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In the first instalment of Dezeen and SketchUp’s Design Workshops, Uchronia founder Julien Sebban explains how he used SketchUp’s software to create a fictional bar interior characterised by amorphous forms and soft edges. More
Dezeen is teaming up with SketchUp to launch the Design Workshops video series in which leading designers describe how they created especially commissioned interior environments.
The series will launch in two weeks with the first of two videos hosted by Uchronia founder Julien Sebban, who will explain how he used SketchUp’s design software to create a fantasy bar interior.
Across two videos, Sebban will describe his practice’s approach to hospitality design projects, and demonstrate how SketchUp’s software allowed him to create and visualise a 70s-themed space characterised by colourful gradients, curves and soft edges.
Uchronia designed a 1970s themed bar for the Design Workshops video seriesSebban’s first workshop will focus on form, while the second will explore the theme of texture.
Sebban’s Paris-based practice Uchronia, known for its bold application of shape, colour and reflective surfaces, was named emerging interior designer of the year at last year’s Dezeen Awards.
Julien Sebban is an interior designer and the founder of UchroniaFollowing Sebban’s workshops, the series will continue with a two-part video workshop delivered by London-based interior designer Tola Ojuolape.
Ojuolape, who is the founder of eponymous design practice Tola Ojuolape Studio, has designed a library in SketchUp especially for this project.
She will deliver a two-part video workshop on the design, which is a proposal for Clerkenwell in London, an area known for design and makers.
Ojuolape was shortlisted at last year’s Dezeen Awards for emerging interior designer of the year. Her practice is characterised by its use of natural materials and an emphasis on narrative.
Interior designer Tola Ojuolape will also contribute to the Design Workshops seriesSketchUp is 3D design software used to model architectural and interior design projects, product designs, civil and mechanical engineering and more. It is owned by construction technology company Trimble.
Dezeen collaborated with the brand last year on Climate Salon, a podcast series exploring the role that architects and designers can play in tackling climate change.
Partnership content
This video series was produced by Dezeen in partnership with SketchUp. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Pencil production in New Jersey and the fabrication of massive turbines for wind power in North Dakota feature in this roundup of American industrial facilities photographed by Christopher Payne.
Payne has spent the last decade exploring factories in America, ranging from “traditional industries” like wool carders to the production of contemporary technological machines that he says are often “hidden from view”.
His reasons for creating Made in America stem from the lack of awareness of where products come from, and from American manufacturing “making a comeback” after Covid-19.
“Most people I know have never set foot in a factory,” said Payne. “Decades of global outsourcing and a flood of cheap imports have decimated sectors of American manufacturing and hollowed out once-thriving communities.”
“Yet, we still live in a physical world, and we surround ourselves with material things, and many of these things are still made in America. As environmental concerns and the pandemic have become urgent wake-up calls for us to rethink global supply chains, US manufacturing is making a comeback.”
Nine municipal buildings in North America that reject bland utilitarianism
The book includes close-up photography gathered from Payne’s personal exploration and editorial commissions and has an introduction from British author Simon Winchester.
Payne said that he wanted to preserve the legacy of certain industries while showing the continued innovation and skill of workers – many of whom are featured in the photography.
“All of these places share a commitment to craftsmanship and quality that can’t be outsourced,” he said.
“There is, for sure, a certain romance in the idea of making our own goods here in the US, but it is no longer entirely nostalgia; it is also necessity and opportunity.”
Read on for Payne’s commentary on scenes from twelve industrial facilities in the United States:
Wool carders at the S & D Spinning MillS & D Spinning Mill, Millbury, Massachusetts
“In 2010 I discovered an old yarn mill in Maine that reminded me of the state hospital workshops that I photographed for my book Asylum. While most such places had long been abandoned, this mill was fully operational, a scene from the past miraculously coexisting with the present.”
“I learned of other mills around New England, remnants of a once-dominant industry that had moved south long ago, and then overseas, in search of cheap labor. I befriended mill owners, who, in addition to opening their doors, would inform me of a colorful production run, an invaluable tip that transformed a drab, monochromatic scene into something photogenic and magical.”
