Saudi Arabia’s New Luxurious Vacation Spot For Golf Enthusiasts

In the heart of Saudi Arabia’s expansive desert, a groundbreaking venture named Gidori is taking shape, offering a visionary escape for those seeking a blend of modern luxury, stunning landscapes, and outdoor recreation. Envisioned as a futuristic haven, Gidori stands as a testament to Saudi Arabia’s commitment to innovation and excellence in the realm of architecture and leisure.

Designers: Ignacio Gomez and Lama Al Kharboush

Gidori’s masterminds, architects from Aedas, are orchestrating a visual spectacle in the desert. With plans for 200 villas and homes seamlessly integrated into the natural surroundings, Gidori embraces the desert landscape rather than competing with it. At the heart of this ambitious project is the Monolith, an awe-inspiring beachfront complex featuring 190 cantilevering apartments adorned with glass and metallic surfaces. Drawing inspiration from the rugged beauty of natural rock formations, the Monolith is a gravity-defying structure that combines futuristic aesthetics with organic grace. Inside its embrace, residents and visitors can explore dining havens, retail spaces, and lush gardens, creating an immersive experience that blurs the lines between nature and architecture.

Beyond its architectural marvels, Gidori promises a luxurious escape with a carefully curated set of amenities. The boutique hotel, boasting 80 rooms, becomes a sanctuary of comfort and sophistication. Guests can relish the culinary delights of the hotel’s restaurants and unwind in the cozy lounges, ensuring a memorable stay. For golf enthusiasts, Gidori’s 18-hole championship golf course weaves through the low hills and rocky outcrops, challenging players with innovative design, breathtaking coastal views, and cutting-edge technology. The clubhouse mirrors this elegance, offering a refined space for hospitality, while the golf academy caters to traditional and e-sports aficionados alike, ushering in a new era of recreational engagement.

Gidori’s charm extends beyond its architectural grandeur and luxurious accommodations. The project embraces the natural beauty of the surroundings, emphasizing outdoor activities and lush landscaping. Trails for hiking wind through the terrain, offering both relaxed and challenging routes for nature enthusiasts. Cyclists, whether sticking to the road or venturing off the beaten path, will find Gidori a haven for exploration. Along the beach, a tranquil club invites guests to enjoy water sports and unwind in a serene atmosphere. As the sun sets, Gidori unveils observation platforms that provide unparalleled views of the night sky, creating an enchanting space for stargazers.

Gidori’s announcement aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious vision for development, as evidenced by the progress of the 170-km-long Line project and plans for a towering 2-km skyscraper. Together, these ventures showcase the nation’s forward-thinking approach, pushing the boundaries of architectural innovation and sustainable luxury on a global stage.

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Tiny Timber Tower Was Airlifted And Tucked Into The Green New Zealand Landscape

Tucked away in the beautiful native bush of Eastbourne, Wellington, New Zealand is the Karka Tower, an architectural structure that embodies the innovation and evolution of the architecture world. The compact and distinctive structure is designed by Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication and is intended to be an intelligent solution to the difficult terrain, and the client’s brief. The client wanted an additional dwelling on a challenging and steep site, next to his main home. To meet the owner’s requirement, the studio designed a tiny tower-like structure that functions as an annex to the pre-existing home.

Designer: Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication

The studio wanted to maximize the tower’s interior space, as well as its footprint, hence they stacked various modular volumes on top of each other. The volumes are prefabricated off-site from eucalypt rainscreen timber, and then moved to the site. Since it is difficult to access the site, the tower was transported in three parts, using a helicopter. Each volume weighed up to 2425 lb, and the fact that they were airlifted helped to reduce potential environmental impacts.

The Karaka Tower is nestled on a dense forest hillside, and it effortlessly blends with its surroundings, while providing stunning views of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. The tower occupies 97 square feet, and it contains a supplementary bedroom and an art studio. The structure’s interiors remind you of a treehouse accentuated with exposed macrocarpa timber framing. The tiny tower also features a panoramic open-air rooftop terrace, which provides access to uninterrupted views across treetops.

