Desktop speakers for phones and other mobile devices have become a wondrously rich area for design innovation in the last few years. The Korean firm Cloud and Co offers a warm, minimal take on the ideas with crystaline cylinders inspired by Muji and Fukaswa, Bauhaus and Braun. [ cloudandco ] [ elevenplus ]
Always on the lookout for a smart 3D-printed object. Here’s a great one. You can have custom made one-of-a-kind earbuds in two days. You get an app that converts your smartphone photos of both ears and turns into the photos into renderings. Printers to the rest. Rock on.
The factory opened 9 August 2014. $199.00USD [ normal ]
denny | seattle
Five teams in five cities: Chicago, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle – competed to redefine the category of the urban bicycle. On 4 August 2014, the winner is… ‘Denny’. The voting period lasted a week and over 136,000 voters selected the winner. They are no losers here, all pretty cool bikes.
Denny (Seattle) wowed voters with its ingenious handlebar lock design, unique fender system, automatic shifting and modern styling. “It’s inspiration? The diverse community and unpredictability of our home, Seattle. From the auto-shifting electric assist, smart reactive lighting, integrated locking and the redefining of the fender, we’ve created the purist biking experience possible for Seattle riders. Now you don’t have to worry about the hills, rain or an impromptu ‘farmer’s market’ trip. [ Teague ] x [ Sizemore Bicycle ]
blackline | chicago
Blackline (Chicago) takes its name from Chicago’s iconic elevated train lines that run throughout the city, non-stop. A custom smart handlebar with integrated LED headlight and side blinkers utilize GPS enabled turn-by-turn navigation and be securely tracked using a connected smartphone app. The virtually maintenance-free drive train utilizes a sealed 3-speed hub and belt drive, designed to endure the extreme conditions of rural Africa the daily commute in the harshest winters. [ Minimal ] x [ Method Bicycle ]
merge | nyc
Merge (New York) is inspired by the variety of cycling needs in New York City, a tough proving ground for an urban bike. Merge is a compact and nimble ride, offering its rider confidence when navigating tight spaces. Merge’s thoughtfully designed features include cargo, lighting, security, and a USB charging port. [ Pensa ] x [ Horse Cycles ]
solid | portland
Solid (Portland) is inspired by the diverse beauty and soul of Portland’s urban energy and raw beauty of its surrounding forests. Solid is the first connected (“Discover My City” mobile app) 3D-printed titanium lifestyle bike, capturing the essence of the city and the best of both worlds – hand-built craft and modern manufacturing. [ Industry ] x [ Ti Cycles ]
evo | san francisco
EVO (San Francisco) is a hybrid blending utility of a city bike with robustness and geometry of a mountain bike to satisfy the city’s diverse lifestyle and terrain. An innovative plug-and-play quick-connect mounts enable users to rapidly attach or detach cargo accessories, ranging from a child seat to different racks for carrying everything from groceries to surf boards. Inspired by San Francisco’s famous towers and bridges using 3D-printed steel lug and tube construction. [ Huge Design ] x [ 4130 Cycle Works ]
[ The Bike Design Project ] a pioneering bike design competition which partners five high-level design firms with American bicycle craftsmen to create the Ultimate Urban Utility Bike. The 2014 competition includes teams from the city of Chicago, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. The winning design will be will move into production with the competition’s Manufacturing Partner, Fuji Bikes, for its retail debut in 2015. “The Bike Design Project” teams created their unique vision of tomorrow’s bicycle for the everyday rider with innovative designs and features that benefit transportation cycling.
[ Oregon Manifest ] exists to celebrate and amplify bike craft, design and innovation. They provide an independent innovation platform for designers, engineers, craftsmen and makers to collaboratively develop bike designs that can expand transportation options for the everyday citizen. They are a nonprofit organization that values the process of making, the spirit of ingenuity, and the passion of brave undertakings.
