YUP!

That be   s n o w ! Today, 04/21/21

​Ahhh,  SPRING -  

I love circular house designs, they are so out of the box…literally! Usually, I see them in cabins and rarely at a larger scale but Circle Wood by Mobius Architekci has taken it to the next level. This stunning circular home is clad in okume wood which was chosen to make the structure blend into the surrounding pine forest. The Warsaw-based architectural firm drew inspiration from a large cut tree trunk for the shape of the home.

Circle wood is a 400 sqm building complete with an overhanging oval frame that encloses the garage as well as an open spa area – all very well ’rounded up’ so the zones seamlessly flow into one another. Every part of the design from its form, the material, and the color palette was carefully chosen so that it would merge into the landscape and also offer privacy to the residents. The exterior features elegant and knotless panels of okume wood that were sourced from West Africa. This choice of cladding material was also instrumental in making the residence naturally blend into the pine forest.

“I thought of the house as a big piece of a tree trunk. Designing through reduction looked like hewing pockets of rooms and cozy, semi-private, glazed alcoves into the wood. Consequently, users can feel as if they are continuously strolling through the trees. It is full of glazing that blurs the boundaries. The plot offers the freedom, or rather intimacy of communing with nature and architecture,”
said Przemek Olczyk, lead architect and founder of Mobius Architekci.

The modern home has been designed for an art lover and collector who did not wish to hide away from the surroundings but also wanted it to be an intimate space. The interiors have been inspired by the flow of a private art gallery. Every element was picked out keeping the beauty of nature in mind so that it would complement the location while creating a visual harmony between the outside and inside. One of the most beautiful parts of this house is the central atrium which rises up towards the sky and brings in plenty of daylight and forest views. Another striking piece in the house is the ribbon-like, white, gigantic staircase which adds to the artistic aesthetic. This is going on the list of my dream homes and if I ever happen to get one, you best believe ill be running in ‘circles’ around it!

Perhaps one of the most simple and smart details I’ve ever seen on furniture, Bjarke Ballisager’s Together and Apart Table uses a sawtooth cutout pattern to turn the unassuming wooden block into a table that can adjust its height on the fly! “The primary unit consists of two wedges that interlock at a saw-toothed surface, allowing them to fit together at any of many different levels”, says Ballisager, a New York-based designer and architect.

The two wedges, made out of solid white oak, can be interlocked in a variety of ways, allowing the product to function as a stool, laptop stand, or even a bedside table, thanks to its ability to match the height you need. The sawtooth design detail cleverly borrows from mechanisms like the rack and pinion, often seen in elevators, or even in the car’s steering system. What Together and Apart does is simplify them in a way that allows you to easily appreciate the mechanism’s workings while also marveling at how robust the locking is! Besides, given the sawtooth shape’s angular detail, it works in both landscape as well as portrait, allowing you to have a table that spans a variety of heights… just using two cleverly designed blocks of wood!

Designer:  ​ Bjarke Ballisager

Have you ever wished you had a way to print photos, documents, and notes on-the-go? This inkless printer is pocket-sized and connects to your smartphone, letting you print any of your mobile creations. Check out this blog post to find out how this printer can save you money and make you more organized.
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You love your smartphone. But the photos, lists, and documents you create there just stay on the device, never seeing the light of day unless you access them on the screen or print. But since ink is so pricy, you’re likely to print only the essentials. But that’s about to change. The PoooliPrinter L1 Inkless Pocket Printer uses no ink whatsoever, and you can fill it with a variety of printer paper types for things like photos and sticky notes. This inkless printer gives you a physical copy of pretty much anything you’d like to actually hold in your hand.

