They said it!
They said it! David Kohn, DAVID KOHN ARCHITECTS “I think the reason why people reacted so positively to it [the interior design project of the appartment on Carrer Avinyó] is because, in terms of the awards, it’s not that often that one has discrete interior projects, interiors that are purely interiors, I think there are a lot of projects that are new buildings with interiors, whereas this was clearly a project all about making an interior. There is something just about that issue that I think makes it very appealing to awards and competitions about interiors. Why people have liked it? I think it has a lot to do with the proportions of the interior, that it has a kind of elegance and a scale that people are able to identify imediately and is not about surface and is not about effect, it is a purely spacial effect to do with scale and proportion and I think that has a very particular impact on people’s memories of experience. It’s the hardest thing to make, it’s the rarest thing to find, it’s much easier to make a surface, it’s much easier to make an image. I think that’s probably why people like it. I also think that people don’t think whether to say that it’s minimal or it’s rich, that appeals to a kind of contemporary crisis in are we modern? Do we like modern things? Are we living a modern life? Or do we want to return to the past? Do we want the security of the past? And I think this project kind of hovers somewhere in between which gives people hope about an idea of progress, but the progress seems to be related to the past. The second project that I’ve shown, A Room for London, is probably more significant because it’s visible in the centre of London so a lot of people pass it every day and it has now become part of the city skyline.It’s been very enjoyable to be here, I’ve met some really nice people. I was looking forward to the discussion. You have people from all across Europe, they don’t know each other, they don’t know where their worlds overlap. It seems like that is their opportunity. It would be really interesting to hear people say .. what is Europe right now? What is European? We’ve got somewhat of a crisis at the moment, it’s a fascinating time to bring people from across Europe to talk about aspects of culture that communicate what is our identity and that requires dialogue.” Șerban Țigănaș, THE ORDER OF THE ARCHITECTS OF ROMANIA “It was a very good combination of fresh designers who are somewhere at the beginning or in full swing of their career and who allow us, in fact, to anticipate the future. What pleased me very much was that the public had the opportunity to see what this effort to produce quality interiors means, as the speakers presented their projects behind the scenes, where we saw a huge labor, which one must be both driven and subtle to understand when decoding the result. Another good conclusion was brought about by our foreign
guests, and I refer here to the guests from Austria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, who, without attending the session on heritage, came with new works perfectly framing already existing buildings. David Archer told me that in London, if one destroys an old door, one is taken to prison. There is such an extraordinarily high level of protection and interest of the society in heritage. Joost Ector demonstrated that even anonymous buildings, seemingly anonymous, abandoned industrial buildings, have a double life and can be brought back to life, which seemed very interesting. There have been several works, including the one presented by Mihai Popescu, the Romanian designer, or the one presented by Joost Ector, whom I evoked before, for which they were their own beneficiaries, they played the role of both designer and client. They demonstrated this through an profound interest to do their job as best they could for themselves, because they felt that they were going to use the space, either to work there, or to make a profitable business. When you do something for yourself, the requirements are probably the highest. That is a lesson that we’ve learned, that we should do each architectural project as if carrying it out for oneself. Another thing that I find important is that this conference highlights the exceptions and things that can be inspiring, models to follow. The world does not know them, does not see them and this justifies the public’s appetite for this conference. A great benefit is also its educational role. The ones who stopped exchanged ideas or learning, from my point of view, they stopped being representative for this profession. Regarding the heritage session, it was a chain of relevant presentations. David Kohn’s message was extremely sensitive. Paweł Kobylanski’s historical perspective seemed absolutely relevant to a complicated country, historically very close to us, Poland, and which, in recent years, has gained a very good reputation and admiration due to its revival in Europe, about which we know very little unfortunately. That may say something about us, about how well we know our neighbours with similar fates. From here we also have a lot to learn because there are so many things that are similar. I shall go back to what I was saying about the public and the young people who come to this conference, mingled among these foreign performers, they gain the right energy and will to be able to carry on.” Șerban Sturdza, PRO PATRIMONIO FOUNDATION “The presentations are very important but without conclusions they are not sufficiently capitalized. The initiative is very important and I will continue to support it. The presence of the foreign guests is essential. What happens during the conference, the discussions that take place eventually facilitate economic and intellectual results. Even if things seem made at times perhaps too quickly, the effect is obvious. The effort you make to invite renowned people at the event must be continuously done in the future as well.”
Paweł Kobylanski, ASSOCIATION OF POLISH ARCHITECTS “One of the conclusions that I drew from these meetings is that despite all differences of history, of different countries, some problems, some objectives remain the same all over the place. Everybody is struggling with the same element, sometimes from a different angle, but at the end of the day, we basically share the same cultural heritage and we are trying to deal with it in a very similar way. We are tying to preserve what is valuable, we are trying to stop an uncontrolled growth and development driven only by greed and by economy but without some consideration, some respect maybe is the right word, for the values that we have inherited from the past. I’ve shown today the history of Poland which is a little different than most of the European countries because we did not exist for the entire 19th century and a part of the 20th century as well. But even though we have inherited a lot of valuale items of arhitecture, interiors and everyday household design that have been destroyed massively during the war, but today represent values that are very often referred to even in the modern design. I believe that in spite of all these differences between European countries we share the same cultural space and this is basically the major conclusion from the conference. Of course, local flavours are different and we have to learn how to treat the heritage that is not necessarily our national heritage. This is the history of Poland, this is the history of Hungary as well, because Hungary did not exist either as an independent state, it was a member of the Austrian Empire, but even though, the values that were inherited from that period of time are very precious and they cannot be repeated in the course of time so they must be preserved. After World War II, in Poland, there was great negligence for whatever was related to the Germans, the German history, German Baukultur. You have to remember that Poland was pushed about 300 kilometers leftward as a result of the WWII. We’ve inherited a lot of German buildings and at the beginning, those buildings were just neglected and not properly maintained because everybody had a sense of temporary situation. The European frontiers are very very rigid and we should learn how to preserve what we’ve inherited even from other nations. Now we are looking at the European cultural space at large and we no longer differentiate between something that is Russian, German, Czech or Romanian, we believe that it is all our heritage, very precious, now diminishing day by day and we are responsible for its preservation. We have to look at our scale of priorities and realise what is really important, what can be reversed and what cannot be reversed. The preservation of monuments is a big issue in Poland. As you know, Poland was wiped out in good portions during the World War II, first in 1939, our cities were bombarded by the Germans and then the Soviets came and removed the Germans, but there was such a heavy artilery fire and bombarding that most of our cities were burnt into ashes. Warsaw was deliberately destroyed by the Nazis. So we had a lot to do with reconstruction, with rennovation because we just had no other option, we had to face the situation. There was even an idea to build an entirely new Warsaw in another location in 1945 after the war because the city was so destroyed that people couldn’t believe it could be brought back to normal life. Now it is a city like any other in the world, but it used to be just a pile of ashes. We have in Europe the unique ability to reconstruct the buildings and the space of our cities even from the ashes but I hope that we will never have to use it again in that broad scope like after the war.”
