Design exchange magazine vol 1 2013

ARCHITECTURE INTERIORS ART DESIGN ~ DEMAGAZINE.CO.UK LONG TERM: THE SIGHTSEER'S GUIDE TO THE LONDON HOUSING CRISIS. MEDIUM TERM: PRIYA PAUL ~ DESIGN FOR DISASTER ~ BIO CONCRETE ~ DUBAI DESIGN SHORT TERM: RIBA ~ ASIF KHAN ~ DANIEL RYBAKKEN. SPECULATIVE: VERTICAL LIVING ~ SPQT ~ MAGNETIC ARCHITECTURE »

INTERIORS: HOTEL, RESTAURANT, HOME & OFFICE

DESIGN EXCHANGE

ME LONDON, IKUZE, FIGUEIRA, SLIP HOUSE, BUCKLEY BUILDING »

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DE Editorial

Vol.#1 2013 ~ MINDFUL

Despite the increaseD use of the term ‘mindfulness’

in our modern Western society, the focus remains largely a personal one, more often relating to a desire to do more yoga than in the context of shifting professional priorities. In this issue, we look to examine ways in which we can become more mindful in numerous approaches in our practice – a closer relationship to nature and light, a more conscious approach to sustainability both in terms of affordability as well as the use of space, and an examination of technology’s role in this.

Our feature on the housing crisis from a London perspective also looks at living afloat – houseboats as a way to minimise land use using both cooperative and custom built systems.

Our ability to mimic natural phenomena is explored as we look at Asif Khan’s installation for Swarovski at last year’s Design Miami. In our Speculative section, we examine the possibility of a floating metropolis, as well as discussing the future of sustainable design.

With this issue, we also announce an increasingly international team, working closely with Portugal’s Veer Design to give our layout a new look, which has also invited the opportunity to experiment with paper and prints, and with myself now based in NYC. de

DIANA BIGGS {editor@demagazine.co.uk} demagazine.co.uk

7

DE Contents

016 EVENTS/SHOWS/FAIRS 2013 DESIGN CALENDAR

LONG TERM Section 1 022 THE LONDON SIGHTSEER'S GUIDE TO A HOUSING CRISIS: About This Guide.

Living on Water Floating Around on (Boat) house Part THREE: Living on Rooftops – SunBloc by Heliomet Part ONE:

Part TWO:

MEDIUM TERM Section 2 036 PRIYA PAUL PARK HOTELS 038 DESIGN FOR DISASTER 040 BIO CONCRETE 042 DUBAI DESIGN 8

Design Exchange

DE Contents

SHORT TERM Section 3 048 The Regent Street Windows Project RIBA 050 ASIF KHAN Swarovski 054 DANIEL RYBAKKEN

SPECULATIVE Section 4 058 e.lith 060 Floating Metropolis 062 Iron Formations 066 Recession to Innovation: The Future of Sustainable Design

INTERIORS Section 5 070 078 084 088 092 096 100 102 104 106 110 114 118 122 124 126 10

Design Exchange

ME London Foster + Partners Ikuze ROOM 33 THE Beautique Hotel Figueira Nini Andrade Silva Kemuri SHANGAI Hotel Maria Cristina Slip House Carl Turner Architects CarbonLight Homes Attendant The Pearson Room B3 DESIGNERS The Buckley Building Howick Place SKYPE OFFICES AT TWO WATERHOUSE SQUARE, LONDON Microsoft Research Offices at 21 Station Road, LONDON / Chetwoods Architects Patrick Hellmann UK Interior Design, Furniture and Men’s Luxury Fashion Retail COURTYARD Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal e dos Territórios / Siegbert Zanettini DE SELECTED ITEMS

01453 887868

www.graceandwebb.com

DE Contributors

BRUNA AMOROS Industrial design is her passion and profession. Bruna started her steps in the design world in Brazil, where she was born. After graduating from university with a degree in Product Design she moved to Spain, the country of her second nationality, to study 3D and Illustration.

Bruna currently lives and works in London and is pleased to write about creative products through DE magazine, a desire that she has had for a long time.

Rosemary Munro Rosemary is a writer based in London. She is a recent English graduate from Goldsmiths University and studied Art and Architecture at The University of the Arts, London. She has written about arts and politics for various online and print media.

Mandi Keighran

Sonia Nicolson Sonia Nicolson, RIBA, SBID is inspired by different cultures and their built environment.

Sonia has travelled much of Asia, Australia and Europe, and successfully helped set up a new design college in Bangalore, India. She is currently working as Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture and Design at the Arts University at Bournemouth (AUB). Focussed on bringing ‘real’ experience to students, she has developed projects which look at designing within a developing context and natural disaster response which challenge her students and open their minds to scenarios beyond the typical unit.

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Design Exchange

Mandi Keighran is a London-based writer and editor specialising in design and architecture.

She is currently Design Editor for ICON magazine, one of the world’s leading design publications, and is Editor-at-large of Indesign magazine, Australia’s leading architecture and design title.

She has written about major architecture and interior design projects in Australia and overseas, has interviewed and profiled some of the world’s foremost designers and architects, and has covered design fairs around the globe.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) from the University of Sydney in 2006 and completed a Master of Arts (Writing) at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in 2011, giving her a unique point of view when writing about architecture and design.

MASHA KUZMENKO Masha Kuzmenko is a freelance writer from London. She studied architecture at Edinburgh University. After graduating, she worked for a few architecture and interior design practices in Moscow and London. In the past she has contributed to Wallpaper*, Architectural Review and Protein as a trends and insight journalist.

Designed in London Made in Britain www.assemblyroom.co.uk info@assemblyroom.co.uk

Masthead DESIGN EXCHANGE 2013 VOLUME 1 issue 10 £10.00 Editor-in-Chief Diana Biggs editor@demagazine.co.uk Senior Editors Robert Pike Stuart Blakley

Cover Image: Ikuze – An Interior project by Room 33

COVER PHOTO

© 2013 Jill Tate Photography / All rights reserved

Contributing Editors Bruna Amoros Mandi Keighran Masha Kuzmenko Rosemary Munro Sonia Nicolson Web/Online Feature Editor Maria Passarivaki

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© 2013 Copyright design exchange magazine claims no responsibility for the opinions of its writers and contributors contained within this design magazine.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without prior permission is strictly forbidden.

Every care has been taken when compiling design exchange to ensure that all the content is correct at the time of printing. design exchange assumes no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.

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DE DESIGN CALENDAR 2013 Sydney Design 2013 Sydney, Australia {03 - 18 August} www.sydneydesign.com.au/2013

Designersblock London, UK {18 - 22 September} www.verydesignersblock.com

Formex Stockholm, Sweden {15 - 18 August} www.formex.se

Tent London Old Truman Brewery London, UK {19 - 22 September} www.tentlondon.co.uk

| Last Call {August}

Super Brands London Old Truman Brewery London, UK {19 - 22 September} www.superbrandslondon.co.uk

{SEPTEMBER} |

Charles Correa: India’s Greatest Architect RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London {Current - 04 September} www.architecture.com Maison & Objet Paris, France {06 - 10 September} www.maison-objet.com Paris Design Week 2013 Paris, France {09 - 15 September} www.parisdesignweek.fr

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Focus Chelsea Harbour Design Centre London, UK {22 - 24 September} www.designcentrechelseaharbour.co.uk Decorex International Kensington Palace, London, UK {22 - 25 September} www.decorex.com Cersaie Bologna, Italy {23 - 27 September} www.cersaie.it Marmomacc Verona, Italy {25 - 28 September} www.marmomacc.it

MoOD (Decosit) Brussels, Belgium {11 - 12 September} www.moodbrussels.com

{SEPTEMBER OCTOBER} |

Helsinki Design Week 2013 Venues across Helsinki {12 - 22 September} www.helsinkidesignweek.com

Beijing Design Week 2013 Beijing, China {26 September - 3 October} www.bjdw.org

LDF London Design Festival 2013 Venues across London, UK {14 - 22 September} www.londondesignfestival.com

Vienna Design Week 2013 Vienna, Austria {27 September - 6 October} www.viennadesignweek.at

{OCTOBER} |

World Architecture Festival (WAF) Singapore {02 - 04 October} www.worldarchitecturefestival.com Abitare 100% Project Verona, Italy {13 - 15 October} www.abitareproject.com Dutch Design Week 2013 Eindhoven, Netherlands {19 - 27 October } www.ddw.nl RHIC 2012 Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference Sochi, Russia {22 - 23 October} www.russia-cisconference.com

{OCTOBER NOVEMBER} | Tokyo Designers Week 2013 2-3 Kasumigaoka , Tokyo {26 October - 04 November} www.tdwa.com

{NOVEMBER} |

Deloitte European Hotel Investment Conference London, UK {04 - 05 November} www.deloitte.co.uk/hotelinvestmentconference European Hotel Design Awards London {19 November} www.thesleepevent.com Sleep Business Design Centre {20 - 21 November} www.thesleepevent.com

Top Drawer Autumn Olympia Exhibition Center London, UK {15 - 17 September} www.topdrawerautumn.com

{SEPTEMBER DECEMBER} |

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Close, Closer Lisbon, Portugal {12 September - 15 December} www.close-closer.com

{DECEMBER} |

Designjunction London, UK {18 - 22 September} www.thedesignjunction.co.uk

Lisbon Architecture Triennale Lisbon, Portugal {12 September - 15 December} www.trienaldelisboa.com/pt

Design Miami Miami Beach, USA {04 - 08 December} www.designmiami.com

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LONG

TERM Sec.# 1

022 THE LONDON SIGHTSEER'S GUIDE TO A HOUSING CRISIS

demagazine.co.uk

21

words: ROBERT PIKE

About this Guide: Do you feel like the housing market is passing you by?

Put off by high prices and limited buyer options?

Then check out the sightseer's guide to a housing crisis. This is the London version, though the issues discussed are by no means London-centric.

Witness a Housing Crisis. Come to London.

Brown Field Regeneration for Foreign Investment

The London Sightseer's Guide to a

Housing Crisis

Part

one

A

couple, early thirties, post grads in reputable subjects, in jobs on average earnings, find themselves as sightseers, staring down the black hole at the end of a tenancy agreement. The flat is to be sold by the landlord at the end of the tenancy.

Original purchase price: £90,000 in 1999. Initial money invested: approx. £15,000. 2013 valuation: £250,000. A £105,000 investment has borne a golden egg. This price inflation is not unique. This is a trend reflected across the country and particularly the capital as a whole as pressures are placed on limited stock from all angles. Estate agents, claw at any opportunity to sell to the highest bidder and often these are not necessarily those most in need.

Our couple of first-time buyers face the impossible task to raise a mortgage to meet inflated asking prices and ever rising deposits.

Before the financial crash mortgages were dished out with little consideration as to whether money could be paid back. Nowadays there are a lot of hoops to jump through to even be considered. In the Labyrinthine market, routes open to first time buyers are full of pitfalls.

Look to cheaper locations, they say, to get that foot on the property ladder.

Or stay in an equally bloody bear pit – the rental market. Or the in-betweener – the shared ownership scheme – the ‘affordable housing’ option that is not quite as affordable as it would seem.

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Design Exchange

At top of the cost scale Battersea Power Station is not to be missed and if you love four enormous white chimneys, have a penchant for former power stations, and want the riverside lifestyle, then this could be the home of your dreams – or perhaps not for the ordinary first-time buyers. The proposals made headlines when 75% of properties were sold off plan in the first week on the market.

Interest was, not only from the UK, but from Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. This is housing buying as an international property investment. An investment! Foreign investor's gold cheque books are being waved at big post industrial urban regeneration sites in Kings Cross, the Olympic Park and Greenwich Peninsula.

Social Cleansing Housing Policy "it is vital that we push forward with work to unlock the massive economic potential of Elephant and Castle which has languished in a no man's land for too many years".

BORIS JOHNSON APPROVES HEYGATE DEMOLITION. BDONLINE. 4/3/2013

Elephant and Castle, unmistakable for its vast 70's concrete estates heralded as revolutionary but then left unmaintained to rot. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has

approved plans to demolish the estate in the name of regeneration. But just as many see a home as an investment, the leaders of the city see regeneration as unlocking “massive economic potential”.

How does this manifest itself?

Evict all the council tenants with the promise of re-housing them within the new development, and then in a proposed development of 2500 homes reduce the amount of affordable homes for them to a paltry 71! The equation doesn’t add up. Over 1000 tenants will need to be swept under the carpet somewhere else, and new-money tenants brought in.

Ironically this could include our couple of first time buyers forced out of higher priced areas elsewhere. According to Catherine Croft, director of the 20th Century Society, "parts of the estate could be refurbished rather than knocked down". This is not unknown as public housing estates in the city have been saved from the wrecking ball in favour of refurbishment and retaining the community of original tenants.

The Ideological Brick Walls of the Housing Crisis – Who Should Build?

We are only building ideological walls across the political divide of this crisis. Will Hutton says, (Without Affordable New Homes How Do We Build a Better Britain, Observer, 24/2/13) "Britain built fewer than 100,000 new homes last year, far below the 240,000 a year benchmark necessary to house citizens and

TOBY LLOYD NO TURNING BACK IN GROUND BREAKING: NEW IDEAS ON HOUSING DELIVERY.

propel economic recovery.”

Hutton's analysis emphasises a vicious spiral for those in need of housing and for the wider economy. Pressures on income have never been greater as salaries stall. Yet Hutton cites IMF figures that suggest prices are 30% higher than they should be. The upward trend will continue. As Hutton suggests, "Incapacity to build reflects the crisis in macroeconomic policy, broken finance, the deadening overhang of mortgage debt and the squeeze on living standards".

This situation is not helped by the short-termist view of private house builders that place shareholders return above affordable housing need.

Sightseers, why not engage with thy enemy – the mass house builder? Our first-time buyers found themselves viewing flats of a big multi-million pound developer. The sales pitch consisted of an initial declaration that the company had announced record profits for the year later followed by the claim that this development was failing to make a big profit due to local authority limitations on how much could be built, and the initial high cost of the land purchase. Little did the sales drone know he was quoting the findings of the Calcutt Review, "housebuilders are not in the business to serve the public interest".

Therefore is house building a question of ideology? Who should drive the building of homes? The private or public sector? The last few years suggest neither can provide the answers necessary to solve today's problems. Tokenistic gestures when working together aren't the answer. "Today's £225 million will not only provide a financial boost for successful house building projects it will also unlock vital

" There is no need to mourn the potential death of the housebuilder model.

After all, it has failed to deliver the number of quality homes we need during years of record house price growth "

DE LONG TERM

private finance to get spades in the ground", Housing Minister Mark Prisk said in March. Draw your own conclusions.

From Sightseer to Self Builder EmptyHomes.com hints at frustration but also a chance to be proactive and seek opportunity from the city. The 2012 figures for empty homes across the city amounts to 72,457. The city also has small empty sites perfect for residential development.

Not green fields but brown field holes in the streetscape left idle for years. The London Evening Standard recently suggested architects should take a proactive approach to identifying such sites and seeking to connect them with an end user.

What if our sightseers could find another way out of the public/ private ideological cul-de-sac and proactively play a role in tackling the crisis? Could the answer to the crisis see sightseers going Dutch and turning to custom builders? This is exactly what 'Right to Build: The Next Mass Housing industry', a report

by Alastair Parvin, David Saxby, Cristina Cerulli, and Tatjana Schneider, sets out to discuss.

They argue that "our almost total dependence on the big-provider model is no longer rational or realistic, and a rethink is now needed if we are to meet the UK's housing needs in the coming decades". It's not revolutionary, Europe is way ahead of

us, illustrated recently by the National Self Build Association at Ecobuild, Chris Brown of Igloo Regeneration for Green Sky Thinking and a BBC Culture Show on housing.

It takes the notion of custombuild as a solo activity of the ‘Grand Designs’ generation onto a bigger scale. Sightseers should create Baugruppen (collectives) or Genossenschaften (cooperatives) like in Berlin. The advantages are that groups like this can club together and buy the land needed to build new homes.

The designer of the house is not anonymous and is not relying on identikit house types. Nor is a private house developer shackled to pushing down cost and making a return for shareholders. As Right to Build suggests, those living in dwellings take responsibility for procuring them.

Self-providers are motivated to make a home, not an investment, and can prioritise specific family needs, energy efficiency, performance, whole life costs, even ceiling heights… etc.

At the moment UK self-build accounts for a small proportion of development. However, recently the London Legacy Development Cooperation (LLDC) – the body that will shape the future of the Olympic Park – announced a consultation to explore "custom build homes on Queen Elizabeth Park". This is a big deal and follows recent successful custom-build projects like LILAC in Leeds.

