To celebrate the launch of the MINI brand’s battery electric MINI Cooper SE that will come March 2020 as a major milestone in offering sustainable urban mobility, today MINI showcased their focus in design, entrepreneurs and the future of urban living in a series of initiatives that reflect the brand’s approach to innovation. These include new installations at the brand’s innovation and design hub, A/D/O, the introduction of its co-living initiative MINI LIVING with the first hub opening in Shanghai in April 2020, and their latest cohort of startups backed by the MINI-founded urban-tech accelerator, URBAN-X.
The first Mini was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, who was tasked to create a smaller and more fuel-efficient car in response to the 1956 Suez Fuel crisis. At Issigonis’ Amalgamated Drawing Office (ADO), functioning prototypes and an official drawing office project number – ADO15 – were ready the following year, and the first Mini launched in 1959. The design, intended as a solution for efficient urban mobility, went on to become the best-selling British car in history. Inspired by Sir Alec’s inventive spirit, MINI continues to invest in design, entrepreneurs, urban life and new products like the MINI Electric that can create a brighter future. more New Installations at A/D/O Inspired by the MINI Electric Today, A/D/O by MINI, a global network and platform for emerging designers headquartered in their interdisciplinary public space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, debuted two new exhibits to celebrate the 2020 launch of the MINI Electric Vehicle.
Dutch designers Random Studio will showcase Perpetuum, an installation that looks at the ways we navigate our rapidly changing urban environment. Inspired by a meditative sense of travel and architectural abstraction, the kinetic and sonic piece creates moments reminiscent of a moving urban landscape as seen through the tinted window of a car. The installation is positioned inside A/D/O, beneath and in dialogue with the building’s prism-shaped periscope that reflects light into the space and provides fragmented views of the surrounding Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines.
Additionally, Fernando Mastrangelo's In Good Company, a platform for emerging designers, has commissioned and co-curated with A/D/O, Glow Up, an exhibition of six new works focused on the exploration of the urban landscape. Taking over the inner courtyard at A/D/O, Amanda Richards, Marco Piscitelli, Bailey Fontaine, Gregory Beaso, Arcana, Nick Missel, and Ian Cochran, have each created a light work that is suspended throughout the outdoor space.
Finally, A/D/O unveils fresh design update to the building’s exterior by artist Maya Hayuk.
#futureofdesign #chargedwithpassion #minielectric #adobymini The Debut of MINI LIVING Shanghai The initiative was first announced and introduced at Salone del Mobile in 2016 with the aim of devising creative architectural solutions for urban living – all based on MINI’s key design principle of “creative use of space”. MINI LIVING went on to showcase a number of visionary concepts by the world’s leading designers commissioned to propose concepts that improve quality of life through shared, collaborative living and working in our increasingly densely populated cities.
Looking ahead to 2020, these explorations paved the way for the launch of the brand’s first co-living hub, based in Shanghai. Opening in the city’s oldest paint factory in April 2020, MINI LIVING Shanghai will span across six buildings in an 82,000 sq. ft. multi-layered co-living space, including 40 apartments, shared communal and work spaces, culinary offerings, design concept stores as well as dynamic cultural programming curated by A/D/O. The design was developed in cooperation with London-based architecture and interiors firm Universal Design Studio.
MINI Living demonstrates the brand’s commitment to sustainable development through adaptive re-use by converting existing buildings into urban typologies. In addition to the robust list of amenities residents will have access to a fleet of MINI vehicles, including the MINI Cooper SE Electric Vehicle.
#MINILiving #BigLifeSmallFootprint #ChargedWithPassion
URBAN- X Announces its 7th Cohort of Startups Reimagining City Life
Earlier this week, URBAN-X, an accelerator for startups reimagining and reinventing city life founded by MINI and backed by venture fund, Urban Us, debuted its 7th cohort of startups in its program. URBAN-X currently has over 40 startups in its portfolio that share a common goal of improving city life in areas like construction, real-estate, waste, energy, mobility, transportation, govtech and urban planning. The seven startups of URBAN-X Cohort 07 include: • ChargeLab: Offers electric vehicle charging solutions for businesses, utilities, individuals, and governments through an open EV charging management platform.
CoInspect: Building technology to ensure food safety and sustainability from farm to fork.
• Eva: Provides drone vertical take-off and landing, charging stations for healthcare, emergency response, and overall airborne logistics.
• Firmus: Leverages AI and historical data to help construction companies learn from previous mistakes and automatically detect errors from the early stages of design.
• Hades: Provides automated assessment of sewer infrastructure, improving public health and environmental protection.
• Metalmark: Develops novel materials for highly efficient catalytic decomposition of air pollutants, making clean are globally accessible and affordable.
• UsurpPower: Automating retrofit finance for small commercial buildings.