Zsuzsanna Snopper, HUNGARIAN INTERIOR ARCHITECTS DIVISON OF THE CHAMBER OF HUNGARIAN ARCHITECTS “I think it is very useful to be together and speak about our works because everybody can learn like this and have an example through contact to the different organisations and designers. In Europe especially, this kind of communication is very important. Showing our local culture can influence the others and make local cultures stronger. To reconstruct this kind of heritage in the modern age needs a very strong education, historical education, interior education, furniture history education. We have an advantage, our first association to save Hungarian heritage was created in 1867. We took great care of our heritage. There is an association that controls what happens in this field. You began to do this now, because you have the possibility now. If the education is good, you can do it very well. It is important that the state, the government wants to do it. Our heritage is mainly state-owned. That is why we can do it fluently.” Radu Petre Năstase, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HERITAGE “In principle we have seen that heritage is virtually a constant cause of concern for all architects. In the United Kingdom, in Hungary and Poland heritage comes first and architects are the main actors in the struggle for the preservation, conservation and protection of heritage regardless of the area in Europe where it is located. What is of particular interest is the position of the architect in relation to the projects that have this heritage component. We now see the interest that the architects begin to show for interior architecture, for heritage. In general, as the big projects are now lacking, now interiors are interesting as well, as you have seen, bookstore interiors, interiors of all kinds. A very interesting field is that of heritage buildings, where one can recreate space, requalify it and restore it to the public by introducing functions useful for all. One of the concerns that we have at the National Institute for Heritage is how we can reintegrate heritage buildings in the circuit, which functions can we find in order for the buildings that we restore and are considering in the national restoration plan, to enter the tourist circuit and be able to be seen by as many people as possible.”
Johannes Bertleff, EXHIBIT ARHITECTURA “The participation of my colleagues impressed me, I liked their presentations which were interesting, varied and even unexpected. We have touched on some sensitive issues, we have discovered several discussion topics that should be brought into question, and even if one cannot draw a conclusion in such a short time, at least one can start a discussion that probably is broader than just a discussion at a round table and I am referring to the manner in which the field of restoration is regulated, how it works at the moment in Romania, whether we are satisfied with the results, because in fact I think the results speak for any system. It was about time to talk about this and the professional system, beyond the legal aspect of it, how far are we professionally speaking in Romania, or are we rallied, connected – I do not want to start with the premise that we are far from what happens in the West – but I think this comparison is necessary in order to realize if we are far from what is happening? at the core of the problem? sometimes even above? I think it is necessary that this professional edge be investigated as well.” Mihai Popescu, TWINS DESIGN “It would be interesting to have a dialogue between architects and designers, to be invited together with Corvin, for example, or another architect, to make something interactive, not to have to talk about yourself, because that is the hardest thing to do. Each project is like a child of yours. It would be interesting to talk freely about each other, about each other’s projects, to have an interactive approach. The audience encouraged me, their questions were interesting. I saw that many young architects and designers attended. I will accept a future invitation as well.”
Peter Fordham, MORGAN SINDALL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES “I think it went down quite well, I had a lot of questions, one on LED, which was to be expected. I’ve been invited to speak in the workshop on lighting in view of 2015, this is a time when lighting is changing an awful lot at the moment. We have a lot of clients asking, should we be using LEDs, why is it designed with LEDs, it’s definitely a good time for lighting design. One of the things that I tend to find weird in lighting design is that architects don’t always understand what you’re trying to do. Their view is often this way, you try to explain the reason why you might want to do it differently. For instance, using lighting for way finding, to help with the direction of the space, sometimes when you try to push things across, they don’t understand why you want to do it, and they want to do it their way, because that’s the way they’ve always done it. If architects come along, and you have lighting designers speaking at a conference, hopefully, some of the ideas will filter through and they’ll understand why we want to do things the way we do. Our business is a multi-disciplinary business, so we have architects as part of the same company, some of them understand what I do better than others and it’s always nice to work with those who understand.” Eliza Yokina, SYAA “I hope that, even if my presentation was not so focused on the professional, my message was, nonetheless, of interest to the specialized audience, because, after all, we are talking about the future. I have attended GIS one before, but I was in the public.”
Joost Ector, ECTOR HOOGSTAD ARCHITECTS DESIGN PRINCIPAL “I enjoy speaking about my work so when a request like this comes, to present our projects to an audience in Bucharest, I thought why not, if I can help you inspire the attendance of this conference, I’d be happy to. It is fairly well organised, fairly well attended, I hope I’ve been able to convey some of our thoughts on workplaces. We don’t speak of offices now anymore, because the original office with the rooms and the desks in it is all gone. It’s about
creating places that are inspiring to people, that can draw people together and that can create some kind of unity and a face for an organisation. That’s something I really enjoy talking about and that’s why I’m here.” Lucian Bugnariu, STUDIO1408 “The answer is positive, I have received positive reviews and feedback, it was a pleasant environment in which to the conference took place and if you invite me to come for future editions, I will happily accept. I have several ongoing projects, a multi-brand clothes store, a block of flats, we will see what the future holds.”