It is clear in the housing crisis that the status quo has to change because it is not providing the numbers nor the diversity required to house the population of London. The solution will not be provided by one group but will be a multi level approach involving public, private and custombuild homes. ¦ part two demagazine.co.uk

23

Part

TWO

Living on Water Floating Around on (Boat) house

24

Design Exchange

DE LONG TERM

P

art one of the sightseer's guide set the scene for the crisis in housing which up to now we have all been sleepwalking through. But the crisis of housing is just one of the fronts on which we are fighting. At the time of writing it was Climate Week 2013, and leading UK sustainability exhibition Ecobuild had just finished. Climate change and sustainable development of cities were very much high on the agenda. This article examines two options – floating homes and homes retrofitted on rooftops.

Ecobuild takes place next to the Royal Victoria Docks – a vast manmade stretch of water which was once the transition point for all that made the British Empire tick. Now London's working ocean docks have moved east and Royal Victoria is a speculator's paradise for post industrial regeneration projects. A cable car lands on the western shore beside the new Siemens Crystal – a sustainable centre speculating on the future of cities. Excel has just been extended. At the east end is London City Airport and beyond that is the campus of the University of East London. But what if the water itself, rather than the dock sides, were speculated upon? ¦

demagazine.co.uk

25

Part

TWO

The Dutch Way

by DRMM Research Presented at the Venice Takeaway.

Last year the British Council in British Pavilion at Venice Biennale presented Venice Takeaway – recently on show at the RIBA in London.

Amongst research presented by 10 groups, architects DRMM – inspired by the underutilised waterways of the UK – contemplate living, working and playing on water. The main focus of the body of work is a case study of the Dutch floating house community of Ijburg – a floating suburb of Amsterdam.

Sightseers may want to consider whether they would live on water. It is research which raises lots of questions and DRMM sets out to answer them. The Netherlands is constantly doing battle with the sea. Much of the land is below sea level, protected by a network of dykes, polders and waterways. Much has been reclaimed from the sea thanks to the ingenuity of engineers.

Yet with the ever constant threat 26

Design Exchange

of rising sea levels significantly accelerated by global warming and melting ice caps, the Dutch are one of many low-lying nations that must be innovative and embrace water. You can only build flood banks so high after all. Eventually it makes sense to look at water as a place to live, and create more communities like Ijburg.

Urban Planning

Urban planning is still required for a water development, much like any other part of a complex city. You want to create a sense of place which is currently what the Royal Victoria Docks lack. Could a houseboat community inject character into the area? DRMM interviewed Sjoerd Soeters of Soeters Van Eldonk Architecten who describes how open water can be injected with a sense of place. He suggests the "spatial qualities of Amsterdam can be applied where subtle variations in eye level between streets can be applied, the bridges and the

Previous page: [Above] DRMM_Floatopolis Masterplan. [Below] Floating Houses in the harbour surrounded by land based apartments showing the mix of dwellings.

This page: Residents of self-built family water house in Ijburg. [Top left] a detail of a concept sketch.

Right page: [Top] Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio NL, aka The Floating Dutchman. Specializes in floating structures to counter concerns of floods and to change cities worldwide by using water as building ground. [Middle] Marlies Rohmer, Director of Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer, contributed to the urban design, infrastructure requirements and architecture of Ijburg. [Bottom] Floating Houses.

DE LONG TERM

canals create a special experience of space". He recalls the Dutch concept of Gezelligheid, which "evokes feelings of belonging, time spent with loved ones".

Could you create a cosy spot in the Royal Docks that recalls some of the best characteristics of London?

Supportive Policy

" Eventually it makes sense to look at water as a place to live "

House boats could provide a realistic and affordable solution to the housing crisis engulfing London. How do you buy a boat house? DRMM identified the structures that make this possible through discussions with residents and stakeholders.

Described as Aquanomics, developers go beyond the waterfront and buy up "water parcels”.

Enrico Pancenti, a contractor and resident in a self-built family waterhouse, discusses Erfpachtthe policy that allowed Ijburg to develop. Under the regulations the plot is his for 50 years and it cannot be taken away, therefore Enrico has security of tenure, and this means he can secure his life and have confidence in the structure he has built for his family. This is a long-term solution which will help to underpin the long-term sustainability of Ijburg.

This is the necessary policy required to match with good urban design principles to make this a good place to live. If the Royal Docks were to have up to 2000 waterhouses, these two points would be essential in making it a success.

Floating the Idea of Self-Build

The first article discussed custom-build and cooperative land – or in this case water – purchase. Derko-Jan Dollen – architect and resident in a selfbuild warehouse – describes the Dutch principle of Opdrachtgeverschap. This "is the system by which future neighbours decide how their houses will be built and what they will look like. It is a way of bypassing developers and housing agents". The equation removes the developer and instead relies on the cooperative for purchase, appointment of an architect, and procurement. Without developer involvement Dollen suggests it creates better quality but at a lower cost. The developer's overheads have been removed and the priorities of the project are set to benefit the intended resident.

It is a simple model to develop a community. Within the potential 2000 homes of the Royal Docks could a proportion be self-built and commissioned? There is no reason why not. ¦ demagazine.co.uk

27

Part

TWO

Reviving (House) Boat Building in the Royal Docks

Systems for manufacture need to be in place. Building on water obviously is not the same as building a house on land. A house boat building factory is required for this. This is where someone like Willem Visser of ABC Arkenbuew steps in. He runs the house boat building factory in Ijburg. His discussions with DRMM set out the parameters which are placed on this specialist area. The first key principle is to make it float with buoyancy. Then keep it floating with balanced ballast. (By ballast read furniture… etc). Then there is the method of transporting it to the floating village. It needs to be towed by barge. In Ijburg the width and height of the house is determined by the width of locks and the height of bridges.

Marlies Rohmer, of Architectenbereau Marlies Rohmer, places great emphasis on the need for support 28

Design Exchange

This page: DRMM feasibility study of London's inner waterways.

infrastructure and suggests the questions that begin a series of problem solving designs for house boats. A house boat still needs to be connected to the sewerage systems which have to be pumped to the landward side.

Residents – despite having sea legs – still need cars. Can provision be made for landside car parking that doesn't in the end defeat the objective of occupying water? Likewise is there an opportunity to park a boat? How does the rubbish come to be collected? The idea of living on water presents many questions that a development like Ijburg sets out to answer.

Applying this to the Royal Victoria Docks, house boat building and infrastructure support could easily be supported in an area long associated with ship building and dealing with the processing of the city's waste.

Though ship building has died out, and much of the industry has moved on, could enough expertise be re-gathered in the area to prompt a new (house) boat building boom? This would certainly have knock-on benefit putting skilled workers back into employment. This would be a prefabrication process that would take place in a highly controlled environment, meaning that efficient construction methods could be applied. The water could be the means by which to transport the raw materials and

the labour force. The materials used could also tie in with the need to recycle the city's waste products. Observe the area in the vicinity of the Royal Docks and you will see potential opportunity for creative reuse of materials like plastic. Could you take the ideas utilised by the Plastiki – a boat built from recycled PET bottles amongst other things – and apply it to this new boat house model? If this is a paradigm developed to tackle multiple crises then it should be at its core to promote recycling and 'Cradle to Cradle' principles.

whether Ijburg is a success. How do you measure that? The residents are the best guide to this: "We're a very tight community.

Everyone knows everyone here.

It's very intimate and nice and when the sun is shining everyone is outside doing something to their house and then meeting each other for drinks. Everyone helps each other with house issues, from DIY to understanding the regulations. It's a very nice atmosphere". That is the view of Aart, Simone, Ties and Vera residents in a selfbuild waterhouse. Let's hope one day we will be reading the experiences of a family living amongst the model self-build community of the Royal Docks. ¦ part tHREE

Long-Term Living

The floating community of Ijburg is a successful model that the stakeholders in the Royal Docks should look to.

DRMM's research is an invaluable resource around which much conversation can be had and many ideas can be developed.

The final word should reflect on

References: Venice Takeaway.

Ideas to Change British Architecture.

Curated by Venessa Norwood and Vicky Richardson. AA Publications. 2012. Took place as part of the Venice Biennale 2012 and at the RIBA in 2013.

P art

THREE

Living

on Rooftops

SunBloc by Heliomet

S

ightseer's seeking a place to build a home could look upwards and seek potential on the rooftops of the city with a Sunbloc House. This is the inventive, award winning proposal from the Heliomet team. Heliomet is an ongoing live project from the students of the Digital Design Research Studio (DDRS) at the Cass School (Formerly London Metropolitan School of Architecture and Spatial Design) in London with support of industry professionals.

This began as a speculative proposal that could be put forward to the Solar Decathlon (SD) competition that takes place biannually in Spain. SD began in the US and run the department for Energy. It invited collegiate groups to "design, build and operate solar powered houses that are cost effective, energy efficient and attractive". The winner is assessed on the basis of the "team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency". SD culminates in an exhibition of built prototypes open to the public, which emphasises the financial and energy benefits. SD has spawned events in Europe and China, 30

Design Exchange

with the next in Dongtang in August this year. The 2014 competition will take place in France at the Chateau de Versailles.

The intentions of SD suits Cass architecture students where encouraged to take part in live projects that liberate them from the design studio and engage them with the discourse of real world issues, widespread collaborations and far reaching research. This is something that should be commended.

The first prototype was displayed at Ecobuild in 2011, yet issues beyond their control scuppered Heliomet involvement in SDEurope 2012 – a huge disappointment to the team, many of which were focussed on finishing their studies. Yet the team's endeavour was rewarded in December 2012 with the RIBA Silver Medal. This was the first time it had been awarded jointly and brought great emphasis to the importance of live research work. The current phase of development has been focussed on taking part in SDChina in August this year. Work has involved design workshops and site visits with students from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, as well as exhibiting at Ecobuild 2013. Œ

" team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency "

DE LONG TERM

This page: [Above] The Heliomet team with collaborators from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. [Below] Visualisation of the house prototype on a rooftop of London.

Next page: Close up view of the Sunbloc house illustrating the green wall that aims to enhance biodiversity of the city.

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Speculating on a Sightseer's Sunbloc House

P art

THREE

The team describe SunBloc as "both a building system and a prototypical house exploiting the thermal performance, compressive capacity, easy tooling and cost effectiveness of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS); which can be adapted to reclaim unused parts of the city". What is its potential as a solution for housing our sightseers?

Innovative Materials and Simple Construction

SunBloc has a simple composite construction system which has emerged from a process of refinement through intensive research studies involving parametric design techniques and environmental studies.

Component EPS foam blocks can be fabricated in a clean environment offsite. Obvious benefits are in the control of the material. The building of the prototype has utilised facilities like Metropolitan Works with affordable laser cutting equipment in32

Design Exchange

tegrated with the latest computer programmes. Blocks are formed from templates and then shaped using equipment as simple as a hot wire. The templates can easily be reused in the next build. EPS lends itself to 'Cradle-to-Cradle' principles. Recycled off cuts and waste material can be reused in the making of the next building. Then the EPS, when the house is at the end of its life, can be broken down into pellets and recycled.

Blocks are lightweight and this makes it easy and less energy intensive to transport them to site from manufacturing facilities. Factory building means that a customisation of any house can occur early on. This is beneficial to our sightseers who could easily integrate furniture and fittings during the build for a functional living environment.

A single unit can be assembled by a small crew of unskilled workers, as has been illustrated by the numerous exhibitions the prototype has been shown, at where the students have assembled it. Could a group of custom builders come together and do just that? On site foam blocks can be handled by two people and placed in a standard lift.

Once the blocks are positioned on site, the whole structure is post-tensioned.

Integrated Energy Strategy

PassivHaus approach underpins the energy strategy.

The basis is a highly insulated

envelope – which is another benefit of the EPS foam – which reduces heat losses from the building. This in turn reduces the amount of energy actually needed to heat the building whilst still providing the necessary levels of thermal comfort. Thermal mass is provided by an internal finish of clay render with an embedded phase change material of bi-wax granules – an important innovation which is gaining more prominence in sustainable design.

Heating for the building comes from air that is heated when channelled under the Photovoltaic Thermal (PV-T) array and into the building. This is one of the benefits that the PV-T can provide as it combines the normal Photovoltaic array that will convert solar energy into power with water tubes that will warm the water for the building. Combining the two has the added benefit of improving the efficiency of the array, which ironically loses efficiency the hotter it gets. This strategy points towards a carbon neutral structure even carbon positive – by giving energy back to the grid and by improving efficiency of the host building.

A green wall is cleverly integrated with the EPS to provide a growing surface allowing for an intensive growth that will encourage biodiversity – particularly important in the city where often green spaces are eradicated

for new development. Could it also provide opportunity for urban food growing or improve air quality? Finally, grey water recycling tanks are integrated into the design which also doubles as ballast.

Future Innovations and Uses

As we look to the future EPS could be formed from natural sugar to create a Biofoam. This would be a great innovation and would further enhance the 'Cradle-to-Cradle principles. The siting on rooftops was the original intention but why should a project like this be limited solely to that. The designers think it could be deployed in disaster relief shelters or used in extreme conditions of heat and cold. A Project like Heliomet shows what innovative ideas can emerge from a well supported research proposal and you could speculate that this could lead to positive results. de

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TERM Sec.# 2

036 PRIYA PAUL PARK HOTELS 038 DESIGN FOR DISASTER

BY SONIA NICOLSON/ Arts University at Bournemouth (AUB) 040 BIO CONCRETE 042 DUBAI DESIGN

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words: DAVID MORRIS — images: PORTRAIT COURTESY OF PRIYA PAUL + HOTELS CHECK IMAGES

As the President and Creative Director of The Park Hotels, India’s foremost boutique hotel chain, Priya Paul has used her talent for entrepreneurialism and her passion for design to their fullest effects. After graduating from Wellesley College with a BA in Economics she took a job as the marketing manager of The Park New Delhi and has worked her way to the top of her industry.

Amongst many other accolades, she is a four-time nominee for The Economic Times’s Business Woman of the Year award, and was recognised by Forbes online as one of India’s 100 most powerful businesswomen. Last year, she was awarded one of India’s highest civilian awards, Padma Shri, for her contributions to trade and industry.

The Park Hotels combine five star service with contemporary design and incorporate bars and lounges where both travellers and locals can congregate.

Rather than creating hotels, Priya Paul creates cultural hubs. The Park Hotels have recently announced the launch of a four star hotel chain across the subcontinent, overseen by London-based designers Project Orange.

INTERVIEW:

Park Hotels

Luxury boutique five star hotels

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Design Exchange

What are your latest projects?

Our flagship hotel, The Park Hyderabad, launched in 2010 and this was followed by a more boutique offering, The Park Goa, the year later. The next big opening will be The Park Kochi, which is a 28 storey high, 175 room hotel in the new business district of the city.

The Park Hotels have always offered luxury boutique hotels in India. Why have you decided to target the mid-market with the launch of the 'diffusion line' 4* hotels?

Zone By The Park has come about through seeing a gap in the market for hotels at around the 80 - 100 USD price point.

There is an increase in demand due to the burgeoning Indian middle classes and a rise in domestic travel for business and leisure, but they will also appeal to international travellers. The hotels will also be design-led, and will have great food and entertainment venues, which The Park is known for.

How were the locations decided?

The Park Hotels have been pioneers in the hospitality market since their inception

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FOTO: © Dinesh Khanna

Left page: Priya Paul This Page: [Above and left to right] The Park Goa (Pool) The Park Hyderabad (Penthouse). [Bottom left] The Park Hyderabad (Lobby).

FOTO: © AMIT PASRICHA

and again will lead the way, opening up new fast growing Indian cities in leisure and business destinations by creating a high standard of affordable hotels, following on from the rising stock of quality mid-market offerings in the west. The first two will be opening towards the end of the year in Raipur and Coimbatore.

Why and how did you come to work with London-based designers project Orange?

We worked with James Soane when he was at Conran & Partners and he designed The Park Navi Mumbai. We understand each other well and decided to work with him to communicate our vision for Zone by The Park.

The Park Hotels are well known for their playful interiors. Where do you find inspiration for these?

I try to create spaces that I will enjoy

– sometimes playful, sometimes serious.

What is your favourite place, city, museum or film for inspiration?

I get my inspiration from travel, especially when with family and friends, talking with people and reading. I think it is important to be like a sponge to things around you. Some of my favourite places are Goa, Paris and New York. My top museums are The Design Museum in London and The Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

And where have you found ideas where you’ve least expected them?

The best ideas come when I’m in a quiet place – a walk, a shower or when I’m about to sleep.

How would you define your style?

Eclectic – I love clean contemporary lines but also like layering them with art and objects. I love putting art, antiques and objects together.

