Bright Skies named Colour of the Year 2022

A cool blue paint colour called Bright Skies has been named Colour of the Year 2022 by paint brand Dulux.

Described by Dulux as "an airy, light blue" the colour was chosen as it "perfectly captures the optimism and desire for a fresh start that is the mood of the moment".

Bright Skies is a cool blue colour reminiscent of the outdoors

"The shared experience of feeling trapped inside and a growing concern for the future of our beautiful yet fragile planet are linked closely to Bright Skies," said Marianne Shilingford, creative director at Dulux UK.

"Right now, people want to feel revitalised and enjoy the freedoms that are returning to them, to look out and bring in new ideas," she told Dezeen.

The colour is meant to capture the optimism associated with 2022

Bright Skies is the 19th colour to be chosen as a Dulux Colour of the Year. It was selected by a range of experts within the design, fashion, interiors, social economics and architecture industries for its "soulful" qualities.

The colour was also recognised for its flexibility, especially at a time when people are navigating hybrid workspaces and adapting to new conditions of travel.

It is the 19th Colour of the Year

"It gives us a much-needed breath of fresh air in the places we live and work," said Shilingford. "For the past year, we have mostly been shut inside, staring out of the window at this colour whilst dreaming of holidays cancelled," she continued.

"Our desire to reconnect with nature and a greater appreciation of the health benefits we get from simply being outdoors has drawn us towards a more biophilic palette in interior design."

According to the panel, the colour choice is part of a trend towards vibrant colours and light tones. This is a move away from previous colours of the year such as Brave Ground, an earthy, neutral colour.

"This year, vibrant colours and light tones are re-emerging – a reflection, perhaps of our need for positivity and a fresh approach," explained Heleen van Gent, head of Dulux's parent company AkzoNobel's Global Aesthetics Centre.

The colour choice marks a return toward vibrant colour trends

Dulux has also developed a variety of complementary colour palettes that can compliment Bright Skies. Among them are bright greens and blues which similarly reflect the current desire for colours associated with nature and the outdoors.

Bright Skies signals a return to pastel colours such as the calming green Tranquil Dawn, a cool-green shade that Dulux selected as its colour of the year for 2020. The colour choice was questioned by interiors editor Michelle Ogundehin, who deemed it a "laconic misty green".

The post Bright Skies named Colour of the Year 2022 appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/2XluTqc

Dezeen makes "massive" reduction to its website carbon emissions

Dezeen has slashed the carbon emissions of its website by two-thirds thanks to a series of code improvements.

The changes, which have reduced emissions by 66 per cent, were introduced last month.

Their impact has been verified by Ecoping, a service that helps websites track and reduce their emissions.

"It's a massive reduction," said Ecoping founder Dryden Williams. "It's all really positive."

Dezeen committed to becoming net-zero by 2025

Dezeen worked with Williams and digital agency Den Creative on the project, which is part of Dezeen's push to become a net-zero business by 2025.

In the two weeks after the changes went live, emissions per page fell from 21 grammes to 7.18 grammes, a reduction of 65.8 per cent.

This has also helped Dezeen load faster, with average load time reduced by 58.3 per cent to 3.5 seconds.

Our carbon footprint fluctuates daily according to audience size and location, the types of content we publish and the amount of renewable power being supplied around the world on a given day.

Ecoping takes into account where in the world data is being served from and tracks the amount of renewable energy used in those locations on a daily basis.

It also takes into account the emissions caused by our readers visiting our site on their computers and phones, working out where in the world they are and calculating the percentage of grid power that comes from renewables.

Scandinavia has high levels of renewable energy, for example, meaning that servers and readers based there produce a low carbon footprint. "The States is the worst," Williams said.

Ecoping calculates that readers' devices account for 52 per cent of our website's emissions, with data centres, networks and production making up the remaining 48 per cent.

Williams called Dezeen out for its high emissions

Dezeen invested in the improvements following a blog post by Williams earlier this year that called out Dezeen's high emissions.

"It boggles the mind really how bad this website is for the world," Williams wrote, noting that the biggest problem was the inefficient way the site serves images to its readers.

Dezeen produces "10 times the average emissions" from comparable sites, Williams wrote. "That adds up to 2.1 billion grams of CO2 per year."

"You would need a forest with 96,600 mature trees to sequester this much CO2," he said.

"There's more work we can do"

Williams said the improvements rolled out last month were "brilliant" but added that "there's more work we can do on the images."

Even with the recent code changes, Dezeen's carbon footprint is substantial. With around 10 million page loads per month, the site emits around 70 tonnes of CO2 each month.

To offset this, last month Dezeen paid for the removal of 1,000 tonnes of atmospheric carbon via nori.com.

Dezeen hopes to make further improvements and lower its carbon footprint even further. But emissions from our website are only part of our footprint.

Dezeen working to understand Scope 3 emissions

The energy used to power our readers' devices when they open our emails is significant, as is the power consumed by third-party services such as newsletter providers, social media platforms and ad servers.

We are working to understand these Scope 3 emissions and will we reduce or offset them as part of our journey towards net-zero.

Williams said that awareness of emissions caused by digital technology is growing fast.

The internet causes around 4 per cent of global emissions, putting it ahead of aviation, and is growing by around 5 per cent per year.

"I do feel that people are getting more conscious of it," he said, referring to the fact that the internet emits more greenhouse gases than the aviation industry. "People are starting to turn their heads a little bit."

The post Dezeen makes "massive" reduction to its website carbon emissions appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3EhP7C8

Glenn Murcutt wins 2021 Praemium Imperiale for architecture

Australian architect Glenn Murcutt has been named the Praemium Imperiale architecture laureate, an honour awarded annually by the Japan Art Association.

