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Thursday 27 January 2022

Krista Kim and The Fabricant design “fluid” digital fabric for Nymph clothing collection

A digital model wearing Krista Kim's Nymph collection

Toronto-based artist Krista Kim has created a digital fabric designed to look like water for Nymph, a clothing collection for digital fashion house The Fabricant.

Called Transcendence, the material is designed to "channel the fluidity of water" and has been used on a headdress that forms the main piece in the collection.

"The fabric is inspired by Krista's meditative design approach with a creative gradient that channels the fluidity of water, which comes back in the dynamics of the headdress," Michaela Larosse, head of content at Amsterdam-based The Fabricant, told Dezeen.

Krista Kim designed the collection using a "meditative" technique

The hyper-realistic collection consists of a gothic undergarment, a pair of black thigh-high boots, the Nymph headdress and a Hemdrok jacket – a long shirt historically worn by Dutch people.

While the headdress and shirt are flowing and lightweight, the shoes have a more utilitarian look. Kim and The Fabricant drew on traditional clogs and rain boots for the shoes as part of their research.

"We took a deep dive into the building blocks of Dutch cultural identity, discovering old worlds that gave us new perspectives," said Larosse. "There's a mind-blowing richness to the mythologies and symbolism of our native stories."

"Our folklore is deeply woven with tales of goddesses, spirits and fairies, who influenced our sense of identity and the way we represented ourselves through garments," she added. "It's a visual lineage that demands new life."

The fashion house was also influenced by Dutch rave culture for the collection. This is most evident in the undergarment, which wouldn't look out of place in a rave.

"In Dutch culture today, techno DJs are the new shamans, galvanising tribes of believers with hypnotic beats in collective dance rituals performed for spiritual ascension," explained Larosse.

The collection was designed using Kim's "meditative" design approach, a technique that the artist began using in coronavirus-related lockdowns.

The process sees her practice meditation to enter an altered state of consciousness. Once the artist is in this zone, she begins drawing on multiple digital software programs and high-resolution screens.

"While in quarantine, I became inspired to create my vision of a world of meditativeness; my vision of how the practice of meditation can also be integrated into our every day lives through art, architecture, design and fashion," Kim explained.

Nymph is for sale as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – digital certificates that indicate the ownership and authenticity of digital assets – on digital platform SuperRare.

Other digital fashion items launched by The Fabricant include a pair of virtual Buffalo shoes that appear to be on fire and a unisex garment with claw-like spikes that was created in collaboration with designer Toni Maticevski.

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Unemori Architects and Teco Architects create "park-like" health and childcare centre

Child playing in Kitakami childcare centre by Unemori architects

Japanese studios Unemori Architects and Teco Architects have turned a commercial building in Kitakami, Japan, into a health and childcare support centre, adding a new facade as well as undulating floors and ceilings.

The two studios gutted and converted the first two floors of the eight-storey building using materials including corrugated polycarbonate, wood, and textile mesh to give the space a more tactile feel.

Healthcare centre in Japan — The exterior of the building has been decorated with an undulating eave

The 4,000-square-metre space encompasses health and childcare support facilities as well as a public meeting space for the city of Kitakami.

A glass-fronted facade and sliding doors now welcome visitors into a large entrance area and further into a multi-purpose indoor plaza, with spaces designed to feel more open and relaxed than is usual in commercial buildings.

Ground floor of building with undulating ceiling — A curved ceiling opens the interior up

"In contrast to the existing rigid and closed space, I imagined a space like a park where many people can freely interact and spend time," Unemori Architects founder Hiroyuki Unemori told Dezeen.

"The idea was to create a paradigm for a contemporary conversion of a rational commercial building, which can be found in any city, into a park-like place where people can relax," added Chie Konno, architect at Teco Architects.

Health and childcare centre in Kitakami — The centre welcomes both children and elderly people

The ground-floor plaza, which houses a reception and a cafe, functions as the entrance and waiting area.

From here, visitors can enter surrounding rooms for medical checkups and consulting, as well as an exhibition room, cooking space and childcare support centre.