What makes The Park Hotels different?

Each hotel has a distinct character.

We try to build each hotel to reflect the city in which it is located. Art, music and theatre performance are all an integral part of the experience.

What one invention would transform your life?

Something that would create more hours in the day for me. de

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images: Sonia Nicolson

conscious design in the aftermath of a natural disaster words: Sonia Nicolson Senior Lecture (1st year tutor) Interior Architecture & Design, AUB

B

eing a conscious designer is not just about being aware of what is going on in the world.

Too often we look at different cultures, situations and ways of living and working, and struggle to relate or even comprehend. One event which unfortunately happens all too often is the natural disaster, occurring world wide and frequently, they are very real and terrifying events which can be devastating; they can cause huge amounts of damage and destruction, loss of life and can drastically change an environment. In times of emergency, and the weeks and months to follow, shelter is required which is quick to construct, temporary, lightweight and low cost. This is the focus for first year Interior Architecture & Design students in their second term at the Arts University at Bournemouth (AUB). ‘Design for Disaster’ is a studio project, and an area of research and interest for Sonia Nicolson, Architect and Senior Lecturer at AUB. In the new year of 2011/2012 the east coast of India was battered

by Cyclone Thane, an area where Sonia was visiting at the time and not far from Bangalore where she worked as an academic. Experiencing such a dramatic few days firsthand, hearing stories of survival and seeing such a strong community spirit in the aftermath of such a natural disaster, and the rebuild which quickly followed, inspired her to get involved and bring this experience to her students.

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Left page: Scenes of destruction on the streets of Pondicherry, India in the aftermath of Cyclone Thane.

This page: [Below] AUB students shelter design proposals from the unit ‘Design for Disaster’.

Throughout this ten-week unit, designed to encourage students to think about real-life scenarios and how they as young designers can aid and assist, we looked at natural disaster, the people affected, their culture and lifestyle, local construction methods, precedent studies in disaster relief and how best to communicate and develop ideas. Split into groups, each with a different but very real natural disaster; cyclone, hurricane, wildfires, earthquake and flooding, our students set off to gain a better understanding of their scenarios.

42 students took part in this project, resulting in 42 completely diverse proposals. These ranged from the temporary to the built-in and permanent; from two-story orphanages to hand-held expandable pods, inflatable shelters to tents suspended between buildings, from locally sourced materials, using local construction methods, to up-cycled shipping containers and units offering rainwater harvesting and green roofs.

Although only in their first year of the degree course, the students taking part in this unit have not only stretched their design skills by exploring ephemeral architecture but they have stretched their awareness and ability to respond to small scale design by looking at practical exterior design, functional interior use, materials and reuse, and most importantly, the end users.

Being a designer does not always mean a glamorous life of endless clients, big budgets and new materials, and in learning this early on in their careers we hope our students will have a realistic and conscious outlook on design by knowing that they have the ability to help others through their work and by working on projects they feel could make a real difference in the world. de

Zyginta Barcauskaite Tendayi Chimbetete

mayu ueda

BROX ZSELES

JASON JONES

Lee Wymer demagazine.co.uk

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words: Masha Kuzmenko — images: COURTESY OF UPC

cal layer and a top coating layer. Rainwater is collected inside the biological layer, facilitating the development of microorganisms. The top layer has a reverse waterproofing function: it stops water from escaping, redirecting it to where it’s needed.

The biological concrete panels can be used to create vertical gardens – highly sustainable versions of our urban reality. But unlike a more common type of a modern green wall, these panels do not require any complex supporting systems or the use of hydroponics.

The material encourages biological growth on its own surface, so there is no need for any additional holding containers.

developed

at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

E

ncouraging moss and algae growth on the surface of a newly finished building may seem like an absurd idea – in our climate we do everything to prevent it.

But researchers at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, based in sunny Barcelona are doing exactly that. They developed a new type of concrete that contains biophilic additives, which help to cultivate biological growth. In Mediterranean climates this material promises to reduce the CO2 build-up and absorb solar heat. It is also aesthetically striking, and provides a simpler alternative to vertical gardening schemes. Its main limitation lies in the fact that it cannot be used in colder climates.

The secret of biological concrete is in its mixture. The usual Portland cement is replaced with magnesium phosphate cement, which is often used for repair work. In hot and humid climates, this increases its acidity levels, making it a perfect environment for algae and mosses to grow in. The new concrete is a multilayered component, its porosity and surface roughness modified just so that its panels can accumulate rainwater. Each panel is made up of three layers: the structural layer, protected by waterproofing, a biologi-

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Design Exchange

From top to bottom: Simulation of a vegetated façade at the Aeronautical Cultural Centre in El Prat de Llobregat/ Biological concrete texture/ Lichens on a rock/ Doctoral student Sandra Manso with samples of the biological concrete exposed to air to ensure the natural and accelerated growth of pigmented organisms.

Researchers hope that the new material will be used for renovation projects, as well as new buildings. They also believe that biological concrete will have a strong visual impact.

If applied correctly, the panels will provide a green alternative to more common methods of architectural ornamentation. Depending on what the architect wants, they can help a building stand out, or blend into the landscape. In the ideal world, the material will also require no maintenance and offer thermal and environmental advantages.

However, there is no ‘concrete’ proof of that.

The research team claims that the new material will reduce the atmospheric levels of CO2, because of its green coating. But there are no reports, which demonstrate exactly by how much. Perhaps because the number will be relatively low. The material theoretically is also able to capture solar radiation and regulate thermal conductivity inside the building, but this is also yet to be tested. Main limitations lie in the fact that it would be of no use in cold climates, where freezing of water occurs.

The end goal of the research is finding new ways to accelerate the growth of these organisms on the surface of the panels, helping them achieve a visually exciting appearance in just under a year. Presently, Catalan manufacturer ESCOFET has shown some interest in commercialising the project, but we are yet to see how these panels can be used in an urban context. Sadly, for some of us not fortunate enough to live in sunny parts of the world, all year-round, maintenance-free vertical garden is still a far-fetched dream. de

words: MANDI KEIGHRAN — images: Courtesy Design Days Dubai

DUBAI DESIGN At the heart of the uae

D

ubai is a city that often falls victim to assumptions. People who have never visited the coastal city will speak, with certainty, of a city rising improbably from the desert, rich with lavish excess, a city where bigger is better, nothing is real, skyscrapers are built seemingly overnight, and man-made islands are common. What kind of design industry could possibly thrive?

Assumptions like these are easy to make of a city as young and wealthy as Dubai, but they are misconceptions that lead to the city being perceived as a parody of itself. The city has seemingly sprung from the desert, and since 1833, when the Sheikhdom of Dubai was established, has developed at an unsurpassable rate. Today, the city’s is dominated by the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – and skyscrapers in the Emaar-style (named for the developer) of sand coloured towers punctuated with emerald glass.

Here, design is a young industry, but things

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Design Exchange

are rapidly changing – as they always have in Dubai – with the support of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Visiting the city during Art Week, which takes place in March and encompasses Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai, and the SIKKA Art Fair, there is a palpable enthusiasm throughout the cosmopolitan city.

“The design and art scene is growing here,” says Alison Collins, founder of The Majlis Gallery, the first art gallery to open in Dubai in 1989 (showcasing primarily decorative arts). “Young Emiratis no longer have to go abroad to get a good design education,” she says in reference to the first industrial design program to be offered in the UAE at the American University of Sharjah, Dubai’s neighbouring emirate. “It has such potential for developing in all sorts of ways.”

Local designer, Khalid Shafar, cites the previous lack of education programmes as one of the key challenges for designers in

Dubai and the UAE. He also mentions a lack of strong manufacturing and supply chains, and cultural barriers. “In regard to culture,” he says, everything starts with a first step.

[We need to] educate our culture and society about design and the importance of design in our life.”

One such educational initiative – one which Shafar was a part of – is Design Roads Professional, a programme run by Dubai Culture to foster the local design industry.

“Basically, our main objective was to close the gap between design and industry because we don’t have lack of creativity but we do have a lack of industry with an international standard,” says a representative from Design Roads Professional. Four young designers – Salem Al Namsoori, Zeinab Al Hashemi, Aljoud Lootah, and Shafar – travelled to London and Barcelona to research industry then develop a product that looked to local industry and materials. The projects were

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Previous page: [Left to right] ‘The Rocking Springbuck’ by Michaella Janse vanVuuren is 3D-printed in polyamide. It was exhibited with South African gallery, Southern Guild. / London gallery Gazelli Art House presented Antony Hall’s ‘Oil Drip’ installation.

This Page: [Clockwise from top left] Analogia Project created a bespoke installation for Design Days Dubai.

The installation re-imagined design classics using black, wool suspended in space. / UAE designer, Khalid Shafar, designed ‘Zoo’ for the Design Roads Professional programme. / Aljoud Lootah, Salem Al Mansoori, Zeinab Al Hashemi, and Khalid Shafar all took part in the Design Roads Professional programme. / Arabic Type Design for Beginners is an illustrated guidebook for type designers launched by The Khatt Foundation at Design Days Dubai. / Design Days Dubai Fair Director, Cyril Zammit, talks with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

then showcased at Design Days Dubai (DDD).

DDD is the first fair in the Middle East and South Asia dedicated to collectible and limited edition furniture and design objects.

This past March marked the second edition of the fair, again curated by French national, Cyril Zammit, who has lived in the UAE since 2009 when he launched Abu Dhabi Art. He was then approached by Art Dubai to launch DDD. “It was a very smart move,” says Zammit. “I think we have opened a door that will be open for a long time.”

DDD is a global fair, with design from 30 different countries exhibiting, and no particular focus on the Middle East region. Currently, its importance is the exposure to the Middle East market it gives galleries and designers from around the world, but, says Zammit, as the local design scene develops, there are plans to change this. “People say I should bring more Middle Eastern pieces to Design Days. But, I am waiting, working with different institutions to see who can start to ¦ demagazine.co.uk

43

Clockwise from top left: ‘Leather Weaver’s Nest’ by Porky Hefer and Audrey Esca was exhibited by South African gallery, Southern Guild. / ‘Clockclock’ by Humans Since 1982 was exhibited by Victor Hunt Designart Dealer. Humans Since 1982 also launched a large-scale installation titled ‘A Million Times’ at the fair. / Studio Swine used construction waste to create furniture for their ‘Construction, Series’ in front of a live audience. The event was presented by +Coletivo Amor de Madre. / Estudio Guto Requena exhibited the ‘Noize Chair’ with Brazilian gallery +Coletivo Amor de Madre. / Korean designer Jihoon Ha’s installation takes inspiration from the undulating form of the desert.

produce something,” he says. “I have ideas for next year to showcase this a bit better.”

Shafar is the exception. At DDD, he showed work with four of the 29 exhibiting galleries, and he is a driving force in the local industry.

“It’s my ambition that myself, as an Emirati designer, and my brand be the reference point for UAE design,” he says. To this end, Shafar has opened KASA, a gallery space dedicated to showcasing original Emirati designed and made objects.

Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib are also key drivers of Dubai's burgeoning creative landscape. The brothers publish Brownbook – a design and creative culture magazine that focuses on the UAE – and have set up several not-for-profit creative hubs around the city. These venues, which include Archive, a converted facilities building in Safa Park, and Platform in Downtown Dubai, offer space for exhibitions, libraries, performances, and creative networking. It is exactly these kinds of spaces that Dubai needs to foster in order to develop the local design industry.

While it is clear that the importance of Dubai to the design industry is currently as an exciting new market, especially with regard to collectible and limited edition design, there is a feeling that the local design scene is on the cusp of developing into a thriving and creative industry. As Shafar puts it: “Things are moving fast in this part of the world.” de

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Design Exchange

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SHORT

TERM Sec.# 3

048 The Regent Street Windows Project RIBA 050 ASIF KHAN Swarovski 054 DANIEL RYBAKKEN

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The Regent Street Windows Project

words: MANDI KEIGHRAN — images: AGNESE SANVITO

Fashion Forward Six architects team up with international fashion brands to transform the shopping experience on Regent Street.

A

rchitects relish the idea of applying their talents to areas outside the built environment. Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhas, Jean Nouvel, Ron Arad, and Frank Gehry have variously designed shoes, furniture, lighting, sunglasses, and stage sets.

In a similar spirit of creative exploration, RIBA’s Regent Street Windows Project, now in its fourth year, gives UK-based architects the opportunity to turn their talents to shop window displays.

This year, six RIBA architects were paired with leading international fashion brands along Regent Street and asked to create innovative displays to engage and surprise shoppers and passers-by.

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From surreal kaleidoscopic mannequins (Topshop by NEON) to a collage of architectural details re-creating a street in New York’s Soho (Jack Spade by Carl Turner Architects) and a trip back in time to the sun and sand of California in 1968 (Esprit by Nagan Johnson), the resulting shop windows were testament to the creative adaptability of both the architects and fashion brands.

‘The Magic Garden’ by Mamou-Mani for Karen Millen was a particularly evocative

Left page: [Above] Topshop window installation by NEON. [Below] Karen Millen window installation by Mamou-Mani.

This page: [Top left] Jack Spade window installation by Carl Turner Architects. [Top right] Ferrari Store window installation by Gensler. [Bottom] Moss Bros window installation by AY Architects.

installation. Created using a light-diffusing mesh fabric and designed in collaboration with Karen Millen’s in-house atelier, architect Arthur Mamou-Mani describes it as “a magical, colourful and ethereal landscape flowing along the 30 metres of storefront and interacting with the expressive mannequins.”

“Since it was installed,” says Gemma Metheringham, Managing Director of Karen Millen, “sales have increased significantly.

The installation really compliments our collection and we are now commissioning Arthur [Mamou-Mani] to work on an installation for a future project.”

The Regent Street Windows Project – which also included Ferrari by Gensler and Moss Bros by AY Architects – not only puts the creative talents of architects to new use, but, with over 1.2 million people walking along Regent Street each week, is also a way of bringing design to the streets – literally. de demagazine.co.uk

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Swarovski Crystal Palace + asif khan

words: Diana Biggs — images: Š Steve Benisty

Using the natural mechanics of crystal and light, Asif Khan creates an architectural phenomenon.

light diffraction structure

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S

warovski consistently pairs with innovative designers for their Swarovski Crystal Palace installation presented yearly at Design Miami/. Here at design exchange, we found their choice for 2012 particularly exciting, as they partnered with the London-based architect Asif Khan, coming fresh out of designing the Coca-Cola Beatbox for London’s Olympic Park. Here, in Swarovski Crystal Palace’s seventh consecutive exhibition at Design Miami, the young designer harnessed the Miami sunshine and the light diffracting properties of crystals to create a captivating experimental site-specific architecture installation.

Called Parhelia, which in Greek literally means “beside the sun”, the piece is named after an atmospheric phenomenon occurring at very cold temperatures where ice crystals drifting in the air bend and refract light rays to create a luminous white ring around the sun. “This is something called an ice halo,” “It happens when ice crystals in the sky turn the sky into a kind of lens, many ice crystals, which are all tiny, 0.1mm,“ described Khan to a visitor. It is this natural phenomena which brought Khan, who is continually fascinated and inspired by the natural world, the inspiration for the piece.

structure and, in his studio, found a way to harness the crystals to reproduce the ice halo effect. “The crystal allows you to not lose any light, every bit of light is used.” Sitting on an aluminum frame, the honeycombed walls of the structure house 1.4 million handmade Swarovski crystals. Upon close examination, one can see that half of the crystals are shades of yellow, as Khan discovered during his experiments at the university that the colour was necessary to create the mesmerizing effect. These particular coloured crystals bear the name of another natural phenomenon, “Aurora Borealis”, and actually originate ¦

This page: Architect Asif Khan stands in front of 'Parhelia'.

Left page: Outside view of 'Parhelia' for Swaroksi Crystal Palace at Design Miami.

“When Nadja Swarovski asked me to make a collaboration with them, I said look I don’t want to make an object or a product or jewellery, I want to make crystal at the scale of architecture and I want to harness light… and maybe this is how we can do it. So that was the vision,” explained Khan.

To turn vision to reality involved plenty of research and here Khan contacted Dr. Christopher Emersic who runs the climate studies laboratory at the University of Manchester. Offering the largest cloud chamber in Europe, it proved the ideal place to attempt to simulate and control the production of ice crystals and halos. Together with the University scientists and advised by Finnish ice halo expert Marko Riikonen, the team were able to create the world’s first indoor ice halo, which resulted from combining a parallel light source with a volume of floating microscopic hexagonal ice platelets.

Working with the Swarovski R&D team to pour through their extensive archive of materials and previous prototypes, Khan identified a polycarbonate honeycomb to form the demagazine.co.uk

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from a collaboration between Swarovski and Christian Dior in the 1950s.

