IKEA and Lego have joined forces to combine play and cleaning. Available October 1, the BYGGLEK product line will include a set of 3 small storage boxes, two sets of larger boxes, and a set of Lego bricks (although all Lego bricks are compatible with the line). The containers are lined and topped with Lego nails, allowing the Lego constructions inside and outside the box, as well as the stacked boxes to snap into each other. Companies wanted to reframe storage and organization as an extension of play, further encouraging creative thinking in children. “Where adults often see clutter, children see a stimulating creative environment, and BYGGLEK will help bridge the gap between these two perspectives to ensure more creative play in homes around the world,” said the designer. ‘IKEA Sweden, Andreas Fredriksson, in a company press release. [IKEA]

In an effort to help users generate accurate design and programming predictions, Gensler has released Graph by Gensler. The digital tool pulls data from the increasingly digitalized global society, operating computer-aided facility management systems, building management systems, integrated workplace management systems, occupant surveys and more databases to help users “integrate qualitative data on human spatial experience (such as interviews, experience index and NPS scores) with quantitative data on observed human behavior (from sensors of building, Wi-Fi location tracking, badges or other sources), and with spatial analyzes on the design, layout or configuration of a space, “according to a statement from the firm. With these results, Graph uses three analytical tools – ScenarioGraph for planning spatial scenarios, ExperienceGraph for mapping human feelings and LiveGraph for modeling movement. nts and interactions – to help clients develop effective and useful strategies for their spaces. “At the end of the day, data alone is insufficient to drive results in the built environment,” the version says. “Too much data can be overwhelming. By integrating multiple forms of data with a tool expressly developed to frame design choices, we can enter a new era of evidence-based design.” [Gensler]

SmithGroup released its design for Society’s Cage, an “experiential installation highlighting the state’s historic forces of racialized violence,” according to a press release from the company. Scheduled for construction on the National Mall in Washington, DC on August 28, the concept was developed by a team of mostly black designers at the company. The design includes a 15 foot cube surrounded by a “steel deck” that features educational materials. Suspended from the pavilion’s steel ceiling, 484 1-inch-diameter rusty steel pipes of varying lengths represent historical totals of lynchings, mass incarceration, police terrorism, and the death penalty of black Americans, and the 25% of staggering chances that a black American will be imprisoned at some point in their lives. A soundtrack in the pavilion will loop four songs, every 8 minutes and 46 seconds, to recognize how long George Floyd was deprived of air by Minneapolis Police. [SmithGroup]

From his own report to Richmond, Va., And to a study on the link between redlining practices and urban heat in cities in the United States, The New York Times published the interactive report “How decades of racist housing policies left neighborhoods stuffy. ” Along with clean graphics and images that explain the disproportionate thermal impact faced by once-red neighborhoods – areas that are home to even more communities of color – NYT examines the lasting consequences and impacts on the health of residents. [NYT]

Autodesk has been featured frequently in the media lately, possibly for unexpected reasons. First, 17 large AEC companies signed a open theetter expressing concern about the increasing cost of Revit given its lack of development over time. Then, a similar, much older letter written by 12 Australian and New Zealand-based architectural and developer firms has surfaced, highlighting how much discontent has bubbled up. While the company has promised changes and assured businesses that it is listening, ARCHITECT columnist Daniel Davis examines what matters and what does not matter to the profession as a whole. [ARCHITECT]

The Missoula, at Mt. Institute of Biomimicry and the Atlanta-based company Ray C. Anderson Foundation appointed a concrete manufacturer based in Tel Aviv, Israel Econcrete technology and a coating start-up based in Berkeley, California Cypris materials as the winner and finalist of their 2020 Ray of Hope Award, respectively. [ARCHITECT]