Chapter «Radar» October 2026

A glimpse of of Porsche’s future design language, an air purifier whose innovative airflow system shapes its exterior form, and a mechanical watch that dispenses with classic hands: The Chapter «Radar» October brings together five new developments from different fields of design. Also featured are a luminaire whose construction contributes to a room’s acoustics and an exhibition in Vienna that invites visitors to explore architectural history through play.

 

Ressence TYPE 10: Mechanics under Oil

With the TYPE 10 DN, the Belgian watch brand Ressence presents for the first time an oil-filled watch with a self-developed caliber. The new automatic movement RW-04  operates in an air-filled chamber and transmits its motion via magnets to the rotating display discs in the oil. These replace classic hands and appear to lie directly under the sapphire crystal due to the oil filling.

The case also follows a consistent design approach: it dispenses with a crown, with winding and time setting performed via the case back. The flowing form of the 41.5-millimeter titanium case continues into the integrated rubber strap. Despite a total of 538 components, the watch weighs only 82 grams. The dark blue Ressence TYPE 10 DN  is limited to 100 pieces and will be available from November 2026.

 

Porsche Mission S: Back to Basics

While (inopportunely) Tesla caused a worldwide sensation on October 15 with a flying Roadster prototype, Porsche preferred to stay grounded on the same day. With the Mission S, the sports car manufacturer presented a vision model of enormous importance for the brand, offering a glimpse into its future design language.

The mid-engine supercar is to be positioned above the 911  and incorporates characteristic elements of earlier Porsche models: the pronounced fenders of the 911, the flat front of the 911 GT1, and a roofline reminiscent of the 959. The interior is particularly interesting. Porsche foregoes a permanently installed central display, relying instead on classic switches and five round instruments. The tachometer operates with an analog needle in front of a display and moves closer to the driver depending on the driving mode.

The arrangement of the instruments also changes according to the selected mode. For navigation and additional information, your own smartphone can be integrated as a display if required. A remarkable counter-design to the increasingly screen-dominated cockpits of modern vehicles.

 

Dyson HushJet: Form Follows Airflow

With its HushJet  series, introduced in September, Dyson has fundamentally revised the design of its air purifiers. The most striking feature is the star-shaped air outlet nozzle with eight curved lamellae, whose geometry directs the airflow precisely into the room. The design draws inspiration from aerospace technology and at the same time is reminiscent of the attachments of Dyson hair dryers.

The internal airflow has also been revised to reduce flow noise at its source. For the first time, Dyson directs the nozzle of an air purifier forward. Depending on the application, it can also be adjusted: forward for cooling and purification simultaneously, tilted upwards for pure air purification. With their cylindrical housings and sculptural air outlets, the new product family acquires a distinctive design language that was developed directly from its technical function. The three models of the new HushJet  series are expected to launch in early 2027.

 

PROLICHT Iluna: Light Meets Acoustics

With Iluna, the internationally active Austrian luminaire manufacturer PROLICHT expands its Acoustic  family with a pendant luminaire where lighting design and room acoustics are directly linked. Characteristic features are the acoustic lamellae that form the luminaire body and at the same time obscure the side view of the light source. The new series is available in two geometries, Cone and Round, each in three sizes. Various systems are available for illumination, including Bilo, Invader, and Sign, as well as an E27  socket.

The combination of light and sound absorption has long been its own product category internationally. Artemide, for example, offers The Acoustic Light, a line whose absorbers are tuned to the frequencies of the human voice—the reason being open-plan offices with hard surfaces, where a pendant luminaire is already hanging where conversations take place. Usually, the absorber is a plate attached to the luminaire. With Iluna, however, acoustics determine the construction itself: the acoustically effective lamellae define the appearance of the luminaire at the same time.

 

MAK: Architecture to Participate

What did the architecture of the future look like when it was still assembled from wood, metal, or artificial bricks? The exhibition »Architectural Building Blocks 1890–1990« at the Vienna MAK  transforms several rooms of the museum into an interactive play area and shows how architectural history was reflected in children’s rooms.

Around 70 historical building kits from the private collection of graphic designer Claus Krieger illustrate the change in architectural styles—from the richly decorated buildings of the Gründerzeit to prefabricated buildings in the GDR. The different construction systems also tell of the technical possibilities of their time.

The exhibition was conceived by the German Architecture Museum, with Oliver Elser as guest curator. It explicitly invites participation: at eight play stations, historical building systems can be tried out, some of whose building blocks have been specially recreated on an enlarged scale. In the Columned Hall, a 3.2-meter-high cathedral made of more than 4,000 felt building blocks stands. The exhibition runs until March 14, 2027. [RED]