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This 16-Foot Tiny Home Packs A Full Kitchen, Office, & Bedroom For Under $40K

In a world where housing costs continue to soar and living spaces shrink, Dragon Tiny Homes has introduced a game-changing solution that proves bigger isn’t always better. The Sora, their newest and most compact model, is making waves in the tiny home community by packing an impressive array of features into just 16 feet of living space.

At 135 square feet, the Sora challenges conventional thinking about what constitutes livable space. This ultra-compact tiny home on wheels demonstrates that thoughtful design can create a functional environment for full-time living, remote work, and even entertaining guests. The journey begins at the glass door entrance, which opens directly onto a surprisingly well-equipped kitchen. The kitchen maximizes every inch with essential appliances, including a full-size fridge/freezer, modern induction cooktop, and functional sink, with additional space allocated for supplementary appliances as needed. The integrated breakfast bar offers intimate dining for two while also serving as extra counter space during meal preparation.

Designer: Dragon Tiny Homes

Intelligent Layout Design

The Sora’s genius lies in its strategic zoning of living spaces. Adjacent to the kitchen, the living room creates an open, airy atmosphere through generous glazing that floods the space with natural light. The comfortable sofa bed serves dual purposes, providing everyday seating while accommodating two overnight guests when needed. Climate control is achieved through a mini-split air-conditioning system, complemented by a ceiling fan, ensuring year-round comfort regardless of the weather conditions.

Tucked cleverly under the staircase, a small desk creates a dedicated home office space, perfectly positioned for remote work without interfering with the main living areas. This thoughtful placement demonstrates how vertical space can be maximized in micro living environments.

Complete Living Essentials

Despite its compact footprint, the Sora doesn’t compromise on essential amenities. The bathroom, positioned opposite the living room, efficiently incorporates a full shower, sink, and flushing toilet within its compact design. This layout ensures privacy while maintaining the home’s open flow concept.

The bedroom occupies the loft space, accessed via the staircase that doubles as storage integration. While featuring the typical low ceiling found in loft bedrooms, the space comfortably accommodates a double bed alongside built-in storage solutions, proving that even sleeping quarters can be both cozy and functional.

Exceptional Value Proposition

Perhaps most compelling is Sora’s price point. Currently available at a special inventory price of $39,750, down from the regular $45,000, this tiny home offers an accessible entry point into homeownership. For comparison, this price represents less than a typical down payment on a traditional home in most markets.

The move-in-ready status eliminates the lengthy construction wait times often associated with custom tiny homes. This immediate availability makes the Sora particularly attractive to those looking to transition quickly into tiny living or investors interested in rental property opportunities.

The post This 16-Foot Tiny Home Packs A Full Kitchen, Office, & Bedroom For Under $40K first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Nothing’s CMF gets its own Sneaker Line with this edgy, modular Fan-made Design

Carl Pei’s ethos of injecting fun into technology culminated in not one, but two brands. Most people recognize a Nothing device in the wild, instantly spotting and identifying its transparent design. But as a little sibling to the Nothing brand, Pei also unveiled CMF – a design-forward tech brand that was specifically founded to bring great technology and great design to the masses.

CMF actually pre-empted Nothing on a few fronts, it launched the first 3-camera smartphone before Nothing, it rolled out GaN chargers before Nothing, it even still holds the mantle of being the only brand of the two to have a smartwatch… and now it seems like CMF is adding sneakers to its list. The sneakers come as a result of a collab with Indian sneaker brand Gully Labs, but rather than merely launching a sneaker line, the two brands decided to turn the exercise into a community design effort. The result, perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of footwear I’ve seen from the design community. This particular concept by Abhishek Mistry injects CMF’s design ethos into a piece of footwear brilliantly. Aside from just making a neon orange pair of shoes, Mistry wove CMF details into them too, ditching the laces for a BOA system, and translating the CMF Phone’s modular backplate into a modular heel counter. The result feels perfectly CMF, it’s edgy, wild, and has that iconic flair that Pei’s constantly spoken about injecting into the products he creates.

Designer: Abhishek Mistry

The purpose of the community challenge was to rally the community behind the company – a classic move to build culture while also ensuring a strong, unwavering base of support. A side pursuit, however, is to also release a product that captures the brand’s essence perfectly – and Mistry’s design does that remarkably well. CMF’s design ethos has always been around building products that are fun, interactive, and modular. It’s practically baked into the Phone 1 and Phone 2 Pro’s designs, as well as the Buds series. The interaction manifests in the form of a laceless design that ditches conventional laces for a closed-loop BOA system. A knob, that looks very similar to the one found on the Phone and the Buds, lets you tighten or loosen the shoes, giving them a wonderfully tactile and enjoyable touch. You don’t need two hands to fasten your shoes, and you sure as hell don’t need velcro. Rotate the knob to tighten, rotate the other way to loosen. Genius.

