Workshop 07 - Creative Commercial Space + Concept

issue

07

shop www.choisgallery.com

creative commercial space + concept

THE ARCHITECTURE THAT COMMUNICATES – UNStudio as the super organiser and designer

JANSEN CAMPUS

– Davide

Macullo Architects added a striking triangular office building to the skyline of Oberriet

THE CUTTY SARK CONSERVATION

– GRIMSHAW raised the 963-tonne Cutty Sark three metres within her dry berth

HEINEKEN OPEN EXPLORATIONS EDITION 1

ISSN 2223 1293

– ‘Not as an exhibition, but as a real club.’

YANDEX SAINT PETERSBURG OFFICE II

– za bor architects turned tiny pixel icons into 3D objects both fancy and functional

WORK shop

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To help mark the launch of the concept store space, Selfridges erected a 13ft-tall half-ton fibreglass statue installation of Yayoi Kusama on the front canopy of Selfridges.

LOUIS VUITTON AND KUSAMA AT SELFRIDGES _Yayoi Kusama and Selfridges

To celebrate the launch of its most significant global artistic collaboration to date, Louis Vuitton unveiled an extraordinary take-over of both Selfridges’ legendary windows and its everchanging special project space, the Concept Store.

The space was officially launched on Sep 6th, 2012. To help mark that launch, Selfridges erected a 13ft-tall half-ton fibreglass statue installation of Yayoi Kusama on the front canopy of Selfridges. This is the only other time a real life personality has adorned Selfridges’ historic canopy other than when the London store

RETAIL

celebrated the 1953 coronation with a statue of Queen Elizabeth II on a horse.

As one of seven Kusama for Louis Vuitton major store collaborations launching worldwide in 2012, the Kusama windows for Selfridges are by far the most significant of them. The collaboration continues within the store, in Selfridges’ Concept Store, which has also been transformed by Kusama with her signature giant pumpkins, setting the scene for a showcase of Louis Vuitton’s new collection by Kusama available only at Selfridges for eight weeks.

It was in 2006 that Marc Jacobs encountered

Design_ Yayoi Kusama and Selfridges

Yayoi Kusama in Tokyo. Art collector Jacobs is a fan of Kusama’s sculptures and paintings, ‘the obsessive character and the innocence of her artwork touch me. She succeeds in sharing her vision of the world with us.’ The admiration is mutual: Kusama, whose works include performances which examine clothing and the body, has a profound respect for Marc’s creativity.

The collection launches in two phases, with the exclusive preview of the second wave arriving into the Selfridges concept store.

Photography_ Stéphane Muratet and Selfridges Archive

Country_ Japan and UK

_ LOUIS V UIT TON A ND KUSA M A AT S E LFR I D G E S

_REETA TAIILL _R

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The iconic leather handbags, ready-to-wear, travel bags, shoes and accessories all feature Kusama’s organic repetitive patterns treated in vigorous and hybrid patterns such as polka dots.

Client_ Louis Vuitton

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NANA’S GREEN TEA SHIZUOKA MARUI SHOP _KAMITOPEN

Nanaha Corporation is a company that introduces ‘a new form of Japan’ to the world through ‘matcha’ (powdered green tea). They prepare high-grade matchas in a modern style, and offer them as drinks such as matcha latte. Their intention is to make their space into a contemporary-style tea room, not a Japanese-style one. I decided to create a contemporary ‘seascape’.

Tea rooms are said to be equal to making logs, because most of the materials are used without being cut into squares. Moreover, in order to make it look more natural, logs of different sizes are used in one tea room. As a tea room is thought to be a tea cup in Japanese culture, chairs and tables are the tea room itself. Therefore, at Nanaha’s Shizuoka Marui shop, I built a tea room out of ‘logs’ made of steel pipes.

RESTAURANT /BAR

Design_ KAMITOPEN

Photography_ Keisuke Miyamoto

Country_ Japan

Client_ Kazuto Kutami / Nanaha

_ N A N A’S G R EEN TE A SHIZUOK A M A RUI S H O P

_ R E S TA U R A N T/ B A R

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The tea room’s tables and chairs are made with steel pipes that look like logs.

