design – Page 2 – DesignApplause

revolutionary greg lamond lightweight prolog does not look/ride like an e-bike.

Nov 5, 2021

it’s been almost a year since lemond introduced its revolutionary prolog ebike and throughout the year the reviews have been glowing. this recreational ebike sports quite a lot of carbon fiber technology and unlike almost all ebikes it doesn’t look like one and is really fun to ride. at 26 pounds it’s the lightest ebike on the road at this writing.

greg lamond is a well known former professional road racing cyclist, entrepreneur, and anti-doping advocate. a two-time winner of the road race world championship and a three-time winner of the tour de france (1986, 1989, and 1990), lemond is considered by many to be the greatest american cyclist of all time.

lamond also has a fascination for technology, especially carbon fiber where he made history in the 1991 tour de france when he and his teammates rode carbon fiber bikes built by craig calfee and were branded as lemond bikes. a short time later trek bicycles picked up the lemond brand and they released what would become one of the nation’s top road brands until parting ways in 2008. he also has a research and development company, lamond carbon. he holds licenses to two patented technologies which will irrevocably disrupt the industry.

for now greg is releasing the new dutch and prolog models of ebikes. as patents become formalized, heads up for road, gravel, mountain, and adventure models that will combine revolutionary components and prototypic lemond aesthetics. here’s the prolog:

above> monocoque carbon fiber cockpit / a monocoque carbon fiber handlebar and stem encase the headlight and creates a strong yet minimal form.

above/below> headlight / an always on integrated 500 lumen headlight within our monocoque handlebar-stem provides visibility for the road ahead // tailight / rear and side visible 70 lumen taillights ensure safety in groups and traffic. Both lights offer static and strobe settings.

above> carbon fiber frame and components / prolog’s carbon fiber frame, fork, fenders, seat post, and monocoque handlebar-stem makes it one of the lightest ebikes on the market.

above> integrated motor / a 250 watt rear hub motor powers prolog up to 20 mph and is part of the mahle x35+ smart ebike system embedded throughout the frame. at just 7.7 pounds, it’s one of the lightest systems on the market.

above> 11-speed drivetrain / an 11-speed shimano grx drivetrain provides the gearing and performance needed to traverse any terrain- with or without a motor.

above> custom fenders & tires / custom lemond carbon fenders and panaracer tires come standard.

above> upgrades — electronic shifting / the revolutionary shimano di2 shifting system solves the challenges drivetrains present to the power-delivery equation in cycling. di2 gives you instant, accurate, lighting-fast shifts the first and every time, at the push of a button. even in the most extreme conditions, shifting is precise and controlled. you can change gear even under heavy load while climbing or accelerating. with di2, you are in complete control.

above> upgrades — lemond lc30 carbon wheelset / the lemond lc30 rim is our new carbon fiber rim developed in partnership with munich composites, a german aerospace components manufacturer.

above/below> colors — blanc / matte finish with black decals // colors — noir / matte finish with silver decals // colors — rosa / matte finish with red decals

[ prolog official site ]

design miami 2021 offers a long awaited hybrid format a best of both worlds.

Oct 23, 2021

above> r & company gallery

design miami/ returns to pride park with new curatorial director, wava carpenter. the 17th edition of the fair will explore the theme of human kind and how design can impact the world for the better.

above> wava carpenter / photo karli evans

edited official release — design miami/ is delighted to present the 17th edition of it’s fair in miami beach from 1 – 5 december 2021. taking place in pride park, opposite the miami beach convention center, the fair will feature over 35 gallery and curio exhibitions to be presented alongside an exciting lineup of partnerships and collaborations. in addition, design miami/ will be presented in a hybrid physical and digital format. all exhibited works on the show floor will be available to purchase at designmiami.com for a limited time, alongside a robust online program of design talks and 3d virtual tours.

jennifer roberts, ceo of design miami/, says: “the 17th edition of design miami/ brings a myriad of reasons for celebration – from returning to our home in pride park to our human kind theme, which will look at how design can play a role in shaping the world for the better. as we continue to see the collectible design market grow, in both physical and digital spaces, we’re pleased to also welcome many new members to the design miami/ family – galleries, curios and partners – all of which are bringing thoughtful contributions to the fair”.

the theme of human kind, shining a spotlight on design-led visions for a more equitable and interconnected future. those operating at the cutting-edge of design thinking will bring together works, ideas, and presentations to spark conversations around the current state of the world and where we need to go. the galleries and partners have planned thoughtful and diverse responses to this timely theme.

carpenter says: “the practice of design, at its heart, has always aimed to create a better future. but in recent years, as the global challenges that humanity faces have approached existential proportions, the future that designers envision increasingly demands a fundamental reorientation of what it means to be human in this world, calling on all of us to become better stewards of nature and of each other.”