A tipping machine adds metal ferrules and erasers to pencils General Pencil Company, Jersey City, New Jersey
“General Pencil is one of two remaining pencil companies in the US, and it took five years to win the trust of the owners and gain access to the factory.”
“I focused on essential steps in the manufacturing process to reveal a fresh look at this humble, everyday object.”
Wafer (a thin slice of semiconductor material used to make microchips) sorterGlobal Foundries, Malta, New York
“There is a familiarity to traditionally made objects like pianos and pencils that makes them easier to photograph than tiny microchips [featured above] or complex, one-of-a-kind spacecraft; they’re recognizable in all stages of production and we know exactly what they do.”
“Whenever possible, I try to include people in my pictures to humanize a subject that might otherwise seem incomprehensible.”
Vertical assembly of a CFM LEAP jet engine core
GE Aerospace, Lafayette, Indiana
“From the window of a plane, it is impossible to appreciate the size and complexity of a jet engine.”
“Seen up close and uncovered, it becomes an intricate, dazzling work of art, the perfect balance of form and function.”
Inspection of a low-pressure steam turbine rotorGE Gas Power, Schenectady, New York
“Gaining access to modern factories is never easy. There are concerns about safety and intellectual property that didn’t exist in the 1940s and 50s, when American companies spent lavishly on annual reports and were eager to pull back the curtain for popular magazines like LIFE and Fortune.”
“Sometimes I’ll make a beautiful picture only to find out later that I can’t use it, prompting me to look elsewhere for a replacement, like this one, which was my second – and successful attempt – at photographing a turbine rotor.”
A technician tracing a part template for optimized glass utilization on a boule of Corning HPFS fused silica Corning Inc, Canton, New York
“Glass is an ancient material continually being pushed to new limits, but it is not easily photographed. It’s transparent, reflective, and often quite thin and fragile.”
“Finding this technician hovering over a massive circle of glass, lit up like an ice sculpture, was something I had never seen before, and it remains one of my favorite pictures.”
An R1 vehicle hood in the closures area of the body shopRivian, Normal, Illinois
“Car factories are so vast that a golf cart is needed to get around. The environment is visually overwhelming and everything beckons the camera.”
“I never have enough time to show even a fraction of the production process so I search for quiet, simple moments that serve as stand-ins for the larger story.”
Workers weld parts to the steel frame of an electric public transit busBuild Your Dreams (BYD) factory, Lancaster, California
“I approach industrial subjects and busy, cluttered factories the same way I do buildings: I try to find an underlying order within the visual chaos.”
“Here, I was able to use the bus frame as a geometric backdrop upon which the action could unfold, like a stage set.”
Gathering yarn to be fed into a carpet tufterInterface, LaGrange, Georgia
“New technologies are often integrated seamlessly into everyday products in ways that are indiscernible, as is the case here, where captured carbon dioxide will be fused into the backing of a commercial carpet.”
“Even though the product is ‘high tech’, the manufacturing process still requires the deft touch of the human hand.”
Sanding infused fiberglass inside a wind turbine blade shellLM Wind Power, Grand Forks, North Dakota
“Clean energy is another booming sector in manufacturing. Wind turbine blades are 200 to 300 feet long (60 to 91 metres), so there’s no elegant way to show their length without including a lot of distracting context.”
“Seen in section, though, the half circle of a blade shell becomes a pleasing composition that fills the frame.”
Inside Stargate, the world’s largest metal 3D printer, prints a Terran 1 rocketRelativity Space, Long Beach, California
“Essential technologies like aerospace have been reenergized by the private sector and new technologies, like 3D printing, and some factories I visited had the buzz of tech startups.”
“Relativity Space 3D prints rocket engines, reducing the time to do so from years to months. To work around the UV light of the laser we had to wear protective gear to avoid a nasty sunburn.”
American flags in production on a rotary screen printerAnnin Flagmakers, South Boston, Virginia
“Even in its unfinished state the American flag is instantly recognizable, a whole greater than the sum of its parts.”