>above> new phantom 2 vision+ and hero 3
Last April a Phantom 2 quadracopter using a Hero3+ Black Edition was flown into fireworks. No one is sure how impactful this particular feat is however on the 4th of July quite a few drone videos were made.
video shot april 2014
One in particular went viral, shot by videographer Jos Stiglingh who was presented with a unique opportunity to film fireworks up close, also used a Phantom 2 and Hero3+ Silver. 2014 may become known as the year of dronography and fireworks credited with fully catching the public’s eye. [ the video ]
hero 3+ black edition | hero 4 to be released october 2014
Here are two companies seemingly designing products for each other. [ gopro ] manufactures high-definition personal cameras, often used in extreme action video photography. They are known for being compact, lightweight, rugged, wearable or mountable in unusual places such as outside planes, cars, boats, bicycle and motorcycle helmets, army tanks and drones. The cameras capture still photos and/or video in HD through a wide-angle lens and can be configured to work automatically with minimum intervention and/or remotely.
[ dji ] as of 2013, manufactures micro air vehicles (MAV)s for aerial survey / surveillance. With it’s relative ease of use and affordability, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are also popular amongst aerial photographers for aerial photography and videography.
new phantom 2 vision+ and hero 3
GoPro lists the Phantom ‘for everyone’ on their website and also has an ‘expert’ product link which points to the new Spreading Wings S1000. A fully loaded Phantom 2 Vision+, $2,500 usd; Spreading Wings S1000, $6,000 usd.
Designed by the architectural firm Barbosa & Guimarães, the Douro Marina accommodates 300 vessels up to 20 meters and is assumed as the largest boat harbor between Cascais and Galicia. The site is about 2,000 m2, and spread over three buildings each with two floors.
The central support building is a rectangular volume that is suspended in an external steel structure that looks like the skeleton of a huge boat. Two restaurants, a cafeteria, a nautical shop, a spa candle and fill the other spaces beautiful building erected right next to the pier. In addition to the spaces store, also has two rooms for meetings or events, which can be used together or separately.
Project completed: 2012 [ barbosa guimaraes ]
Design Prototype 100 joins stable of Vision Gran Turismo racers in popular racing game for PlayStation®3. Designed and engineered over six months by Aston Martin Design team. Downloadable for in-game play in July 2014.
Sure it’s just a car for a video game but the Aston Martin DP100 is a sharp and real vision of future design. Released at the Goodwood festival of speed the new car will run in Gran Turismo 6.
[ press release – edited ]
Aston Martin is unveiling an exceptional new addition to the hugely popular PlayStation®3 exclusive racing game Gran Turismo®6 (GT6™) in the shape of the stunning Design Prototype 100 – DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo.
Developed in-house by the Design team at Aston Martin, led by Design Director Marek Reichman, DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo is a new, virtual-only GT racer that will be available for Gran Turismo®6 (GT6™) owners to download in July 2014, following the global launch at Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Starting with nothing but the traditional ‘blank sheet of paper’ the design team and design engineers worked for six months to create the new addition to the Vision Gran Turismo stable of race cars. Clearly pushing the boundaries of what an Aston Martin could be, DP-100 not only looks beautiful but also boasts a high degree of engineering integrity.
The twin-turbo V12 mid-engined racer offers up to 800bhp, endowing it with blistering performance fully in keeping with the high octane nature of the game.
Created utilizing many of the same techniques as applied in the development of Aston Martin production sports cars – hand sketches and 3D modeling, followed by full realization in the virtual world – DP-100 provides an exceptional level of detail with a fully functioning suspension system and state-of-the-art electronics.
Design Director Marek Reichman said: “DP-100 has been an exciting and intensive project for the team here at Gaydon. “Features such as the car’s revolutionary ‘active aerodynamics’ are there not just as a way of enhancing form, but also to support the car’s function in-game.
“As with the CC100 Speedster Concept, many of the design cues visible in DP-100, such as the light blade rear lamps, could also feed through into future sports cars that we’ll launch in the offline world so the importance of this project should not be underestimated.”
