Design Wire August 2023
Luxury car manufacturer ASTON MARTIN collaborated with British distillery BOWMORE on a singular, one-of-a-kind decanter filled with a rare 52-year-old whisky. The item was purchased in May for $279,800 during a Sotheby’s auction in London, with proceeds benefiting the Bowmore Legacy fund. It features a carbon fiber top inspired by Aston Martin’s Formula 1 car, the AMR23, as well as by the black rocks of Loch Indaal, home to the Bowmore Distillery, and by the traditional Japanese metalworking technique of artist Mokume Gane. The BOWMORE ARC-52 “MOKUME EDITION” is a futuristic-looking vessel that appears weightless, balancing on two points that represent the journey from past to present. Aged in European and American oak, the decanter’s single-malt whisky features notes of burnished gold, green apple, and marine minerality.
A Swiss start-up called SUN-WAYS is taking advantage of the empty space between train tracks by slotting in solar panels using a custom two-carriage installment train (which is currently in the design phase). Though there are competing businesses in the space, Sun-Ways is the only company using standard-size solar panels—which, if placed along the entire Swiss railroad network, could generate enough energy to power 750,000 homes. With over 620,000 miles of train tracks worldwide, this convenient energy source would prevent deforestation and the use of farmland for solar farms. According to Fast Company, Sun-Ways is installing a 60-panel pilot project across 140 feet of track near Neuchâtel this summer using a retrofitted train. Energy from the pilot project will power nearby homes.
Led by artistic director WILHELMINA SMITH, Damariscotta’s SALT BAY CHAMBERFEST is bringing musical experiences to three unique buildings along the midcoast as part of its 2023 festival season. At the beginning of August, violinist SEAN LEE will perform “Music on the River” on the grassy lawn outside a two-story Greek Revival home in Newcastle. Built in 1840 for ship captain William Glidden, the historic home features a rooftop cupola and ornate iron fencing. Later in the month, Smith and Grammy-winning violinist JENNIFER KOH will hold a benefit concert at a former Methodist church in Nobleboro that is now a performance hall and gallery. Finally, Smith will perform solo on the spectacular lawn of Farleigh, a turreted, shingle-style summer home with 180-degree views of the water on Harpswell’s Orr’s Island.
Shoppers can soon expect an accessible, immersive experience at the L.L.BEAN flagship store in Freeport. According to Mainebiz, the $50 million multiyear project includes a redeveloped Main Street entrance, a new bike shop, expansions to the outdoor Discovery Park, and updates to the campus’s landscaping and walkways. Interior details have not been announced yet but will include a central trout and salmon pond and new food options. Led by Freeport-based ZACHAU CONSTRUCTION, ARROWSTREET of Boston, and engineers from WBRC of Bangor and SEBAGO TECHNICS in South Portland, the campus enhancements are intended to provide an upgraded customer experience while honoring the New England village aesthetic.
This spring, SMRT ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS gifted $20,000 to the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE FOUNDATION to create the SMRT STEVENS SCHOLARSHIP, named after the design firm’s founder, John Calvin Stevens, who created the famed shingle-style architecture seen across the Pine Tree State. ELKUS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS, a Boston-based firm working on the USM Portland Campus Transformation Project, donated an additional $15,000 to the scholarship fund, which will support USM students demonstrating financial need who are majoring in a wide range of fields that support architecture and engineering professions, including visual arts, accounting, and geography. The first scholarship will be awarded in fall 2023.
Ecuadorian architects JUAN RUIZ and AMELIA TAPIA recently launched IWI, an architectural innovation that allows users to adapt their living space to their lifestyle. The adjustable space, constructed with CNC milling technology, can expand or compress to meet its user’s needs: at its largest, IWI occupies 8.5 square meters of space; when compressed, it takes up only 2.4 square meters. With a main structure consisting of two wooden modules connected by an accordion-like folding system, IWI can be manufactured in two weeks and built in just two days for less than $8,000. The flexible space includes a sink, lighting, and electrical outlets, allowing it to be used both on and off the grid.