Industrial Designer David Irwin's Molded Chair Prototyping Process

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Do people care how their furniture is made? They might, if you showed them. A recent exhibition put on by Proof of Concept, a design platform that explores production methods, revealed the prototyping process behind David Irwin's Baleen Lounge Chair. It shows the public the unfamiliar-to-them stage where you have to manually create affordable stand-ins for industrial processes in order to produce an initial, well, proof of concept.

Irwin, a Northern Irish industrial designer and Assistant Professor at Northumbria University's School of Design, explains what you're looking at:

Maintenance Mode

Valbona Early Childhood Education Center / Colucci&Partners

© Carlotta Di Sandro architects: Colucci&PartnersLocation: Lozzo Atestino, ItalyProject Year: 2024Photographs: Carlotta Di SandroArea: 803.0 m2

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London loft extension by Office S&M explores "how far cork can go"

London studio Office S&M has used cork as cladding, insulation and flooring in this mansard extension to a house in Walthamstow, which is enlivened by bright yellow details.

Aptly named Cork Loft, the extension has created space for an additional bedroom and bathroom, marking the first phase of a wider renovation of the Victorian terraced home.

The homeowners tasked Office S&M with prioritising sustainability in its material choices, which led the studio to "exploring how far cork could go" and using it to replace traditional building materials wherever possible.

"Through detailed research, we...

Balmuda designs handless alarm clock for phoneless bedtime

Japanese brand Balmuda has created a white-noise-producing alarm clock with a glowing dial to reduce smartphone use at bedtime.

Machined from a block of aluminium, the high-end alarm clock was designed to make falling asleep easier.

"Getting a good night's sleep – it was so easy as a child, but it's so difficult as an adult," explained Balmuda CEO Gen Terao.

"Every day is busy, and we have to think about tomorrow. For the past few years, I've often been playing the sound of rain on my tablet or other devices to help me fall asleep," said...

Venice Biennale unveils renovated Central Pavilion

The Central Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale is set to reopen for this year's Venice Art Biennale, following a restoration by Italian architecture studio Labics and architect Fabio Fumagalli.

Overseen by the Venice Biennale's Special Projects team, led by architect Arianna Laurenzi and engineer Cristiano Frizzele, the revamp has reorganised exhibition spaces at the Central Pavilion, which hosts events for the Venice Art Biennale and Venice Architecture Biennale on alternating years.

Labics and Fumagalli began the restoration of the 1895 brick building in Venice's Giardini della Biennale in December 2024, working with...

Brick Bonds book celebrates "the skill and craft of bricklaying"

Graphic designer Melissa Price shines a light on the anatomy of the humble brick and the variety of bricklaying techniques used in construction in her book Brick Bonds.

Printed to the dimensions of a standard UK brick, the book was designed and printed by Price as a guide that illustrates "the full range of bonds in a simple form".

It follows 10 years of research into the history of bricklaying and the wide range of bond patterns, which she feels are often overlooked or written about in a highly technical way.

"The subject matter for my...

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Если вы цените то, что публикуете; хотите, чтобы оно не пропало и чтобы аудитория не потеряла к нему доступ, дальновиднее писать в блоге у себя, на собственном сайте. Я для этого использую и рекомендую вам...

Swiss Alpine Cabin Reconstruction / Guča arch.

© Matej Hakár architects: Guča arch.Location: Ingenbohl, SwitzerlandProject Year: 2025Photographs: Matej HakárArea: 71.0 m2

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Kéré Architecture designs perforated brick health clinic in Burundi

Berlin studio Kéré Architecture has revealed its design for the Ineza Clinic, which will step up a hillside in rural Burundi within a series of brick pavilions.

Designed for the city of Bubanza, around 30 miles north of Burundi's capital, the health centre will be built from predominantly local materials to reduce the cost of transportation.

Taking advantage of the site's topography, the health facility will consist of 10 buildings arranged on either side of a zigzagging road that progresses up a hill. Kéré Architecture said this arrangement will also facilitate cross ventilation.

At the...