The ‘Blindspot Initiative‘ is a group exhibition in Los Angeles, being funded via a Kickstarter campaign. The exhibition will showcase work by cutting edge interdisciplinary designers based in Los Angeles.

Backers of the campaign can attend up to 10 workshops, which are being offered by each of the participating designers. Each workshop aims to share the techniques and ideas at play in the production of the work. They include: fabrication, gaming, programming, 3D printing, data visualization and much more.

The exhibition has been conceived as an alternative means of design production to the traditional competition that designers frequently enter to develop and show new work.

The 10 exhibiting designers have come together to produce new work with a strong commitment to sharing their knowledge and production techniques, through the exhibition, catalogues and most significantly, workshops. Read the rest of this entry »

eVolo Skyscrapers 2: 150 New Projects Redefine Building High
Carlo Aiello
Hardcover
628 pages

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

This publication is the follow-up to the highly acclaimed book “eVolo Skyscrapers”. 150 new skyscrapers submitted to the eVolo Skyscraper Competition are categorized and examined. These super-tall structures take into consideration the advances in technology, the exploration of sustainable systems, and the establishment of new urban and architectural methods to solve economic, social, and cultural problems of the contemporary city; including the scarcity of natural resources and infrastructure and the exponential increase of inhabitants, pollution, economic division, and unplanned urban sprawl.

The book is also an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of dynamic and adaptive vertical communities. The designs respond to the exploration and adaptation of new habitats and territories based on a dynamic equilibrium between man and nature – a new kind of adaptive design capable of intelligent growth through the self-regulation of its own systems.

The success of the competition relied on the expertise of world renowned jurors including: Chris Bosse, Vincent Callebaut, Julien De Smedt, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Marc Fornes, Florian Idenburg, Mitchell Joachim, Edward Keller, Jing Liu, Alexander Rieck, Francois Roche, Michel Rojkind, Roland Snooks, Tobias Wallisser, Tom Wiscombe, and Ma Yansong among many others.

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

eVolo Skyscrapers 2 – Limited Edition Book

(IN)FORMAL L.A.: The Space Of Politics
Victor J. Jones
Perfect Bound
136 pages

(IN)formal LA: The Space of Politics

Often portrayed as a confluence of cars and movies, this book traces another course to uncover Los Angeles’ primal sources of creation – land and opportunity. Within the endless sprawl there reside flurries of uncodified spatial configurations that no high-definition map or satellite image can accurately capture nor present. (IN)formal LA explores a range of unique spatial practices and pedagogies through the lens of politics in Los Angeles. While this book articulates growing skepticism in current design discourse and education, it also provides a spatial awareness that is culturally rooted, socially responsive and vitally connected to the city. Composed of essays, photos, projects and interviews, (IN)formal LA embraces the quirky, celebrates the wide and embellishes the close range to expose the complex social organizations within this contemporary urban network. (IN)formal LA serves as both a textbook for classes in art and architecture, urban design, planning and theory in addition to responding to the increasing interest in the study of Los Angeles by scholars in other fields. The book provides an extended overview of the range and variety of urban issues that are critical to understanding present-day Los Angeles.

“As hard as it is to wrap the mind around the urban mosh pit known as Los Angeles, it is always comforting to think someone has given a knowing push toward deciphering its DNA. Victor Jones’s compilation of critical essays and native observations does just that. Every L.A. explorer needs a copy in his or her back pocket.” — Craig Hodgetts, partner of Hodgetts+Fung and professor of architecture, University of California, Los Angeles

“What form will the contemporary city, with all its fugitive qualities, continue to take? This book, with Los Angeles as the backdrop, tackles the question head on, adding ideas and dimension that will be relevant to the debates concerning all emerging cities.” — Michael Maltzan, principal of MMA and architect of Innercity Arts, Los Angeles

“The studio at the heart of this book, and the essays that circle around it, show how architectural practice and pedagogy can open up a space of possibility for more democratic and just forms of political life to emerge if we are willing to embrace and build upon their fragile yet persistent reverberations.” — Aron Vinegar, Director of Art History and Visual Culture, University of Exeter, UK and author of I AM A MONUMENT: On Learning from Las Vegas

Victor J. Jones is assistant professor of architecture at the University of Southern California. His research lies at the intersection of architecture, infrastructure and community building within cities.

