FX – August 2019

Tower evacuation

device wins

Design of the

Year Award

At New Designers, an annual

event showcasing the UK’s

design graduates, the top

Design of the Year prize was

awarded to Rimal Bhatt from

the University of Hertfordshire.

His design – a low-cost fire

evacuation respirator mask

combined with radio

frequency technology that

tracks people entering and

leaving a building, and logs

the numbers left inside – was

developed following the

Grenfell Tower tragedy of

2017. It was described by the
      judges as ‘a very simple
      solution to a very current
      issue’. newdesigners.com

REPORTER 013

The World Heritage Committee has

announced the addition of Frank Lloyd

Wright’s 20th century architecture to the

UNESCO World Heritage List. Comprising

eight of the American architect’s major

works, this is a significant increase to the

number of sites in the US, which

previously amounted to only 24 of the

roughly 1,000 sites on the list worldwide.

Considered the most important 20th

century American architect, Wright’s

addition is not surprising, but the

nomination was 15 years in the making

and took considerable work and re-

nomination after referral in 2015. The

committee made the official decision at its

meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, this year. The

works span 50 years of Wright’s career.

The earliest is the Unity Temple,

constructed in 1906-1909 in Oak Park,

Illinois, and the latest is the Solomon R.

Guggenheim Museum, constructed in

1956-1959 in New York. In between are the

Frederick C. Robie House (constructed in

1910 in Chicago, Illinois), Taliesin (begun

in 1911, Spring Green, Wisconsin),

Hollyhock House (1918-1921, Los Angeles),

Fallingwater (1936-1939, Mill Run,

Pennsylvania), the Herbert and Katherine

Jacobs House (1936-1937, Madison,

Wisconsin), and Taliesin West (begun in

1938, Scottsdale, Arizona). The buildings

represent a considerable contribution to

20th century modern architecture.

Perhaps best-known is Fallingwater, but of

great importance are the ‘Usonian homes’,

of which the Jacobs House is considered

the first. Built for only $5,000 for the

young couple, it was designed to fit in

with the natural surroundings and is

considered a predecessor of the American

ranch-style house. frank.lloydwright.org

Frank Lloyd

Wright’s

architecture

added to

UNESCO World

Heritage List

Kelvin Lighting
acquired by Atrium
Specialist lighting
distributor Atrium Lighting
has acquired Kelvin Lighting
Ltd, a prominent Scottish
lighting distributor founded
by Scott Kelly. While Kelvin
Lighting will keep its name
north of the border, it will
become a trading division
of Atrium. The combined
group will have Kelly
become a board member,
shareholder and director
of Atrium as it becomes the
single largest independent
specialist lighting
distributor across the UK.
atrium.ltd.uk

Squint/Opera, BIG
Architects & UNStudio
launch virtual design
platform Hyperform
Hyperform is a data-driven
design tool that uses
augmented reality to allow
architects and planners to
collaborate in virtual space.
Created by digital studio
Squint/Opera, BIG and
UNStudio, multiple teams
can access it in real time,
immerse themselves at a 1:
scale or interact with a
scale model, and share
maps, site images and
data. The tool aims to
reduce international travel
and make the design
process more efficient.
Hyperform has been
developed from a 2018
prototype after a period
of testing by various
architects. squintopera.com

Entries open for Surface
Design Awards 2020
Entries are now open for
the next Surface Design
Awards. In addition to the
Interior and Exterior
categories for each of the
following – Commercial
Building, Light + Surface,
Housing, Public Building,
Retail Building, Sustainable
Surfaces and Temporary
Structures – there are two
new categories for 2020:
Affordable Housing and
Public Realm. The closing
date for entries to this
year’s competition is
27 September.
surfacedesignawards.com

Le Corbusier’s colourful
final pavilion re-opens
in Switzerland
Situated on Lake Zurich,
Le Corbusier’s final pavilion
and last work was reopened
on 11 May this year. The
pavilion is run as a public
museum by the Museum für
Gestaltung Zürich on behalf
of the city of Zurich. The
colourful building is the only
one of Le Corbusier’s made
entirely from glass and
steel, and is designed
entirely according to his
Modulor system: an
anthropometric scale of
proportions based on the
human body and the
golden ratio.
pavillon-le-corbusier.ch

TOM ROSSITER COURTESY OF HARBOE ARCHITECTS

Below Unity Temple in

Oak Park, Illinois