architectural-fabric | B3 Designers

05/01

SHADE BY SIMON HEIJDENS

In this installation at the Arts Institute Chicago, Simon Heijdens has created a window which changes according to external weather conditions. Triangles of special film are applied to the glass. The film is linked to monitors which monitor wind currents passing the glass and allow the film to change from translucent to transparent letting more or less sunlight in.The window changes throughout the day, creating beautiful shadows and patterns on the walls, echoing the changes of nature.

Heijdens writes:

As the angle of light and patterns of wind are continuously changing throughout the day and year, the perpetual character of the artificial space is reconnected with an evolving, unplanned natural timeline.

The installation is part of the Hyperlinks exhibition and is on display until July 20th, 2011.

22/12

AESOP AOYAMA SHOP BY SCHEMATA ARCHITECTURE

Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka of Schemata Architects has designed the interior of the first Aesop shop in Aoyama, Tokyo. Mainly built from materials found in an abandoned house in nakano-ku due for demolition, the space is minimal and contemporary whilst possessing the warmth and richness of traditional Japanese design.

Aesop’s range of hair and skincare products sit on bundles of timber taken from the abandoned ‘murazawa’ house and wooden panels from the house are reincarnated as neatly stacked display shelves. The best thing about this project is the attention to detail, clearly fuelled by a deep appreciation of raw everyday materials and the glimpses of past uses they reveal. Blank surfaces are defined by small details of the shops skeleton. Much like a Rachel Whiteread sculptures, channels are dug around water pipes and manholes in the floor and filled with epoxy resin and lighting cables are exposed and arranged in linear patterns, like delicate drawings.

via designboom images

26/11

CORNFIELD BY RYUJI NAKAMURA

An installation by Japanese architect Ryuji Nakamura is being exhibited at the museum of modern art, Tokyo. Constructed entirely of paper and glue, the delicate structure is over 53.9 m2 with the longest side measuring 16m and the whole installation the height of an average person. Nakamura designed the installation so it can never be viewed in its entirety.

The lines of paper are meticulously attached to one another to create a lace-like structure with a weightless appearance. Cornfield sits like a low, fine mist in the gallery space and the complex geometry allows tiny glimpses through to the other side of the room. With its complexity and subtlety, Cornfield is a stunning piece of design.

Images via Designboom

29/10

OPEN HOUSE – 20 ROOM VERTICAL GREENHOUSE

Could this be the future of community centres? Open House is a vertical village of haphazardly stacked house shaped rooms recently opened in Anyang, Korea.

Raumlaborkorea, a research and intervention unit of the design group Raumlaborberlin, were invited to design, programme and build this centre as part of ‘Anyang public art project/ A new community in the open city’. Described by it’s designers as a ‘social sculpture’, the project aims to knit into the existing urban and social landscape and not only serves the local community but was also built by them!

Two hundred residents of Anyang took part in building workshops and completed the stacked rooms which include a bicycle rent shop, a children’s play pavillion, a community garden and a tea room.

I love this project, Raumlaborkorea have reinvented the architecture associated with community and participation and created a playful and exciting project which also looks great!

28/10

RICHARD CHAI AND SNARKITECTURE POP UP STORE

Brooklyn based architects Snarkitecture and fashion designer Richard Chai have teamed up to transform a retail space into an urban glacier using a single material, white architectural foam. An existing structure was lined with foam and walls were sculpted by hand with hot wire cutters creating a landscape of light and shade perfect for housing Richard Chai’s latest fashion collection.

Designed as part of the Building Fashion series at HL23, a collaboration between architects and fashion designers, the space reveals a curatorial approach to architectural design and fashion. Niches and insertions into the cavernous foam walls become moments of display, telling the story of the collection piece by piece. There’s just something so satisfying about the perfectly straight slices and rocky surfaces of the foam, however I did wonder about the use of such an energy intensive material for a temporary installation.Thankfully, the architects have recognised this issue and the sculptural walls will be re-incarnated as rigid building insulation.

07/09

The Waterhouse at South Bund by NHDRO

Who knew military buildings made good hotels. Architects NHDRO proved this to be true when they converted disused Japanese army headquarters in the South Bund District of Shanghai into a luxury hotel. The Waterhouse hotel features exposed concrete and brickwork, staying true to the structure’s previous function and resonating with the industrial past of the docks it borders, while clearly contrasting old and new. The architects added a Corten steel extension to the roof, new circulation and narrow interior windows, surprisingly allowing glimpses into private rooms. Apart from the beautifully raw architectural fabric, the building offers views onto the the neighbouring Huangpu River and the breathtaking Pudong skyline.

(Images by Pedro Pegenaute)

25/06

Extension to the High Line

Fans of New York’s ‘High Line’ park have some good news to celebrate. The hugely popular urban landscape, designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro in 2009, is due to be extended to twice the length of redundant railway line it currently occupies.