[ aesthetics of the moment: the fantastical & the primordial/ ]

perhaps as an escape from the realities of the world as it is now, designers and collectors are drawn to truly extraordinary forms that evoke another time and place. this larger trend finds two expressions: the fantastical and the primordial. the former aesthetic is exuberant, vibrant, surreal, as if created for a fairy tale or science fiction story, often inflected with a tongue-in-cheek wink. the second expression has a minimalist yet striking aura that calls to mind relics of the ancient past, prehistory and beyond time.

above > extraño 1 / tanya aguiñiga / volume gallery / 2020

at objective gallery, ‘reincarnation’ presents the work of brecht wright gander, fernando mastrangelo, j mcdonald, vincent pocsik, eny lee parker, and charlotte kingsnorth, which as an ensemble conjures objects of past lives and nostalgia for bygone ways of living. in the age of industrial and mass production, it is less possible to commune with one’s environment and the art of everyday life. the works in reincarnation revive pre-industrial artisanal processes and mastery of materials. jason jacques gallery presents ‘ceremony’, an ayahuasca ceremony from the planet zeefromzeglop. the ceremony posits that all that exists in the universe is connected through cracks in time-space that are universally opened by plant medicine. on show are tapestry depictions of great spirit animals and plants. meanwhile, volume gallery presents new braided and draped woven works from renowned craftsperson tanya aguiñiga. forming part of the designer’s ‘extraño’ series, the objects are a craftful expression of the grief, gratitude, rage, and exhaustion aguiñiga has felt in response to the constant threats faced by the bipoc community, as well as the diverse effects and losses of the pandemic.

above> tomorrow land / studio proba and enjoy the weather / miami design district

the miami design district has named creative studios, studio proba and enjoy the weather, this year’s winners of its highly anticipated 2021 annual design commission. curated by wava carpenter and anna carnick of anava projects and design miami/, this year’s installation, titled tomorrow land, will transform the neighborhood—as well as the entrance to design miami/—into an interactive playground through a series of joyful sculptures, seating, and ornamentation designed by studio proba. the physical installation will serve as the basis for an interactive, virtual game created by enjoy the weather. a dedicated app that uses ar technology and proximity beacons will allow visitors to ‘collect’ and customize studio proba’s shapes and place their own custom totems throughout the neighborhood and beyond.

[ material of the moment: ceramics/ ]

through their direct, hands-on and hands-in nature of production, ceramic works are an ideal medium for storytelling, especially autobiographical and sociological stories, which resonate deeply with audiences in this time of disruption and separation. it seems that, more than ever, ceramics artists are working with clay in new ways to share perspectives on and insights into who they are, where they came from, and where they want to see the world go. this has resulted in a thriving market for ceramics, and this year’s fair presents a strong representation of both contemporary and historical ceramics.

above> zizipho poswa / southern guild

southern guild presents an exhibition of ceramics specifically commissioned for the fair from four of south africa’s most accomplished artists working in clay – andile dyalvane, zizipho poswa, madoda fani and chuma maweni. these contemporary artists use the medium to explore aspects of traditional xhosa culture and spirituality while drawing on their personal experiences and deep belief systems. titled ‘studio visit’, the booth will take visitors behind the scenes of the artists’ practices as they foreground new techniques and achieve some of their most technically ambitious work to date. at friedman benda, the gallery will introduce a series of never-before-seen portrait works produced in glazed stoneware by nigerian american ceramicist and sculptor ebitenyefa baralaye – the first collaboration between the designer and the gallery. interpreted through a diasporic lens and abstracted through the aesthetics of craft and design, baralaye’s work explores cultural, spiritual, and material translations of form, objects, text, and symbols – this new series being a vehicle through which to offer reflections on his experience of being a black man in america.

mindy solomon presents ‘free flowing geometry’, a striking presentation of works by john gill, kelsie rudolph, and minkyu lee. exploring the boundaries of form and function, each artist builds pieces that are carefully crafted with functionality in mind, taking artistic license to bring movement and vibrant color to the mix. moderne gallery offers contemporary and 20th century ceramic pieces, including a masterful ceramic representation of the planet, glazed ceramic globe (2021) by japanese ceramicist hashimoto tomonari, presented alongside estelle halper’s 1960s organic sculptural work.specialized in nordic design and decorative arts, hostler burrows also presents a beautifully curated selection of contemporary scandinavian ceramics alongside a few exceptional historic design pieces, including works by steen ipsen, martin bodilsen kaldahl, taher asad-bakhtiari, bjorn friborg, frida fjellman, maren kloppman, torbjorn kvasbo.

