BMW's iX Flow concept car can change colour "at the touch of a button"

Car brand BMW has unveiled an updated version of its electric iX SUV at the Consumer Electronics Show that can change colour from black to white in order to suit the driver's mood and conserve electricity.

Dubbed iX Flow, the concept car is wrapped in a kind of "digital paper" that is also used to form the screen of the Kindle e-reader.

This can change colour in one fluid motion when prompted by an electrical impulse, making it possible for the driver to match their car to their personal style or the weather.

The BMW iX Flow concept was presented at CES

"Similar to fashion or the status ads on social media channels, the vehicle then becomes an expression of different moods and circumstances in daily life," said Stella Clarke, who headed up the iX Flow project at BMW.

Turning the car reflective white on sunny days and heat-absorbing black in the cold could also help to cut the electric vehicle's energy consumption, thereby increasing its range.

The car's exterior can change colour from white to black

The iX Flow was presented at CES as part of a digital programme live-streamed from Germany and, according to BMW, is "the first car in the world whose exterior colour can be changed at the touch of a button".

The digital paper used to wrap the car was originally developed by students of MIT's Media Lab and functions with the help of traditional ink pigments used in the printing industry.

The colour can be changed to black on cold days to absorb heat

Each sheet contains millions of microcapsules, about as wide as a human hair, filled with negatively-charged white pigments and positively-charged black pigments.

Stimulating these capsules with electricity will prompt the chosen colour ink to move to the surface of the capsule, becoming visible from the outside.

Unlike traditional screens, the digital paper does not emit light and only uses power to change colour, not to maintain it.

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To mould the plastic sheet to the contours of the vehicle, BMW developed a triangle mesh pattern using a generative algorithm, which was laster-cut into precise segments.

After being fixed to a layer of circuitry, the entire bodywrap was warmed and sealed to create a seamless finish.

Digital paper is laser-cut into a triangle mesh and wrapped around the car

Although BMW has not yet announced plans to integrate the technology into its actual fleet, the carmaker is currently working on adapting it for different parts of the car, including the interior.

Future applications could include a colour-changing dashboard that won't overheat and a flashing exterior that can help the driver find their car.

The car needs no electricity to hold its colour

A number of other carmakers have developed concepts for vehicles that can change their hue or shape, but for now these they exist only as renders.

The Vision Next 100 concept by MINI has a colour-changing roof while the body of Renault's Morphoz can be expanded for long-distance travel or compacted to fit into small parking spots.

The Consumer Electronics Show is taking place in person in Las Vegas for the first time since the start of the pandemic until 7 January 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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British engineer Max Fordham dies aged 88

Max Fordham, a British engineer and "pioneer of sustainable building design", has passed away at the age of 88.

The news of Fordham's death on 4 January was announced yesterday by his eponymous engineering firm, Max Fordham LLP.

"Max's creativity and passion will be sorely missed," the studio said. "The legacy of his vision will continue to inspire. Our thoughts are with all of his family at this difficult time."

Top image: engineer Max Fordham has passed away at the age of 88. Above: he was an engineer behind Neave Brown's Alexandra Road Estate. Photo is by Jonframe1 via Wikimedia Commons

Fordham founded the building services firm Max Fordham & Partners with his late wife Thalia 'Taddy' Fordham in 1966. It transitioned into Max Fordham LLP in 2001.

The firm, which employs over 250 people, was the first business in the British construction industry to become a Limited Liability Partnership. Today it is co-owned by 119 partners.

According to the practice, Fordham's work prioritised creativity and "ensuring human comfort by giving buildings heat, power, water and ventilation in a sustainable and elegant way".

"Max was an acclaimed engineer and pioneer of sustainable building design," it said.

"‘He resisted pigeonholing into the conventional boxes of mechanical or electrical engineering, and was always interested in the whole building," the studio added. "He took a creative, but essentially practical, approach to building services design."

Fordham also led the engineering on Tate St Ives. Photo is by Nilfanion via Wikimedia Commons

Among Fordham's most notable projects is the Alexandra Road Estate by Neave Brown and Tate St Ives by David Shalev and Eldred Evans, as well as the Judge Institute Cambridge by John Outram.

After handing over the running of the practice to his fellow partners in 2000, the studio worked on projects including the Tate Modern Switch House by Herzog & de Meuron and the MAXXI National Museum of the XXI Century Arts by Zaha Hadid Architects.

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Born in June 1933, Fordham began his career in engineering working at Arup, which was known then as the Building Group, until founding his studio.

Alongside practising as an architect, Fordham was a lecturer and teacher, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

His practice Max Fordham LLP led the engineering on the Tate Modern Switch House. Photo is by Jim Stephenson

His achievements and contribution to the field were also recognised in many awards, which include the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Gold Medal, an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to engineering and the Prince Philip Designers Prize by the Royal Society of Art where he was recognised as "a pioneer of environmental design for buildings".