Dorin Beu, ROMANIAN NATIONAL LIGHTING COMMITTEE “The main benefit was that we had many discussions. I managed to animate the room, it was important that Peter [Fordham] was here as well and was able to tell us a point of view from another country; they are ahead of us and thus the room was receptive. It is difficult to have a discussion with engineers, designers and architects at the same time, because each has a tendency to speak his own language and then the other two don’t get involved, but I somehow managed not to monopolize; the world of lighting is evolving so quickly that anything can happen. It is a very rare example where there are engineers, architects, contractors and end users at the same table and this goes to your credit, because usually we attend conferences in our field where all participants are in the same business and discuss a subject so narrow that we tend to lose the overview. Here, however, this vision is kept intact. 2015 will be even more interesting, we could launch in due time an interdisciplinary theme to be treated next year.”
Martin Lesjak, INNOCAD “As I mentioned in my lecture we do a lot of office projects, interiors and exteriors, this is one special part of our work, the new working environment as Joost Ector mentioned, whom we have met before in Berlin at the LEAF awards. They were organising face-to-face meeting with the sponsors. When you win there, during the day you have to do businessto-business meetings with the sponsors, this is a chance, maybe a tip. You can choose the ones you are interested in, this is a possibility to create even more, they aren’t just exhibiting as a sponsor. A lot of events were like that. It is a very good idea to integrate this. It also could be informative, on a normal day you don’t have time to get involved in some company or a cutting-edge product, but they present good things sometimes.” David Archer, ARCHER HUMPHRYES ARCHITECTS “I found discussing our work in London very interesting and attending the seminar with the discussion around the refurbishment of buildings in Eastern Europe and the interest in refurbishing buildings in terms of the care and the interest of heritage structures in Hungary, Poland and Romania. It was very interesting talking in terms of what our interests have been in London and then spending time listening to what other people are doing in Eastern Europe. What really interests me is that the focus of people’s attention is both in the care and attention to the beauty of the existing fabric of historic buildings and really wanting to use that, as well as its refurbishment for new uses. Some ideas were entirely abstract but dropped into historic environments. I found the talk from Rotterdam [Joost Ector] extremely interesting, the idea of taking an existing building and reworking it for a new use, and the retention of the existing fabric and that being the most interesting part of the environment is identical to what we’ve been doing in London. It was a treat to talk of the work in terms of the hotel work, the pleasure that people seem to find in the use of material, colour, natural materials, craftsmanship and the idea of a kind of development of an overall environment. It is enourmously interesting to hear other people describe their work, and explain what they’ve been doing and why and how they’re doing it.”
Sergei Tchoban, NPS TCHOBAN VOSS “I think the conference is very important, I was glad about one point of this conference because you asked me already before about the connection of architecture and interior design and I’ve seen in the presentation of your president of the Order of Architects also about this connection, how is architecture from the outside, from town planning, coming into interior design, it’s not two parts separated from each other, but connected to each other, or perhaps fighting with eachother, like a conversation between architecture and interior design. In my presentation, I wanted to show my experience from drawing, because I draw a lot, hand-drawing, a very important part of an architect’s life. How from the drawings I came to my ideas for buildings. Also in this way I’ve shown how the exterior of buildings, how the idea of exterior, continues in the idea of interior and the interior continues in the idea of the smallest details of interior, because interior and exterior are good only because of the details you combine, like door handles, like the surface of walls, like tapestry, every corner, every joint of the facace construction. That was the strong point I hope of my lecture.” Claudiu Ionescu, RINO ARCHITECTURE “Being a very controversial project, with an architecture that does not leave one unmoved, the reactions were quite frequent and the audience reacted in a very interesting way. It is my first conference and it will be my pleasure to participate in other editions as well. In terms of interior architecture, I am currently working on a project for refurbishment of an office building that I hope will turn out at least as well.”
Maciej Kurkowski, MACIEJ KURKOWSKI ARCHITEKT “This was the first time I have attended such a conference and I jumped in at the deep end, it was a great challenge. I believe that it is worthwhile to take part in such events, because it is one of the best opportunities to meet very famous stars of architecture and interior design and exchange my modest experience with their vast experience, as well as hear a few valuable tips on how my career should look like. Shortly after my presentation, I received a message about my participant on my Facebook profile, that people really liked my presentation. I appreciate it very much.”
Cristina Șerban, “Ion Mincu” UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM IN BUCHAREST "I thought that the presentations matched well among themselves [in Office Interiors Hotel Interiors Workshops], they helped each other. The representatives from BENE presented some officerelated concepts which were afterwards completed or exemplified by the approach presented by Joost Ector, and the representative of MAARS PARTITIONING SYSTEMS as well have shown products that implemented new technology. The trend of globalization, communication, networking has been well evidenced by all speakers and the public understood this, which was in fact also the conclusion. In the hotels and the refurbishment workshop, I thought the examples given by David Archer were convincing and then there were some examples of luxury products that have their own value and may be placed alongisde other interventions in an old building in order to bring them into a current area of superior quality. This time the focus was on manufacture, the quality and valences of unique, handmade products and their intrinsic value that comes and completes what exists, the built environment, and updates it, brings it to contemporaneity." Cristian Ciucașu, SAINT GOBAIN ROMANIA “We have been partners of GIS and RIFF conferences for four years and the fact that we have kept this title shows that we are satisfied with how they are organized, with the architects’ attention to this event. I was surprised to see that the room was full and practically the event, despite its existence for four years, manages to keep the same level of interest from architects. For us, it is very important to communicate with architects. We always have new solutions and we are interested in their opinion and in the future we will continue to be present at conferences through your events.”
