Vacant NL is the Dutch contribution to the Venice Architecture Beinnale 2010. The installation, commissioned by the Netherlands Architecture Institute and curated by Rietveld Landscape, is interestingly executed and features a cityscape suspended overhead and a drawing made of threads and pins. It aims to draw attention to government spaces that are often temporarily vacant and have huge potential for creative use, marrying architecture with ideals it sparks thinking around the intelligent reuse of these spaces. Along with the installation, visitors experience space left intentionally empty to highlight that it is unoccupied nine months of the year.
“Outré fruit” is a new retail display solution deployed by Los Angeles Design Group for the interior design of RK Apothecary, a bath and body product shop. The bizarre looking pods are a response the limitations of square or rectilinear tables in a restricted space, compromising the way customers are able to navigate through the space.
The pods have anatomic similarities to the humble strawberry, whose “exterior gives little clue to the structural nature of its interior.” The amorphous white, ridged objects are teasingly sliced at certain points to reveal their blood-red, exotic interiors, lit by a single bulb. LADG also experimented with the idea by using water filled ice bags, intrigued by the way they “slumped, folded and wallowed around obstacles.” The pods’ fluid forms are a stark contrast to the sharp angles and hard concrete surfaces of the existing store.
Designers Andrew Holder and Benajmin Freyinger drew inspiration from still-life paintings by Caravaggio and Rubens. They say“ these artists used fruit as sumptuous, scene-setting devices in exactly the way we hoped to deploy our to present product in the store. In that sense, the outré fruit is set afloat inside the environment and piled with tempting objects to browse.”
Bus-Tops will be a public art installation on the roofs of bus shelters across London, inspiring wonder and creativity in unexpected places. LED panels will become canvases showcasing digital commissions by a range of established artists, as well as allowing Londoners to display their creativity, play games and express what is special about their London.
People will be able to submit and view artwork through a number of mediums including website and mobile applications. Using drawing toolkits, people can create images, text or animations for display on the panels. For those unable to view the roofs of bus shelters, the website will provide live updates of the artwork and the opportunity to construct personal ‘routes’ through the works.
Cutting edge technology will also allow the bus shelters to develop individual personalities, becoming ‘Viziters’ to the city in their own right in the run up to the Games. Over their period of stay, each Bus-Top shelter will develop a unique character through their relationships with each other, members of the public and participating artists.
The canvases will appear on the roofs of bus shelters across London from July 2011.
This raised smoky doll house is a truly intriguing new creation of Japanese Architect Terunobu Fujimori. Having recently had the pleasure of climbing up the ladder into the Beetle’s House and sitting in it for a while, I very much want to share this opportunity with you! It is currently on display as part of 1:1 – Architects Build Small Spaces exhibition at the V&A in London, so if you have the opportunity to go and see it, do it -I can highly recommend it! The small dwelling sits in the museum’s medieval & renaissance room, high atop its pillared structure.
The design is clad in rich black charred pine beams that no doubt reference the colour of the beetle. This type of wood creates a unique texture that preserves the wood and extends the building’s lifespan. The structure, like Fujimori’s other works, is intended to by-pass all architectural styles that have developed since the bronze age, returning the act of living to a more primitive state. This home is designed to host an english version of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
Esrawe Studio is a group of Mexican architects and designers, responsible for the distinct and vibrant design of Cielito Querido Cafe, a Latin-American eatery. In collaboration with Ignacio Cadena, the studio have come up with a concept that is bold and bright in its use of colour, typography and graphics. The concept is inspired by Mexican design heritage and Latin graphic design of the late 19th to early 20th century, particularly the product labels of old grocery stores.
The interior design alludes to the rich history of Latin American tradition and distinct visual landscape, while remaining unique and contemporary. The symbolism, pink and blue colour scheme, illustrations and materials speak instantly of a particular time and place that appeals globally as well as locally.
The café’s name was inspired by the song Cielito Lindo, which was written in 1882 by the Mexican composer Quirino Mendoza y Cortéz. The song contains the phrase ‘México lindo y querido’, which translates to ‘cherished and beautiful Mexico’ – a great source of inspiration for the project.
Malvin Wix, a DJ turned retailer, has always dreamed of running a shop, one that features a range of original merchandise that lies close to his heart. He proves to be a man with very good taste with Precinct 5, the realisation of this dream. It stocks a selection of quality streetwear and unisex collections from big labels like Head Porter and Bedwin and the Heartbreakers down to the artisanial, many of which have previously been unavailable in Amsterdam. ‘Today’s leading stores select items for their customers. They know exactly what today’s savvy shoppers want: the best jeans, the best cd’s, the most innovative collabs. Anything cool!’ he says.