The PoooliPrinter L1 looks like a cute bird with its beak, eye, and feather design. And the beak isn’t just for aesthetics. It’s a detachable magnet that you can use to display your notes, lists, art, and more. It comes in pastel color options like yellow, pink, blue, and green and the entire printer measures just 3.25 inches square. It’s a fun, whimsical design that’s sure to brighten your mood. But most of all, its size is portable, and fits easily in a handbag or backpack. This is ideal for creative professionals, small business owners, busy students, and parents. With these design elements in mind, let’s take a closer look at this cool new gadget.
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How does this innovative printer work?
If you’re wondering how this printer prints without ink, you wouldn’t be alone. In fact, this inkless printer uses a process called inkless thermal printing to imprint the image of your choice on the specially designed paper rolls. So no ink is used, and you reduce costs. According to the company’s website, the printer supports black color printing, but with the pink and blue paper rolls, you can also print pink and blue.

​How does this portable printer connect and charge?
The PoooliPrinter L1 connects to your devices via Bluetooth with its free app. It has a Micro USB port and comes with a USB recharge cable. A full battery should last you for 24 hours. So you won’t have to constantly worry about recharging this inkless printer.

The PoooliPrinter L1 is an innovative printer, perfect for people on-the-go or who want to be more organized. Its thermal printing process is economical and fast, printing out photos, documents, notes, and more in mere seconds. The wide assortment of paper rolls gives you flexibility depending on what you want to print. Finally, the Poooli app makes editing your work easy and fun.

The PoooliPrinter L1 Inkless Pocket Printer costs $59.95, and you can buy it on the company’s official website. Would you use a portable, inkless printer? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Established in 2005 and based in Kuala Lumpur, Eleena Jamil Architect (EJA) has earned a reputation as one of Malaysia’s leading architectural practices. 

Text description provided by the architects. The ‘End-lot’ House is a remodelled urban home located in Bangsar, a bustling neighbourhood in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The term ‘end-lot’ is commonly used in Malaysia to describe a house at the end of a row of terraces. The original structure was built in the 1980s with low ceilings and floors split into 4 different levels within a two-storey structure. It also comes with a narrow linear garden along its open boundary. The project came together as an exercise of extending the existing structure to accommodate a couple, their two young children and visiting guests in a comfortable family home. The family wanted a home that is lucid, comfortable, and private with views of the city.

Architects: Eleena Jamil Architect
Area:   272 m²
Year:   2020
Photographs:   David Yeow Photography

​Santiago-based studio 2DM Arquitectos has built a holiday home overlooking the Pacific Ocean that has a cantilevered upper floor to take advantage of the views.

Built in a wooded area around 10 kilometres from the Puertecillo surf beach, the cabin has an angular form that was designed to give the owners sea views.

"The client's requirement was to get the greatest possible view," explained 2DM Arquitectos founder Daniel Diaz.

"In order to achieve that it was necessary to overcome the vegetation that existed between the house and the sea."
The 57-square-metre cabin has a simple arrangement, with a kitchen and living space on the ground floor and a double bedroom and small bathroom above.

​A cantilever supporting the bedroom juts out from the building towards the sea creating a form reminiscent of the bow of a ship.
The public areas on the first floor allows you to be side by side to the surrounding nature with a more restrained look," he continued. "The second floor, on the other hand, allows the viewer to see as far away as possible to achieve the desired Pacific Ocean views."
The cabin was built with an angular steel frame that has bracing to support the cantilever and has been clad with timber painted black.

Within the cabin, the interiors are simply furnished, with full-height windows in both the kitchen and bedroom to take advantage of the views.
The kitchen is divided from the living space, which is arranged around a wood-burning stove, by an angled countertop that doubles as a dining table.

​To continue the exterior aesthetic the kitchen's cabinets were made from slatted timber that was also painted black.
Previous cabins on Dezeen include a modular structure with a steel frame and sheet metal walls designed by Lithuanian studio ŠA Atelier and a black-painted cabin elevated on a single column in a Finnish national park.

Photography is by Nicolás Saieh.

welcome back!

somewhat of a new start, perhaps.

and in respect to that we're introducing a bit of a change-up in terms of structure.
All issues of DR•I up until now have been of a linear construct. I would compose the issue with little concern about the order of articles, or about any ease of navigation between same.

