Archinect - News

Win the Sumo Air inflatable lounger!

2016-08-26T12:13:00-04:00

From beach trips to music festivals to picnics, have easy access to comfort with the new Sumo Air Lounger. Thanks to our friends at Sumo Lounge, Archinect is giving away four Sumo Air loungers to our readers!

Read on for more and how to enter the giveaway.

Best known for their beanbag chairs, the Sumo Air lounger is light, portable, and doesn't require extra assembly equipment. Unfold the lounger, inflate it with air, and quickly seal it. (It's perfect to inflate in windy places like the beach, otherwise you might need some agility and a strong-enough breeze to do this part). Then sink into the Sumo Air, and relax.

Photos: Sumo Air.

Available in a variety of colors, the Sumo Air is made of top-quality waterproof 300 Grade Ripstop Nylon and comes in a carrying bag. Plus, it's equipped with a phone/tablet/magazine holder, a bottle/cup holder, bottle opener, and a tent peg to ground the lounger for firmness.

Archinect is giving away the Sumo Air in Black, Red, and Sky Blue.

TO ENTER THE GIVE...

designjunction 2015 happens next week in London!

2015-09-15T05:51:00-04:00

designjunction 2015 is happening soon on September 24-27! As part of the 2015 London Design Festival, designjunction will showcase nearly 200 cutting-edge international contemporary design brands inside The College and the Victoria House, located across each other along London's Southampton Row.

Visitors are guaranteed to find something that will catch their eye from the distinct range of designers and pop-up stores exhibiting this year. Visitors can also check out talks, live workshops, eateries, and a children's charity auction that will showcase 21 artistic interpretations of the iconic Eames Elephant.

Inside the Victorian-era College — the former home of Central Saint Martins — over 100 brands will showcase their latest cutting-edge designs, including new product launches. Designjunction will take over five floors of the Lethaby building and other stunning spaces within the campus.

Across the street, the Victoria House will show off a mix of more than 50 high-end pop-up stores and ...

Sneak peek: What's in store for designjunction 2015 in London

2015-09-05T04:15:00-04:00

As part of the London Design Festival, the designjunction 2015 tradeshow brings together a stellar international group who are at the top of their game in contemporary interior design. Taking place at The College and the Victoria House along London's Southampton Row from September 24-27, visitors are guaranteed to find something that will catch their eye from nearly 200 brands. This year's designjunction will feature a distinct range of pop-up stores, talks, live workshops, eateries, and a children's charity auction that will showcase 21 artistic interpretations of the iconic Eames Elephant.

Planning a trip to designjunction? Read on to learn more about what to expect this year.

Be on the lookout for He...

Prepare your emergency survival kit with inspiration from some of the Dry Futures competition prize packages

2015-08-27T16:40:00-04:00

Whether you're venturing out into nature doing long-term research for a project or you're preparing for the next natural disaster that may strike your city, it's always a good idea to have a survival kit ready if things go awry and an emergency arises. If you haven't prepared a kit and need some starter suggestions on what to pack, Archinect hand-picked a selection of survival products that were kindly provided by a group of reputable brands for our Dry Futures design competition. The top three prizes in each category will include these custom survival kits.

Naturally, staying as healthy as possible is crucial in any survival situation. Devoted to creating durable everyday products equipped with life-saving capabilities, Life Gear's "Wings of Life" and "Grab and Go" Survival Packs include lightweight water-resistant backpacks to carry their accompanying essentials, including: 3-day supply of food and water for one person, poncho/thermal blanket, tarp, personal hygiene and first-aid...

designjunction 2015 heads to The College and the Victoria House in London, Sept. 24-27

2015-08-21T20:47:00-04:00

Now in its fifth edition, the designjunction tradeshow is back for 2015 on September 24-27, this time at The College and the Victoria House in London's Southampton Row. As part of the upcoming 2015 London Design Festival, designjunction will showcase the latest products and cutting-edge designs from over 100 leading international brands. Visitors will also get to check out pop-up stores, talks, live workshops, and eateries aplenty.

Read on for more info:

As the former home of the Central Saint Martins, the Victorian-era College will serve as a distinct backdrop for the designjunction exhibition, which will take over five floors of the Lethaby building and other stunning spaces within the campus.

A life-sized Underground Station installation by Camilla Barnard will pop up next to the TfL cafe, and a Leading Seminar Programme will also take place. The seminar's "Design for a Reason" theme will discuss how issues like sustainability and digital developments affect the design process in t...

Celebrating concrete architecture in a mini "block party"

2015-07-15T13:04:00-04:00

Long inspired by historic modernist concrete structures throughout the last century, Mumbai-based product designers Nitin Barchha and Disney Davis of Material Immaterial made an artful ode to concrete's lasting architectural influence in "SPACES", a collection of miniature blocks cleanly carved into charming homes.

The designers made each humble yet sophisticated abode using a particular concrete mix to replicate the material's smooth finish. Each of the nine pieces — which measure at 62 x 62 x 51 millimeters — has its own design of volumes and voids that enable numerous arrangements when grouped altogether in the central "Kund".

h/t Ignant

Check out more of these crafty architectural designs on Archinect:

Stephanie Clark’s embroidered architecture

Artist Charles Young crafts mini paper metropolis on the daily

These "Stalaclights" are a witty tribute to the forever-growing skyscraper

Deconstructing architectural icons, with gifs!

