Artist Tomas Saraceno has asked visitors at his exhibition to rid themselves of any sharp objects - and you can see why. His Cloud Cities installation, currently on display at the Hamburger Bahnof Museum in Berlin, Germany, consists of large transparent spheres that lend themselves to an overall molecular aesthetic. Suspended in the air, visitors can walk inside the spheres as they tentatively balance in the midst. Tread with caution...no high heels allowed.

a. On tranquility and comfort [style park]
b. A tour inside the Hotel du Marc of Veuve Clicquot in Reims, France [Yatzer]
c. Toyo Ito archicture museum, complete [design boom]
d. Future farming: how high-tech aquaponics makes food right [the coolist]
e. Mark abrahams: candid camera, the photographer's revealing portraiture captures an unseen side of iconic celebrities [nowness]

Last week, a project I've followed since its inception, finally launched in downtown Auckland to much interest and acclaim. Attempting to challenge and win the world land speed record is no easy feat. However, for a group of talented New Zealand designers and engineers it serves as little deterrence. Headed up by Richard Nowland, who's dedicated his life to this project for the past three years, we caught up with him to find out exactly how you build a car that can reach speeds of upwards of 1000mph.

DF: Tell me about Jetblack.

RN: Jetblack is a NZ led challenge on the world land speed record...I say NZ led as we have selected engineers from within NZ but also an increasing number of international members of the team. The current land speed record stands at 763mph or just over the speed of sound and was set in 1997 by a British team and their vehicle Thrust SSC. Jetblack was established in 2007 and at that stage we were starting to design a vehicle to break the NZ and Australian land speed records, a mere 500mph, – while doing so some key engineers were found and the capability within the team existed to go well beyond that. The design process that followed produced something that has the capability to go beyond the current challengers of the record who are aiming at 1,000mph.

DF: When did you first decide to challenge this record?
 
RN: It started to grow within the team in 2010. The initial evaluation of our aerodynamicist Richard Roake’s first design established it has very good performance characteristics and that it was capable of much more than originally anticipated. The idea of the world land speed record was always as a 2nd project once we’d built a first car and broken the NZ and Australian records – this slipped away as we entered 2011 as the confidence of the team in the design grew and we realised what it was capable of.

DF: It's NZ's first challenge on this record, it’s a big deal. What technology(s) are you employing that you think will get NZ across the line?

RN: The only two countries to have ever held this record over the last hundred and ten years or so are the US and Great Britain. One of the biggest challenges with such a small country like NZ mounting a challenge is that unlike the US and UK we don’t have huge automotive or aerospace industries. We are, however, very good at inventing solutions for niche or peculiar problems. The vehicle uses unique technologies all over it. The aerodynamics and also how we simulate the airflow and interaction of dirt particles mixing with air underneath the vehicle is very unique. We established a partnership with a company in Spain called X-Flow CFD that can provide these simulations and provide the most accurate information available on what happens under the vehicle and around the rest of it. This is also planned to be the first all carbon fibre monocoque chassis used on a land speed record vehicle – using similar design and fabrication technology to Americas Cup racing yachts. There is no steel or aluminium frame with body panels attached, it’s all one structure – so unlike a human or a fish with bones as its structure the car is more like a crab or lobster – the skin is the structure as well. Very strong and very light.

DF: Working with Glynne Bowsher (designer of the current world land speed record holder) must offer some much needed insight into the competition, what’s it like having him design the wheels, such a critical part of the vehicle?

RN: Glynne brings such vast experience to the team. He was also involved with Thrust 2 which held the world record between 1983-1997. That project started in 1977 so he’s been involved with the world land speed record for longer than I’ve been alive. He’s also designed for the steam car world record and a challenger for the world water speed record. But despite all this experience he’s still very open to trying different methods of design and thinking about different ways to solve the wheel design challenge.

DF: What’s been the most challenging part to date with this ambitious project?
 
Jetblack started from nothing more than a dream; the project has been built completely from scratch. It seems a long time ago now but there was a time when the key people were still not found and the concept for what Jetblack represented was still quite ambiguous. Most challenging has been building the team – the best engineers don’t want to be associated with projects that aren’t worthy of their time – they have better things to do….and being engineers they tend to be quite conservative and reluctant when deciding what to get involved with. The one thing I am most proud of today is the people we have with us. There’s a definite quality and personality trait that we all share. The eventual design and development of the car, and the way it is run, will be a reflection of the people involved – so effective team selection is also the most important part at this stage.

DF: What are key design elements in the car that ensure speed efficiency?

There’s nothing in the car that’s not absolutely necessary; however the major elements are the aerodynamics, propulsion and wheels. The car doesn’t work without all the necessary components like hydraulics or wheel bearings etc but if you get the three fundamentals wrong nothing else matters. Aerodynamics relates to the airflow and also the particles kicked up by the wheels – Richard Roake’s job is to not only ensure the design is efficient (low drag) but also to ensure it remains in control throughout the range of speeds that will be encountered. Part of the difficulty is that what works for one end of the velocity spectrum may not work at the other end – getting both these has been called the holy grail. Unlike aircraft that have open skies to operate in should design imperfections be present – with Jetblack we’re designing for supersonic speeds within only a few millimeters to operate with all 4 wheels on the ground – it’s an extraordinarily difficult task.

DF: What speeds are you hoping to reach in order to obtain the record, and when?
 
RN:We’re not entirely sure where we’ll reach in terms of a final speed. Several challengers are aiming for the 1,000mph mark which is ambitiously higher than the current record of 763mph (1,246km/h) set in 1997. The limits of technology are where we are aiming to reach but we’re quite confident that will be well beyond the thousand miles per hour mark. Watch this space.