Aston Martin has supported previous editions of the long-running and hugely successful Gran Turismo® series, debuting in the very first game with the Aston Martin DB7 Coupé and Volante. The stunning 2011 Aston Martin One-77 is already a popular car in the Gran Turismo® 6 stable.
Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of Gran Turismo and President of Polyphony Digital Inc, enthused: “When I first came face to face with this car at the Aston Martin Headquarters in Gaydon, UK, I was at a loss for words seeing the level of perfection in its design. I was surprised by the bold proposal of the car being the first midship layout model in Aston Martin history. And while it is clean and classy in design, it is also very emotional. Not only that, there was this future Aston Martin in front of me, that was so detailed it could be released on the market pretty much as is.”
In 2022, the new Al Bayt Stadium will have the capacity to host 60,000 spectators, and will fulfill all FIFA requirements for hosting FIFA World Cup™ matches through the semi-final round. Dar Al Handasa serves as the design consultant for Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct, and Projacs serves as the project manager.
[ design ]
Al Bayt Stadium perfectly embodies the spirit of Qatar. Using the latest technologies and breath-taking innovations, it tells the story of a nation that, in times of both scarcity and plenty, has welcomed visitors into its warm embrace and treated them as family, regardless of differences in background, history or culture.
For centuries, Qatar has been home to both nomadic and sedentary populations. The nomadic population lived primarily in the desert and herded animals, including camels, sheep and goats. The country’s sedentary population primarily lived along the coastline, engaging in pearl diving, fishing and trading with neighboring settlements. Although located close to Qatar’s coast, Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct will introduce fans and visitors from around the world to the culture of the desert.
Al Bayt Stadium is modeled after Bayt Al Sha’ar, a tent traditionally used by nomadic peoples in Qatar and neighboring countries. The distinctive exterior, black with prominent white stripes, served a number of purposes. The width and number of white stripes identified the tribe of the owner. The tent was easily spotted from afar. For those traveling through the sometimes harsh landscapes of the desert, the site of a black-and-white striped tent on the horizon meant an invitation to enjoy the hospitality of the tent’s owner, whether known or not to the traveller. Al Bayt Stadium will carry on this tradition, beckoning football lovers near and far, bringing them together to put aside their differences in a global celebration of the beautiful game.
The tent’s exterior was also optimized for staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter, just as Al Bayt Stadium will maintain ideal temperatures for player performance and fan comfort year-round.
The tent’s interiors contrast sharply with their monochromatic exteriors. The red, patterned interiors, in a traditional Sadu pattern that differed from area to area and family to family, greeted visitors who stepped inside the Bayt Al Sha’ar, enveloping them in the warmth of their hosts and inviting them to relax and shelter from the elements. Likewise the interior of Al Bayt Stadium, where the Sadu pattern will provide visitors from abroad with a taste of traditional Qatari design, and remind local fans of their heritage.
[ sustainability ]
Of necessity, the tents upon which Al Bayt Stadium is modeled are uniquely sustainable and suitable to the deserts in which they are found. They are named after the animal hair from which they were woven with care, from the same animals that grazed outside. Despite the relative simplicity of their design, they were expected to fulfill a number of requirements. They had to be quick and easy to erect and deconstruct, and light enough to be carried by pack animals, sometimes for long distances; they needed to be airy and cool in the summer, and warm and cozy in the winter.
Al Bayt Stadium shares the dedication to sustainability witnessed in generations of tent-dwellers. Employing the latest construction techniques and materials, the stadium will target both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) ratings. To achieve Qatar’s goal of hosting a carbon neutral 2022 FIFA World Cup™, the stadium and precinct will incorporate green building materials that minimize embedded carbon, and incorporate energy usage best practices. In addition, renewable energy will be generated within Al Bayt Precinct, further reducing the carbon footprint.
[ legacy ]
Qataris today can be found traveling to every corner of the world. As the country has gained a more global perspective, herding animals has become much less prominent in the life of the nation. However, Bayt Al Sha’ar still plays a prominent role in the lives of many Qatari families. It is a gathering place, where the old can teach the young about bygone eras, before Qatar began to develop rapidly. It is also used to preserve the traditions of the desert. Outside of many Bayt Al Sha’ar, you will find a post upon which hunting falcons perch as their owners enjoy a glass of tea and tell stories of the hunt inside the tent.
