design – Page 31 – DesignApplause

Want a free Smart car?

Oct 1, 2008

Chicago developer hits design button to bolster condo sales. The contemporary condos are in not-yet-arrived Edgewater. Units range from 1200 to 1538 square feet priced at $350K to $452K.

Yes, this is a design blog but we have a national election coming up in a few days featuring an economy button. Let’s continue.

Recently, Donald Trump was in town to top off his 92-story Trump Tower. Here is an excerpt from the Chicago Tribune:

…Throughout the nine-county Chicago area, sales of existing homes plunged 30 percent in August from the same month a year ago. And home prices—a critical component of any housing sector recovery—continued to fall in August, down 5.7 percent from a year ago.

“There are no buyers and that’s the problem,” said Liz Sidorowicz, an agent at Re/Max Signature in Chicago. “Buyers are scared or they just can’t get the financing. [The bailout] does not change one thing. The banks may be a little better off, but on Main Street, how is that going to help my guy with a condo appraised at $240,000 that he cannot even sell for $200,000?”

Typically, the highest end of the market is the last affected in a slowdown and the first to recover, but recovery appears far off. In the second quarter, there were more than 5,800 condominium units for sale within Chicago priced at $800,000 or more, enough to satisfy demand for 70 months, according to research firm, Metrostudy.

Developers find themselves in the untenable situation of trying to woo enough buyers to get their projects financed, and then trying to find a lender willing to take a chance. The projects’ futures rest in the hands of consumers and lenders, and both are strapped right now.

Design button or wallet button? What’s it like out there in your city?

Speaking of design: the Smart car.

via smart car and chicago tribune

BTW: if an incentive is necessary we applaud this developer for thinking out of the box.

Mr. Impossible. The chair.

Sep 4, 2008

Phillipe Starck’s latest — a plastic chair — earned it’s name on the first sketch. Mr. Impossible. The designer said it couldn’t be made. The challenge being the weld. Using existing methods to weld the seat and the legs would create an unsightly seam. Kartell’s engineers had to go the blue water route. The key, a very big laser.

The Kartell store in New York recently exhibited Mr. Impossible, a series of chairs by Philippe Starck. While the design for Mr. Impossible was conceived years ago, the technology needed to weld two transparent shells together did not exist until recently. Also on display was Starck’s Misses Flower Power, a collection of large-scale prototype vases made from transparent polycarbonate. (more…)

iPhone. 2008 Creativity Award.

May 28, 2008

In a highly extraordinary example of creativity and high-design, the iPhone captures the 2008 Creativity Awards Grand Prize Winner. Why so unusual? This event is judged by the advertising community where ad campaigns and 30-second spots typically rule.

A POV from one of the judges: “The iPhone. Iconic design or iconic brand? Simply put Apple leads the way as an iconic brand, but importantly it uses iconic design to express this in everything it does. People often confuse the two, but Apple has both, and this is what makes it connect with niche emotional intensity to a mass global market. (more…)

Tesla roadster.

Apr 18, 2008

High-design. Electric. 50-state approved (USA).

After quite a bit of tweaks, good and bad press the FDA finally blessed the Tesla in January 2008 and this red (green) car can go on sale. The car won’t solve the world problems, at least not this particular car — $100K — but it is a start.

Tesla is probably doing it right as they are a small company. Start with a small luxury — sport market and then move to the mass market. The big auto makers will probably beat them to a mass market electric.

Tesla says it’ll churn out 40 of the $100,000 cars per week. So put your name on the list. And there may be perks down the road too. In Norway if you drive an electric car you can drive in bux/taxi lanes, get free pass in toll booths, have parking near the entrance of large stores.

Interestingly at $100K this one is actually cheaper than most low end luxury cars. (more…)

Gravity free. 2008

Apr 7, 2008

“The brain is a category buster.”
-Elizabeth Phelps, American Cognitive Scientist,
2007

GRAVITY FREE is a truly unique multidiscipline design conference. Each year we pick a theme. Then we select 22 of the most passionate designers, design thinkers and innovators on the planet from 20 different design disciplines to help us explore the theme. The result: an experience like none other—a remarkable cross-fertilization of ideas and inspiration that only happens when such a remarkable variety of design influences interact.

