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Posts Tagged ‘Designs’

Museums of Tomorrow: 13 Out of This World Institution Designs

24 Dec

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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We’re reaching a point in architectural history where the structures being built look like they could have come straight out of the concept artwork for a science fiction movie, or a video game set on another planet. Some look like flying saucers, others look like blobby aliens that landed on the roof of a traditional European building, but all of these museum designs – the real ones, and the ones that will remain concepts – have a strikingly futuristic feel.

Sci-Fi Museum for Washington by Flying Architecture
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This concept looks just as sci-fi as its purpose with its facade wrapped in sharp-looking metal panels and ring-shaped interior plan. Submitted for an International Architectural Design Competition to design a museum for science fiction in Washington, the proposal is “a vessel of science fiction history and culture” with circular LED screens wrapping the inner face and space reserved for hologram performances.

MVRDV China Comic and Animation Museum
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What looks like a gigantic cluster of textured eggs speckled in red houses a Comic and Animation Museum for China by MVRDV, including a massive comic book library, three cinemas and an interactive exhibition zone. MVRDV’s competition-winning design mimics the shape of speech bubbles for its eight interconnected ovoid volumes fulfilling every comic book lover’s fantasy.

Museum of the Future for Dubai
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This metallic ring-shaped building designed by architect Shaun Killa and set to be 3D-printed for its completion in 2017 looks like the kind of building an artist would envision for an alien planet. The flashy building will be covered in poetry written by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hole in its center representing “the unknown.” The exhibits will be changed every six months.

Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum
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Is this a building, or an alien ship? The blobular Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum is an ultramodern landmark in the Austrian city of Graz by Sir Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, known to locals as the “friendly alien” That flowing roof is actually made up of 1,288 semitransparent acrylic glass panels generating energy with built-in photovoltaic cells.

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Museums Of Tomorrow 13 Out Of This World Institution Designs

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Nesting Instinct: 15 Super-Stackable & Space-Saving Designs

13 Oct

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Wouldn’t it be nice if practically everything we need in life nested together perfectly, like a set of Russian Matryoshka dolls? Imagine how much easier it would be to rearrange your house, pack up and move or just fit all your belongings into a compact living space. These nesting and stacking designs were made to expand and retract, from knife sets to entire bedrooms worth of furniture.

Modern Nesting Knife Set

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A set of four knives by designer Mia Schmallenbach, from a paring knife to a carving knife, nestle within each other to save space. The ‘Meeting’ collection seems to be sculpted out of a single solid piece of steel when it’s all packed together, and “the proportions are determined by the Fibonacci sequence.”

Matrioshka Nesting Storage Units

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Six separate storage units nest within each other like Matrioshka dolls when empty in this set by TwentyTree which includes two wardrobes, three cabinets, two standalone drawers and two legs. The whole set is lightweight enough to pack up together tightly when moving.

Sliding Nest Shelf by Nendo

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Adapt your shelving to whatever wall-space-width you have available in a particular room with the Nest Shelf by Nendo, which seems to magically double in size. Extend it halfway and you’ll get a grid-style layout with nine cubbies.

Russian Doll Set of Kitchen Gadgets

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A sleek water bottle dubbed the Bin 8 breaks apart into a series of useful kitchen gadgets including a funnel, lemon juicer, egg masher, cheese grater, egg yolk separator, spice grater, measuring cup and lid grip for stubborn jars.

Entire Nesting Bedroom

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It’s one thing for a set of knives or even cabinets to nest together neatly, but what about an entire bedroom? This clever set packs into an amazing 13 square feet, with a full-sized bed, corner couch, wardrobe, dining table, four stools and additional storage all fitting beneath a desk platform. The coffee table even expands upward into a dining table, and the stools and steps double as storage containers.

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Nesting Instinct 15 Super Stackable Space Saving Designs

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Hot Pop-Up Shops: 14 Imaginatively Risky Retail Designs

24 Sep

[ By Steph in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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The temporary nature of pop-up shops seems to inspire a bolder, braver, more experimental approach to retail design, encouraging architects to make use of unexpected materials and play with shoppers’ perception. The resulting spaces are undeniably dynamic and often interactive, grabbing our attention so effectively, it’s wonder we don’t often see permanent stores this creative.

Minimalist COS Shop by Bonsoir Paris
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A simple framework system of joints and rods comes together into a geometric installation that serves both as racks for the clothing being sold, and a visual contrast within the stark space. The fuss-free yet graphic style by Bonsoir complements the simple lines of Swedish fashion label COS.

