See and Behold; God’s Skull of the Ocean

Given the amazing economic state that we’re in, and the fact that you’re certainly one of those lucky recipients of those six-figure holiday bonuses, you’re more than ready to hear the full details behind the “Oculus.” This yacht’s unique shape “is representative of the jaw and eye socket bone structure of large oceanic fish and mammals.” What does that tell you? It’s not quite [biomimicry], but it does really look at home in the sea.

Designer E. Kevin Schopfer has hell-of details:

Oculus is the first “design launch” of Schöpfer Yachts LLC. This 250-foot vessel was designed by E. Kevin Schöpfer, founder and owner of his namesake company. Designed to accommodate 12 guests in extraordinary comfort and style, Oculus is a long distance cruising yacht capable of speeds upwards of 25 knots. The exterior styling is representative of the jaw and eye socket bone structure of large oceanic fish and mammals. Featuring a dramatic reverse bow configuration, the yacht’s armature balances an elegant expression of symmetry and structure. In addition to the bow, Oculus also features a “low rider profile”. This slightly lowered surface allows for new side recreational areas, alternate dockage access and light cruising openness.

Lateral retractable side panels close this area when heavier wave action is indicated. The interior features of Oculus focus on a 12 foot high ceiling in the main salon, a cylindrical double height dining room, central stair and elevator tube, and seemingly anatomical ceiling and floor lighting extensions giving definition to the seating areas. The second level is the dedicated Owner’s suite.

Living areas and bedchambers are divided by a series of four freestanding tubes, which house bath and storage necessities.

For further details about ordering one of these, or of course if you want more details for other reasons, post questions below and I’m sure Mr. Schopfer would be happy to let you know what you want to hear.

You love yachts? What, what, make money!

Designer: E. Kevin Schopfer

James Law Cybertecture

The Cybertecture Egg, Mumbai






The Edges, Palm Island Dubai Water Front





Du Cube , Abu Dhabi





James Law is Chief Cybertect and James Law Cybertecture International is a global consultancy specializing in futuristic architecture, infrastructure and city planning and advance research and production of custom software applications that power Cybertecture projects. What is Cybertecture? A vision of the world, in which the now and future world is designed and created inspired in a symbiotic balance between space and technology.

In the merging of these services and projects, James Law Cybertecture International develops the core Cybertecture vision of the world, in which the now and future world is designed and created inspired in a symbiotic balance between space and technology. James Law has designed some of the most innovative Cybertecture projects in the world, including the world's first artificial intelligence media laboratory for the Hong Kong Government; the world's first Bricks & Clicks shopping mall - Dickson Cyber Express; and the world's first "morphable" house in partnership with IBM in Denmark.

In Asia, James Law Cybertecture International is currently designing projects in India , China, Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Japan and Hong Kong including projects for China's largest interactive Cybertecture center for China Telecom, a new chain of automated cyber post offices for the Hong Kong Post Office, Egg Shaped Office Building in mumbai as well as the world’s first Electronics Arts Experience for Electronic Arts of America.

Recently, James Law Cybertecture International was involved in the conceptual design of a Cybertecture Memorial Plaza at the site of the fallen World Trade Center Towers in United States.

James Law Cybertecture is also consulting for the United Nations for the design of a virtual world archive designed to preserve World Heritage Sites.

James Law Cybertecture International is currently working with unspecified partners on a worldwide memory communication project code name OHM that revolutionizes the function of communication between the entire population on earth based on memory fragments.

In 2004, James Law was selected as the only Chinese recipient of the Asian Innovation Award given by the President of Singapore. In the same year, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka invited James Law to participate in a brainstorming presentation on the topic of Cybertecture for the future planning and reconstruction of Sri Lanka.

James Law has lectured in UK, Hong Kong, Japan and China on the topic of Cybertecture, and has been guest lecturer at universities throughout the region. As an architect, James Law won the prestigious Royal Institute of Architect Award for Design in an International Competition and has subsequently become a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. James Law is also a member of several think tanks broadly encompassing the issues of future technology, design and Cybertecture. James Law was previously a director of internationally renown US architectural design firm Gensler International prior to setting up James Law Cybertecture International on the first day of the new century 2001.

We exchange couple of mails & I have recommended him for a 5 star Hotel Project. I really hope that we can work together for upcoming Hotel Project.

After Terrorist Attack in Mumbai last week I would suggest him to Design Special Scanning System & Evacuation System for his Cybertecture Egg project in Mumbai.

He is in my list of best designers of the World. I would like to call him Frank Llyod Wright of Modern Era.

You would agree once you see his work.

check www.jameslawcybertecture.com

Hotel in Songijang - China

This spectacular and intriguing looking hotel is set in a partly water filled quarry, located in the Songijang satellite town of Shanghai. The 400 room five star hotel is set in an over 330 feet deep quarry and includes underwater public areas and guestrooms. The Atkins Architecture Group recently won an international competition with this entry.