CIEL DE PARIS WORK shop

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_Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance has designed a soft and profound amber bubble of light on the 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower: the new Ciel de Paris restaurant interior and furniture design.

From the bay windows to the central bar, depending on the aura of the mirrors, the skilled composition of the sombre reflections strengthens and transforms perspectives. The view becomes space; space becomes the view.

The golden glints of the City of Light bounce off the sensual curves and materials. Paris is sparkling and all of a sudden the tower is more attractive.

This primarily tourist venue has become welcoming and ethereal, a pleasurable experience designed for everyone.

RESTAURANT /BAR

Design_ Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

Photography_ Vincent Leroux / Temps Machine

Country_ France

_CIEL D E PA R I S

_ R E S TA U R A N T/ B A R

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The bar is wood fibre and resin structure, Corian interior with Stopsol extra white glass top.

Client_ Elior Group

LIGHTING _

REGENT BELEUCHTUNGSKÖRPER AG FURNITURE _

CAPPELLINI SPA, ALIAS SPA, SARA SA AND STOLL GIROFLEX CUSTUM DESIGNED FURNITURE _

FREI HOLZBAU AG AND ZOMO-FORM ART ADVISOR _

SOPHIA KIM LANDSCAPING _

BUCHER AG

THE COMPLETION OF A VISION Alongside the building itself, the ‘architecture’, particular care has been taken in the landscape design and in the choice of both furniture and art works to complete the spaces.

The landscape design involved the planting of 80 trees of 35 different species that have existed in the Rhine valley for at least 200 years and as such it takes on a didactic role in explaining the region’s landscape.

Contrary to the traditional art investment for a work created in-situ, and thereby explicitly connected to the building, it was preferred, within the same economic parameters to take a more ‘dynamic’ route. As such, the art works selected reflect the

intention of interacting with the complexity of our contemporary world and include pieces by young and internationally established contemporary artists.

Just as in the attention given to every detail in construction, the same precision and care went into the choice of furniture and the lighting and technical elements in the building. It was decided that the furniture pieces would be products of the recent generation of designers, the result of a particular technological research, be of resistant and durable materials and reflect the philosophy of Jansen.

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Just as in the attention given to every detail in construction, the same precision and care went into the choice of furniture and the lighting and technical elements in the building.

HEINEKEN OPEN EXPLORATIONS E THE CLUB

Premium beer brand Heineken unveiled a pioneering exploration in the form of Heineken Open Design Explorations Edition 1: The Club at Milan Design Week 2012, with Massive Talent presenting DJs and acts throughout the week.

19 talented emerging designers, specialising in different disciplines from interiors, product, graphic, motion to fashion design, from four cities – Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Milan and New York, with the help of 100 clubbers from more than 20 cities, who shared their social interaction insights, contributed to the pioneering concept club through a special virtual creative online hub. This allowed designers and their mentors across countries, cultures and different design disciplines to fuse ideas with the aim to innovate nightclub design around the world.

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N DESIGN EDITION 1: ORGANISER _

HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL HEAD OF GLOBAL DESIGN AT HEINEKEN _

MARK VAN ITERSON DURATION _

APR 17-20, 2012 LOCATION _

MILAN, ITALY AWARD _

CO-CREATION AWARD

‘The yearlong design exploration project was first announced at the Milan Design Week 2011, resulting in a prototype of a futuristic nightclub one year later.’

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The staircase wrapping the interior of the main exhibition space leads the visitor throughout the multiple levels of display.

_DESIGN REPUBLIC’S DESIGN COLLECTIVE

_E XHIBITION/SHOWROOM

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The staircase wrapping the interior of the main exhibition space leads the visitor throughout the multiple levels of display where the furniture can be viewed from various vantage points and voyeuristic snippets of retail display. The journey is accentuated as the visitor climbs higher through the gallery levels by the seven large openings in the roof which allow daylight into the exhibition space, generating a moment of visual release from within.