[ the best of the best/ ]

as always, design miami will host galleries representing work that tops today’s collectible design market, both vintage and contemporary. masterpieces from icons of the 20th century include works by pierre jeanneret, charlotte perriand, george nakashima, harry bertoia, joaquim tenreiro, and verner panton, while contemporary highlights are found in works by daniel arsham, katie stout, the haas brothers, and more.

moderne gallery presents a strong selection of rare and unique mid-century design, with a focus on studio craft movement pieces. a particular highlight is george nakashima’s first furniture design: the karuizawa chair (1935), made for st. paul’s catholic church in karuizawa, japan. until recently, only two chairs were known to exist worldwide. across the chair’s peeled cryptomeria frame is suspended a seat made of woven grass threads, a design that displays both traditional materials and a modern sensibility. it’s clearly the precursor for what is now nakashima’s most popular, grass-seated chair (designed 1944).

above> amnesia or platelet apparition? / samuel ross / friedman benda / 2020

at friedman benda, the gallery will present a solo booth of work by artist and creative director samuel ross, celebrating the launch of the gallery’s partnership with the acclaimed british designer. emblematic of his all encompassing, conceptually rigorous approach, ross will transmute the traditional fair booth into a quasi-industrial setting. the space, caught between construction and deconstruction, acts as a liminal staging ground for select works from three discrete but intersecting series: signal, rupture and amorphous strand.

[ design miami/ 2021 curios/ ]

curio is an exhibition platform that invites designers, architects, curators, innovators and gallerists to present total environments of objects, textures, artifacts and ideas that challenge and contextualize familiar design narratives. curios are interspersed amongst design miami’s gallery program, infusing the fair with inventive snapshots of today’s design landscape. the 2021 miami fair presents a diverse range of 19 curios that question and respond to the theme of human kind, including 13 fresh faces this including: apical reform & zeel studio, bea interiors design, bohinc studio, james de wulf, objective gallery, pelle, tuleste factory, twenty first gallery and verdi.

non-profit organization and platform, house of today returns to miami after their debut curio presentation in 2017, this year showcasing a solo exhibition of work by lebanese designer khaled el-mays. this new series of work has been made in collaboration with craftspeople in mexico city and is a continuation of the long relationship between el-mays and house of today, founded by cherine magrabi tayeb. entitled new nature, the five-piece series features two mirrors, a bar, bench and the designer’s first ever chair, made from leather, wood, raffia, and wicker as well as ceramics which is a new material for the designer who has collaborated with master company anfora who has over 100 years experience in the industry. also returning to miami is harry nuriev with his sixth curio presentation, a continuation of the designer’s recent explorations of transitory spaces that serve as a metaphor for “traveling through different layers of space, reality, and consciousness”—a theme found in much of nuriev’s work. the bedroom is a silver bedroom installation that will feature a ryokan-style mattress, situated within a zen-like cube that underscored the value of the bedroom as a space to escape reality, meditate, experience vulnerability, and access different levels of consciousness.

above> mass table / tom dixon / mass research studio / 2020 // below> emotional rocks / apical reform & zeel studio / 2021

amongst this year’s debut curio presentations, highlights include first time exhibitors apical reform & zeel studio – a collaboration between designers amrish patel, darshan soni, and gordana zgonjanin that brings apical reform’s innovative work that encompasses functional, bespoke and kinetic art – presented by miami based zeel studio. for design miami/ they will debut emotional rocks, an installation that aims to capture the essence of time through the impact of the intangible aspects of emotions on hard objects such as rocks. the emotional rocks and blurry stars kinetic benches will also be installed throughout the common spaces of design miami, offering visitors a spot to rest and to take the time to evaluate their relationship with the world. also new to miami is new york-based twenty first gallery who will showcase an exhibition of new work by london-based polish designer marcin ruask.

[design miami/ 2021 galleries/ ]

ago projects/ mexico city
ateliers courbet/ new york
bernard goldberg fine arts/ new york
carpenters workshop gallery/ new york
converso/ chicago
friedman benda/ new york
hostler burrows/ new york
jason jacques gallery/ clinton corners
john keith russell/ south salem
magen h gallery/ new york
moderne gallery/ philadelphia
ornamentum/ hudson
r & company/ new york
side gallery/ barcelona
southern guild/ cape town
the future perfect/ san francisco
thomsen gallery/ new york
todd merrill studio/ new york
volume gallery/ chicago
wexler gallery/ philadelphia

[ design miami/ 2021 curios/ ]

apical reform & zeel studio/ gujarat
atra/ mexico city
bea interiors design/ miami bohinc studio/ london
gallery all/ alhambra, beijing harry nuriev/ new york
house of today/ beirut
j. lohmann gallery/ new york james de wulf/ los angeles mercado moderno/ rio de janeiro mindy solomon gallery/ miami objective gallery/ shanghai pelle/ brooklyn
reinaldo leandro/ new york room 57 gallery/ new york
tom dixon/ new york
tuleste factory/ new york twenty first gallery/ new york verdi/ bogota

[ design miami/ 2021 partners/ ]

doha design district
fendi
grand seiko
kohler
lexus
maestro dobel
miami design district
perrier jouet
panerai
scad
usm

[ schedule of events/ ]

preview day/ by invitation only
tuesday, november 30/
members preview/ 11am – 12pm
collector’s preview/ 12-7pm
wednesday, december 1/
vip preview/ 11am – 1pm

public show days/
wednesday, december 1/ 1–8pm
thursday, december 2/ 11am–8pm
friday, december 3/ 12–8pm
saturday, december 4/ 12–8pm
sunday, december 5/ 12–6pm