Oana Bădescu, SAINT GOBAIN GLASS “Speaking about the participation of Saint-Gobain as Official Partner, we have been partners for more than five years at your events and the reason that has led us to accept this title every time is the fact that we very much wantto support architectural projects and to promote, at the same time, new ideas, new products, innovations, in order to make them known to the architects, which is the first step in developing sustainable projects and, last but not least, to show the architects that we want to be part of such events dedicated to architecture. We have received feedback every time, we know most of the architects attending the event, we maintain a very close connection with them, we have people who keep in touch with them and receive feedback after events, but not only, after all the projects that they carry out.” Nicoleta Turiac, ABB “In Romania, we are unfortunately quite little known in this area but we have many reference projects abroad, as I said in my presentation, there is a continuing development of residential projects. We want to make ourselves known in Romania as well, because we have a very good local team, we have expanded the business by increasing the number of employees in this segment and we want to make ourselves known in a field in which the group is actually very present, less so in Romania, unfortunately. We want to be close to the students as well, because in Romania we collaborate well with other universities, polytechnics in particular, we want to support architecture because we believe that we have many things to say. I tried to be very concise in my presentation, I did not go into technical details the range of which is so great. Instead, I presented the main elements, followed by later discussions at the stand with my colleagues who are specialists.” Octavian Popescu, SKYLUX “The people are interested, they want to find out new things that are on the market are interested in quality products. This is our second participation in your event, and we will definitely come back in the future. Our presentation includes the most interesting products in our portfolio, with outstanding technical features. We pepresent the LAMILUX brand, a brand 106 years old, a family business in Germany and I am certain that the architects will be interested to hear about our product.”
Rodica Popescu, BENE “In general, as regards the initiative, it is fantastic; the conference should take place more frequently and the subjects should be less general in that the community of designers and architects should be challenged as well. As far as we are concerned, we are well-known to the architects, this was an opportunity to emphasize once again that we are here. Regarding the presentation that I had and the perspective that I suggested about the future workspace, the feedback was good and what pleased me very much was that this feedback came from architects, young designers, who are our target. Otherwise, I have learned things I did not know before – the project presented by SYAA, for example, is exceptional.” Rodica Margărit, BASF “I hope that the message I have sent, namely, that we have a brand addressing the construction industry, that we have the know-how and the drive to work together with a dynamic and sustainable construction industry has been well received. As regards the structure of the audience, I noticed that there were many young people showing great drive and interest in all topics that have been discussed. The questions were interesting and I’m sure that we will continue to explain things during the breaks that may not have been sufficiently detailed in the presentation. We will certainly attend the next edition as well. We have been partners of ABplus and the GIS and RIFF expo conferences for years and I want to remark with great enthusiasm that each year you are trying to make things more dynamic and interactive.” Sorin Vlasie, KNAUF “We have not attended your event before, we have chosen to promote ourselves on our own, but not to this extent, of course. This year, we wanted to see what it was like and especially what the opening to architects was, a segment of very special people who react in a totally different, sometimes unpredictable way. Such events help us be more visible to the architects, because we have solutions for them and it is them we want to work with. It is interesting, we will definitely participate again, because I see that many people came. On a daily basis, it is difficult to gather in one place so many people, but people came here today. I was really called to the stand, people who were interested in what we have to offer came to speak to us, because our
clear target were the architects who focus on the rehabilitation of historic buildings, energy auditors, people who are involved in this matter. We’ve seen a lot of interest, even later in my presentation, the room was full. I was skeptical, indeed, I did not expected such great feedback. We participated this year in haste, but for the level at which we have prepared, the feedback is good. I recognized in the conference room people who came at my stand before. I saw that after presenting a few people came to the stand and immediately requested additional information.�
arch. David KOHN, Special Guest of GIS 2014 David Kohn, Director at David Kohn Architects, studied architecture at the University of Cambridge and at Columbia University, New York as a Fulbright Scholar. He worked at Caruso St John Architects before establishing DKA in 2007. He has been a diploma tutor at London Metropolitan University since 2003 and previously taught at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and the University of Bath. He is currently an external examiner at the University of Kingston. David Kohn Architects (DKA) is a London-based practice working across the fields of architecture and urbanism. Their aim is to achieve excellence in design through creative dialogue with clients, consultant teams, contractors and end users. Innovation is cultivated in the office through research into materials, construction techniques and the cultural context of each project.The practice has built a reputation for its design, winning RIBA, D&AD, Designs of the Year, New London and Condé Nast awards in 2012. In 2010 the practice was named “One-Off House Architect of the Year” and in 2009 “Young Architect of the Year”. DKAs refurbishment of an apartment on Carrer Avinyó in Barcelonas Gothic Quarter, project presented in GIS 2014, has won World Interior of the Year at the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors in Singapore. The festival which offers a unique opportunity to look at developments in interior design across a wide range of disciplines like health, hospitality and transport. With its inclusion of interior design projects from around the world, INSIDE gives great insight into interior design practice today. The practice was also also shortlisted at the Interior Architect of the Year Award 2013 category. The City and Its Interior