"Birdbnb" exhibits elaborate birdhouse replicas of over 50 ...

Immerse yourself in 100%DESIGN's "Design in Colour" in London this September. Register now!

2015-06-30T05:25:00-04:00

100%DESIGN is packing an extra punch of color this time around. Since its humble beginnings in a tent along London's King's Road back in 1995, 100%DESIGN has grown year after year into the UK's largest trade show that promotes global top-notch design and creativity. Over 20,000 attendees in the architecture and design community will gather at the show's new location, Olympia London, on September 23-26, 2015.

Centrally themed "Design in Colour", the three-day event will span across two levels and be divided into five sections: Interiors, Design & Build, Kitchens & Bathrooms, Workplace, and Emerging Brand. The popular "Talks with 100%Design" program will also take place once again, featuring headlining speakers like British designer Ilse Crawford.

From L to R: North Limited, Designheure, and Antonio Lupi. Photos courtesy 100%DESIGN.

100%DESIGN worked closely with several collaborators such as trend forecasters WGSN to bring to life the sensory experience of the use of color in interior d...

These artists revamp familiar U.S. landmarks into hypnotizing animations

2015-05-05T19:07:00-04:00

The Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and the Space Needle come to life in a growing series of U.S. landmark animations created by illustrators Kirk Wallace and Latham Arnot t. In this collection, Wallace's background in computer science is hinted at through his signature computer icon-like style that he always balances with fun and some bright color. Then, Arnott adds the finishing touch by transforming Wallace's pictograms into hypnotizing GIFs.

The illustrations are available for purchase as prints, which Wallace prints in his studio. Perhaps these aren't your old stomping grounds or your favorite landmarks, but more cities are expected to be added over time.

These "Stalaclights" are a witty tribute to the forever-growing skyscraper

2015-01-28T14:06:00-05:00

Dutch designer David Graas playfully reimagines the natural forms of cave stalactites and the perpetually increasing height -- and number -- of skyscrapers in a collection of 3D-printed bulb shades called Stalaclights.

The Stalaclights are characteristic of Graas' eccentric yet sophisticated approach in his product designs: "Nowadays every major city is dominated by high rise buildings. Their height steadily increasing in time...If you would imagine these cities turned upside down it would look just like stalactites growing from the ceiling of a limestone cave." The shades were also inspired by Art Deco-era styles, when the first skyscrapers forever changed the cityscapes of major metropolises like New York and Chicago.

The Stalaclights are available online for about $210 each (€185.00) on Graas' 3D-printing label LAYERS.

BIG + KILO launch "BIG Cities" tableware for Rosenthal's Gropius-inspired collection

2014-05-22T14:38:00-04:00

It's all in the details with BIG + KILO's newly launched "BIG Cities" tableware collection. The longtime Danish collaborators worked with major porcelain manufacturer Rosenthal to craft the table set for the company's TAC collection. The collection was first developed in the 1960s and includes designs based on those of Walter Gropius and his historic Boston firm The Architects' Collaborative — or TAC.

The pieces bring present-day appeal to any table setting with minimal, geometric forms that draws its style roots from Bauhaus. At first glance, the thin blue lines etched onto the white porcelain look like an abstract motif.

But taking a closer look reveals the silhouettes of famous architectural landmarks like the Brandenburg Gate, the Eiffel Tower, or Big Ben as well as some recognizable city skylines like Sydney, Moscow, Tokyo, Istanbul, New York, and of course Copenhagen.

Dinner and charger plates are available six different variants each, while all other pieces in the collection com...

Cradle to Cradle Innovation Challenge 2013 Winners reinvent safe, sustainable building products

2013-11-18T13:59:00-05:00

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and Make It Right honored the winners of their Innovation Challenge on Nov. 15 at the Innovation Celebration in New York City. The challenge was established in 2012 as a chance for innovators to reinvent and respond to the issues on how building products are designed, manufactured, and consumed.

Starting from 144 applicants to 10 finalists, the jury chose four winners:

1st place: bioMASON biobrick
2nd place: Ecovative Mushroom Insulation
3rd place tie: ECOR Universal Construction Panels and ROMA Domus Mineral Paints

Ecovative is also the winner of the 2013 Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

The scent of an Apple product, sourcing the Macbook Pro fragrance

2012-04-17T12:21:00-04:00

A distinctive scent can be observed when unwrapping a newly purchased Apple product from its packaging. Apple fans will certainly recognize this smell. The scent created for Greatest Hits encompasses the smell of the plastic wrap covering the box, printed ink on the cardboard, the smell of paper and plastic components within the box and of course the aluminum laptop which has come straight from the factory where it was assembled in China.

Live/Work Design Contest Calls for Submissions

2012-03-02T19:19:00-05:00

Got a brilliant design idea in the live/work realm that is ready to take the world by storm? Well, now is your time to shine: Our friends at Dwell teamed up with Design Within Reach and launched the Live/Work Design Contest, which challenges designers to create a workspace “classic of tomorrow” – a new home-office solution that DWR could potentially manufacture and sell. Dwell will host the DWR-sponsored contest through the end of June [...].