Seven avant-garde gadgets with a retro design Deepa Venkitesh:  Retro gadgetcool Retro gadget |
Showing posts with label Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Design. Show all posts
Seven avant-garde gadgets with a retro design
Floating City
Called Lilypads, these are basically zero-emission floating homes that uses solar, wind, tidal and biomass power to generate energy for its inhabitants.
Futuristic Achitecture & Futuristic Design
from Social News Network about Future
http://FuturismNews.com
7 Photos
From FuturismNews.com & TechEBlog.com
King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture by Snøhetta
Construction has begun in Saudi Arabia on the King Abdulaziz Centre for Knowledge and Culture by Norwegian architects Snøhetta
Futuristic Achitecture & Futuristic Designfrom Social News Network about Future http://FuturismNews.com
The centre, commissioned by Saudi oil giant Aramco and designed to “reflect the history of oil in Saudi Arabia” – will incorporate a museum, library, theatre and cinema.
The following text is from Snøhetta:
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King Abdulaziz Centre for Knowledge and culture by Snøhetta
In competition with some of the world’s greatest architects, Snøhetta has won the competition to design Saudi Arabia’s new cultural centre. Saudi Aramco – the world’s largest oil company – is the client.
May 20th 2008, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz set the cornerstone for the cultural centre which will house a museum, library, theatre, cinema and more. The building reflects the history of oil in Saudi Arabia and is different from the country’s architectonic traditions with its abstract and spectacular form.
Along with five other internationally known architecture offices, Snøhetta participated in the competition and was chosen in preference to famous names such as Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaus.
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From FuturismNews.com
Posted by Rose Etherington from Dezeen.com
"Living With" Product Review: Humanscale's Zone Air Purifier Puts You in a Bubble of Latest design Freshness
Earlier this year Peter Hall of DesignInquiry wrote up a fantastic case study and origin story of Humanair's Air Purifier, now re-branded the Zon Air Purifier. After six months with the unit, we now bring you the "Living With" product review.
If you work in an open-plan office, there are certain things that belong to everyone and certain things that belong just to you. That light coming in from the windows and the overhead lamps is for everyone; the task lamp on your desk provides light just for you. The electricity piped in is for everyone, but the outlets under your desk are just for you to plug into. But one thing that you typically cannot get is your own air supply.
This is an area that Humanscale is addressing with their Zon Air Purifier. Their goal was to provide a desktop source of clean air, qualitatively different than the air piped into the larger space around you, that would essentially encase the user in a sort of bubble of freshness.
The Science
The Zon removes about 99% of all airborne contaminants, including those nasty VOCs you read so much about, and rids the air of dust (a huge plus for me in particular due to the space I work in). It produces a negligible amount of ozone, an improvement over earlier air purifiers that used a technology called ESP, or Electrostatic Precipitation. The Zon utilizes DEP, a technology developed in Sweden that's used to clean the air in subway stations and bakeries, where fine soot and the superfine flour bakers are constantly exposed to are recognized as long-term health hazards. DEP, or Disposable Electrostatic Precipitation, makes use of a special type of paper filter that obviates the need for the step that produces ozone in ESP. (You can learn more about DEP and the science behind the Zon here or at Hall's lengthy piece.)
Form Factor
As opposed to a standard floor-sitting air purifier that's meant to clean the air in an entire space—a scientifically unlikely proposition, given your average room's nooks, "dead spots" and furniture, to say nothing of the size of the room versus the size of the purifier—Humanscale's purifier is designed to sit on your desk and deliver clean air to a targeted area, the spot you're sitting in. Thus the form factor chosen is close to a table fan with a tight, relatively unobstrusive footprint. It's 13" wide and the body of the unit is just 3.5" deep, though the base takes up an additional 5.5" in depth behind it, presumably so that if you push it up against a wall, air can still circulate behind it.
