Archinect - News

New Balance honors Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City concept in latest sneaker collab

2023-04-12T13:26:00-04:00

A new collaboration between New Balance and fashion designer Ronnie Fieg is paying homage Frank Lloyd Wright’s utopian concept for the ‘Broadacre City’ that first appeared in his seminal title The Disappearing City in 1932.

The KITH founder worked with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to design a pair of New Balance 998s (aka the “silhouette”) on the occasion of the sneaker’s 35th anniversary.

Ronnie Fieg x Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation x New Balance 998 “Broadacre City” capsule. Image courtesy Ronnie Fieg via Instagram

The suede designs come in two colorways, both meant to represent the agrarian landscape and buildings seen in the concept’s physical models that were displayed in the entryway of the Hacienda de la Chandler at Taliesin West after 1935.

Ronnie Fieg x Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation x New Balance 998 “Broadacre City” capsule. Image courtesy Ronnie Fieg via Instagram

“Broadacre City isn’t a city at all but a reimagining of how we could organize ourselves outside of dense...

FIU Architecture students are getting their feet wet thanks to this long-standing campus tradition

2022-11-17T17:45:00-05:00

This is the 33rd year the "Walking on Water" competition has been held at FIU as part of Professor Jaime Canaves’ Materials & Methods of Construction course. As reported by WSVN Miami , "Not many people can say they can walk on water, but these second-year architecture students at Florida International University need to do in order to get a good grade in the class."

Winners receive $1,000 plus another $1,000 bonus if they can surmount the record, while those whose shoes do not succeed can either swim the expanse in the event for a C grade or, "if they fell and gave up, it was a straight F," reports Dannielle Garcia of WSVN.

Walking on Water at FIU. Video courtesy of FIU The College Tour.

According to Canaves, “The purpose of the assignment is for the students to design and build shoes to be able to cross the lake 175 feet." Students were tasked with researching materials and "put them together and solve the problem of floating and walking, and if they’re successful, they get an A....

Nike’s intriguing experiments in architectural ideas, projects, and jobs

2022-04-21T11:42:00-04:00

What do the Centre Pompidou and the Bauhaus have in common? Beyond their seismic impact on the architectural discourse of the 20th and 21st centuries, both in fact served as inspiration for versions of Nike Air Max sneakers.

In 2019, the global sports retailer debuted the Air Max 270 React, whose bold colors paid homage to the influential Bauhaus movement. One year previous, a special Air Max edition with colored tubes along the seams and fabric lines was released as a tribute to the Centre Pompidou. The tribute was not without reason, given that the original Air Max 1 was itself inspired by the designer’s visit to the Pompidou, most notably the shoe’s signature Air bubble element.

Related on Archinect: Would you wear these Bauhaus-inspired Nike shoes?

The Bauhaus and Pompidou versions of the Air Max are part of Nike’s long-standing use of architectural principles and elements to showcase and evolve its brand. Several Nike-commissioned projects have been featured on Archinect in the...

Reebok and Eames Office reunite with upcoming sneaker collection

2021-10-06T16:23:00-04:00

Following up from their exclusive friends and family shoe collaboration, Reebok and Eames Office have reunited to create an entire sneaker collection that pays homage to the work and legacy of Charles and Ray Eames.

In the works since 2019, the Reebok x Eames Club C collection is the first-ever footwear partnership with and authorized by the Eames Office. The line sees one of Reebok’s most popular silhouettes, the Club C, embellished in designs informed by the Eames’ work and paintings. And, unlike the friends and family shoe, these will be available to purchase.

The first release of the collection will be the “Monotone Pack”, which comes in black and white colorways. The shoes feature heritage accents such as original size tongue tags, squared-off window boxes, classic logos, and a restored internal arch bandage for enhanced fit and comfort. Grey soles, woven EAMES tags, and a colorful triangle print in the insole provide subtle accents to the sneakers.

A second release, dubbed the...

Eames Office and Reebok collaborate to create shoe inspired by Eames House

2021-09-17T14:53:00-04:00

Eames Office has teamed up with Reebok to create a shoe celebrating the work of Charles and Ray Eames.

Made exclusively for Eames Office employees, the Reebok x Eames Club C (Friends and Family) sneaker is inspired by the iconic Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8. The shoe was recently revealed by Reebok senior global product marketing manager Leo Gamboa via Instagram.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leo Gamboa (@leoneski)

The shoe mimics the color palette of the Eames House, with the multi-color Eames logo and tan and cream colorway and tongue. The insoles also feature Charles and Ray’s signatures. The shoes are packaged in a box decorated by the house’s façade in color.

Reebok and Eames Office initially teased the collaboration in March, citing a partnership “rooted in heritage that aims to bring together the worlds of fine art, interior architecture and streetwear.”

Nike's new 'Space Hippie' is made from factory floor scraps

2020-02-06T11:54:00-05:00

Due to drop this spring, Nike's Space Hippie is an exploratory footwear collection created from the company's "space junk." It takes scrap material from Nike factories and alchemizes it into expressive footwear. "It is about figuring out how to make the most with the least material, the least energy and the least carbon," said John Hoke, Nike Chief Design Officer in a statement.