Design Republic Qingpu store is located on the first floor, with a total area of 2,000m2. Design Republic offers a unique collection of products created by the world’s best design talents that explore a new modern Chinese aesthetic.

It stands for a new birth of life and style. At its foundation, it is a republic of life that creates meaning and understanding through its relationship with objects of habitation. It is also a republic of style that creates new ideologies in design, retail and merchandising concepts embodying a distinctive aesthetic for contemporary China.

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POLTRONA FRAU _Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

As part of Designer's Days 2012, Poltrona Frau, the famous Italian furniture maker, asked Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance to conceive a birthday set design for its Paris showroom. Four symbolic pieces and a 80m link covered with orange leather celebrates the identity of the organic and living brand. The mark of a brand has been orchestrating for one century a fruitful dialogue between craftsmen, designers and researchers.

EXHIBITION/SHOWROOM

Design_ Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

Photography_ Vincent Leroux / temps machine

Country_ France

_ P O LT R O N A F R A U

Client_ Poltrona Frau

_E XHIBITION/SHOWROOM

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YANDEX SAINT PETERSBURG OFFICE II

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_za bor architects

It is indicative that this office is to some extent a return to the roots of cooperation of za bor architects and the largest Russian IT-corporation Yandex.

The first office developed for Yandex by za bor architects is in the same building of the Benois business centre in Saint Petersburg, but on a lower floor, which has picked up many awards. Four years later za bor architects and Yandex had decided to repeat the success on a larger scale – Yandex Saint Petersburg office II is almost twice as large as the previous one – it houses the entire fourth floor of the building and has a corridor about 200m-long (total floor area 3,310m2). The clients wanted an extraordinary office like no other. The architects had at least two challenges – first to organise a very complex space outstretched along a central corridor axis. The second challenge was to make the office showy and impressive. So they decided to use double loaded zoning, with meeting cells, working areas, and unusual objects located along the corridor provided with particular functions.

OFFICE

Design_ za bor architects

Photography_ Peter Zaytsev

Country_ Russia

Client_ Yandex

_YA ND E X SA IN T PE TERSBURG O FFI C E I I

_O FFI C E

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The casted polymer jellyfish clocks contain network printers station, etc.

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OFFICE

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Design_ PENSON

Photography_ David Barbour

Country_ UK

Client_ Google

_GO OG LE AT CSG COV ENT G A R D EN LO N D O N

_O FFI C E

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GOOGLE AT CSG COVENT GARDEN LONDON _PENSON

PENSON has delivered Google’s new super headquarters at Central Saint Giles, Covent Garden in London. The 160,000ft 2 headquarters covers an amazing variation of floors including the main reception, a Lala library, gymnasium, cafés and restaurants, a town hall and many other trinkets all with long reaching panoramic views of London’s skyscape.

CSG brings Google’s sales and other departments nearer to their clients. This interior is at the opposite end of the spectrum to PENSON’s other recent release of the Google Engineering HQ at Victoria, which incidentally caused quite a stir globally for its visual affair with the ‘Space Odyssey’ and ‘Starship

Enterprise’ of this world.

Following completion of the initial ‘temporary phase’ works, PENSON with contractor Parkeray were well placed to provide an interior fit out that required a strong team ethic. The challenge set was to realise a diverse range of design elements across 150,000ft 2, within a short timescale of 23 weeks, all without compromising on quality. The only way to achieve this was to incorporate value engineering. The team worked continuously to achieve solutions such as joinery, lighting and wall construction to meet the brief, for example, replacing padded fabric panels with sprayed metallic wall panels.

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_ BA R R A & BA R R A O FFI C E

_O FFI C E

The choice of chrome and transparent materials for the walls suggests the concept of the office as a space that can be transformed, resulting in a closed space and green lawns.