Entering the room at Design Miami/, visitors are confronted with a raised structure nearly 20 feet high which radiates halos of light across and over its façade. Ducking down to enter and stand within the structure’s hollow interior, one observes a circular skylight, first in the Design Miami/ tent itself and then in the roof of Khan’s structure, which allows the sunlight to enter and combine with the one artificial light, a tiny LED, which stands at the front of the interior space.

Wrapping and circling around the building, the effect of this ice halo turned light halo can sometimes be surprising. “This structure it has 1.4 million crystals, but it’s not about the appearance of crystals, it’s about the appearance of the light. And when we walk around it, the halo kind of follows you around”.

Despite the weeks of research which went into the project, one of the most surprising effects, even for Khan himself, was how varying the light can be in Miami. This variance meant the room was changing at every moment along with the ever-changing ambient Miami light. From early morning onwards, the sun beams through the holes creating the 52

Design Exchange

arching halos within the interior, whereas at night the LED is the slow diffract, radiating reflections from inside the walls. “It’s never the same when you come in here,” explained Khan happily.

By examining our relationship with light, Khan hopes to help his audience to build a relationship with architecture that is just as intuitive. Despite actually standing with a building, being able to touch its walls, Khan asks us to consider looking at buildings as intimate as that which we have with the sun.

“I think that people know how to relate to nature, but they don’t always know how to relate to architecture. So if we start to bring in natural phenomenon, bring in simple things, like the way you relate to light, even if the sun is billions of miles away, it could make buildings better to be in, it could make the city better to be in.”

One of the key’s to Swarovski’s success in its design partnerships would be its apparent willing to collaborate and support, to push innovation and to take risks on designers.

Truly, the success of the installation was clear in how it made the interaction between nature, architecture and design so beautiful and so accessible. de

This page: The interior of parhelia, with its beaming light halo encircling the LED.

SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL PALACE: Now in its tenth year, Swarovski Crystal Palace, an experimental design platform, has been a Main Sponsor of Design Miami/ since 2008 as part of its mission to promote talent in the worlds of art, architecture, design and technology, while redefining the use of crystal as a material for expression.

D i s co the ZO ver co l l e c O M ® tion: www. egg er.co.u k/ zoom

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Daniel Rybakken

words: Mandi Keighran — images: DANIEL RYBAKKEN

THE EFFECTS OF LIGHT In a series of

enchanting works Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken explores the effects of light on wellbeing.

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n less than a decade, Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken has developed from a talented student to a quickly emerging master of his practice with a sophisticated body of work. His work possesses a subtle beauty, and is part of a growing movement away from the novelty and gimmick so popular in previous years.

The origins of Rybakken’s sensitive approach can perhaps be found in his education.

Following an Industrial Design Master at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, he did a Fine Arts Master at the University of Gothenburg’s School of Design and Crafts. In 2007, during his fine arts studies, he created a work titled ‘Daylight comes sideways’, for which he received a number of awards, including the Norwegian Design Council’s Young Talents Award, and a red dot: best of the best award. It was the start of a fascination with light and its relationship with wellbeing.

His graduation project in 2009 developed this concept. Titled ‘Subconscious effect of daylight’, the work comprised a small table with a hidden lamp on its underside designed to create the illusion of daylight penetrating a dark room. This work too was the subject of much recognition, this time the Forum AID

Previous page: 'Ascent' light This page: [Top] 'Colour' (2011) for Ligne Roset, made in collaboration with Andreas Engesvik [Below] 'Daylight comes sideways' (2007) received several awards.

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Award, Best Student Work. A third evolution, ‘Surface Daylight 1’, in which LED lamps were mounted within the material itself won Salone Satellite’s Design Report Award in 2009.

The following year in Milan saw Rybakken’s work move from emerging designer showcases to showrooms and exhibitions for more established practitioners. ‘Surface Daylight 2’ was unveiled during the Elle Décor Talent Show at Super Studio Piu, and French design brand Ligne Roset showed a prototype of a sculptural lamp titled ‘Colour’.

Unsurprisingly, in 2011 and 2012 Rybakken was asked to exhibit at Spazio Rossana Orlandi – the Milan institution renowned for Rossana Orlandi, a wonderfully charismatic gallerist with an eye for emerging design.

Although both these exhibitions included a variety of furniture items, the lighting works were the most enchanting. The ‘Coherence’ light exhibited in 2012, for example, treats ephemeral light as an object. “Next to cutlery and dishes, you also set the table with the light source,” says Rybakken.

Notably, 2011 was also the year Rybakken showed a prototype of ‘Counterbalance’, a lamp launched the following year with Luceplan. “The idea of a wall-mounted, counterbalanced lamp is made possible through the use of cogwheels,” says Rybakken. “Force is effectively reflected, allowing both counterweight and lamp to occupy the same space.”

This year, Rybakken took the archetypical head from ‘Counterbalance’ and mounted it on a slender vertical stem. User’s intuitively adjust the light intensity and spread by moving the head up or down this stem. “It is the way you use ‘Ascent’ that makes it different from existing lights,” says Rybakken. “The gesture of sliding the head upwards for more light and down for less light is a conceptual idea, but at the same time an action that feels natural.”

It is this understanding of the importance of developing a work to its full potential, rather than rushing from one project to the next, along with a sensibility for human interactions with light that marks Rybakken as a true talent in the oft-fickle world of design. de demagazine.co.uk

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058 PROJECT e.lith 060 Floating Metropolis 062 Iron Formations 066 Recession to Innovation: The Future of Sustainable Design

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words: Dean Foskett + Phill Earley

project e.lith:

EVOLUTIONARY STONE WORKSHOPS BY PSQT, DEAN FOSKETT AND PHILL EARLEY

Project e.lith is a joint initiative between Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust (PSQT) in Portland, Dorset, and young architectural designers Dean Foskett and Phill Earley.

For further details regarding signing up to the workshop or to stay informed with the progress of the project please visit: www.projectelith.com Otherwise contact dean@projectelith.com

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This spread: [Left] Aerial Photo of Portland.

Photo: Š Get Mapping PLC. [Top centre] Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust stone workspace – a flexible exhibition, research and project space for artists, scientists, architects and other researchers to create, test out and present new work.

Photo: Hannah Sofaer PSQT(psqt@learningstone.org).

[Middle centre] Tout Quarry Sculpture Park and Nature Reserve. Photo: Hannah Sofaer.

[Top right] Two stone vault proposals exploring the innovative and creative application of technology.

Images: Dean Foskett and Phill Earley.

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he research will investigate the fabrication of masonry structures using ‘waste’ Portland Stone as the principle building material. In collaboration with universities, students will be invited to attend workshops where they will engage with live research, exploring traditional masonry craft techniques as well as computational design methods and the role of digital fabrication tools in contemporary construction. Workshops will encourage students to explore a range of contemporary and traditional skills to help demonstrate the vast potential opportunities of working with natural stone.

The need to reduce costs and improve efficiency in masonry construction has lead to a preference for uniformity and invariability in masonry construction to the detriment of craft in the exploration of complexity, expression and identity in structural configuration and spatial organisation. What’s more, this movement towards a standardised means of construction has limited innovation and research into the creative application of technology.

One area of the UK keen to challenge such ideas is Portland in Dorset. It is the island’s unique fusion of traditional craft, art, sculpture and modern day industry which has spawned an initiative

by PSQT called ‘stone workspace’. This initiative, which is jointly funded by The European Agricultural Fund, Dorset County Council, the Arts Council and PSQT, has the sole aim of providing a facility for innovation and exploration of Portland Stone via PSQT's crossdisciplinary approach to the quarry environment, the stone industry and architectural research.

Portland’s unique quality stems from the fact that it is an island in constant transformation; over time its landform has slowly been

shaped by man and the forces of nature which is partly the reason why it draws so many geologists, scientists, researchers, and artists from far afield. Disused quarries have become footprints from history and landmarks that are monuments to time and the quarrymen’s skills. Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, which PSQT opened in 1983 having served as one of Portland’s most active quarries for several generations, is a space where emerging and professional artists have been commissioned to create both temporary and permanent works in response to this unique landscape. The active quarries, however, continue to supply the finest of building stones for cities throughout the world. Portland Stone has been used in the construction of some of London’s most prestigious buildings, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Maritime Campus in Greenwich, both of which continue to inform the strategic planning of our capital city to this day.

We are witnessing a resurgence in popularity for natural building resources, materials with high environmental credentials and a renewed appreciation of craft reintroduced into construction. These considerations along with other influences such as ecology, topology, materiality and structure, can inform new rich and complex ideas. Discussing these ideas and collaborating with experts from different fields will be crucial to the success of Project e.lith. The aim is to inform and inspire new architectural solutions whilst educating those who play a significant role in influencing the future of our built environment. Project e.lith will promote learning through experimentation and testing, and in turn drive innovation in the application of stone in architecture. de

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words: Masha Kuzmenko — images: Derek Pirozzi

floating metropolis: Polar Umbrella

By Derek Pirozzi

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This page: Polar Umbrella in action.

Left page: [clockwise] The width of Polar Umbrella is equal to the height of the Empire State Building. This diagram shows how the scheme works, protecting the ice caps. Section through the scheme. Rendering of the Polar Umbrella, a place for scientists and tourists.

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ince 2006, eVolo magazine has celebrated original and outright bonkers ideas for vertical living. The judges of the yearly Skyscraper Competition have seen it all – receiving over 5000 projects that look to the future. This year the competition was won by Derek Pirozzi, fresh out of University of South Florida. His bold design consists of a buoyant skyscraper that helps to re-builds the arctic ice caps by catching and harvesting solar radiation.

In the last few decades, the rising temperatures have caused the Northern and Southern ice shelves to fracture and melt into the ocean. Pirozzi’s large floating umbrella-shaped canopy operates like a large arctic buoy, floating among the ice, and absorbing the damag-

ing UV rays. Polar Umbrella provides shade and is angled to catch as much of the sunlight as possible, reducing heat gains. It is pretty robust and able to withstand even the iciest winds. Most importantly, Pirozzi’s structure is self-sustaining- it collects energy from the sun and recycles salt water. This powers its core facilities, and helps to rebuild and thicken the earth’s precious protective film.

The mushroom-like ‘eco-skeleton’ houses research labs and ecotourist attractions. It can accommodate scholars and visitors staying overnight, and there is even an eco-habitat for wildlife, where endangered species are cared for. A spectacular observation platform provides scientists and tourist alike with a 360-degree view of the frosty landscape. The underwater chamber keeps the mushroom umbrella afloat, collecting seawater. When enough of it accumulates in its chambers, it is then used to replenish the disappearing ice caps.

Pirozzi, who is currently working as an intern at Olsen Kundig Architects in Seattle, certainly makes a bold statement with his winning entry. His ice canopy project can be criticized for its huge C02 footprint- a real issue that comes with a building of that size.

It is also naïve to believe that an architectural competition is able to facilitate real and immediate response to the serious issue at hand.

But Pirozzi’s project definitely helps to start a conversation and raise awareness. We live in constant uncertainty- depletion and disappearance of the earth’s natural resources is a real worry. Pirozzi’s project highlights once again that technical innovation is paramount. de

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words: Masha Kuzmenko — images: Magnetic Architecture

This page: One of many material experiments, done here on a larger scale.

Right page: Various tests show material depositions and equipment used in the process.

iron formations: Magnetic Architecture by Gabriel Bello, Alex Dubor, Akhil Kapadia and Angel Lara

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always felt that the humble magnet is not used enough by designers and architects. There is something magical about its invisible force. A group of Masters students from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia decided to investigate magnetic power by manipulating an iron compound with it, and creating a completely new structural form. So Gabriel Bello, Alex Dubor, Akhil Kapadia and Angel Lara began experimenting.

They collected recycled iron, and even picked up magnetite (its natural form), straight from Barcelona beaches, and started mixing it with different compounds. They were inspired by the Gravity Stool project by the Dutch designer Jolan van der Weil, where a material is pulled up or down by the magnetic force. During their experiments, they examined the formations and limitations of the iron compound, when placed between two strong magnets. Despite the fact that they tested over 50 material combinations, it was the challenge of controlling the magnetic field that gave them an idea for the project in the first place. ‘Of course there was the initial beauty of the material. But there was also a very scientific approach to the whole process’, said Alex and Gabriel. Once the designers figured out what typologies and connections are possible, they began developing three-dimensional robotic tools and support networks that would help them build their magnetic structures.

They started using not two, but six magnets, increasing the distances between them. With the help of artificial vision they were able to scan their structures and decide on their next move, while experimenting with adding material under the force of magnets.

The designers loved the dramatic impact of the magnetic force, and iron compound distortions. ‘From the beginning we have been trying to let the material be as expressive as it could’, points out Alex and Gabriel. But they are currently also concentrating on being able to ‘mold’ these formations, depending on what the final structure requires. It is also important for them to work on micro and macro scales at the same time, considering the environmental and structural conditions, while also not forgetting about the robotics behind it.

Their project goals are quite ambitious- to build a structure that would revolutionize the construction process. ‘We want to develop a library of materials that would work with different building strategies, and have an understanding of the size of magnetic fields that we can use for building.’

They are feeling positive, and believe that a whole range of design

solutions can emerge from their invention: re-building of coral reefs, building in places that are hard to access, or even working on infrastructures in space. ‘We began envisioning complex geometries built with little or no scaffolding’, says Alex. And with scrap iron being readily available, the designers are currently working hard on developing their most advanced magnetic device to date, that would make their dream a reality. de

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words: Rosemary Munro — images: Petr Krejci

recession to innovation The Future of Sustainable Design

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This page: Putting new made chairs outside at benchmark.

Next page: [Clockwise] Analysing selecting wood shavings./ Well proven material tests./ Detail chair.

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hey say that necessity is the mother of all invention. This is obvious in the case of modern design, where necessity leads to strange, inventive, and wonderful new products. Since the global economic crisis took hold, the issue of sustainability has seized public attention and previous over-consumption now seems wasteful and gluttonous. A time for frugality and innovation has arrived, and designers are responding.

Working with new, sustainable materials means it is necessary for designers to think about their manufacturing techniques. The Well Proven Chair by Marjan Van Aubel and James Shaw is part of a collaboration between the Royal College of Art and the American Hardwood Exports Council. They were asked to create a chair which would be subject to a Life Cycle Assessment measuring the environmental impact of manufactured goods.

During recent years, some startling statistics have come to light; in some furniture factories, up to eighty percent of the wood becomes waste material. This fact was uppermost in the minds of James and Marjan when they constructed the Well Proven Chair. They spent a week at the Benchmark Furniture factory, collecting waste wood shavings and combining them with different types and quantities of bio-resin. The result is a new material which foams and expands into a strong, light structure and produces no waste at all. The chair itself has a flat seat but, when viewed from behind, appears as if encrusted with moss or lichen. The texture varies depending upon the type of wood shavings used in its production and the effect produced is undeniably attractive. Marjan comments, ‘It’s trendy to work with green design but you have to think ahead of what’s happening now. Sustainability doesn’t have to be the main concept, but it has to be there.’

Sustainability is something we are all familiar with, but it can manifest itself in different ways. According to the ethos of Austrian design studio breadedEscalope, the most sustainable type of product is one you don’t throw away. Instead of focusing their efforts on environmental sustainability, the trio design products that are socially sustainable.

The process of steam-bending was first developed by Michael Thonet in the 1830s. Today, breadedEscalope are using it to create their own chairs in a different way. Love Me Bender is a social ritual. Using domestic objects, the trio have contracted the production process into something that can be completed inside the home. They have developed a 0.72m³ box which contains an entire steam-bending workshop. This allows them to hold events where the steam produced by making cups of tea or cooking food is used to bend wood, turning it into sweeping arcs which envelop a pre-existing, discarded

piece of furniture. The social ritual of the tea-party creates a product that holds memories. Like heirlooms, they will not be thrown away without a backward glance.