Nike Space Hippie 01. © Nike

Nike Space Hippie 02. © Nike

Nike Space Hippie 03. © Nike

Nike Space Hippie 04. © Nike

Every aspect of the design of the collection was decided with its environmental impact in mind. That includes material selection, packaging, and even how the shoes are made. Looking to make a more "circular" product, the Nike team dove deep to explore how they might turn trash into something beautiful. "We must think about the entire process: how we design it, how we make it, how we use it, how we reuse it and how we cut out waste at every step. These are the fundamentals of a circular mindset that...

Kengo Kuma steps into shoe design with ASICS

2019-12-02T16:01:00-05:00

Architects dabbling in fashion design is nothing new. From Zaha Hadid to Santiago Calatrava and Virgil Abloh, shoe brands often turn to architects for inspiration. In the latest example, Japanese footwear brand ASICS has teamed with Kengo Kuma to design a new running shoe that's said to marry "ASICS’ most cutting edge technology with ancient techniques and Kengo’s beautifully engineered aesthetic to create what he calls his 'smallest building yet,'" according to Isabelle Hore-Thorburn of HIGHESTNOBIETY.

METARIDE AMU running shoe. Image © ASICS

METARIDE™ AMU by KENGO KUMA. Video © ASICS Japan

Kuma's spin on the shoe showcases the "yatara ami" (bamboo knitting) technique that creates two interlocking layers that aid in the foot's natural movement. The design keeps up with the sleek, slip-on attributes shoe brands such as Nike and Adidas have incorporated into their recent lineups while offering a subtle and clean profile in contrast to some of t...

Would you wear these Bauhaus-inspired Nike shoes?

2019-06-27T17:39:00-04:00

Perhaps the dream shoe for any Bauhaus enthusiast looking to stay "fresh," Nike has released their Nike Air Max 270 React with a lead colorway paying homage to the iconic Bauhaus school. The vibrant color palette would make any color theorist jump with excitement. The blue, red, yellow, and turquoise color accents are synonymous with the school — sure to catch the attention of any architecture or sneaker enthusiast.

Image © Nike

Nike shares in their June news announcement, "The initial release of the Nike Air Max 270 React share a consistent foundation in art and design history. Each colorway translates a specific artistic style or movement in its blocking and hues. The lead launch colorway, for example, heralds the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus's founding by recalling the school’s formal studies of asymmetrical balance." Nike notes the shoe will have other color options inspired by "mid-century color blocking" and "San Francisco psychedelia."

Image © Nike

If Kandinsky...

Zaha Hadid and Pharrell Williams are co-designing shoes for Adidas

2015-07-28T16:06:00-04:00

"I’m a huge fan of Zaha’s, I’ve always been. I would venture to say she’s one of the most talented architects of our time and of history in my opinion. The kinds of shapes and the kinds of structures that she transcribes from her mind’s imagination – I think that Zaha’s designs are just like her buildings, they augment reality forever. And I feel like with the Supershell, she created, while using the dimensions of the shoe, cast shadows that weren’t necessarily there”

This isn't the first time the singer and architect have worked together – Williams referred to a pre-fab housing collaboration back in 2013. And his designs on associating with the architecture community were made clear at the AIA National Convention in 2014, where he delivered a keynote speech alongside Jeanne Gang and Theaster Gates.

But the architect's influence is pretty understated, compared to other Zaha-designed shoes. It appears as if the only major change to Adidas' classic Superstar trainer is to the pronounced ridges on the toes. Watch Pharrell's full spot for the "Zaha Hadid Supershell Superstar" shoes ($120 USD) below:

h/t designMENA

Live In Your Sneakers? Mobile Housing's Next Step

2013-08-23T15:26:00-04:00

A new project, “Walking Shelter,” explores what on-the-go housing might just look like. Here, a portable dwelling is packed right into a pair of sneakers. Essentially a tent without a pole (that’s the clever part), the mobile home can be deployed anywhere you’d like it to pop up. Rather than relying on the old pole standard, the shelter’s frame is provided by the person(s) occupying it, explains Amelia Borg, one-eighth of Sibling, the Australian architectural collective behind the project.

Zaha Hadid designs shoe for United Nude

2013-07-02T18:28:00-04:00

“I have always appreciated those who dare to experiment with materials and proportions,” Hadid stated. “Our collaboration with United Nude reinterprets the classic shoe typology, pushing the boundaries of what is possible without compromising integrity.”

Oscar Niemeyer teams up with Converse

2012-10-26T14:03:00-04:00

The man and the legend behind the concrete mecca known as Brasilia is a ripe 104 years of age, and though he was reported to have been “a bit dehydrated” at Rio’s Hospital Samaritano where he was hospitalized last week (he is thankfully “fine,” as doctors told ABC News), Niemeyer’s old age has not precluded his latest project, a collaboration with sneaker mega-brand Converse.