Category Archives: Design

Yacht Tours: The 40-Meter ‘Oasis’ From Benetti (Video)

We all love to hear a success story, and the Benetti Oasis is one of the greatest success stories in yachting history. When the project was first presented to the public it was met with great appreciation but not with as many orders as one may expect. By the time I filmed this video no less than THIRTEEN units had been sold though. THIRTEEN! Quite incredible for a yacht of this size, and a testimony to Benetti’s ability to keep producing yachts that the market wants to buy.

Yacht Tours: ‘Katia – 2015′ 131’ /All-Aluminum (Video)

KATIA’s distinctive lines are a perfect combination between her sporty appearance and spacious interior. Having just completed a full refit, including interior, exterior and paint job, KATIA is a brand new yacht again. With a full beam master stateroom on the main deck and four staterooms on the lower deck including a convertible VIP stateroom, KATIA accommodates 10 guests. Sleek and contemporary with luxury interiors and a bold profile, heads will turn at every port she enters. KATIA is the ideal yacht to see and be seen along the Côte d’Azur.

Video Profiles: Asha Deliverance And Her ‘Fabric-Welded Domes’

In 1979 Asha Deliverance sewed her first geodesic dome on an old Singer sewing machine, finishing it in time to become her eldest child’s first home. Motivated by the work of Buckminster Fuller, she continued to build dome homes for friends until she responded to increasing demand and opened the country’s first retail dome company in 1980.

Today, Asha has stopped sewing and relies on her team at the Pacific Domes headquarters in Ashland, Oregon to fabric weld her domes. The company provides shelters for families, glamping sites, greenhouses, climbing, events (e.g. Coachella) and extreme outposts. “To test some of the possible challenges of living on Mars, NASA joined forces with Pacific Domes in early in 2013 to erect a 44-foot geodesic-engineered dome on the northern slope of Mauna Loa, Hawaii.”

The company offers DIY dome kits starting at $5,500 for a 16 foot (5 meter) shelter that can be erected with their manual in a couple of days (instructions for the deck are included). When we asked Deliverance about the frustrations of some dome builders like Shelter Publications’ Lloyd Kahn she explained that in the ‘60s people were building domes out of wood which required sealing multiple joints, but that using fabric has made all the difference.

Interviews: Design And Architecture In 2020 – Ilse Crawford & Julia Watson

A look back at the year that was in design and architecture, featuring conversations with creative director Ilse Crawford and designer and author Julia Watson. 

Plus: Venice Biennale 2020 curator Hashim Sarkis.

Boat Design: The New ‘Castagnola Heritage 9.9’ – The Ultimate Chase Boat

Castagnola Heritage 9.9: A boat that combines the timeless taste of the handcrafted wooden construction with the advantages of a cutting-edge material such as carbon fiberglass. Conceived as a chase boat for big superyachts or as a weekend cruiser for limited range trips, the Castagnola Heritage 9.9 has a Nauta Design general concept and exterior and interior design. Francesco Rogantin’s Studio Names provided the naval architecture and structural engineering, while construction is by Castagnola Yacht. The Heritage 9.9 is available in both Open and Hard Top versions. The very first unit presented is the Open version. The deep “V” shaped planing hull, designed by Francesco Rogantin’s Studio Names, has excellent performance characteristics. The hull shape was CFD tested and thanks to careful monitoring during the construction process the boat weighs less than 6 tons. With two 320HP Yanmar engines and equipped with pods, the Heritage 9.9 has a cruising speed of 34 knots, top speed of 40 knots and a range of 170 NM at 30 knots. Sea trials confirmed the Heritage 9.9’s smooth and stable movement through the water and its excellent maneuverability even at high speeds. The on board experience is stable, quiet and comfortable and the cockpit stays completely dry even in choppy conditions.

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Design Books: ‘The Ideal City – Exploring Urban Futures’ (Gestalten)

Urban life is humankind’s biggest experiment to date, our cities are constantly evolving and adapting to climate and economy. The cities we have today are not necessarily the ones we need, but big and small innovation is rethinking visions of urbanization.

Together with pioneering research and design agency SPACE10, we present future-orientated design which enhances quality of life and makes our urban spaces more vibrant.

As technology and urban life edge ever closer, The Ideal City explores the ambitious actions and initiatives being brought to life across the globe to meet tomorrow’s demand in clever, forwarding-thinking ways. From pedestrian infrastructure to housing, the book uncovers what is being discussed at the forefront of urbanism through expert essays and profiles.

SPACE10 is a Copenhagen-based research and design agency that is on a mission to enable a better everyday life for people and the planet. They specialize in innovation and future-living, often presenting models both for urban spaces or food that could lead to me a more sustainable future.

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Boat Design: The ‘All-New Fleming 85’ – State Of The Art Cruising Yacht (Video)

After hundreds of years of combined experience in designing, building and cruising yachts on the open ocean, Fleming Yachts are bringing to you what will be the ultimate of cruising yachts. A brand new design from the keel up. The Fleming 85.

Learn more: https://www.flemingyachts.com/model/F…

Profile: Spanish Architect & Designer Ricardo Bofill – ‘Dreamer Of Modernity’

December 2, 2020

What Bofill creates with exceptional mastery are spaces or the sense of space. He describes this ability, probably jokingly, as being an escape from the claustrophobia of his childhood in Barcelona, living in bourgeois apartments crammed floor to ceiling with decorative objects.

Postmodernity in the work of Bofill does not have to be the abolishing of rules or the death of history. In his own words, postmodernity “breaks with cultural hegemony to adapt models to different cultures, considering the place and its history.” It is more of a reaction against the uniformity of modern architecture.

Ricardo Bofill was born on December 5, 1939, in Barcelona. The son of a contractor, in the dullest hours of the Franco regime. As he explains himself, the feeling of being, not in the middle of the world but the outskirts, in a periphery—a Catalonia that was not just physically isolated from the cultural capitals but also far from national, political decision-making—sparked dreams of freedom and faraway lands, and was probably what later inspired his nomadic lifestyle. The importance of the vernacular, it’s engagement with classicism, Bofill’s sense of atemporal elegance—all find their roots in this early period.

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