The conversion of a Soviet-era cinema into the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture by British architect Asif Khan is underway in Kazakhstan.Set to open in the city of Almaty in April, the building will become a multifunctional venue for everything from art exhibitions to performances and film screenings, with a focus on supporting Kazakh and Central Asian creatives.Khan's conversion of the Soviet cinema, which is the largest of its kind in Central Asia, began in 2018. Once complete, it will be Kazakhstan's first independent cultural institution.Asif Khan is creating the Tselinny Center of Contemporary CultureTselinny Center of Contemporary Culture's name draws on that of the original cinema, with the word Tselinny referencing the Russian word tselina, which means undeveloped yet fertile land.The original building dates back to 1964 and its architecture is modernist in style and devoid of ornament, in line with typical Soviet principles.Khan's design for the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture preserves a large proportion of this existing architecture, including its massing and concrete frame.Its foyer will be clad in fibre-reinforced concrete panelsInside, its existing auditorium has been structurally reinforced, while the foyer and wings have been rebuilt due to them failing to meet today's seismic standards.Rebuilding the foyer will enable Khan to introduce level access between the building's ground level and its surrounding landscape.Externally, it will be defined by a facade of fibre-reinforced concrete panel that links up with an existing glass entrance. Some panels will be undulating vertical fins and others will be animated by petroglyph-like motifs in the form of windows and reliefs.Some of the panels will have abstract motifsThe aim of this facade is to juxtapose the modernist architecture of the original building, "creating a softening layer of whiteness which visitors walk through," Khan said.Meanwhile, its motifs are an abstract interpretation of an original sgraffito at the building by artist Evgeny Sidorkin, which depicts traditional Kazakh life.Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture will feature a galleryThe preserved 18-metre-tall auditorium is set to reopen with a ribbon of windows around at the ground-floor level, maximising natural light and outward views.It links to the reconstructed wings, which have been converted into a gallery, workshop, library, office space and a bookshop.Completing Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture will be a rooftop terrace and restaurant, which pays homage to an area of Almaty once called Broadway.Read: Studio NAAW uncovers Soviet-era details in Almaty restaurant interiorBroadway was made up of parks, squares and landmarks that Khan said are "definitive of the city's golden era as the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic"."My goal isn't to simply renovate Soviet remnants but to uncover a Tselinny that never was, enabling a future defined by the next generation of artists and audiences," Khan concluded."Inspired by the ideas of the institution and its visionary programme, this space, both archaic and futuristic cloud-like in its fluidity offers a unique opportunity for artists to plant the seeds of transformative creative exploration."It is expected to host live performances. Render by MIRAs part of the centre's opening programme, there will be an exhibition encapsulating Khan's transformation of the cinema, curated by historian Markus Lhteenmki. It will feature alongside a varied programme showcasing works of Kazakh and Central Asian artists."We look forward to Tselinny making significant and positive contributions to the development of contemporary culture in Kazakhstan and Central Asia," said Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture founder Kairat Boranbayev."We are building a common space for the interaction and collective effort that will positively change our cultural landscape, making Almaty attractive for tourists and locals and stimulating an influx of capital and outstanding talent."Elsewhere in Almaty, Studio NAAW also converted a Soviet-era building to create the Fika restaurant.In his home city of London, Khan recently completed a sinuous public boardwalk to Canada Dock.The renders are by Asif Khan unless otherwise stated.The post Asif Khan to convert Soviet cinema in Kazakhstan into cultural centre appeared first on Dezeen.

An inventor named Jason reportedly witnessed his mother and wife struggling to remove full garbage bags from a garbage can. He subsequently developed this Pulli Bin, which features a front that opens:The doors contain a locking mechanism; opening the lid all of the way unlocks them, allowing you to pull the bag out of the front. There's a removable drip tray at the bottom, and the inventor says the doors also make the can easier to clean inside. The Pulli Can is headed for production, but no price or release date has been announced.

There's an automotive design feature that came out in the '90s, called "window indexing" or "automatic window drop." It was applied to German cars with frameless doors; I remember seeing it in a BMW. The idea is that once you close the door, the window automatically scooches up a few millimeters, tightening its seal within a channel in the roof. When you open the door, the window automatically drops out of the channel.Intriguingly, a similar idea, with a much less hi-tech execution, has been applied to garage doors by a company called ThermoTraks. Garage doors are typically the leakiest part of the house, leaving gaps around the edges that air can flow through. ThermoTraks has designed a system to counter this. It consists of a sealing kit that goes around the full perimeter of your garage door, and a special door track, which is the BMW-like part. At first glance, the tracks look like they've been damaged in shipment: In fact, the company has purposefuly kinked the rails at the points where the wheels rest in the track in the door-closed position. This forces the door outwards, mushing its edges into the flexible seals for a draft-free experience. It's a smart, low-tech way to prevent heat from escaping your house through the garage.