The shoes also come in four colorways that match the CMF phones, you’ve got the iconic Orange color (which personally looks better on the shoes than on CMF’s tech), but then for the faint of heart, you’ve got more somber colors like white, black, and light green. The paneling feels exquisitely premium, as the shoes use cutting-edge new-age materials, or as Mistry calls, technical fabric. There’s an interplay of matte and metallic finishes, quite like on the Phone 2 Pro, and the CMF logo is confidently placed on the BOA knob, while the Gully Labs logo finds its way on the front.

That, however, isn’t where Mistry draws the line. Like the Phone 1 and 2 Pro, the sneaker builds modularity into its design too, giving the entire community the ability to customize their shoes while also opening up an entire third-party aftermarket for custom parts. The design borrows from the CMF Phones’ removable backplates, featuring a removable heel cover that’s held together by the same screws found on the Phone 1 and 2 Pro. Simply unscrew the heel cover on your existing shoe and swap it for something more funky or more your style. You could go for a color-change, a texture-change, even a material change should you choose! Want to go even more wild? Turn that modular heel into an accessory mount – maybe for AirTags, maybe a mount for a GoPro, the possibilities are quite literally endless, and let’s just say, CMF’s target audience has a surplus of creativity!

For now, Mistry’s footwear exists as a fan-made concept, but the competition’s underway, and with enough luck, designs like Mistry’s could get officially picked up by the brands and potentially turned into actual footwear. If you’d love to see modular sneakers with BOA fasteners, go check out Abhishek Mistry’s Instagram page for more photos. Or if you’re interested in designing your own shoes, check out the official competition page for more info.

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an expanded edition of maison&objet’s intérieurs fair in hong kong returns to asia in 2025

maison&objet returns for its second edition to hong kong

 

Maison&Objet, the world’s leading event for international design, interior decoration, and lifestyle, returns to Hong Kong with an expanded edition under a new identity: Maison&Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong 2025. Taking place from December 3 to 6, 2025 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the hybrid event explores the theme of Crossroads, a celebration of cultural convergence, sustainable innovation, and the fusion of traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge design. It aims to solidify Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s premier hub for innovative perspectives and global collaboration.

Maison&Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong takes place from December 3-6, 2025 | all images courtesy of Maison&Objet

 

 

Inspiration, Discovery, and Encounters for design professionals

 

Maison&Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong 2025 brings together three essential elements for design professionals in Asia – Inspiration, Discovery, and Encounters – designed to go beyond the traditional trade show format. Inspiration comes from the Design Factory, which explores the Crossroads theme across four curated pavilions by international talents. Visitors first discover a panorama of collectible design, followed by an experimental hotel suite from Maison&Objet Designer of the Year in 2024 Lionel Jadot, and an immersive experience with Thai Master of Bamboo Korakot Aromdee. The showcase concludes with French trend-hunter Elizabeth Leriche’s exploration of current design trends.

 

This journey of inspiration leads to discoveries in the Design Showcase, where nine globally recognized designers unleash their creativity across eight unique interior spaces. Each space is designed in collaboration with major brands and exceptional craftsmen, expressing the current need for hybrid functions and usages. The experience is completed by Le Club, a business lounge dedicated to fostering new creative collaborations and encounters. In total, over 200 brands, craftsmen, and artists offer design professionals an immersive design experience in the heart of Asia’s most vibrant metropolis.

Breath of Bamboo is a walkable pavilion where tradition flows through form, conceived by Korakot Aromdee

Shifted Mirrors: Fragments of a Dreamed East is a 300 m2 curated exhibition by Clélie Debehault & Liv Vaisberg

Rendering of Anthropocene Adhocsime by Lionel Jadot

the event brings together three essential – Inspiration, Discovery, and Encounters

 

 

project info: 

 

name: Maison&Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong 2025 | @maisonetobjet.hongkong

location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

dates: December 3-6, 2025

The post an expanded edition of maison&objet’s intérieurs fair in hong kong returns to asia in 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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Kikfin Shark Jetpack Wearable Underwater Propulsion System to Deep Dive and Swim at 6 Mph

Jetpacks have long been a dream for humanity, but we’re still far from seeing people regularly strapped into them, flying from home to work. However, an Israeli startup believes it’s much simpler to provide a harnessed jetpack that lets people fly underwater, rather than through the air, at speeds of up to 5.8 mph. It’s called the Shark Jet Pack and is designed to use water jets attached to the back, enabling wearers to dive deep into the sea and swim alongside sharks and other marine life.