Just as the Bayt Al Sha’ar remains central to family life in Qatar, the precinct surrounding Al Bayt Stadium will become a centre of community life in the city. Landscaped paths will welcome residents seeking exercise, whether on foot, on bicycles or riding horses. Retail areas will create opportunities for small businesses to thrive.
Further echoing the Bayt Al Sha’ar, parts of Al Bayt Stadium will be transportable. In line with the SC’s legacy commitments, the upper tier of Al Bayt Stadium will be demountable. In the years after 2022, the stadium’s upper tier will be removed. The modular parts will be used to build stadiums in countries around the world that lack adequate sporting infrastructure.
This spirit of giving, so deeply embedded in Qatari culture, will repeat itself across all of the stadiums being delivered by the SC and its stakeholders, creating a legacy of football development across the world. The culture of generosity and caring for neighbors, practiced for centuries in the deserts of Qatar, will become a model for building a better future for all of us.
above> alex garcia tribune photo
Donald Trump is a lightning rod. Now Trump has made Adrian Smith‘s, architect at Chicago’s SOM, emblematic Trump Tower Chicago a lighting rod. The issue went public three weeks ago when Chicago Tribune architecture critic, Blair Kamin, architecture critic of the Chicago Tribune, jumped all over evidence of new signage in-the-making. Trump responds and it went back and forth prompting mayor, Rahm Emanuel to weigh in, “a tastelss sign”. Trump finds a need to say, ‘I love chicago…and my sign ‘. These happenings now national news, Jon Stewart can’t contain his get-real sentiment either.
above> about the time kamin went public
Let me weigh in from my own experience with this building and two others regarding signage. In 2002, when Trump was looking for marketing proposals I was asked to create a concept for @Properties. The concept: Create two books, a graphic coffee table piece and one with strategies and numbers. @Properties was wildly successful though a very new company. A humongous building in their portfolio would not be a bad thing. The thrust of the concept was jumping into the future, as if @Properties had already won the Trump Tower job. @Properties deftly pitched it but didn’t get the job. Solace was achieved by Trump’s marketing team loving the creativity and boldness of the pitch, it was one of the best. We walked feeling we won and thinking Trump hired a great architect and they would not mess up.
above> trump tower from river walk | image courtesy som / click to enlarge all images on this post
An uh oh moment occurred at the time Santiago Calatrava‘s brilliant and ambitious Spire was looking like it might happen. Under construction at this time, Trump’s building was looking good too. Also at this time, The Spire began placing beautiful marketing signs along both north and south Michigan Avenue. Really understated, as elegant as the building. But then, more signs popped up, freshly mounted in the sidewalks. 10 large bullet-points… Trump Tower is coming.
above> trump tower sw/nw elevations | image courtesy som
above> trump tower ground plan | image courtesy som
above> trump tower abstract rendering | image courtesy som
Trump Tower’s new signage comes as no surprise, though very disappointing that someone, didn’t feel the collaboration between Trump and Smith created a magnum opus capable of saying all the right things on its own. The building’s design calls out for more than all cap fatso letters that seem slapped on the facade. Recently faced with the dilemma of marketing their new State Street store and respect Louis Sullivan‘s building Target figured it out by placing all messaging inside the structure and not on it.
Not many know this story about the John Hancock Center. In 1969, three years prior to my arrival as a designer at The Design Partnership‘s signage partner Mabrey/Kaiser, Bud Mabrey with the help of SOM’s Bruce Graham, the designer of JHC, persuaded John Hancock Insurance to eschew any signage, that a brightly lit observation deck would be all the identity that this building needed. [ interesting jhc tidbits ]
above> bruce graham’s john hancock center | 1969
In 1973, again Bud Mabrey and again with the help of the architect, Graham Anderson Probst and White, enticed CNA Financial Corporation to paint their building red. The concept, the red design was used to depict the sun setting over the ocean as illustrated by the red imagery to the west of Lake Michigan. And again, no building identification signage except on the plaza. A sign was eventually added more than 20 years later.
