editor’s pick – Page 2

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john ronan architects blends function and sustainability into forward-thinking iit innovation center.

Jan 15, 2021

“the kaplan institute at iit is an academic building that combines functionality and sustainability into an elegant design solution, all while working within rigorous financial constraints in a setting with tremendous architectural standards.” – jury comment: 2020 aia national honor award in architecture

DesignApplause asks notable chicago architect john ronan for a project steeped in sustainability and we are pointed to the ed kaplan family institute for innovation and tech entrepreneurship. a 2020 winner of the prestigious aia national honor award in architecture. the 2020 architecture program celebrates the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style, or type. these stunning projects show the world the range of outstanding work architects create and highlight the many ways buildings and spaces can improve our lives.

[ tremendous architectural standards ] to his credit, ronan has won very competitive commissions but this one was extra special if you consider who the client was: illinois institute of technology in chicago, a campus largely designed by ludwig mies van der rohe, the greatest concentration of mies-designed buildings in the world. subsequent buildings decades later by helmut jahn, faia, and rem koolhaas, hon. faia. the school asks one of its professors who’s been at iit since 1992, just a year after is graduation from harvard. tremendous indeed.

[ architect project statement ] the ed kaplan family institute for innovation and tech entrepreneurship at the illinois institute of technology is devoted to fostering collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship between iit’s students, faculty, alumni and partners. conceived as a hybrid of campus space and building, the building is organized around two open-air courtyards through which visitors enter the building; circulation inside the building is indirect and dispersed, designed to promote collaboration and interaction. the building provides flexibly adaptive space which can be reconfigured easily and support a wide variety of uses.

the design of the innovation center is forward-thinking in its approach to sustainability. the second floor of the building, which cantilevers over the ground floor to provide sun shading, is enclosed in a dynamic façade of etfe foil cushions which can vary the amount of solar energy entering the building through sophisticated pneumatics. the etfe foil is 1% the weight of glass and gives the building a light, cloud-like appearance.

[ images: john ronan architects ]

[ storm water detention ] the building’s two exterior courtyards double as storm-water detention tanks. rain water is directed from the roof surface to gutters at the perimeter of each courtyard from which it enters the gravel floor of the courtyard via rain chains. several feet of crushed rock below the courtyard serve as large rainwater storage cisterns, where water is held before being released slowly to the municipal sewer system; a portion of the rain water is retained onsite.

[ dynamic etfe facade ] the façade is comprised of four layers of etfe foil which create three air chambers within the façade assembly. the two outer layers of etfe are fritted with a staggered dot patterns which are offset from each other; the inner layer can be moved back and forth pneumatically, bringing it together and apart with the outer fritted layer to modulate the amount of incoming solar energy. this movement is achieved by introducing air into one chamber and removing it from the adjacent chamber, which relocates the fritted inner layer. when the inner layer is pressed together against the fritted outer layer, the dot patterns overlap to reduce light transmittance. when the inner layer is moved away from the outer layer, it increases light transmittance. controlled via automated building system controls or overridden manually, the dynamic façade can adapt throughout the day to changing weather and daylight conditions in real time to minimize energy usage and maximize daylighting potential.

the dynamic etfe facade varies the amount of solar energy entering the building through sophisticated pneumatics.

[ john ronan architects ]

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.

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 ]

#stayathome #climate #goodcovid-19. a brief breath of fresh air.

Apr 28, 2020

we’re in an unexpected natural experiment. the opportunity in the crisis. a real reckoning moment. a picture is worth a thousand whatevers.

the before and after images on this post leave little room for debate: covid-19 successfully took us off the roads. add a little fortuitous rain plus the amping down of our fossil fuel use gave us clean air. and the world noticed.

this timely vivid graphic of clear skies perfectly aligned with the recent vivid graphic of a climate-induced world with catastrophic weather, fire, agriculture, and health problems.

the importance of this accidental moment can’t be understated or wasted. covid-19 has quickly put us in an ugly mood, a fighting mood, a uniting mood. many get the feeling that now is also the time to implore our leaders to ponder america’s long-term big picture handling of pandemics and climate initiatives.

it’s ironic, the covid-19 country lockdown should keep our skies blue but it also mutes our most vocal activists because they can’t congregate to protest. and if our leaders miss this opportunity and the economy cranks up, along with our return to our dirty ways, the blue skies will be just a memory.

