the split log situated along one section of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Half of the log is suspended from above with rods and includes a bank of LED lighting to brighten its lower half, which is floating above the ground at bar height. Its mirrored surface reflects the beams above, and low-backed barstools make it a perfect sipping spot. The dissected tree trunk also frames a view of the modern high-rise skyline just outside.

Orbs of organic material mimic the shape of the abandoned capsule and hang from the ceiling at random lengths, creating a mini solar system of greenery to soften the sterility of the space motif.

The DAGA Architect group was founded in Beijing in 2015 and has since designed, renovated, or constructed over 90 projects in 25 cities worldwide. A quote from Albert Einstein tops their website’s About Us page, reading “creativity is intelligence having fun.” The firm seems to have integrated that idea into their work on the Metal Hands Coffee job as well.

“It is a journey through time, where all one has to do is sip coffee, empty oneself, and enjoy a moment of peace in the universe,” the company says of its latest build. “The design incorporates exploration and consideration of time, taking people away from the worries of life and voyaging in their thoughts.”

The post Shanghai’s Metal Hands Coffee Offers an Immersive Trip Through Time and Space first appeared on Dornob.

The Cagbalete Sand Clusters, designed by Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc., was created for a client looking to build a second home during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. With a goal of “farm leisure,” the 9.4-acre property will contain a four-bedroom residential unit for the owner, a farm-to-table restaurant, ponds for growing and harvesting mud crabs, a garden for fresh vegetables, a lighthouse, multi-story walkways and performance spaces, and lower-level swimming grottos.

“Since this is an agricultural land, the project has to be built in an ethical way with a faster and less wasteful construction method,” said chief architect and firm founder Carlo Calma in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “Looking at the site, we set up a mud crab farm to prevent soil erosion. The mud crabs will eventually be part of the restaurant’s menu.”

Not only will the food be grown and caught on site, but the energy needs will also be self-sustained. Traditional solar panels are incorporated into custom sun umbrellas to generate the power required for the residence. “There are things in market that don’t have quality in design. We are turning these panels into sculptural pieces that are functional and sustainable even on a small scale. Its application of technology starts with the house,” Calma explains. Open-air ventilation will also help keep energy costs to a minimum.

The actual structure is made up of a series of hyperbolic pods that can assembled in multiple configurations. “The units can be stacked like LEGO blocks or pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. One unit consists of five modules that you can rotate, flip, or move around in different ways. You can make different spatial arrangements out of them. Every unit will be unique,” added the London-trained Calma. The curving shape was inspired by the ocean coral found just off-shore from the property.

Each module will be fashioned from noncorrosive materials, including glass fiber reinforced concrete and glass fiber reinforced polymer rebar, to combat the destructive influence of salt air. The design also integrates local hapa nets as shade, sunbathing hammocks, and mosquito protection. “They have elevated the humble hapa net into something beyond its utilitarian origins,” the project’s official press release states. “It is now both part of the structure’s construction membrane, a tool for food production, and a web that facilitates the daily activities of the structure’s inhabitants, enmeshing time, culture, and space.”

Construction of the Cagbalete Sand Clusters is underway, with the residential unit on track to be completed in December 2021. Mud crabs have already been planted in the area for cultivation.

Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc. was founded in 2009 in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Philippines, as an art and architecture firm that aimed “to push boundaries in design thinking, architectural practice, and construction.” The developer has created dozens of residential and commercial buildings to date, best known for their geometric and organic shapes, as well as their art installations throughout the country.

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The site, formerly owned by the Assistance League of Southern California, was special in the first place. Its primary structure is a classic Neocolonial building designed by Paul Williams (the first recognized Black architect to work in Los Angeles), which the firm renovated for the project. It’s now used as the main entrance for the co-working campus and its largest indoor space, featuring a café, bar, restaurant, event and conference hall, resting areas, terraces, and 200 workspaces. A second building on the lot was demolished to make way for 60 new oval-shaped single-story offices and meeting rooms.

It’s these pods that make the site so unique. Not only are they scattered among palm trees and tropical greenery, but they’re also ringed in glass to offer 360-degree views of the gardens. Birds of Paradise, ficus, ferns, and other plants double as privacy screens for the people working in each individual office pod. The architects envision these workspaces, capable of hosting 700 people, as oversized plant pots. They sit on top of an existing underground parking facility and are nestled into a four-foot layer of soil atop the concrete slab, creating a sunken effect.

The effect is remarkably relaxing for a workspace, and seems true to Second Home’s claims that it’s the healthiest place to work in the entire city. If you prefer to work in the open air, you can do that too at any number of open tables, benches, and loungers sprinkled throughout the campus. The vivid yellow hue of the office pods makes the whole place feel cheerful, and that mood continues into the indoor communal spaces, which are also full of greenery.

