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      Meta to open first physical retail shop for virtual reality products

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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 Perspective reveals design for “world's first” space lounge

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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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      This week, Rolls-Royce had a rebrand and NASA's Mars mission got a logo

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      This week on Dezeen, design studio House of van Schneider unveiled the logo for NASA’s robotic rover and Pentagram gave the Rolls-Royce visual identity a makeover.House of van Schneider has designed the branding for NASA’s 2020 mission to send a rover to Mars to look for signs of past life.
      A red circle symbolises the red planet, overlaid with a pixellated outline of the robot and a star that represents Earth glimpsed from Mars. This logo is going on the main rocket as well as the rover, along with badges and keycards used by scientists on the project.
      “We never had our work on a rocket, or sent to space, let alone on Mars. This was a first for the entire House of van Schneider team,” said  founder Tobias van Schneider.

      Rolls-Royce unveils “confident but quiet” rebrand by Pentagram
      Design studio Pentagram revealed the rebrand it designed for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, based around the signature statuette that perches on the bonnet of its cars.

      Called the Spirit of Ecstasy, the figure of a woman with diaphanous wings has been updated and flipped to be a simplified logo for Rolls-Royce.
      “Things like the size of the waist were so important,” said Pentagram partner Marina Willer, “because we didn’t want to indicate that she was too skinny, as that wouldn’t set a good example, and we didn’t want to make her too feminine and sexual either.”

      Expo 2025 Osaka logo revealed as ring of red blobs
      A red circle was revealed as the winning design of the competition to make the logo for Expo 2025 Osaka. Graphic designer Tamotsu Shimada won over the jury and the public with a circle of blobs that look like cell nuclei – and googly eyes.
      Japan embraced the anthropomorphic qualities of the design on social media, producing memes and fanart of the logo as an alien creature, a video game character, and even a loaf of bread.

      Melania Trump criticised for “upsetting” White House Rose Garden renovation on social media
      Melania Trump also had the attention of design Twitter this week. Her redesign of the Rose Garden at the White House went viral after she shared pictures of her foray into landscape architecture.
      It wasn’t the first time that the First Lady – who left her formal architecture studies to pursue a successful modelling career –turned her hand to design. We rounded up four examples here.

      Photos reveal Foster + Partners “floating” spherical Apple Marina Bay Sands store
      Photos of the new Apple Marina Bay Sands shop in Singapore have also been popping up on social media. British practice Foster + Partners is building the spherical store on the water, where it will be reached via a footbridge.
      Foster + Partners’ founder Norman Foster also unveiled his design for a temporary parliament building for the UK. The proposal includes a debating chamber and office spaces for 650 politicians wrapped in bomb-proof glass.

      MAD wraps Beverly Hills residences Gardenhouse with America’s “largest living wall”
      Planted facades had a moment in architecture news this week. Chinese architecture studio MAD laid claim to building America’s “largest living wall” by wrapping a housing development in Beverly Hills with a swirl of succulents.
      Norwegian firm Snøhetta covered a timber office in Austria with a layer of greenery trailing up a latticed metal frame.

      Perforated metal pavilion by Neiheiser Argyros disguises London Underground vents
      In other architecture news, major infrastructure projects had their vents cunningly disguised by architects. Architecture studio Neiheiser Argyros shrouded the exhaust vents and fire escape of a London Underground station with a stylish pavilion and cafe.
      To hide a ventilation shaft for the upcoming HS2 railway line, architecture firm Grimshaw has proposed a decorative roof of weathered steel to transform it into a local landmark.

      [In]Brace allows users to control a computer with their tongueIngenious wearables featured in design and technology news on Dezeen. Graduate designer Dorothee Clasen has created a retainer called [In]Brace that allows the wearer to communicate with a computer using just their tongue.
      Amelia Kociolkowska, another graduate designer, has created a wearable spandex pouch called Carrie that allows for the convenient and discreet carrying of period products.