Now the CNA building really has no business being in this conversation, too short, a non-existent brand image, but it does belong with the Hancock Center in the big concept arena. Big concepts don’t mean success and huge concepts go so unnoticed because they may be very open to interpretation. It may take someone next to you to set you straight. But you gotta love their conception, the pitch and execution. I would have praised Trump if he had topped the building with a ‘big concept’ oversized toupée instead.
above> developer’s proposal for 300 north michigan avenue
Times Square. The above image surfaced late last year for 300 north Michigan avenue, which is SOUTH of the river and not the Mag Mile. This stretch is becoming known as the Millennium Mile. Yes, a Times Square style will make its way to Chicago. Only if it’s very profitable for the city though. Guessing State Street not Mag Mile suits this format best. Mag Mile is our Madison Avenue. Confident Rahm Emanuel will support the right thing [ Chicago places ads on really public spaces ]
Michael Bierut, Pentagram partner and DesignObserver co-founder said this, “What’s interesting about Times Square is that there are special signage regulations that ensure that every new building has to have big signs on it. They were put in place in the late 80s when there were proposals to replace the older buildings with new (and boring) corporate buildings. Now there are a lot of new skyscrapers there but they are covered with flashing signs. Trivia point: Tibor Kalman helped develop the standards, working with architect Robert A.M. Stern.”
A new Harley-Davidson electric motorcycle was unveiled Tuesday at an exclusive preview on a closed runway at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine. The name is LiveWire.
LiveWire weighs 460 pounds and is capable of zero to 60 in under four seconds. Harley isn’t saying much about the drivetrain beyond saying the bike uses a lithium-ion battery with a range of 53 miles. It charges in 3.5 hours at 220 volts.
“As a company, we have always been about strength and freedom and power,” Matthew Levatich, Harley-Davidson’s president and chief operating officer, said on the former El Toro airstrip. “So it’s really a question of ‘why not?’ instead of ‘why?’ This isn’t some sort of ploy for us. This is real.”
It’s a pretty big bet by the 110-year-old company who’s built a reputation on power and rebel attitude because this bike is not loud, but quiet. It doesn’t sound like the prototypical Harley—or a “fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier” as Harley puts it. But the whirring noise of Harley’s electric is in special jarring contrast to the well-known sound of its engines — They won a well-publicized legal action protecting the “potato potato” sound of its Vtwin engine as a design feature and brand element.
Electric technology in the motorcycle world has not kept up with automobiles for several reasons. Motorcycle manufacturers are not required by federal agencies, as carmakers are, to produce a certain number of electric vehicles or to maintain an increasingly low average miles per gallon rate. Also, a motorcycle frame cannot accommodate massive battery packs as easily as a car chassis.
There are well-regarded electric bikes on the road now. Ashland, Oregon-based Brammo has leading-edge electrics, but it’s not gaining market share.
Electric motorcycle industry leader, Santa Cruz-based Zero Motorcycles, produces and sells only a few thousand units a year of its S and SR street bikes.
San Francisco’s Mission Motor Co. bikes can go zero to 60 in three seconds with a top speed of 140 mph-plus. They’re pricey starting at $32K.
An electric motorcycle made by Lightning set a new record at last year’s Pikes Peak mountain race, beating records set by gas-powered superbikes.
BMW is the only major that has an electric two-wheeler in production, a scooter called C Evolution, but not yet available in the U.S.
The big four Japanese bike makers, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki — are believed to be deep into research and development. Electricity might be something every motorcycle manufacturer will have to investigate –just like every automobile manufacturer.
What’s a little interesting is how the company plans to expose LiveWire and see if it will be accepted. They’ve made a number of prototypes to be released around the world starting with New York City Monday, 23 June.
