Interview with Nico :

What was the inspiration for your concept?
The inspiration was the experimental approach to molecular cooking. Even after several decades of molecular cuisine, it still seems to be an exclusive game for specialists. So it became my main goal to bring some of the fantastic possibilities and ideas of molecular cooking to all ambitious cooks with an easy to use, affordable appliance.

How does your concept fit into this year’s competition theme “Designs for the next 90 years”?
I think the idea of molecular cooking is forward-looking, but the procedures and methods of preparing molecular dishes are still conventional. I would like to change this with my concept. At first, the idea of printing food seems to be something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but on second thought it is not unrealistic at all. I even think that Moléculaire could be the future kitchen tool that opens up possibilities for food-makers interested in molecular cooking.

What are the main consumer benefits of your concept?
Moléculaire is a futuristic kitchen appliance that offers several new possibilities to professional chefs as well as home users. It’s based on a layer-by-layer printing technique that arranges small particles from a set of ingredients. Within minutes, it prints out three-dimensional desserts, complex structures, shapes for molecular dishes, and patterns for decorating a meal. In addition, it’s easy to use. You simply insert a blister pack into the reservoir, place Moléculaire on top of a plate, and press the start button. Users can also create their own recipes with special software and their own ingredients. Ambitious users can download recipes and share them with other users in an online community.

Describe the consumer research behind your concept.
I conducted interviews with chefs and did a lot of research on the Internet. These approaches helped me to understand users’ interests, concerns, wishes, needs and desires. The outcome shaped my initial ideas and helped them grow. The most difficult thing about designing for the future is predicting the possible social and technological developments (their direction and speed). Therefore, it was very useful to read reports like sociological studies about cooking and future scenarios about the development of new technologies.

What kind of materials would you use to build your concept?
For my concept, I would use polycarbonate as the main material. I plan on applying this material in three different variations, each providing the right characteristics for the different parts of my design. Transparent polycarbonate can be used for the window, black tinted for the lid/display, and white for the body. The robotic printer arm and head could be made from aluminum. A blue (O)LED backlight accentuates the processes inside the printer.

Who is your favorite designer?
I don‘t have a favorite designer.

What are your career goals?
After I graduate in 2010, I want to gain more professional experience in a product-design company. In the long term, I want to further develop my conceptual and strategic skills and step into product-related design management.

Designer : Nico Kläber

The designer has considered few constrains when designing the violin, such as, a half violin and half music player that would break down the notes of a tune and show how to play it. A ball using as a bow grip that will always give a perpendicular stoke to the user and a lighting fingerboard that will indicate a node for a particular whistle sound. Digital strings have replaced the ordinary strings that are able to considerably reduce the learning pain and the sting setup has been done in a way that can create surround sound experience. Marks are no longer in use when a violinist gets proficient; therefore, the fading marks are another noticeable feature of the design.

The name Squidolin was driven from the squid like shape with the functionally and aesthetically right proportions of the design development. The shape of the bow of Squidolin is newly designed and is smart enough to detect motions and communicate back accordingly.

Giving the idea into shape was the toughest part. The designer used the mirror modeling to get a great symmetrical shape and then moved into Solid-works to CAD for milling. The interface of Squidolin is an essential part of the design and can be represented in different ways. When learning, students might come across synesthetic relationship screen which represents the reaction of virtual objects to sound in real world situations. Organic timing or tempo can be learned from real-world experiences like water drops in steady water surface. Monkey-Do will teach the violinist the correct posture and Squidolin could be connected to the social networks via internet where violinist could perform or share his/her musical talent.

Designer : Carlos Mendez

Eye Candy is a green bicycle with an innovative design and all steel body, ideal for all range of riders. The bicycle was designed to keep a lightweight bike concept in mind and therefore, it doesn’t include any unnecessary body parts. This candy green painted bicycle includes completely functional tail lights in the back pods which maybe the most uncommon feature of a bicycle. Besides, it has grilles and hand made backrest to ensure the riders comfort and fork support in the wheels to offer better durability.

Designer : Jason Battersby

When it comes to reasons to live, art and human interaction top the list for Carson Hill, painter, tattoo artist, and inventor. “Art is very inspiring – to me the universe and everything in it is art,” said Carson. Steve Johnson, Carson’s right hand at Neuma (the company behind the Neuma Hybrid) comes from a very different, but no less creative world. The idea for Amuen (am-yoo-en) struck when Carson and Steve realized there was a need for a site that welcomes creatives and artists of all types. No matter what your medium, there are elements of the creative process that transcend any one discipline.