[ about design miami/ ]

design miami/ connects the world through extraordinary collectible design, with live fairs and experiences on four continents that bring together galleries, designers’ studios, brands, experts, collectors, and enthusiasts, and designmiami.com, a content-rich digital marketplace. each edition of design miami/ features museum-quality 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting, and objets d’art from the world’s top, expertly vetted galleries with flagship fairs taking place alongside art basel in miami, florida, each december and basel, switzerland, each june. design miami/ is also accessible 365-days a year through designmiami.com, featuring shoppable works from design miami’s expert galleries, dm/bx – a curation of more accessible one-of-a-kind, limited edition, and small batch design objects, as well as virtual programming, and engaging storytelling at the forum magazine.

this is a developing story…

cooper-hewitt 2021 national design award winners.

Sep 1, 2021

above> the chicago riverwalk / courtesy ross barney architects

DesignApplause always looks forward to meeting the winners of this prestigious award. this happening never disappoints. let’s take the opportunity for a special nod to fellow-chicagoan carol ross barney and ross barney architects

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[ design visionary ]

cheryl d. miller is a graphic designer, author, and theologian who is best known for her advocacy on racial, cultural, and gender equity, diversity, and inclusion. an accomplished, award-winning designer and businesswoman, miller established one of the first black women-owned design firms in new york city in 1984. cheryl d. miller design, inc. serviced corporate communications to a fortune 500 clientele, including bet, chase, philip morris usa, time inc., and sports illustrated, as well as nonprofit african american organizations that grew out of the civil rights movement. miller’s seminal 1987 article for print magazine, “black designers missing in action,” laid the groundwork for her advocacy, followed by “embracing cultural diversity in design” in 1990, “black designers: still missing in action?” in 2016, and “black designers forward in action” in 2020. miller lectures widely. her work and archives were acquired by stanford university libraries in 2018. miller is the aiga medalist 2021, “expanding access.”

above> black designers missing in action / courtesy cheryl d. miller

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[ climate action ]

designed by doris sung, the invert™ self-shading window uses smart thermobimetal pieces inside the cavity of a standard double-glazed window to shade a building in a magical way—with a kaleidoscope of fluttering butterfly-like pieces. by responding to the sun, it dynamically blocks solar radiation from heating the building and thereby reduces air-conditioning usage by 25 percent, using zero energy and no controls. given that 40 percent of all energy used is in buildings, far more than transportation or other industries, and 12 percent of that energy is spent on cooling interiors, any amount of reduction has a tremendous impact on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. through her work, sung seeks ways to make building skins sensitive and responsive to the changing environments. she is the founder of los angeles-based dosu studio architecture, the director of undergraduate programs at usc, and the recipient of fellowships including from google’s r+d for the built environment, united states artists and the rockefeller foundation at bellagio.

above> the invert™ self-shading window / courtesy of doris sung

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[ emerging designer ]

founded in 2017, colloqate design is a multidisciplinary nonprofit design justice practice based in new orleans with a focus on expanding community access to, and building power through, the design of social, civic, and cultural spaces. its mission is to intentionally organize, advocate, and design spaces of racial, social, and cultural justice throughout the built environment. through programming, planning, and design projects, colloqate seeks to dismantle the privilege and power structures that use the design professions to maintain systems of injustice. colloqate organizes to build knowledge, power, and access in the communities it serves through ongoing community gatherings and workshops to share and build collective knowledge around the process of city-building. its work speaks to the potential for equitable spaces and attempts to visually and physically represent its collective aspirations for the future.

storia: defrag/ courtesy of colloquate design

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[ architecture and interior design ]

founded in chicago in 1981, ross barney architects’ mission is to create well-designed spaces for everyone. the studio is dedicated to the design of “noble” projects, without the most generous budgets or the most sought-after commissions, but those that are important to daily life and require innovative interventions. ross barney architects’ best work is often for unexpected, compelling projects that go beyond architecture, and exist on the edges or in the margins where design thought and consideration might not conventionally come into play. notable projects include the chicago riverwalk, mcdonalds’ flagship restaurants, cta cermak-mccormick place and morgan street stations, and the oklahoma city federal building. the studio has adopted a holistic approach, engaging the client, user, and community to allow a project to grow out of its place, history, and function.

above> the chicago riverwalk / courtesy ross barney architects

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[ communication design ]

founded in 1996 in los angeles, imaginary forces is an award-winning studio specializing in design-based visual storytelling. led by peter frankfurt, chip houghton, karin fong, tosh kodama, alan williams, ronnie koff, anthony gibbs, and grant lau, imaginary forces takes its name from the prologue of shakespeare’s henry v, where the narrator summons us to imagine the humble stage as a grand battlefield. for 25 years, the studio has created work that dares audiences to conjure up entirely new worlds. known for designing iconic title sequences including for marvel, mad men, boardwalk empire, and stranger things, imaginary forces has brought motion design into the worlds of advertising, architecture, gaming, and documentary film production. the studio is proud to have launched the careers of countless colleagues in the motion design industry. imaginary forces’ work has won numerous emmys and appeared in moma, walker center, wexner, sxsw, and the venice architecture biennale.