It is these slower, more thoughtful production processes which create objects with an air of the personal. Recycled products have variation, idiosyncrasies that imbue them with their own character. According to Rhymer Rigby, ‘People now talk of authenticity and seek somewhere that tells the tale of a life lived rather than a magazine read.’ In other words, we like our possessions to reflect our lives – imperfect, but singular to us. Sustainability and the economy have put new restraints on designers, forcing them to respond to tighter briefs with greater imagination. As Marjan reminds us, ‘There’s a change going on. Because there’s no money, designers have to come up with other initiatives and become creative. People who still want to make things, do it – but in a different way.’ de demagazine.co.uk

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Bronze with black mother of pearl

Polished nickel with white mother of pearl

Satin brass with hand formed and painted glass

Polished nickel with hand formed and painted glass

Shagreen, dyed to your colour selection

Shagreen, dyed to your colour selection

Polished nickel with petrified wood

Shagreen, dyed to your colour selection

Phillips & Wood Cabinet handles in solid brass here finished in polished nickel with white mother of pearl inlays

Workshop, office and showroom at 4 Wilson Walk, Off Prebend Gardens, London W4 1TP T. 020 8222 8117 F. 020 8748 9752 email:info@phillipsandwood.co.uk www.phillipsandwood.co.uk

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070 ME London Foster + Partners

104 The Pearson Room B3 DESIGNERS

078 Ikuze ROOM 33

106 The Buckley Building

084 THE Beautique Hotel Figueira Nini Andrade Silva 088 Kemuri SHANGAI 092 Hotel Maria Cristina 096 Slip House Carl Turner Architects

110 Howick Place 114 SKYPE OFFICES 118 Microsoft Research Offices Chetwoods Architects 122 Patrick Hellmann UK

100 CarbonLight Homes

124 COURTYARD Siegbert Zanettini

102 Attendant

[PRODUCTS] 126 DE SELECTED ITEMS

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words: Stuart Blakley — images: Francisco Guerrero

" It has the kudos of being custom designed from plinth to parapet, taps to tiles, by a world renowned architectural practice. On the corner where the Strand meets Aldwych, Foster + Partners have come up with a new hotel category. "

UK #1 London

ME London Hotel The Triangle on The Strand

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ometimes it seems like a new hotel opens in London every week. One probably does. Boris Johnson’s aim of achieving 40,000 more hotel rooms by 2031 is presumably well on track.

All tastes are catered for. At the top end of the market it’s all about international or boutique, glitzy or minimalist. In a busy market, the PR machines roll into action to promote the uniqueness of their product. Their job must’ve been made easier by ME London which has recently opened. It has the kudos of being custom designed from plinth to parapet, taps to tiles, by a world renowned architectural practice. On the corner where the Strand meets Aldwych, Foster + Partners have come up with a new hotel category.

“This project represents a number of firsts,” says David Nelson, head of design at the practice. “ME London is Foster + Partner’s first London hotel and the first for which we've designed everything, inside and

out.” A contemporary brand of the Spanish hotel group Meliá, ME fuses world class with local taste. Fellow architect Giles Robinson chips in, “By designing the hotel down to the last detail, we were able to maintain a high level of quality and continuity. Inside, the bold black and white interior palette establishes a strong identity. We defined the individual character of each space through variations in tone, texture and scale.”

Anyone expecting to find the Gherkin or City Hall redone as a hotel will be in for a surprise. That’s not to say ME London isn't a statement building – it is – but it’s a lot more contextual than past experiences for Foster fans. The building is after all in the Strand Conservation Area. Another member of the architectural team Nigel Dancey explains, “We took the city as our inspiration: the grand scale of Aldwych, the detailing of neighbouring Marconi House, the views over the West End from the roof…” Portland stone is used and the setback of the hotel’s upper level terraces follows the mansard roofline of its neighbour. Even the glass cupola at the top of the corner tower marking the main entrance at street level is a rethink of an Edwardian roof lantern. It’s a case of sensitively repairing the urban grain.

The design concept is a direct response to its triangular shaped site.

Oriel windows are the most obvious external reference. They provide dual aspect views and the use of pioneering glazing technology removes the need for framed joins while maintaining thermal and acoustic insulation. The pinnacle of the triangle theme is reserved for guests only. Unusually the hotel reception is on the first floor.

The idea is to distinguish the exclusivity of staying guests from casual diners and drinkers. This allows the ground floor to be given over ¦ demagazine.co.uk

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Previous spread: [Left] A 30 metre high hollow pyramid.

Reception area, with 3D Projections. [Right] The corridors.

Left page: [Clockwise] A view from the Penthouse Suit./ Exterior taken from the Strand./ Bathroom in room./ Bedroom.

Right page: [Clockwise] Drawing of Hotel plan./ The Restaurant./ The ground floor bar.

Next page: [Above] The sun sets on the eternally youthful ME. [Below] Section drawing side view.

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" A sexy swirl of seating provides respite for travel weary arrivals.

An ice box, triangular in shape of course, comes in handy when at 6 p.m. each evening all guests are served champagne. " entirely to restaurants and bars. Eating options are go American at the upmarket STK steakhouse or try Italian at the cheerily bright Cucina Asellina restaurant. A wander through the moodily atmospheric Marconi Lounge, which takes its name from the inventor of radio who had a station here in the 1920s, reveals it’s already a hit with the amorous and glamorous. The bar is defined by screens of twisting chrome poles and black concentric light rings. A 3-D play on sound waves perhaps?

Up to the reception, inside the pinnacle.

Literally. It’s a 30 metre high hollow pyramid. White marble lined walls soar upwards to a distant glass prism. Less inventive architects than Foster + Partners would have gone down the safer atrium route, maximising natural light gain. Instead, the architects have kept tight control on the level and angle of daylight piercing the core of the hotel.

A sexy swirl of seating provides respite for travel weary arrivals. An ice box, triangular in shape of course, comes in handy when at 6pm each evening all guests are served champagne. On the floors above, corridors lean against the black marble lined outer walls of the pyramid which adds to the exhilaration of walking to bedrooms after a few. ¦ demagazine.co.uk

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The 157 rooms have names such as Aura, Mode and Vibe. Suites are called things like Chic, Passion and Personality. Appropriately in a hotel called ME, the rooms live up to five star self indulgence expectations. Each has a black glass wall with interactive TV and a Nespresso machine surrounded by walls luxuriantly swathed in white leather.

Sliding doors open into white marble bathrooms with Apivata products artfully arranged on shelving.

Around the apex of the pyramid is Radio, a tenth storey bar. Glass walls on two sides of this acute angled bar look onto a roof terrace with views across the quadrangle of Somerset House to the Thames.

Outdoor islands of low lying chairs and daybeds are clad in all weather linen. Tantalising glimpses can be caught of the upper floor of Suite ME which fills the corner glass cupola rising at the end of the terrace, a snip at £3,180 plus VAT a night. The cupola may be oval in outline but its circumference comprises oriel windows joined together.

Each oriel has its own mini roof which slopes down to the frameless join, making a pane of glass – wait for it – triangular in shape. de

SUPPLIERS LIST: Guestroom art panels: Float Glass Design FFE suppliers: Edra / Cappellini / Davison Heighley / Johanson Design / Andreu World / BK Italia / Sancal / B&B Italia / Knoll International / Lumina / Flos / Bic Carpets / Walter Knoll / Dedon / Kettal / Stepevi / Oluce / Willowlamp / Bocci / Torremato / Via Bizzuno / JMS / Aktiva Bedding and curtains: Rubelli / Jab Anztoez / Kvadrat / Today Interiors / Gaston y Daniela Accessories and decoration: LSA / Orrefors / Alessi / Philippi / Georg Jensen / Eurobercasa Sanitary: Zucchetti / Valadares / Geberit / Armitage Shank / FC Frost / Duravit / Grohe / Trapex / Villeroy and Boch / Wandsworth Group Concrete frame: Knight Build Miscelleneous structura and base build works: Macai Steel frame: Rowan Steel Main glazed façade and backing wall: Cupola Rooflight Atrium 'lantern' and canopies: Bellapart All external stonework and atrium stone and terrace level glazed doors: Bishops Mansard roof, dormers, flat roofing: Richardson Roofing Level 10 glazed walling: Glasstech Facades Hotel bedroom fit out: B&B Italia Hotel room corridor fit out: Ahmarra Public area fit out: Mivan Asselina Restaurant fit out: Proffetional Plasterboard works: Astins MEP: Estel BOH fit out: GW Carpentry Carpets and inset rugs: Imperial Kitchens: Horizon AV: Willow 74

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DE #01 SPECIAL FEATURE

images: Francisco Guerrero

Ahmarra

installations completes the supply and fit contract for the new ME London Hotel, designed by Foster + Partners Ahmarra Installations contract, through the main contractor Gleeds, was worth over £630,000. It consisted of the design, manufacture and installation of numerous elements including:

• over 300 fire rated, concealed, timber doorsets in 60 minute (FD60) and 120 minute (FD120) fire ratings.

• full height, fixed and accessible ‘Class B’ flame retardant wall panelling.

These were factory finished in black high gloss lacquer.

• polished stainless steel and black PPC

metal feature corners and black PPC metal skirting to all panelling elevations.

• special fire extinguisher niches and feature smoke control grilles within the panelling.

• associated ironmongery including specialist access control ironmongery.

Ahmarra have previously worked with Foster + Partners on the West London Academy, and repeat business from satisfied customers forms the basis of Ahmarra’s work. The ME London Hotel adds to Ahmarra’s reputation for working on iconic luxury hotel brands such as InterContinental, Apex, Hilton, Marriott, Crowne Plaza, Four Seasons and Grange Hotels.

Ahmarra Installations are also one of the few fit-out contractors to have significant in-house manufacturing capability through its sister company, Ahmarra Door Solutions, who are one of the UK’s leading architectural door manufacturers. Ahmarra Installations are currently working on a number of prestigious London projects including the Mondrian Hotel, which is part of the Sea Containers House redevelopment on the South Bank, and the Grade 2 listed Royal College of General Practitioners in Euston, which adds to Ahmarra’s list of heritage projects to include the Royal Albert Hall and the London Guildhall. de

For more information on Ahmarra Installations, call 02392 389 076 or visit www.ahmarra.co.uk

Peter L. Wilson

Bolles + Wilson, Münster

«If you want to imagine a massive wall away, think Sky-Frame.» www.sky-frame.ch Swiss made

DE #02 SPECIAL FEATURE

images: Francisco Guerrero

Sky-Frame sliding window system at ME Hotel rooftop radio bar.

It can be used to create sliding windows up to four metres in height, allowing spaces to be completely flooded by daylight.

Sky-Frame Many products profess to bring the ‘outside in’, but few genuinely deliver on that promise. Step forward Sky-Frame, the sliding window system which almost completely abolishes the classical definition between the interior and the view. The Swiss product has been used in a huge range of impressive residential and commercial properties including ME Hotel in London.

Sky-Frame has been designed in order to allow a new spacious feeling with additional living space. It can be used to create sliding windows up to four metres in height, allowing spaces to be completely flooded by daylight. Not only simple and elegant, the telescopic drive that has been specially developed by Sky-Frame even opens window fronts up to 12m wide with hardly a sound. In order not to disturb the frameless aesthetics, the electric drive is built into the frame invisibly, without any additional service hatch or cover.

The system consists of 30 mm thick panes of insulated glass, which are mounted in a fibre glass profile. Using a clever two, three and now four-track system, up to 75% of the sliding fronts can be opened, including corner sections. And the innovations don’t stop there. The range has been developed to include special versions such as hygienic ventilation, integrated insect screens and now Sky-Frame Arc, a curved sliding window which offers new, unique design possibilities.

Glass from floor to ceiling and wall to wall — Sky-Frame turns this former architect’s dream into reality without having to compromise.

When you install windows, the question is no longer ‘What window do you want?’ The question is: ‘Do you want a window or a view?’ de For further information www.sky-frame.ch

words: Stuart Blakley — images: JILL TATE

#2 Gateshead UK

ikuze RAISING THE BAR

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" The restaurant ethos from the outset was to celebrate this culinary art form. Interior architect Nicola Gartland director of Room 33 explains, “It was important that the kitchen is on view as soon as you step into the restaurant, to entice people in and to illustrate the freshness of the food.� " demagazine.co.uk

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you step into the restaurant, to entice people in and to illustrate the freshness of the food.”

The gleaming white kitchen with stainless steel units is on full display, columns framing views of the frenetic cooking activity. An adjoining sushi bar has front row seats of the live kitchen performances.

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he trend for international cuisine continues with Ikuze, a sushi restaurant specialising in authentic Japanese food.

It has just opened in the food quarter of the MetroCentre in Gateshead, the UK’s largest shopping mall. Room 33 Interior Architecture and Design was responsible for the interior. Two key determining factors informing the design were the type of food offer and the angled shape of the shell unit.

Ikuze serves complex dishes which require a lot of preparation time and a highly experienced specialised chef. The restaurant ethos from the outset was to celebrate this culinary art form. Interior architect Nicola Gartland director of Room 33 explains, “It was important that the kitchen is on view as soon as 80

Design Exchange

The remainder of the angled space is divided into two areas with a combined capacity for 60 to 70 customers. Each area has its own distinct character. The one closest to the kitchen continues the light industrial aesthetic with exposed ceilings and ulitarian groupings of tables and chairs. Its cool clean lines contrast with the adjacent tatami seating which has traditional Japanese style wool mat seating on the floor set around refectory type communal tables. Oak flooring snugly creeps up the walls as panelling and across the ceiling.

The angled shape of the unit means the tatami area fits four people at one end and widens to fit ten at the other.

This cosy cocooned feeling is enhanced by the treatment of the rear wall. “The wall panels are made of corten steel,” says Nicola.

“Antony Gormley used the same material to make the Angel of the North. ¦

" Its cool clean lines contrast with the adjacent tatami seating which has traditional Japanese style wool mat seating on the floor set around refectory type communal tables. "

Previous spread: Interior architect Nicola Gartland lifts the kitchen to centrepiece; cooking as art form.

This spread: Material world; hot and cold; rough and smooth. Ikuze features rooms within rooms

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This page: The use of light, space and shadows inspires a feeling of nature and retreat.

It’s basically a steel which can be weathered naturally or chemically to achieve a rust brown colour. The panels are then sealed using a clear lacquer. We also used this ‘natural outdoor’ material in the reception area.” Bronze pendant lamps add to the visual warmth.

A vertical slotted oak screen at the entrance to the restaurant, again Japanese in style, provides privacy for customers while offering glimpses into and out of the space. Room 33’s considered choice of natural materials – panels of glass and stone are also used – complements the natural ingredients of the food.

The uncluttered design, referencing both the east and the north, provides a welcoming environment for customers. de

SUPPLIERS LIST: Designer: Room 33 room33.co.uk Shopfitter: Aptus Shopfitting Ltd aptusshopfitting.co.uk Bespoke Joinery: Simon-West Interiors Ltd simonwestinteriors.co.uk Commercial Kitchen: Sigma sigmacateringequipment.co.uk Timber finish: Egger egger.com Pendants: Andy Thornton andythornton.com Waterfall: Tills Innovations tills-innovations.com Corten panels: GS Robinson & Co Ltd gsrobinson.co.uk Fabric: Camira camirafabrics.com Chairs: Billiani billiani.it Timber Flooring: Bausen bausenhardwoodflooring.co.uk Flooring: Karndean karndean.co.uk 82

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DE #03 SPECIAL FEATURE

The Allure range includes real stone laminate

James Latham

With a number of new additions to its already extensive portfolio, James Latham now offers one of the UK’s widest ranges of innovative surface solutions for architects and designers.

Having added a number of products to its already extensive portfolio, James Latham is now one of the largest providers of innovative, high quality surface solutions to architects and designers. Recent additions include the Allure, Valchromat and HIF-Finesse ranges.

Allure is a bold, contemporary range which includes six different realstone laminates, a large palette of vibrant high-gloss acrylics, a high-gloss, and a mirror laminate, as well as a choice of rough-cut and brushed oak, smoked and stained veneers.

Valchromat is a coloured Engineered Fibreboard which is completely unique, in that the colour runs throughout the entire board. This is achieved by adding organic dyes and a specially formulated resin to the wood fibre before pressing. With eight vibrant colours in the range, Valchromat is certain to be popular within the UK shop fitting, furniture manufacturing, hospitality and commercial sectors as well as for exhibitions where bold and impactful colours are part of the specification. Valchromat has also been approved by the British Standards Association as safe to use in the manufacture of children’s toys.

In contrast, HIF-Finesse is inspired by natural surfaces, bringing depth and texture to flat surfaces. It gives interior designers and architects in the shop fitting and commercial sectors the ability to capitalise on new trends and create a distinctive appearance.

“James Latham has a history and expertise in bringing new and innovative products to the UK market”, comments Chris Sutton, Director of James Latham, “These latest additions have already made a big impact within the A&D sector.” de Valchromat is certain to be popular in the shopfitting and furniture making sectors.

HIF Finesse is inspired by the natural elements.

For further information www.lathamtimber.co.uk

words: Rosemary Munro — images: Nickolas Bayntun

" For a project inspired by nature, the concept of the hotel is a perfect allegory. "

#3 LISBON PORTUGAL

THE BEAUTIQUE HOTEL FIGUEIRA UNDER THE FIG TREE

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This page: [above] The Bar and Restaurant 'Honra', focussed on traditional Portuguese cuisine, completes the hotel's offer and services. [Below] As you go through the different levels of the Hotel, each corridor will offer the visitor a truly unique experience with multimedia projections.

