Dezeen

Dezeen is five: memorable (and slightly mad) projects

As Dezeen's fifth birthday falls this week, we've been digging through the archives collating the most memorable stories, events, parties and so on since we launched in November 2006. Today we present the five most memorable experimental projects we've been involved in - regardless of whether they worked. They include an exhibition about rubbish, a gallery full of speakers and cars covered in flowers... More about Dezeen is five: memorable (and slightly mad) projects

Marcus Fairs | 16 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

Richard Rogers's New York skyscraper won't get off the ground

Dezeen Wire: plans for a 40-storey tower designed by British architect Richard Rogers to sit on top of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York have been shelved following the Chinese backer's decision to pull out – The New York Times

See a skyscraper in London completed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners earlier this year.
More about Richard Rogers's New York skyscraper won't get off the ground
Alyn Griffiths | 16 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Architecture

Protected Collective Houses in Toledo by TASH

These four concrete apartment blocks by Spanish architects TASH were only completed last year, but they already look strangely abandoned in these photographs. More about Protected Collective Houses in Toledo by TASH

Amy Frearson | 16 November 2011 | 11 comments
News

Habitat is "as good as dead" - Elle Decoration editor

Dezeen Wire: Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin has declared British furniture brand Habitat "as good as dead" in an article on the magazine's blog, stating "I give it two years max" – read the blog post

Ogundehin says that the retailer, which closed all but three of its UK stores earlier this year, failed to react to competition within the market and "increasingly misunderstood 'Lifestyle'," its key selling point. She claims that Habitat has lost its original focus on innovation and simplicity, and rubbishes plans by current owners the Home Retail Group to sell Habitat products at Argos and Homebase outlets, adding that their one remaining interest is to "flog stuff."

See our previous story on Habitat going into administration.
More about Habitat is "as good as dead" - Elle Decoration editor
Alyn Griffiths | 16 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Interiors

Meat Liquor by Shed and I Love Dust

A team of illustrators and graphic artists camped out for a week in this Rococo-style dome hidden under a carpark in Soho, London, covering every surface and arch with a sinister, sprawling illustration for new restaurant and bar Meat Liquor. More about Meat Liquor by Shed and I Love Dust

Rose Etherington | 16 November 2011 | 4 comments
Interview

Sebastian Wrong at Qubique 2011

Sebastian Wrong, design director for British brand Established & Sons, gives a tour of their exhibition inside the former fire station at Berlin Tempelhof airport in this movie Dezeen filmed at new Berlin design fair Qubique 2011 last month. More about Sebastian Wrong at Qubique 2011

Matt Nazemi | 16 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Design

Circle or Dot by Giha Woo

No more searching around for a pencil sharpener in the bottoms of pen pots or backs of drawers: this waste-paper bin by Korean designer Giha Woo has a sharpener in the lid so it's waiting right where you need to use it. More about Circle or Dot by Giha Woo

Rose Etherington | 16 November 2011 | 4 comments
Architecture

Pio Baroja Nursery by Rstudio

A series of circular apertures puncture the rectangular concrete buttresses of a nursery in Valencia by Spanish architects Rstudio. More about Pio Baroja Nursery by Rstudio

Amy Frearson | 16 November 2011 | 2 comments
Dezeen is five: most memorable parties

Continuing our fifth birthday celebrations this week, here is the Dezeen team's list of the five best parties we've hosted since we launched in 2006:

More about Dezeen is five: most memorable parties

Marcus Fairs | 15 November 2011 | 1 comment
Interiors

House in Hiyoshi by Camp Design Inc.

Glass screens slide back and forth across a timber grid that divides this apartment in Japan. More about House in Hiyoshi by Camp Design Inc.

Amy Frearson | 15 November 2011 | 4 comments
The Temporium 2011

More designers and brands at The Temporium

We're finalising plans for our Christmas shop, The Temporium, with many more designers and brands signed up - including Swedish outfit Bookman, who are supplying special red and white versions of their cult Bookman cycle lights (above) to decorate the Christmas tree.