The KikFin Shark Jetpack features two pectoral-inspired fins, which help the device mimic the movements of fast sea creatures like sharks, thus the name. Worn on the back, it gives the wearer hands-free freedom to move freely through the water as though they were part of the ocean’s natural ecosystem.

Designer: KiKFin

The KiKFin Shark is harnessed around the shoulder and meant to rest on your back like a jetpack designed for flying. It is lightweight, so you won’t feel its bulk on the shoulder and back. It tips the scale at 13 pounds (slightly over 6 kgs) with the battery onboard, and can thrust you through the water at blistering speeds that you can control from the glove in the hand.

The top speed we are talking about is 5.8 mph, which is made possible by two cylindrical thrusters on the back. Each of them contains a propeller to provide the propulsion. The cylinders are connected to the pectoral fins for stability. The jetpack can allow you to dive down to depths of 131 feet (40 m), so it’s not just for shallow swimming in any way.

The glove works as a speed controller, letting you select between three speed modes depending on what creature you are following, or what predator is chasing you. While speeds are fascinating, it’s how you maneuver the jetpack that will win you over. The wearer is required to simply tilt the head in the direction they’d like to go. The sensors on the Shark will pick that up and adjust the body position and the thrusters accordingly.

The entire rig is powered by batteries. These are embedded within the fins to remain cool during operation. Designed to last between 45 and 85 minutes, depending upon how it is being used. These are swappable, so you can instantly stack in a new one without having to leave the water. The KiKFin Shark jetpack was briefly available on the company website for pre-order at $500, we learn. Currently, the website resides behind a password wall and we cannot confirm if KiKFin is still taking preorders, what the retail price is going to be, or when we can expect to fly underwater with the Shark.

The post Kikfin Shark Jetpack Wearable Underwater Propulsion System to Deep Dive and Swim at 6 Mph first appeared on Yanko Design.

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The one ‘Non-Apple product’ that Apple announced on September 9th

Apple’s September keynote events are a familiar ritual, a carefully choreographed presentation of their latest and greatest hardware. This year, we got everything we expected: the regular iPhone 17, the powerful new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, details on the A19 Pro chip, and a surprise with the ridiculously slim iPhone Air. Amidst the sea of polished metal and Ceramic Shield panels, however, something unusual happened. Apple gave the spotlight to a product that wasn’t their own. For a few crucial moments, the focus shifted to a small, unassuming black box from Blackmagic Design, a company beloved by video professionals. This device, the Camera ProDock, was the only non-Apple product to get a showcase at the keynote, and its presence spoke volumes about where Apple sees the future of filmmaking heading.

The Blackmagic Camera ProDock is, at its core, the ultimate professional dongle for the iPhone 17 Pro. It’s a purpose-built hub designed to solve every major problem that has kept the iPhone from being a primary camera on a serious film set. For years, filmmakers have used iPhones for B-roll or in tight spots where a larger camera wouldn’t fit, but integrating them into a professional workflow has always been a collection of compromises and clunky workarounds. The ProDock aims to eliminate those compromises entirely by giving the iPhone the physical inputs and outputs that are standard on any high-end cinema camera. It’s a rugged, mountable accessory that provides connections for power, external microphones, headphones, on-set monitors, and solid-state drives for recording, all while fitting seamlessly into a professional camera rig.

Designer: Blackmagic

Two big features that made the cut this year on the Pro iPhones (which can be taken advantage of by the Camera ProDock) are genlock and external timecode. For anyone outside the film industry, these terms probably sound like technical jargon, but they are the bedrock of multi-camera productions. Think of genlock as the master conductor for an orchestra of cameras; it sends out a sync pulse that ensures every single camera on set captures a frame at the exact same microsecond. Timecode, then, is the sheet music, giving every one of those frames a unique, identical timestamp across all cameras and audio recorders. This synchronization is absolutely critical. It means an editor can drop footage from an iPhone 17 Pro, a high-end ARRI cinema camera, and a separate audio recorder onto a timeline, and everything will line up perfectly, down to the frame. This single feature, enabled by the ProDock’s BNC connectors, transforms the iPhone from a capable solo camera into a reliable team player in a professional ecosystem.