The site is the first American location for Second Home, a London-based co-working company, and opened in September 2019. Not the best timing for a communal workspace, considering what came to pass in the following year. But while many other co-working companies hemorrhaged cash during the pandemic, unable to pack their facilities full of busy workers, Second Home Hollywood was able to continue functioning more or less as usual. Each pod is individually ventilated and has windows that open. The design could serve as a blueprint for similarly healthy office spaces in our post-pandemic future, though of course it might have to be modified for colder climates.

“How architecture relates with the environment is crucial to our well-being,” says Diego Cano-Lasso, a partner at Selgascano, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “One of the best aspects of living in L.A. is to be able to open a door and be surrounded by nature. That close relationship with the good weather, hummingbirds and flowers is lost if you have stairs, elevators, or corridors in the way. The goal was to work in a garden, where you can be indoors but the outdoors is just a door away.”

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The “Ooneepod” is a compact, prefabricated, and customizable bike locker that keeps your whip secure while you work, shop, dine, or hang out. Oonee co-founder and CEO Shabazz Stuart, a 31-year-old Brooklyn native, dreamed up the idea back in 2015 after his bike was stolen three times in five years on commutes to and from work. He and co-founder J. Manuel Mansylla decided New York needed secure, affordable bike storage that wasn’t an eyesore and developed an ad-supported walk-in design that basically acts as a mobile billboard. While most people probably wouldn’t consider ads attractive, they attempted to balance out that element of the design with a green roof.

The first two ad-supported Oonepods were installed in Jersey City and at The Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn near Barclays Center in 2018. This year, the company will add two “Oonepod Minis” in New York City through a sponsorship by scooter sharing company Voi. Oonee worked with cyclists, pedestrians, public space managers, city officials, and even school children to develop these smaller storage huts, which feature large illustrations of bikes on the outside instead of ads.

Smart Access technology lets riders unlock the pods by keycard or smartphone, and inside, they’ll find lights and a free air pump. You don’t lock up individually, but if you’re worried somebody might swipe your costly electric scooter for their beater, at least take heart that bikes stored inside are covered by insurance. While the original pods stand quite tall, the minis are barely taller than a standard sedan, so they won’t block sunlight or views from the buildings they’re placed in front of. Each Ooneepod Mini is about seven feet long.

The founders explain that “cars are everywhere on city streets, but what about some space for bikes? Built to survive the demanding streets of New York, Oonee Mini delivers up to 10 high-quality secure bike parking spaces in place of one car. We packed the pod with hundreds of design and technology innovations that ensure a top-notch experience for both cyclists and community members that just happen to be walking by.”

In the future, Oonee hopes to bring its pods to cities around the U.S., and provide additional services through its app, like on-demand mechanics fixing flat tires, or even the direct purchase of bikes and scooters. The pods are currently free to anyone who signs up for the app and provides proof of identity (a measure aimed at preventing theft).

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Masterminded by Tina Bunyaprasit and Werner Aisslinger, the design speaks to LOQI’s identity as a manufacturer of totes, weekend bags, pouches, and reusable masks created in collaboration with modern and contemporary artists (along with the requisite Klimt, Van Gogh, and Hokusai). The American-born international company needed new work and activity areas that gave its team the flexibility and autonomy to choose when and how they worked, all within a sustainable and stylish space.

The result is every bit as “lively and inspiring” as the designers intended, “breaking through the gray schematism of standardized workstation units.” Occupying a roughly 10,000-square-foot facility with high vaulted ceilings and an industrial character, the office has specific zones dedicated to different purposes like holding small private discussions, taking calls, chatting with colleagues, and accommodating large meetings. None of these uses are set in stone, of course, and the lines between them are always permeable.

Yes, the facility consists of one big open room of the sort that a lot of workers hate, but it’s no cubicle farm. The circular meeting zones, with their heavy velvet curtains on rails, break up the space and help absorb distracting sounds. Couches are tucked away against walls, set behind adorable gabled privacy pods with bubble windows. Nobody’s going to get away with curling up in one of these to surreptitiously take a nap, but they look like a nice way to get some peace and quiet when you need to concentrate or recharge.

“The cycle of a sustainable production and lifestyle is seen less as an urgent necessity than as an opportunity; recycling and upcycling not only as a daily office routine, but as a design impulse,” Studio Aisslinger states. “Striking fabric curtains, transparent folding screens, materials, and colors moderate the transition between the different working areas.”

“Sitting at one’s desk or standing at a high table, debating the most recent project at a round table or thinking through an inspiring design, secluded in the work capsule that shields all noise from outside – flexible and open, the room adapts to the respective needs, creating space for playful creativity, for that dance of mind and body that is needed to gain new ideas.”

The pods, step-shaped lounge areas, and abundance of primary colors almost give this office the feel of a playground for adults, but that doesn’t mean it’s childish. On the contrary, the effect is lighthearted, dynamic, and uniquely suited to LOQI’s artistic spirit. Plus, in keeping with our new pandemic-induced consciousness about personal space, there’s a full six feet in between each zone, giving every employee ample room to breathe. Wide corridors, movable partitions, and touchless controls all contribute to a workspace that’s safer than average (and hopefully adequately ventilated, as well).

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