We also have Japanese snacks, knotted collars, limited-edition prints, paper eyelashes, bird cushions and much more... More about More designers and brands at The Temporium

Marcus Fairs | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

$180 billion spent on royalty fees annually - Washington Post

Dezeen Wire: the U.N. World Intellectual Property Agency has reported a rise in the amount paid as royalties and licensing fees from $2.8 billion to $180 billion in the last 40 years, representing a 60-fold increase – The Washington Post

The report shows that high income countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States continue to lead the way in research and development but that China's share in the global market has risen from 2.2 percent in 1993 to 12.8 per cent in 2009.

Last week we reported on measures being taken by the UK government to improve intellectual property laws, designer James Dyson also raised the issue when he accused a Chinese manufacturer of copying one of his brand's vacuum designs and Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin has criticised companies who reproduce classic products.
More about $180 billion spent on royalty fees annually - Washington Post
Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

"Britain could become enormous Los Angeles-style ghetto" - Richard Rogers

Dezeen Wire: British architect Richard Rogers has warned that plans by the UK government to simplify planning regulations could lead to unmoderated urban sprawl, "with rust belts and towns joining each other" – Daily Mail

He added: "If the framework is not improved it will lead to the breakdown and fragmentation of cities and neighbourhoods as well as the erosion of the countryside." Rogers' concerns about the government's new National Planning Policy Framework are shared by environmental campaigners who say they don't offer a clear enough definition of sustainable development.

Richard Rogers was involved in a planning battle in 2009 over his proposed redevelopment of Chelsea Barracks in London – see reports on Dezeen Wire
More about "Britain could become enormous Los Angeles-style ghetto" - Richard Rogers
Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
News

Wayne Rooney hires architects to design garden shed

Dezeen Wire: England footballer Wayne Rooney has hired architects Pulmann Associates to design a shed in the garden of his £4 million home – The Sun
More about Wayne Rooney hires architects to design garden shed
Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Architecture

Hansha Reflection House by Studio SKLIM

A bevelled cantilever contains the living room of this house in Nagoya, Japan, by architects Studio SKLIM. More about Hansha Reflection House by Studio SKLIM

Amy Frearson | 15 November 2011 | 7 comments
News

"The London River Park: place for the people or a private playground?"- The Observer

Dezeen Wire: architecture critic Rowan Moore claims that corporate facilities integrated into the plans for the controversial London River Park would turn it into a "gigantic hospitality suite with a fairly nice walkway threaded through it" – The Observer

Moore describes architects Gensler's proposal as "the latest example of a widespread type of the 21st century, the pseudo-public space." He criticises the design for the walkway and rentable pods, describing them as "offensively indifferent" to their historical surroundings and says the project organisers should learn from New York's High Line park in order to turn a good idea into a popular public space.

See our previous story on the 35-metre model of the London River Park.
More about "The London River Park: place for the people or a private playground?"- The Observer
Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Design

Chair 107 by Robert Stadler for Thonet

Austrian designer Robert Stadler has created a new bistro chair for Thonet, a brand famed for their bentwood chairs synonymous with cafe culture that have hardly changed in a hundred years. More about Chair 107 by Robert Stadler for Thonet

Rose Etherington | 15 November 2011 | 5 comments
Architecture

House 712 by H Arquitectes

The perforated brick walls of this triangular house in Barcelona overlap at the corners. More about House 712 by H Arquitectes

Amy Frearson | 15 November 2011 | 12 comments
News

"Keyed to Detail, No Matter How Crazy" - The New York Times

Dezeen Wire: in her latest article for The New York Times, design critic Alice Rawsthorn explains how Dutch designer Aldo Bakker's expressive process and relentless attention to detail make him "one of the new wave of designers who could be called design-auteurs" – The New York Times

Bakker's products and furniture perform simple functions in ways that Rawsthorn says demonstrate "a quiet confidence, as if every element has been resolved with nothing left to chance." Bakker says of his creative methods, which can lead to each product taking years to develop: “I love having the freedom to pay attention to every detail in my work, no matter how crazy."

See designs by Aldo Bakker on Dezeen and read more articles by Alice Rawsthorn here.
More about "Keyed to Detail, No Matter How Crazy" - The New York Times
Alyn Griffiths | 14 November 2011 | Leave a comment
Dezeen is five: our five most memorable stories

Dezeen is five years old this week! In the first of a series of stories celebrating our anniversary, Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs selects his five most memorable stories of the past five years: More about Dezeen is five: our five most memorable stories

Marcus Fairs | 14 November 2011 | 8 comments