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GOLD CERTIFICATION FROM THE DGNB

within the shafts.

the same area. This also results in a better façade

The building structure partially consists of bubble

The plot for the ZVE has been used to its maximum

area to volume ratio. The amount of glass façade

deck ceilings, providing both an economical

in terms of development potential, with the building

is only 32%. All spaces along the façade can be

alternative to the more commonly used concrete

land treated in an economical way. The public

ventilated directly by operable window elements.

ceilings and reduction in weight, allowing for

infrastructure and the creation of sealed surfaces

Ceilings without lintels make it possible for daylight

column free spaces. The main structure consists

are reduced to the necessar y amount only. The

to reflect deep into the spaces, which are additionally

of four main cores. The ceilings span these cores

flat roof areas provide green roofs and ser ve for

supported by daylight lamellas while the sun

and the columns within the façade area providing

the storage of rain water. Access to the building

screens are down. All installations are located within

column free spaces. The spans add up to 12.50m.

is barrier free. Low maintenance, separable, and

accessible shafts.

This construction also allows for the integration

recyclable materials have been used for the skeleton

The building has been awarded a Gold certification

of concrete core activation. Enhanced technical

as well as for the interior and façade construction.

by the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council).

elements are also integrated into the structure:

The ceilings are used for cooling with concrete

According to Ben van Berkel, ‘The ZVE Fraunhofer

concrete core activation, false floors and the

core activation by water, with ground probes and a

Institute is a prime example of what I like to

arrangement of the sprinkler tubes within the false

sprinkler tank ser ving as storage.

refer to as “attainability”. The building combines

floors minimises the number of visible installations

A compact shape with an optimised building

the “affordable” with the “sustainable” through

whilst maintaining their flexibility. The air supply

envelope was designed during the initial stages

a combination of its compact building volume,

to the deeper areas also occurs partly through air

of the project. The rounded shape provides a 7%

materialisation, flexible organisation, efficient ground

channels within the false floor. Air extraction occurs

smaller contour than that of a rectangular form of

use and numerous energy saving installations.’

All spaces along the façade can be ventilated directly by operable window elements.

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The double deck ceilings span the four main cores and the columns within the faรงade area, providing column free spaces.

INTERVIEW

// Ben van Berkel in the Office Photo © Inga Powilleit

Inter viewer: Workshop ( W ) Inter viewee: Ben van Berkel (B)

W: As the founder of UNStudio, can you tell a bit about your life as an architect?

B: I studied architecture at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and then at the Architectural Association in London, from where I graduated in 1987. In 1988, Caroline Bos and I set up an architectural practice in Amsterdam called the Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau and realised, amongst others, the Karbouw office building, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen, the Möbius House and the NMR facilities for the University of Utrecht.

In 1998 we decided to establish a new firm, UNStudio (United Net), in order to really reflect the collaborative nature of the practice.

UNStudio is a network of specialists in architecture, urban development and infrastructure.

I have lectured and taught at numerous architectural schools and am currently Professor of Conceptual Design at the Staedelschule in Frankfurt am Main. Last year I was also appointed the Kenzo Tange chair at Harvard University, so will be carrying out studios there for the coming three years.

W: Tell us about your office, team, business and strategies.

B: At UNStudio we specialise in architecture, urban development and infrastructural projects. Our aim is to make a significant contribution to the discipline of architecture, to continue to develop our skills in design, technology, knowledge and management, and to be a specialist in public network projects.

Caroline Bos and I currently manage the practice along with three partners – Harm Wassink, Gerard Loozekoot and Astrid Piber.

We also have seven senior architects and senior architectural technicians who have gained several years of experience in design and project management. The ‘Seniors’ have intense contact with our clients and advisors, next to their all-round responsibilities on various projects.

An important aim at UNStudio is also to spread our knowledge directly to all our employees and trainees by means of workshops and internal ‘knowledge communities’. We recently developed these knowledge platforms in order to extend our research in specific fields and to share this information with the whole studio. It is an important aim for us, not only to share all that we have achieved so far with all our employees, but also to develop further knowledge together and make this available to all.