above> mad men / courtesy imaginary forces

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[ digital design ]

based in los angeles, behnaz farahi is an award-winning designer whose work is situated at the intersection of digital design, architecture, fashion, and interactive design, ranging from the scale of wearables to architectural installations. farahi explores how materials in the environment can be imbued with artificial intelligence and life-like behaviors, incorporating techniques such as eeg brain imaging, facial and gaze tracking, 3d printing, as well as novel actuator systems, such as smart materials and pneumatics systems. she engages with the latest developments in neuroscience, cognitive philosophy, computational design, artificial intelligence, and feminism, in order to spark imagination and foster conversations about the future of design. she is assistant professor of design at csulb and co-editor of 3d-printed body architecture (2017) and interactive futures (forthcoming). her work is in the permanent collection of the museum of science and industry, chicago, and clients include adidas, autodesk, fuksas studio, and 3dsystems / will-i-am.

above> iridescence / courtesy behnaz farahi

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[ fashion design ]

becca mccharen-tran is a fashion designer, cultural worker, and the founder of future-forward bodywear line chromat. in her design practice, mccharen-tran interrogates the cultural hegemony around representation and inclusion. a forbes 30 under 30 pick for “people who are reinventing the world,” mccharen-tran is creating a world that empowers women, femmes, and nonbinary people in fashion and beyond. mccharen-tran delivered a ted talk on the urgency of racial, gender, and disability justice in fashion and has lectured at sxsw, parsons, mit, cfda, pratt, fit, and mica. she also staged the “queer joy” exhibition at moma ps1, a series of performances and installations celebrating the lgbtq community. chromat has been profiled in major publications such as vogue, the new york times, and the wall street journal, and has collaborated with intel, disney, reebok, mac cosmetics, mit design lab, and equinox.

aw 14 bionic bodies / courtesy of becca mccharen-tran

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[ landscape architecture ]

studio-mla integrates landscape architecture, urban design, and planning to create places that inspire human connection, unite communities, and restore environmental balance. “advocacy by design” is a foundation of the practice. for more than 25 years, founder and president mia lehrer, fasla, has sparked the team’s inventive thinking to address complex relationships within urban and natural environments. from the master planning of rivers to the design of intimate plazas and gardens, the studio is recognized for creativity, pragmatism, and responsibility across a range of scales and geographies. with offices in los angeles and san francisco, its 45-person team includes landscape architects, planners, botanists, and ecologists from around the world. diversity and multiple perspectives add meaning to collaborations and value to outcomes. together, the firm believes in the transformative power of design to recalibrate its shared surroundings for a resilient future.

above> amplifying storytelling / courtesy studio-mla

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[ product design ]

biolite is on a mission to empower people and protect the planet through access to renewable energy. a social enterprise that develops, manufactures, and markets advanced energy products for off-grid communities around the world, the company creates novel cooking, charging, and lighting solutions that serve both outdoor enthusiasts and rural communities without access to the grid. headquartered in brooklyn, new york and nairobi, kenya, the company was founded in 2009 by jonathan cedar and alec drummond. biolite is proudly a carbon neutral company and a founding member of climate neutral, an independent nonprofit dedicated to helping companies measure, reduce, and offset their carbon footprint. to date, biolite has impacted over 1.7 million people across africa and asia and avoided over 400,000 tonnes of co2e through its clean energy solutions—equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road for a year. the company is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including the red dot design award, fast company’s innovation by design award, core77 design award, and businessweek’s most promising social enterprise.

above> grid in the sky / courtesy biolite

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[ jury ]
kofi boone
billy fleming
joe gebbia
kristine johnson
grace jun
patricia saldaña natke

[ what are the national design awards? ]
the national design awards program was launched in 2000 as an official project of the white house millennium council, with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding of how design improves everyday life. presented each year by cooper hewitt, smithsonian design museum, the awards recognize innovation and impact in design. nominations are made by the general public, and winners are selected by a diverse jury of design leaders and educators.

ge ginormous haliade-x 14mw wind turbine a great fit for world largest wind farm.

Jan 10, 2021

the buoyant offshore wind market wants the biggest and most powerful turbines only.

in the u.s.a., 2021 reopens the prospect of revitalizing a climate agenda which encompasses renewable energy, which, as the name suggests, is always available. global governments and companies have figured out that solar and wind are the best prospects for the future, though location and seasonal variables come into play. for example, solar and wind energy are a strong combination and wind energy is currently a better option to supplement solar energy in winter.

the buoyant offshore wind market wants the biggest and most powerful turbines only. conceived in 2008, the dogger bank wind farm, located off the north-east coast of england, is slated to be the largest in the world with offshore construction expected to begin in 2022 with contractors using specialist vessels to install the offshore infrastructure. the first phase is expected to be operational in 2023. the wind farm will be completed in three phases before reaching full commercial operations in 2026.

two weeks ago ge made an end-of-the year announcement which boasts that their ginormous ge renewable energy’s haliade-x 14 mw had just been awarded for the final phase c. in 2019 the 13 mw model had already been awarded the first two phases a&b. ge renewable energy has been working on this wind turbine concept since 2018.

