Austrian engineering firm and OEM Incus GmbH has introduced the Hammer Evo35, a redesign of its Hammer Lab35 Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM) 3D printer.Set to be unveiled for the first time next week during Formnext 2024, the system has been updated to offer improved production capabilities and industrial performance for professional applications. Its compact footprint makes it ideal for manufacturing environments with limited space, allowing it to integrate into most industrial workflows.The Evo35 features key upgrades that differentiate the system from its predecessor. This includes an overhaul of the 3D printer architecture and projector unit, an updated climate control system, and new software capabilities.According to Incus, this redesign and name change reflects the companys commitment to innovation and adaptability in the rapidly evolving world of additive manufacturing.We are proud to introduce the Hammer Evo35, a reflection of our ongoing dedication to advancing metal additive manufacturing, commented Incus CEO, Dr. Gerald Mitteramskogler.He added that the redesign combines the advantages of the companys LMM technology with new features that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve safety, while maintaining the superior quality our customers expect.Visitors to Formnext 2024 will be able to view the Hammer Evo35 3D printer at the Incus booth, located in Hall 11.1, E59.Read all the news from Formnext 2024.The Hammer Evo35 3D printer. Image via Incus.Introducing the Hammer Evo35 LMM 3D printerIncus was founded in 2019 in the R&D lab of ceramic 3D printing specialist Lithoz, a spin-out of TU Wein. Its LMM technology is based on vat polymerization techniques such as stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP). However, it differs from these more conventional technologies by processing materials that contain metal particles. The 3D printed parts are debound and sintered to create solid metal parts, similar to metal binder jetting and FDM techniques that use metal-infused filament.Incus technology can process materials containing metal particles as small as 20 m in size and is compatible with unweldable metals. LMM reportedly improves production health and safety by avoiding airborne powders, heightens production accuracy, and offers faster 3D printing speeds.The companys newly updated Hammer Evo35 3D printer is designed for production applications beyond research and development. It features a new CNC-grade machine frame, mechanics and the latest generation of projector units. This overhaul of the 3D printers architecture reportedly guarantees industrial standards in usability and durability.According to Incus, the new projector system further enhances the benefits offered by LMM technology. It optimizes metal 3D printing resolution and surface finish and unlocks a larger build area.The upgraded Evo35 also boasts an improved climate control system for the build chamber, guaranteeing part quality and ensuring 3D print jobs are successful in all production environments. A new software architecture has also been integrated into the 3D printer. This industrial interface reportedly streamlines communication with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, further enhancing the additive manufacturing experience.Incus LMM 3D printed part. Photo via Incus.New resin 3D printers at Formnext 2024With around 860 exhibitors and 55,000 square metres of exhibition space, Formnext 2024, running from 19-22 November in Frankfurt, is set to feature a plethora of new 3D printer launches. Among these, several new stereolithography-based systems will be unveiled on the show floor.During the event, 3D Systems will introduce its new high-speed PSLA 270 SLA 3D printer, along with Wash 400/Wash 400F and Cure 400 post-processing units. The new industrial resin 3D printer reportedly combines the speed and precision of projector-based SLA technology to fabricate mid-sized, high-quality parts with consistent mechanical properties. Compatible with this new 3D printer, 3D Systems new Figure 4 Rigid Composite White and Accura AMX Rigid Composite White materials are optimized for applications like wind tunnel testing, tools, and fixtures.Also exhibiting at Formnext 2024 is the industrial 3D printing company Supernova. During the show, Supernova will be showcasing its new Pulse Production Platform for high-viscosity resin 3D printing. It will also debut its Viscogels portfolio photopolymer materials that match the properties of injection molding.Supernova claims its new products will reduce tooling costs, improve customization capabilities, and enhance 3D printing productivity for batch production of end-use parts. According to CEO Roger Antunez, the new offerings seek to stem the unrivalled market growth of low-cost, Chinese-made 3D printers from companies like Creality and Bambu Lab. He believes Supernovas materials first approach will increase the adoption of Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM) technology.Keep up to date with all the news from Formnext 2024.Who are the leaders in additive manufacturing? Vote now in the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards!Want to share insights on key industry trends and the future 3D printing? Register now to be included in the 2025 3D Printing Industry Executive Survey.What does the future of 3D printing hold?What near-term 3D printing trends have been highlighted by industry experts?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows the Hammer Evo35 3D printer. Image via Incus.