Fordham continued to work into his 80s, designing his own house in collaboration with Bere Architects that reached completion in 2019. The home, an all-electric and ultra-low energy structure in London – won a RIBA Sustainable Prize in the same year.

Other recent projects for which Max Fordham LLP has led the engineering include Sands End by Mae Architects, Museum of the Home by Wright & Wright and Maggie's Leeds by Heatherwick Studio.

Fordham's portrait is courtesy of Max Fordham LLP.

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SOM unveils Shenzhen bank tower enclosed in diagrid

Architecture firm SOM has completed its headquarters for Shenzhen's Rural Commercial Bank, a steel-wrapped office building with an exterior that resembles an exoskeleton.

Located on the edge of a public park in one of Shenzhen's business districts, the 33-storey, 158-metre-tall tower is distinguished by its external steel diagrid, which is both a structural and solar-shading element.

The diagrid has the effect of supporting the building from the exterior, which enables column-free and flexible interior layouts and partially shields the tower from sunlight.

It reduces solar heat gain by an estimated 34 per cent, according to the studio.

SOM designed the Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters to suit Shenzhen's tropical climate

"We're always exploring opportunities to synthesise inventive engineering solutions with architectural design," said Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) design partner Scott Duncan.

"The Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters gave us the chance to incorporate a diagrid — similar to an exoskeleton — that pulls the structure to the exterior and effectively suspends the tower within to create column-free workspaces."

The building's exterior diagrid provides structural support while reducing solar heat gain

The diagrid forms a lattice-like pattern on the outside of the building. Its diamond shapes widen at the building's base to create entryways and provide framed views of the surrounding park and the nearby South China Sea.

"We explored numerous exoskeleton systems and determined that this particular density of diagrid provided the best balance of structural stiffness, exterior solar shading and interior daylighting levels and views," Duncan told Dezeen.

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Daylight-responsive sunshades and natural ventilation add to the building's energy efficiency. Two vertical atria span the height of the tower and are meant to function as its lungs, allowing it to "breathe".

Automated louvres let fresh air into the atria, and when the climate is pleasant, employees can open and close vents on their floor to allow that air through to their offices.

Wider sections at the base provide entry points and frame views of the park

The building's interior design was guided by Feng Shui principles that link water and wealth. Encircled by a reflecting pool, the lobby also features a wall of water by the main entrance and a 15-metre-high "rain curtain", with droplets of water cascading down thin translucent filaments.

As well as providing an aesthetic feature, the rain curtain has an evaporative cooling effect on the building.

Striated marble wall cladding on the elevator core is also meant to evoke water and its effect on stone.

The interior design of the building references the look and feel of water

Small gardens, seating areas and consultation suites also feature on the ground floor, while the tower is topped by operable walls and an outdoor deck.

The Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters was completed in 2021 and contains 94,049 square metres of floor space. The tower is LEED Platinum certified and is targeting a China Green Star certification.

The diagrid structure means interior spaces can be column-free

SOM's work on the project extended to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing, and structural and civil engineering.

The Chicago-based architecture practice was founded by Louis Skidmore, Nathaniel Owings and John Merrill in 1939.

Its best known buildings include the tallest building in the world, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, and New York's One World Trade Center, while its recent projects include the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in Manhattan and the SPLAM experimental engineered wood pavilion.

The photography is by Seth Powers.

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Cobalt-blue accents brighten interior of family apartment in Thane

The Act of Quad has introduced a smattering of blue furnishings and fittings to this high-rise apartment, renovated by the design studio in the Indian city of Thane.

The cobalt touches create a vibrant contrast inside the otherwise neutral-toned 101-square-metre home, which is shared by a middle-aged couple, their two daughters and a pet cat.

The Act of Quad dotted the apartment with cobalt-blue decor features

Mumbai-based The Act of Quad made a handful of structural changes to the apartment during the renovation, knocking down a wall in the entranceway to make the dining area appear larger and extending the third bedroom with the help of a convex partition.

Several sharp corners near the ceiling were rounded off, which the studio said helps to "soften the severity" of the existing architecture.

Ceilings near the entrance were rounded off to soften the existing architecture

The Act of Quad created a number of bespoke furnishings for the space, including a three-legged quartz-topped dining table, a grey L-shaped sofa and a swing that is suspended in front of the apartment's expansive windows, allowing inhabitants to sit and sway while taking in the city views.

The interior is dotted with cobalt-blue accents, ranging from a tubular pendant light in the living room to the laminate that lines the arched drinks cupboard in the corner.

Nearby, one of the chairs features blue piping around its seat cushion and a matching arched backrest.

Several furnishings including the swing were made bespoke by the studio

"When we first suggested cobalt to our clients, they thought it was not a colour for a home," explained Priyanka Itadkar and Falguni Bhatia who lead The Act of Quad. "To them, it seemed very out of the blue."