arch. Martin LESJAK Arch. Martin Lesjak studied architecture at the Technical University Graz, Austria where he graduated with a Dipl. Ing. Arch. In 1999 Martin Lesjak established INNOCAD Architektur ZT GmbH in Graz together with partners and since 2010 he has been the CEO of the architecture office. Since 2003, Martin Lesjak has undertaken teaching assignments at Graz University of Technology, Institute for Urban Development and Institute for Residential Building. Martin Lesjak, with INNOCAD, carries out numerous projects in housing, offices, hotel, health service, retail, interior and product design, e.g. Rolling Stones – Zeughaus Graz, Samsung Vienna headquarters, HQ Microsoft Vienna, XAL Corporate Architecture,including the XAL Competence Center, and trade fair booths and showrooms around the globe, penthouse in New York, Hotel St. Daniel and apartment houses Alpenrock in Schladming, neurological out-patient department at LKH Feldbach, residential and office building Am Kai Graz, residential and office building Rose am Lend, Voestalpine headquarters, and the office and residential building Golden Nugget. INNOCAD recently founded the design label 13&9 Design in collaboration with the fashion and product designer Anastasia Su, 2013 Graz. The output of this creative community comprises design services and products in the sphere of furniture, fashion, accessories, light, sound and art concepts, etc. The Rolling Stones, Crossing Borders between Architecture and Design
arch. Joost ECTOR Joost Ector is Partner and Design Principal within Ector Hoogstad Architects – EHA, an independent all round architectural practice based in Rotterdam, the city with Europe’s largest port and Holland’s highest density of architects. For 2 years, he is also member of the BNA board, the Dutch Union of Architects. Office Imd Rotterdam, 77 Piekstraat project within GIS 2014 Architect Joost Ector has presented the Office IMd Rotterdam in GIS 2014, project which is on the LEAF shortlist for interior awards 2013. The office, designed as headquarters for the Rotterdam-based engineering firm Imd, is a former steel factory of 2,014m² located in Rotterdam, right at river Maas. “It is an unusual layout for an office building, but it does have some big advantages. Users are not directed away from the organisation, but are continually in contact with its spatial and social heart. That stimulates encounter and involvement. It also gives the hall an optimum spatial tension: bridges, underpasses and stairs mean that you can stray and, in this way, experience the space and the people within it from ever-changing perspectives“, according to architect Joost Ector. Ector Hoogstad Architecten have also won the ‘Refurbishment of the Year’ Award within Leaf Awards 2013, which took place on Friday 20th September, with the project The W-hal (Mechanical Engineering hall) of the former Eindhoven Technical College. Plant to Playground
arch. Sergei TCHOBAN Born in Leningrad, Russia in 1962, Sergey Tchoban has studied architecture in Saint Petersburg at the Architecture Faculty of Repin State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In the early 1990s, he left for Germany and since 1995 he has been managing partner in the Berlin office of the architecture bureau “nps tchoban voss”. Such significant buildings of Berlin as the cinema “Kubiks”, the gallery “Arndt”, complex “AquaDom”, synagogue in Muenstersche strasse and many other buildings and complexes in Berlin and other cities of Germany were realized upon his projects. In parallel with his work in Germany Sergey Tchoban has been actively designing in Russia since 2003, with the architect bureau “Tchoban and partners” in Moscow and since 2006 as managing partner of the architecture association “SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov”. The highest building of Europe – the complex “Federation” is being built in MIBC “Moscow-City” upon his project developed together with P. Shveger. In 2010 Sergey Tchoban was elected curator of Russian pavilion in XII Architecture Biennale in Venice. In GIS 2014, Sergey Tchoban has presented the Palace of Water Sports project in Kazan, Russia, finalist of the Interior Design Best of Year 2013 at the Beauty / Spa / Fitness category. From Drawing to Building
arch. David ARCHER David Archer, BA (Hons) Dip Arch ARB RIBA, is co-founder of Archer Humphryes Architects together with Julie Humphryes. They create projects that illuminate and transform places, providing architectural inspiration for all. Teaching at the RCA, being non-executive chair for 100% Design, Head of Design for Andre Balazs Hotels, Head of Yoo Design Studio and working directly for Alan Yau for over a decade, have been important relationships that continue into practice. Archer Humphryes Architects has a portfolio of landmark and iconic projects including the Great Northern Hotel, the LaLit Hotel London and Marylebones Edwardian Fire Station on Chiltern Street that soon will become a hotel, project which was presented in GIS 2014. Conservation, Refurbishment and Hotel Design
Peter FORDHAM Peter Fordham (BEng CEng MIET MSLL, LET Lighting Diploma, Society of Light and Lighting Diploma) is an award-winning Lighting Specialist within Morgan Sindall Professional Services. After joining the consultancy in 2007, following 16 years working in professional theatre, he completed the Lighting Education Trust Diploma in Lighting, and was awarded the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers’ Award for Best Student of the year in 2010. Transferring his flair for design and innovation from the world of theatre to the public and private sector, Peter has been involved in creative lighting schemes for a wide range of projects from leisure centres and pharmaceutical laboratories to railway stations and airport developments. He has a passion for the practical use of lighting to intelligently deliver intuitive wayfinding, and enhance a building’s overall design. Sustainability and low carbon design are central to Morgan Sindall Professional Services’ offering and Peter shares the company’s enthusiasm for delivering flexible lighting schemes that provide clients with class-leading energy efficiencies. Peter’s success has been achieved as a result of his commitment to challenge the conventional and use materials and fittings that deliver best-in-class lighting designs. The Central Search Area at Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal won Public Building Project of the Year and Low Carbon Project of the Year at the 2013 Lighting Design Awards, and was shortlisted in the 2012 Lux Awards. The awards celebrated the consultancy’s success in creating an intuitive, world-class search and security area at Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal. The Central Search Area’s lighting strategy and approach was the subject of Peter’s presentation at the GIS 2014 Conference. Guiding Lights
Maciej KURKOWSKI The Polish designer Maciej Kurkowski graduated with a diploma of BSc Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology. Currently he is working on his master thesis project at the Architecture for Society of Knowledge course at the same university. From the beginning of his studies he has been gaining experience by working on conceptual and detailed designs in many Warsaw architectural offices, until the formation of xm3 Group, which he collaborated with in years 2010-2011. He has been pursuing this path and designing public spaces and urban projects ever since. He has his own design studio, which is mainly focused on interior design. Maciej Kurkowski has presented the Przystanek Piekarnia Bakery in GIS 2014.Situated in Piaseczno, a town south of Warsaw, Kurkowskis Przystanek Piekarnia Bakery features a custom-designed shelving unit for storing and displaying bread. Krzosek Bakery is a family company established few generations ago in 1959. Its values combine respect for the tradition and a need for constant development. Interiors of their shops are an embodiment of this approach.The commission was to create a coherent interior designs for a whole chain of their shops. Individual look of each interior is achieved by use of a stained birch plywood 450x70x20mm module, that can be used to create almost infinite parametric design variations, while the rest of the interior components remain the same. Depending on the interior the modules can form a built-in display rack or a sculptural suspended ceiling that folds over the wall morphing into display shelves. Presentation of the “Przystanek Piekarnia� Bakery