Beyond the crucial sync capabilities, the ProDock addresses the practical needs of a working set. Its full-size HDMI port allows for direct connection to a proper director’s monitor, so the creative team can see exactly what the camera is capturing on a large, color-accurate display. The three USB-C ports are a godsend for data management and power. A filmmaker can now record hours of footage in the highest quality ProRes RAW format directly to an external SSD, bypassing the iPhone’s internal storage limitations completely. At the same time, those ports can keep the phone and other accessories powered, ensuring a long shooting day isn’t cut short by a dead battery. The addition of professional 3.5mm jacks for both a microphone and headphones finally solves the audio problem, providing for high-quality sound capture and zero-latency monitoring, something impossible to achieve with wireless solutions.

This hardware is perfectly complemented by a robust software ecosystem. The dock works hand-in-hand with the free Blackmagic Camera app and Apple’s updated Final Cut Camera 2.0. These apps are the control center that unlock the ProDock’s full potential, allowing users to manage recordings, monitor audio levels, and take advantage of the iPhone 17 Pro’s new Apple Log 2 color profile for maximum flexibility in post-production. The combination of hardware and software creates a seamless, end-to-end workflow from capture to edit, which is precisely what professionals demand. Apple’s decision to feature the ProDock wasn’t just a friendly nod to a partner; it was a clear signal. It was an acknowledgment that while their own hardware and software are incredibly powerful, the final step into the professional world requires a bridge, a physical link to the established standards of an industry. The Blackmagic Camera ProDock is that bridge, and its quiet debut on Apple’s stage might just have been one of the most significant announcements for filmmakers this year.

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AirPods Pro 3 Hands-On: The Ultimate Everyday Wearable That Redefines Personal Technology

Wireless earbuds reached a ceiling two years ago. Every major brand promises the same three things: decent sound, acceptable battery life, and noise cancellation that works sometimes. The result feels like choosing between different flavors of mediocre, where each model excels at one thing while failing at everything else.

Designer: Apple

Many years of testing dozens of wireless earbuds reveals the same pattern every time. Premium models cost $300+ but still can’t handle phone calls in windy conditions. Budget options sound terrible during workouts. Mid-range choices offer compromise everywhere without excellence anywhere.

After experiencing the AirPods Pro 3 this week, those industry limitations feel like ancient history. The difference becomes apparent the moment you slide them into your ears and feel that perfect seal lock into place. This isn’t another incremental upgrade promising slightly better battery life or marginally improved sound. These breakthrough capabilities work together seamlessly to redefine what wireless audio can accomplish in your daily life.

The Fit Changes Everything

Putting on the AirPods Pro 3 feels different from any previous generation. The internal architecture was completely re-engineered while the external geometry of the ear tip was aligned to the center of the body for increased stability. The pre-installed ear tips fit perfectly right out of the box, creating that satisfying acoustic seal without any pressure points. Having five different tip sizes available, including a new XXS size, means virtually everyone can find their ideal fit.

This improved design delivers the most secure and best-fitting AirPods ever, utilizing over 10,000 ear scans with more than 100,000 hours of user research and an unparalleled dataset of more than 300 million points. The IP57 sweat and water resistance marks the first time any AirPods model offers this level of protection, built to handle tough workouts and unpredictable weather.

Audio That Delivers on Over-Ear Promises

The new multiport acoustic architecture precisely controls the airflow that carries sound into the ear, helping deliver an exceptional spatial listening experience. With next-generation Adaptive EQ, this architecture transforms the bass response, widens the soundstage so you hear every instrument, and brings vivid vocal clarity to higher frequencies across music, shows, and calls.

Active noise cancellation delivers a massive leap forward, delivering up to 2x more effectiveness than AirPods Pro 2, with 4x more noise removed compared to the original AirPods Pro. Apple demonstrated this across multiple challenging environments during the demo: the constant drone of airplane cabins, the clatter and conversation of busy restaurants, and the persistent hum of office HVAC systems.

Across every environment during the controlled demos, the AirPods Pro 3 eliminated distracting background noise while preserving every nuance of your music, movies, and calls. The restaurant demo proved particularly impressive – cutting through the complex mix of conversation, kitchen noise, and background music that typically makes wireless earbuds struggle. The result is the world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones, made possible with ultra-low noise microphones and advanced computational audio combined with new foam-infused ear tips for greater passive noise isolation.

A more personalized Transparency mode means your own voice and the people speaking to you sounds more natural than ever, helping you stay connected to your surroundings without missing a beat. While listening to music with ANC enabled, AirPods Pro 3 now provide up to eight hours of music playback – a 33 percent increase over the previous generation.