Ohio-based chemicals and materials company Lubrizol has teamed up with Lore Cycle to 3D print personalized cycling shoes.Avid Product Development, Lubrizols 3D printing division, uses 3D scans of the riders feet to fabricate footwear that perfectly fits each customers unique foot shape. The result is the Lore Twoa cycling shoe featuring a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) upper, aimed at delivering unparalleled comfort and support.The Lore Two collection offers three models to suit various cycling preferences. The Lore Two Low Nylon, starting at $1,349, is engineered to deliver a superior pedaling experience compared to standard cycling shoes.The next model, the Lore Two Low Carbon, is priced at $1,649 and is both lighter and more rigid than the Low Nylon version. It is designed for riders who prefer a traditional dorsal cut with no upper dorsal contact, providing greater responsiveness.At the top of the line is the Lore Two Mid Carbon, a premium option costing $1,849. This incorporates patent-pending, lightweight carbon dorsal upper panels to amplify power and performance.By harnessing the power of Lubrizol solutions, Lore Cycle is revolutionizing how shoes are manufactured and worn, commented Gert-Jan Nijhuis, General Manager of Lubrizol 3D Printing. We are thrilled to see how our technology has contributed to the creation of Lores 3D printed shoes, which combine cutting-edge technology with Lubrizols material & application science.Nijhuis further emphasized the benefits of additive manufacturing. He noted that it enables more sustainable onshore production and offers customers the opportunity to personalize their sportswear for enhanced comfort and performance.Lead times for the new Lore Two cycling shoes are currently estimated at 12 to 14 weeks.Lore Two 3D printed shoe. Image via Lore Cycle.The Lore Two: personalized, 3D printed cycling shoesStephan Drake, Lore Cycles CEO, calls the Lore Two a groundbreaking leap forward into the future of footwear.Conventional cycling shoes are generally built from mass-produced, generic molds or lasts. These tend to reflect an average foot shape, without accounting for individual variations in foot width, arch height, toe shape, or biomechanics.By contrast, the Lore Two 3D printed shoes are custom-made and designed to perfectly match the unique shape of each riders feet. This personalized approach aims to improve fit, comfort, and performance. The shape of the carbon shell accurately cups your sole, relieves fat pad pressure, and features a perfected custom toe box that lets your foot spread out under load, explained Drake. This reportedly translates to enhanced power transfer and pedal efficiency, reduction of traditional dead spots, and better aerodynamics.Because the Lore Two shoes are fully customized, the buying experience is also unique. To purchase a pair of custom 3D-printed cycling shoes, customers first need to provide a high-resolution 3D scan of their feet, which takes about 10 minutes to complete. This scan can be done at select bike shops across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. For customers who arent near a participating location, Lore Cycle offers to ship a 3D scanner to the nearest bike shop to facilitate the process.Next, each unique 3D scan is converted into a bespoke cycling shoe design, which is then 3D printed using Lubrizols additive manufacturing materials. The final product assembly is performed by a third party, with Lubrizols materials and 3D printing technology only used for the shoe upper.Once produced, the cycling shoes are shipped directly to the customer.Lubrizol Advance Materials headquarters building in Brecksville, Ohio. Photo via Lubrizol.3D printed shoes hit the shelves3D printing has received growing interest within the footwear market, thanks to its ability to personalize products for unique customer needs. Last year, multinational printing firm HP partnered with Brooks Running to develop Exhilarate-BL 3D printed running shoes.These shoes feature 3DNA, a 3D printed midsole technology that provides a propulsive, springy feel. Running data from customers is used to tailor the midsole size, enhancing cushioning and bounce. Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing technology was used to fabricate the shoe midsoles, which reportedly outperforms 90% of competitors in todays market.Elsewhere, 3D printing has been adopted to enable more flexible and affordable shoe production. Earlier this year, it was announced that 3D printed footwear startup ELASTIUM had partnered with LaLaLand Production & Design, Californias largest shoe manufacturer.This collaboration seeks to accelerate localized and sustainable mass production through the No-Minimum-and-Maximum-Order-Quantity (No-MMOQ) approach. Here, 3D printing is combined with conventional mass manufacturing techniques, reportedly cutting investment costs by up to 80%. It offers brands the ability to go from concept to market in a matter of weeks without minimum or maximum order quantities.The first product launched through this partnership was the Orca, Elastiums latest 3D printed sneaker. This combines a TPU foam 3D printed midsole with a combined elastane and 3D printed TPU upper.All the news from Formnext 2024.Who are the leaders in additive manufacturing? Vote now in the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards!Want to share insights on key industry trends and the future 3D printing? Register now to be included in the 2025 3D Printing Industry Executive Survey.What does the future of 3D printing hold?What near-term 3D printing trends have been highlighted by industry experts?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows a Lore Two 3D printed shoe. Image via Lore Cycle.

Hey, Im trying to learn how to use Houdini to create realistic vfx but I cant find any that are targeted towards games vfx only film. I dont have a lot of money so I cant pay for any courses so if anyone has any good tutorials theyd recommend itd be much appreciated! 1 post - 1 participant Read full topic

Va 515 | Rafael GamoVa 515 Technical InformationArchitects: Migdal ArquitectosLocation: Mexico City, MexicoArea: 106,000m2 | 1,140,970Sq. Ft.Completion Year: 2020Photographs: Rafael GamoThe facade of the hotel is composed of copper-colored aluminum panels, each uniquely designed with specific dimensions and shapes. Together, they reinterpret the topography of the geovolcanic transverse axis of the Valley of Mexico, while also serving to filter direct sunlight into the hotel rooms. Migdal ArquitectosVa 515 PhotographsAerial View | Rafael GamoStreet View | Rafael GamoFacade | Rafael GamoFacade | Rafael GamoFacade Detail | Rafael GamoCommercial SpaceContext and Urban IntegrationVa 515 occupies a unique position at the intersection of Mexico Citys cultural, economic, and logistical networks. Situated between the citys airport and downtown, it meets a dynamic flow of residents, visitors, and professionals. This multifunctional complex comprises three main volumes: a three-story shopping center along the Viaducto Miguel Alemn, an eight-story hotel atop the retail area, and a twelve-story office building positioned on Ail Street. Each component reflects careful consideration of the sites urban needs and maximizes its potential as a key transit point.The projects layout responds to Mexico Citys dense, high-traffic environment, addressing accessibility and functional zoning. The shopping malls U-shaped layout and central atrium create a welcoming public space that can manage heavy foot traffic while maintaining openness. The elevated hotel volume maximizes spatial efficiency by utilizing the retail roof as a rooftop garden and terrace, further enhancing Va 515s multifunctionality and appeal within the bustling urban landscape.Architectural Composition and Aesthetic ConceptVa 515 presents a unique blend of volumes, each tailored to its function while collectively contributing to a cohesive visual identity. The U-shaped shopping mall embraces a central atrium covered by a translucent roof, which draws in natural light and provides visitors with an inviting, dynamic space. The hotels copper-colored aluminum facade is a standout feature, paying homage to the Valley of Mexicos geovolcanic landscape. This cladding combines aesthetics with purpose, softening natural light for guest comfort and crafting a memorable profile against the skyline.The design team prioritized light management across Va 515s varied spaces. The shopping centers glass facade and central translucent roof allow natural light to permeate the space, reducing the need for artificial lighting and creating a pleasant ambiance throughout the day. The hotels facade, composed of uniquely shaped copper aluminum panels, reinterprets Mexicos natural topography and serves as a light-filtering system. The controlled light entry enhances the guest experience and complements the noise reduction from the recessed building position over 40 meters from the bustling Viaducto.Structural Strategy and Challenges of the Lacustrine SoilBuilt on Mexico Citys notoriously soft, lacustrine soil, Va 515 required a robust structural solution to ensure stability. The foundation system combines two-meter-thick slabs with deep-set pilings, forming a base that supports the complexs weight and prevents differential settlement, a common issue in the area. One of the largest concrete pours in Mexico3,000 cubic meterswas used for this project, underscoring the engineering commitment to durability and resilience.The structural approach at Va 515 is an exemplary response to Mexico Citys geotechnical challenges. The foundation offsets