This issue will be somewhat of an experiment as we attempt to  streamline the reader experience.
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Starting this issue we will have a Table of Contents. Click on the image shown - you will be taken directly to the article selected. Use the UP arrow to return to TOP - look for a red arrow in a purple frame, lower right side.

Also, all links to the original article sources will be shown in green. If any other colour it means the source is unavailable. And all editorial comments will be shown in blue, italics and right justified.

The commercial jet will be able to transport 50 passengers at speeds nearing 4,000 miles per hour.
                                                             By MICHAEL VERDON
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A new supersonic commercial airliner was announced on Monday, one that its designer and manufacturer says will reach speeds of Mach 4-plus. Aerion said the AS3 will make its first flight before the end of the decade, with the ability to fly up to 50 passengers for 7,000 miles.

Aerion has already been working on the design of the smaller AS2 supersonic business jet for years and says production will begin in 2023. The company is building a new 100-acre headquarters and production facility in Melbourne, Fla., where it says it will produce 300 AS2 jets. It also recently announced that NetJets, the world’s largest fractional provider, has pre-ordered 20 AS2’s.
Earlier this year, Aerion expanded its partnership with NASA’s Langley Research Center. The company said it plans to accelerate “the realization of commercial high-speed flight and faster point-to-point travel, specifically studying commercial flight in the Mach 3-5 range [2302 mph to 3836 mph].”
“The AS3 forms the next step in our long-term technology roadmap and will bring Aerion’s high Mach flight capability to a broader audience,” said Tom Vice, Aerion chairman and CEO in a statement. Our vision is to build a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours.” Vice did not reveal more than just a shadowy version of the rendering, saying the company would share more of the design later this year.

 “Supersonic flight is the starting point, but it is just that—the beginning. To truly revolutionize global mobility as we know it today, we must push the boundaries of what is possible,” added Vice. “The AS3 forms the next step in our long-term technology roadmap and will bring Aerion’s high Mach flight capability to a broader audience.”

Vice told Robb Report in a recent interview that Aerion would be focused on sustainability, not only with its new facility, but also by using synthetic fuels and a process called direct air capture to lessen carbon dioxide output in the synthetic fuel that its jets will use. Vice also said that the company has created a “boomless” technology that will do away with sonic booms over land. “If you’re sitting in your home, you’re not going to want to hear the rattle of a supersonic jet,” said Vice. “There are now passive shaping technologies, but we’re designing active technologies to mitigate the sonic boom. We have to be a responsible supersonic design company.”

CASONA SFORZA HOTEL
Situated on the sands of Mexico's Puerto Escondido, the Casona Sforza is a tranquil oceanfront hotel inspired by the area's rich heritage. The retreat's unique silhouette borrows from ancient techniques to form a series of varying arches. These curved volumes create dramatic vaulted ceilings on the interior for both private guest rooms and the farm-to-table restaurant. Its 11 suites are all afforded views of the Pacific, while warm, neutral palettes, furnishings made by local artisans, and woven hammocks create light, serene sanctuaries for guests. The complex overlooks a large circular pool that's just steps from the beach.

Casona Sforza opens its doors to guests in December 2020. Bringing community into every aspect; mugs and coffee in every suite, restaurant’s fresh produce all grown and created locally at Pueblo del Sol. Casona Sforza, more than a hotel, is a dream, a home for all, a community project. Our main goal? To make of Casona Sforza, your second casa; all with community and sustainability in mind, where every detail is thought to make you feel at home and safe.
Photos: Casona Sforza

No hate on Peloton, but the Ciclotte Bike has a strong potential to take over the market with its sleek and space-saving design. The Dyson-inspired aesthetics give it a big edge over the traditional stationary bikes, this almost looks like an accent piece for your living room!