Through a masterful use of detail and materiality, the design pays homage to the signs of decaying industry that surround it. Concrete planks that allow grass to grow in between them are a poignant reminder of nature’s ability to reclaim the man-made and artificial. The new section, designed in collaboration with James Corner Field Operations, will interpret these ideas further and include a dense area of trees and shrubs chosen for their ability to grow in the shade of skyscrapers. A lounging lawn and a sitting area bordered by an empty billboard frame will also enhance the existing design, which elevates visitors above the bustling city below.

The park’s much-anticipated extension is due for completion in Spring 2011.

(images from Inhabitat)

24/06

Chorus at the Wapping Project

In the dark industrial interior of the Boiler House at the Wapping Project, United Visual Artists are presenting ‘Chorus’, an installation that explores the relationship between performance, sculpture and installation. Constructed of a series of motor assisted pendulums, lights and speakers, it is very striking and heightens the drama of its unique setting.

The dynamic installation is almost hypnotic with variations of chaotic and orderly rhythms. It is described by its designers as a new kind of musical instrument, where the spatial location of each sound is critical to the composition of the piece.

The Wapping Project alone is worth a visit, located in the historic Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. The multipurpose exhibition and performance space hosts an ever changing array of artists from a range of disciplines.

The Engine and Turbine Houses resemble the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, but with the added benefit of delicious food from restaurant and bar it houses. With its rich architectural fabric and remnants of its industrial past it really makes for a memorable dining experience. The stripped back Boiler and Filter Houses, in turn provide unusual exhibition and performance spaces.

Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall, London
15th June – 18th July 2010
Mon – Fri, 12 -10.30pm, Sat 10 – 10.30pm & Sun 10 – 6pm

(images from United Visual Artist and The Wapping Project)

23/06

South London Gallery extension

The South London Gallery, already a big player internationally showing work from famous artists like Steve McQueen, Eva Rothschild and Alfredo Jaar, have built an extension.With the help of 6A Architects they have renovated a derelict house to accommodate exhibition space, a cafe and a flat for artists-in-residence. In addition they built a three storey extension with a double height gallery space and a studio in the back garden that interestingly sits on the footprint of a lecture theatre destroyed by WWII.

The designers made good use of the architectural fabric provided by the site. The studio has two surviving brick walls as a starting point and in the gallery the existing building’s features are exposed, displaying beautiful elements like weathered brickwork and roof trusses. The architectural language is abstracted and reduced, creating a calm feeling. It has a few surprizes up its sleeve though, the West wall pivots, breaking down the boundary between the interior and the back garden.

(via Dezeen)

02/06

Soho House Berlin

The largest Soho House yet and the first one to grace continental Europe opened in Mitte, Berlin. The 1928 Bauhaus structure housing it has an interesting history. It was originally a department store, but has since been used by the post-war government and the Communist Party. However after the reunification of Germany it has been slowly fading into dereliction. The Soho House Group stepped in and turned the distinctly symmetrical structure into a luxury 40 bedroom private members club that will have signature Soho Group features such as a Cecconi’s restaurant and a Cowshed Spa.

The rooms are a delightful mix of raw industrial spaces with exposed concrete and dark paneling contrasted with lush and prissy 1930s glamour. The typical upscale fare is on offer, from custom beds to rainforest showers. A retro feel is evoked with special touches like the vintage record players and old school telephones that can be found throughout.

(via Soho House Berlin)

06/04

London flagship showroom for Kvadrat

Kvadrat have just opened a new flagship showroom in London. It is a product of an unusual collaboration between the legendary graphic designer and art director Peter Saville and acclaimed architect David Adjaye. Housed in a former Victorian Factory, the showroom operates on two levels, with office spaces on the ground floor with the showroom located on the basement level.

A key element of David Adjaye’s solution, to what was a challenging space, was to remove a large part of the floor between the two stories, allowing for a dramatic staircase, which is a central feature of the building. Flexibility, and creating a context for showcasing colour, were two key considerations in the design of the space.

Colour is a central element to Kvadrat’s textiles. This is reflected in a key design element: a glass balustrade, featuring the colours of the spectrum, which lines the stairway.

Peter Saville was involved in choosing many of the colour accents, particularly focusing on the selection of fabrics. He chose to work with Kvadrat fabrics in kaleidoscopic colours, for the chair coverings in the office space. Each chair is a different colour, allowing staff flexibility and choice.

“Lots of projects don’t allow room for individuals to enter in,” Peter Saville explains. “We were concerned with the fact that people have to work there every day, so we needed a bit of everyday pragmatism. We were not trying to make an architectural statement but create something that is fit for the purpose, and a key element with this space was to allow room for interpretation.”

Pictures by Ed Reeve

16/02

Metal curtains

Hard and Soft Fabric

We have found a great curtain to be used in an industrial environment, just like we did at Carbon bar, for “the chain room”.

Twentinox, Architectural woven Fabric, showed us last week at the Surface Design show 2009 their innovate products.

Their metal mesh produces optical effects and transparency. Positive characteristics of this metal mesh curtain very hard wearing and long lasting, low maintenance, weatherproof and extra strength.
The high adaptability of the material has come up with different applications not only in architecture, such as facades, interior walls or curtains, but in fields as industrial design (lamps) or fashion design (new technology clothing).