GRAVITY FREE covers the waterfront of creative disciplines. Speakers come from architecture, retail display, storytelling, experiential environments, urban planning, customer experience, product design, information architecture, exhibit design, aerospace, interior design, theme environments, production design, illusion, molecular gastronomy, automotive design, technology and media, museum design, brand management… in fact, ANY area that offers something new and important. No break out sessions. Everyone has the same experience. (more…)

Serious Play. Art center.

Mar 30, 2008

The biennial Art Center Design Conference is a three-day international gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators from many fields and disciplines. The 2008 Conference, Serious Play, will explore the essential role of play in business, the arts, science, storytelling, technology, and more.

May 7-9, 2008 Art Center College of Design, South Campus, Pasedena, California, USA

eames plywood elephant.

Mar 6, 2008

If you like Eames, a collectors item, a childs toy resurfaces.

During the early 1940s Charles and Ray Eames developed a successful technique for molding plywood into three-dimensional shapes, which led to the creation of a variety of furnishings and sculptures. The Plywood Elephant, in particular, has attained legendary status among collectors. Designed in 1945, this piece requires complex fabrication methods. Only two prototypes were produced, both of which were subsequently displayed in an exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Today only one known model remains in the possession of the Eames Family.

Charles and Ray Eames were fascinated by elephants. Many images of these gentle giants are found in Charles’ photographic documentations of Indian culture and the circus world. The Plywood Elephant was designed as a toy for children, but also as a striking sculptural object that makes a statement in any environment with its vigorous curves and delightful character. There is a playful charm in the way that the Eameses used juvenile motifs to create a vibrant, cheerful idiom that appeals to adults as well as children.

June 17, 2007 marked the 100th birthday of Charles Eames. To commemorate this occasion, Vitra is producing a limited Anniversary Edition of the Eames Plywood Elephant. Designed in 1945, this piece attained legendary status in spite of the fact that it never went into production.

The 2007 Anniversary Edition of the Eames Plywood Elephant is strictly limited world-wide to 1000 pieces in each of two versions, natural maple and red stained maple. The serial number of each Plywood Elephant is engraved on a small aluminum plaque. DA is sorry this post is so late in coming. Check with Vitra to see if any are still available.

design and the elastic mind.

Mar 6, 2008

Today at MoMA
February 24–May 12, 2008

The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor.

In the past few decades, individuals have experienced dramatic changes in some of the most established dimensions of human life: time, space, matter, and individuality. Working across several time zones, traveling with relative ease between satellite maps and nanoscale images, gleefully drowning in information, acting fast in order to preserve some slow downtime, people cope daily with dozens of changes in scale. Minds adapt and acquire enough elasticity to be able to synthesize such abundance. One of design’s most fundamental tasks is to stand between revolutions and life, and to help people deal with change. (more…)

water. money. power.

Mar 4, 2008

above> tu_fin

All you need is water, money, a Darth Vadar fetish. One you burn calories. One you burn 951 gallons an hour. Both burn holes in pockets.

There is little info on the Tu-fin save a link to their site. “TU_FiN Walking on Water—das Fun und Fitnessboot.” But here is a story on Wally…

118 WallyPower (above) is a high speed luxury yacht created by Wally Yachts. It is narrow and angular in design with black glass housing. It is 118 feet long and is capable of reaching speeds as fast as 60 knots (70 mph, 110 km/h).[1] It is capable of this feat due to three Vericor TF50 gas turbines generating 16,800 HP. The three gas turbines each drive a Rolls-Royce Kamewa water jet, two steerable outboard and a non-steering booster on centerline. The steerable water jets also have a diesel engine input for a 370 hp Cummins diesel hence these two wing drive trains are Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine (CODOG). The 118 WallyPower won the MYDA, Millennium Yacht Design Award,[2] organised by Seatec (the yachting and shipping technology show of Carrarafiere) for the “Layout of the Third Millennium.” The WallyPower is also being honoured by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as the sole boat in its major architecture and design exhibition, ‘Glamour: Fabricating Affluence’, which ran from October 9 2004 to January 16 2005.[3] Wally Yachts has only produced one, and it currently resides in the Mediterranean.[4] The 118 is known by most from its role as the “Renovatio” in the 2005 science-fiction film The Island.

