Architecture

  • 14/03

    The Old Library, Cronulla Southern Sydney

    Located in a seaside suburb of Sydney, the Old Library was originally a Methodist church build circa 1908, and went on to be the shire library in the 1970’s.

    The original building had great bones and an existing level of texture from its exposed beams and timber lining. Working within the voluminous spaces the designer created a sense of intimacy and gathering through creating a series of rooms within rooms and spaces within spaces.

    Custom furniture pieces and a natural palette of oak, linen, white timber and blackened steel contribute to the relaxed and somewhat domestic space that is described as a ‘book house’.

    Within a modest palette of black, white and pale timber tones the designer  has created a restaurant environment that harmoniously incorporates references to the building’s past, while firmly grounding the establishment in its modern beachside location.

    The interior of restaurant is spacious with the internal pitch of the ceiling exposed. Natural linen upholstery and drapery, teamed with neutral and washed shades, create a feeling of warmth and comfort while providing a backdrop to the grander elements of the design and clad in wide boards painted white, which are broken by long vertical skylights.

    The look is slightly ‘American East Coast’ yet sits just as comfortably in its Southern Sydney beach environment.

    (Images from Facebook)

  • 05/03

    Jaffa, Tel Aviv

    Jaffa, a Tel Aviv restaurant, has an industrial design with a soft feel. The high ceilinged interior has floor to ceiling windows with wooden shutters that pivot open to create a light and airy atmosphere. Industrial pendant lamps are used in repetition over the mix and match tables and chairs that are dotted around the restaurant. The bare, industrial architecture of the space is enhanced by the rough concrete finish of the floor and ceiling, which juxtaposes a tapestry of delicate Turkish carpets with subtle patterns that line the walls. Although the space uses a subdued pallet of colours, it really comes alive as a result of the combination of rough and soft textures that are used throughout.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 23/02

    Casa Do Conto, Porto

    Casa do Conto (House of Tales in Portuguese) a concept hotel in Cedofeita, Porto, has had a rocky start. The charming XIX Century Oporto House was lovingly restored by Pedra Liquida Architects, after which a fire virtually destroyed the building just days before its reopening. A new building was built on the site with the memory of the old structure in mind. The architects thought of the new skin as a type of ‘fossil’ of the historic. The project references the ornate nature of its predecessor with abstract textures and texts applied to concrete surfaces.

    Apart from the textured surfaces, the design was approached with restraint and the resulting spaces seem appropriately quiet and poetic. The overall design manages to have a strong identity of its own while subtly referencing the site’s turbulent background.

    (Images via Yatzer)

  • 24/11

    Les Grandes Tables de L’île, Ile Seguin, Paris

    Les Grandes Tables de L’île on the outskirts of paris could be mistaken for a greenhouse – or even a house still under construction, but it is actually a bar / restaurant conceived as a temporary meeting place while Jean Nouvel completes a museum project in the area. The restaurant is housed in a large timber ‘container’ suspended in a scaffolding frame that doubles as an events space.

    The interior takes its cue from the restaurant’s temporary nature and uses simple building materials like wood in its crude form for both walls and floors, while playing with the positioning of windows and capitalising on the view it gets over the area. The restaurant will stay open for a total of two years before the entire structure is dismantled and removed, leaving the site practically untouched.


    (Images via Wallpaper)

  • 18/10

    Frieze Art Fair Pavilions by Carmondy Groark

    Each Autumn the Frieze Art Fair exhibits works from 1000 living artists represented by contemporary art galleries around the world. The fair’s program also includes talks, film projects and architectural installations. This year the fair was bigger than ever.

    The fair was hosted in a 2000 sqm purpose built temporary pavilion in Regents Park by London architects Carmondy Groark. The intervention consists of a series of interlinked, translucent pavilions housing hospitality spaces for both VIPs and the general public, along with large exhibition tents that take the form of timber lined spaces surrounding existing trees in the park.

    The intervention perfectly balances architectural expression that is sensitive to its context with the requirements of a large scale art exhibition.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 06/10

    40-48 Fashion Street, London

    A former market hall in Fashion Street has been converted into university offices by London based architects Buckley Gray Yeoman. The Grade II listed Moorish building that was used by traders at the start of the twentieth century required extensive work as a major fire demolished the entire rear section of the building. Fortunately much of the original facade remained intact and was preserved.

    The architects placed the new structure independently from what remained of the original building in order to emphasize the individual structural identity of each. A layer of Corten steel is wrapped around the concrete structure of the new building to add a layer of depth and in response to the rich urban industrial character of the area.

    The interior also has a strong industrial character: in-situ concrete is left exposed and complemented by timber panelling and glass balustrades. A large atrium allows natural light to filter down throughout the building.

    (Images via Dezeen)