soil movement and maintains stability across the three interconnected volumes with innovative piling and reinforcement. This structural system reflects the potential of contemporary engineering to address site-specific needs while allowing architectural creativity to flourish. Architects and engineers alike can draw lessons from Va 515s solution to the soil conditions, which deftly balances form and function under demanding circumstances.Sustainability, Connectivity, and Urban ImpactVa 515 also incorporates sustainable design features that cater to the communitys evolving needs. Recognizing the importance of eco-friendly transportation, the complex includes a large bicycle parking facility on the ground floor, with space for 345 bicycles, providing a nod to the popularity of cycling in the area. The rooftop garden atop the shopping center serves functional and aesthetic roles, enhancing urban biodiversity while offering guests a relaxing green space.Connecting the retail and office volumes are two interior streets that enhance the complexs cohesion and accessibility, serving as both vehicular and pedestrian paths. These streets create a circuit connecting Va 515s public spaces to its underground parking and service areas. The arrangement invites residents and visitors alike to engage with the complexs spaces and emphasizes Va 515s role as an accessible, community-oriented hub.Va 515 PlansGround Level | Migdal ArquitectosLevel 4 | Migdal ArquitectosSection | Migdal ArquitectosIsometric | Migdal ArquitectosVa 515 Image GalleryAbout Migdal ArquitectosFounded in 1989 by Jaime Varon and Abraham Metta, with Alex Metta joining in 1998, Migdal Arquitectos is a prominent Mexico City-based firm specializing in impactful, multidisciplinary architectural projects. The firms comprehensive services span design, engineering, construction management, and quality control, with a portfolio that includes social housing, office towers, commercial centers, and iconic cultural buildings like the Gota de Plata Auditorium in Pachuca. Dedicated to creating spaces that blend artistic, technical, and social values, Migdal Arquitectos is known for its socially responsible approach and commitment to enhancing urban environments.Notes & Additional CreditsDesign Team: Jaime Varon, Abraham Metta, Alex Metta

For the 17th iteration of its Love & Design Competition, Times Square Arts partnered with The World Around and tasked designers with ideating an installation that addresses through its own creation the lifecycle of materials that go into the making of thespacesaround us.Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio, a New York Citybased practice, was selected for the project slated for Times Square. The firms installation, Love Ever After, will temporarily repurpose metal gabions typically used for oyster reef cages as a dynamic art piece. Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio teamed up with the Billion Oyster Project for Love Ever After. The nonprofit is dedicated to restoring oyster reefs in the city. Its work includes collecting discarded oyster shells from restaurants and using them to build reefs that clean New York City water. Following its debut in Times Square, the structures used for Love Ever After will return to the waterfront.The installation is both in contrast with and harmonious with the urban context of Times Square. (Courtesy Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio)Love Ever After will be largely formed by the metal mesh gabion used to store oysters in the water. These volumes will be assembled so as to form geometries of a heart, a press release stated. Pernilla Ohrstedt Studios vision entails a central heart icon displaying vibrant colors. Since the metal cages will be returned to the water, its paramount the paint used to color the art piece be water-safe. The studio is considering using mineral-based paints, including oyster-derived options. Pernilla Ohrstedt told AN that Love Ever After is about creating beauty with minimal means. In an interview she mentioned how she views the work as a 3D low-tech screen sited in contrast and conversation with to Times Squares ultra high-tech nature. With Love Ever After, Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio is setting out to make an object that recalls the hyperbolic qualities of Times Square but with a lot less material, wiring, and LED.The installation will repurpose metal gabions used to store oysters. (Courtesy Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio)The design team is still brainstorming how to make Love Ever After interactive for the public. Past installations of the design competition have encouraged visitors to leave a rose behind and engage with mirrors for a perfect selfie moment.Love Ever After will be installed in Times Square on February 4, 2025.