“I like to think that a factory is similar, a whole that is only complete when everyone works together as a team. These are the people who make the stuff that fuels our economy, and in this time of social polarization and increasing automation, they offer a glimmer of hope.”
Read more: More
Pencil production in New Jersey and the fabrication of massive turbines for wind power in North Dakota feature in this roundup of American industrial facilities photographed by Christopher Payne.
Payne has spent the last decade exploring factories in America, ranging from “traditional industries” like wool carders to the production of contemporary technological machines that he says are often “hidden from view”.
His reasons for creating Made in America stem from the lack of awareness of where products come from, and from American manufacturing “making a comeback” after Covid-19.
“Most people I know have never set foot in a factory,” said Payne. “Decades of global outsourcing and a flood of cheap imports have decimated sectors of American manufacturing and hollowed out once-thriving communities.”
“Yet, we still live in a physical world, and we surround ourselves with material things, and many of these things are still made in America. As environmental concerns and the pandemic have become urgent wake-up calls for us to rethink global supply chains, US manufacturing is making a comeback.”
Nine municipal buildings in North America that reject bland utilitarianism
The book includes close-up photography gathered from Payne’s personal exploration and editorial commissions and has an introduction from British author Simon Winchester.
Payne said that he wanted to preserve the legacy of certain industries while showing the continued innovation and skill of workers – many of whom are featured in the photography.
“All of these places share a commitment to craftsmanship and quality that can’t be outsourced,” he said.
“There is, for sure, a certain romance in the idea of making our own goods here in the US, but it is no longer entirely nostalgia; it is also necessity and opportunity.”
Read on for Payne’s commentary on scenes from twelve industrial facilities in the United States:
Wool carders at the S & D Spinning MillS & D Spinning Mill, Millbury, Massachusetts
“In 2010 I discovered an old yarn mill in Maine that reminded me of the state hospital workshops that I photographed for my book Asylum. While most such places had long been abandoned, this mill was fully operational, a scene from the past miraculously coexisting with the present.”
“I learned of other mills around New England, remnants of a once-dominant industry that had moved south long ago, and then overseas, in search of cheap labor. I befriended mill owners, who, in addition to opening their doors, would inform me of a colorful production run, an invaluable tip that transformed a drab, monochromatic scene into something photogenic and magical.”
A tipping machine adds metal ferrules and erasers to pencils General Pencil Company, Jersey City, New Jersey
“General Pencil is one of two remaining pencil companies in the US, and it took five years to win the trust of the owners and gain access to the factory.”
“I focused on essential steps in the manufacturing process to reveal a fresh look at this humble, everyday object.”
Wafer (a thin slice of semiconductor material used to make microchips) sorterGlobal Foundries, Malta, New York
“There is a familiarity to traditionally made objects like pianos and pencils that makes them easier to photograph than tiny microchips [featured above] or complex, one-of-a-kind spacecraft; they’re recognizable in all stages of production and we know exactly what they do.”
“Whenever possible, I try to include people in my pictures to humanize a subject that might otherwise seem incomprehensible.”
Vertical assembly of a CFM LEAP jet engine core
GE Aerospace, Lafayette, Indiana
“From the window of a plane, it is impossible to appreciate the size and complexity of a jet engine.”
“Seen up close and uncovered, it becomes an intricate, dazzling work of art, the perfect balance of form and function.”
Inspection of a low-pressure steam turbine rotorGE Gas Power, Schenectady, New York
“Gaining access to modern factories is never easy. There are concerns about safety and intellectual property that didn’t exist in the 1940s and 50s, when American companies spent lavishly on annual reports and were eager to pull back the curtain for popular magazines like LIFE and Fortune.”
“Sometimes I’ll make a beautiful picture only to find out later that I can’t use it, prompting me to look elsewhere for a replacement, like this one, which was my second – and successful attempt – at photographing a turbine rotor.”
A technician tracing a part template for optimized glass utilization on a boule of Corning HPFS fused silica Corning Inc, Canton, New York
“Glass is an ancient material continually being pushed to new limits, but it is not easily photographed. It’s transparent, reflective, and often quite thin and fragile.”