The Karaka Tower has an impressive thermal performance that is optimized for year-round comfort and energy efficiency. It features a comprehensive waterproofing system that is developed with Viking Roofspec, which provides airtightness and thermal insulation. The various modules have a double TPO membrane and a batten system for quick weatherproofing.

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The Denali XL Bunkhouse Is A Spacious Tiny Home That Can Easily Sleep Six People

Designed by Timbercraft Tiny Homes, the spacious Denali tiny home first became accessible to the public in 2017, with time it got upgraded to the Denali XL, and now the firm has officially launched the Denali XL Bunkhouse. The Denali XL Bunkhouse as its name signifies is a spacious and majestic tiny home that can sleep from two to six people, providing an abundant amount of space for a small family, and some guests as well. It is supported on a quad-axle trailer, and it measures 41.4 feet long, with a width of 9.8 feet.

Designer: Timbercraft Tiny Homes

Since the width is long, the tiny home cannot be towed on the road without any kind of permit. It is one of the largest tiny homes on the market, and it isn’t something you’d be comfortable towing around often. The exterior of the home is clad in board-and-batten siding, and it has been topped with a standing-seam metal roof. The exterior has a quintessential cottage style which can be seen in the home’s interiors too, namely in the rustic shiplap walls, wood floors, tongue, and groove ceiling.

A pair of pretty French doors offer access to the home, there is one in the living room and one in the kitchen. They open up the tiny home to the outdoors. The kitchen is quite spacious and well-stocked for a tiny home, and it even includes a cozy breakfast bar for two people, as well as a propane-powered four-burner stove, an oven, dishwasher, custom cabinetry, and a fridge/freezer. The hallway of the home contains a large pantry area as well. The living room has generous glazing, including the French doors, and has quite a spacious vibe.

The tiny home’s bathroom includes a full-size bathtub and shower, as well as a flushing toilet and vanity sink. It also has a stacked washing machine and dryer installed. Opposite the living room is the master bedroom, and since it is on the ground floor, it has loads of headroom to stand straight. The bedroom also includes a king-sized bed with integrated storage space and a closet.

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This Little Wooden Sauna Is Elevated On Stilts On The Rocky Coast Of Norway

Oslo Works designed and perched a little wooden sauna over the rocky shore of Nesodden peninsula, Norway. The sauna is elevated over the shore, and finished with wooden shingles, creating a rustic yet charming persona. It is designed for the local community and named the Hotspot. It is only a short ferry ride from Oslo and is intended to be an adaptable, easy-to-maintain, and eco-friendly structure. Lately, communal saunas have been increasing in the area, as local communities are joining forces to fund and build them, and the Hotspot is another new addition!

Designer: Oslo Works

“A sauna is best enjoyed together,” said the studio. “This may be the reason why sauna community culture has been rising in Scandinavia over the last few years. People are putting their forces together in order to finance, build, and share hothouse all along the shore.”
The Hotspot sauna has been segregated into two sections through a narrow open passage, which will lead visitors to the water and the bathing ladder. The main hot room is located on the left-hand side, while the storage and changing facilities are located on the right. The hot room is heated by a little woodburning stove, and visitors can take a dip in the ice-cold water, before meeting up in this room. The room has access to stunning views of Oslo’s skyline. Oslo Works picked a material palette that camouflages the home with its surroundings when viewed from the mainland.

The main room has a rounded back wall that is covered in burnt and oiled pine shingles, which allows the cabin to merge with “pine trees and grey granite shore rocks”, as said by the studio. The building is also built using wood, with massive timber modules forming the frame. This helps to reduce the embodied carbon of the site.

Since the Hotspot features a modular form, it was quite easy to transport and construct on the site, which is difficult to reach. On the site, the sauna is elevated on metal stilts. The sauna’s modularity also supports future flexibility and leaves scope for adaptations such as the inclusion of a roof terrace, and additional shower rooms.