Design
The aesthetics of the Zon is exactly what I'd want in any desktop device, and exactly what you'd expect from Humanscale: Minimal, modern and clean-looking. The footprint takes up a minimum of space, and placed at the back of the desk, during my testing it never interfered with the day-to-day desktop clutter I have to deal with.
There's only one light on the unit, a small green LED on the bottom that lights up when the filter needs changing. In nearly six months of testing and almost constant use, my filter hasn't needed changing yet, though obviously your mileage may vary.
Of the two buttons on the entire unit, there's only one I use in practice, a simple on-off slider located on the side in an easy-to-reach position. (Directly above it there's also a timer button, which I never mess with as I can't see the point.) The slider allows you to set the fan level. In practice I leave mine on high, as it's not noisy and the higher setting provides the cleanest air.
Actual Usage & Maintenance
The Zon is my favorite type of object, as usage is simple: Set it and forget it. The only time I turn it off is if I need to record audio of something, as sensitive mics will pick up the fan noise, which is otherwise low enough that it doesn't bother me and serves as a sort of white noise.
During the cold winter months I didn't keep the Zon pointed directly at me, because in early testing in my poorly-heated space I found the soft breeze to be distracting; it's gentle enough and is not really a breeze—you feel more like the air is being stimulated on a subtle scale—but it was enough to constantly make me aware of it, so I kept it pointed just to the side of me.
However, during hot months, like the 90-degree days we've recently had in New York, I angle the Zon towards me and welcome the soft "breeze." It's not enough to move your hair but enough to provide a "fresh" sensation that makes it nice to take a deep breath.
I work in a high-dust environment, and one of the ironies in maintaining the Honeywell floor-sitting air purifier I've owned for years is that cleaning this cleaning device is a real bear. Dust settles all over the matte plastic finish and gets into the grills. In contrast, the Zon is thoughtfully finished in a high gloss, with virtually no nooks for dust to get into, and cleaning it off with a Swiffer is a simple, one-wipe-per-surface affair. However, this does not hold true for the honeycomb grill on the back of the machine that serves as the air intake. Dust can settle on the insides of the honeycomb, and I haven't figured out a way to easily remove it short of blowing it off with compressed air.
In practice, I end up Swiffering the Zon clean about once a month and it takes literally just a few seconds, as opposed to the hour or more I can spend trying to get the Honeywell clean.
As I mentioned earlier I haven't had to change the filter yet, but I've practiced doing it for the sake of the write-up and can report it's also a simple affair. The white disc in the center of the grill flips open into a sort of handle that you use to unscrew the grill, and behind that the filter just pops in and out by means of little paper tabs you grab. Happily, it passes the test of "If I gave this to my tech-challenged parents as a gift, could I easily describe to them over the phone how to do it?"
Once the filter's off, you can either vacuum it out, or replace it with a new one. Should you go for the latter option, the paper filter is recycleable.
Conclusion
The Zon is difficult to compare to other air purifiers on the market, because it is not a whole-room-cleaning device. But I like Humanscale's different take on the purifier and the "personal zone" concept, and the thought that you're given a measure of control over your own air and are not beholden to the building's filtration system, the particulars of which are usually unknown to office denizens. Maintenance of the Zon is virtually nil and the object fits cleanly on even my overcluttered desk. In the end, the Zon is essentially what it provides: A breath of fresh air.
If you work in an open-plan office, there are certain things that belong to everyone and certain things that belong just to you. That light coming in from the windows and the overhead lamps is for everyone; the task lamp on your desk provides light just for you. The electricity piped in is for everyone, but the outlets under your desk are just for you to plug into. But one thing that you typically cannot get is your own air supply.
This is an area that Humanscale is addressing with their Zon Air Purifier. Their goal was to provide a desktop source of clean air, qualitatively different than the air piped into the larger space around you, that would essentially encase the user in a sort of bubble of freshness.
