Faulty Designs that last

From the moment we wake up in the morning, our lives are made easier by a large number of products and gadgets, from the alarm clock, the toaster, the juice maker, the car or bicycle to take you to your destination products are everywhere, the list is endless. All these products are designed to be user friendly,  practical  and safe. …

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Are we paying for the Chocolate or for the Package?

Chocolate…. Bittersweet, delicious and absolutely sinful. Go to a supermarket or a chocolate specialty store and pick out a chocolate, each of these exquisite morsels are packaged in to beautifully designed packages. They are attractive, eye catching and meticulously crafted, but then sometimes the taste of the chocolate does not live up to  the packaging. Chocolate humble beginnings start out …

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Furniture follows function

WHERE we live will determines HOW we live. Let’s start with an example: we’ve all seen the traditional Japanese houses with elevated platforms, paper walls, and seemingly no furniture. Ever wondered why? It’s not because they have a thing against furniture, but because the climate dictates the type of living they can have and what kinds of furniture they can …

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Only rich countries can aspire to develop green buildings

At our latest Lunch & Learn seminar, we were discussing Masdar Project in Abu Dhabi and all the technologies involved into making this “city laboratory” a carbon neutral city. One of our architects asked the question, “Does it mean only rich countries can aspire to developing green buildings?” To answer this question, I thought of our own design practice; we …

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Zaha Hadid Aquatic Centre: What’s all the fuss about the Seating Sightline?

“Architect Zaha Hadid has denied her design for the London 2012 Aquatics Centre is to blame for the 600 tickets sold to Olympic spectators unaware they’ll have a restricted view of the top diving events.  “The brief for the building from LOCOG was to provide 5000 spectator seats with uninterrupted views of the 10m diving platform events,” says a statement …

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