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News

Kieran Long says Heathrow's plastic transport pods are "not just a whizzy novelty"

Dezeen Wire: in his latest article for the Evening Standard architecture and design critic Kieran Long describes a network of noiseless transport pods launched in September to carry passengers from Heathrow airport's business car park to Terminal 5 as "the future we were supposed to have."

Long says the £30 million Rapid Personal Transit system, created by transport specialists Ultra PRT and engineers Arup, offers a "brief but safe moment of isolation" and "is an expression of the minor psychological irritations of business travellers" but adds that the concept has potential to be applied in larger urban scenarios.

See all of our transport stories including a self-driving electric passenger vehicle and more articles by Kieran Long.
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Alyn Griffiths | 9 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

"Design and invention can power us out of recession"- James Dyson

Dezeen Wire: industrial designer James Dyson has called on engineers and designers to develop the new ideas needed to revitalise the UK economy - The Guardian

Dyson says that only tangible engineering can address issues such as global warming and population growth, stating: "The allure of digital should not distract us from the bigger challenges." He adds that the government must "focus on investment in ideas," urging them to support design education and creative businesses.

We published the winner of the 2011 James Dyson Award for innovative student engineering projects on Monday and you can see more stories about James Dyson here.
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Alyn Griffiths | 9 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

ACID seeks evidence of copying in design

Dezeen Wire: UK industry body Anti Copying in Design (ACID) is calling on designers to share their experiences of intellectual property infringement to help support its submission to the government's review of design law. More about ACID seeks evidence of copying in design

Alyn Griffiths | 9 November 2011 | 2 comments
News

Government seeks designers' views on copyright

Dezeen Wire: UK designers have two more days to take part in a government survey aimed at improving intellectual property laws. More about Government seeks designers' views on copyright

Alyn Griffiths | 9 November 2011 | 1 comment
News

Philippe Starck: 'I'd rather save lives than be a designer'- The Independent

Dezeen Wire: designer Philippe Starck says that not being able to save lives and tackle key global issues in his work leaves him feeling "impotent"- The Independent

The designer has created a new photobooth that meets his aims of designing democratic and affordable products. Starck claims they offer a solution for those who can't afford a camera, adding that photos help us to "exist." He also laments the modern propensity for vandalism that threatens the booths, saying: "Twenty years ago it was possible to design something pretty and people to respect it. Not now."
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Alyn Griffiths | 8 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

Alice Rawsthorn on Saul Bass: "The man who made the title sequence into a film star"

Dezeen Wire: in her latest article for The New York Times, design critic Alice Rawsthorn analyses the career of influential graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass.

Rawsthorn explains that the designer's bold style "reflected his fascination with constructivism, modernism and surrealism," adding that his work with some of the most important directors in history "transformed what were once cursory lists of the cast and crew into thrilling complements to the movies."

See more articles by Alice Rawsthorn here.
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Alyn Griffiths | 8 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

James Dyson 2011 Award winner announced

Dezeen Wire: a system that extracts moisture from air like a desert-dwelling beetle has won this year's James Dyson Award for students working on innovative engineering solutions. More about James Dyson 2011 Award winner announced

Alyn Griffiths | 8 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

"Post-modernism comes of age" says Charles Jencks

Dezeen Wire: architectural theorist Charles Jencks has written a new article for Blueprint magazine about the resurgence of postmodern architecture over the past twenty years, during which time other commentators claim it has become defunct.

Jencks points to projects from the likes of Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron and Santiago Calatrava as demonstrative of the continuing influence of postmodern ideas, which he claims have led to "the explosive growth in iconic buildings and landmark sculptures."

The V&A is currently hosting an exhibition of postmodern architecture and design and you can see all of our stories on postmodernism here.
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Alyn Griffiths | 7 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

Critics' reactions to the London 2012 Olympic posters

Dezeen Wire: art and design critics have questioned whether the posters unveiled on Friday to celebrate next year's London Olympics truly represent the best of British creativity. More about Critics' reactions to the London 2012 Olympic posters

Alyn Griffiths | 7 November 2011 | 1 comment
News

Conran's designs "don't quite communicate the fun he has got out of life"- The Guardian

Dezeen Wire: in his latest article for The Guardian, architecture and design critic Rowan Moore interviews Terence Conran ahead of an exhibition dedicated to his career at the Design Museum, which opens on 16 November.