The new normal has enforced us to take a hard look at our indoors – and reinvent the services we depended on that are outside our home. One of the major hits in this scene was the gym and fitness department. Not only were your local yoga studios and power workouts now out of the picture, but we also had to look deep inside and bring in the discipline needed to pull this on an everyday basis minus the peer pressure of missing a class. Your workout may be sorted but the next step was to have a workout setup that would match your interior design instead of looking like a hulk-inspired monolithic gadget that takes up half the real estate. The Ciclotte is the solution you need! This Italian-made workout equipment bike can incorporate all your online training sessions and spin class modules while giving you the best form design currently offers. The frame is designed to adapt to the 5 spinning positions and looks like a luxury design that is not an eyesore, especially when not in use.

Your bike should look as fire as you do, to make you feel as fire as you want to be! The Ciclotte is the easy, aesthetic, and luxurious equipment you want as it reflects your aesthetic and your personal style to the max, while keeping you in shape!

Designers: Ciclotte                    

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel's studio has unveiled its proposal for a giant opera house on the waterfront in Shenzhen, China, which will be covered by a curving roofscape.

The Shenzhen Opera House is designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel as a 220,000-square-metre cultural landmark for the Shekou Peninsula, a site overlooking Shenzhen Bay.
Once complete, it will stretch out along the waterfront and count a 2,300-seat opera hall, a 1,800-seat concert theatre and an 800-seat venue for operettas among its many facilities.

According to the studio the architectural design is intended to establish a connection to the sea, celebrating the city's history as a fishing village and its existing promenade.
"Shenzhen has always been in harmony with the South China Sea," explained Nouvel. "The Opera House will welcome and incorporate the sea. They will bolster each other, bond."

The brief, drawn up by the Shenzhen government, asked participants to design a "world-class palace of art" that will later become the centrepiece of its wider masterplan for the city, which involves the construction of nine other cultural landmarks.

Alongside the main performance halls, the sinuous Shenzhen Opera House will also contain a multifunctional theatre with 400 seats, cultural spaces for the public and backstage areas including a production centre, apartments for performers and offices. Few details have been disclosed about the design, but the studio plans to make the main auditorium highly visible throughout the building.

​French architect Nouvel founded his eponymous studio in 1994. Alongside the Shenzhen Opera House, the studio is currently developing a plant-covered apartment complex in Ecuador and a cave hotel in Saudi Arabia's AlUla desert.

The proposals follow the completion of the Stelios Ioannou Learning Resource Center in Nicosia and the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, which is made up of a series of colliding discs.

Visuals are by Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

Canadian couple and newcomers to the tiny house scene, Heather and Kevin Fritz are turning heads with their very first tiny home build. Based in Spruce Grove, Alberta, the duo recently completed their first showcase tiny house on wheels for their newly formed studio, Fritz Tiny Homes.
The home was specifically built for the harsh Canadian climate – which can hit -40 ºC (-40 ºF) during the winter months – and boasts an impressive thermal envelope with minimal interior heating. We had the opportunity to chat with the tiny house builders about their creation.

"When we decided we were going to build our first tiny home, I refused to look at other tiny homes," Kevin tells New Atlas. "I said, 'let’s look at homes that we love' and our goal was to build a tiny home that did not look anything like a tiny home. You need to be deceptive in tiny design in order for it to look good. You have to make it look big and look interesting and look all these things, but in reality you’re dealing with a shoe box. There’s a challenge to that, and I enjoyed that challenge. We wanted to build what I like to call a legacy building, something that will outlive all of us."
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The 268 sq ft (24.9 sq m) dwelling measures 24 ft (7.3 m) long and 8.5 ft (2.6 m) wide. It was built using a timber frame and standard two-by-four stud construction. The low-maintenance exterior is clad with a mix of seam steel siding and wood-textured aluminum panels, both chosen for their durability and low upkeep. To achieve an airtight thermal envelope, the home is fitted with closed-cell spray foam insulation.