W: You chose to become an architect after you visited the Katsura Palace in Japan. When did that happen and what did you do before that?

B: It was in around 1979 that I went to the Katsura Palace. Before that, I was a graphic designer. I learned graphic design and interior design in college and used to do a lot of graphic design, with a lot of interior design and 3D work connected to it, like way-finding. I had always been interested in many aspects of architecture, but when I saw the Katsura Palace, I was so impressed by how beautiful the landscape and architecture were.

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W: UNStudio presents itself as a network that emphasises an integral methodology. How do you successfully realise collaborations with leading specialists internationally?

B: I always consider the people I work with, like engineers, sustainable engineers, etc. The collaborations happen not only within the office, but also outside of it. Specialists we collaborate with from outside the office are often graphic designers and artists, and most of them are scientists. A lot of the collaborations start from the beginning of the design of a project between the people we select for the specific project, and they happen at every moment through the design and construction of the project. For example, when we designed the Education Executive Agency and Tax Offices in Groningen, it was a PPP-construction, so we had to consider all the details concerning maintenance and the sustainable use of the building from the very early stages. It is a unique way to gather all the specialists and the end user around the table from the very outset of the project.

W: UNStudio Asia has been in operation since 2009. How many staff do you have in Shanghai and Hong Kong now?

B: We have 150 people altogether in Amsterdam and Shanghai, with 30 in Shanghai. In Hong Kong there is just an administrative office with a varying number of staff.

W: With a large number of projects in progress, do you initiate all the designs and oversee all the project teams?

B: Yes. I initiate all the designs and I am also responsible for them.

It’s very difficult sometimes with my busy schedule, but I always work hard in order to maintain the quality of the projects. I bring together all the aspects of a project at the very early stage of the design, then lead the team and the collaborations between them via design meetings where people can communicate their thoughts.

W: Are there any common characteristics or motifs for UNStudio projects?

B: Our work isn’t instantly recognisable. The most important emphasis for us is our design philosophy: the way things are organised, and the quality of the organisation. I am interested in how things are brought together through good organisation. That way, the collaborations can begin and the design will come to you later. For the design of our projects, we like to have the opportunity to invent, and push the boundaries rather than having certain ‘characteristics’. I think the possibilities of design should be free and open.

W: How do you tackle relationships with your clients? Have you ever encountered a serious situation in which you were forced to change your original design?

B: Yes. There have been many times that our clients have opposed our work and are unhappy. But I always try to convince them with my design. When I bring clients to my work, i.e. the buildings that we designed before, they are always convinced by the technical details of my work.

W: Let’s get back to design. How do you define ‘design’ and manage it in a specific project?

B: There are many ways of defining ‘design’ but I define it as the best thing for the location and the most comfortable for the client. I try to find the design that fits best with the location and the brief.

W: What do you class as ‘good’ architecture?

B: The topic of good architecture is really complex. In my opinion, it should be the kind of architecture that communicates well with people. When we look at or enter the building, we should want to know more about it. It’s architecture with a touch. People have their own interpretation of it. And it’s not pure communication; it’s the quality of communication. There are many layers, maybe two or three levels, that lead this communication. For example, we designed the recently completed ZVE or the Fraunhofer Institute as a new prototype for how architecture can incorporate a contemporary understanding

of the workplace and stimulate new ways of working in the future.

Communication is the key to new and creative ways of working, and we designed the building to stimulate it at all levels through the architecture.

W: What was your first project? And what has been the most important project of your career so far?

B: My first project was an exhibition design, which I completed in 1989. It was well received. It was called ‘IS in de Hal’ and was part of a big exhibition about young artists in Holland. The most important project to me is always the project that I am working on right now. There is not a specific ‘most important’ project, because I have worked on so many, and to me they are all very important. I love my projects. They are all equal in my eyes.

W: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve ever met, and how did you get through it?

