Nº117 JUL — AUG 2017
EU €19.95 IT €14.95 CHF 30 UK £14 US $19.95 CA $29.50 AU $28.99 JP ¥3,570 KR WON 40,000
BP
THE GREAT INDOORS
THE FASHION OF FITNESS Tapping into the wellness industry
Lessons from David Chipperfield
Challenging tomorrow’s workplace
Contents
Brenda Germade
FRAME 117
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25
44
15 OBJECTS
Space-spawned products, upcycled textiles and spiritual design practices
31 THE CHALLENGE Five makers anticipate tomorrow’s offices
43 PORTRAITS DAVID CHIPPERFIELD Engaged to architecture
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ANDRÉ FU Keeping cool in Hong Kong
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GERMANS ERMIČS The great glass elevator
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MAYRA SÉRGIO Coffee brick
Gene Glover
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60 WERNER AISSLINGER Mind on matter(s) 68
RAFAËL ROZENDAAL Click to view
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MINI Living within layers
81 SPACES
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Taegsu Jeon
Best in show: Tokujin Yoshioka for LG, Studio Swine for Cos, Universal Everything for Samsung
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FRAME 117
Helenio Barbetta
145 FRAME LAB Fitness 146 Tapping into the wellness sector 152 Eat out, work out at DSQUARED2 158 POWERHOUSE COMPANY serves health-conscious shoppers 162 Health for life by HERZOG & DE MEURON 166 GOOGLE employees work up a sweat 172 Exercise and socialize at Tank’s VONDELGYM
189 152 183 Courtesy of Moooi
178 WINDOW FRANCE Body language
Giuliano Koren, courtesy of Foscarini
181 REPORTS Tech-driven lighting directions 192 IN NUMBERS Øivind Alexander Slaatto’s BeoSound Shape in facts and figures
egecarpets.com
"The carpet is a blank canvas upon which to express my passions, drawings, collages, prints in black and white or in colour, albums of old pictures from my personal archives." Monsieur Christian Lacroix
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COLOPHON
Frame is published six times a year by Frame Publishers Laan der Hesperiden 68 NL-1076 DX Amsterdam frameweb.com
EDITORIAL
For editorial inquiries, please e-mail frame@frameweb.com or call +31 20 4233 717 (ext 923). Editor in chief Robert Thiemann – RT Managing editor Tracey Ingram – TI Editor Floor Kuitert – FK Research editor Anouk Haegens – AH Editorial intern Chahinez Bensari – CB Copy editors InOtherWords (D’Laine Camp, Donna de Vries-Hermansader) Design director Barbara Iwanicka Graphic designers Zoe Bar-Pereg Cathelijn Kruunenberg Translation InOtherWords (Donna de VriesHermansader, Jesse van der Hoeven, Maria van Tol) Contributors to this issue Izabela Anna – IA Christie Bakker – CB Elana Castle – EC Giovanna Dunmall – GD Will Georgi – WG Kanae Hasegawa – KH Gili Merin – GM Shonquis Moreno – SM Anja Neidhardt – AN Maria Elena Oberti – MEO Alexandra Onderwater – AO Jonathan Openshaw – JO Jill Diane Pope – JDP Bradley Quinn – BQ Jane Szita – JS Masaaki Takahashi – MT Cover Creative direction Alvin Chan Concept and photography Studio Qiu Yang Set design Sarah-Jane Hoffmann Assistants Rob Bowler, Klemen Ilovar, Noortje Knulst and Eden Hawkins Lithography Edward de Nijs Printing Grafisch Bedrijf Tuijtel Hardinxveld-Giessendam
PUBLISHING Directors Robert Thiemann David de Swaan Rudolf van Wezel
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‘For the last image of our cover series for Frame, we drew inspiration from a painting by Edgar Ende. We fell in love with the wild, dark atmosphere of an open window framing a stormy ocean’ QIU YANG, COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
Licence holders Korea Tong Yang Media Co. Ltd. Young Lee T +82 70 8169 6013 framekorea@gmail.com Bookstore distributors Frame is available at sales points worldwide. Please see frameweb.com/magazines/where-to-buy. Frame (USPS No: 019-372) is published bimonthly by Frame Publishers NL and distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 17B South Middlesex Ave., Monroe, NJ 08831. Periodicals postage paid at New Brunswick, NJ, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to Frame, 701C Ashland Ave., Folcroft, PA 19032. ISSN FRAME: 1388-4239 © 2017 Frame Publishers and authors On the basis of famous paintings that incorporate architecture, space and interior, Studio Qiu Yang created settings using materials that are typically found in modern interior design and architecture. This issue’s cover image is the fourth and last in the series.