MOMO Recycled Pop-Up By Andy Tong
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Made entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials like wood, windows, bubble wrap and mirrors, this pop-up by Andy Tong for MOMO attracts attention in the center of a Hong Kong mall. The designer wanted a temporary space that would stand out against the comparatively sterile corporate identities of the mall brands.

Modular Wood Pop-Up Shop for COS

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A series of modular wooden elements come together to form a room-within-a-room reminiscent of studio apartment pods where everything you need is cleverly packed into one tiny space. Another creation for Swedish retailer COS, this pop-up for the Salone del Mobile furniture fair has a cozy feel, drawing in passersby without overshadowing the goods themselves.

Mirrored Philip Lim Pop-Up by Schemata Architects

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Schemata Architects play with reflection and symmetry to create a disorienting environment where you’re not sure what’s real and what’s illusion. Designed for fashion label Philip Lim, the space features needle-like pendant lights dripping down from the ceiling, glass-topped illuminated plinths and large mirrors facing each other.

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Hot Pop Up Shops 14 Imaginatively Risky Retail Designs

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Room to Read in a Digital World: 14 Modern Library Designs

03 Sep

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Shifting from paper to digital media hasn’t diminished the role of libraries in our communities, with many modern designs expanding to serve as cultural hubs with cafes, soundproof video rooms and even lookout points with panoramic views of the surrounding city. These 14 designs combine older traditions with new materials, programs and functions, juxtaposing thousands of years of collected knowledge with dazzling structures made of steel, timber and glass.

Revamped Medieval Tower Library

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The crumbling medieval Torre del Borgo in northern Italy gets a new life thanks to a stabilizing renovation that added a stacked timber volume for addition space and outfitted the inside with a ribbon-like black staircase. Architect Gianluca Gemini strengthened the existing walls, added more windows  and created a means of getting to each of the four levels that also functions as a sculptural centerpiece.

Historic Chapel Turned Modern Library  in Italy

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A sleek perforated aluminum tower contrasts with the traditional architecture of a former chapel in Lonate Ceppino, Italy, transforming it into the ‘Elsa Morante’ public library. DAP studio contrasts old and new, airy and solid, connecting the modern volume to the pre-existing structure with glazed passageways.

Monterrey Library by Anagrama

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Built-in wooden bookshelves curve up and connect to form a cocoon-like architectural feature at the Monterrey library by Mexico City-based studio Anagrama. Set within a staircase, this unusual space doubles as a reading room, with padded bench seats  on either side of the steps.

Barn-Like Timber Dainville Library

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Formerly a farm building, the squat brick section of the original Danville Library gets a beautiful and functional barn-like addition to bring it into the modern era, with timber slats adding architectural interest and screening the interior from direct sunlight. The new gabled areas by BplusB architects give the interior a cathedral-like feel.

New Library for Baghdad by AMBS Architects

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The first new library for Baghdad since the 1970s, this unusual structure by AMBS architects takes its shape from the arabic Kufic word for ‘read.’ Stretching out into a lake, the building will feature the world’s largest reading room as well as a massive double-curved glass roof to flood the interiors with natural light.

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Room To Read In A Digital World 14 Modern Library Designs

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Crossing the Divide: 10 Totally Atypical Bridge Designs

26 Aug

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Bridges aren’t just a means of passing from one place to another along a linear path; they might offer a place for strangers to converge, provide a mostly decorative function or go nowhere at all. These highly unusual bridge designs aren’t packed with cities or vertical gardens, but they do turn conventional bridge typologies on their heads, whether they’re made entirely of compressed glass sheets, built by robots or held aloft by helium balloons.

3D-Printed Steel Bridge for Amsterdam

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Amsterdam startup MX3D aims to build a 3D-printed metal bridge for the center of the city, incorporating complex geometries and employing the help of multi-axis industrial robots equipped with 3D printing tools and developed software. Designer Joris Laarman says, “I strongly believe in the future of digital production and local production, in ‘the new craft,’ This bridge will show how 3d printing finally enters the world of large-scale, functional objects and sustainable materials while allowing unprecedented freedom of form. The symbolism of the bridge is a beautiful metaphor to connect the technology of the future with the old city, in a way that brings out the best of both worlds.”

Cirkelbroen Bridge by Olafur Eliasson

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Stretching across a canal in Copenhagen, the new Cirkelbroen Bridge by Olafur Eliasson provides a vantage point and meeting place for pedestrians. Five posts echo the masts of ships above circular platforms, honoring the location’s nautical history. “In my art, I work with transient materials – such as wind, fog or flowing water,” says Eliasson. “It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to make a structure such as the Cirkelbroen Bridge, which embodies this transience – the changing of the weather and how this helps to create the waterfront atmosphere – but a bridge which has a long, stable life ahead of it at the same time.”