B: Sometimes I find it difficult to work slowly. For example, I am now very busy with a master plan project for the Arnhem Central train station in Holland. It includes many kinds of infrastructures for the train station, a car park, a bus station, office buildings and high-speed trains. The project has already been in progress for almost 12 years. I find that very hard. I wish that architectural projects could be completed a little bit faster. For this reason, I sometimes like to create furniture because you can see the result within one year, not like the Arnhem project, which is very slow, complex and political.

W: You have lectured and taught at many architectural schools around the world. What are your hopes for the young generation?

B: They should not only look at architecture, but also pay attention to the way younger companies, like Google and many other Internet firms, are organising their work. How do they think differently from a traditional company? I think future architectural companies should find new ways of structuring themselves, collaborating differently, outsourcing and coming up with new ideas, not only at the design level, but also the way of organisation. That’s also why the inclusive approach of integrating virtual and material organisation and engineering constructions is central to my teaching.

W: What do you think is the future potential for architecture?

B: I think it is to become more integral and more intelligent.

Buildings should be healthier and make people happier.

Nowadays, buildings are not always happy, but serious with steels and glass, giving a heavy feeling. So I think that buildings should become more light-hearted and pleasant – more sensual and attractive, more beautiful and colourful. It would be very nice if architecture could be more theatrical.

W: What do you think is the biggest challenge that your design will meet in the next ten years?

B: To become better. I have always worked hard at making my design better.

W: What is the most exciting part of being an architect?

B: Just like I said, I like to create architecture that is attractive, beautiful and theatrical. Being an architect makes me so happy.

W: You travel widely and have worked in a lot of countries and territories. Which has impressed you the most?

B: At the moment, China or maybe Asia as a whole impresses me the most. I currently have six major projects in Singapore. There is also a lot of work to do in China. I feel there is a unique culture of architecture there. In Europe architects are usually advisors or engineers, while in China or Asia, I find that an architect is more often ‘an architect’. The culture and creation of a project are really valued here.

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36H AND 56H MATERIAL _

RESIN WICKER / ALUMINIUM FRAME CLIENT _

DRIADE PHOTOGRAPHY _

FRANCESCO BOLIS

36H.

One of my earliest memories dates back to when my grandmother prepared homemade pasta. We were enthralled by the ritual she staged: the wisdom of the dough, the homogeneous leveled mass and the domestication of the surfaces. Gestures handed down for generations, unifying practice and imagination, codes and extemporaneousness.

The world has changed so much since then, and practice and imagination refer less and less to a single actor. I am free to roam the endless fields

56H.

of fancy, building precarious bridges between conceivable and possible, in a process that ignores the temporal variation.

On the contrary, those who turn my thoughts into substance, through manual dexterity and mastery of gestures, consider time as a plus value. The names of these two objects of memory, fellow adventurers in one’s raids of fantasy, refer to the temporal element that each of them requires, as a pledge in the hands of the skilled craftsmen.

CHAIR (36H) / ROCKING ARMCHAIR (56H)

The names of these two objects of memory refer to the temporal element that each of them requires.

ABARTH MATERIALS _

POLYCARBONATE AND ALUMINIUM CLIENT _

CASAMANIA

CHAIR

A light but highly distinctive seat is matched with a reverse cantilever base. The result is a modern and sporty chair, easily recognisable thanks to its forceful and dynamic silhouette.

The world of car racing is similarly evoked in the choice of the materials used in the chair, polycarbonate and aluminium.

The modern and sporty chair evokes the world of car racing.

HIM & HER MATERIAL _

POLYETHYLENE CLIENT _

CASAMANIA PHOTOGRAPHY _

SETTIMIO BENEDUSI

CHAIR

‘I’ve always loved the Panton Chair. I wanted to go further. Only the human body can do that.’ said Fabio Novembre.

Him & Her are a couple of chairs in polyethylene.

Both are completely the same in the front while the back is different: Her reminds the sensual back of a woman, Him the man’s one.

Does Him or Her go further beyond the Panton Chair?