Why the name Amuen? Well, Amuen is a type of African word that means “spirits,” – a nod to the creative spirit within each of us. Neuma on the other hand, is Latin for “spirited” or air-powered. Oh, and if you hadn’t noticed, Amuen is Neuma spelled backwards. But that’s strictly coincidence.

Designer : RKS Design

[Press Release]
The future headquarters of Antwerp Port Authority will be designed by the London firm of Zaha Hadid Architects. The choice of architect was made at the Port Authority board meeting on 13 January. The new Port House will occupy the site of the technical services building on quay 63.

The Port Authority aims to make its operations more efficient by centralising the administrative and technical services which are now divided between the Port House and quay 63. The new headquarters will also solve the pressing shortage of workspace in the present Port House on the Entrepot quay. Some 500 people will be able to move into the new building when it is completed in 2013.

In addition to offering better accommodation, the future Port House will contribute to further development and upgrading of the part of the city known as Het Eilandje. The brief for the new building specified that it had to symbolise the Port of Antwerp as a world port and economic driver of Flanders and the Antwerp area. It also had to be built according to the principles of sustainability.

In selecting the architect it was decided to use the Open Call for Tender procedure of the Flemish Government Architect’s team. The procedure was launched in December 2007, and nearly 100 architectural firms responded. A shortlist of five firms was chosen:

• Consortium of TV A2O Architecten / Atelier Kempe Thill / Marcq & Roba / BEG from Hassel, Belgium
• Vier Arquitectos from La Coruña, Spain
• Xaveer De Geyter Architects from Brussels
• Zaha Hadid Architects from London
• Rapp + Rapp from Rotterdam

The jury/board of directors finally opted for the proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects, because:

• The design preserves as much as possible of the dignity of the present building as a monument, adding a new object to the site;
• The board and its advisors had confidence in a team such as Zaha Hadid Architects being able to further develop the project so as to achieve a high quality end result that can act as a “shop window” for the Port Authority.

The estimated construction cost is 31.5 million euros excluding VAT and architect’s fees. This includes all the work for an office building with around 12,000 m² of floorspace for around 500 people, together with underground parking for 300 or so cars.

The new building fits in with the Port Authority’s future-oriented investment policy. At the same board meeting it was also decided to purchase four tugs as part of a renewal series of nine. And of course there will be further investments in infrastructure for expansion and renovation of the port. The various Flemish port authorities are currently holding discussions with the Flemish Government about financing for basic port infrastructure.
The new Port House forms part of a programme of improvements to the Port Authority’s own buildings. In addition to various renovation and new construction work that has already been carried out, a public call for tender has been issued for the new VTS (Vehicle Traffic Service) building beside the Zandvliet lock.

Design proposal

The design team from Zaha Hadid Architects proposed a very dynamic architecture that strikes up a dialogue with the Oosterweel road link, with the Lange Wapper bridge forming a backdrop to the New Port House. With its unique design, its facade architecture and its height of 46 metres, the new Port Authority will be an iconic building, visible from many different directions.

The concept is a free interpretation of a beam-shaped volume raised above the existing fire brigade building and supported on three sculptured concrete pillars housing the stairs and lifts. Two of the pillars are situated on the covered inner courtyard of the firehouse, while the third is located beside an external support point and consists of a panoramic lift shaft.
The new volume is oriented North-South parallel to the Kattendijk dock. The head of the building on the South side is a frame that looks towards the city and clearly marks the start of the port area.
The outside walls are made up of glass triangles, some transparent and some reflecting. These do not all lie in the same plane but are rotated slightly with respect to one another, creating an attractive reflecting play of incoming light in a reference to Antwerp’s diamond industry.

The present firehouse will be kept free of building all around, so that the four outside walls will be fully respected. As for the arrangement of the inside spaces, consultations will be held with Flanders Real Estate Heritage and the Monuments department of the City of Antwerp to determine whether open-plan offices (as laid down in the schedule of requirements) are possible, either partly of throughout.

The inner courtyard will be roofed over at the height of the second story so as to create an air-conditioned inside space. This central entrance hall will be considered as a semi-public space, with various enquiry desks (Personnel department, Harbourmaster’s Office, Planning Permission & Environment Permit office and Port Dues payment desk) integrated in the inside wall portals.