The Science
The Zon removes about 99% of all airborne contaminants, including those nasty VOCs you read so much about, and rids the air of dust (a huge plus for me in particular due to the space I work in). It produces a negligible amount of ozone, an improvement over earlier air purifiers that used a technology called ESP, or Electrostatic Precipitation. The Zon utilizes DEP, a technology developed in Sweden that's used to clean the air in subway stations and bakeries, where fine soot and the superfine flour bakers are constantly exposed to are recognized as long-term health hazards. DEP, or Disposable Electrostatic Precipitation, makes use of a special type of paper filter that obviates the need for the step that produces ozone in ESP. (You can learn more about DEP and the science behind the Zon here or at Hall's lengthy piece.)
Form Factor
As opposed to a standard floor-sitting air purifier that's meant to clean the air in an entire space—a scientifically unlikely proposition, given your average room's nooks, "dead spots" and furniture, to say nothing of the size of the room versus the size of the purifier—Humanscale's purifier is designed to sit on your desk and deliver clean air to a targeted area, the spot you're sitting in. Thus the form factor chosen is close to a table fan with a tight, relatively unobstrusive footprint. It's 13" wide and the body of the unit is just 3.5" deep, though the base takes up an additional 5.5" in depth behind it, presumably so that if you push it up against a wall, air can still circulate behind it.
Design
The aesthetics of the Zon is exactly what I'd want in any desktop device, and exactly what you'd expect from Humanscale: Minimal, modern and clean-looking. The footprint takes up a minimum of space, and placed at the back of the desk, during my testing it never interfered with the day-to-day desktop clutter I have to deal with.
There's only one light on the unit, a small green LED on the bottom that lights up when the filter needs changing. In nearly six months of testing and almost constant use, my filter hasn't needed changing yet, though obviously your mileage may vary.
Of the two buttons on the entire unit, there's only one I use in practice, a simple on-off slider located on the side in an easy-to-reach position. (Directly above it there's also a timer button, which I never mess with as I can't see the point.) The slider allows you to set the fan level. In practice I leave mine on high, as it's not noisy and the higher setting provides the cleanest air.
Actual Usage & Maintenance
The Zon is my favorite type of object, as usage is simple: Set it and forget it. The only time I turn it off is if I need to record audio of something, as sensitive mics will pick up the fan noise, which is otherwise low enough that it doesn't bother me and serves as a sort of white noise.
During the cold winter months I didn't keep the Zon pointed directly at me, because in early testing in my poorly-heated space I found the soft breeze to be distracting; it's gentle enough and is not really a breeze—you feel more like the air is being stimulated on a subtle scale—but it was enough to constantly make me aware of it, so I kept it pointed just to the side of me.
However, during hot months, like the 90-degree days we've recently had in New York, I angle the Zon towards me and welcome the soft "breeze." It's not enough to move your hair but enough to provide a "fresh" sensation that makes it nice to take a deep breath.
I work in a high-dust environment, and one of the ironies in maintaining the Honeywell floor-sitting air purifier I've owned for years is that cleaning this cleaning device is a real bear. Dust settles all over the matte plastic finish and gets into the grills. In contrast, the Zon is thoughtfully finished in a high gloss, with virtually no nooks for dust to get into, and cleaning it off with a Swiffer is a simple, one-wipe-per-surface affair. However, this does not hold true for the honeycomb grill on the back of the machine that serves as the air intake. Dust can settle on the insides of the honeycomb, and I haven't figured out a way to easily remove it short of blowing it off with compressed air.
In practice, I end up Swiffering the Zon clean about once a month and it takes literally just a few seconds, as opposed to the hour or more I can spend trying to get the Honeywell clean.
As I mentioned earlier I haven't had to change the filter yet, but I've practiced doing it for the sake of the write-up and can report it's also a simple affair. The white disc in the center of the grill flips open into a sort of handle that you use to unscrew the grill, and behind that the filter just pops in and out by means of little paper tabs you grab. Happily, it passes the test of "If I gave this to my tech-challenged parents as a gift, could I easily describe to them over the phone how to do it?"