(IN)fotmal LA: The Space of Politics

(IN)formal LA: The Space of Politics

(IN)formal LA: The Space of Politics

(IN)formal LA: The Space of Politics

(IN)formal LA: The Space of Politics

(IN)formal LA: The Space of Politics

X|Atelier is organizing an international intensive workshop of Advanced Architectural Design. The X|A Winter Workshop 2013 is led by X|A principals Erick Carcamo (SCI-ARC) and Nefeli Chatzimina (USC) both Graduates of Columbia University in New York City, GSAPP AAD.

The X|Ornamentism Workshop is organized under the auspices of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture and the Athens School of Fine Arts. Selected Participants will attend the Computation Workshop, the Final Review and Exhibition at Benaki Museum of Athens from the 15th -23rd of July 2013. Daily meetings will take place from 10am to 6pm at the Benaki museum of Pireos 138.

As part of an ongoing academic research,X|A workshops introduce participants into contemporary discussions of formal exploration in Architecture and Art. Through technical attainment of design and digital production the X|A Workshops give the opportunity to students of Architecture and Art, Professional Architects, Designers and Artists to challenge new design territories. Our goal is to explore innovative, potential architectural expressions of the current discourse around Form through computational tools (Autodesk MAYA). We will focus on technique elaboration, material intelligence, formal logic eefficiencies and precision assemblies as an ultimate condition of design. The workshop will develop and investigate the notion of proficient geometric variations at a level of complexity, so that questions towards geometrical eeffectiveness, accuracy and performance can begin to be understood in a contemporary setting. The workshop is a discourse based in the use of multi-layered techniques and production processes that allow for control over intelligent geometries, calibration of parts, and behavioral taxonomies, normalizing an innovative held of predictability.

X|A Winter Workshop 2013: workshop@xatelier.com
For more information www.xatelier.com/workshop
Participation cost is 350 euros

Red Dot Design Awards

For almost 60 years now, Red Dot stands for belonging to the best products from various areas of the industry. A new round is about to start for evaluating which products are ground-breaking in an international comparison and will receive the sought-after quality seal. The starting signal for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 will be given on 11 November 2013 – companies and designers are encouraged to enter their current achievements.

In the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2013, designers, architects and manufacturing companies from 54 countries submitted almost 4,700 of their best products – clear proof of the international relevance of the competition. In 2014, a total of 23 product categories ranging from interior design to “Babies and children” and consumer electronics cover the entire spectrum of modern design.

To stand out from the crowd, every participant has to fascinate the international Red Dot jury with outstanding design quality and innovative solutions. In a conscientious jury session, the more than 30 experts discuss and evaluate every single product live and on site in Essen, Germany. Only the most convincing projects receive the renowned Red Dot and play in the top league of design.

Red Dot initiator and CEO Prof. Dr. Peter Zec: “The importance of a competition is defined only by its credibility. Clear criteria for granting awards, jury members with integrity as well as excellent framework conditions for product presentation are the characteristics of the Red Dot. With the great reliability that these factors ensure, our award has been uncovering design excellence in all conceivable product areas for a period of almost 60 years now.”

The laureates of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 will gain the respect of the international design scene as well as the highest degree of attention for outstanding design quality: On 7 July 2014, Red Dot will officially honour the best achievements during the traditional Red Dot Gala in Essen’s opera house. Afterwards, all products will be presented in the four-week winner exhibition “Design on Stage – Winners Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014” in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen. Surrounded by the historical industrial architecture of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein, they will be put in the spotlight against an impressive backdrop.

Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 – Dates and Facts

Early Bird: 6 December 2013
Regular: 28 January 2014
Latecomers: 5 February 2014

Jury session: February 2014
Awards ceremony: 7 July 2014
Special exhibition of the award-winning products: 8 July – 3 August 2014

Further information and registration

In recent years high-rise residential towers is Asia have undergone a significant transformation. No longer only mass replicated tower blocks dot the skyline of most Asian cities, a new generation of bespoke towers now provide aesthetic, singular silhouettes and incorporate comfortable living spaces, attractive landscaped gardens and an array of amenities for residents.

The Ardmore Residence at 7 Ardmore Park in Singapore is one of this new breed of residential towers. Located in a prime location close to the Orchard Road luxury shopping district the Ardmore Residence enjoys both expansive views of the panoramic cityscape of Singapore City and the vast green areas of its immediate western and eastern surroundings.

Living landscape
The primary concept for the design of the 36 storey, 17.178 m² residential tower is a multi-layered architectural response to the natural landscape inherent to the ‘Garden City’ of Singapore. This landscape concept is integrated into the design by means of four large details: the articulation of the facade, which through its detailing creates various organic textures and patterns; expansive views across the city made possible by large glazed areas, bay windows and double-height balconies; the interior ‘living landscape’ concept adopted for the design of the two apartment types and the introduction of transparency and connectivity to the ground level gardens by means of a raised structure supported by an open framework.