A sculptural, sloping roof unites an underground lobby with the covered inner court. Access to the underground car park is an important aspect of the overall concept, with the loading & unloading bays and the refuse handling facilities also located here. The car park has space for 300 or so cars and consists of a single underground level. The design of the square can be arranged so that daylight is allowed to enter. The above-ground layout forms part of a design project that is being carried out in consultation with the city departments responsible, with the main imperative being to “preserve the visual quality of the outside spaces in the Het Eilandje area.”

The open plan offices are indeed very open, so that office staff will have a great impression of space with a view along the various outside walls. The concept for the open plan office also allows for small areas in which to hold meetings, along with separate study offices.

Designer : Zaha Hadid Architects via Bustler

Some description from the designer :
Algaster uses algae for biomass production, because of their high oil content (several energetic industries are taking this into account from spain to japan). At the same time it provides eutrophic water cleaning (creating energy from pollution, in a way).
The system is composed by several machines, as needed (it could be used in sea water as well as in lakes). Every machine is independent (controlled by a GPS system and driven by robotic legs so it doesn’t destroy the underwater ecosystem) and acting as unit of an insect swarm.

Every unit harvests algae, cut them in little pieces (to make them dry out sooner) and treat them with UV rays (this way sterilizing algae’s spores). Then the load is stored in nets (contained in ten sliding boxes in the back of the machine). When the net is full with treated algae, an inflatable structure closes it and brings it on surface. When every net is full, an inflatable structure brings the machine on surface too. Power supply is provided by solar cells, on the back. In this way, while in the surface without net-containing boxes, it fully recharges. Every machine can harvest a 100kg load every day (10kg every net), a 10 machine system can harvest 1ton of algae!

Designer : Stefano Pertegato, Philipp Frank, Marco Nicoletti, Francesco Schiraldi, Eloisa Tolu

Designer : Cheng Feng Peng

The basic idea of the design background is the passion of human activities in visualizing graphic and colors trough basic painting activity. How the conservative ways and behavior are blended with digital-modern tools and people are brought into the basic feeling and sensing their old-fashion style in producing visual onto a media in term of digital life style.

Palette is a hardware system design concept that designated for digital artist, painter, design visualizer and people with passion in visual arts. The system were designed based on the background of basic painting behavior and its physiology activities. Palette is designed to have connectivity with other devices such main PC system, Main monitor or other wireless peripherals. connectivity between them are wireless and the user interface screen surface of the palette is using photo-optic visual sensor with color recognition as its main advantage.

The innovative value of palette is its capability to recognize analog color into digital format and the concept of special computer which in the way of hardware and software structure are made specially for graphic-visual work.

Palette’s physical form analogy is taken from wooden palette and reflect the concept of mix-figuratives form between ‘digital’ and ‘analog’; classic meets modernity. The whole design are surfaced with black reflection glass-illuminating looks which combined with wooden coloring and texture in minor parts. The present and mix of black reflection and wooden fixtures emerge classy-modern status which based on the aesthetical concept of “conservative meets digital”. Hm…the words “conservative meets digital”, I couldn’t agree more.

Source : GizmoWatch via Next-Gen PC

Thermoelectric Peltier elements replace the traditional ?freezer batteries? which defrost after a while. Therefore, the food inside stays fresh and cool for a longer time. They are supplied by a storage cell which can be reloaded inside the car or at home. Inside the pockets are compact tablets with all the equipment needed for a picnic. A foldable cup, a knife, spoon and fork are moulded into the tablet surface. All these parts are developed to use a minimal amount of space with a maximum of function.

Designer : Sebastian Bertram

The universal design approach aims to create products that enhance our physical environment, are easily accessible, and allow comfort for users. The general approach is to create a comfortable product useful for anyone, regardless of age or ability. LUV has been designed to assist the elderly with mobility. Designed with adjustable height handles and supportive mechanisms, LUV can also be perceived as a support, which is able to help relieve stress and pain in the back.

LUV has been designed as a foldable support with wheels and movable handles. These user-friendly features aid the user in carrying equipment, goods, luggage and other items. LUV is also designed with an integrated water bottle compartment. Its sleek, sporty design takes its formal inspiration from the Oriental long-headed locust and the grasshopper.

Designer : Chey Ho-Chyun, Moon Cheol-Woong, Hwang Kyung-Chan, Kim Hyun-Jeong
From Universal Design Center of Kangnam University,