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‘Not-So-Tiny’ Tiny Home Has A Central Porch That Splits The House In Two

Called the Pisgah Park Model, this tiny home is unique, and a far cry from the typical tiny homes on the market. It offers an intriguing take on typical tiny house designs. The home is designed in such a manner, that the living and sleeping areas are placed on either side of a central porch, which creates a sense of distinction and separation between the two, allowing the home to have an indoor-outdoor style.

Designer: Wind River Tiny Homes

Designed by Wind River Tiny Homes, the Pisgah Park Model is designed for park living and isn’t intended for regular towing. It is founded on a quad-axle trailer and is finished in an engineered siding board and batten. It features a length of 45 feet and a width of 12 feet, which provides the home with a house-like interior, unlike most smaller tiny homes.

You can enter the tiny home via the porch. This space is intended to be a designated general hangout area and is an ingenious way to separate the two areas of the home. This home is not the best option for cold places but could be a great option for milder climates. The living room is located on one side of the porch, and it is quite free-flowing and open. The spacious porch has a high ceiling and generous glazing, while the interior is quite comfy and light-filled. The room includes a sofa, a kitchen with a fridge/freezer, a radiant electric cooktop, cabinetry, and a dishwasher.

The other side of the porch accommodates the master bedroom. The bedroom is located downstairs, so visitors and residents can stand upright in it. It also includes loads of storage and cabinetry, allowing it to function as a home office or an entertainment unit. The bathroom is located close by, and it contains a shower, vanity sink, and flushing toilet. The tiny home also includes a second bedroom upstairs, and it can be accessed via a ladder. It has a low ceiling and a double bed, much like most loft-style bedrooms in typical tiny homes.

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The Honeylion Tiny Home Has A Flexible Layout To Let You Host Dinner Parties

The tiny house movement has taken over the arch world, however, there is one issue that hasn’t been addressed despite its monumental success. It is a pain and often awkward to host guests in a tiny home since there isn’t much space! But Modern Tiny Living has addressed this problem with their Honeylion home and its flexible layout, and space-saving furniture. Featuring a length of 36 feet, the Honeylion is founded on a quad-axle gooseneck trailer. It has a finish of engineered wood and features a bright red steel roof.

Designer: Modern Tiny Living

As visitors and guests enter the home, they are welcomed by the kitchen which holds an oven and electric cooktop, double sink, full-sized fridge/freezer, and loads of cabinetry. As they move further into the home, they’ll find the living room which has been described as a Swiss Army Knife by the designer. It has a U-shaped seating that can accommodate six people at a time. The living room is also equipped with under-seat storage, some cabinets, and underfloor storage. This can be turned into an extra bed, so your guests can crash at your place if they don’t want to drive back home at night.

The bathroom is quite luxurious for a tiny home. It contains a composting toilet, a sink, and a spacious bath/shower. It also features a washer/dryer nearby. The Honeylion is equipped with two bedrooms – the master bedroom is in the raised part of the trailer, and can be accessed via storage-integrated steps. The bedroom has plenty of headroom to stand upright, and it features a double bed, which can be easily and efficiently stowed into the wall, creating more floor space.

The Honeylion’s second bedroom is located in the loft and can be accessed by the storage-integrated staircase as well. This is a typical loft-style house bedroom with a low ceiling, and it has space for two single beds. Check out the video for a better glimpse into the Honeylion tiny home!

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Brutalist speaker concept is inspired by an equally brutalist church building

Regardless of religious inclination or lack thereof, the word “church” would often conjure up images of lofty buildings designed to inspire awe or command respect. Of course, church architecture often reflects the trends and styles of their times, and there are indeed churches today that wouldn’t look out of place beside commercial buildings and structures. Of these, the former Church of Saint Agnes in Berlin, now home to the Konig gallery, is perhaps one of the most striking examples of the modern brutalist movement applied to such a structure, and its imposing character happens to be the almost literal inspiration for a desk speaker concept that similarly embraces that spirit of extreme austerity in a beautiful and memorable way.