[ key features ]
> designed for all wind speeds
> recommended for offshore high wind locations
> has a 220-meter rotor and a 107-meter (longer than a football field) blade
> the wind turbine offers three models: a 14 mw, 13 mw or 12 mw
> one rotation could power a household for two days
> one 13w turbine can light up a town of 12,000 homes
> sensors gather data of wind speeds, output, and component stresses
> wind farm first two phases will total of 190 haliade-x 13 mw offshore wind turbines. the final phase features the 14 mw turbine.
> upon completion the wind farm is expected to power up to 6 million homes annually in the uk, equivalent to 5% of the uk’s total electricity demand.

above > dogger bank wind farm

the battle for size continues unabated. siemens-gamesa has announced its next model, the 14mw sg 14-222 dd offshore wind turbine. the race is expected to end at about 20 mw.

note: at this writing the haliade-x is only a prototype

#climatechange #climatecontrol #windturbine

in a nod towards electricification gm has new logo.

Jan 8, 2021

for the first time in a decade—and only the fifth time in its history—general motors is getting a new logo.

the company said in a statement:
the new gm logo features a color gradient of vibrant blue tones, evoking the clean skies of a zero-emissions future and the energy of the ultium platform [gm’s ev battery system]. the rounded edges and lower-case font create a more modern, inclusive feel. the underline of the “m” connects to the previous gm logos as well as visually representing the ultium platform. and within the negative space of the “m” is a nod to the shape of an electrical plug.

[ image” gm ]

like the clean skies blue.

[ general motors ]

amazon’s new zoox robotaxi future of urban mobility inkling.

Dec 15, 2020

zoox is the first in the industry to showcase a driving, purpose-built robotaxi capable of operating up to 75 miles per hour.

an autonomous four-wheel drive fully electric vehicle is not breaking news anymore. but amazon announcing it’s new ride-sharing robotaxi along with its vision for the future of urban mobility concept certainly is.

as concept cars go the robotaxi offers pretty familiar features but she also has several unique laudable features: bidirectional driving capabilities and four-wheel steering, which enables maneuvering through compact spaces and changing directions without the need to reverse; a four-seat, face-to-face symmetrical seating configuration that eliminates the steering wheel.

the vehicle has one of the smallest footprints in the automotive industry, about a foot shorter than a standard mini cooper and features a 133 kwh battery, one of the largest available in electric vehicles today, allowing it to operate for up to 16 continuous hours on a single charge.

primarily envisioned for short rides in urban environments, passengers will have an app to hail the vehicle, much as they do with uber and lyft today. we’re led to believe that robotaxi should soon be in business in san francisco and las vegas as these cities are in the vehicles database. not sure how i feel about going 75 mph however.

[ zoox ]

scott henderson rethinks the face shield. covid-19.

Jun 17, 2020

“when zverse asked me to help them rethink the face shield i jumped at the opportunity. there’s no better time than now for designers to apply their unique skills and knowledge, and the face shield is one of those products that hasn’t seen that much holistic innovation” ~~ scott henderson

the surgical face mask, invented in the late 1800s, and the welder’s helmet, invented in the 1930s, up till now during covid-19, have been doing admirably well outside the confines of the operating room, the icu, a metal shop, for which they were designed. four months into covid-19 we’ve had the occasion to observe the limitations of these specialized items in the more diverse service industry.

the face shield in particular, has proven to have a higher functional diversity ceiling. for example, to talk you don’t have to take a face shield off. however, putting on or removing a face shield can be a to-do and some service positions require a hat.

new york designer scott henderson, with his client john carrington, ceo of zverse, hit a brilliantly conceived and executed bases-loaded home run with their zshield flex.

the zshield flex is designed primarily as a business-to-business solution mainly for service industry workers—such as the food service industry, selective medical, the education sector, beauty and hair salons, and regular consumers as well.

[design criteria ]
> the zshield flex does not strap on the head, impacting a person’s outward presentation.
> the zshield flex is a friendlier, more calming presentation than the shields meant for front-line healthcare workers.
> front-line healthcare workers need ppe to protect themselves, because the environment they operate in is high-risk. the zshield flex will be used in lower risk environments, and is meant to protect the people around the wearer from direct exposure from forward-projected droplets that we all expel through normal talking, sneezing or coughing.
> the unique and unprecedented come-from-the-bottom format of zshield flex does not limit head movement or visibility
> the zshield flex is practically invisible when worn.
> the zshield flex offers different sizes—small and large neck mounts, visors that curves around the face all the way to the ears, and a kid’s size for returning school children.