On the first floor, a community space, temporary nursing room, indoor playground and conference room complete the interior.

Undulating playground by Unemori Architects and Teco Architects — An undulating floor functions as a playground

The architects playfully subverted the building's original interior, which was laid out in simple rectangular grids, by adding undulating ceilings and floors.

By creating the undulating ceiling on the ground floor, the studios ensured there was enough space for medical vehicles, while also adding a wavy floor for the playground above. This floor is partly made from mesh, creating a fun, soft surface for children to play on.

Child playing on net floor — The first floor has a playground space

"We deconstructed the existing rectangular grid with softly undulating floors and ceilings that overlap the rigid structure of the room," the architects said.

"This creates a shift and softness in the space. The dimensions of the undulating ceiling are determined by the height of the ceiling for the examination vehicle and the duct space for the equipment."

"In addition to such functional aspects, the height changes little by little, creating depth of space, also creating the shadows of the light ceiling," the team added.

The architects decorated the exterior of the building, which was built in 1999, with an undulating eave to mirror the new floor and ceiling inside.

Curved ceiling with net cover — The architects choose materials to underline the building's structure

Unemori Architects and Teco Architects also wanted to draw attention to the space's existing structure.

"To show the structure of the original building, we chose transparent materials such as punching metal for the pillars, polycarbonate corrugated sheet for the ceiling, and expanded metal for the slab section," the architects said.

Materials were also chosen to give the space, which is used by everyone from the elderly to very young children, less of a clinical feel.

"We aimed to create an intimate space by using wood as much as possible for the touchable areas so that it can be used by children and the elderly," explained the architects.

Curved ceiling in Kitakami healthcare centre — The centre is located in a commercial building

"In addition, the central entrance square is a versatile space where events can be held, and we aimed to create an open space where anyone can freely visit, for example students for studying, parents that are chatting with other parents and children, and for club activities," the architects added.

The decision to convert an existing building into a care centre, rather than building a new one, could help people reassess existing architecture, according to Konno.

"Even if it is a modern building that does not necessarily have historical value, I think that by making use of that stock and changing its meaning and experience, it's an opportunity to change our perception of other existing stocks," she said.

Inside healthcare centre in Japan — Unemori Architects and Teco Architects designed the project

"I think the diversity and continuity of time created by combining old and new things does have a huge potential," Unemori added.

Unemori Architects and Teco Architects worked together on the project under the moniker UtA/Unemori Teco Associates.

Unemori Architects has previously designed an "earthquake-proof" community centre as part of the rejuvenation of Fukushima, as well as a house in the city of Takaoka that is raised on stilts.

The photography is by Kai Nakamura.

Project credits:

Architecture and furniture: UtA/Unemori Teco Associates
Structural engineers: Design Office MOMI
Mechanical engineers: ZO consulting engineers
Sign design: Nippon Design Center Inc. Irobe Design Institute
Textile design: Talking about Curtains
General contractors: Hazama Ando Corporation, Obara Construction Joint venture group

The post Unemori Architects and Teco Architects create "park-like" health and childcare centre appeared first on Dezeen.

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Wednesday 26 January 2022

Investigation into Glasgow School of Art fire fails to find "definitive cause"

An inquiry into the cause of the fire that destroyed the Glasgow School of Art's Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building in 2018 has failed to reach a conclusion due to insufficient evidence.

Carried out by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) over three years, the report issued yesterday records the exact cause of the fire as "undetermined".

According to the SFRS, this is the result of the extensive damage to the site caused by the fire, and in turn, the loss of potentially vital evidence.

"We were unable to find sufficient evidence to support any credible origin and it has not been possible to establish a definitive cause," concluded SFRS deputy chief officer Ross Haggart.

"Unfortunately, almost everything within the building was severely damaged or consumed in the fire and that included any potential items of evidence that could have provided those answers."

"Hundreds of tonnes" of evidence examined

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh building fire took place on 15 June, as the restoration of the building following an earlier fire in 2014 neared completion.