Bristol-based Martin Jochman, who led the design team, says, “We drew our inspiration from the quarry setting itself, adopting the image of a green hill cascading down the natural rock face as a series of terraced landscaped hanging gardens. In the centre, we have created a transparent glass ‘waterfall’ from a central vertical circulation atrium connecting the quarry base with the ground level. This replicates the natural waterfalls on the existing quarry face.”

The victory for Atkins did not come as a surprise since the group has already for years been deeply involved with projects in the Shanghai area. The firm has earlier won a contract to develop the master planning and detail design for part of Songijang which was an existing town that was expanded to serve as a satellite town to Shanghai. The new Songijang is a university town and a popular weekend and holiday destination for Shanghai residents and other visitors, linked to Shanghai by metro

Star Palace - Taiwan

A grand realization from UNStudio. The firm itself specializes in architecture, urban development, and infrastructure. The department store known as Star Place, resides in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and specializes in “ohh’s” and “ahh’s.” Take note of the building’s most obvious feature: the entire side of the structure creates a false moiré pattern, attracting the eye, preparing the shopper for the void inside.

Some words from UNStudio:

Technically acting as a sunscreen and weather barrier the curved façade is fully glazed and combines the curtain wall glazing with horizontal lamellas and vertical glass fins. The position and size of each of the façade elements are derived from a twisted frame system, which is related to the interior organisation of the building. The concave front of the building displays different fluent forms when seen from varying distances and directs the visual field of the customers traveling on the spiraling escalators.

The concept for the interior organization of the department store reacts to the ambition to develop a luxurious store on several floors with multiple access points. Therefore the central circulation space is designed as a continuous floor space merging in to one vertical space, the void space. The geometric principle of the vertical void space is the allocation of the elements of vertical circulation around the central zone of the store.

Statistics:

Client: President Group, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Location: Kaohsiung Talee Plaza, Kaohsiung
Program: Luxurious shopping center

Design of exterior: Façades and lighting, related exterior spaces

Design of Interior: Circulation zones and Public spaces

Building surface: 25.500 m2 + 11.100 m2 for parking levels
Building volume: 135.000 m3 + 38.000 m3 for parking levels

Building site: 28050 m2
Status/Phase: Realization

Credits
UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Astrid Piber with Ger Gijzen, Christian Veddeler, Mirko Bergmann, Albert Gnodde, Sebastian Schott, Freddy Koelemeijer, Katja Groeger, Jirka Bars, Andreas Brink

Advisors:
Lighting Design: Arup Lighting, Amsterdam
Wayfinding Design: Bureau Mijksenaar, Amsterdam

Executive Architects:
Dynasty Design Corp, Taipei, Taiwan
HCF Architects, Planners & Associates, Taipei, Taiwan

As it is with all giant projects, there’s LOTS more info to be had. Please feel free to ask questions and explore [similar projects] on Yanko.

Do you live anywhere neat this structure? I imagine it’s a site to behold. And with a giant space in the middle of the giant, I suppose people with fears of heights and such would be prone to avoiding it’s magnificent interior.

Leaky Roof Brightens Your Day

The art of lighting design is finding ways to articulate glaring light out over surfaces without inefficiently wasting too much of the lamp’s power. Daniel Becker accomplishes that in his “Melting Light” by hanging an LED packed ‘raindrop’ below a rippling plastic reflector. The brilliance of Daniel’s light is in the rippling shape; by spreading the otherwise harsh reflection out over three concentric circles, the glare and shadows are softened and become pleasing to the eye.


Designer: Daniel Becker

Flower Filament

Here's a neato way to combine nature with human technology. The Flower Filament only lights up if there's a flower in it. Yes designer Ha-Na Yeom some how managed to use the flower as a switch to lights up the hollowed out design which just so happens looks like a light bulb.
Designer: Ha-Na Yeom

UNIQLO Soho Store in New York City

UNIQLO Soho Store
546 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

The Project
Dropped into Manhattan's stylish SoHo neighborhood in 2006, UNIQLO's flagship U.S. store is a virtual walk-in closet for urban trendsetters and cost-conscious fashionistas. Affectionately dubbed "The Japanese Gap," UNIQLO is Japan's leading retail clothing chain, with over 750 stores in Asia, Europe and North America. Inside the loft-style SoHo store is a polychromatic panorama of perfectly-stacked sweaters, ocean blue denims, and shiny down vests straight from Tokyo's hippest fashion districts.
To greet shoppers, UNIQLO's entrance features a stellar centerpiece: a giant glass box sheathed under a canopy of dazzling blue LED lights. Inside the display, cosmos-ready mannequins clad in colorful fleece and space-age visors pose on and dangle over an illuminated glass floor – an inspired diorama for customers ready to take a quantum leap into fashion!


It is world's largest UNIQLO with custom LED Net lights that drape over the store's central display like ice-blue bars on a glass cage. Walk further into UNIQLO's hardwood floor interior and patrons can spy more chicly-dressed mannequins -- modish models poised like space cadets in front of gradient panels studded with pinpoints of blue LEDs. This innovative application of custom Net lights mixes futurism with fashion in a synergy of LED previously unseen!

Products Used
Custom LED net lights (Blue)