In the article Moore suggest that Conran's greatest successes have been the businesses he's founded rather than the products or interiors he's designed, which Moore adds are "a little too managed, manipulated, packaged and don't quite communicate the fun he has got out of life, as if constrained by some invisible boundary."
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Alyn Griffiths | 7 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

Media-ICT by Cloud 9 Architects wins World Building of the Year 2011

The Media-ICT office building by Cloud 9 Architects has won the World Building of the Year 2011 at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona.

You can see more information on the winning design here and our previous stories on the World Architecture Festival here, including announcements of all of the category winners.
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Alyn Griffiths | 4 November 2011 | 8 comments
News

Art and design graduates are being 'treated as slave labour'

Dezeen Wire: UK broadcaster Channel 4 reports that a backlash is forming against the prevalence of unpaid internships in Britain, which are particularly popular with graduates in the creative industries.

A number of websites have been set up by graduates and campaigners offering advice to those partaking in internships and rallying support for campaigns that call on the government to introduce tighter regulations - Channel 4 News
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Alyn Griffiths | 4 November 2011 | 6 comments
News

World Architecture Festival day two winners announced

Dezeen Wire: winners of the remaining four completed building categories and nine future designs, celebrating projects that are still in development, have been announced at the World Architecture Festival, which is currently taking place in Barcelona. More about World Architecture Festival day two winners announced

Alyn Griffiths | 4 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Interiors

Inside awards overall winner: The Waterhouse at South Bund by NHDRO

Inside 2011: Chinese architects NHDRO have picked up the award for overall winner at the inaugural Inside awards for a hotel inside the abandoned former headquarters of the Japanese army in Shanghai.

You can check out all nine category winners here or read more about this project in our earlier story on Dezeen.

Inside world festival of interiors is taking place on the third floor of the Centro de Convenciones Internacionales de Barcelona until 4 November – see all our stories about Inside here, including interviews with the judges on Dezeen Screen.
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Amy Frearson | 3 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

"Innovation alone won’t reverse our economic decline"- The Washington Post

Dezeen Wire: U.S. opinion columnist Harold Meyerson has written an article for the Washington Post in which he challenges assertions made in Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that it is America's ability to produce innovators such as Jobs that will keep them ahead of emerging industrial powers such as China and India.

Meyerson opines that Silicon Valley's creativity and technical expertise are not enough to revitalise the American economy, arguing that it is more important that Apple consider relocating production back to the U.S. He concludes his piece by stating that: "Absent manufacturing, innovation, even at its Jobsian heights, can’t do much for the U.S. economy — save, perhaps, dazzle us on our journey downward."

See all of our stories about Steve jobs and Apple.
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Alyn Griffiths | 3 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

Critics' reactions to the Thames Hub by Foster + Partners

Dezeen Wire: architecture critics are having their say on plans unveiled yesterday by Foster + Partners and engineers Halcrow for a new transportation hub in the Thames estuary (see our story on Dezeen). More about Critics' reactions to the Thames Hub by Foster + Partners

Alyn Griffiths | 3 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

World Architecture Festival day one winners announced

Dezeen Wire: the winning designs in 12 of the completed project categories at the World Architecture Festival awards have been announced. The winners were selected from over 700 entries from 66 countries around the world and will now go forward to compete for the overall prize of World Building of the Year 2011, to be announced tomorrow together with the prizes for Structural Project of the Year 2011 and Future Project of the Year 2011. More about World Architecture Festival day one winners announced

Alyn Griffiths | 3 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

"Without a tighter union, Europe will disintegrate"- Rem Koolhaas

Dezeen Wire: in an interview with Farah Nayeri for Bloomberg Businessweek, architect Rem Koolhaas describes the European Union as "an incomplete machine" and claims that it will "disintegrate" unless political leaders complete the task of integration begun when the EU was founded. More about "Without a tighter union, Europe will disintegrate"- Rem Koolhaas

Alyn Griffiths | 2 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Interiors

Inside award winner: Table No.1 by NHDRO

Inside 2011: finally, Table No.1 by NHDRO wins the bars and restaurants category at the Inside awards in Barcelona. More about Inside award winner: Table No.1 by NHDRO

Rose Etherington | 2 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Interiors

Inside award winner: Wellington International Airport by Warren & Mahoney and Studio Pacific

Inside 2011: The Rock, the newest terminal at Wellington International Airport by Warren & Mahoney and Studio Pacific has just been announced as the winner of the transport category at the inaugural Inside awards in Barcelona. More about Inside award winner: Wellington International Airport by Warren & Mahoney and Studio Pacific

Rose Etherington | 2 November 2011 | 1 comment