[ what you can do ]
> will our clean air last after covid-19? ucla study says it’s possible
> ten simple ways to act on climate change
> top 10 things you can do about climate change
> 12 things you can do right now for climate change

[ what others are doing ]
> the guardian has renounced fossil fuel advertising

above/below > new delhi 1 november 2019 / 20 april 2020 | photo manish swarup / ap

above top/bottom > india gate war memorial new delhi 17 october 2019 / 8 april 2020

above/below > nitrogen dioxide (red) levels prior to and during stay at home lockdown. the los angeles graphic is a vivid glimpse of what an electrified world would look like.

above > a nearly empty interstate 280 in san francisco 22 march 2020

below > notice the nitrogen dioxide readings at height of chinese lockdown in mid-january and march when stay-at-home was relaxed.

a dystopia is a community or society that is undesirable or frightening. It is translated as bad place and is an antonym of utopia,

what’s it take for apple and google to partner up? a novel covid-19 pandemic.

Apr 11, 2020

apple and google. masters of privacy. how is it even possible. here’s the concept.

apple and google just announced an unprecedented collaboration to leverage their smartphone technology to help trace and contain the spread of covid-19.

the collaboration will open up their mobile operating systems (!) to allow for the creation of advanced contact-tracing apps, which will run on iphones and android phones alike.

the apps would work by using bluetooth technology in mobile phones to keep track of every other phone a person comes into close contact with over the course of a day; if that person later finds out they have covid-19, they can use the same system to alert all those people, dating back to before they would have become infectious.

the idea is to help national governments roll out these contact-tracing apps to allow lockdowns to be lifted earlier, by letting authorities much more readily identify new clusters of infection. the technology would also help those who have been exposed to a person with covid-19 self-isolate before they themselves become infectious.

of course there are concerns. privacy for one. opting to use bluetooth rather than location services which are very secure.

“no contact-tracing app can be fully effective until there is widespread, free and quick testing and equitable access to healthcare,” jennifer granick, the surveillance and cybersecurity counsel at the aclu said. “people will only trust these systems if they protect privacy, remain voluntary, and store data on an individual’s device, not a centralized repository.”

privacy and civil liberties activists have warned that such apps need to be designed so governments cannot abuse them to track their citizens. apple and google said in a joint announcement that user privacy and security are baked into the design of their plan.

pam dixon, executive director of the world privacy forum, said she will be looking closely at the companies’ privacy assurances and for evidence that any health data they collect will be deleted once the emergency is over.

“people are dying. we have to save lives. everyone understands that,” she said. “but at some point, we’re going to have to understand the privacy consequences of this.”

security experts also note that technology alone cannot effectively track down and identify people who may have been infected by covid-19 carriers. such efforts will require other tools and teams of public healthcare workers to track people in the physical world, they say. in south korea and china, such efforts have included the use of credit card and public transit records.

given the great need for effective contact tracing, the companies will roll out their changes in two phases. in the first, they will release software in may that lets public health authorities release apps for both android and ios phones. in the coming months, they will also build this functionality directly into the underlying operating systems.

recently the companies released preliminary technical specifications for the effort, which they called privacy-preserving contact tracing.

we are grateful that this collaboration is being attempted to help subdue the coronavirus.

agencies contributed reporting

foster + partners shares the prototype design for a reusable face visor. covid-19.

Apr 6, 2020

to aid the fight against covid-19, foster + partners has designed a general-purpose prototype face visor, suitable for cleaning and reuse. it is specifically aimed at fast mass production.

[ foster + partners press release ] we are sharing the design templates and material specifications as an open-source design asset. this is to encourage both designers and in particular large-scale manufacturers to investigate the potential of digital and laser cutting machines as an alternative to 3d printing technology.

the prototype visor, designed by a team of industrial designers, model makers, architects and analysts, is made from three components: a visor made from 0.5mm optically clear petg, an interlocking soft pp headband, and a surgical silicone rubber head strap that ties the two together. these were all cut on the practice’s digital flatbed cutters by its printroom and model making teams. each visor can be cut from sheets in under 30 seconds and the elements can be assembled in under a minute. with a single cutting machine, we were able to cut and assemble components for 1,000 visor masks in a day, representing a reduction of days in the time taken to produce 3d-printed alternatives.

the visors can be produced and assembled or flat-packed and distributed in large quantities in a short span of time. an important advantage is that the visor can be easily disassembled, cleaned, sanitized and reused, addressing the growing shortage of raw materials for visor production. we are now delivering these prototype visors to a number of london hospitals where they are being tested. we are also exploring means of getting the design approved for mass production and use by health workers.