Nomanslanding Bridge

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A dome on a fenced platform in the middle of the Rhine, this structure looks nothing like a conventional bridge, and it doesn’t work like one, either. A collaboration between five artists for an annual festival, ‘nomanslanding’ wasn’t made for the purpose of crossing the water, but rather uniting visitors from opposite shores in a symbolic gesture. The two halves retract into separate spaces or come together to form a united, chapel-like space of contemplation. “This walk-on installation is an attempt to bridge the divide separating us from strangers and to facilitate a meeting on common ground,” say the artists. “A space is created with a unique atmosphere in which people may reflect with each other on history, memories and experiences.

The Infinite Bridge

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Created for this year’s Sculpture by the Sea festival, the ‘Infinite Bridge’ by Danish practice Gjøde & Povisgaard Arkitekter offers an entirely new way to experience the coastal landscape, jutting out over the surface of the water. Positioned just barely above the surface, the bridge has the potential to either stand several meters over the water or disappear in it altogether depending on the tide.

Helium Balloon Bridge

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If crossing this bridge makes you feel nervous that the whole thing might suddenly fly away, you’re not being paranoid. Held aloft by three massive helium balloons, the only thing keeping it from drifting into the sky are a few tethers. Artist Olivier Grossetête installed the surreal featherweight attraction in Tatton’s Japanese Garden in the UK. A previous work, ‘Pont Suspendu,’ actually elevated the bridge into the air above Château Ferry Lacombe in France.

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Skate Park To Go: Duo Designs Mobile Modular Setup

20 Aug

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Skateboarding isn’t classified as a real sport in the Netherlands, but one duo decided to take the resulting lack of decent official skate parks into their own hands with a guerrilla solution. Now, legally or not, virtually any public space can become a skate park thanks to a series of modular DIY components by Martijn Hartwig and Dario Goldbach.

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The JIRAJIRA project is the duo’s final work as graphic design graduates at Willem de Kooning Academy, and consists of nine hand-painted ramps, quarter pipes and benches that can be loaded onto rolling platforms and transported to any location within Rotterdam. Dutch artists Leon Karen and Vincent Blok were commissioned to decorate each element, turning the collective park into a sort of portable gallery.

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Keeping the whole setup mobile is ideal, since the cops are likely to come along and tell you to get lost. The modular parts are designed to work in conjunction with objects typically found in parks and city squares, like trash cans and benches. Since skaters are going to make use of any surfaces they can find anyway, possibly including some of the city’s temptingly curvy war monuments, it’s a decent compromise with the authorities.

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Rotterdam’s only skate park, a metallic monstrosity known as the Westblaak, closed down after being deemed unsafe. In a profile on the city’s scene, skateboarding magazine Kingpin says that since nearly the entire city was destroyed during World War II, most of the streets are smooth and there’s plenty of eminently skateable new construction. “The only downside would be that The Netherlands is pretty much flat, so not too many stairs and or rails,” they note, so clearly the JIRAJIRA project is filling an underserved niche.

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Do Look Up: 14 Dazzling Modern Ceiling Designs

13 Aug

[ By Steph in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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At one restaurant in Berlin, you might spend more time gazing up in wonder at an undulating ceiling installation made from over 14,000 chopsticks than you do at your dining companion. Ceilings are often an afterthought, but these 14 (more) modern ceiling designs and installations completely transform the feel of each space, making restaurants, retail shops and even churches feel more like art installations than conventional interiors.

Futuristic Chapel Interior

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ceilings pastoral care

Feeling a bit like it’s located on a spaceship, the Pastoral Care Center in Linz, Austrlia by X Architekten features a graphic geometric arrangement of striped white panels that make the spatial limitations difficult to discern. All inside surfaces are white and furniture is minimal to create a meditative atmosphere.

Aluminum Fins at Delft Railway Station

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Pass through the fused glass envelope of the new Delft train station by Mecanoo and you’ll find yourself gazing up at curving arrangement of aluminum fins lining the vaulted ceiling. When viewed from certain angles, an abstracted 1877 map of the region appears

Clouds of Cubes

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“Similar to fractal geometries,the ceiling installation in its layered layout is self-similar and recursive in the sense that its formal behavior is the same from near and from afar, and further exists within the fractal non-differentiability if one considers the essential multiplication of each member as its distance from the viewer increases,” says design firm BlueArch of its installatiion in a New York restaurant. They also integrated an LED light system into the poplar-cloud structure.

Explosion of Reclaimed Wood

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Australia firm March Studio hung 2,000 pieces of reclaimed wood from the walls and ceiling of the Nishi Building in Canberra, creating cascading installation that almost seems to capture a structure mid-explosion. The boards were all recycled from demolished homes, a basketball court and the construction site of the Nishi itself.