Finally, after 15 years of speculation and a variety of architectural proposals, a plan is in place to transform Houstons beloved Astrodome. Dubbed Vision: Astrodome, the new plan from Gensler and the Astrodome Conservancy, a private nonprofit that advocates for the structures reuse was unveiled this week. It largely maintains the structures original use as an entertainment venue, while also introducing new supporting programs including offices, retail, and restaurants. The redevelopment is also designed to engage NRG Park, Houstons major sports and conventions complex, transforming the area into a more walkable urban space.The new proposal creates a pedestrian boulevard that the architects compare to New York Citys High Line. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)Genslers intervention hinges upon an arc-shaped path that will be carved through the existing structure. A new events stage will be constructed at the midpoint of the arc, while its respective arms, which reach outside of the Astrodome, will connect pedestrians to its neighbors: the NRG Center and NRG Stadium. This parabolic boulevard was inspired by New York Citys High Line. The Astrodome can and should be the heartbeat of a new, global entertainment destination at NRG Park, said Judy Nyquist, founding board member of the Astrodome Conservancy. It will serve as an exciting catalyst for future development in and around the Park.Gensler has designed four new structures to be constructed within the dome. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)In total, four new structures will be constructed within the dome. The aforementioned event center is the most prominent, rising above the stands, while the othersa rodeo experience, the NASA Center, and a food hall for local vendorswill be embedded within the grandstand and the connecting corridors beneath. In addition, a retail village will be built along the exterior of the stadium.According to a press release, these interventions will add 450,00 square feet of revenue-generating space, justifying the projects expected $ 1 billion price tag. Two unidentified primary tenants will occupy the structure once the renovation is complete.The pedestrian corridor extends through the building. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)To further rationalize the expenditure, the Astrodome Conservancy has commissioned a feasibility study for the new plan and also cites a 2020 poll that found that 86 percent of Harris County residents support the preservation and reuse of the Astrodome. Ultimately, the development will be bankrolled by some form of public-private partnership although exact detailsincluding the cost to Harris County taxpayersare still forthcoming.Earlier in the week, Houston Chronicle reported that the conservancys plan does not have the support of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a major player in NRG park, though it has garnered endorsements from local Harris County politicians.The Astrodome was a symbol of technological progress in the 1960s. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)A Look Back at the Early AstrodomeWhen it first opened to the public in 1965, the Astrodome was revolutionary. It was the first indoor air-conditioned stadium in the world, a precedent for sporting complexes as we know them today. Jokingly referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the stadium bolstered Houstons image as a space-age city. A few years earlier, NASA had selected Houston as the site for its Manned Spacecraft Center (later renamed after Lyndon B. Johnson).Designed by Hermon Lloyd and W.B. Morgan and engineered by Walter P. Moore, the Astrodome first opened to the public in 1965. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)With its 18 story height and 700 foot diameter, the Astrodome introduced a new scale to live professional sporting events. Due to the great distance between the upper grandstands and the field, the stadium was the first to implement an electronic scoreboard, known as Astrolite. The so-called exploding scoreboard, with its animations of charging bulls, cowboys, and shooting starsthe result of thousands of programmable lightswas a forerunner to the now ubiquitous jumbotron. As stadiums have continued to expand in size, the live sporting experience is increasingly mediated by technology. The building is perhaps best known for the invention of Astroturf, a synthetic grass named for the Houston Astros. During the teams first season in the stadium, the natural grass on the field had quickly died out, starved for sunlight