Left page: View from Figueira Square, Lisbon downtown.

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igueira Square, in the historic centre of Lisbon, is surrounded by 18th century buildings: imposing, uniform, and only modestly embellished.

In contrast the interior of – its new arrival, The Beautique Hotel Figueira, appears to have melted, its organic shapes and fluid lines in stark contrast to its surroundings.

In fact, the designer, Nini Andrade Silva, was inspired by the toponymic associations of the square. ‘Figueira’ in English translates as ‘fig tree’, and the motif of the fig leaf has been used in many of the rooms around the hotel, reminding visitors of the history of the area.

For a project inspired by nature, the concept of the hotel is a perfect allegory. The building contains eight floors and, whilst moving through the spaces, you notice how the floors, walls and ceilings correspond to the lighter foliage densities of the canopy at the top of the building all the way down to the undulating roots on the lower levels. The colour, the lighting levels, the larger and smaller spaces have all been subtly created and repositioned in order to enhance this effect. ¦

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SUPPLIERS LIST: Design: Atelier nini Andrade Silva Contractor: Crivo d’Ideias Lighting: Astratec and REXEL Area: Furniture JMM / Atelier nini Andrade Silva Printed Carpet: Decorpisus Floor: SIKA Glazing: JM Fernandes Sauna: Unique Spa Curtains and cushions: Lufasdecor & Mota e David Countertops bedrooms toilets: JMM Projections and content: Audiovisual ADLC 86

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"As you progress through the branches of the hotel, you are offered a variety of visual experiences."

The hotel has mostly been adorned in greens and browns, whilst the ground floor reception area is dominated by a sculptural tree trunk which the rest of the space is organised around. In other words, any guest at the hotel would be forgiven for imagining, at times, that they were walking through a forest. Even the entrances to the hotel and its restaurant, Honra, are closed off by beautifully carved wooden doors.

As you progress through the branches of the hotel, you are offered a variety of visual experiences. Multimedia projections turn walls into bark, creating an ever-changing environment. The light in the centre of the building and lower levels is dim, based on the principal of light minimalism. However, the fifty bedrooms are designed for comfort, with natural daylight flooding into the spaces and illuminating the white bedding. On the highest floor, the spa perches on top of the canopy, as if it were a nest. Voluptuous forms enclose and protect the intimate space, promoting tranquillity and relaxation.

A stay at The Beautique Hotel Figueira provides luxury and elegance, but, further than this, it has been meticulously thought out, designed not only to provide a stylish escape, but an experience. de

This page: [Above] Projected on the top of the fig, the spa offers you an imposing view over Lisbon, at the same time as providing a relaxed, good feeling. [Below] In the Bar and Restaurant 'Honra', inspired by the concept of a fig tree, risk and volume constraints play a perfect game.

Previous page: The bathrooms are simple and cosy in balance with the bedrooms. demagazine.co.uk

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words: Rosemary Munro — images: Nacasa & Partners Inc. [Photographer:Eiichi Kano]

" The restaurant, specialises in ‘aburi’, a type of nigiri sushi, part-grilled, part raw. "

#4 Shanghai China

KEMURI SHANGHAI THE BIG SMOKE

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or the past decade, Edo Robata Kemuri has been one of the most notable restaurants in Japan. It has now opened its first branch in China, courtesy of Shanghai-based Prism Design.

The restaurant specialises in ‘aburi’, a type of nigiri sushi, part-grilled, part raw.

However, the restaurant is about as far away as possible from the sushi chain establishments that we find in the West.

Instead of striving for pristine modernity, Edo Robata Kemuri feels intimate and atmospheric. The lighting is kept low and the colours dark. Shadows invade the space and obscure the identities of other diners.

The owners specified two design requirements. The first was that the restaurant should take its theme from the popular film Kill Bill. The film plays upon a Westernised outlook on traditional Chinese and Japanese cultures, and the strong sense of drama and performance that we sometimes associate with them.

In response, Prism Design lit up the façade and interiors with bright red light, red being considered the national colour of both China and Japan. ¦ Left and right page: The Entrance Pass.

Right page: The Dinning Area.

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This page: Party Box Sheet Area.

Right page: [Above] BBQ Counter. [Below] Bench Sheet Dining Area.

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The second requirement entailed creating a design which was reminiscent of Kemuri (Chinese for ‘smoke’). The team tackled this by arranging hemp ropes into loops and drapes, reminiscent of the way smoke curls upwards into the air. Hemp has been used in Chinese culture for millennia as rope, clothing, bowstrings and paper, as well as for medicinal purposes. A large hemp rope is compiled of many smaller strands, and the material is therefore symbolic of strength produced by collaboration. In fact, hemp ropes have also been stretched from ceiling to floor in order to partition the restaurant into rooms and corridors. In this manner, the spaces are not sealed off, but the boundaries between them are blurred, so diners can enjoy a sense of privacy, but also watch what is going on in other parts of the restaurant.

If you have ever wondered how it would feel to step into the fierce, ritualistic, and somewhat pastiche, world of the Kill Bill films, Edo Robata Kemuri is a must see. de

SUPPLIERS LIST: Designers: TOMOHIRO KATSUKI / MASANORI KOBAYASHI / REIJI KOBAYASHI Furniture Design/ Decoration Styling: PRISM DESIGN Construction/ Furniture Manufacture: Shanghai Zhao bo Zhuang Huang Engineerings of & Construction Co. Ltd. Lighting Supplier: NVC LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Ceramic Artist: Atsuki Tanaka demagazine.co.uk

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words: Rosemary Munro — images: © Will Pryce

" The femininity of Hotel Maria Cristina is now seductive and elegant as well as confident and forceful."

SEBASTIAN #5 SAN SPAIN

HOTEL MARIA CRISTINA Lady Who Lunches

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This spread: [Above] The lobby is a layered composition of details, with Queen Maria Cristina’s portrait greeting guests from behind the reception desk. [Below right] Paintings of traditional seascapes and Belle Époque personas mix with contemporary art, while collections of glimmering mirrors reflect the lobby’s glamorous décor.

[Top right] The signature image in bar Dry San Sebastian is of Bette Davis who, according to legend, smoked her last cigarette there before passing away.

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n San Sebastian, you unfold the history of the city through its architecture. Wandering down its Haussmannian boulevards, one is jolted back to La Belle Époque, the era when European austerity segued into prosperity, haute couture and the women’s liberation movement.

Symbolic of this moment is Hotel Maria Cristina. Located in the old centre of the city, overlooking the river Urumea, the hotel is the possessor of a long and illustrious history.

Designed by French architect Charles Mewès for its namesake Queen Maria Cristina, it was inaugurated in 1912 and has played a central role in the San Sebastian International Film Festival since its inception in 1953. The building has seen some of the most iconic faces of the 20th century pass through its doors, including Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor and Coco Chanel.

Subsequently, it is women who were the inspiration for The Gallery at HBA London, when they took on the hotel’s renovation. The interiors on each floor celebrate inspiring women of each decade, starting with the 1910s on the ground floor through to the 1950s at the top. ¦

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The theme of dramatic femininity, alongside Mewès’s Art Nouveau aesthetic, was essential to the refurbishment. Inge Moore, Principal, commented, “Creating a design narrative around powerful women felt right from the start, from the queen consort herself to the female stars of stage and screen who had stayed and played there. So we designed to reinvent the particular glamour, opulence and celebrity that has characterised this hotel. The femininity of Hotel Maria Cristina is now seductive and elegant as well as confident and forceful.”

This contrast can be seen in the choice of materials used in the public spaces of the hotel. In the reception, marble floors and pillars are offset by soft velvet upholstery and hand-tufted wool rugs. The high-ceilinged corridors are framed with silk curtains. Probing deeper into the building, the bedrooms are entirely romantic, adorned in the pastel colours of mouchous, a local Basque delicacy, similar to French macarons. Preparing to take on the mantle of European Capital of Culture in 2016, San Sebastian will see enormous long-term cultural and social development. Hotel Maria Cristina is already way ahead of the curve. de

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Top left: In the guestrooms, curvaceous tufted headboards contrast with ethereal contemporary paintings hung about the beds.

Below: Placed in the hotel’s corner turrets, each storey of suites celebrates women of different decades from the 1910s to the 1950s.

Top right: In the five-fixture bathrooms, a teardrop pendant light, nested tables and a round backlit mirror create a sophisticated, residential feel.

SUPPLIERS LIST: Most FF&E: Cassina Contracts Lighting: Zonca / Jeannie Coburn (glass lamps in guestrooms) / Baulman Leuchten (Round Bathroom Mirror); Brass and Crystal: renovated chandeliers Sanitaryware: Zucchetti, Italy (taps) / Villeroy & Boch (basin) / Duravit (WC & bidet) / Roca (bathtub) Marble: Bernacca, Italy Bathroom Tiles: GresteC Carpet: Ulster Carpets; Ice handtufted area rugs / Ferreira de Sá staircase runners Fabrics: Valley Forge (velvet)/ Sanders International (guestroom draperies) / Dedar / Zimmer & Rohde Leather: Fameed Khalique Artwork: Artefact Project Architects: IDOM Purchasing Agents: DPI General Contractor: Amenabar

makers of fine contemporary furniture and interior joinery tel 01743 464080 info@ isis-furniture.co.uk www.isis-furniture.co.uk

| Bedrooms | Dressing Rooms | Libraries | | Kitchens | Offices | Cinemas | Media Rooms | | Console Tables | Interior Doors |

words: Rosemary Munro — images: ŠTim Crocker

#6 london uk

slip house Box Clever

" Carl Turner Architects designed the building as an in-house project, accommodating a living area and multipurpose ground floor space which is currently dedicated to their architecture practice."

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This spread: Carl Turner Architects working office space on the ground floor.

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he call for affordable housing in London is getting louder and louder.

By 2020, the population is estimated to grow to 10 million and properties are continually being packed into smaller and more unusual spaces.

Occupying the bottom of the garden of a derelict house in Brixton, Slip House is a new prototype for adaptable terraced housing.

Carl Turner Architects designed the building as an in-house project, accommodating a living area and multipurpose ground floor space which is currently dedicated to their architecture practice.

Three simple box forms have been ‘slipped’ to break up the form of the building into three independent spaces. The building is designed to be as adaptable as possible to the changing needs of its occupants. As such, Slip House can be used as a single home, two separate apartments, or a studio workspace and apartment. The perimeter walls are load bearing, so the interior is unconstrained by pillars and internal walls, allowing for minimal construction effort if the space needs to be readapted. ¦

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Concrete floors highlight the stark geometry of the house, whilst inbuilt storage hides clutter. Lighting was supplied by Deltalight, whose brand new Ultra Twin track fittings and Heli downlights are spread throughout the property, with recessed Microline 30+ profile in the bathrooms.

From the outside, the structure is equally intelligent. The boxes take up the entire width of the site, allowing future buildings to be simply adjoined to the existing walls. The boxes have been placed in order to maximise internal light levels, whilst endeavouring not to intrude on the neighbours’ outlook.

Not that it would cause offense if it did – the building is mostly clad with milky, translucent glass planks, which continue past the roof deck to create a private roof garden. CTA are currently looking to develop the model for multiple affordable developments. de

This page: [Above and left] The open plan living space on the second floor with stairs leading up to the roof terrace.

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1: Cover screen featuring Outcast Editions signature ThreeSix font designed

by Hamish Muir and Paul McNeil. 2: The navigation screen. Four rows of sliding thumbnail images provide access to all of the content. The top row contains text, video and credits, the second row over 30 high resolution photographs, the third row all plans, sections and elevations and the bottom row construction details, as well as kitchen and bathroom drawings. 3+4: Typical photo screen. The + button brings up the caption and camera location key plan. 5: Section screen with interactive detail boxes and key plan to show where the section is located and to take you back to the plan to access other sections or details. 6: Typical construction detail screen featuring a section to show where the detail is located in the building. Tapping on the section takes you to that drawing.

Detail in Contemporary Architecture

SUPPLIERS LIST:

'Slip House, Carl Turner Architects' is a single building interactive monograph published by Outcast Editions, and is part of a series, entitled ‘Detail in Contemporary Architecture’. The series is specifically designed for iPad and each monograph features commissioned photography and video, as well as interactive architectural drawings, including floor plans, sections, elevations and construction details.

Outcast Editions is an independent publishing company which was founded in 2011 with the ambition of reinventing illustrated architecture publishing for the digital age. The interactive books have been designed as a new way of allowing readers to engage with, and understand, contemporary architecture. In order to achieve this, they have developed their own unique navigation system and interactive contents, which allow the viewer to access interactive section markers, elevation markers and detail location keys via the + button at the bottom of the screen. Published books in the series include three houses in Australia, two in the UK including Slip House and Ty Pren in Wales by Feilden Fowles. Sunken House in London by Adjaye Associates is in production and will be published later in 2013.

Client: Mary Martin & Carl Turner Architect: Carl Turner Architects Structural Engineer: Structure Workshop Site Foreman: Neil Turner Developer: Self Build Interior Lighting: Deltalight Rooflights: Natralight Glass panels: Linit UK Triple Glazing: Green steps Bathroom Basins and Fitting: CP Hart Shower heads and Taps: Vola Concrete piling: Roger bullivant Terrace Decking: T. Brewer Joinery: Roy Middleton Under floor heating: Timoleon Solar Panels and heat exchange system: Artizan heating

Outcast Editions

www.outcasteditions.com

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words: Rosemary Munro — images: © Adam Mørk

" With more and more people choosing to live in built up cities, ways in which we can maximise daylight inside our houses are becoming invaluable. "

#7

Northamptonshire uk

CARBON LIGHT HOMES F Model Horizons

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or architects, it is obvious that daylight is of enormous value to human wellbeing. It is vital for our biological rhythms and generally improves our happiness and mental performance. With more and more people choosing to live in built up cities, ways in which we can maximise daylight inside our houses are becoming invaluable.

In 2009, the VELUX Group launched their Model Home 2020 project. In a bid to design the buildings of the future, the group have built a range of six houses across Europe, experiments to find out exactly how much daylight can be let into one house, how this could lower our reliance on electric lighting and how it could improve our health and well being.

These two semi-detached homes in Kettering,

Northamptonshire, are the most recent developments in the project and prove that it’s possible to build energy efficient, sustainable housing that is practical and comfortable, as well as being easy and affordable to replicate on a larger scale.

VELUX’s ultimate purpose is to create buildings which benefit both communities and families, improving health, quality of life, and promoting respect for the environment. In fact, the homes were the first in the UK to be designed and built to the UK Government’s new definition of ‘zerocarbon’, and achieve this by combining two renewable energy technologies (air source heat pumps and solar collectors).

The building was designed by HTA Architects, who used facade and roof windows to maximise daylight levels in the houses. Using computer modelling, they created designs which allow the Carbon Light Homes’ daylight factor to reach at least 5% – up to three times the amount of daylight required by the UK's Code for Sustainable Homes.

We can only hope that VELUX’s plan catches on. After all, who wants to live in the dark? de

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Left page: View from the garden at semi-detached homes in Kettering, Northamptonshire.

This page: View from the front and interior – living space and upstairs bedroom.

SUPPLIERS LIST: ARCHITECT: HTA Architects Sonnenkraft: Solar thermal buffer tank, controls and pipework VELFAC: Vertical windows and external doors WindowMaster: Full automation equipment and controls Travis Perkins: All sanitaryware, ironmongery and general build materials Philips: LED Lighting solutions (4 bed house only) Unilin systems: Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) for roof Daikin: Air Source Heat Pump Drexel & Weiss: Mechanical Ventilation with Heat recovery VELUX: Roof windows and solar collectors Hormann garage doors: supplied and fitted the automatic garage door (4 bed house) demagazine.co.uk

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words: Maria Passarivaki — images: Attendant (courtesy)

#8 LONDON uk

ATTENDANT Gentlemen's Club

" It feels accessible, inviting and comfortable, with an attitude of novelty nonsense. "

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ete Tomlinson and Ben Russell have seized the opportunity to create something new on the London coffee scene. The Attendant is the result of their innovative idea of providing bistro services with a fun, lively setting, in which you can enjoy amazing Italian espressos and gourmet cuisine from all around the world.

Situated on Foley Street in noble Fitzrovia, Attendant, a gents' underground lavatory, was built around 1890 and suspended in the 1960s. After two years of planning and restoration, the Attendant reopened and has become one of the city’s most interesting and unsual espresso bars.