“Finding this technician hovering over a massive circle of glass, lit up like an ice sculpture, was something I had never seen before, and it remains one of my favorite pictures.”
An R1 vehicle hood in the closures area of the body shopRivian, Normal, Illinois
“Car factories are so vast that a golf cart is needed to get around. The environment is visually overwhelming and everything beckons the camera.”
“I never have enough time to show even a fraction of the production process so I search for quiet, simple moments that serve as stand-ins for the larger story.”
Workers weld parts to the steel frame of an electric public transit busBuild Your Dreams (BYD) factory, Lancaster, California
“I approach industrial subjects and busy, cluttered factories the same way I do buildings: I try to find an underlying order within the visual chaos.”
“Here, I was able to use the bus frame as a geometric backdrop upon which the action could unfold, like a stage set.”
Gathering yarn to be fed into a carpet tufterInterface, LaGrange, Georgia
“New technologies are often integrated seamlessly into everyday products in ways that are indiscernible, as is the case here, where captured carbon dioxide will be fused into the backing of a commercial carpet.”
“Even though the product is ‘high tech’, the manufacturing process still requires the deft touch of the human hand.”
Sanding infused fiberglass inside a wind turbine blade shellLM Wind Power, Grand Forks, North Dakota
“Clean energy is another booming sector in manufacturing. Wind turbine blades are 200 to 300 feet long (60 to 91 metres), so there’s no elegant way to show their length without including a lot of distracting context.”
“Seen in section, though, the half circle of a blade shell becomes a pleasing composition that fills the frame.”
Inside Stargate, the world’s largest metal 3D printer, prints a Terran 1 rocketRelativity Space, Long Beach, California
“Essential technologies like aerospace have been reenergized by the private sector and new technologies, like 3D printing, and some factories I visited had the buzz of tech startups.”
“Relativity Space 3D prints rocket engines, reducing the time to do so from years to months. To work around the UV light of the laser we had to wear protective gear to avoid a nasty sunburn.”
American flags in production on a rotary screen printerAnnin Flagmakers, South Boston, Virginia
“Even in its unfinished state the American flag is instantly recognizable, a whole greater than the sum of its parts.”
“I like to think that a factory is similar, a whole that is only complete when everyone works together as a team. These are the people who make the stuff that fuels our economy, and in this time of social polarization and increasing automation, they offer a glimmer of hope.”
Read more: More
German studio Atelier Brueckner has created an immersive exhibition at the Museum of the Future in Dubai that aims to investigate the world in 2071.
Named Journey of the Pioneers, the permanent exhibition was created for the recently opened Museum of the Future, which was designed by local studio Killa Design.
Atelier Brueckner split the exhibition, which was shortlisted for this year’s Dezeen Awards, into three sections that aim to investigate what the world may look like 50 years from now. The sections focus on life in space, bioengineering developments and the future of well-being.
The exhibition’s first district contains a space stationAccording to Atelier Brueckner, each district was designed using different materials and methods to represent their distinct but interconnected narratives.
The first district focuses on life in a space station, the second on an organisation that aims to regenerate endangered ecosystems, and the final district examines the future developments of well-being rituals.
“The experience touches on subjects and narratives that are relevant in the present day and foreseen to be still the challenges that we will face in the future,” said Atelier Brueckner.
“The experience is both informative and transformative and calls on the visitors to embark upon an expedition to a future for which they will, through individual choices, become part of a collective effort to create a better future for all humanity.”
The second district is named The LibraryThe first district presents the OSS Hope space station – the “largest man-made object in space”. Within the exhibition, visitors can look out from “space” to see a digital image depicting the Earth 50 years from now.
During the immersive experience, visitors are “recruited” to undertake a fictitious mission aligned to the space station’s overall aim – “to use the sun’s energy to provide power for mankind by harvesting it from the moon and then transmitting it down to the Earth”.
As a nod to its futuristic theme, the exhibition’s surfaces were 3D-printed, according to Atelier Brueckner.