despite the glow of the arenas large fluorescent lights.Over the years, the stadium was home to the Houston Astros, Oilers, and Livestock Show and Rodeo. Impressively, the field could be converted quickly to accommodate any of these events.The Astrodome reopened briefly in 2005 to serve as a temporary shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)By the early 2000s, stadium design had progressed far beyond the mid-century feats of the Astrodome, and the structure was largely abandoned by Houstons sports teams and local events for new venues that had been constructed in NRG Park. Bud Adamsthen owner of the Houston Oilersmoved the team to Tennessee in 1998 after Houstonians rejected his plea to use public funds for the construction of a new football stadium. A History of Speculative ProposalsIn the 15 years since its abandonment, the disused structure has captured the imagination of the architecture profession, inspiring a litany of proposals for its reuse.AN itself participated in this frenzy, hosting a competition in 2013 to reimagine the structure. From 23 submitted proposals, which spanned a variety of intended uses, our jury awarded first place to one of the more conservative entries that would transform the structure into a massive parking garage.Speculative plans for the building were incoming even as late as last year. AN covered a proposal from the University of Houston that would turn the space into a hotel and botanical garden. The design won ASHRAEs 2023 LowDown Showdown Competition.A new events center and stage will anchor the revamped interior. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)Though certainly not as imaginative as previous speculations for the site, the new plan from Gensler and the Astrodome Conservancy isat least hypotheticallydesigned to make financial sense of the massive undertaking. To make this proposal a reality, the team will need to satisfy a large contingent of public and private stakeholders.In a 1965 Texas Observer essay Love, Death, and the Astrodome, Larry McMurtry quipped Houston is the kind of boom city that will endorse almost any amount of municipal vulgarity so long as it has a chance of making money. Hopefully, by engaging the public and enhancing NRG Park, this new proposal can tone down some of the commercial vulgarity.

A Threshold has been announced as the winner of the AR Emerging awards 2024, along with Chen Donghua Architects who have been highly commended, and Material Cultures who have won the Peter Davey PrizeIndia-based practice A Threshold has been named the winner of the 2024 AR Emerging awards, receiving a 5,000 prize. Selected from a shortlist of 15 standout practices, the practice was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, including previous AR Emerging finalist Geir Brendeland, Bahrain-based architect and curator Noura Al Sayeh-Holtrop, and architect and educator Adrian Lahoud.Subterranean Ruins by A ThresholdCredit:Edmund SumnerThe jury praised A Thresholds ability to educate their clients, circumventing private briefs to produce public projects. This practice has a point of view that is rooted in its local context and the traditions of India.Subterranean Ruins by A Threshold. Credit: Edmund SumnerChen Donghua Architects were highly commended by the judges, who highlighted the practices attention to shade a powerful idea in the context of global heating. The judges praised the way the practice works with economical means and lightweight structures to achieve maximum effect, bringing a sense of poetry into everyday life.Nanhai primary school extension by Chen Donghua Architects. Credit: Wu SimingCredit:Wu SimingMaterial Cultures have been awarded this years Peter Davey Prize a prize presented to the editors choice. Material Cultures commitment to decarbonising building practices has never been more important or urgent, explains Manon Mollard, editor of The Architectural Review. The studio attends to the wider ecology of architecture: the landscapes from which building products are created, the pedagogy of construction techniques as well as material research.Wolves Lane Centre by Material Cultures. Credit: Henry WoideCredit:Henry WoideThe winners of the awards, announced today (Thursday 14 November) at Arups offices in London, received a trophy made of 100 per cent recycled materials, designed by The New Raw a Rotterdam-based design studio who transform plastic waste into sustainable products using both robotics and craftsmanship.Credit: The New RawProfiles of all this years shortlisted practices have been published in AR November 2024: click hereto buy a copyThe AR Emerging awards 2024 are sponsored by2024-11-14AR EditorsShare AR November 2024Buy Now