Once the filter's off, you can either vacuum it out, or replace it with a new one. Should you go for the latter option, the paper filter is recycleable.
Conclusion
The Zon is difficult to compare to other air purifiers on the market, because it is not a whole-room-cleaning device. But I like Humanscale's different take on the purifier and the "personal zone" concept, and the thought that you're given a measure of control over your own air and are not beholden to the building's filtration system, the particulars of which are usually unknown to office denizens. Maintenance of the Zon is virtually nil and the object fits cleanly on even my overcluttered desk. In the end, the Zon is essentially what it provides: A breath of fresh air.
1 Hour Design Challenge: Play-Doh Kicks Deadline Extended to Sept. 25th!
We hope this inspires you to take some time out of your busy schedule and enter. The prizes include a cameo in Sneaker Freaker Magazine and a $100 gift certificate to the new Core77 store.
For the full brief, head over to the submission page, or click the jump.
Cut loose and give your imagination a stretch. Maybe you'll create a miniature tribute to your favorite sneaker designer of all time. Or, honor your humble, beat up kicks by sculpting their likeness, busted soles and all.
To help us pick the best entries, we've enlisted Sneaker Freaker, the only magazine to document the international footwear craze, and Kueng Caputo, the Switzerland based designers behind the Copy series of design workshops. Woody, Sneaker Freaker's founder and editor, has generously offered the winner a lifetime subscription plus publication in the magazine's December issue. Kueng Caputo are throwing in their book Copy, a compilation of results from the workshop. And, finally, we'll be throwing in gift certificates to Hand Eye Supply, our new store for designers and makers.
This is gonna be a fun one, so start rolling out that Play-Doh.
DOORS OPEN:
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
DOORS CLOSE:
Wednesday, September 25, 2010
9 pm PST (4 am GMT)
JURY:
Woody, Editor and Founder of Sneaker Freaker
Sarah Kueng and Lovis Caputo of Kueng Caputo
The Core77 Editorial Team
CRITERIA:
Models must be made completely of play-doh, but can be tooled with anything you've got on hand, from exacto-blades to butter knives.
We'll be looking for how well you express the character of your chosen shoe, how resourceful you are in your methods, and how original you are in your interpretation.
HOW TO ENTER:
Participants must execute their design in only 1 hour, based on an honor system. To enter, upload your entries to the designated competition forum.
Please include the name of the shoe you chose to recreate, any supporting text you'd like to add, and a photographs of your model as follows: a three-quarter view, a side elevation, and an optional sole view. Remember to save high-resolution photographs of your model in case it is selected for publication in Sneaker Freaker!
To discuss the challenge and the entries, visit the 1HDC discussion forum.
PRIZE:
The Grand Prizewinner will receive a lifetime subscription to Sneaker Freaker, Copy by Kueng Caputo, a $100 gift certificate to Hand Eye Supply. Two honorable mentions will receive a $25 gift certificate to Hand Eye Supply. All of the above will be published in the Core77 Newsletter and Sneaker Freaker's December issue
Candle holder 2010 NYIGF Faves: Phase Design's "Illuminate" candle project successful engineering inventions
Earlier this year Reza Feiz, principal of L.A.-based Phase Design, invited four of his favorite designers/design firms to join him in solving the same problem: Design a candleholder made from a 12" x 9" x 1.75" block of walnut, using turned brass inserts to hold the actual candles.
The beautiful results were on display at this year's NYIGF, and here's what the quintet each came up with:
The beautiful results were on display at this year's NYIGF, and here's what the quintet each came up with:
Bearing Candleholder by Claesson, Koivisto, Rune, a/k/a CKR Architects of Stockholm, Sweden. Concentric circles - one smaller one larger - each with a single candlestick holder. Turned rotated in relation to each other, they create a sort of candelabrum that can be reconfigured. Although they belong together, they also work separately. Twins. But not identical. A non-static pair.