Live Translation That Actually Works

Live Translation enables in-person communication across select languages and is available in beta. This transformational, hands-free capability is powered by computational audio and Apple Intelligence to help people easily connect whether they’re traveling to a new place, collaborating at work or school, or simply catching up with the people who matter most.

The system works through three key components, as demonstrated during Apple’s presentation. First, the AirPods microphones capture speech from both conversation participants. Second, computational models on your iPhone process the audio and generate translations using on-device Apple Intelligence. Third, the translated audio plays directly in your ears while simultaneously lowering the volume of the original speaker, creating space for you to process and think about what you’re hearing.

Unlike many translation devices that get confused when multiple people speak simultaneously, the AirPods Pro 3 handle complex audio environments with remarkable precision. The advanced microphone array and computational audio processing can isolate individual voices even in group conversations, ensuring accurate translations without the frustrating errors that plague other devices.

The deliberate pacing is intelligent. The system includes natural pauses that give your brain time to absorb the translated information before continuing. During the demo, these thoughtful breaks became essential for processing complex conversations rather than getting overwhelmed by a constant stream of translated audio.

When both people have AirPods with Live Translation enabled, the experience becomes seamless. Each person hears the other’s words translated into their preferred language, with the original speech automatically dimmed in the background. For conversations where only one person has the capability, your iPhone transforms into a horizontal display, showing live transcription of your words in the other person’s language.

The on-device processing means everything works without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity once the language models are downloaded to your iPhone.

For international travelers, the AirPods Pro 3 become your essential translation partners that hear what you hear. Having traveled extensively to Japan and China where English isn’t widely spoken, this feature is a genuine game-changer for navigating foreign countries. The AirPods don’t just translate conversations – they should theoretically work for train announcements, airport boarding calls, and street-level interactions that make international travel challenging.

Think of it this way: your AirPods Pro 3 are constantly listening to your environment, ready to translate whatever audio reaches your ears. Whether it’s a subway announcement in Tokyo, a restaurant server explaining the menu in Shanghai, or directional help from locals, your translation partners are always active and processing the world around you.

Live Translation launches with support for English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with the crucial additions of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified) arriving before year-end – perfectly timed for travelers heading to Asia.

Heart Rate Sensing That Means Business

AirPods Pro 3 introduce Apple’s smallest ever heart rate sensor – a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow. Combined with sensor fusion from the AirPods Pro accelerometers, gyroscope, GPS, and a new on-device AI model on iPhone, users can start up to 50 different workout types, track their heart rate and calories burned, close their Move ring, and earn awards in the Fitness app.

With just AirPods Pro 3 and iPhone, you’ll also have access to Workout Buddy, a fitness experience powered by Apple Intelligence that incorporates your workout data and fitness history to generate personalized, motivational insights during your session. For added motivation, Apple Fitness+ users with AirPods Pro 3 can now view real-time performance metrics directly onscreen, such as heart rate, calories burned, progress on their Move ring, and the Burn Bar.

AirPods Pro 3 also increase battery life in Transparency mode by 67 percent over the previous generation with up to 10 hours with a single charge.

Hearing Assistance That Actually Matters

Beyond fitness tracking, the AirPods Pro 3 is a breakthrough for anyone with mild hearing loss. The automatic conversation boost feature dynamically elevates voices while reducing background noise, making conversations clearer and more intelligible in challenging acoustic environments.

Having mild hearing loss myself, this feature addresses one of the most frustrating daily experiences: trying to follow conversations in restaurants, offices, or crowded spaces where background noise overwhelms speech. The AirPods Pro 3 act as sophisticated hearing aids, amplifying the specific frequencies needed for speech clarity while suppressing distracting environmental sounds.

The 10-hour battery life in Transparency mode with hearing aid features enabled means all-day support without worrying about power. More importantly, both your own voice and others speaking to you sound more natural than ever, eliminating the artificial or echo-like quality that can make traditional hearing aids feel intrusive.

The Verdict After Initial Testing

After extensive testing with everything from $2,000 custom-fitted Breggz earbuds to premium over-ear headphones like the AirPods Max I reviewed for Yanko Design, the AirPods Pro 3 delivers something genuinely surprising. While the Breggz offered exceptional three-dimensional spatial audio and perfect custom molding, they came with significant downsides: unreliable touch controls during workouts, unknown long-term support from a new brand, and connectivity uncertainties that made them impractical for daily use despite their audio excellence.

The AirPods Pro 3 eliminates these compromises entirely. The audio quality matches what you’d expect from earbuds costing eight times more, while the integrated health tracking eliminates the need for separate fitness devices.