It feels accessible, inviting and comfortable, with an attitude of novelty nonsense. By drawing attention to the original 1890s Doulton & Co. urinals (converted into a bar with green seating to match the original Victorian floor tiles), placing the kitchen in the old attendant’s office, and renovating all the old Victorian ceramics and fittings, it has proved to be an architectural gem. The emphasis on comfort has been achieved by shedding any atmosphere of pretension or exclusivity that still lingers from its Victorian ancestors.

This is truly a place where everybody can feel the passion and creativity behind it. de

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Previous page: Old urinals, creatively used as tables with original tiles and vintage lighting.

This page: [Above] view of cafe as you enter. [Left] Entrance. [Right] Original lavatory rails, with new Attendant signage.

SUPPLIERS LIST: Design: In house Lighting: Vintage Stores in Los Angeles Branding: James Duffy weareshadows.com demagazine.co.uk

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words: Rosemary Munro — images: © LIA VITTONE

#9 LONDON uk

THE PEARSON ROOM Wine Dining

" Fortunately, the space is not characterised by an atmosphere of lurking menace… "

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SUPPLIERS LIST: Architect / Interior Designer: B3 Hungarian Industrial Pendant Lighting in Private Dining area: Skintflint Design Upholstered Thonet bentwood seating throughout Dining area: The Contract Chair Company Pressed Tin Ceiling panels in Dining Area: Andy Thornton Antique Angle-poised Lamp at Reception Desks: Alexander & Pearl

he Pearson Room could be a 1950’s members’ club if it weren’t for the imposingly high (and defiantly 21st century) glass walls which overlook Canada Square. The restaurant, owned by Sunaina Sethi (a formerly award-winning sommelier) has been designed and branded

by B3 Designers, who drew upon Hitchockstyle interiors for their inspiration.

Fortunately, the space is not characterised by an atmosphere of lurking menace, but it is inhabited by 50’s style leather seating and dark timber floors. Metal also features heavily in the space – raw, galvanised steel, exposed fittings and a large zinc bar give the space an industrialised feel. It is worth noting that Hitchcock himself was interested in architecture and design, building his own stainless steel kitchen, which was considered very cutting-edge at the time.

Previous page: [Top left] Stylised 50s inspired wall. [Below] Main view of Dining Space.

This page: [Above] Banquette Feature and Main Dining Space.

Because of to the variety of spaces and outlooks, The Pearson Room is able to give its diners a different experience every time they visit, and one which aims to suit individual needs. The restaurant is adapted for both casual drinks and communal dining, as well as private meals.

The space is divided up to include a centralised bar with high foundry-inspired stools, upholstered with antique leather. The remaining (and not inconsiderable) space is divided into semi-private dining and lounge areas. The wooden dining tables come with classic bentwood chairs and the space is illuminated by vintage lamps and warm overhead accent lighting. The lounge area is lighter, located under the massive windows; it is comprised of clusters of high-backed leather armchairs and bookcases around low tables – the perfect place to unwind with a coffee and friends.

At the centre of the project, one feels the desire of the designers to create an environment of warmth, on in which diners can wind down and feel at ease, yet also enjoy the sophistication of the food and the interior. de

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words: Stuart Blakley — images: BUCKLEY BUILDING (COURTESY) + © Matt Chisnall

#10 LONDON uk

THE BUCKLEY BUILDING Going to Print

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" Commanding prime position at the top end of the square, The Buckley Building is next to the leafy gardens of St. James’s Church and overlooks the alfresco seating of the Crown Tavern. Clerkenwell Design Week venues are all around. " Commanding prime position at the top end of the square, The Buckley Building is next to the leafy gardens of St James’s Church and overlooks the alfresco seating of the Crown Tavern. Clerkenwell Design Week venues are all around.

T Exterior: Strong lines have been strengthened by Derwent London's bold approach to re-imaging the architecture of the capital's urban villages.

his office led scheme by Derwent London is named after the late Richard Buckley, a founder of one of the new wave of young design led architectural practices that sprung up in mid 90s London.

The Shoreditch based practice of Buckley Gray Yeoman continues to prosper under the leadership of Directors Matt Yeoman and Paul White.

Derwent prides itself on niche developments in the capital’s “villages”, many of them in creative hubs. The Buckley Building may be just north of Farringdon Station, but true to form, it is situated on Clerkenwell Green which is about as villagey as Zone 1 gets.

Formerly a printing works, it’s a 1930s gem.

Strong bands of render alternate with rows of long glazing between brick panels. It occupies an entire urban block so all four-anda-half elevations are on display, each masterfully handled. The main entrance has been strategically located to the shortest façade which forms a canted bay with two of the longer elevations. At five storeys over basement, The Buckley Building is a typically low rise Derwent development. The floorplates are large though, accommodating 500 square metres of ground floor retail and 7,500 square metres of offices on the other floors.

A functionless atrium and unnecessary columns have been removed.

The refurb recaptures the spirit of the original. Matt Yeoman says, “The design intent was to create a refined industrial aesthetic throughout. The Crittall windows have ¦ demagazine.co.uk

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© MChisnall

© MChisnall

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© MChisnall

" The refurb recaptures the spirit of the original.

Matt Yeoman says, “The design intent was to create a refined industrial aesthetic throughout. "

been retained and restored. The internal brickwork was partly grit blasted and exposed. We've also exposed the concrete soffits on all the floors.” Simon Silver, Head of Regeneration at Derwent, adds, “We dropped the raised ground floor by half a floor to create the classic lofty and welcoming Derwent reception. The resultant style is of a grand and timeless warehouse.” An eight metre long concrete reception desk and steel wall cladding inspired by the work of Richard Serra and Carlo Scarpa continue the industrial aesthetic.

The two lowest and two highest floors have already been let. A cat-slide roof covered with great sheets of glazing drops down the upper two floors transecting the north facing elevation and flooding the galleried offices with natural light. Most of the fourth floor is set back from the building line to accommodate south and west facing terraces.

Richard Buckley always maintained that “design is a sensual experience and can create emotion across all human activity”. He could easily have been talking about The Buckley Building. de

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This spread: Natural light pervades the variety of internal spaces.

Developer: Derwent London Architect: Buckley Gray Yeoman Main Contractor: Mitie Built Environment Structural Engineer: Heyne Tillett Steel Project Manager: Quantern Consulting Quantity Surveyor: Quantern Consulting CDM Coordinator: Quantern Consulting Services Consultant: Norman Disney & Young Rights of Light Consultant: GIA Measured Survey Consultant: CSL Surveys demagazine.co.uk

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words: Stuart Blakley — images: HOWICK PLACE (COURTESY) + © Peter Stevens

" Volume and void optimise lightness and airiness through transparency of container to contents. "

#11

LONDON uk

HOWICK PLACE Black and White and Red All Over

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H

owick Place has a transitional character wedged between the stripy red brick and Portland stone Westminster Cathedral and the glass cathedrals to commerce aligning Victoria Street.

Religion, consumerism and London’s 21st century temple for thespians, St James Theatre, make unlikely but compatible bedfellows in the £2 billion renaissance of Victoria. Developers Doughty Hanson and Terrace Hill’s offering is an office led mixed use scheme inches away from the headquarters of Tom Ford and Jimmy Choo.

In another unlikely but successful catholic ménage à trois, their nine storey building references Ashley & Newman, Lutyens and Mies.

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The red brick recalls Ashley & Newman’s neighbouring Schomberg House mansion block. The grid colouring of pale stone banding and black metal window frames resurrects Lutyens’ monochromatic chequerboard Grosvenor Estate which heralded the arrival of modernism. As for Mies, he would have approved of the grid cruciform and expanses of glass.

Traditional railings keep the scheme grounded.

“Key for us was creating a building that would sit comfortably with the high quality older architecture that borders the site,” explains project architect Jonathan Carter, “whilst also delivering a space that is cutting edge and responds to the transformation of the wider area.”

Volume and void optimise lightness and airiness through transparency of container to contents. Part of the lower ground floor offices rises to double height allowing natural light penetration. The street level windows become a clerestory. Part of the first floor offices overlooks a double height reception carving out a glass cube. A living wall climbs up the light well. The grid extends above the parapet to frame the street corner roof terrace.

“The reception is a large space with plenty of visibility from outside,” elaborates design consultant Joanna White, “so it was important to consider the exterior and interior together and to respond sensitively ¦ demagazine.co.uk

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This page: [Right] A sweep of the capital stretches out in front of the residential rooftop terraces. [Below]: Victoria is experiencing a once in a generation regeneration.

Previous spread: Interior designer Joanna White makes an entrance.

to the streetscape, architecture and materials. We picked up on the texture of the adjacent listed buildings, the earthy colour of the red brick and the darkness of the exterior frames.”

White completes the disciplined palette. A separate entrance leads to 23 luxury residential lets on two penthouse levels. Roof terraces abound. Far below, the capital snakes out in a labyrinth of Lilliputian living.

The architectural demands of this strategic site for an inspirational urban composition demonstrate the role of architecture as the guardian of the public realm, something too readily dissolved by the alternating demands of capitalist and bourgeois values. In a gesture of patronage beyond guardianship, Yinka Shonibare, famed for his Fourth Plinth Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, has been commissioned to encapsulate the spirit of Howick Place. de

© Peter Stevens

SUPPLIERS LIST: Joint Developers: Doughty Hanson & Co European Real Estate II LP and Terrace Hill Group plc Development Manager: Terrace Hill Developments Ltd Architect: Rolfe Judd Ltd Structural Engineer: Price & Myers LLP CDM Coordinator: McBains Cooper Consulting Ltd M&E Consultant: Silcock Dawson & Partners Ltd Main Contractor: Kier Construction Ltd Reception Interior Designer: Joanna White Design Consultants 112

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B e s p o k e d e s i g n s . H a n d m a d e . m ac H i n e m a d e . F r e e s ta n d i n g . F i t t e d.

554 Kings Road, London SW6 2DZ Telephone: 020 7384 4464 www.deirdredyson.com

words: Rosemary Munro — images: © Professional Images

#12

TWO WATERHOUSE SQUARE, LONDON uk

SKYPE OFFICES WORLD WIDE ROUND UP

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" Instead, they are brighter, sharper, and make no attempt to pretend that they are not, in fact, places of work. "

DE INTERIORS

brighter, sharper, and make no attempt to pretend that they are not, in fact, places of work.

The space is predominantly white, but flashes of lime green and differently coloured furnishings stop the spaces seeming too clinical. The wood flooring used in the centre stairwell and middle floor hub contributes to this effect but has not been extended into the offices themselves. This decision has, presumably, been made in order to minimize sound levels, the offices being designed to ensure that the acoustics and lighting levels are perfect for video and voice calls.

The attention to detail does not stop there.

Practically every room, no matter how small, has been fitted with Skype cameras and screens, as well as dedicated ‘scrum areas’ which allow groups of UK employees to have live meetings with their counterparts in all corners of the world. But aside from the technological gizmos, the true genius of this design is that it encourages colleagues to really engage with each other in person. ¦

T

he vermillion neo-gothic façade of Two Waterhouse Square has been looming over Holborn since the 1890s. Over the years, this Grade II listed building has been extended, embellished and refurbished several times. In the latest chapter of its long history, it has become the new home of communications software company Skype, who moved in this April.

The Skype offices have taken over three floors and encircle an imposing glass atrium, which allows daylight to flood into the rooms. Although clearly designed with aesthetics in mind, the offices, unlike Google’s London Headquarters, do not look like they have been pulled straight out of the pages of a luxury interiors magazine. Instead, they are demagazine.co.uk

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Previous spread: [Left] One of Skype’s meeting rooms.

[Main image] The view from the top of the stairs. [Bottom Right] Internal staircase at the centre of the office This Page: [Left] No. 2 Waterhouse Square, London.

[Above] L-R: Neil Stevens (Corporate Vice President of Regional and Business Development at Skype), Ed Vaizey (Parliamentary Under Secretary for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries) and Mark Gillett (Corporate Vice President of Engineering and Operations at Skype) Bottom. [Left] The office pool table.

The office spaces weave around a series of hubs, designed to encourage communication and facilitate the sharing of ideas.

As Mark Gillett, Corporate Vice President of Engineering and Operations, explains, ‘We incorporated our people- centric culture and our technology directly into our office, crafting an open and collaborative workspace and “neighbourhoods” which bring our teams together’.

Whilst the offices may be glossy and packed with gadgets, what they truly represent is the ethos of a company with communication at its very heart. de 116

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SUPPLIERS LIST: Architect: tp bennett Lighting: GIA (Consultants), Phoenix Electrical (Sub-Contractor), DAL (Specialist Manufacturer/ Supplier of bespoke pendants) Joinery: Dealerward (Sub-Contractor) Furniture: 3Sphere (Loose Furniture Suppliers – various manufacturers), Cambridge Park (Supplier/ Manufacturer – meeting room tables & credenza, chill tables & benches, scrum tables), Herman Miller – open plan desking

mrfdesign.co.uk

s410 wingback

mr f UK furniture designers & manufacturers

words: Rosemary Munro — images: © David Churchill

#13

21 ST Station Road, LONDON uk

Microsoft Research Offices Suite Success chetwoods.com 118

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This Spread: View of the reception looking towards the staff cafe with glass artwork by Danny Lane in the back.

DE INTERIORS

" Versatility is at the heart of the structure.

The brief stated that it required full reversion capabilities for future use and the ability to be split for multiple tenancies in future. "

A

‘shop window’ into the world of computing research, Microsoft’s new research building at 21 Station Road in Cambridge is designed to make the company more visible in the city. Recently condemned as a ‘lighthouse’ by disgruntled neighbours who find themselves unable to sleep at night, it has certainly fulfilled that particular objective.

The new six storey building is the creation of multi-award winning Chetwoods Architects and will accommodate around 220 employees. Microsoft have realised the value of chance encounters between colleagues of different research disciplines in the creation and development of their products, and have accordingly requested that the interior be designed in order to encourage integration and collaboration between co-workers.

Versatility is at the heart of the structure. The brief stated that it required full reversion capabilities for future use and the ability to be split for multiple tenancies in future. The indoor spaces are almost completely free of columns and allow for both cellular and open-plan layouts, whilst the boundaries between public and private spaces can be reinforced, removed or blurred to suit specific occasions. ¦ demagazine.co.uk

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The building has also been designed in order to induce thermal comfort and optimal lighting conditions. These requirements were solved by the use of an external envelope with deep reveals, external shading devices, high-spec glazing and integral inter-pane blinds. Deciduous trees have been planted around the building, so that daylight is maximised in the winter and filtered through the leaves in summer.

The building has been created by Brookgate, the Cambridge based mixed-use development company, who are responsible for the creation of a new city centre quarter, offering a mixture of commercial, residential and leisure facilities. Andrew Blake, Laboratory of Microsoft Research Cambridge says, ‘The result is something truly spectacular. The CB1 development is set to create a vibrant and productive new city quarter and we are very pleased to be the first office building to be commissioned’. de

This page: [Top] Exhibition area beside the main entrance. [Middle] Client breakout areas overlook the atrium and artwork by Klari Reis. [Bottom] Enhanced video conferencing meeting room

SUPPLIERS LIST: Developer: Brookgate Architect: Chetwoods Building Services Engineer: Hilson Moran Fire Engineering: Hilson Moran Lift and Facade Access consultant: Hilson Moran Acoustic Consultant: Hilson Moran Structural Engineer: Mott MacDonald Cost Consultant: Gardiner and Theobald Project Manager: GVA Second London Wall Landscape Architect: Robert Meyers Associates Planning consultant: Savills Main Contractor: Wates Tenant fit out Architect: Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will Tenant fit out MEP Engineer: Long & Partners Tenant fit out Cost Consultant: Turner and Townsend 120

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DE INTERIORS

www.weareyourstudio.com

www.fluteoffice.com

Inside the Sharing Offices of 2020

Office desks made from cardboard?

Absurd? Yes, but….

What will be the next evolution of today’s open plan office layouts?

According to office interiors and trends experts YourStudio, it will be the ‘Sharing Office’, where workers will be able to see, interact with and share work as it’s happening via ‘Idea Cloud’ screens above every desk.

The Idea Cloud screens will all be linked to a Central Hub – a large dome, streaming work as it’s progressing throughout the building.

Gesture technology means that staff will be able to flick through images and text, while socialising or working communally in the central conversation pit. Meanwhile, Intelligent Floors will allow staff to access data as they walk around the building, so if they want to swipe up information to the Central Hub, it’s always to hand.