The name 'Bearing' sprang to our minds because of the associations we saw between our concept and that of one of Sweden's most successful engineering inventions- the radial ball bearing.
Luna Candleholder by Khodi Feiz, Feiz Design of Amsterdam, Holland. A candle holder which is infinite in its configuration, allowing you to compose it.
Block Candleholder by Arik Levy, L Design of Paris, France. Respecting the starting block dimensions and interacting with each of its faces results with a multi-positional object that tells a different story at every angle. It can be used as a simple candle holder or to serve cheese and fruit using the candle as light, creating a romantic ambiance. Often the industry turns to cut, chop, divide and section the raw material with the advanced technology they behold...in this design or should I say board-sculpture the idea was just to combine the function to the material.
Bias Candleholder by Mike Simonian, Maaike Evers a/k/a Mike & Maaike of San Francisco, United States. Evades Gravity, Triggers Curiosity Requires Investigation, Static to Active, Dynamic as Single and in Multiples, Organized or Random 2 sizes: 9" and 6.5"
Ziba Candleholder by Reza Feiz, Phase Design of Los Angeles, United States. Ziba is a solid walnut candle stick holder where the simplicity of a pure form encapsolates the timeless quality of an object that has aided mankind for centuries. The cantilevered surface allows the Ziba to be comfortably handled. Ziba can be used in singles or in multiples to create different relationships with their environment.
2010 NYIGF Faves: Brinca Dada's Emerson House teaches kids early design appreciation
Barbie's Dream House is freakin' hideous. You know it and I know it--that woman has terrible taste in both architecture and interior design.
When little boys play with toy cars, they're almost always aspirational--Corvettes and Ferraris rather than AMC Pacers and Ford Foci. But the same has not been true of girls playing with architecture, as can be evidenced by glancing at this roundup of Top Ten Dollhouses.
New toy company Brinca Dada is trying to change that with their Emerson House, a snazzy Modernist job featuring "many distinguishing architectural features like glass corners, minimalist cut stone, scored hardwood floors and recessed lights (LED, powered by real solar panels)."
The place is begging to be tricked out with Vitra's Miniature Classics, but even dead empty, the Emerson House makes Barbie's joint look like a Victorian slum.
New toy company Brinca Dada is trying to change that with their Emerson House, a snazzy Modernist job featuring "many distinguishing architectural features like glass corners, minimalist cut stone, scored hardwood floors and recessed lights (LED, powered by real solar panels)."
Top 10 Crazy Skateboard Designs
10 Crazy Skateboard Designs Have you ever seen a skateboard with a logo design on it? A skateboard design that you would like to hang it on your wall and never even think about letting it be skated, well here are some of these, a selection of all kinds of crazy skateboard designs that you would think twice before skating on them.
Top10 Deadly Gorgeous Bedrooms Design
With the craze of graphic design, observing pictures is one thing we do most. We recently went around plucking bedroom pictures. And while doing that we fell. Not literally, but fell in love with some of these gorgeous ones we came across.
Each bedroom that is featured below has a different story to tell. One transforms you into the victorian era, another takes you on a stroll through the rooms of a house on some deserted street. Some are beautifully lit, some have got even the simplest blinds going for them. Some are design wise pretty dramatic while some subtle. One even has a swimming pool thrown in! Basically each is different from the other and we sort of love this design hotch potch.
What do you think of these bedroom designs? Do you know of a bedroom you think we need to feature here? Are we missing somethings out? Do tell us in your comments.
Each bedroom that is featured below has a different story to tell. One transforms you into the victorian era, another takes you on a stroll through the rooms of a house on some deserted street. Some are beautifully lit, some have got even the simplest blinds going for them. Some are design wise pretty dramatic while some subtle. One even has a swimming pool thrown in! Basically each is different from the other and we sort of love this design hotch potch.
What do you think of these bedroom designs? Do you know of a bedroom you think we need to feature here? Are we missing somethings out? Do tell us in your comments.
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