The Bangalore-based practice imagines a public life for a private guest house, finding community benefit in a commercial briefA Threshold is the winner ofthe AR Emerging awards 2024. Read about the full shortlist hereThe first thing Avinash Ankalge and Harshith Nayak designed together as A Threshold was exactly that: athreshold. In a renovation of anapartment building, the pair proposed abreathable facade, extending outwards from the existing building. The facades gridof concrete planters encloses deep newbalconies, with light and air filtered bytropical plants; from the street, the vegetation contributes tropical green toBangalores urban landscape.The brisesoleil has become a signature element of A Thresholds work resolved variously in brick, terracotta tile, stone and ferrocement and Ankalge and Nayak see them as an opportunity to draw civic value from the typically inwardfacing typology of private housing. We try to give apublicness to every project, Ankalge explains.Nowhere is this more evident than in aproject dubbed Subterranean Ruins. Theproject began during 2020 Covid19 lockdowns when a Bangalore furniture businessman commissioned A Threshold todesign a weekend guest house at his orchards southeast of the city. We had adifferent idea altogether, Ankalge says. What happens for the other three to four days when hes in the city? we asked. Could it be more than a house a kindergarten for the village school, or a space for workshops and exhibitions?Few clients can be convinced of such anidea, but it is a credit to A Thresholds persuasive capacity that the final building partially realises this ambition. The resulting project is a series of spatially independent and so programmatically malleable spaces. Running perpendicular to a natural contour on the site, loadbearing brick walls define four independent rooms. The rooms are connected only by an arched enfilade of gardens on the lower side and a pathway carved into the slope on the other. One of the rooms a halllike space with many doorways out to a courtyard is usually a living room, while the other threerooms, which are more enclosed and feature en-suite bathrooms, typically act as bedrooms, though the architects imagine them becoming classrooms in a nursery, breakout rooms for an office retreat or exhibition spaces in a gallery. How the building is actually used is mostly beyond A Thresholds control, though they say weddings, exhibitions and yoga classes have been held here since it opened last year. The versatile plan as well as the robust material palette make it possible to imagine the building alternating between public and private use over decades, if not centuries. Itis a test case for Ankalges assertion thata house can be a city and a city can beahouse, referring to Aldo Van Eycks pictogram of a tree that rotates to become aleaf. If you give a solution at the scale of ahouse, you should also be able to design forthe city and for its everyday issues. Withpublic projects on the horizon including a school and proposals for the reworking of a highway interchange that borders a temple plaza, market andtransit hub thistheory will soon be putinto practice.

As part of the ever-growing Poland Springs Resort in Poland, Maine, the operators of the Poland Springs Hotel sought to erect a house of worship for guests and local community members. In 1909, fundraising had risen to total of $15,000 and that, along with a matching contribution by the Ricker Family, who owned the Poland Springs Resort, allowed for the hiring of an architect and the project to commence. Boston-area architect George Henri Desmond furnished the plans for the chapel, and were also hired by the Ricker family to complete plans for alterations to the Mt. Kineo House on Moosehead Lake during the same time period. All Souls Chapel is a Neo-Gothic Revival building constructed of irregular granite blocks with a gable roof covered with slate. It has a central tower with a flat parapet roof and a belfry with ornate louvered openings. The tower is square in plan and contains the principal entrance to the chapel. When the chapel was opened in 1912, it was opened as an interdenominational place of worship for use by Catholics and Protestants. Guests contributed much of the interior furnishings and all of the memorial hand-painted windows placed in the chapel were sponsored by guests or relatives of longtime guests.Today, the chapel hosts weddings, baptisms, and other similar events.