Meanwhile, today’s ‘hotdesking’ trend of moving from one fixed station to another will evolve into a portable ‘Surface Desk’, where the work station itself will move with the worker. Inspired by architects’ drawing boards, this foldable working space is comprised of intelligent surfaces which can be customised to each worker’s own content when they plug in their tablet. YourStudio’s Howard Sullivan comments: "As real-estate becomes less affordable and companies increasingly share space, the importance of having an easily adaptable work space is becoming a pressing issue. The Surface Desk will allow workers to be more mobile but also able to customise their desk instantly to their own needs".

These ideas come as part of the cutting edge ‘Future of Work’ report by world-renowned trends analysts PSFK Labs, who are researching the new ways we are working and the implications for businesses and workers. de

It was Albert Einstein who remarked "If at first the idea does not seem absurd there is no hope for it," and his words have been ringing in the ears of FluteOffice founders Rod Fountain and Mary Dorrington Ward. The pair have spent four years designing, building and testing office furniture made entirely from cardboard, most of it recycled. After many failed attempts, an expert panel at the Furniture Industry Research Association have honoured their elegant FlutePRO desk with the industry’s Innovation Award for 2013.

It is the world’s first cardboard workstation to meet the same British and European standards for strength, stability, safety and fire resistance as any conventional desk made from wood and steel. However, the real magic lies in what it enables businesses to do. No longer must a growing business be shackled by the choice of furniture it made many years earlier. FluteOffice products can be sent back and transformed into something completely different using every last fibre of the material in the original item. As Rod Fountain comments, ‘The idea of owning your office furniture and being stuck with it as your business evolves will seem very quaint in years to come.’

Cardboard has been enjoying a steadily improving press over the past ten years. In 2010, the Amsterdam creative agency Nothing revealed an office made entirely of cardboard, and this year Shigeru Ban’s ambitious design for a cardboard cathedral in Wellington, New Zealand is due for completion. It looks like cardboard’s here to stay. de

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words: Rosemary Munro — images: courtesy PATRICK HELLMANN

#14 LONDON uk

Patrick Hellmann Interior design furniture and Fashion Retail

I

t has been long assumed that Patrick Hellmann is merely a luxury German fashion brand, but it is so much more than just that. Along with the immaculately lined tailored suits, which are hand made to perfection, they have recently ventured into the high-end contract and retail interior design market. The German based designer, who has been hailed in the fashion world as the German Tom Ford, can now be seen as an innovator in the interior design world.

The contemporary product based items that the brand offers have been met with rapturous applause and rave reviews throughout Europe and a selection of the design and furniture pieces can now be viewed at the exclusive Patrick Hellmann store on St. James’s Street,London.

Alongside the interior design aspect of the business, PHC also designs and produces items of furniture and accessories to fit any interior specification. All items are made to order and each product and design can be tweaked to a customer's specification (trade or consumer).

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With an interior as stylish as the clothing, the St James’s Street store is embellished with sleek grey marble, black lacquered cabinets, shining silver, metal edges, and opulent chandeliers, illustrating the influence of traditional European design. Also populating the space are clear glass cabinets which house products such as cufflinks, scents and ties, along with the signature Patrick Hellmann skulls.

Due to the vast space of the shop, it is also possible to showcase some of the interior products which PHC design, produce and sell. Slick black chests of drawers, grand chandeliers, stylish console tables and elegant table lamps are only a handful of the items that the company produce and will surely be a focus of attention for major UK interior designers. de

This page: [Main] Recently opened London fashion store [Top right] luxury interiors by Patrick Hellmann living [Middle right] The man behind the success, Patrick Hellmann. [Bottom] Retail store design & furniture supplied

by PHC, Berlin.

words: Rosemary Munro — images: © Adam Mørk

PAULO #15 SÃO BRAZIL

COURTYARD Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal e dos TerritórioS

Judge the Book by the Cover

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T

he eyes of the world are turning towards Brazil. As the country gears up for both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, the pressure is on for architects to look to the future in terms of environmental protection and design innovation. The creators of the sporting venues were all given the task of creating ecologically sustainable structures.

However, it is the Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal e dos Territórios (TJDFT), which was first awarded the LEED Gold Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Brazilian architect Siegbert Zanettini planned a 6,200 square metre, five storey office building with a complex steel-glass construction. It is centred on an immense, vermillion column and has two offset wings.

Along the length of each storey in the left hand wing is a landscaped terrace, but it’s on the right-hand wing that things get interesting. Zanettini replaced the terrace design with full-surface metallic mesh cladding which, as well as providing a variety of environmental benefits, allows virtually unrestricted views of the surrounding environment and, visually, creates lightness, reflecting the colour of the surrounding environment. The mesh was manufactured by industry leader GKD, who made the product almost entirely from recycled stainless steel.

Zanettini is acutely aware of the importance of sustainable sourcing. As such, the wood for the interior partition walls comes from sustainable forests, and all paints and glues were tested by an independent laboratory to confirm that they were ecologically safe. Forty per cent of the materials used in construction were sourced from the local region.

Even in a country with such an outstanding architectural identity, the courthouse is conspicuous for its unprecedented environmental and innovative credentials.

This structure shows that Brazil is ready to match up to and, in fact, exceed the expectations of its global spectators. de

Main image: The Brazilian architect Siegbert Zanettini decided on stainless steel mesh from GKD for the sustainable facade.

Below: The courthouse "Tribunal de Justica do Distrito Federal e dos Territórios" (TJDFT) in Brazil.

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IN GOOD THINGS WE TRUST Products featured over the following pages are an array of new and exciting products now on the market. We have been busy visiting all the major design shows throughout the world; we hope our selection helps to inspire you! All of the items featured can also be found in the product section at www.demagazine.co.uk AMARANT TABLE Amarant is the combination of a side table and a magazine holder. Created and made in the Netherlands by Spell Amarant, the side table seems to fit perfectly with the company motto: 'creations from a playful industry'. The table comes in four colours: white, yellow, champagne and black, and

STUDIO HAUSEN This textile moulded chair gains its structure by being inflated from within and filled with polyurethane foam. The designer Joscha Brose's intention, was developed with an innovative manufacturing process using textiles with no costly injection mould involved. The final geometric shape was inspired by the structures of Radiolaria grid shells, formed by the fusion of tiny bubbles. Studio Hausen is based in Berlin and run by, Joscha Brose and Jรถrg Hรถltje. www.studiohausen.com

the table top is made out of American walnut finished in matt varnish. www.spell-online.com

SUPER-LIGHT With no need to conceal the cable, the Super-Light was born.

This pendant light gives a warm and ludic detail in the ambient.

Hand-crafted by Kraud, a German brand which was founded by Yvonne Fehling and Jennie Peiz.

Super-Light can be ordered in a large range of colours. www.super-light.de Photo credits: Piero Glina & Johannes Tolk

STUDIO 06 ICS stool is made simply by folding a single sheet of iron and steel.

Developed by the award winning Studio 06 in Turin, Italy, ICS stool can be used indoors or outdoors and its minimalism allows it to fit in different spaces. Available in three colours: white, red and yellow, it is manufactured by Curti Metallo and can be purchased at Youtool. www.studio06.it

CARNAVAL CHAIR Carnaval Chair is a rocking chair where the concept 'motion generated by the user' is related to the traditional Latin American Carnivals, where the inspiration for this chair came from. Created by the Argentinian designers Guido Lanari and Jesica Vicente, Carnaval Chair is made from wood and elastic. Following the idea of making your own costume in the traditional Carnival parties, Carnaval chair can be customised in different colours. www.behance.net

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DE PRODUCTS

de SELECTed ITEMS Duo Monolith Duo Monolith is an elegant piece made in Moon Stone and solid walnut wood design

by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez. This contemporary washbasin is part of a collection inspired by nature from Neutra, a family company established in Cant첫 , Italy, in 1880, where the Arnaboldi family has run the company through four generations. www.neutradesign.it

Flute office Made entirely from paper, the FlutePRO relies on clever use of corrugated board and bridgebuilding engineering techniques to conform to all British and European office furniture standards. In any colour or design, it comes with a 12-month warranty, and is the 2013 winner of the FIRA Innovation Award. www.fluteoffice.com

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Assemblyroom Furniture.

The Long Eaton Stacking Chair from Assemblyroom is a solid, comfortable dining chair which is hand made in the UK. Manufactured in either FSC oak or walnut, the chair is finished in clear lacquer. The seat pad (and optional back pad) are upholstered in 100% Pure New Wool. Available in a wide range of colours. www.assemblyroom.co.uk

Laguna Rugs The brand new collection from Laguna Rugs combines carefully sourced materials from Nepal including the highest quality wool, silks and other luxurious yarns, which are hand knotted into intricate designs. www.lagunarugs.com

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de SELECTed ITEMS

Axor Starck Organic Developed by Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe, and Philippe Starck, the Axor Starck Organic collection combines unique design with a responsible way to handle water. Two handles, one at the top of the mixer and one at the end of spout, separately control water temperature and flow. www.hansgrohe.co.uk

Canopus Weekplanner by A. Manzoni & Fils The best of Swiss mechanical watchmaking fused with great contemporary design.

A collaboration between the Finnish designer Ilkka Suppanen and some of the best craftsmen in the Swiss watch industry brings you this amazing looking timepiece. www.amanzoni.com

Elysium Sofa by Rock Galpin The new Elysium sofa was launched earlier this year at May Design Series 2013 and endorsed by Karim Rashid, the versatile British designer made Elypsium Sofa suitable for contract and domestic use. Available as a 1.5, 2, 3 seater and ‘L’ corner and ‘U’ configurations or custom. 'Amazingly comfortable', 'timeless modern lines’, ‘well priced future classic’, ‘beautiful design with real integrity' are some of the comments that have been made. Special launch offer: 30% off for a limited period only until 31st October, 2013. Code: DE10/13 www.rockgalpin.com

The 'Bathroom Bookshelf' by Falper Available in three different heights (96, 126 and 156cm) and three different widths (93, 123 and 153cm), Falper's 'Bathroom Bookshelf' is perfectly suited to the modern-day open-plan bathing/relaxing environment. Offering a clever combination of 'visible' and 'invisible' storage thanks to its customisable drawer/shelf combinations, the 'Bathroom Bookshelf' was designed by Michael Schmidt and can be crafted in one of 22 different woods to complement or contrast with its matt white opaque fasicas. Available in the UK and Ireland through Alchemy Design Award. www.alchemyaward.com

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Formica Forever Celebrates Colour, Culture and the World’s Love Affair with the Formica® Brand New book depicts the birth and expansion of an international icon Formica Group, the inventor of laminate, celebrates 100 years of global design with Formica Forever, a commemorative book that captures the company’s 100-year evolution through cultural shifts, economic uncertainties, trend exploration and global growth.

“The Formica® brand has touched every aspect of our lives each and every day, surfacing millions of spaces in which we gather, work, learn, heal, shop, eat and play,” noted Mark Adamson, former CEO of Formica Group and current CEO of Fletcher Building, parent company to Formica Group. “Many people have grown up with the Formica brand, and this book encapsulates the company’s influence in interior design as well as its struggles and perseverance to remain a viable business through changing ownership, global expansion and the changing landscape of the surfacing market.”

Designed by Abbott Miller, a partner in the renowned international design consultancy Pentagram, the 408-page, 6.5” x 9.5" book contains more than 400 images and is modeled after a Formica brand laminate swatch book from the 1960s. “We didn’t want a cumbersome coffee-table book; we wanted to create something celebratory rather than grandiose, authoritative but also lively,” Miller said. The book is published in collaboration with Metropolis Books and will be available in early August at bookstores worldwide as well as online.

Formica Forever features: · 100 years of worldwide visual assets, including advertisements, logos and product swatches organised by colour. · Three essays in which notable authors lend perspective to the various Formica Group storylines that have unfolded over the course of the last century, including: Global Business Expansion (authored by Phil Patton) / Modernist Design Legacy

(authored by Alexandra Lange) / Cultural Impact (authored by Peter York).

Literary excerpts referencing the Formica brand, which demonstrate both its importance in pop culture as well as the challenges faced by Formica Group to diligently protect the brand.

An appendix featuring six colour-coded translations: French, Spanish, Finnish, Thai and Simplified and Traditional Mandarin.

Formica Forever authors: · Phil Patton (Growing Global: A Century of the Formica Brand and Business) is a design journalist, curator and author. His books include Open Road: A Celebration of The American Highway; Made in USA: The Secret Histories of the Things that Made America; Bug, a cultural history of the Volkswagen Beetle; and Dreamland, the culture of experimental aircraft.

Patton writes regularly about automobile design for The New York Times and has served as a curator for museum exhibitions focusing on automobiles. · Alexandra Lange (The Glamour of Utility: Formica® Laminate, Design and Luxury) is an architecture and design critic and author of Writing about Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings and Cities. Her work has appeared in The Architect's Newspaper, Architectural Record, Dwell, Metropolis, Print, New York Magazine and The New York Times. She teaches architecture criticism at New York University and the School of Visual Arts. · Peter York (Toward a Wipe-Clean World: Formica Brand in Context) is a British management consultant, author and broadcaster most famous for co-authoring Harpers & Queen's The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook with Ann Barr. He also is a columnist for The Independent on Sunday, GQ and Management Today, and associate of Editorial Intelligence.

In addition to creating the book, Pentagram’s Miller and partners Michael Bierut and Daniel Weil collaborated on the anniversary brand elements, the Formica Laminate Anniversary Collection and the anniversary display concept. formica.eu

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de SELECTed ITEMS

CASHMERE by Kreoo With its distinctive ‘comma’ shape, the Cashmere basin

by Kreoo is exquisitely crafted in the Vicenza area of Italy.

Measuring 80×40×20(h)cm, Cashmere is available in four marble-types: Calacatta White, Estremoz White, Marquina Black and St. Marie Grey. Available in the UK and Ireland through Alchemy Design Award. www.alchemyaward.com

Alex MacArthur Made in Europe and produced using vintage components from old theatre lights, mirrors, street lights, glass, brass tubing, cables and cords, MacArthur’s elegant collection of Edwardian industrial lighting is perfect for your bespoke project. www.alexmacarthur.co.uk

Tracy Kendall Tracy Kendall is a UK based wallpaper designer producing unique, innovative and award winning wall coverings that have transformed walls around the world for more than 16 years. All the wallpapers are customizable and can be used in domestic and commercial interiors. A bespoke service of design and manufacturing is also available. www.tracykendall.com

Boleform Boleform is an exclusive Dutch hardwood floor and veneer manufacturer who has taken a completely new approach towards flooring, furniture and interior industry with the help of technological innovation. As no two trees are identical, no two Bolefloors or Boleform surfaces are alike. www.boleform.com

Bagno Designs With the latest trend in bathroom design seeing the inclusion of materials that break away from the norm, the Camborne copper bath from Bango Designs is perfect for customers looking to bring timeless elegance and a touch of luxury to their bathroom. Measuring 1800×850×850mm, the bath has a generous depth and sloping high ends. www.bagnodesign.co.uk

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Traditional and contemporary Handtufted, Passmachine and Woven custom designed carpets and rugs from design to installation

www.customcarpetcompany.co.uk

Custom Carpet Company PO Box 167, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 6WH Tel.: + 44 (0)1737 830301 Fax.: + 44 (0)1737 833785

Email: info@customcarpetcompany.co.uk

Web: www.customcarpetcompany.co.uk

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James UK The Newington range offers a high level of comfort, with a feather filled seat cushion, mid 20th century/ retro influences and stylish turned hardwood legs, incorporating the graceful lines of the design. Suitable for the domestic and contract market. The Newington range consists of a two and three seat sofa and an armchair. www.jamesuk.com

Andreas Fabian Andreas Fabian's designs are driven by the play of materials of silver, stone, ceramics or glass. In his objects, cool sighted functionalism meets reinterpretation and wry humour to create domestic objects that sensually occupy a much more thoughtful table landscape. www.andreasfabian.eu

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Modus / Formica® ColorCore Modus has chosen to use Formica® ColorCore® for its striking collection of bistro, meeting, coffee and occasional tables – Gecko. Gecko’s ColorCore tops are available as softened squares and rectangles or circular shapes, while the laser cut steel foot spreads out to look like the footpad of a Gecko – hence the name. www.formica.eu/uk www.modusfurniture.co.uk

Buster and Punch The new daring and exquisite products from Buster and Punch celebrate custom living and being individual.

Seen here from the Hooked collection is the Hooked family: Hooked 1.0 light nude, Hooked 1.0 small and Hooked 1.0 large. www.busterandpunch.com

Wootbike The Wootbike is an elegant fixed and single-gear hybrid bicycle designed in Holland. The matte black finish is complimented by an exceptionally comfortable leather saddle, designed in conjunction with Lepper – the world’s oldest independent saddlemaker. The Wootbike is now available in the UK. www.wootbikes.co.uk

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