Construction
The sleek lines of the 118 WallyPower are the result of an extensive R&D program that included the tank testing at the SSPA facility in Gothenburg, Sweden, and smoke testing in the Ferrari Wind Tunnel Facility in Maranello, Italy. The air inlets of the gas turbines were optimised to verify any turbulence and back flow of the exhaust gas on deck and living areas, and to have further confirmation of the geometry of the hull and superstructure.

The bottom of the hull is built in solid fibreglass. Topsides, from the waterline up, are hybrid fibreglass/carbon composite with balsa core. On deck this becomes a Nomex/full carbon composite. The deck superstructure is made of a carbon frame to which the glass panels are glued. The glass is composed of Lexan and a triple laminate of glass. The interior bulkheads and cabin soles carry no structural loads so they are constructed entirely of thin wood and laminate veneer skins with cores. At speed, the 118 WallyPower is comfortable and stable as a result of the deep V (22 degrees) hull shape combined with a straight stem bow designed to pierce waves. The bathfixtures and dining tables are even made from carbon composites to reduce weight.

The 118 WallyPower’s chameleon-like paint finish is metallic dark green and changes reflections and colour depending on the light and landscape. The 118’s deck, cockpit, navigation, dining and saloon areas have been conceived as one continuous element. Inside the superstructure, the atmosphere is that of a New York style loft. The open space incorporates three areas, from stern to bow: The saloon, the dining/seating area, and the navigation cockpit. Transparency is a main feature of the yacht’s interior. When dining, guests can enjoy the 360-degree view. Underneath the table, the skylight allows light to filter down to the lower corridor. The lightweight carbon fibre dining table seats eight people, and the port and starboard teak cabinets alongside serve for storage of china, silverware and glassware. The dining and lounging cockpit is forward of the superstructure, to provide maximum privacy as well as being in the coolest area at anchor, away from the engines.

Two fore dining tables can be mechanically lowered to provide a large cushioned relaxing area in the bow of the Wallypower. Inside the yacht the owner’s stateroom is forward, featuring a king size bed. Plenty of storage is provided by the side cabinets. A 20″ plasma screen is mounted in the aft bulkhead. The cabin has plenty of natural light coming from the top skylight. Two identical guest cabins feature queen size beds and en-suites. Each cabin has a 15″ plasma screen in the aft bulkhead.

The spacious galley includes the crew mess, again featuring a 15″ plasma screen. The galley (kitchen) is equipped with a professional oven and stove, as well as plenty of fridges, and is made enitrely of stainless steel, including the ceiling.

Technical specifications
The cost of the 118 Wallypower is US$24.83 million for the triple gas turbines or $16.55 million for the twin diesels only. It has a range of 1500 miles at 9 knots, or 300 miles at 60 knots. The fuel capacity of the 118 is 22,000 litres or 5812 gallons. If the gas turbine engines are all out, the 118 WallyPower uses 14 gallons for every mile at 60 knots. At this rate it uses 951 gallons an hour. The displacement of the 118 WallyPower is 95 tons. It can accommodate 6 guests and 6 crew.

via wikipedia and today and tomorrow

bingy, bangy, thud.

Mar 4, 2008

the problem and the solution

These stairs are beautiful. An artform. No 5 inch stilettos or alcohol allowed. This is a very clever solution. You have to wonder who conceived of the problem in the first place…

Title: Stair
Object: Stair
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Client: Private Residence
Design: Gabriella Gustafson & Mattias Ståhlbom
Date: 2006

via TAF