arch. Paweł KOBYLAŃSKI Arch. Paweł Kobylański is the former Vice President for External Affairs of the National Council of the Chamber of Architects, a former member of the Board of ACE (Architects’ Council of Europe). Currently he holds the position of Vice President for Foreign Affairs of the Association of Polish Architects – SARP. He established and owns an architectural firm named Pentagram based in Poznań, Poland, offering a wide range of Architectural Design and Engineering Consulting services as well as Project and Construction Management services. Since 1988 Pentagram has been providing Architectural Design and Project Consulting services for both Polish and international Clients in various locations throughout Poland. Pentagram being an entirely Polish entity, benefit from wide experience of it’s founder – architects, that spent a significant amount of time practicing in the Western countries such as Austria, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States. The firm has been engaged in a broad range of project types, including residential, commercial and industrial for both public and private sectors, particularly for International Corporate Investors such as: Reemtsma, McDonalds, Makro, IKEA Polska, BLUM, Factory Outlet,WM Wrigley Jr., GLOBIS, DH Opolanin, Lubiaz, Kofola, Remmers, Tesco, Poznan Plaza, M1 Poznan. Presentation in the special session dedicated to heritage
arch. Zsuzsanna SNOPPER arch. Zsuzsanna Snopper was born in 1953 in Szeged, Hungary and graduated from the Hungarian University of Applied Arts, Department of Interior Design. She is a member of the Hungarian Interior Architects Divison within the Chamber of Architects of Hungary and design principal of Snopper-Design Partnership, Interior Design Studio, with headquarters in Budapest. The most representative and recent interior design projects of Snopper-Design include the Holy Angels Church, GazdagrétBudapest (architect: Imre Koppányi) in 2014, the Felcsút Stadium VIP-Skybox Interior design (architect: Tamás Dobrosi) and Furniture in romantic style, Pázmáneum Chapel, Wien in 2013, the Academy of Puskás Dormitory furnishing (architect:Imre Makovecz) as well as the Academy of Puskás Chapel (architect: Imre Makovecz) in 2011,the Academy of Puskás Refectory (építész: Tamás Dobrosi) in 2010, the Academy of Puskás Dormitory (architect:Imre Makovecz) and family house interior design in II.Sqr.in Budapest in 2009, the Academy of Puskás Professional Medical Center (architect: Tamás Dobrosi), Bank office , Solymár (architect: István Füstös) and the family house interior design in XI.Sqr in Budapest in 2008. Presentation in the special session dedicated to heritage
Official Partner SAINT-GOBAIN ROMANIA “Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to meet growing demand in emerging economies, for energy efficiency and for environmental protection. We are constantly innovating to make homes more comfortable, cost-efficient and sustainable worldwide. Saint-Gobain solutions span from self-cleaning windows and photovoltaic glass to smart insulation systems, water supply systems, solar solutions and building materials distribution. The market leader in all our businesses, we offer solutions to the major challenges of energy efficiency and environmental protection. No matter what new needs emerge in the habitat and construction markets, the future is made of Saint-Gobain.�
Partner SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS “Saint-Gobain Glass Exprover is the export business of Saint-Gobain Glass, acting in countries where the company is not industrially present or commercially managed by a subsidiary. In those countries, SGG Exprover is doing promotion and commercialization of the Saint-Gobain Glass range of both basic glass and processed products, coming from the different factories of the group throughout the world.”
Travel Partener VOLKSWAGEN AUTOVEHICULE COMERCIALE “Offical importer of commercial Volkswagen cars in Romania, has obtained in the first trimester of 2014 a raise of 8,5% in European sales.”
Institutional Partners COMITETULUI NATIONAL ROMAN DE ILUMINAT
INSTITUTUL NAลขIONAL AL PATRIMONIULUI
Networking Partner VINARTE
Main Media Partner IGLOO
Communication Partner ZEPPELIN
Online Media Partner SPATIUL CONSTRUIT
Media Partners
Sponsors ABB ROMÂNIA “ABB has a long history and a rich heritage of technology innovation. ABB not only invented or pioneered many power and automation technologies that have shaped the world we know today, but has managed to maintain its technology leadership in these areas, often for decades. A series of feature articles on these technologies was started in 2009, and the stories published to date are featured below.“ BASF CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS “BASF is the world’s leading chemical company with customers in more than 170 countries, over 150 production sites and 95,000 employees. BASF is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, where it operates the world’s largest integrated chemical complex. As the world’s leading chemical company, BASF is dedicated to developing customized system solutions that add value to its customers’ products. The company supplies products to customers in a wide range of industries. Most of what BASF manufactures is not sold directly to consumers as finished products, but to manufacturing and industrial users who rely on BASF products and technology to improve what they make and sell. The company’s vast portfolio is divided into six segments: chemicals, plastics, performance products, functional solutions, agricultural solutions, and oil and gas.” SKYLUX “Grupul Skylux reprezintă aducerea luminii naturale în clădirile de birouri, spaţiile comerciale, depozitele sau alte tipuri de hale industriale, oferind soluţii complete şi moderne de cupole, luminatoare bandă cu sau fără trape de fum. Skylux oferă soluţii complete pentru hidroizolarea tuturor tipurilor de acoperişuri prin utilizarea membranelor bituminoase, sintetice şi a sindrilelor bituminoase de înaltă calitate.” VELUX “With manufacturing and sales operations in more than 35 countries, our products and services are widely available. We also have an extensive distribution network, making our products easily accessible. We serve customers and partners with local know-how and work
closely with them to develop better living environments for people. Today and in the future.“ BENE ROMANIA “The Bene Group, a globally active company with its head office and production facilities in Waidhofen an der Ybbs/Austria, employs 1,172 people at more than 80 locations in 35 countries around the world (as of 31 October 2013). Bene defines the office as a living space and its concepts, products and services turn this philosophy into reality. Development, design and production along with consulting and sales are united under one roof. As the Austrian market leader and a major market player in Europe, Bene stands for innovative office concepts.”