Designer: Philipp Emrich

Designed by architect Werner Duttmann and finished in 1967, the former Church of St. Agnes, now the Gallery of Konig, stands almost in opposition to common church architectures of that period and the ages before it. Its unadorned, boxy shapes don’t stand out among the rows of concrete buildings that line up most cities, making it feel like just another part of the community. At the same time, however, its austere appearance still cuts an imposing figure that gives the impression of something that is meant to exist on a completely different and higher level.

It’s that same stunning characteristic that the Agnes desk speaker concept tries to convey on a smaller scale. Like the church it takes both its shape and name from, the design is made from two plain rectangular pieces, though the roles are switched. The vertical “bell tower” is actually the main speaker, with the top box providing 360-degree output, while the larger detachable box provides bass on demand.

Like any brutalist design, the speakers express rawness, expressed through metal instead of concrete and accentuated by the use of the simplest geometrical shape and sharp edges. In terms of functionality, however, there is nothing unrefined about the Agnes speaker concept, and it even imagines a feature not found in any 360-degree speaker today. While the lower knob controls the speaker volume, the one above it determines where sound is directed, whether it’s only from the front, from the front and the sides, or from all four sides.

Smart speakers today are trying their best to blend into their surroundings, namely your interior decor, and just like its inspiration, the Agnes desk speaker concept presents a duality in that regard. It definitely mixes well with minimalist designs, but its raw appearance and imposing stature also make it stand out easily, turning what would normally be just a functional appliance into a unique work of art that looks almost out of place and out of time.

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10 Iconic & Influential Women Designers Of The Last Century

8th March is celebrated as International Women’s Day, and rightly so, although in all honesty, we deserve every day to be Women’s Day! Women’s Day is the result of the efforts of a lady called Clara Zetkin, the leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany. In 1910, she proposed that every country should have a celebration every year on the same day – a Women’s Day, a day when women could press for their demands. Cut to 2024, and Women’s Day is a 24-hour period where we widely celebrate the women all around us, and in every aspect of our lives. And we’re taking it upon ourselves to celebrate the iconic women in our design world! These women paved the path for women in the design and architecture industry, changing the perceived status of women in this arena, and making space for their successors to push boundaries liberally and without hindrances. Although even today there is a gender disparity in the design world, with women designers facing experiences of bias and prejudice, and with the product and industrial design world being primarily 78-95% male. But let’s take a moment to celebrate these iconic women designers, creators, and innovators and raise a toast to them!

1. Zaha Hadid

The late Zaha Hadid was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2003, and also the first female star architect who managed to transform, and deeply influence the status of women in the design world. Known as the ‘Queen of the Curve’, her unique creative vision positively impacted and changed the design and architecture world, while also establishing that a woman can conquer these worlds in her unique way and style. Her feisty personality, intense determination, and desire to challenge the design status quo supported her in consistently pushing the limits of form and function. Her first major public building  – the Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art in Ohio opened in 2003 and marked an important turning point, where critics and the rest of the world accepted her as the force she truly was.

2. Ray Eames

Everyone’s heard of the Eames Lounge Chair. It was the centerpiece of any office in the 1960s and 1970s, and it has still maintained its relevance and value even today. You’ve probably heard of the mastermind behind it – Charles Eames, but you may not be aware of his wife Ray Eames, who played an equally important role in its birth and creation. The duo spent most of their time experimenting with plywood, which led to their first mass-manufactured product – a molded plywood leg splint that would be purchased in abundance by the US Navy. They played around with different materials, using fiberglass, aluminum, leather, and plywood to build furniture. Even after Charles died in 1978, Ray continued to spread their design philosophy and beliefs through her writing and numerous talks.