For more information about Jetblack visit www.jetblack.co.nz

Sanlitun Road in Beijing's shopping district has another gem to add to its already decent crown. Exemplifying how quickly China is moving in the fashion stakes, Maison Martin Margiela, a designer synonymous with understated cool, has opened his largest flagship store in the bustling city. The multi-floor boutique equipped with his iconic white interior, hosts a complete range of his apparel, homewares and accessories. Equipped with a large slide, it also means shopping has never been so fun, or efficient.

(N2-18/N2-28, Village North, No.11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing).

In an effort to completely romanticise the very notion of study, Stockholm-based studio Visiondivision asked students at Politecnico di Milano to consider the impact of a fast-paced lifestyle and asked them how to create environments in which nature can be used to create a sense of retreat on campus. The result? Ten Japanese cherry trees that are encouraged to grow in certain ways making room for a two-story retreat that students can sit up high in. To encourage the bending of the trees, ropes are attached to the plants persuading them to move in certain directions. Called The Patient Gardener, they expect this project to be able to be enjoyed for a further 80 years.

The Design Folio Incubator Award presented by Peroni is generating a diverse range of entries from all over New Zealand. We first came across our latest entrants Emma Fox Derwin and Nigel Groom of Wellington based design studio Well-Groomed-Fox a couple of years ago. Since then, they've exhibited in Milan at the Salone del Mobile, at the Interieur Biennale in Belgium and at the D3 Design Talents Competition at the Cologne Fair in Germany. Their collection, including the XY+Z Suit Rack and the C/Lamp is sophisticated and refined. Without doubt, they are among New Zealand's best rising talents. We caught up with them to ask them about their design influences, and to gather some insight into what they'll be submitting for the Design Folio Incubator Award.

What will you be looking to design and produce for the Design Folio Incubator Award?

Without giving too much away we are looking at two entries. We will be producing a new sofa proposition and a series of 2-3 pieces continuing the themes of our XY+Z Suit Rack. Conceptually both will have an interesting take on their parent archetypes, with beautiful tactile, material and graphic aesthetic qualities.

What key elements do you think define a successful piece of design?

A successful piece of design always incorporates some element of surprise and an effortless fluid functionality or usability. Designs also become successful when the designer looks beyond the final physical object and its first impression into the story of the object in the long term, designs that continue to surprise and reveal themselves as they are lived with and used are a joy to possess.

What are your key design influences?

It feels a little cliché to say but our design influences seem to come from all over the place and could be everywhere and everything – we are particularly fascinated by everyday objects and archetypal objects, materiality is also a huge influence.  We tend to design from our experiences and as such tend to design particular 'experiences' into our work, our ‘Soft TeaCup’ for example illustrates how the simple act of lifting a cup from a table can be transformed into an beautiful functional object.

What would be your dream future design commission?

Vitra no question - past, present, future - Vitra.

Well-Groomed-Fox portrait by Amelia Handscomb

Finally our feathered friends have an architectural bird house to rest their weary wings. Monique Engelund has designed a bird pavilion that draws its reference from the famous Barcelona Pavilion in 1929 by the legendary German architect Mies van der Rohe. With a sculptural nod, it exudes a simple simplicity that we think complements a modernist home perfectly.

a. Death of a palace [Style Park]
b. iPhone gets it upgrade, all under the hood [NY Times]
c. Steve Jobs: 1955-2011 [Hypebeast]
d. OMA/Progress' exhibition at the Barbican, London [Wallpaper]
e. Oskar Zieta: reflections at Sotheby's Vienna [Designboom]

The closest most of us get to experiencing Formula 1 racing is watching it from the comfort of our sofas. But the BAC Mono Formula-Style Street Racer is set to change our lethargic and safe ways by putting their first Formula-style design into the market. The sports car is a light-weight single seater, with a curb weight of only 1,188 pounds. With no enclosed cabin or passenger seating, this sports car is able to shed its usual weight enabling it to reach staggering speeds like 60mph in just 2.8 seconds. With a retail price of $108,000, it is a fraction of the price of the slightly faster and very covetable Bugatti Veyron. But even though they assure us it is safe for our roads, we think we're better keeping it on the track for the time being until we've brushed up our skills.

The Design Folio Incubator Award presented by Peroni is generating a diverse range of entries from all over New Zealand. Our latest entrant David Moreland is a familiar face on New Zealand's design scene. His designs have graced the pages of many magazines and won him various accolades and awards. After studying 3-dimensional design at university, he worked with stalwart David Trubridge before settling in Auckland. As well as producing limited edition pieces and one -off commissions, his furniture has also wound up in commercial projects nationwide like Air New Zealand, BNZ and Government House. As production manager for Simon James Design by day, he knows a thing or two about how to create successful design pieces for New Zealanders. Below we ask David for inside information on what he will be producing for our Design Folio Incubator Award.

What will you be looking to design and produce for the Design Folio Incubator Award?

A floor standing light and a sideboard. Both will have interesting use of colour, material and finish. Understated, bold, subtle and vibrant all at once.

What key elements do you think define a successful piece of design?

For me functionality and a timeless aesthetic, a combination of these two simple elements seems to win every time.

What are your design influences?

I wrote and re-wrote this answer a few times and in the end realised that the biggest influence for me by far has been my local peers. They have paved the way for the NZ furniture design industry which is now so strong...David Trubridge, Simon James, Bob McDonald, Jamie McLellan, Fletcher Vaughn, Stu Barr, Oliver Craft, Humphrey Ikin and the list goes on, much respect.

What would be your dream future design commission?

Vitra drop me an email requesting a new piece for their collection, boom.

For more information on the Design Folio Incubator Award go here.