Triple-paned fiberglass was chosen for the windows, offering energy efficiency and superior durability compared to vinyl or even traditional glass. The expansion/contraction rates between vinyl and fiberglass windows differ remarkably, allowing the latter to withstand multiple trips down the highway.

The cabinetry was built from the hip down, filling the dwelling with storage solutions that don’t occupy the user’s eyeline, while making the home feel bigger than it actually is. Space-saving solutions are also a big feature of this home, which include toe-kick drawers, a pull-out closet hidden in the main entrance, hidden drawers and storage in the loft, abundance of custom storage beneath the stairs, custom full-length drawers beneath the sofa, and a sl​iding bathroom door that doubles as pantry cabinet.

The elevated loft bedroom is another unique feature of the home, where the bed itself has been dropped 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) into the steel frame of the loft. This feature maximizes the dead space in the floor, while also giving additional head space and comfort to the user.

The home also features the unique inclusion of just two infrared heated mirrors to warm the interior. One is positioned above the sofa in the living area, and the second is installed in the bathroom.

​FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT PAPER MODELS  /  $26
During his 70-year career, Frank Lloyd Wright was the mastermind behind over 1,000 structures. These paper models give fans the chance to recreate some of his most iconic designs themselves. Frank Lloyd Wright Paper Models contain step-by-step instructions and templates to 14 kirigami models of the architect's famous buildings and landmarks, including the Guggenheim Museum, Fallingwater, and Taliesin West. Similar to origami, kirigami is a Japanese art of folding paper but also includes small cuts. The book offers tips and photo guides for cutting and has pre-cut patterns for the more challenging projects.

​Designed by Studio Puisto and visualized by CYLIND, the Kambanes House is a remote retreat in the Finnish countryside. The dwelling balances the rugged landscape with a pair of sleek, L-shaped forms. Its lower level is clad in a stone-like brick while the upper story sports a wooden slat facade. The unique stacking of the two volumes creates a sheltered inner courtyard with a rock garden and a hot tub overlooking the sea. For the interior, large glazed inserts afford expansive views of both the coast and the pastures for the living spaces.

Photos: CYLIND / Studio Puisto

C Y L I N D :
is team who provides architectural visualization service and 3d drawing based in Minsk, Belarus. Our studio is headed by two CG artists Nikolay Antonchik and Alexander Grabalyuk. We can create boxes, splines, cylinders, spheres, set up cameras and light and produce high quality product with the help of these primitive shapes. Our product is not only technical demonstration of future architectural buildings, but a part of our inner world and attitude to the world.

Our works show passion and love to the modern architecture and environment. The forms of our activity are various: urban exterior visualisation and architectural animation, interior visualisation, landscape architectural visualisation and many others. We and our customers are close in spirit people. Our unity in the concept of beauty helps us work in unison and produce really attractive things. If you accept our philosophy and aesthetics we'll be happy to cooperate with you.

​Located in Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, it's just a half-hour away from Quebec City.
The floating cottage is surrounded by the lake, so you'll no doubt find the sound of the water totally soothing and chilling, making it a great place for up to four people to come and relax.

Paradise...found? A tranquil haven in a private estate, only 30 minutes from the heart of the city.

​The space
Relax and enjoy nature in this magnificent floating cottage, in complete privacy. With the sound of water gently lapping all around you and a stunning view of the mountains, this intimate dwelling is the perfect place to recharge your batteries. There is also a charming small beach complete with kayaks and paddle boards for a gentle paddle on the private lake. If you need to move, you are surrounded by opportunities for outdoor adventure such as fishing, hiking, and mountain biking.
Come and experience the place where time slows down.

Other things to note
Pets are accepted at an additional cost. 

​During the winter season, access to the floating house is by snowshoes. It is located just 5 minutes from the parking lot, snowshoes and sleds are available.

The floating house is solar powered, there are USB sockets to charge your phones. Everything works on 12V so it is not possible to plug in electrical devices other than your cellphones and laptops. 

A complete toilet with shower is available at the chalet at the entrance to the site.