In the report, it is revealed that fifty per cent of the building was alight within 38 minutes of the firefighters arriving at the site.

Inside the Glasgow School of Art — The Glasgow School of Art by Charles Rennie Mackintosh was destroyed in a fire. Photo is courtesy of the Glasgow School of Art

More than 120 firefighters were needed to extinguish the blaze, with their operations continuing for 10 days after. There were no casualties.

The investigation into the fire, which concluded on 30 September 2021, involved the physical examination of "hundreds of tonnes of fire-damaged debris", according to the SFRS.

Analysis of witness testimonies, CCTV and photographic footage was also involved.

Fire likely to have started on fourth floor

Though the cause of the fire was inconclusive, the SFRS report found that the fire is likely to have started on the building's east side, on or above its fourth floor.

It added that the "uncontrolled fire growth and rapid development" was believed to have been exacerbated by the restoration works and an unlimited air supply fed through a duct system.

"Due to the nature of the ongoing restoration and construction works combined with other factors such as the air supply into the building, the fire was unfortunately able to take hold, spread and ultimately cause catastrophic damage," explained Haggart.

The report adds that the initial observations of the building's exterior following the fire found a "failure of approximately 97 per cent of the windows, severe spalling of the sandstone outer facade, warping of steel beams and severe fire and heat damage to the scaffolding structure that encased the building".

Its roof structure had also perished, alongside the interior timber flooring and ceilings, with just stone, brick and steel structural members remaining.

Architect Steven Holl's extension to the school was also damaged in the event. The building's rain shield sustained heat damage and required replacing.

"We will rebuild"

In 2019, The Times reported that a high-pressure mist suppression system, which was almost completely installed at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building, survived the smaller fire in 2014 "largely intact" and "would have saved" it if it had not been removed.

These claims were rebuffed by the Glasgow School of Art, which claimed the fire in 2014 meant "considerable elements of the system were destroyed or damaged" and left it "unusable".

Glasgow School of Art was completed in 1909 and is the best-known building designed by Mackintosh, Scotland's most famous architect.

Shortly after the blaze, the director of the Glasgow School of Art Tom Inns said that it will be rebuilt.

"It is as vital a part of the Glasgow School of Art's future as it has been for the last 100 years," Inns told Dezeen. "We will rebuild so that 'the Mack' can continue to provide creative inspiration to students, staff and visitors."

The main image is by Jeff J Mitchell.

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Truly flooring collection by Bolon

Dezeen Showroom: Bolon has launched a woven flooring collection called Truly, which features hyper textures and "colour effects and patterns never seen".

Truly was created by Bolon's in-house design team and the brand considers it one of the bravest products it has produced.

"We've been braver than ever before," said Bolon head of product management Klara Persson. "We gave ourselves the freedom to try out and create all that we have been curious about over the years, questioning technical challenges and our own perceptions to innovate new expressions, weaving flooring in colour effects and patterns never seen."

A photograph of Bolon's new flooring called Truly in a teak colour — Truly features bold colours and patterns

The Truly collection includes Anything Everything, a matrix-like grid pattern in shades of intense green, and Disrupt and Discover, a check pattern in threads of white and gold.

There is also a zigzagging pattern called 100%, the soft-toned collage-like design named I See You, and the dark and shining effects of Prexis.

A photograph of Truly, Bolon's new flooring featuring bold patterns in purple — Truly was created by Bolon's in-house design team

The styles in the Truly collection are available as a roll, as tiles measuring 50 by 50 centimetres, or as Bolon Studio tiles. All are made in Sweden with renewable energy and contain recycled material.

Product: Truly
Brand: Bolon
Contact: carmencita.lundsten@bolon.com

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Marjan van Aubel turns solar cells into art with glow-in-the-dark tapestry

Ra tapestry made from solar cells by Marjan van Aubel pictured hung behind a vase with flowers and shown at dusk with glowing blue ring at the centre

Strips of colourful photovoltaic cells are arranged into a geometric pattern to form this artwork, conceived by Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel to bring solar panels from our roofs into our homes.