[ zverse ], the manufacturer of the zshield, also offers a standard face shield for front-line healthcare workers.

[ scott henderson ] is among the top industrial designers working in america today. scott’s product designs for his global fortune 500 client base have become best selling industry disruptors.

scott’s point of view is that design should achieve “clever-freshness”. “clever” is ingenuity combined with a sense of wit. “freshness”, in turn, evokes feelings of health and happiness – lightness as opposed to burden – a feeling of rebirth and an inspiration to move forward.

aside from his world-renown and award-winning work in industrial design, scott is a consistent generator of unique intellectual property, as evidenced by his portfolio of over 50 patents in the u.s. and europe for novel innovations in fields as diverse as housewares and home accessories to consumer medical products and electronics.

scott’s work is included in the permanent collection of the brooklyn museum, the cooper hewitt smithsonian national design museum and the alessi museum, and many of scott’s products have been sold at the moma design store. scott is a sought after presenter on the topic of design, both nationally and internationally.

over 90% of scott’s projects have been mass-produced, a track record few designers can claim. more to the point, products scott has designed have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues for his clients. indeed, many of scott henderson’s products have become industry best sellers.

be original americas launches worldwide virtual fellowship.

Jun 3, 2020

be original americas, a nonprofit advocacy organization, committed to informing, educating and influencing manufacturers, design professionals and consumers about the economic, ethical, and environmental value of authentic design. each year, the organization has hosted an annual summer fellowship in which two undergraduate design students roll up their sleeves for an immersive five-week exploration to a multitude of member brands—invaluable exposure for rising design talents.

thanks to the coronavirus and the ongoing quarantine, however, this year’s fellowship will unfold in a slightly different way. from 15 june to 17 july, more than 25 member companies of be original americas will present a series of webinars to a global audience of design students. each session will provide exclusive insights and access to their factories, architecture, and design studios, ranging from emeco’s make things that last culture to herman miller’s inspirational archives. currently enrolled design students are welcome to attend.

so, attention all university students worldwide! want to see behind-the-scenes of what it takes to create and make original design? register now for one or all of the first be original americas virtual fellowship sessions. our member companies will welcome you from all over the world to help you discover your future career path and follow your passion.

#beoriginal @beoriginalusa

joe doucet envisions a life-saving fashion accessory: behold the face shield. covid-19.

May 3, 2020

from sun glasses to face shields.

some experts predict the next two years could look like the last two months. through the summer and possibly into 2021 face masks will be required to get on a plane, walk into a grocery store, or move about within urban spaces. it’s for the public good. it’s also now bad mask etiquette without one.

yes, a mask offers protection in that it stops the spread. but the mask sometimes feels suffocating, fogs opticals, and makes us mumblers or screamers. i find myself storing my mask in a ziploc bag and then taking it in and out of my back pocket 5-6 times on an afternoon errand. what could be more inconvenient. a reusable shield is a game changer. i can put it on and leave it on until i reach the safety of my home.

right now there are probably 30 face shields being created by car manufacturers, engineering companies, architects and designers. this is all good but the shields look very much like ones that already exist. there are just now more of them. why can’t we make something better while at the same time more fashionable so more people will want to wear it ?

may we remind you that raymond loewy said that between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win.

the face shield presented here is almost perfect. however, here are some ideas for consideration: incorporate a transitional lens for low light activities; shave the top to accommodate a hat for all-season wearability while also shedding weight; include a fashionable carry-case.

look, fashion is really quiet during these stay-at-home days. fashion producers are making medical gowns while fragrance houses are making hand sanitizer. in two months our creative community has gone only practical. it’s time to think about fun and fashion as well.

fashion is trendy, because the very nature of trends is to come and go. fashion can be practical too. from dresses to pants for ease of movement. from briefcases to backpacks for carrying things. from business attire to leggings and sweatpants for comfort. sweatpants! from sun glasses to face shields for protection.

the timing is ripe for a life-saving fashion accessory. kickstarter calling…

[ joe doucet x partners ]

nasa is sending elon musk and jeff bezos to the moon.

Apr 30, 2020

above > blue origin’s lunar lander blue moon / (jonathan newton/the washington post)

with the u.s economy tanking amid the covid-19 pandemic nasa plans on leaving planet earth and shoot for the moon.

1972 was the last time last we visited the moon via the apollo moon mission. almosst 50 years later nasa has selected blue origin, dynetics and spacex to move forward with development of human-rated lunar landers, committing nearly $1 billion in funding for a range of moonship concepts that include a variant of spacex’s next-generation starship vehicle.