3. Hella Jongerious

The Dutch designer Hella Jongerious is considered a master of colors and texture in her profession of industrial design. The strong-headed and independent designer once said “Design is not about objects. Design is about relations”. She founded her studio called the Jongeriuslab studio in 1993, and since then has worked with major clients such as Maharam, Danskina, IKEA, and KLM. Through her work with textiles, ceramics, and furniture, she has highlighted the importance and magnitude of colors and surfaces in contemporary designs. She designed the Polder Sofa for the Swiss company Vitra, which is one of her most distinctive and popular pieces. It is inspired by her home country – the Netherlands and is a beautiful mixture of asymmetrical shapes and cushions in various colors and fabrics.

4. Neri Oxman

Israeli-American architect, designer, and professor Neri Oxman is the founder of the Mediated Matter Group at the MIT Media Lab. Her work is incredibly pioneering, and she had to coin the word “material ecosystem” to describe it. She combines technology, biology, and design to create astounding projects such as the Silk Pavilion and the Wanderers Wearable Skins, which pushed the boundaries of what fabrication and design could do. Her 3D-printed wearable skins are designed for interplanetary pilgrims, and they have been merged with synthetically engineered microorganisms to make the hostile habitable.

“Nature does not come together. “It expands,” she said at Design Indaba. “At this point, there is a collision between the worlds of civilization and nature.” It is a gradual process, but they are coming together.”

5. Kazuyo Sejima

Kazuyo Sejima is a Japanese architect, and also the second woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010, following Zaha Hadid’s lead a few years later. Sejima claims, “Being an architect. I am just interested in making architecture.”, and this comes through in her clean, minimalist, and yet innovative design style. Her works are highlighted by a subtle and minimal character, and they often playfully blur the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. One such project is the Laview commuter train, which features massive windows, and a curved edge glass nose. The commuter train was designed to make the passengers feel like they’re at home, instead of on a train moving between Tokyo and Saitama. The carriages were created to make the passengers feel comfortable and at ease, mimicking the experience of sitting in your own house.

6. Florence Knoll Bassett

Florence Knoll Bassett was an American architect and furniture designer who completely revolutionized and transformed the design of workplaces, in turn shaping the mid-century modern design movement. She was trained by the three giants of European Modernism – Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which helped her immensely as she began working for her husband’s furniture company, which was later named Knoll Associates. She created the concept of the modern open-plan office, truly reimagining workplace spaces. Her open-plan ‘Knoll look’ interior completely rejuvenated the office landscape of corporate America, and the impact still lingers on how offices are designed today. She took over Knoll Associates after her husband died in 1955, and the company continued to grow and flourish under her leadership.

7. Greta Magnusson-Grossman

Greta Magnusson Grossman, a Swedish designer, seamlessly merged Scandinavian sensibilities with the midcentury design movement in California in the 1940s. Grossman was not only renowned for her furniture designs but also for her architectural projects, particularly homes in the Los Angeles area, which embraced open floor plans and integrated with the surrounding landscape. Despite her success in architecture, Grossman is best known today for her lamp designs, notably the Grasshopper floor lamp and the Cobra table lamp, both of which have gained iconic status in the midcentury-modern design canon. Towards the end of her career, Grossman also taught furniture design at UCLA from 1957 to 1963.

8. Suzanne Vanderbilt

Suzanne Vanderbilt, a trailblazing auto designer at GM, began her career as one of the original Damsels of Design. Vanderbilt joined GM after graduating from Pratt Institute in 1955 and worked on automotive interior design for Chevrolet and Cadillac. Her innovative work included patents for ergonomic automobile seats and safety switches, although these were never produced. Despite facing setbacks and sexism, she persevered, rising to become chief designer of Chevrolet’s Interior Studio by 1972. Vanderbilt’s career was marked by a pursuit of perfection and creativity, reflected in her dedication to automotive design. Her pursuits in the male-dominated automotive industry helped pave the way for other women designers like Diane Allen and Michelle Christensen.

9. Diane Allen

Diane Allen is a senior designer manager at Nissan Design America in San Diego, and she also manages the design programs for the Nissan brand assigned to NDA by the Nissan Global Design Center in Japan. She designed the 2016 Nissan Titan, which is a heavy-duty pick-up truck made from pure gearhead muscle, and capable of hauling everything from boats to horse trailers! She manages the design process of the TITAN family of trucks – overseeing the design concept and sketch development to the production sheet metal, and designing and prototyping of all the different parts, accessories, and wheels! She also managed the Nissan 350Z and 370Z sports coupes, the Rogue crossover SUV, and the Infinity QX56 SUV.