Thanks to Boston Dynamics and the popularity of its designs, people may have a specific image when they hear about robot dogs, and it isnt always a flattering one. Granted, some of Spots more recent descendants are less unnerving, even bordering on being cute, but the headless variety is probably imprinted on peoples consciousness, for better or worse. This concept, in contrast, might call itself a robot dog, but it doesnt even have four legs like ol Spot.Instead, this airport security robot is focused more on replicating the behavior and capabilities of its furry counterparts, particularly when it comes to detecting illegal substances. With advanced functionality and a more streamlined appearance, the design focuses more on how the robot can be better integrated into airports and public spaces without causing too much of a distraction or being the center of attraction.Designer: Minseok BaeDogs are excellent sniffers, at least when theyre at their best. Just like humans, however, their uncanny canine abilities dwindle over the course of the day and can be affected by other factors. They can even be thrown off the scent, especially in very crowded places like airports. Even worse, their own safety is at risk when inhaling substances that might be more harmful to dogs than they are to humans.SNIFF is a concept of a robot dog that actually doesnt look much like a dog. Its main purpose is to help improve airport security by using advanced sensors and AI to better detect illegal substances going through the area. Yes, it could very well replace detection dogs at least in this particular job, but there are places and situations where K-9 units are better off handling than in a high-traffic, high-stress environment like an airport.What makes SNIFFs design notable is that while it tries to emulate certain canine behaviors, it doesnt attempt to look like one. Its designed for efficiency rather than demonstrating some advanced robotics features, like climbing up or down stairs when it doesnt really need to in an airport. It can detach from wall-mounted wireless chargers and roll out where its needed. It can also make turns more quickly than a robot quadruped that has to try to balance itself at every step.SNIFF is admittedly not much to look at once the novelty has worn off, which is actually an advantage in this case. It wont cause a spectacle or draw crowds that would prevent it from doing its job properly. Just like those hospitality or assistive robots on wheels, people will learn to simply ignore the robot or stay out of its way to let it sniff their belongings in a non-intrusive manner.The post Scent-detecting robot dog concept thankfully looks nothing like Spot first appeared on Yanko Design.

I am not the most organized person and also I have too much stuff. I also dont have unlimited space so there is clutter everywhere in my apartment. A lot of things that have a certain function become unintentionally multi purpose because I just need more places to put my other stuff. So a TV cabinet becomes a bookshelf and my sofa becomes a storage area for my stationery stuff. I like it when there are pieces that can be used as storage and tables as well even if their original purpose is not really for that. Designer: Amuni StudioTurntable is a record player that plays not just into peoples love for vintage/retro/analog but also anything thats multi purpose. Aside from the fact that it can play your vinyl records, it can also serve as a side table where you can place light objects. And since its very prettily designed, it can also be part of your rooms decoration or aesthetic. It also has a built-in speaker and an integrated battery so you can easily move it around the room or house wherever you want to play some music while entertaining guests or just relaxing on your own.It has a tripod-style base so you get stability for the turntable as well as giving it a visually appealing look. At the top, you have a 12 vinyl player with the speaker and battery underneath it. It has a wooden base as well as a molded plastic box that can protect the audio components. It has a transparent acrylic top so you can still show off the beautiful turn table. Since it has a flat surface, you can use it as a side table where you can place light objects on it. Its transparent so they will not obstruct the view of the main character (the turntable) but you can also display some other objects. The emphasis of course is on light since you dont want the acrylic top to eventually break. Amuni Studio actually collaborated with local manufacturers in Toronto to create this beautiful and somehow multi-functional Turntable. This freestanding unit was actually submitted to Umbras Purpose Play Exhibition and won several awards during Toronto Design Week. It doesnt seem to have been turned into an actual product since then which is a shame since its a pretty interesting kind of turn table that people like me who like multi-purpose things will find appealing.The post Turntable concept is a vinyl player and side table in one first appeared on Yanko Design.

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MacworldApple on Monday unveiled the 2025 Black Unity Collection to honor Black History Month this February. The collection includes iPhone and iPad wallpapers, an Apple Watch face, and a special-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop watch band.The 2025 Black Unity Collection incorporates the black, green, and red colors of the Pan-African flag in a theme of Unity Rhythm. The Black Unity Sport Loop is a woven band with a lenticular effect so that the loops in the band appear red on one side and green on the other. When the wearers wrist moves, yellow appears in the transition from green to red, as if by magic. The band is now available in the Apple Store for $49.Apple Watch Black Unity Collection 2025 band.AppleTo match the Black Unity Sport Loop, Apple offers the Unity Rhythm watch face, which has numerals of intertwined threads of red, green, and yellow. When the wearer raises the Watch to look at it, the threads transform from brush strokes to numbers. Also, the watch face has a rhythmic chime for every hour and half hour.For the iPhone and iPad, Apple offers Unity Rhythm wallpapers with red, green, and yellow letters that spell Unity. The wallpapers and watch face will be available in an upcoming software update. Apple recently released the iOS and iPadOS 18.3 release candidate and the watchOS 11.3 release candidate, so the OS updates with the Black Unity Collection could be released this week.