The Library presents a range of organisms, such as single-cell organisms, plants and mammalsThe second district is named the HEAL Institute – an organisation that uses bioengineering to help regenerate damaged ecosystems.
Also included is a “digital Amazon”, which intends to showcase how life in the rainforest is interconnected.
“In ‘the Forest’, visitors gaze upon a majestic Ceiba tree at the sound of rain, as thousands of dancing point clouds overlay the scenery with the choreographed, but invisible life, that infuses the Amazon,” said Atelier Brueckner.
This district also features The Library, which includes 2,400 laser-engraved crystal jars that represent different species. This includes single-cell organisms, plants and mammals, which will either be alive or extinct by 2071.
The organisms presented in the second district will alive or extinct by 2071The third and final district is described by Atelier Brueckner as “the space where the pioneers encounter themselves”. It aims to be a space where visitors can reconnect to their senses while exploring what the future of well-being will look like in an increasingly technological world.
The district includes a number of therapies and treatments using technologies, such as “Movement Therapy” where visitors can explore and discover the benefit of dance. Additional therapeutic areas in the space include Grounding, Connection, and Feeling.
The district also includes “The Centre”, which is designed as a space for relaxation and contemplation, and Atelier Brueckner chose earth and clay-like tones on the district’s walls to be in keeping with its theme.
The final district explores a number of therapies including Movement Therapy”The design approach for the whole experience was an exercise in the creation of suspension of disbelief, crafting convincing environments through the choice of materials and the overall spatial design, and through the intricate score-like staging of the various narrative & sensorial components,” said Atelier Brueckner.
“With moments of tension and moments of release, rhythmic crescendos and climaxes, and phases of decompression and contemplation.”
The designers chose warm, earthy colours to complement the final districtIn addition to the main exhibition, the museum includes a space showcasing future innovations and products, in addition to a space with an “immersive and engaging landscape dedicated to children”.
The exhibition’s design was created in collaboration with Marshmallow Laser Feast, Jason Bruges Studios, Galerija 12, Altspace, Framestore, Superflux, Emilie Baltz, Deep Local and Certain Measures.
Journey of the Pioneers been shortlisted in the exhibition design category at this year’s Dezeen Awards alongside Ginza Ecological Map, Weird Sensation Feels Good – The World of ASMR and Greenwood Rising: Black Wall Street History Center exhibition.
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Design firm Crosby Studios has teamed up with augmented reality technology company Zero10 for a pop-up store in Manhattan that aims to provide a virtual retail experience.
The pop-up, which is located in Manhattan’s SoHo neighbourhood, lets visitors digitally try on a selection of outfits in interiors designed by local studio Crosby Studios.
Crosby Studio designed a store oriented around AR fashion technologyThe physical space of the pop-up was designed to complement the augmented reality (AR) experience and be a “physical entrance into the metaverse”, according to the team.
“This is my first experience working with digital clothes and rather than try to blend the digital with the physical — to soften the virtual reality aspect of it if you will — I instead sought to celebrate the digital nature of the collection,” said Crosby studio founder Harry Nuriev.
The interiors are covered with a pixelated designThe facade of the store features a classic pillared SoHo storefront painted over with grey-and-white checkers to suggest the integration of the physical and virtual.
Visitors enter the space into a stark-white antechamber that leads into a hallway covered with a checkered fluorescent “pixel” pattern that features in many of Crosby Studios’ designs.
The entrance hallway leads to a large lounge areaOn one side of this hallway is a bar area where the team provides boba tea to visitors.
At the end of the hallway is a large lounge area with booths lining the walls, as well as plush stools and cocktail tables. The same pixelated pattern continues in almost every aspect of this room, and ceiling tiles have even been removed to suggest the pattern.
The space is geared towards the digital fashion experienceFrom here, visitors can enter “changing rooms” equipped with QR codes that streamline the digital retail experience.
A digital-only fashion collection featuring five different was also developed by Crosby Studios together with Zero10.