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about phil patton
American designer Scott Henderson has teamed up with master yacht builders CH Marine in Shelter Island New York, USA, to imagine Peconic, a 43’ Shelter Island Motor Yacht.
Peconic 43 is inspired by the classic Down East yacht, a maritime archetype indigenous to the north eastern United States fishing and yachting industry. The hand‐crafted yachts by CH Marine, which include the iconic designs Vendetta and Alexa for American singer /songwriter Billy Joel, evoke the style of the Downeaster and pay homage to a golden age of yachting with their exquisite detailing and refined hand‐selected materials. The Peconic Bay, which separates the North and South forks of New York State’s Long Island, is steeped in maritime and seafaring traditions. Long Island Baymen have harvested the rich fishing waters for over a century using Down East vessels. Yachting in the region continues to link the famed harbors of Sag, Montauk the Hamptons and New York City as well as the Connecticut coastline, Block Island and other maritime destinations‐ teaming the region’s waterways with pleasure, fishing and commuter vessels.
The Down East Yacht archetype is a classic style of vessel—and a perfect launching platform to create a contemporary statement while maintaining the inherent ties to traditions of the region it stems from.
Peconic 43’s hull flattens out the raised forward bow more typical of a classic Down East motor yacht, adding the feel of speed and power to the hull’s shape – appropriate given the twin Yanmar Marine 8LV
370 MHP engines in its power plant which give the yacht a robust top speed of 48mph.
The forward deck features two inlayed decking stripes which seem to peel away from the decking’s teak surface, transitioning into the structural support of the hard‐top canopy over the cockpit area. This simple innovation lends a radical new look to the yacht. This “twist” in view‐point makes Peconic 43’s outward persona feel fresh, awe‐inspiring and instantly memorable.
Replacing traditional side window portholes for a wrap‐around glass side window that begins just forward of two mirrored engine vents below the wheelhouse canopy and continuing forward by wrapping completely around the nose of the bow. This provides the owner and guests with a 180-degree view of the exterior surroundings while inside of the spacious interior salon. Traditional Down East Motor yachts utilize two to three small portholes on the port and starboard sides of the raised forward deck. Peconic 43’s innovative full wrap of glass makes the interior salon feel bright and open, eliminating the feeling of a closed‐in space. This innovative detail seems to float the forward decking, visually lightening the otherwise heavy and opaque look of the exterior cabin. This floating forward deck and recessed wrap‐around glass side window also communicate speed, as the detail helps to naturally draw air into the engine’s side vents much like air‐intakes on a jet aircraft.
The yacht has a skylight of glass that starts at the tip of the bow, continues seamlessly into the windshield, and then up and over the wheelhouse canopy. This long skylight is broken by two hatches that provide easy access to the forward sundeck from the interior salon. In addition to bringing ample natural light to the spacious interior salon with two meters of head space, the visual racing stripe continues through the aft seating area and on through the swim deck in the rear, furthering Peconic 43’s fast, agile and powerful stance.
The innovations and fresh point of view make her a compelling and head‐ turning choice for an ample sized Superyacht tender, providing the Superyacht owner with a vessel steeped in the traditions of North Eastern American yachting culture.
[ vitals ]
> twin Yanmar Marine 8LV 370 MHP engines
> top speed of 48 mph / 42 knots (@5000 RPM)
> cruising speed of 40 mph / 34.8 knots (@3000 rpm)
> 300 gallon fuel tank with a cruising range of 400 miles.
PECONIC 43 is built to order by contacting CH Marine at 631 749 0856 or by emailing either Scott Henderson at scott@scotthendersoninc.com or Peter Needham at peter@chmarineyachts.com
[ scott henderson ] is an American industrial designer working in Brooklyn. Known for his innovative consumer products in the areas of houseware’s, electronics, furniture and his line of Museum Store gift objects called MINT, the Peconic 43’ follows his earlier yachts PRIONA, QUILLON, MANTA, SPIRA and the Chris Craft SCORPION, from 2012>13.
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