Replica of a Chip (1994), wool mounted on wood, 120 146.1 centimeters. Photo Museum Associates/LACMA. Image courtesy of American Indian Science and Engineering Society, shared with permissionMarilou Schultz Weaves Computer Processor Patterns in Traditional Navajo TapestriesNovember 14, 2024Kate MothesWhat does Intels Pentium computer chip have in common with Navajo textiles? More than you might think.For artist Marilou Schultz, the ancestral practice of weaving melds with an unexpected contemporary source of inspiration. Merging analog loom methods with the patterns found on computer processor cores, Schultz entwines the histories of the Navajo people and modern technology.Detail of Intel Pentium core processor dieIn the late 17th century, Spanish colonists introduced a breed of sheep called the Iberian Churro to the American Southwest. The Dinknown also as Navajowho had lived in the Four Corners region for hundreds of years, embraced shepherding and wool production, eventually developing a unique breed still managed today, the Navajo-Churro. Along with an aptitude for raising sheep, Din weaving traditions flourished. Anthropologists surmise that the craft was adopted from the neighboring Puebloans sometime in the 12th or 13th centuries. As time passed, Navajo styles and techniques evolved, rising to popularity first among Plains Indian tribes and then, in the 19th century, with Europeans and non-Native tourists who sought out blankets and rugs for their remarkable craftsmanship and geometric patterns.Schultz, a mathematician and teacher in addition to her studio practice, was commissioned by Intel in 1994 to make Replica of a Chip as a gift to the American Indian Science & Engineering Society, an organization still active today that focuses on advancing Indigenous people in STEM. As computer historian Ken Schirriff details in a thorough blog post about the pieceespecially its highly accurate layoutthe work highlights the alluring patterns of a trailblazing piece of technology.Detail of Replica of a ChipThe first Pentium processor was released in 1993. About the size of a fingernail, the diethe material on which the processor is fabricatedcontains more than three million transistors. These microscopic switches control the flow of electricity to process data. Today, some high-powered chips contain billions of transistors.Schultz faithfully transferred the die pattern to a tapestry, employing delicate loom techniques and working from a photograph of the chip. Unlike traditional Navajo textiles, the geometries in Replica of a Chip are far from symmetrical.She used yarn pigmented with plant dyes, and the cream-colored regions are the natural shade of Navajo-Churro wool.Schultz told Schirriff that the weaving process was slow and deliberate as she referenced the image, completing about one to one-and-a-half inches per day. The painstaking and methodical process of sending warp through weft creates a beautiful tension between the instantaneous results we associate with digital tools today.Intel Pentium processorsReplica of a Chip was the first in a series of weavings Schultz created based on computer circuits, including one known as the Fairchild 9040. While not as common as the Pentium, the Fairchild company is notable for its employment of Navajo workers in its operation in Shiprock, New Mexicowithin the Navajo Nationin the 1960s and 1970s.Part of a government initiative to try to improve the economic conditions of life on the reservation, Fairchild was incentivized to open a manufacturing center in Shiprock. The project started in 1965 with 50 Navajo workers in the Shiprock Community Center manufacturing transistors, rapidly increasing to366 Navajo workers, Schirriff says. Eventually, the company employed 1,200 workers, and all but 24 were Navajo, making Fairchild the nations largest non-government employer of American Indians.In 1975, the Fairchild-Navajo partnership took a dramatic turn that spelled its demise. With the semiconductor industry suffering from the crippling U.S. recession at the time, Fairchild laid off 140 Navajo employees in Shiprock, which today still has a population of only a little more than 8,000 residents. The layoffs were a blow to the community. A group of 20 locals, armed with rifles, responded by occupying the plant for a week. While the episode eventually ended peaceably, Fairchild decided to shutter entirely and move its operation overseas, further compromising trust in corporate interests on Navajo land.Womens roles in manufacturing and assembling electronics are often under-recognized. Schultz taps into ideas around gendered labor, visibility, and the slippery notion of progress. Through the lens of Navajo history and craft, she addresses paradigm shifts in technology, economics, and social change through the language of fiber.You can see Replica of a Chip in Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, which continues through March 2, 2025.Detail of Replica of a ChipNext article