How to visualize architectural concepts in SketchUp using D5 Lite for faster design exploration.

As they recognize the growing significance of innovation in today’s business landscape, architecture firms are experiencing a transformation. Companies across diverse industries have also come to appreciate the impact of design on cracking challenges, thanks to the success of design-focused startups such as Airbnb. Traditionally confined to designing physical structures, architecture firms are broadening their scope and embracing research and innovation as integral elements of their design process. With the establishment of research and innovation divisions, these firms not only enhance their own practices but also offer their expertise to address the evolving needs of our era—ranging from human and technological advancements to strategic innovation. 

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The 2023 Green Island Human Rights Art Festival – Listening to the Overtones of Fissures is themed on the seemingly passive, gentle gesture of “listening,” hoping to embrace different political, economic and systemic experiences of individuals. These experiences have created wounds, which are like “fissures” that have separated people. At the same time, “fissure” also denotes incongruences and divergencies. Like barriers or differences between individuals and the society produced by the White Terror, these incongruences and divergencies are largely overlooked and await our re-understanding as life progresses. “Overtones” refers to the voices or sounds constantly echoing or emitting from the fissures. An “overtone” is a different frequency that shares the same basis with a fundamental tone; and in this case, it becomes a metaphor for the outcast existences that have been ignored by mainstream opinions.

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Iris Ceramica Group, world leader in the design of innovative solutions and of unique ceramic materials, is promoting the international contest “Local Cultures in Global Settings”, curated by UAE Modern, fostering knowledge of a multitude of unique roots and identities, with Dubai as a symbolic place of global discourse. Dubai is not only a thematic focus but also the final destination of the international contest, for which the winners will be announced during the Dubai Design Week.

How does multiculturalism influence the context and how, in turn, are individual cultural identities influenced by the context? Can design generate new meanings, separating the threads that once wove individual cultures and reassembling them in a process incorporating needs, knowledge and new technologies? These are questions that inspired the contest. 

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Last week, the President*s Design (P*DA) Award chose 8 winning recipients for its 2023 edition. The award that honors designers making a transformative and positive impact on the lives of Singapore’s society and the broader global community recognized Henning Larsen, BIG, and the Singapore Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai.

The P*DA presented two categories: Designer of the Year and Design of the Year. Organized jointly by the DesignSingapore Council and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the biennial award was given to two “Designer of the Year” and six “Design of the Year” recipients. Beyond the excellence of their design execution, the honorees demonstrated a genuine sense of purpose and mission that is consistent with P*DA's core values. The outstanding designs of this year tackle fundamental and systemic issues like consumerism and circularity, dementia and caregiving, climate change and sustainability, and show how Singapore is developing its best design practices that are applicable to enhancing lives worldwide.

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Ornament and Its Discontents

Disguise, makeup. Expression of the subjectivity of a group, language, or sign. Historical document, emblem of fleeting fashions. A crime. Ornaments have been interpreted in different ways and are considered one of the most degenerate sins of architecture. Resisting the temptation of decoration has become a virtue, a legitimate sign of authenticity and a possible future.

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Thoughtful, captivating and spectacular; today’s interior designers are boldly demonstrating how to create statements through conceptual interiors. Whether expressing reserved minimalism, flamboyant playfulness or organic naturalness, there tends to be a strong and elaborate idea behind the interior concepts being developed currently. Just take a look at the increase in and popularity of design hotels, as well as the number of distinctive and highly stylized restaurants. The impact that our physical surroundings have on us –the shapes, colors, materials and lighting– plays a central role when new hospitality and retail venues are being developed. Interior design delivers definitive experiences and so can be cleverly implemented to speak to our senses and therefore induce specific emotions and reactions.     

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Videos

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When it comes to facades, there are numerous options to consider to define both the appearance and the message a building seeks to convey. While glazed surfaces bring sophistication and evoke corporate environments, exposed concrete offers sobriety, and wood lends warmth, few materials are as versatile for facades as HPL (high-pressure laminate). With a wide range of dimensions, colors, and textures, these panels easily adapt to different architectural styles, opening up endless creative possibilities. 

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