Most impressively, every feature enhancthe others rather than creating feature bloat. The perfect fit enables accurate heart rate sensing. The translation capability works seamlessly because of the superior microphone array. The extended battery life supports all-day hearing aid functionality.

For anyone still using previous-generation wireless earbuds, the upgrade path is clear. The combination of perfect fit, exceptional audio, hands-free translation, and precise health monitoring creates possibilities that extend far beyond traditional earbuds into genuine life enhancement territory.”

The post AirPods Pro 3 Hands-On: The Ultimate Everyday Wearable That Redefines Personal Technology first appeared on Yanko Design.

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kazakhstan’s almaty museum of arts completes as pair of stone and aluminum volumes

A New Cultural Landmark in Kazakhstan

 

The Almaty Museum of Arts has opened its doors in Kazakhstan’s cultural capital, welcoming visitors to a monumental new space for modern and contemporary art. Designed by British practice Chapman Taylor, the 10,060-square-meter museum stands at the edge of the city with the Tian Shan mountains rising behind it, an architectural gesture that captures the tension between urban life and the natural landscape.

 

Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Nurlan Smagulov, the museum showcases more than seven hundred works drawn from his collection, a gift that will ultimately belong to the city. The opening on September 12th, 2025 signals a significant expansion of Almaty’s cultural landscape, setting up the museum as a hub for both international and Central Asian art.

images © Alexey Narodizkiy

 

 

architecture by chapman taylor

 

Chapman Taylor’s design of Kazakhstan’s Almaty Museum of Arts brings together two contrasting volumes: Jura limestone walls anchor the structure to the earth, while aluminum-clad ‘L’-shaped wings rise in a subtle echo of the surrounding peaks. A central glazed corridor, known as Art Street, creates a luminous spine through the building, drawing natural light deep into the interior and framing views of the nearby mountains.

 

Inside, the spatial sequence is deliberately fluid. Visitors move from high, quiet galleries to more intimate rooms, including a multifunctional auditorium, creative studios, and a café that opens onto landscaped gardens scattered with commissioned sculptures. ‘We wanted the building to feel porous,’ says the team at Chapman Taylor.It should belong to the city as much as to the art.’

The Almaty Museum of Arts opens in the heart of Kazakhstan

 

 

The Almaty Museum of Arts’ inaugural exhibits

 

The opening program signals the Almaty Museum of Arts’ ambition. ‘I Understand Everything,’ a sweeping retrospective of Almagul Menlibayeva, traces four decades of experimentation from early textile works to recent AI-driven projects. Nearby, ‘Qonaqtar,’ curated by Inga Lāce, draws from the permanent collection to explore hospitality, migration, and identity in Central Asia through paintings, sculptures, and contemporary installations.

 

The collection itself ranges from Soviet-era modernists such as Toqbolat Togyzbayev to contemporary figures including Saule Suleimenova and Said Atabekov. International dialogues emerge in works by Khadim Ali, Xu Zhen, and Jadé Fadojutimi, placing Kazakhstan’s art scene in conversation with global movements.

Chapman Taylor designs a 10,060 square-meter museum before the Tian Shan mountains

 

 

Several galleries are devoted to long-term installations, bringing rare opportunities in Kazakhstan to encounter major works by Richard Serra, Anselm Kiefer, Yayoi Kusama, and Bill Viola. Serra’s monumental Junction (2011), relocated with the artist’s approval before his death, envelops visitors in curving steel forms that alter the sense of gravity and scale.

 

Beyond the building, newly commissioned outdoor sculptures extend the museum’s reach into the city. Alicja Kwade’s Pre-Position evokes ancient astronomical tools, while Jaume Plensa’s twelve-metre-high NADES offers a moment of calm at a busy intersection. Yinka Shonibare’s vibrant Wind Sculpture (TG) II captures the energy of the region’s layered cultural identities.

outdoor sculptures by Alicja Kwade, Jaume Plensa, and Yinka Shonibare animate the plaza

Nurlan Smagulov donates a collection of more than 700 works to the city

Richard Serra, Junction (2011)

Yayoi Kusama, LOVE IS CALLING, 2013. Collection of Almaty Museum of Arts © Yayoi Kusama, courtesy David Zwirner, Ota Fine Arts, and Victoria Miro

Almagul Menlibayeva, I Understand Everything, curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong

 

project info:

 

name: Almaty Museum of Arts | @almatymuseumofarts

architects: Chapman Taylor | @chapman_taylor_architects

location: Almaty, Kazakhstan

completion: September 12th, 2025

photography: © Alexey Narodizkiy 

The post kazakhstan’s almaty museum of arts completes as pair of stone and aluminum volumes appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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Kodak Charmera is a tiny, retro digital camera that you can hang on your bag

I remember receiving single‑use Kodak cameras when I was young and the excitement of never knowing how the photo I took would turn out until it was developed. Of course, cameras now are much more advanced, with most people using their phone’s camera or other digital cameras to capture memories. Some still print those photos in a fun mix of analog and digital. Kodak is bringing a touch of nostalgia with its newest product and merging it with a current trend that several brands are following.