The space has no physical clothingVisitors try the clothes on by downloading an app on their smartphones and then point the phone at themselves in the mirror to see how the clothes would look on them, or at another person to project the clothes onto them.
The collection features a series of glossy, futuristic outfits that change size depending on the body type of the wearer.
Crosby Studios designs virtual sofa upholstered with green Nike jackets
The goal of the project was to make consumers more comfortable with digital fashion by integrating it with the familiar routine of visiting a physical storefront, according to the team.
“Our project with Crosby Studios is a showcase of how the design and technology could co-exist in both physical and digital worlds that merge more and more,” said Zero10 CEO George Yashin.
Changing rooms with QR codes allow visitors to “try on” the clothing”We wanted to create a new concept of pop-up space responding to retailers’ needs to attract a new generation of consumers but also evolving the format of pop-ups that are not about product display any longer,” said Yashin.
Crosby Studios is based in New York City. Other of its design projects include a couch upholstered with Nike jackets and an apartment with industrial details and purple couches created for the founder.
The images are courtesy of Crosby Studios.
The pop-up is open to visit from 7 to 18 September in SoHo. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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Social media brand Meta, formerly the Facebook Company, is opening its first permanent Meta Store for customers to purchase its virtual reality products as a “gateway to the metaverse”.
The 1,550-square-foot shop will open on 9 May in Burlingame, California, near the company’s Reality Labs campus – a research and development hub for virtual reality products.
Meta Store is the social media company’s first physical storeHead of Meta Store Martin Gilliard said that the shop will demonstrate how the brand’s products are a “gateway” to the metaverse” – a parallel virtual world where people operate as avatars.
“The Meta Store is going to help people make that connection to how our products can be the gateway to the metaverse in the future,” he said.
It is located in California close to the company’s Reality Labs campusIn the shop, which will be open Monday to Friday, customers will be able to try out and play games on Oculus Quest 2, an updated version of the virtual reality headset Oculus Go, in a dedicated demo area.
A large, floor-to-ceiling LED screen will project what is being seen in the headset.
Meta’s video-calling device Portal will be displayed on backlit wooden shelves on the main shop floor. Customers will be able to try out Portal in another demo area, as well as place video calls to retail associates to see the gadget in action.
Customers will be able to try virtual reality productsA separate cubicle with glass walls is reserved for Meta’s selection of Ray-Ban Stories, smart glasses that allow wearers to record videos via in-built 5MP cameras. Visitors will be able to try a range of style, colour and lens variations.
Unlike the other products in Meta Store, the glasses will not be available to purchase in-store. Customers will have to order them directly from sunglass retailer Ray Ban’s website.
Facebook to open pop-up cafes to give users privacy checkups
Other accessories such as headphones, earphones and charging cables will also be on show and available to purchase in the store.
“We’re not selling the metaverse in our store, but hopefully people will come in and walk out knowing a little bit more about how our products will help connect them to it,” explained Gilliard.
“Once people experience the technology, they can gain a better appreciation for it.”
The store will house virtual reality headsets, smart glasses and Meta’s video calling deviceMeta’s first physical store represents the company’s move further into what it calls a “social metaverse company” and away from its origins as a social media company. Last year the brand changed its name from Facebook to Meta.
Gilliard also said that the Burlingame store marks Meta’s expansion further into the retail sphere.
“Having the store here in Burlingame gives us more opportunity to experiment and keep the customer experience core to our development,” said Gilliard. “What we learn here will help define our future retail strategy.”
The minimalist store displays products on wooden shelvingA number of brands are working on real-life and metaverse cross-over products, such as shoe brand Giuseppe Zanotti, which has released a digital edition of its Cobras trainers in the metaverse.
Design studio Layer recently unveiled a pair of smart glasses for tech company Viture that lets the user play games or stream media via a virtual screen.
Photos are courtesy of Meta.
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Space tourism company Space Perspective has revealed the interior design for its lounge-style travel capsule, which will be hauled into the stratosphere by a giant balloon.
Created in-house for the company’s Spaceship Neptune, the cabin has room for up to eight passengers.