“these are three companies that we believe have a lot of capability that are going to enable us to get to the moon,” said nasa administrator jim bridenstine. “each one of them is very different. they have all proposed something very different and unique, which has a lot of value to us.”

above > artist’s illustration of blue origin’s lunar lander with an ascent stage, and astronauts on the lunar surface. credit: blue origin

nasa said blue origin’s contract is valued at $579 million, and dynetics will receive $253 million for the 10-month contract base period. that money covers just the first phase of a multi-year lunar lander development effort that nasa predicts could cost $18.4 billion through the end of 2024.

each commercial lander contractor team is expected to provide private funding to support lunar lander design and development.

the $135 million contract with spacex marks the most significant government investment to date in spacex’s starship system, but blue origin and dynetics won larger lunar lander contracts from nasa.

“looking at the different contractors, each one of them is very different,” bridenstine said. “some of them are likely to be more interested in going fast, others are more likely interested in creating the breakthrough technologies that are going to drive down cost and increase access.”

the development of a commercial human-rated lunar lander is expected to drive nasa’s schedule for returning astronauts to the moon.

the program, named artemis, includes the space launch system heavy-lift rocket and orion crew capsule, and a mini-space station named the gateway to be assembled in a distant, elliptical orbit around the moon.

“we’ve selected the best of industry’s ideas to team with nasa,” said doug loverro, associate administrator of nasa’s human exploration and operations mission directorate. “this is really the last piece of the puzzle to go ahead and get us back to the moon. we’ve got all the other pieces in work already, and this is the last big piece. we are ready to move forward on this.

the three contractor teams will continue refining their human landing system (hls) concepts for the next 10 months before a “continuity review” next february. at that time, nasa could down-select to two hls contractors, and pick one for the artemis program’s first crewed lunar landing mission — known as artemis 3 — before the end of 2024.

a key to nasa’s vision for a “sustainable” crew presence on or near the moon is the gateway station. nasa officials originally hoped the gateway would be in position near the moon in time for the artemis 3 mission in 2024, allowing elements of the lunar lander to be assembled, or aggregated, at the gateway before the arrival of astronauts on an orion crew capsule.

above > artist’s concept of the gateway mini-space station near the moon, showing an orion spacecraft just before docking. credit: nasa

“when we think about a sustainable presence at the moon, we absolutely need a gateway,” bridenstine said. “the gateway gives us the ability to reuse landers, over and over again, which drives down cost and it increases access. the gateway gives us access to different orbits around the moon, so we can get to the north pole, the south pole, the equatorial regions, and everything in between.

“the gateway is also transformable,” bridenstine said. “we can use it eventually for our ship to mars. the gateway gives us the opportunity to do science, and it gives us a lot of credibility with our international partners, who are very interested in helping us build out the gateway. i just want to emphasize … we are 100 percent committed to the gateway.”

“it is also true that we’re 100 percent committed to getting to the moon as fast as possible,” bridenstine said. “so anything that is not necessary, we intend to remove from that path for speed. so the first moon landing, we’re intending not to use the gateway. we’re intending to basically take an orion crew capsule and dock it to a human landing system that will be in orbit around the moon, and then go down to the surface of the moon.

“that means that we will not have the gateway in place for the first landing on the surface of the moon,” he said. “the second time when we land humans on the moon, we absolutely want to have the gateway in the mix because we need to land on the moon by 2024, and we need to have a sustainable presence by 2028.”

dynetics has released little information about its proposed lunar lander, which would be developed in partnership with sierra nevada corp.

the dynetics human landing system would launch as a single structure providing ascent and descent capabilities, according to nasa. it would lift off from earth on ula’s vulcan rocket.

based in alabama, dynetics released an artist’s illustration of its human-rated lander in january that appears to show a large pressurized compartment, two large propellant tanks and power-generating solar panels extending vertically from spacecraft on the lunar surface.

above > artist’s concept of the dynetics proposal for a human landing system. credit: dynetics

“spacex proposed the starship,” bridenstine said. “it’s obviously a very different solution set than any of the others. but it also could be absolutely game-changing. so we don’t want to discount it. we want to move forward. if they can have success, we want to enjoy that success with them.”

spacex’s reusable starship will launch on top of a giant booster named the super heavy. the starship vehicle, which serves as the upper stage on top of the super heavy booster, is designed to be refueled in space, enabling it to carry people and cargo to the moon, mars and other solar system destinations.

“utilizing parking orbit refueling, starship is able to deliver unprecedented payload mass to a variety of earth, cislunar, and interplanetary trajectories,” spacex wrote in a starship user’s guide.

above > artist’s concept of spacex’s starship on the lunar surface. credit: spacex

by itself, the starship vehicle will stand around 160 feet (50 meters) tall with a diameter of roughly 30 feet (9 meters), dwarfing the other human-rated lunar lander concepts. it will land and take off vertically, powered by raptor engines each capable of generating nearly a half-million pounds of thrust at full power.

last year, spacex signed an agreement with nasa to use the starship to potentially carry robotic rovers, science experiments and other cargo to the moon’s surface. now it could carry people.

while the starship is designed as an all-purpose vehicle — capable of deploying satellites, science probes and crews — it would launch from earth without a crew for nasa’s artemis missions.

[ full story spaceflight now ]