Bazsux

2016. november 4., péntek

SpringHill Suites and West Elm launch new line of stylish double-duty furniture for small spaces

"With SpringHill Suites, the concept was, how can we get something that you see in a hotel, and you want to buy it for your house? And that's how West Elm came up," explains Lionel Sussman, vice president of Global Design Strategies at Marriott International.

The global hoteliers looked to the Brooklyn-based furnishings company to come up with a new collection of sophisticated but highly usable pieces that could withstand the wear-and-tear dished out by thousands of guests a year. Another stipulation was that the designs had to be able to perform multiple functions in small spaces.

"We wanted to give our guests the opportunity to enjoy great design, a more stylish experience and we looked no further than the top designers at West Elm,” said Loren Nalewanski, vice president and global brand manager of SpringHill Suites. “Throughout a 15-month collaboration, our global design group worked hand in hand with West Elm’s top designers and management. The goal was to create a unique design that is functional for each of our guests to enjoy throughout their stay.”

The “More Style for Your Stay” collection is characterized by a focus on clean lines, reclaimed wood, and mid-century modern touches.

The line is centered around the 3-in-1 Emery Sofa, which transitions easily into a daybed as well as a trundle bed with room for an extra guest to sleep.

The sofa bed is upholstered in a stain-resistant fabric with a rustic wooden base that will help it retain its good looks even with heavy wear.

The coordinating Emery Ottoman can be used on its own, or topped with one of the line's reclaimed wood trays that allow it to double as a coffee table.

The room assortment also includes a brass-trimmed swivel saddle chair, brass floor and table lamps with USB charging capabilities, and custom hand-loomed pillows from artisans in India.

An additional series of decor accessories ranging from vases to planters, frames and trays has already been rolled out at SpringHill Suites lobbies across the United States.

The “More Style for Your Stay” room collection is set to debut in 30 new SpringHill Suites hotels by the end of 2016, and will also be used in new builds and renovation projects going forward. But if you can't wait until then, check out the entire West Elm x SpringHill Suites line here.

+ SpringHills Suites

+ West Elm

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BIGs battleship-inspired LEED Gold office opens in Philadelphia

Located at the Navy Yard Corporate Center, the four-story office building design was shaped by Robert Stern’s 1,200-acre Navy Yard master plan of rectangular city blocks and James Corner Field Operations’ award-winning circular Central Green Park. The building’s double-curved facade bows inward on two sides in reference to the docked battleships nearby and to respond to the “shock wave” of the park’s circular running track. In addition to the maritime-inspired facade, a functioning periscope is inserted in the heart of the building to project views of the Navy Yard basin into the center of the elevator lobby and to bring in additional natural light.

“In many cases, architects design big, boxy buildings that could be placed anywhere and don’t connect directly to the site,” said Kai-Uwe Bergmann, AIA, RIBA, Partner, BIG. “You would really be hard-pressed to place 1200 Intrepid anywhere else, due to how it connects with its surroundings. Our commission involved creating a speculative office building, for which no tenants were committed. The key challenge here was to create a reason for tenants to be here with the constraint of a stringent budget.”

Liberty Property Trust developed the 92,000-square-foot LEED Gold building. Precast concrete panels of varying sizes clad the exterior in a basket-weave pattern. The panels were locally manufactured using locally sourced materials that include recycled and recyclable content to reduce construction waste.

+ Bjarke Ingel Group

Images via Bjarke Ingel Group

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Spiky URCHIN pavilion is made from hundreds of recyclable plastic chairs

Located on the Cornell University Arts Quad, URCHIN follows the 2016 CCA focus on the “cultural production of empathy.” The spiky, donut-shaped pavilion was designed using 3D-modeling software. The porous structure measures 37.5 feet in width, over 7.5 feet in height, and has a round seven-foot opening in its center. The seats are held together with metal connectors and are carefully positioned to maintain a stable form that can withstand strong gusts of wind.

“Due to its aggregation and rotation, the object loses its familiar and functional relationship with the human body, so that its other qualities and implications can come to the fore,” says CODA. “URCHIN plays with the question of usefulness and uselessness by the manipulation of the simple chair, and consequently our perception of the chair and the connection between our bodies, the chair’s components and their orientations. The question of use as a primary perceptual phenomenon is a product of James J. Gibson’s Theory of Affordances in his Ecological Approach to Visual Perception.” None of the chairs were damaged in the making and will be reused after the pavilion is dismantled. The pavilion will be displayed until December 22, 2016.

+ CODA

Images via CODA, Joe Wilensky, John Lai

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2016. november 2., szerda

Next generation of Voltaic solar backpacks can charge laptops, cameras, and even drones

Voltaic Systems is known for portable solar gear, from laptop solar chargers to solar panels that can attach to cars. Now they're offering two solar backpacks on Kickstarter that provide plenty of power for whatever you are doing. Their Array backpack can even charge drones, which according to Voltaic Systems is "something no other backpack can do."

The Array offers the most power with 10 watts of clean energy. It's robust enough to charge laptops, tablets, smartphones, a DSLR camera, a GoPro, or a drone. The solar backpack comes with Voltaic's 19,800mAh battery pack, which charges in 12 in sunlight and in four hours via a wall outlet. The OffGrid backpack, offering six watts, provides a boost for explorers who aren't going quite as far but still need energy off the grid. The OffGrid comes with a 4,000mAh battery pack that charges in four and a half hours in sunlight and four hours via USB, with the option to upgrade to a 12,000mAh battery pack.

Both backpacks are designed to safely store electronic devices, and feature padded compartments for fragile items like laptops. The solar panels that adorn the backpacks are lightweight and waterproof. The backpacks are even made with eco-friendly materials such as recycled soda bottles.

Voltaic Systems is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, offering the solar backpacks at reduced prices. For the OffGrid backpack, which has a suggested retail price of $199, early bird backers can nab the backpack for $119 or $149. The suggested retail price for the Array backpack is $379, but Kickstarter backers can grab the backpack for $219 or $279. Voltaic Systems is also offering add-ons like a camera bundle which offers storage for cameras and lenses. You can purchase a solar backpack through the Kickstarter campaign here.

+ Voltaic Systems

+ Voltaic Systems Kickstarter

Images via Voltaic Systems Facebook and Voltaic Systems Kickstarter

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South African office building was designed to keep its occupants healthy

The office building is located in Sandton, area situated within the metro area of Johannesburg, South Africa. It replaced a single-storey building constructed in 1991 that was being dwarfed by neighboring developments. MDS Architecture designed the building to manage heat build-ups of its west-facing facade and control glare issues. The west-facing facade features massive, full-height fins that mitigate excessive sunlight, while the north-facing façade is fully glazed, opening up the office spaces to views across Bryanston.

The building has energy efficient lighting and cooling, as well as smart waste management systems and reduced water consumption. Its construction significantly cut carbon emissions through the use of more than 60% total recycled content for all steel elements. The quantity of Portland cement was reduced by over 30% across all concrete mixes used during construction, while the use of PVC was cut by more than 30% on the project through the use of alternative products. Secure bicycle storage spaces, showers, change rooms and lockers provided in the building encourage a healthy lifestyle among the occupants.

+ MDS Architecture

Photos by Mike Pawley