Charmera is a mini digital camera that resembles the Kodak Fling single‑use camera from the 80s and 90s. It’s the same size and follows a similar retro look, but instead of disposing of it after use, you can keep it and recharge it when the battery runs out. It also has a blind‑box element: you don’t know which camera design you’ll get when you buy one.

Designer: Kodak

This camera is small enough that you can use it as a charm on your bag thanks to its keychain loop. It measures about 2.2 inches and weighs just 30 grams. You can easily pull it out when you want to take a photo—or even a video. But don’t expect the polished look you get from most cameras, as it only has a 1.6‑megapixel CMOS sensor that produces photos at 1440 × 1080 resolution and videos at 30 fps. Think of it as taking grainy, noisy photos and videos, similar to what you could achieve with disposable cameras.

On its own, the Charmera can store only two photos, but you can attach a microSD card to take many more. It charges via a USB cable. The camera also includes a few filters, themed frames, and a date stamp to give it a retro feel. As for the blind‑box aspect, you don’t know which of the seven vintage designs you’ll receive. There’s even a “secret edition”, a camera with a transparent shell, that is the rarest of them all. If you want to collect all six other designs, you can purchase a complete set that contains every style without repetition.

So, whether you’re a longtime Kodak fan who still keeps those faded prints in a shoebox, a millennial who loves the tactile joy of a “surprise” unboxing, or a collector hunting for that perfect retro‑meets‑digital treasure, the Charmera camera lands right in the sweet spot. It invites you to pause the endless scroll of perfect‑pixel feeds and instead savor a little imperfection: a grainy snap, a quirky filter, and a date‑stamp that feels like a tiny time capsule.

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copper and glass frame beijing cultural hub for mammoth ivory carving by chuxin tuoyuan

Beijing Mammoth Ivory Engraving Factory Exhibition Center

 

Beijing Mammoth Ivory Engraving Factory Exhibition Center integrates traditional Chinese craftsmanship with contemporary sustainable design. Located within Beijing’s second-ring road, the project by Chuxin Tuoyuan combines exhibition, sales, conference, and office spaces to form a cultural hub dedicated to the preservation and reinterpretation of mammoth ivory carving.

 

The facade references two key cultural symbols: the Oriental Crown, expressed through a roof structure that recalls dougong brackets, and the Imperial Lantern, represented through the use of copper detailing and transparent glazing. At night, engraved artworks within the building are revealed through the glass frontage, appearing as illuminated scrolls against the layered copper walls. The rhythmic composition of copper elements enhances depth, while engraved motifs shift subtly depending on the viewer’s angle.

the facade reinterprets Beijing’s historic mammoth ivory carving exhibition with contemporary elegance | all images courtesy of Chuxin Tuoyuan

 

 

Chuxin Tuoyuan merges tradition with sustainable design

 

Inside, the design draws from Chinese architectural traditions while adopting a minimalist, modern approach. Reinterpreted eaves and screen walls establish a layered spatial quality, with deep browns, grays, and beiges reinforcing a calm, refined atmosphere. The main exhibition hall incorporates floating staircases and reimagined flying eaves, inspired by Chinese garden architecture. This integration of indoor and outdoor elements creates openness while maintaining cultural resonance.

 

The display strategy followed by Chuxin Tuoyuan’s architects combines traditional exhibition cases with innovative ‘shadow puppet’ walls. Using backlighting technology, the system produces layered visual effects, balancing physical presence with illusion. Eight double-height display columns punctuate the core space, introducing vertical emphasis and solemnity. The central screen wall system employs insulated glass to regulate temperature and humidity for delicate works, ensuring proper preservation while offering dynamic backlit displays.

lighting transforms the facade, enhancing both its material beauty and cultural resonance

 

 

balancing cultural heritage with new conservation techniques

 

Material selection emphasizes low-carbon and eco-friendly solutions, including wood panels in natural tones that contribute to an atmosphere of warmth and continuity with Chinese classical aesthetics. Modular ceiling structures in the conference areas introduce variation and formality, while the exhibition’s sound-light interplay enhances the visitor’s sensory experience.

