Last week, we showed you a new series of wine bottles designed by Zaha Hadid . If that doesn’t reflect the critical mass that Hadid has hit, this certainly does– the new Zaha Hadid-designed Superyachts for Blohm and Voss. Arguably the hottest architectural superstar of the moment, Hadid’s reach has expanded beyond the built environments that made her famous to show off the depth of her talent. These superyachts for Blohm and Voss, a collection of six total, take her trademark curvy/webby design sensibility and bring it to the seas. The results are striking, a series of sea vessels that look almost alien at first glance, but remain functional and stylish in the flesh.
Zaha Hadid’s yacht series is led by the “Unique Circle”, a 420-foot ship that towers over most casual cruisers on the open sea. It is the feature design of the collection that includes five smaller yachts, all just shy of 300 feet in length. Hadid spoke of her inspiration for this series, discussing the dynamic nature of water as an architectural base:
“As a dynamic object that moves in dynamic environments, the design of a yacht must incorporate additional parameters beyond those for architecture – which all become much more extreme on water,” Hadid wrote. “Each yacht is an engineered platform that integrates specific hydrodynamic and structural demands together with the highest levels of comfort, spatial quality and safety.”
The first of Zaha Hadid’s six yacht designs is currently being shaped into a pre-prototype design. For now, her work remains in concept staging, but the renderings show just how much impact Hadid could have on the appearance of tomorrow’s generation of superyachts. [via digitaltrends ]
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Zaha Hadid Superyachts | Gallery
Philips has just announced three new additions to its Smart Lighting line, known as Hue. Perhaps they felt a little threatened by LG and Samsung’s forays into the connected lighting market, and had to prove they were still King of the Mountain? Either way, this can be counted as a win for consumers – these lamps look positively gorgeous.
They also run the gamut from jaw-droppingly, wallet-crushingly expensive to nicely affordable. The most expensive models are the limited-edition Hue Luminaires. These abstract, 3D-printed lamps are capable of changing color and are touted by Philips as the perfect artistic “design addition” to their lineup. Unfortunately, like a lot of art, The Luminaires aren’t something your average consumer’s going to go out and buy on a whim: the lamps, which are up for preorder starting March 31, will run for $4,125 and $3,437 respectively.
The Hue Lux is a much more practical – and reasonably priced – addition. It’s basically the exact same product as the original, without the color-changing capabilities: same A19 shape, same dimming capabilities, and controllable through the same mobile app. So…from the sounds of things, in the case of the former you’re basically paying several thousand dollars for some pretty colors. I suppose there’s no accounting for taste, right?
The starter kit for the Lux (containing a Hue Bridge and two bulbs) will be available for $99.99, with individual bulbs priced at $39.95
Lastly, Philips also announced the Hue Tap; a wall switch which will give consumers better control over any smart lights they’ve hooked up to a physical switch. The switch is outfitted with four different buttons which can be pre-programmed to activate or deactivate user-defined scenes. Even better, it’s completely wireless, and powered entirely through kinectic force. What that means is pressing the switch with your finger is enough to power it up and send a signal to your lamp. Pretty brilliant, right? Tap will release at the same time as Lux, at a price of $59.95.
For more details on all the products mentioned here, swing by the official Philips Hue website.
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Philips Hue Smart Lamps | Gallery
