A limited-run AmEx card made out of metal from a decommissioned Delta plane. Image courtesy Delta…
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American Express debuts a metallic credit card made from retired Boeing 747 jets.
“In 2018, Delta Air Lines retired the last of its Boeing 747s—the iconic wide-body jets that, from their first flights in 1969, forever changed the scale and magnitude of commercial air travel. The airline sent most of its decommissioned fleet to boneyards in Arizona, California, and New Mexico—save for ship 6301, the first Delta 747-400 to ever take flight, which today comprises the immersive 747 Experience at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta. For aircraft aficionados still nostalgic for the “Queen of the Sky,” the airline, in partnership with American Express, is announcing a limited-edition run of credit cards made from metal cut from Delta ship 6307—the first credit card upcycled from a decommissioned 747.” [H/T Fast Company]
Bjarke Ingels Group and HOK will design a new main terminal at the Zurich airport.
“An international design team led by Bjarke Ingels Group and HOK—in the roles of design lead and aviation architect, respectively—have triumphed in a two-stage design competition seeking proposals for a new Dock A at Zurich Airport. Located several miles north of central Zurich, the airport is the largest international airport in Switzerland and the main hub of flag carrier Swiss International Airlines. Per a press announcement from BIG, the overhaul of the existing Dock A main terminal facility—a local timber-heavy affair that includes new Schengen and non-Schengen gates, retail, lounges, offices, a new air traffic control tower, and an extension of the airport’s existing immigration hall—aims to ‘strengthen the airport’s continued status as the gateway of Switzerland.’” [H/T The Architect’s Newspaper]
The Centraal Beheer building in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. Image courtesy of Certitudo Capital…
MVRDV is transforming a Dutch structuralist hallmark into a green residential complex.
“MVRDV is transforming the famed Herman Hertzberger-designed Centraal Beheer building in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn into a sustainable, green residential neighborhood. MVRDV will work alongside Hertzberger’s office, AHH to revitalize the celebrated structure. Certitudo Capital commissioned the project in an effort to expand the three-hectare site near the city’s train station. MVRDV’s design introduces approximately 650 to 800 homes and prioritizes heritage preservation, greening, and innovation. The Centraal Beheer building was originally designed for an insurance company, noted for its influential and revolutionary office design when it opened in 1972. The building consists of four quadrants, divided by two central “streets” that form the social heart of the building. A collection of 30-foot cubes come together at varying levels to give the structure its distinctive form.” [H/T Archinect]
Kimberly Dowdell will become the first Black woman to serve as president of the AIA.
“The American Institute of Architects announced the election of Kimberly Dowdell, marketing principal at HOK’s Chicago office, as the organization’s 2024 president. Dowdell previously acted as the 2019-2020 president of the National Organization for Minority Architects. She will be the first Black woman to serve as AIA president in the organization’s 165 year history. In her campaign, Dowdell proposed an “alphabet platform” consisting of advocacy for architects in practice, belonging, climate action, and designing the future.” [H/T Architectural Record]
Walter De Maria’s Broken Kilometer and Earth Room will soon close for renovations.
“Walter De Maria’s New York Earth Room and The Broken Kilometer, which were installed in Soho in 1977 and 1979 respectively and have been on view ever since, are temporarily closing for renovations. The two sites have historically closed for the summer months, and the renovations will allow them to remain open year-round. The installations close on 19 June, and Broken Kilometer is expected to reopen in the fall of 2022, while Earth Room will reopen in early 2023.” [H/T The Art Newspaper]
Mory Sacko at Louis Vuitton in Saint-Tropez. Image courtesy Louis Vuitton…
Louis Vuitton is opening its first-ever restaurant, called Mory Sacko, in Saint-Tropez.
“Louis Vuitton is set to open its first restaurant in France, just in time for the summer season. The fashion brand owned by the luxury conglomerate LVMH SE is opening the dining spot, to be called Mory Sacko at Louis Vuitton, in the Riviera town of Saint-Tropez on Friday, June 17. The 40-seat spot with outdoor dining will be located at the White 1921 hotel and headed by Mory Sacko, the French-West African chef behind the Michelin-starred MoSuke restaurant in Paris. Sacko’s cuisine is inspired by African and Japanese flavors, reinventing dishes such as the Japanese bento box-style meal kits called ekiben.” [H/T Bloomberg]
Amazon and Cartier are suing sellers on the platform that are peddling counterfeits.
“The companies are suing eight Amazon sellers and an individual operating with the handle Phym9y3v on social media for peddling fake Cartier goods on the e-commerce giant’s platform. It marks the latest move from Amazon in its ongoing war against counterfeiters, whose presence on the site has long frustrated top brands and helped deter big luxury names from selling with Amazon.” [H/T Business of Fashion]
Image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago…
Today’s attractive distractions:
A traveling queer restaurateur is offering free meals for trans people of color.
The stately lions outside the Art Institute of Chicago are going on vacation.
Japan enacts new legislation that makes “online insults” an arrestable offense.
Underwater microphones track the behavior of marine mammals in New York.