      Island Rest is a black-timber holiday home on the English coast
      This week our readers were excited about a larch-clad holiday home on the Isle of Wight, a hilltop house in Costa Rica with views of the ocean, and a government building in India covered in an Ikat pattern of bricks.
      This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

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      Burberry and Tencent collaborate on interactive WeChat shop in Shenzhen

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      Visitors to Shenzhen’s Burberry flagship store can use Tencent’s WeChat app to interact with the window display and play their own music in fitting rooms.The British fashion brand and China’s largest social media company collaborated to design a shop that suited Shenzhen’s growing reputation for technology.

      Shoppers use WeChat, a Chinese messaging and social media app, to engage with the shop in Shenzhen’s MixC development.

      Tencent and Burberry have produced a custom mini program that is unlocked via WeChat. Users create a profile and are given a digital avatar in the form of a cartoon fawn that hatches from an egg.

      Through the app, shoppers can book one of the three themed fitting rooms, pre-select the clothes and play their own music while they try them on. They can also use this program to book a table at the in-house cafe and make appointments with stylists and other services.
      To encourage engagement, the program has a rewards system to earn “social currency” that unlocks custom content, such as new characters and outfits for the animal avatar and exclusive dishes on the cafe menu.

      All the products have QR codes, which can be scanned to display more information and visual hints for styling the project – and give the user more points for unlocking content.
      The interactive window display is currently a sculptural recreation of the runway for Burberry’s Autumn Winter 2020 show. Mirrors and screens capture the movement of people as they interact with it, which users can capture and share with their phones.

      “Social media is an increasingly important part of the customer journey and the interaction between social media and physical surroundings is ever more seamless,” said Burberry senior vice president of digital Mark Morris.
      “Our social retail store in Shenzhen is our response to this. It is a space where the social and physical worlds merge, taking interactions from social media and bringing them into the physical retail environment,” he told Dezeen.
      “The tech we use in the store is intended to provide a seamless journey that augments customers’ online and instore life. Therefore, this is not a tech store, but a beautiful luxury store augmented by technology.”

      Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci turned to the brand’s archive to create a visual look for the themed rooms that correspond to the digital platform.

      Peter Saville collaborates with Riccardo Tisci to design new Burberry logo and monogram

      The Italian fashion designer used the Thomas Burberry Monogram and the fashion house’s fawn print as a recurring motif – the latter being the inspiration for the WeChat avatar too.

      Furnishings, fixtures and plinths throughout the store are made from plywood and mirrors. Tisci used a palette of beige, pistachio, pink and blue throughout the 10 rooms in the shop, each of which has a different theme.
      The three bookable fitting rooms are decorated around the concept of Burberry Animal Kingdom, Reflections and the Thomas Burberry Monogram, and visitors can book their favourite via the app.

      Thomas’ Cafe is decked out in high-gloss beige with chamfered mirrors, animal-patterned wall panels and layers of sandy-coloured curtains.
      Even the tabletops are mirrored, creating a unique backdrop for diners to capture their meal for sharing on social media.

      In the Trench Experience room, digital displays set in the plywood walls show moving images of nature in reference to the fashion brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry, who designed a waterproof trench coat for British troops in the first world war. This room has more opportunities for customers to unlock custom content.
      “I am fascinated by the balance between nature and technology, and the energy that connects the two,” said Tisci.
      “This store explores this relationship, blending the digital and the physical realms in an exciting new concept. I wanted to bring this love of the outdoors to life through all the elements of the store.”

      Burberry previously brought technology to its London shop, where it installed a robot that appeared to chisel sculptures out of polystyrene blocks.
      Tencent recently opened its new headquarters in Shenzhen, a pair of towers designed by NBBJ joined by multiple bridges to encourage staff to meet and interact.

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      Live conversation with Dezeen Awards judges and winners including Nelly Ben Hayoun and Sevil Peach as part of VDF

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      [embedded content] Dezeen Awards winners and judges including Studio Drift, Arthur Mamou-Mani, Adam Nathaniel Furman and Sevil Peach will take part in a live drop-in conversation from 1:00pm UK time as part of today’s VDF x Dezeen Awards collaboration. The special edition of our Screentime interview series also features Nelly Ben Hayoun, Sarah Izod and Talenia […] More