Portuguese practice OODA created a proposal for the ‘Istanbul disaster prevention + education centre’ international design competition to implement a facility to protect against and inform of the implications of natural disasters to be located within Istanbul, Turkey. The tilted axis of the geometrical structure is set within a landscape featuring a cultural turkish pattern generating a network of connections to the surrounding context. Leading towards the iconic building, a series of walled pathways are carved into the constructed site and a park is placed upon the generated roof. Programmatic spaces within the multiple and irregular levels intend to host courses, seminars and venues to develop public awareness about earthquakes and floods.

Via Designboom

The new Dali Museum designed by architect Yann Weymouth and HOK architecture department is located on a scenic waterfront site in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, the 68,000-square-foot structure doubles the size of the original 1982 Dali Museum. Exhibits include oils, watercolors, sketches, sculptures and other works from a 2,140-piece permanent collection.

Despite the complex processes required to construct the building, which stands more than 75 feet tall and is adorned by 1,062 unique, triangular glass panels, the $29.8 million building project was completed on time and $700,000 under budget. Construction began in December 2008.

www.hok.com

Designguide.tv makes its way down to Tokyo for the design week. As always the quality of the works of the domestic and international designers here is outstanding, showing both prototypes as well as products open to new distribution channels.

This episode of designguide.tv features the works of:
Daisuke Motogi, Generate design, Yota Katuda, Maarten Baptist, Naoki KawaMoto, Kwangho Lee, Emmanuelle Moureaux, Nosigner, Live for sweets, Oscar Diaz, I2A3, Jaime Hayon, Tani Matsumura & Kamide Choemon-Gama.

www.designtide.jp

From October 23 through October 31 2010, Eindhoven presents the 9th edition of Dutch Design Week, the largest design event in the Netherlands. Around 1500 designers from home and abroad will show their work all over the city of Eindhoven from design disciplines such as industrial design, concept design, graphic design, textile & fashion, spatial design, fooddesign and design management & trends. Visitors will be given insight into the entire development process from concept to product in various disciplines ranging from industrial design to applied arts.

The participants include established bureaus, high-profile designers, talented newcomers, and recently graduated designers, one of the reasons why this Dutch Design Week is the perfect meeting place for designers, companies, and public.

www.dutchdesignweek.nl

Since 2005, Istanbul Design Week has been the greatest design organization of Turkey and this year it will be held between 29th September – 3rd October 2010.

In the Capital of Culture of year 2010, IDW will be hosting many exhibitions from all around the world, with the theme ‘city & design’.

Visitors will experience intense design days with symposiums, workshops and conferences at this connection point for creative ideas from different disciplines of design. Reaching much bigger number of people than the previous years is aimed.

This year, IDW has taken its place as a brand in international design events calendar. Having a remarkable dynamism regarding participation and advertisement internationally, IDW is more than just a showcase for designers; it is a creativity platform presenting reference points for them to draw their path.

www.istanbuldesignweek.com

The Designers’ Association of the Valencia Region (ACDV) has been promoting design for 25 years and is now organizing Valencia Disseny Week (VDW) for the second year running. It will be running from 27 September to 2 October in parallel to the Feria Hábitat Valencia.

The purpose of VDW is to support, promote and group together all design-related initiatives that are organized in the city of Valencia during said week, such as exhibitions, presentations, parties, showrooms, discussions, workshops, meetings, markets, etc. The Designers’ Association of the Valencia Region (ACDV) is also organizing a series of events alongside the activities lined up for the week.

Valencia is a city that has gradually positioned itself as one of the main creative hubs on the international scene. For decades, design in the Valencia Region has been backed by a consolidated network of design professionals, companies, schools, universities, technology institutes, institutions and associations. All of these factors added to the superb Mediterranean climate and the city’s vast cultural wealth, make Valencia an exceptional venue to host a Design Week.

The spirit of VDW

Valencia Design Week aims to promote design in society, bringing it closer to the general public, as design forms part of everyone’s culture and day to day lives. The spirit of Valencia Disseny Week is that everyone can enjoy design in the city itself. It will show innovative projects, fresh ideas that evoke new alternatives and the huge array of disciplines that represent the profession. The basis of VDW is design made in the Valencia Region but it also showcases the best of Spanish and international design in this Mediterranean city.

www.valenciadissenyweek.com

First staged in 2003, the London Design Festival is one of the world’s most important annual design events. The nine-day Festival programme is made up of over 200 events and exhibitions staged by around 160 partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world.