Murcutt, who was described in the citation as an "architect ahead of his time", became the first Australian to win the Praemium Imperiale.

Awarded annually, the global arts prize recognises laureates in "fields of achievement not covered by the Nobel Prizes", with winners chosen in architecture, painting, music and sculpture this year all receiving five million yen (£100,000).

Last year's awards were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Glenn Murcutt has designed a series of homes in the US including Marie Short House

Murcutt, who was also the first Australian to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2002 and the AIA Gold Medal in 2009, is one of the country's best-known architects.

"Glenn Murcutt is an architect ahead of his time – an architect who has spent his career creating modest, environmentally responsible buildings rooted in the climate and tradition of his native Australia," said the Praemium Imperiale citation.

"Echoing the Aboriginal phrase 'touch the land lightly', his architecture has a poetic beauty and lightness, in harmony with nature, while at the same time the rationality of modernist architecture and ecological wisdom shine through."

The Australian Islamic Centre is among his recent projects

Born in London to Australian parents in 1936, Murcutt moved to Australia aged five.

He studied architecture at the Sydney Technical College and established his studio in 1969 before designing a series of houses across Australia, including a pavilion-like house in Wahroonga in 1962 and Marie Short House, which was built in 1974.

Simpson-Lee House is an early project by the architect

Murcutt often operates alone and without relying on computer software.

"He works primarily as a solo practitioner, allowing him to create 'uncompromising work'," said the citation.

"He also prefers to work without computers, drawing freehand, finding solutions to design issues instinctively," the statement continued.

"As he says, he is not a creator but a discoverer, adding: 'Every great building is already there but to be discovered. It is not created'."

He also designed the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre

Recent projects by Murcutt include the Australian Islamic Centre in Melbourne and the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre complex in West Cambewarra.

Murcutt also designed the sixth iteration of the MPavilion, a temporary structure with a slender, translucent roof.

Alongside Murcutt, American cellist Yo-Yo Ma won this year's Praemium Imperiale for music while Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado was awarded in painting and American artist James Turrell in sculpture.

The last Praemium Imperiale in architecture was won by American duo Tod Williams and Billie Tsien in 2019. Previous architecture laureates include Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid.

Photography is by Anthony Browell.

The post Glenn Murcutt wins 2021 Praemium Imperiale for architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3C9xbHN

Watch our live talk with Frama at 3 Days of Design

Dezeen has teamed up with Danish design brand Frama and 3 Days of Design to host a live talk about how good design can enhance everyday living to mark the launch of Frama's new book Perception Form. Watch it live from 5:00pm Copenhagen time.

The talk has not started yet. It will start at 5:00pm Copenhagen time (4:00pm London time).

The talk sees Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs speak with Frama's founder and creative director Niels Strøyer Christophersen about his new book Perception Form.

The book features a selection of objects that have found their way into his life over the years and become special to him.

The talk marks the launch of Frama's new book Perception Form

The talk explores how objects can become profoundly significant to people and how the best design can enhance day-to-day life. It will also consider how the coronavirus pandemic has changed our relationship with the objects around us.

The event is being streamed live from the Frama Studio Store in Copenhagen as part of the 3 Days of Design festival.

Talk marks the launch of Perception Form book

The talk marks the launch of Perception Form, which is published by Frama's publishing arm Frama Literature.

During the talk, Christophersen will select some of the objects included in the book and explain their significance to him.

Niels Strøyer Christophersen is founder of Frama

Niels Strøyer Christophersen is the founder and creative director of Frama, a multi-disciplinary design brand that creates lifestyle objects that inspire the senses and encourage mindful living.

With an emphasis on natural materials, simple geometries, and uncompromising quality, Frama’s work connects the imaginative with the practical, resulting in a uniquely warm and honest aesthetic.

This talk takes place on 14 September in Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of 3 Days of Design and is being live-streamed online by Dezeen. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The post Watch our live talk with Frama at 3 Days of Design appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3CdmVhE

Five Part 2 architectural assistant roles in London including positions at Cousins & Cousins and Ron Arad Architects

We've selected five exciting opportunities for Part 2 architectural assistants in London available on Dezeen Jobs this week, including roles at Cousins & Cousins and Ron Arad Architects.

---

Part 2 architectural assistant at Cousins & Cousins in London

Cousins & Cousins is seeking a Part 2 architectural assistant with both freehand and digital visualisation skills to join its studio in London.

The firm recently completed the extension of a terraced house in Hackney, London, which has been designed around a curling, steel-wrapped spiral staircase.

---

Part 2 architectural assistant at Baca Architects in London

Baca Architects has designed a discovery centre in Western Australia, which will be partially submerged in the sea and mimic the appearance of a whale.

The studio is looking for a Part 2 architectural assistant with extensive V-Ray experience to join its team in London.

---

Part 2 architectural assistant at Selencky Parsons in London

Selencky Parsons is looking for a Part 2 architectural assistant to join its studio in London.

Selencky Parsons recently retrofitted a co-living and co-working scheme into a terraced house in north London to accommodate seven post-graduate music students, which features a sound-proofed rehearsal room.

---

Part 2 architectural assistant at Ron Arad Architects in London

Ron Arad Architects is seeking a Part 2 architectural assistant in London with experience working on complex medium to large-scale projects.

The firm designed this twisting tower in Tel Aviv, Israel. The narrow base of the building funnels out gradually as it rises to optimise the site's limited footprint.

---

Part 2 architectural assistant at Holland Harvey Architects in London

Holland Harvey Architects transformed a disused supermarket to create a homeless shelter in north London called Shelter from the Storm.

The studio has an opportunity for a Part 2 architectural assistant or recently qualified architect to join its growing London team.

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs ›

The post Five Part 2 architectural assistant roles in London including positions at Cousins & Cousins and Ron Arad Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/2YUzmkl