> flat-pack reusable visor comes in two sizes — short and long.
> visor, headband and strap can be cut by a flatbed digital cutter or laser cutter.
> cutting time: <30 seconds > assembly: <60 seconds > each visor can be disassembled and cleaned for reuse.

> visor: 0.5mm petg or equivalent
> headband: 0.75mm polypropylene (pp) or equivalent
> adjustable strap: 1mm silicone

click here to download the assembly instructions
click here to download the file for the digital flatbed cutter (.dwg)
please note that by downloading these files you are accepting the following terms and conditions:

1 > this design for a flat pack laser cut visor (the design) is created and owned by foster + partners limited and is licensed for non-commercial use under the creative commons attribution-non commercial 4.0 international public license (“the ccl terms”).
2 > as set out in section 5 of the ccl terms, no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the design are given.
3 > by downloading and or using the design files, you:
accept and agree to the ccl terms.

acknowledge that:
a > this design has been created by foster + partners in response to the global covid-19 pandemic;
b > foster + partners has no prior expertise in the design and manufacture of personal protective equipment (ppe) and therefore this design has neither been made by reference to any specific regulations nor subject to any formal testing regime;
c > that any user of the design shall assume all responsibility for developing the design in conformity with regulatory and testing requirements of any markets it intends to make the visor available in.

notes to editors:

1 > one zund g3 m 2500 cutting machine or equivalent can cut 217 per hour.
2 > the template offers two sizes – short and long.

[ DesignApplause covid-19 response ] #covid19 #coronacvirus

wash your hands for 30 seconds with soap! covid-19.

Mar 26, 2020

experts agree on one thing…the #1 activity you can do to protect your family from coronavirus is wash your hands!

according to the cdc, world health org and countless medical institutions you only need to wash your hands for a minimum of thirty seconds to keep viruses away! last night on cnn dr. sanjay gupta stressed washing the thumb and my sister-in-law susan hill, a physical therapist at la rabida childrens hospital said pay special attention to the base of the fingers – look closely at the photo. if there was ever a time for difference making details, this is it.

[ DesignApplause covid-19 response ] #washyourhands #covid19

floriduh finally gets social distancing message and closes beaches. covid-19 spotlights lack of leadership.

Mar 22, 2020

above > left public pinellas county clearwater beach 19 march / right 21 march

on 19 march the clearwater council votes to delay closing the clearwater beaches until tuesday 24 march. BUT, they had a change of heart and closed them yesterday, 21 march.

florida, the last u.s. state finally gets the message. amid national criticism as early as 15 march, on friday 20 march, governor ron desantis closes beaches, restaurant dining rooms and bars in the state, as well as concert houses and other entertainment venues in broward and palm beach counties which includes fort lauderdale.

that same day, the city of miami beach and miami-dade county took even larger emergency measures by closing all commercial lodging establishments. this means hotels, suite hotels, hotel units within apartment-hotels, hostels, dormitories, motels, and temporary vacation/short term rentals are ordered to shut down operations and tell guests they must leave. the order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. on monday, march 23. and a curfew throughout the city from midnight to 5 a.m., goes into effect tuesday, 24 march at midnight. “our hotels have always been the lifeblood of our economy, so shuttering them is not something to do impulsively. but right now, as painful as it may be, the reality is we just cannot be a tourist destination,” said miami beach mayor dan gelber in a statement.

above > saturday 21 march

the second to last u.s. state was texas, where on 19 march, governor greg abbott signed an executive order limiting crowd gathering to 10, and to avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms or massage parlors; provided, however, that the use of drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options is allowed and highly encouraged

we certainly can point fingers at the clueless and selfish during spring break as well as st. patrick’s day. but the real problem here is lack of leadership. we applaud the pro-active governors including new york’s andrew cuomo, illinois’s j.b. pritzker, and california’s gavin newsom and city mayors including chicago’s lori lightfoot, and miami-dade’s carlos a. gimenez.