Space Perspective has dubbed it “the world’s first space lounge” and said it wanted the interior to be distinct from typical spacecraft, with elements such as reclining and reconfigurable seats, plants and sustainable materials and a small cocktail bar.
It will form the interior of a pressurised capsule attached to a high-performance balloon and was designed to give the maximum view of its surroundings.
The space lounge is located within the Spaceship Neptune capsule, which is lifted via a giant balloon”Our mission is to inspire Space Explorers to connect more closely with our planet and each other, and the environment in which they travel with us is central to this,” said Space Perspective co-founder, co-CEO and chief experience officer Jane Poynter.
“Our Space Lounge is a world away from the white, utilitarian environments you find in other spacecraft.”
The Neptune space lounge is wrapped in 1.5-metre-high panoramic windows that Space Perspective says are the largest windows ever flown to space, and which it claims will provide a view that appears seamless to the human eye.
The lounge is designed to optimise the viewing experience of the Spaceship Neptune’s six-hour space flightThe main purpose of the interior design is to support the enjoyment of this view. The seats can be reconfigured to host activities such as an intimate dinner for two or a small party, while the centre of the capsule is kept open to accommodate group photography.
A separate bar area with multiple windows and a different look and feel gives guests a destination to explore beyond their seats.
The design team physically trialled hundreds of layouts within a mockup before landing on the final configuration.
“The biggest challenge of designing the interior was to create a multipurpose space that gives users the flexibility to not only sit and enjoy the view but celebrate and share with others,” Space Perspective co-founder, co-CEO and CTO Taber MacCallum, who oversees the in-house design team, told Dezeen.
The space lounge’s seating can be reconfigured for different occasions and moods”We worked hard within the footprint to make the space feel as large and generous as possible, and this is accentuated by the domed ceiling that makes the space feel airy and luxurious,” he continued.
“We’ve also added a multitude of activities for explorers during the flight, including a telescope, podcasts from astronauts, cameras on the inside and outside, small molecular gastronomy meals and inventive space cocktails.”
“Every self-respecting spaceship should have a bar” says CEO of space tourism company
To reduce reflections in the windows and visual glare from the intensity of the light at full altitude – 100,000 feet up – there is a dark, muted, blue-based colour palette, enhanced by RGB lighting.
“Our colour palette is a reflection of the view outside, with astronauts reporting having seen extremely vivid blues and purples at this altitude,” MacCallum said.
The space lounge is decorated in a muted colour palette on the blue spectrum to avoid reflection and glare”We wanted to create a space that feels both feels warm and homely, but still adventurous and out of this world,” he added.
While some of the decor is tech-focused, such as an overhead “doughnut” screen displaying information, there are also domestic touches such as floor lamps, plants and herbs including lavender, basil and rosemary, which will be used in the food and drinks.
The materials chosen are soft and tactile, with a focus on sustainability that mirrors Space Perspective’s mission to limit environmental impact, as its hydrogen balloon technology avoids the high greenhouse gas emissions typically associated with space travel.
The separate bar area includes a telescopeThe bar top is made from proprietary materials recycled from the company’s SpaceBalloon, while the interior is lined with soft, padded, insulating recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) microcloth, and the lounge seats are upholstered in all-natural wool.
Copper details are intended to bring warmth and were also chosen for their resistance to bacteria. They echo the copper tone on Neptune’s exterior windows, which helps to reduce light intensity.
The cabin has 360-degree panoramic windowsSpace Perspective has also announced the appointment of David Grutman, who created The Goodtime Hotel with musician Pharrell Williams, as its”experience curator”.
He will advise on the overall experience design, as well as customisation possibilities for occasions such as birthdays and corporate getaways.
Space Perspective’s six-hour space flights will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with tickets prices set at $125,000 per person. The company expects to commence commercial flights in late 2024 and places are already sold out for the first year.
The exterior of the two-part spacecraft was designed by PriestmanGoode and revealed in 2020.
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Italian studio Carlo Ratti Associati and architect Italo Rota have designed a museum dedicated to carbon fibre, which will be partially made from the material. More