Exhibitors SAINT-GOBAIN ROMANIA “Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to meet growing demand in emerging economies, for energy efficiency and for environmental protection. We are constantly innovating to make homes more comfortable, cost-efficient and sustainable worldwide. Saint-Gobain solutions span from self-cleaning windows and photovoltaic glass to smart insulation systems, water supply systems, solar solutions and building materials distribution. The market leader in all our businesses, we offer solutions to the major challenges of energy efficiency and environmental protection. No matter what new needs emerge in the habitat and construction markets, the future is made of Saint-Gobain.” SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS “Saint-Gobain Glass Exprover is the export business of SaintGobain Glass, acting in countries where the company is not industrially present or commercially managed by a subsidiary. In those countries, SGG Exprover is doing promotion and commercialization of the Saint-Gobain Glass range of both basic glass and processed products, coming from the different factories of the group throughout the world.” SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS "Saint-Gobain Rigips have presented their innovative solutions to the architects in GIS 2014. Saint-Gobain Rigips, part of the global Saint-Gobain group, present in 64 countries, offers the Romanian market, since 1994, partitioning solutions for buildings that create acoustical, thermal and aesthetical comfortable spaces, while ensuring a passive fire protection and impact and moisture resistance." SAINT-GOBAIN ISOVER "Saint-Gobain ISOVER, part of the Saint-Gobain Group, is a worldwide manufacturer of sustainable insulation solutions for thermal, acoustic and fire performance in new build, renovation and industrial applications. In 1999, Saint-Gobain ISOVER was
established in Romania and began a commercializing glass mineral wool and basalt mineral wool." ABB ROMÂNIA “ABB has a long history and a rich heritage of technology innovation. ABB not only invented or pioneered many power and automation technologies that have shaped the world we know today, but has managed to maintain its technology leadership in these areas, often for decades. A series of feature articles on these technologies was started in 2009, and the stories published to date are featured below.“ BENE ROMANIA “The Bene Group, a globally active company with its head office and production facilities in Waidhofen an der Ybbs/Austria, employs 1,172 people at more than 80 locations in 35 countries around the world (as of 31 October 2013). Bene defines the office as a living space and its concepts, products and services turn this philosophy into reality. Development, design and production along with consulting and sales are united under one roof. As the Austrian market leader and a major market player in Europe, Bene stands for innovative office concepts.” VELUX “With manufacturing and sales operations in more than 35 countries, our products and services are widely available. We also have an extensive distribution network, making our products easily accessible. We serve customers and partners with local know-how and work closely with them to develop better living environments for people. Today and in the future.“ SKYLUX “Grupul Skylux reprezintă aducerea luminii naturale în clădirile de birouri, spaţiile comerciale, depozitele sau alte tipuri de hale industriale, oferind soluţii complete şi moderne de cupole, luminatoare bandă cu sau fără trape de fum. Skylux oferă soluţii complete pentru hidroizolarea tuturor tipurilor de acoperişuri prin utilizarea membranelor bituminoase, sintetice şi a sindrilelor bituminoase de înaltă calitate.”
SINIAT “Siniat is one of the leading suppliers of gypsum related building solutions and systems in Europe. Siniat operates 43 factories in 13 countries in Europe and Latin America, with a turnover of about 1 billion, representing 35% of the turnover of the group it is part of, Etex Group. Moreover, as part of Etex, it benefit from access to all experience, logistics and technologies of the other divisions, as well as access to a whole range of new technologies, industries, partners and clients specific to these divisions." KNAUF GIPS “Knauf is the name of a family. A global group of companies as supplier of building materials. A strong characteristic of Knauf is the courage for visions, innovation and investments as well as simple decision-making processes and a wealth of ideas on the part of its personnel.” CORKLINE “CORKLINE promotes the concept of natural and organic product, quality and durability represented by a material with unique properties - CORK. CORKLINE company brings on the Romania market cork products which cover a very wide range of applications: cork flooring, decorative cork for walls and ceilings, cork panels, cork acoustic and thermal insulation for any industrial, commercial or residential application. datorita caracteristicilor naturale ale plutei: izolator termic, excelent izolator si absorbant fonic, elasticitate, produs natural, sustenabil, durabil si reciclabil. Oferim o gama variata de produse destinate decoratiunilor interioare, care pot fi combinate cu orice stil de decor. Parchetul si lambriul din pluta ofera originalitate, stil, eleganta, rafinament, caldura si relaxare oricarui spatiu." GREENFOREST “GreenForest has been designing and manufacturing office furniture since 1992 and has become one of the most important companies in the field from Romania. Through constant investments in up-to-date technologies and reliance on the competence and experience of its employees, GreenForest has continually adapted to market demands, improving its office furniture product portfolio and developing special furnishing projects in the industrial, hotel, commercial, educational and naval field."
AXELEN “Axelen is the exclusive representative in Romania of some wallpaper, sunscreen foil and decoration international brands. In partnership with leading suppliers such as Zambia Parati, Khroma, Texam, KT Exclusive, Kolizz-art, Rasch Textil, Vitrulan, Konrad Hornschuch or Bruxsafol, Axelen can contribute to the success of a project both through highest quality products, as well as expertise gathered in the 20 years of activity. ” REHAU “REHAU is finding new ways to improve life by replacing conventional materials with more capable polymers. The concept of REHAU PVC profiles is energy efficiency and superior resistance. GENEO is the top PVC profile for windows and doors, from revolutionary material RAU-FIPRO.” DAAS “DAAS entered the Romanian market in 1993, being one of the pioneers in the hospitality industry in providing professional services and equipment. Over time, DAAS has invested numerous resources for people specializing in turnkey projects. Regardless of complexity, turnkey projects have represented real business challenges for DAAS” ANTARES ROMÂNIA “Antares International promotes creativity and innovation without sacrificing time-proven classic forms. Design, Functionality, Quality. Antares does everything possible to combine all these elements in seats designed in Italian style. The company works with successful designers to create innovative products, with style and elegance, made with passion. ” 3M ROMANIA “3M is a diversified technology company serving customers and communities with innovative products and services. Each of our six businesses has earned leading global market positions. A recognised leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M’s core strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms – often in
combination – to a wide array of customer needs. With $23 billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries.“ MIDASOFT "For over 10 years, Mida Soft Business have successfully answered the clients' needs, offering them flexible, secure and efficient solutions for printing equipment, integrated services of cost-per-page, IT (software & hardware), office automation, stationery." SIMETRIA PUBLISHING HOUSE "SIMETRIA Publishing House is part of the Foundation for Architecture and Urbanism Simetria, established in 1992 as a department of the Union of Architects of Romania (UAR) from which it divided in 2000. The publishing house chose its name in the honour of art and criticism Simetria (1939 - 1947), founded in the interwar period by the architect, professor and theoretician of architecture George Matei Cantacuzino (1899-1960)." EVO HORECA "EVO Horeca, with over 12 years experience in the field, is an importer, producer and owner of EvoHoreca, truEvents and Studio32 brands, provider specialized in professional furniture dedicated to restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, club, event halls, terraces, hotels, etc." EDIL CONFORT “The terrace chairs in the collection of outdoor tables and chairs frm XMOB. The full range of terrace restaurant chairs can be used as outdoor chairs. Due to their special characteristics, the terrance tables and chairs are the ideal solution for restaurant, pub and pizza house terraces.” HAPPY-ME “Happy-me.ro represents "Atelierul de Mobila Tapitata Unicat", which brings on the Romanian market a proven quality alternative to series furniture.”