10. Michelle Christensen

Michelle Christensen made history by becoming the auto industry’s first female to lead the development of a supercar when she headed the 2017 remodel of the iconic Acura NSX. It is a second-gen hybrid supercar that was named “Performance Car of the Year” by Road & Track. The launch of the automotive was highly awaited, as it was being re-released 25 years after its original debut. She graduated in transport design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and went on to work for Honda, General Motors, and then Acura – the luxury division of Honda.

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This Tiny Home Is The Modern Flexible Office Space You Need

Designed by Baluchon, the Bois Perdus tiny home is a flexible, free-flowing, and light-filled space that serves as a towable dwelling. One of the focal points of the home is its flexibility, allowing it to function as a tranquil office that can support the owner’s crafting hobby, and letting it eventually function as a full-time home as well. Bois Perdus is French for Lost Woods, and it is founded on a double-axle trailer, with a length of 20 feet.

Designer: Baluchon

The tiny house is finished in a red cedar, adorned with an aluminum roof and accenting, and accentuated with loads of glazing, which fills the home with natural light. As you enter the home, you are welcomed by the living room which holds a sofa, a tiny loft for storage, and a small wood-burning stove, that can heat the entire home. The kitchen is located next to the living room, or it will be in the future, as currently the home only functions as a home office. The intended space for the kitchen is occupied by a desk for the owner.

A small crafting area has also been fitted underneath the storage-integrated staircase, and it holds a sewing machine and some shelving. The bathroom is located on the opposite side of the living room, and it is equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet, as well as a window to allow natural light inside. The home only accommodates one bedroom, which you can access via the storage-integrated staircase. The bedroom is a conventional loft-style space, with not much headroom. It does have a double bed and a pair of nightstands.

In the future, there are plans to move the Bois Perdus full-time, letting it function as a well-equipped home that will meet the owner’s needs and requirements. But at the moment, it is a work-focused tiny house that serves as a peaceful oasis where the owner can wrap up his workload.

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Unique Tiny Home Provides All The Amenities & Luxuries You Would Find In A Full-Sized Home

Designed by MitchCraft Tiny Homes, Casey’s 32′ x 10′ Tiny Home is equipped with all the luxurious features you would expect from a full-sized home. The interior is filled to the brim with storage, and it also showcases a light-filled and flexible living space, with excellent elements like underfloor heating, a netted loft space, a dishwasher, and a large bedroom with loads of headroom to stand straight.

Designer: MitchCraft Tiny Homes

Casey’s 32′ x 10′ Tiny Home is founded on a triple-axle gooseneck trailer, and it features an extra-wide frame. It has a spacious and house-like layout inside, hence it will need a permit to tow on the road. The interior of the home measures 390 square feet, and as you enter the home, you are welcomed by a large kitchen in the center of the house. The kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher, sink, electric stovetop, a dining table for two, and loads of storage space. It also includes a large cat tree, a cat flap, and an exterior door providing access for the owner’s pets.

The living room is located close to the kitchen, and it includes a sofa, and storage unit with a TV, that can be stowed away when not in use. The home is equipped with ladder-style steps that can be integrated into the wall to provide access to the netted loft area, which increases the living space, without cutting off the natural light streaming in from the skylight above.

On the other end of the kitchen is the bathroom equipped with underfloor heating to keep your toes warm as you step out of the shower. There is also a sink, and a flushing toilet, as well as some storage space. A storage-integrated staircase leads you to the master bedroom nestled in the gooseneck part of the trailer. This space has loads of headroom allowing visitors to stand upright, which isn’t always seen in tiny homes. It also includes a double bed and more storage space, as well as a separate washing machine and dryer. The second loft area is utilized for storage.

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