Textured facade
The facade of the Ardmore Residence is derived from micro-design features which interweave structural elements, such as bay windows and balconies into one continuous line. The façade pattern is repeated for every four storeys of the building, whilst rounded glass creates column-free corners, visually merging the internal spaces with the external balconies. Intertwining lines and surfaces wrap the apartments, seamlessly incorporating sun screening, whilst also ensuring that the inner qualities of the apartments and the outer appearance of the building together form a unified whole. Read the rest of this entry »

Volcano is a B.Arch thesis project by Joakim Wadenholt, done at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. This proposal investigates how to make the opera in Stockholm popular again by making a new opera house. With different stages, concerts halls and music events –this proposal will reach a much wider target group. Hopefully this mix of music shows and stages attracts more people and makes the opera show more popular as well.

Directions from the surrounding streets and views made the split of the form into the five separate buildings with different context. It is important to give all the different parts of the building the space they deserve. The surrounding park is supposed to be a place where people can meet and listen to music in the summer and spring. The shape of the opera house is inspired from a volcano: a symbol for great power and drama –just like an opera show or concert. When the night has come and it’s time for the show, the building will look like a great volcano with all the lights. Read the rest of this entry »

UNStudio’s recently completed Kutaisi International Airport serves domestic and international flights for use by tourists, national politicians and international diplomats. The airport is destined to become a central hub, with up to one million travellers targeted in 2014-2015. UNStudio’s design comprises the full airport development, including a revision of the runway, the master plan for the landscape and planned future development thereof, the terminal building, offices, a meteorological station and the air traffic control tower.

UNStudio’s design comprises the full airport development, including a revision of the runway, the master plan for the landscape and planned future development thereof, the terminal building, offices, a meteorological station and the air traffic control tower. The umbrella further guarantees views from the terminal plaza to the apron and to the Caucasus on the horizon and vice versa. The central point in the umbrella is an exterior patio which is used for departing passengers. The transparent space around this central area is designed to ensure that flows of passengers are smooth and that departure and arrival flows do not coincide. Read the rest of this entry »

Port to Port, Advanced Data Visualization Project courtesy of SIDL (Spatial Information Design Lab, Columbia University)

THE POLITICS OF PARAMETRICISM is an international conference to be held at REDCAT, in Downtown Los Angeles, California, at 7-9pm on Friday 15th & 10am-6.30pm on Saturday 16th of November 2013.

A range of international guest speakers from the industries and academic spheres of architecture and urbanism, including Phil Bernstein, Benjamin Bratton, Christina Cogdell, Teddy Cruz, Peggy Deamer, Andrés Jaque, Laura Kurgan, Neil Leach, Reinhold Martin & Patrik Schumacher will explore urgent questions that concern the social and political ramifications of the spreading influence of parametric scripting software as the potential standard industry tool for architecture, urban planning and many other aspects of design.

PARAMETRICISM has recently been heralded as the new avant-garde in the industries of architecture, urban design, industrial design, and digital information modeling: the natural heir to the passing out of favor of Postmodernist and Deconstructionist models. An increasing number of architecture projects and industrially manufactured products are now designed and realized using digital software based on parametric or algorithmic scripting platforms. These platforms have the capability to process large quantities of data for the development of complex topological structures and environments, as well as new understandings of space, both real and virtual. Read the rest of this entry »

AIM, designed by brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, is an incredibly unique design from Italian Lighting Company, Flos. Since 1973 Flos has partnered with world-renowned designers, like Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders, continuously producing one-of-a-kind products that bring much more to a room than just light. Each is created with a specific purpose, which is further strengthened by each designer’s distinctive style. Pictured below is one of their most well known pieces, Arco, designed in 1962 by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, and now holds a permanent place at The Museum of Modern Art.

Arco Lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni

AIM (pictured below) brings a garden-like tranquility wherever it is placed, with a 9-meter long cable allowing the light fitting to be suspended 3 meters from the ceiling. In the words of the designers themselves “We have developed a new type of lamp that is naturally positioned in space – like a plant – with long cables providing maximum freedom to adjust the direction and height of the light source.”

AIM by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Flos designs are made famous by their iconic simplicity, and AIM is a perfect example of this. The designers of AIM sought to create a light that had infinite adjustable abilities, which can be mounted in a variety of ways depending on the room and preference of the owner. AIM and other Flos pieces can be explored and purchased at usa.flos.com