The front section of the store used to be a police station [hence the store name], but it was the back section that Wix fell in love with. Its high ceiling and utilitarian elements provided the perfect canvas for the stylish, minimalist interior Kuub Architects helped him create. They designed sleek modular shelves made of steel and wood paneling. These dramatic structures become a defining feature along with the stripped back stairs. The shelves can be disassembled and moved around, opening up the possibility of endless configurations. The interior is a result of a strong concept, reflecting the quality items Wix handpicks, carried through consistently in an inventive way.
Honda re-invented the wheel – or at least rethinks the concept of personal mobility with its U3-X.
Providing the rider with freedom of movement in any direction forward, backward, sideways and diagonally by simply leaning slightly in the desired direction. The lightweight and compact one-wheeled device also features a foldable seat and retractable footrests. A lithium-ion battery pack provides power for up to one-hour of use and can be recharged by plugging in to a conventional household or office 120-volt power outlet.
When recently in Montreal, I had the pleasure to visit the Lemay offices – an architectural practice that works with a holistic approach, involving urban development as well as interior design. They had only just recently moved into their new premises in Montreal, not far from where their old offices used to be. The area is an ex industrial quarter with many – already or soon to be – converted warehouses to live and work in. So surprise, surprise – this was one as well!
One of Lemay’s declared values is sustainability, which also means to create new buildings that have a low energy impact when created. Therefore they re-use, if possible, a lot of already existing building material, if they convert a site. In their ex-warehouse office you can therefore find a lot of evidence for this approach, with re-gained wood being used for the reception area and rusty metal sheets that were turned into beautiful wall panels, just to mention a few. All in all a really sensitively developed site that pays tribute to its industrial heritage.
Here is what Leay says about its own philosophy:
Lemay not only applies sustainable development principles and values to every project it undertakes, but also extends them to every operational level of the company. To accomplish this, Lemay has developed a policy to integrate elements such as healthy environment, comfort, and energy efficiency into the creative process resulting in imaginative and innovative solutions that remain within budget allowances without compromising ecological responsibilities.
They practice their principles even in the microcosm of everyday office life: Their coffee stir devices are not the usual plastic sticks or made from wood, but simply pasta, i.e. minimal production energy costs as well as composting for disposal. Another wonderful thing is the fact that they have started to grow a vegetable garden in the outside bit of their office. Apparently it will still take some time until they will be able to prepare their first company dinner form these ingredients, but nevertheless I was thrilled by the consequent realisation of their values in all areas presented.
To celebrate the World Cup Nike has opened Nike Stadiums in major cities across the globe and provided many enthusiastic fans with interesting soccer-inspired spaces to get immersed in. At Nike Stadium NYC various programs and performances are taking place throughout the summer, including match viewings and film screenings exploring the creative expression of soccer. The multipurpose space is located in the Browery Stadium and was designed by architectural agency Rafael de Cardenas. The ’stadium’ has many experimental features like the concertina display pictured below and triangular boxes that can be rearranged to produce different seating configurations.
Reflecting its location it is not overly sleek, contrasting new fittings with exposed services to create a New York edge, playful, but hard-wearing. The architects of the space used materials interestingly increasing the tactile experience of the interactive furnishings. The graphics on the walls are equally engaging and range from old school illustrated wallpaper to to high tech digital prints. Standard light fittings in unusual arrangements were used very effectively and this adds another dynamic layer to the space.
Milos Mirosavic and Ivana Popovic (otherwise known as im.architecktur) are a pair of Serbian architects that take their coffee seriously. These images are of their BIJOU coffee shop concept, ‘a small and elegant spot for a daily dose of pleasure.’ Designed around notions of jewels and luxury, the bar space is wrapped with metal rods that are covered with tiles intended to ‘flicker like diamonds’ and reflect light over the floor, ceiling and walls.
The concept has won them much accolade and a prize in the ‘Business Premises’ category of the Tile Awards – a Europe-wide design competition aimed at illustrating new, creative and unusual uses of tiles to create ‘unconventional and sensational’ interiors. The competition, addressed to architects and interior designers under the age of 35, was initiated by German architecture magazine AIT to celebrate newcomers in the industry.
Concept image.
The tiles will reflect light on the shop surfaces.