The diversity of world-class design talent in – and attracted to – London is one of the key strengths of the city over other global design centers; the London Design Festival brings this talent to the fore every year to connect with others, explore issues, do business, exchange ideas, and have fun.

Now in its eighth year, The London Design Festival is firmly established as a major cultural and commercial event. Last year London hosted a rich mix of over 200 commissioned installations and exhibitions plus over 150 launches, private views and parties, cementing its reputation as the design capital of the world. The 2010 Festival promises an even greater diversity of activity taking place across the capital – from the Festival hub at the V&A to spaces across the city filled with design from partners across the UK and around the world.

Events and Venues include:

Trafalgar Square, Victoria and Albert Museum, Size + Matter, London Design Medal, Brompton Design District, The Royal College of Art, Serpentine Gallery, Covent Garden and West End, the Design Council, 100% Design London, Design Museum, Tent London, Origin – the London Craft Fair, Decorex, HEL YES!, Showhow, and many more.

London design festival will take place from the 18th to the 26th of September 2010.

www.londondesignfestival.com

The A’Design Award and Competition is for designers, innovators and companies that want to highlight themselves to attract the focus of media, publishers and buyers.

Competition
In a world where there are millions of products and designs launch each year, the award was born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well designed products. The award-winning products and designs are highlighted to the international public in the A’ Design Museum and Gallery in Italy and they are communicated to all relevant press across the world.

Categories
A’ Design Award and Competitions are organized and awarded annually in a wide range of categories, every month two particular competitions are held. These are categorized into several subcategories:

Industrial Design Competitions: Furniture Design Competition, Packaging Design Competition, Lightning Design Competition, Toy Design Competition, Digital Devices Competition, Vehicle Design Competition, Home Appliances Design Competition, Medical and Scientific Design Competition.

Architectural Design Competitions: Architectural Design Competition, Interior Design Competition. Graphic Design Competitions: Interface Design Competition, Graphic Design Competition, Computer Graphics and 3D Model Design Competition.

Photography and Cinema Competitions: Photography and Photo Manipulation Design Competition, Movie and Animation Design Competition.

Other Important Competition Categories: Fashion Design Competition Food and Culinary Design Competition, Arts, Crafts and Ready-Made Design Competition and the Unexpected Design Competition. Addition to the annual competitions there are also sponsored competitions, held in parallel to other competitions.

www.adesignaward.com

Tendence is one of the most important and international design events in Germany and Europe where exhibitors, trade visitors, designers, media, and trend scouts go looking for next year´s trends and ideas.

After five days, from 27 to 31 August, the 2010 edition of Frankfurt Autumn Fair Tendence can report more visitors than last year. “Following a small increase in exhibitor numbers and now almost 57,000 visitors, up eight percent, Tendence is well on the way to making a full recovery.

On over 71,000 square metres of exhibition space in ten halls, 2,130 exhibitors from 57 countries presented the latest products for the home, furnishing and giving in the coming autumn, winter and, in particular, busy Christmas season to an audience of 57,000 visitors from 90 countries. The top 5 nations were Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria and France. Moreover, the number of visitors from the USA doubled and, altogether, a quarter of all visitors came from outside Germany.

Trends for the autumn / winter season

In the case of home trends, the coming season is set to introduce colourful retro aspects into the living room. Knitted fabrics are more in demand than ever before. Trendy knitted products are not only popular for home textiles, they are even used for flower vases or teapots. A casual, used-look underscores the lively character of furniture and complies with the consumer desire for authenticity. When it comes to colours, the spectrum is dominated by natural shades. The top candidate for the trend colour of the season is dark green. However, this Christmas will be colourful: Father Christmases will do their rounds in lilac and pink while Christmas baubles are no less bold in orange, turquoise, pink and yellow.

Natural materials and colours are also highly rated for gift ideas and there are trendy cases made of felt and leather for the complete range of mobile-communication devices. Amusing printed mottos ensure a humorous note.

The next Tendence will be held from 26 to 30 August 2011.

www.tendence.messefrankfurt.com

Australian Airline Qantas launched their new next generation check-in experience designed by Marc Newson at Perth,s airport.

The ‘next generation’ check-in should provide greater speed and ease through the airport terminal by eliminating airport queuing, based on a new Qantas frequent flyer card, a Q card reader and bag drop facility.

Customers arriving at the airport who have not yet checked in online or via their mobile device, will be able to simply touch their card at an all-new Q card reader located throughout the check-in hall. The Q card reader will provide both visual and audible recognition of successful check-in. All customers traveling with bags will be able to use the new bag drop service at next generation check-in airports.