so you ask why is this note such a nastygram? a simple answer is let’s compare governors. when illinois governor j.b. pritzker saw how chicago o’hare was handling international travelers, keeping them bunched up in a line for six hours, he went a little nuts and said that’s exactly what we don’t want to do. we need a social spacing mentality. the result, the airlines kept the passengers in the plane until it was ok to go through immigrations.

new york governor, andrew cuomo, is on cnn every morning soothing worries like mr. rogers. nothing political but common sense examples and suggestions on how to behave, protect seniors and kids, how to be responsible. it definitely impressed the president who we see every day but not sure he’s so soothing.

the spring break crowd. an annual rite of passage. there was no one in florida to protect them. the man at the top failed them. so yes, nastygram seems, just right.

[ DesignApplause covid-19 response ]

chicago residents ordered to ‘stay at home’ compels tony retailers to ‘board up showroom’. covid-19.

Mar 21, 2020

illinois governor j.b. pritzker issued a “stay-at-home” order for the entire state starting saturday, 21 march, as officials take drastic measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. pritzker announced the directive at a 3 p.m. friday news conference along with chicago mayor lori lightfoot. for dior sometime before midnight the store began a facelift that was completed by 8 a.m. saturday.

we capture several showrooms within a three-block section on rush near oak street that were busy in the wee hours of saturday morning. on a normal day rush street has quite a bit of foot traffic. but nothing is normal right now. we’ll attempt to visit this area and michigan avenue in the upcoming days.

above > rush & walton :photo taken wednesday 30 october 11 a.m. // below > photo taken saturday 21 march 9 a.m. // boards were painted to match.

above > rush & oak photo taken friday 20 march 11 a.m. // below > photo taken saturday 21 march 9 a.m. // one block away a clever-sweet board up.

above > rush & oak photo taken wednesday 20 november 3 p.m. // below > photo taken saturday 21 march 9 a.m. // commencing board up.

above > rush & delaware photo taken friday 24 january 5 p.m. // below > photo taken saturday 21 march 9 a.m. // there’s no board up but all the cars have been removed, an empty showroom save three tesla roadsters.

above > rush & delaware photo taken monday 2 september 3 p.m.

[ DesignApplause covid-19 response ]

legendary chicago designer hayward r. blake dies at 94.

Mar 18, 2020

hayward robert blake. 94, born in west haven, connecticut. he died of natural causes on 13 march 2020.

husband of simone louise (nee roussy), for 58 years; loving father of paul (kim), christopher (anita), and yvonne (brian); proud grandfather to andrew, meredith, anaïs, anikó, hayward, tawny, and kiera. hayward met his wife in france during wwii while serving as a sergeant in the signal corps., after which he studied design at institutions including, the cambridge school of design and illinois institute of design. he began working in the early 1950s as a package designer in new york city and later moved to chicago where he worked with raymond lowey, the container corporation, sears, ecko-alcoa, and low’s, inc. in 1961 he founded, hayward blake and co., and in 1967 incorporated with jack weiss. together they worked with designers in the design partnership which served as a model for similar collaborative efforts elsewhere. his design projects included the signage system for o’hare airport, identity designs for wait radio, titles for the film bang the drum slowly, catalog design for the block gallery, and identity program for the newspaper the rapid city journal. hayward taught at northwestern university’s, medill school of journalism, and lectured and judged at communication exhibitions nationwide. he was an active member of the 27 chicago designers, the american institute of graphic arts (fellow), society of typographic arts (president), the caxton club (president), design evanston, evanston art center (board member), and the porsche club of america. hayward was an amateur race car driver, loved sailing, scuba diving and was an avid squash player. the words above are provided by hayward’s son, christopher a designer in his own right, currently an adjunct professor in the interactive arts and media department at columbia college chicago.

i owe a great deal to hayward. he was responsible for my first chicago design hire at his firm, the design partnership. an advocate of thinking differently his concepts were engaging and caught your eye. his penchant for details was no secret as everyone knew he always carried a small screwdriver lining up screws in the lighting fixtures, something i tend to do myself now. in his mid-80s he was still working the audience at local design happenings. regarding the amateur race car driver thing, he looked and played the part.

memorial services will be announced at a later date.

donations may be made to either the alzheimer’s association or the newberry library.