"Now, our clients say that they can't imagine any other colour in their home," the duo added.

The bed in the younger daughter's room can double up as a sofa

Blue appears again in the younger daughter's bedroom, where cobalt-coloured paint covers a slim wall-mounted rail.

Two back cushions are suspended from the horizontal bar, allowing the adjacent bed to double up as a sofa during the daytime.

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A cosy blue cubby for the cat was integrated into the room's wardrobe and a geometric chair made from waste materials found on-site sits tucked under the desk.

The other bedroom, which belongs to the older sister, is largely dominated by crisp white surfaces.

A blue cubby for the cat is integrated into the wardrobe

But a niche accommodating a small work table is rendered in peachy pink, together with the orbs fixed to the outside of the wardrobe for holding coats or bags.

The studio established a slightly warmer feel in the parents' bedroom, which was designed to evoke the wood-lined hotel suites the couple used to frequent during their holidays in northern India.

Pink spheres fixed to the wardrobe provide storage for bags and coats

Birch plywood was used to craft the room's floor-to-ceiling storage units as well as the bed frame and headboard, while surfaces in the en-suite are clad in a veiny brown stone.

The primary family bathroom is covered with cobalt-blue tiles and has a large organically shaped mirror mounted above the sink.

Birch plywood fittings give the parents' sleeping quarters a warmer feel

The Act of Quad completed another residential project in India just last year, in which the studio merged two Mumbai flats to form a "minimal but playful" home for three generations.

The photography is by The Fishy Project.

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Postmodern architecture celebrated in illustrations by Adam Nathaniel Furman

Designer Adam Nathaniel Furman has created a vividly coloured illustration series called Postmodern Icons, which celebrates buildings such as London's Isle of Dogs Pumping Station and Chicago's James R Thompson Center.

The series is a personal project that Furman started during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, when he decided to revisit an old hobby of sketching buildings that he liked and creating 3D models of them.

After adapting one such model into an illustration and enjoying the process, he decided to make an ongoing series, focusing on postmodernism because there was "a gap" in its artistic representation.

Furman's series mainly focuses on postmodern buildings, such as London's No 1 Poultry

"There's a lot of illustrations of modernist buildings and Victorian buildings and the great monuments of our cities from other periods," Furman told Dezeen. "There are not readily available ones much of postmodern architecture, which is something that I really like."

Often colourful and eclectic, postmodern architecture flourished in the 1980s and 1990s as a pushback against the functional ethos of modernism.

Furman tries to illustrate the buildings in a style that is as simple as possible, using just a few lines and blocks of bright colour to convey their essential character.

For Shin Takamatsu's Syntax building, Furman created a more detailed illustration

For some of the buildings, such as London's No 1 Poultry by James Stirling and Isle of Dogs Pumping Station by John Outram, the result is a highly simplified illustration that Furman describes as containing "just the right amount of information and no more".

Others, such as Kyoto's now-demolished Syntax building by Shin Takamatsu, are rendered in more detail, which Furman considers necessary to communicate the brilliance in Takamatsu's work.

A couple of the illustrations, including ones of Kengo Kuma's M2 and Philip Johnson and John Burgee's AT&T building, appear as an abstract collections of shapes.

Philip Johnson and John Burgee's AT&T building is reduced to abstract symbols

Furman chooses buildings that he loves for his illustrations, focusing largely but not exclusively on postmodernism, although not all his favourites have been suitable for the series.

The subjects have to be able to stand on their own, without their urban context.

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"They are shown as sort of solitary objects floating – like souvenirs, effectively," said Furman. "And I've always been obsessed with souvenirs, just generally."

"If you look, a lot of my design work kind of revolves around the idea of the souvenir, this sort of encapsulation of something standing on its own representing something bigger."

One of Furman's aims is to bring attention to buildings that are under threat, such as Helmut Jahn's newly saved James R Thompson Center

Furman posts the illustrations on Instagram, and sells them as prints and merchandise, such as mugs and tote bags, on his website. He also tries to use the work to call attention to architectural heritage causes.

The designer has illustrated Helmut Jahn's James R Thompson Center in Chicago, which was recently saved from demolition, as well as Wojciech Jarząbek's Solpol building in Wrocław, which earned Furman some ire from Polish commenters.

"I got loads of angry comments from Polish people like 'this disgusting building should be demolished!' – which is the reaction that very often happens to a style when it's not come back into fashion yet," he said.

Wojciech Jarząbek's Solpol building is another that is set for demolition

"The same thing happened with brutalism, and now it's everyone's favourite. Postmodernism is just going through the same thing," he continued.

Known for his colourful and playful designs, Furman considers himself part of a movement he has dubbed New London Fabulous.

His recent work has included the Proud Little Pyramid installation at King's Cross in London and pastel-coloured anatomically shaped chairs that explore cuteness and queerness.

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