One-of-a-Kind Starbucks in Japan

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Adjacent to a Shinto shrine in Fukoko Prefecture, this Starbucks might be the most unique chain restaurant interior in the world. Architects Kengo Kuma and Associates created a thatched arrangement of over 2,000 wooden beams to give the cafe a nest-like feel. The installation takes inspiration from the limbs of trees and ceremonial lumber structures at the shrine.

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Do Look Up 14 Dazzling Modern Ceiling Designs

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Visionary Inventions: 13 Bold Designs for the Blind

10 Aug

[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Those of us who aren’t visually impaired take for granted simple everyday actions like navigating unfamiliar places, reading bus schedules, telling the time or distinguishing between spices when cooking. These innovative gadget concepts use a combination of tactile displays, sensors, Bluetooth technology and apps to make the world a more accessible place for people who are unable to see, ranging from simple braille adaptations to cutting-edge neuroscience.

Invisual Tactile iPhone Case

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This stretchy silicone casing for the iPhone covers the entire phone, front and back, replacing the glass screen with a tactile pad. Used along with an accompanying app, the phone offers special accessibility functions like text-to-speech as well as all the usual apps and programs you find on an iPhone.

Munivo: Wearable Silicone Guide

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Distance sensors on this wearable gadget that wraps around the palm like jewelry guide the visually impaired toward a particular destination using actuators in the silicone film that’s in contact with the skin. The sensations include pressure, temperature and vibration, alerting the wearer whether to stop, turn right or left, or to be aware of the road widening or narrowing.

Section Cooking Surface

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Braille-like raised textures on this cooking mat let you know where the cooking surfaces are, and then keep track of how hot they’re getting with sounds. The designer converted the typical stove eye dial from circular to linear for easier use.If you are in the market for clothes, our platform is your best choice! The largest shopping mall!

Touch and Go Navigation

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Another ultrasonic navigation device fits onto the top of the hand and pairs with a Bluetooth headset, sensing obstacles and letting the wearer know their location via sound and as a relief map on the face of the gadget, both telling them where to go and showing their position on the map in respect to their destination.

Braille Spice Jars

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blind inventions spices

Differences in shape and texture, as well as braille letters, identify salt, pepper and various spices in this set of jars for the visually impaired. The designer split spices into ‘mediterranean’ and ‘oriental’ groups, giving each one a unique shape. The teardrop-shaped salt and pepper shakers are distinguishable from each other using matte or smooth surfaces. Each little pod fits ergonomically into the palm of the hand and is easy to refill.

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Flip, Stack, Connect: 13 Highly Customizable Furniture Designs

05 Aug

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Somewhere between half-hearted DIY jobs and expensive custom-created solutions, there’s customizable furniture kits, which make it easy to create the ideal setup for your home and life without requiring special skills or tools.

Hacka IKEA kitchen

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People hack IKEA products all the time, creating new items from cheap components available at the Swedish big-box store. The ‘Hacka’ concept is a kit that makes it even easier to do using a series of orange joints and wooden beams. You essentially create your own framework around IKEA products like countertops, sinks and storage cabinets for a completely customizable setup that’s easy to change around at your whim.

The Homework Desk

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Start with two simple trestle legs and add whatever surfaces work best for you, whether that’s a flat desktop, a self-healing cutting mat, storage for writing implements or some combination of the three. With The Homework Desk, you can incline your surfaces like a drafting table, hang felt slings for additional storage or connect various compartments including pen holders, vertical filing systems and even a hidden phone charger. The whole front ledge of the desk functions as a ruler, too.

Push-Pull Foam Chair

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Do you like chairs that are deep and low to the ground, or prefer a higher perch? Do you like armrests, or would you rather have that space free for a better range of movement? The Sink In chair consists of foam bars enclosed within a wooden frame so it’s incredibly easy to create a seat that’s tailored to your exact desires.

Dots Storage System

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customizable dots
Protruding cylinders attached to wall panels in a grid pattern support a series of boxes for storing and displaying various objects in the ‘DOTS’ system by PolarisLife. Move them around, add more shelves, arrange them however you like them. When the cylinders aren’t supporting a shelf, they can be used to hang things like coats, bags and plants.

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Flip Stack Connect 13 Highly Customizable Furniture Designs

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Peak Design’s Everyday Messenger carries more than camera gear

25 Jul

Peak Design, maker of the Slide and Clutch and other camera gear, has launched its newest bag on Kickstarter. Called ‘The Everyday Messenger’, this bag features an adaptable design able to tote around one’s everyday gear along with photography equipment. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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