Total number of participants who have attended GIS 2014 - 272 - 191 ARCHITECTS - 38 EXHIBITORS - 22 SPEAKERS
Structure of participants in GIS 2014
SPEAKERS ARCHITECTS OFFICIAL PARTNER SPONSORS EXHIBITORS INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS
Total number of architects who have attended GIS 2014 - 191
Geographical distribution of architects in GIS 2014 5,2% 2,6% 3,7%
77,5%
Bacau Brasov Bucuresti Ploiesti Sibiu Teleorman Prahova Iasi
Guest profiles The organizer has sent to all participating companies a selection of profiles of the guest architects / landscape architects / urban planners, with the name, type, dimensions, and status of their projects. The most representative 193 projects of the architects who have attended GIS 2014 are from the following fields:
Types of projects carried out by the architects in 2013-2014 Playground planning Other projects Landscape design Company headquarter Sports hall Cultural center Pension Hotel Public institution Residential construction Tourist landmarks rehabilitation Warehouse / storage Clinic / Hospital Restaurant / Club Office Headquarter Commercial Centres Individual residence Interior Design
2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 8 9 9 19 21 36 43 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Status of projects carried out by architects 2013-2014
21
Project to be authorised
68
Project under development
104
Completed project
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
35
40
45
Between January – April 2014, over 25 specialized magazines and national newspapers published 137 articles on GIS 2014 International Interior Architecture, Design, Furniture and Lighting.
Distribution of articles per month
13,9%
5,1% 23,4% January February March April 57,7%
The considerable increase of the number of articles in the perior March-April is largely due to the news dedicated to guests and companies, interviews with the international speakers. Moreover, the interiors of the year 2013 from London, Barcelona, Vienna, Rotterdam and Kazan were published in a special articles published in March. Moreover, the articles made reference to best practice examples of interior design from England, Spain, The Netherlands, Austria, Russia, Poland and Romania. Most articles were published in specialized magazins such as: Igloo, Zeppelin, Arhitectura, Arhitext, Arena Constructiilor, Roarhitect, Inspirationist, Fresh Home, Casa construct, Revista Constructiilor, Arhimania, Spa Magazin, Pardoseli Magazin, AcoperiČ™ Magazin, etc. The national press, such as Romania Libera, Romania Tv, News Radio Intact, Realitatea.net, Actualitati.net, Transilvania Business, Ziare.com, Iasi Fun, etc. have also published specialized articles about the interiors of the year that were presented in GIS 2014.
National media The 137 articles written for the event were taken over by 15 specialized magazines, of course, specialized in the field of architecture and design. Moreover, the articles have been taken over by other magazines in the field such as Fresh Home, Proiect Casa, Case și Grădini, Proidea, Arhitect Media, Adep, Instal News, Sporul casei, Arhitectura Verde, etc.
10
6
9 41
8 9 9
9 8
9
8
10
IGLOO ZEPPELIN SPATIUL CONSTRUIT ARHITECTURA ARHITEXT ARENA CONSTRUCTIILOR ROARHITECT ARHIMANIA ACOPERIS MAGAZIN PROIECT CASA PARDOSELI MAGAZIN ALTE REVISTE
The 1- articles that have been especially written to promote the event have been published both in national newspapers, specialized magazines, as well as international ones. I. Article 1 – Interview with architect Claudiu Ionescu about the project that located Romania on the digital map of the world II. Article 2 – The interiors of the year and highly-awarded architectus in GIS 2014 III. Article 3 – Participate on April 7 and 8 in the first events of 2014 dedicated to architects and designers IV. Article 4 – Dutch architect Joost Ector presents the “Office IMd Rotterdam” project in April, in Bucharest V. Article 5 – Architect Martin Lesjak presents the public building of the year in April, in Bucharest VI. Article 6 – The British architect David Kohn will present the interior of the year 2013 in April, in Bucharest VII. Article 7 – The Romanian designer Mihai Popescu presents the “Biutiful” project, in GIS 2014 VIII. Article 8 – One of the best interior designers in the world is coming to Bucharest IX. Article 9 – The winner of the “World Interior of the Year”, in Bucharest X. Article 10 - GIS 2014: awarded architects, designers, lighting specialists
Distribution of articles online 11
Article 10 7
Article 9
8
Article 8 7
Article 7
28
Article 6 15
Article 5 8
Article 4
12
Article 3
31
Article 2 10
Article 1 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
As it may be observed, article 2 on the interiors of the year in Europe, that were presented in GIS, have been taken over by 31 magazines and national and international newspapers. GIS International Expo Conference has been promoted internationally as well. The articles especially created to promote the event have appeared in magazines such as Inspirationist, Archilovers, World Architecture and E-architect.
Articles published internationally
4 8 6 5
INSPIRATIONIST WORLD ARCHITECTURE ARCHILOVERS E-ARCHITECT
Printed media appearances The poster of the event has been published in over 20 specialized magazines mentioned above. Moreover, our articles have appeared together with the poster in printed form both in the specialized national media, as well as in the international media.
In conclusion, the fourth edition of GIS, organized by ABplus Events and the Order of the Architects of Romania has been promoted both in the national general and specialised media, as well as the international media. Every article in part has been dedicated to the event itself, to the speakers, but also to the participating companies. The event has been deemed as highly successful, of interest to our public, which could be noticed from the media appearances as well, online and print, as well as radio.