Named Ra after the ancient Egyptian sun god, the see-through solar tapestry is less than one millimetre thick and was designed to be hung in a window, so that it can cast vivid shadows on the surrounding walls as the light changes throughout the day.

Ra tapestry pictured at daytime hung behind a vase with flowers — The Ra tapestry (above) is made from transparent photovoltaic cells (top image)

When the sun goes down, a ring of electroluminescent paper embedded in the window hanging starts to glow, powered by the energy that was captured by the photovoltaic (PV) cells throughout the day.

Unlike a traditional solar lamp, such as the Sunne light that van Aubel unveiled last year, Ra's purpose is not strictly to provide illumination.

Wallhanging made from solar panels by Marjan van Aubel pictured at dusk, hung behind a vase with flowers — It was designed to be hung in front of windows

Instead, it was designed to show how the latest generation of clear, pliable PVs can have artistic and decorative applications, rather than just functional ones.

"A coloured, transparent surface that is flexible – this gives you a lot of design possibilities," van Aubel told Dezeen. "It becomes a material in itself that you can work with like glass or clay."

"I think it is nice to show that solar energy can become a form of art," she added. "It becomes something desirable, something that we would like to be surrounded by instead of hiding it."

Ra tapestry pictured almost in the dark with a glowing blue ring at its centre — Its colours shift as the sunlight changes throughout the day

Ra uses the same organic PVs as the solar skylight that van Aubel created for the Dubai Expo 2020, but puts them into a more affordable, accessible form.

Also known as plastic solar cells, this third-generation solar technology works with the help of light-absorbing ink that is applied in thin layers, covering nanoparticles of titanium oxide that can convert the captured sunlight into electricity.

This allows the PVs to be printed almost like a magazine but using a thin sheet of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic instead of paper as a backing.

Solar tapestry by Marjan van Aubel pictured at nighttime hung behind a vase with flowers with a glowing blue ring at its centre — A ring of electroluminescent paper at its centre starts to glow at night

Unlike 90 per cent of solar panels today, which are rigid, heavy blocks with PV cells made from silicon, the final result is flexible and can be bent, coloured and integrated into clothing or used to cover cars and building facades.

Organic solar cells are more than 40 times lighter and 1,000 times thinner than their silicon counterparts, meaning they use materials more efficiently while being easier to transport.

The Ra tapestry was designed to show off these advances and the unique aesthetic qualities of the material by using it to create a super-thin, portable wallhanging that can be rolled up like a scroll.

Instead of using a traditional LED light source, which would have added bulk, van Aubel fashioned the glowing ring at the centre of the artwork from a sheet of electroluminescent paper, like the kind found in watch displays and emergency signs.

Its phosphor coating begins to glow when connected to an electrical current, supplied from the tapestry's integrated battery.

Close-up of organic solar cells in blue, yellow and pink in Ra tapestry by Marjan van Aubel — Organic photovoltaics are printed from light-absorbing ink and nanoparticles of titanium oxide

The tapestry is held together without glue so that, much like the solar cells, it can be taken apart and recycled, van Aubel said.

Organic photovoltaics also have a lower energy payback time than any other form of solar panel, meaning it only takes a few months for them to produce as much energy as they consume throughout their production, transport, installation and ultimate recycling.

Yellow metal end of transparent solar tapestry by Marjan van Aubel — The tapestry can be rolled up like a scroll

"For an energy source to be truly renewable, it must produce more energy than it consumes during its lifecycle," van Aubel said.

"The energy payback time of organic photovoltaics is much shorter than traditional photovoltaics and they are made so they can be easily recycled and taken apart," she added.

"If we fill our landscapes with solar fields that cannot be recycled, although they last for more than 40 years, we are postponing the problem into the future."

Ra solar tapestry at night time with glowing ring at its centre throwing colourful shadows on the wall

Sustainability will also be a key topic at the inaugural Solar Biennale, which van Aubel is organising at Rotterdam's Het Nieuwe Instituut this September.

The event will bring together creatives and scientists across disciplines to envision a future where everything is powered by the sun.

The photography is by Pim Top.

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