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“It’s about a change in consciousness that leaves a memory,” [Ed] Cooke said of the project. “Can people have an experience where they touch some new territory of consciousness, not in a way that is like an altered state, but one that actually leaves a trace?” — The New York Times
The 50-ton space, which is suspended some 34 feet above the ground, has a capacity of 250 people and was promoted by co-designer Merijn Royaards as a “sensory laboratory that [...] bends time, expands consciousness, and punctures our perception of reality” at the project’s announcement... View full entry
The Shed at New York City’s Hudson Yards has unveiled plans for a new, temporary 65-foot spherical concert hall feature to be placed inside the arts venue’s McCourt performance space this summer. The space is the product of architectural designers Ed Cooke, Merijn Royaards, and Nicholas... View full entry
3D experience pioneer Squint/Opera has been acquired by the digital agency Journey in a move announced on November 1 by the newly-formed entity. The merger will enable both to pursue an expansion of their services at a time when the industry is seeing an increase in demand thanks to the advent of... View full entry
Associate Professor Derek Ham, Ph.D. has been appointed as the department head of Art + Design at the North Carolina State University College of Design. Ham has taught at the College of Design since June 2015 and was recently promoted from assistant professor. "I am thrilled to announce that Derek... View full entry
International architecture and design firm NBBJ announced today that it has acquired experience design studio ESI Design. In joining one another, NBBJ and ESI Design will be able to capitalize on their multidisciplinary team to introduce digital experiences earlier in the design process, giving... View full entry
The lobby of an Art Deco office building in Boston has been transformed into an immersice digital experience that reacts to users' movements. Unreal Engine, the gaming engine behind Fortnite, Playstation, and many other gaming products, powers the ESI Design-created interactive mural and uses... View full entry
With the rise of e-commerce titans and online shopping services like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay brands have entered a precarious position in terms of satisfying consumer demand while maintaining interest within retail stores. With the rise of online availability, the need for items can be... View full entry
Generally depicted as a place filled with lush greenery surrounded by life and abundance, The Garden of Eden is referenced in literature, film, and design. In religious texts, those familiar with the book of Genesis read about Eden and its detailed reference to "Paradise." A place filled with... View full entry
...the new property is not to sell products. Instead, Shinola aims for the hotel to be a place where Detroiters and out-of-town visitors can bond with each other, the city, and the brand in an organic way. — Hour Detroit
The Detroit-based watch company is a fundamental entity within the city. Founded in 2011, the humble watch company built its first factory by transforming 30,000 square feet of unused space inside Detroit's historic Argonaut Building. A brand built on quality, hard work, and the spirit of Detroit... View full entry
Nike, the multi-billion dollar retail company has transformed the sports industry since its original debut in 1970's when they were formerly known as Blue Ribbon Sports. Today, the multinational corporation has flagship stores all over the world. As innovative as they are with their shoe and... View full entry
The central disappointment of these spaces is not that they are so narcissistic, but rather that they seem to have such a low view of the people who visit them. Observing a work of art or climbing a mountain actually invites us to create meaning in our lives. But in these spaces, the idea of “interacting” with the world is made so slickly transactional that our role is hugely diminished. Stalking through the colorful hallways of New York’s “experiences,” I felt like a shell of a person. — The New York Times
In this snarky piece, New York Times critic-at-large Amanda Hess recounts what it was like visiting as many of these hyped-up Instagrammable "museums" that have popped up around the U.S. in recent years. “What began as a kicky story idea became a masochistic march through voids of meaning. I... View full entry
London is pure object in these images and likewise in those taken from the other aforementioned viewing points. Like visitors to a museum, we wander the corridors atop the Switch House and observe the artefacts curated for our all-consuming gaze: a shard, a walkie-talkie, a gherkin, etc. Like Tower Bridge, the new Museum of London, Battersea Power Station and the Tate Modern, the skyline of the city is presented as a display – complete with its own exhibition gift shop. — failedarchitecture.com
George Kafka argues that London's trend in preservation and commemoration in the built environment is directly related to the decline of small-scale spaces and small businesses centered around everyday life. Kafka cites recent developments in London's built environment over the past few years... View full entry
Engineer Ryan Martinson uses his cartooning skills to explore why and how to better incorporate social equity goals into transportation planning Equity & Mobility, a 12-page comic article published in the Summer issue of Transportation Talk," the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineer's quarterly newsletter. — planetizen.com
The Canadian Institute for Transportation Engineers newsletter showcases a comic strip addressing social equity in transportation design. The article looks at how planning decisions can be affected by a biased user experience design process affecting who is included in our transportation... View full entry
Architecture studio KieranTimberlake used passive strategies to cool their new Philadelphia office building and installed 300 sensors to record data on how it was performing. Along with their network of sensors, the firm also developed an app called Roast for their employees to rate how they... View full entry
The Museum of the Bible recently opened in Washington, D.C. packed with screens and interactive exhibits. The 430,000-square-foot building was designed by SmithGroup JJR and cost a total of $500 million. Formerly a refrigerated warehouse, this space has been turned into quite an extravaganza. The... View full entry