 

The project reflects extensive research into the history and preservation requirements of mammoth ivory carving. Design logic was informed by both the cultural significance of the craft and the technical needs of conservation, ensuring that spatial qualities serve functional, aesthetic, and heritage purposes simultaneously. By integrating sustainable technologies with cultural symbolism, the Exhibition Center demonstrates how architecture can support the continuation of traditional crafts in a contemporary context. The result is a space where tradition and innovation converge, reinforcing cultural memory while promoting wider recognition of Chinese craftsmanship.

the historic Beijing mammoth ivory carving exhibition hall exudes timeless craftsmanship and cultural heritage

red copper craftsmanship shapes materiality and order through symbolic design elements

a refined exhibition hall where mammoth ivory carvings align with a floral mural backdrop

the interior showcases mammoth ivory carvings encased in glass columns

a shadow-play wall where light and shadow create a delicate, ethereal beauty

floating marble staircase embracing a full-height glass display with carved peacocks

the space merges traditional craftsmanship with modern design techniques

sculptural displays and refined materiality foster cultural exchange around the art of ivory carving

an ink-paste-inspired logo marks the mammoth ivory carving exhibition

marble lights glow softly over bronze details, giving the facade a poetic presence

 

project info:

 

name: The Timeless Grace of Eastern Carving

architect: Chuxin Tuoyuan
lead designers: Meng Zhao, Meng Zhang
location: Beijing, China

area: 1,200 sqm

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post copper and glass frame beijing cultural hub for mammoth ivory carving by chuxin tuoyuan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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This 3D-Printed Mod Turns Your Desktop PC Into a Portable LAN Party Rig

LAN parties might not be as common as they were during the golden age of Counter-Strike and StarCraft, but they still hold a special place in gaming culture. The problem has always been the same: how do you transport a full desktop PC setup without feeling like you’re moving an entire office? Laptops work fine for casual gaming, but serious enthusiasts know that nothing beats a custom desktop for raw performance, upgradeability, and that personal touch that comes from building your own rig.

Irudimen, also known as u/MrFahrenheit3108 on Reddit, apparently got tired of this transportation dilemma and decided to engineer a solution using 3D printing and clever mechanical design. His approach doesn’t involve buying expensive LAN party cases or downsizing to small form factor builds that compromise on cooling or expansion. Instead, he created a set of custom brackets, handles, and mounts that transform any standard desktop tower into a genuinely portable gaming station.

Designer: Irudimen/MrFahrenheit3108

The centerpiece of the design is a robust 3D-printed handle that bolts securely to the top of the PC case using existing mounting holes. Printed in carbon fiber-reinforced PLA for extra strength, the handle distributes weight evenly across the case structure, making it possible to carry both the PC and monitor as a single unit. The ergonomic grip feels comfortable even with heavier mid-tower builds, though the community has noted the importance of proper print orientation and material choice for safety.

The monitor mounting system represents the most innovative part of the project, allowing a VESA-compatible display to attach directly to the front of the desktop case. During transport, the monitor sits flush against the case for protection, then detaches quickly for setup at your destination. A custom 3D-printed stand holds everything securely in place while traveling, preventing scratches and impact damage to both the screen and case during movement between locations.

What makes this project particularly appealing is its non-destructive approach that respects the original hardware design. All components use existing screw holes and mounting points, so you can remove everything and return your PC to stock configuration whenever needed. The open-source nature means other makers can download the files from Printables and adapt them for different case sizes, monitor dimensions, or personal preferences without starting from scratch.

The community response on Reddit reveals both enthusiasm and constructive criticism that highlights the iterative nature of maker projects. Users have suggested improvements like stress relief radii for the monitor bracket, alternative attachment methods for better weight distribution, and even motorized wheels for easier transport. These discussions demonstrate how open-source hardware projects evolve through collective input and experimentation.

While the system works well for smaller monitors and careful transport, it’s not designed for rough handling or very heavy displays. The weight limitations and material fatigue considerations mean this solution works best for occasional LAN parties rather than daily transport. Still, for PC enthusiasts who want to bring their custom rigs to gaming events without major compromises, Irudimen’s 3D-printed solution offers exactly the kind of creative problem-solving that makes the maker community so valuable.

The post This 3D-Printed Mod Turns Your Desktop PC Into a Portable LAN Party Rig first appeared on Yanko Design.