This week at Dezeen, auto brand BMW released images of its updated iX SUV electric vehicle, which has been wrapped in color-changing “digital paper.”
Named the iX Flow, the concept was designed by BMW to change from black to white at the switch of a button to suit the driver’s personal taste or changing weather.
According to the brand, by turning their car into reflective white in the sun or heat-absorbing black in the cold, drivers can help lower the electric vehicle’s energy consumption and thus increase its range.
In Venice, the Ponte della Costtituzione in Santiago Calatrava was in the spotlight after the city announced that its glass roofs would be replaced to prevent “almost daily” falls.
In support of the plan, Calatrava studio offered to help with the design and “develop a free proposal.”
Improving pedestrian conditions has also been a priority of the European Commission’s Green and Effective Mobility Package, which proposes a comprehensive overhaul of urban infrastructure across the EU to encourage more walking and cycling to help achieve decarbonization goals.
Foster + Partners has criticized the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) sustainability report, which is supported by nearly 250 built environmental organisations, claiming it contravenes the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The studio also made headlines this week after it completed the Datong Museum of Art, an underground gallery in China with a pyramidal roof covered in weatherproof steel.
To celebrate the New Year, we’ve looked at twelve interesting architectural projects expected to be completed in 2022. Among them are the Modern Sydney Expansion by SANAA, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts by Studio Gang and the much-anticipated Taipei Center for the Performing Arts by OMA.
Snøhetta also gave readers something to look forward to as she revealed her designs for the Sub-Center Library in Beijing that aim to mimic a ginkgo tree forest.
We report that artist and stage designer Es Devlin has been named Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on the Queen’s New Year’s Honor Roll of 2022 in recognition of her services to design.
Awards were also given to Black Females in Architecture co-founder Selasi Awo Setufe, President of Grimshaw Architects Andrew David Whalley and AKT II Co-Founder Hanif Kara.
Award-winning engineer Max Fordham was announced dead this week at the age of 88.
The studio named after Fordham, who has worked on projects including Alexandra Road for Neff Brown, Tate St Ives for David Shalev and Eldred Evans, has been hailed as “a renowned architect and pioneer in sustainable building design”.
Projects that sparked readers’ imaginations included affordable artist housing in the UK, a cabin in France covered in burnt pine and a minimalist church altar designed by Max Lamb.
This week’s lookbook celebrates bedrooms that use elegant wood paneling to create a relaxing atmosphere.
This week at Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to make sure you don’t miss a thing.