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EDITORIAL
RESEARCHERS predict that over 80 per cent of Americans will be obese or overweight by 2030. The problem might be poor education, culturally ingrained habits, lack of money, frustration – or all of the above. Whatever the reason, many overweight people don’t get enough exercise and don’t follow a healthy balanced diet. There’s a striking difference between the individuals in that dire forecast and those that make up a similarly growing demographic. Mostly young, well-educated people living and working in highly urbanized areas, they do their utmost to get healthy and stay healthy. Their diets consist of superfoods, lowcarb and high-protein choices, gluten-free grub and organic products, preferably grown by local farmers and market gardeners who supply the grocers and restaurants where millennials shop and eat. For them, nutritious food goes hand in hand with a well-trained body. They’re into everything from hot yoga to strength training, from boot camp to Pilates. This generation obviously understands that the right sunglasses, bag and puffa jacket raise the chances of looking good but don’t necessarily lead to happiness, much less a ‘healthier me’. And if there’s one thing that millennials
Wellth want, it’s to feel good in a fit body. And why not? Doesn’t everyone want to be healthy? The fitness hype is not a solitary phenomenon. It’s part of a trend that sees consumers buying fewer products and investing in the world of experiences – think candlelit dinners, music festivals and museum tours. Such an experience, however, can be rather passive: you enjoy – or ‘consume’, if you like – the efforts of others. Those who channel their energy into building stronger bodies transform themselves through their own efforts. It’s safe to say that wellness and fitness are not only here to stay but are penetrating every layer of our daily lives – on a global scale. More and more industries are expanding their offers with activities aimed at wellbeing. The result is a literal
explosion of yoga clubs, spas and fitness centres, many of which are integrated into offices, hotels and apartment complexes. Recently even stores (Selfridges’ Body Studio) and museums (see page 148) have been providing spaces for workouts. In this issue, we show how fitness is infiltrating every imaginable space – and how designers are creating the look and feel of today’s wellness facilities. The current craze is not, after all, just about clearing a space and installing a few pieces of exercise equipment. Ultimately, even fitness is a branded experience that reflects the identity of the company or organization that’s promoting it. ROBERT THIEMANN Editor in chief
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CONTRIBUTORS
‘David Chipperfield made us feel so comfortable in his family apartment and company offices that the whole team ended up padding around in their socks, including the architect himself’ GENE GLOVER
American photographer GENE GLOVER operates a studio in Berlin, Germany. Specialized in portrait and reportage photography, Glover has contributed images to publications such as Die Zeit, Stern, Geo, Wired, Lufthansa Exclusive and Der Spiegel. For this issue, he photographed British architect David Chipperfield, who shares life lessons in the section ‘What I’ve Learned’ (see p. 44).
MICHELLE LAU is an international fashion, portrait and commercial photographer born and based in Hong Kong. Her work, which is characterized by elements of romanticism and fantasy, appears in various Chinese and European magazines, including Vogue Italia. Lau’s portrait of André Fu is featured on page 50.
Berlin-based writer and curator ANJA NEIDHARDT travels between countries to explore the fringes of design. She has a master’s in Design Curating and Writing from the Design Academy Eindhoven and has worked as an editor for German magazine Form, for which she continues to write. Other clients include the German Design Council, Slanted, The Weekender, Timelab, Fictional Journal and Designabilities. Turn to page 120 to read Neidhardt’s story on India Mahdavi’s redesign of the womenswear floor at Berlin’s KaDeWe.
Dutch photographer and animator MICHIEL SPIJKERS studied documentary photography at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague. The jury of the 2016 European Design Awards, held in Vienna, awarded Spijkers gold in the category ‘infographics’. For this issue, he visited designer Mayra Sérgio’s Amsterdam workspace. The results can be viewed on page 58.
BetteLux Oval Couture Steel can wear anything
Design: Tesseraux+Partner www.bette.de
Boston phonebooth by Bruno Vermeersch I www.palau.nl
Tullio Deorsola, courtesy of Pepe Heykoop and IN Residence
S END-OF-LIFE TEXTILES become fuel for renewal. FLAX FURNITURE has a fresh future. SPIRITUALITY shines in design. Discover new directions in the world of products.
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UPCYCLED TEXTILES promote a circular economy MATERIALS – Today’s linear economic system – often referred to as the ‘take-makedispose’ model – sees many resources wasted and materials discarded after a single use. A major player is the textile industry, where approximately 95 per cent of used or leftover fabrics are suitable for recycling, but only 25 per cent actually achieve that goal. Designers are responding to the current situation by joining the search for material infinity. They’re
turning to processes that extend beyond the end product and focusing on the principles of a circular economy and systems thinking. Exploring opportunities for nudging the economic system into a more natural orbit, they envision a future in which a product eventually becomes a resource for the following product – a future in which design for circularity becomes the norm. – CB
REALLY X MAX LAMB
maxlamb.org reallycph.com
Angela Moore
Self-proclaimed champion of circular design, Really – a brand partly owned by Kvadrat – tackles global waste by urging designers to rethink their resources. For Really’s debut collection, Max Lamb used the company’s solid textile board – made from Kvadrat cutoffs and end-oflife cotton and wool – to create a set of fully recyclable benches.
OBJECTS
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JORGE PENADÉS
Amazed by the excess of material discarded by the automotive, fashion, footwear and furniture industries, Milanese designer Jorge Penadés began looking for new ways to reuse leather. His Structural Skin is a composite material made from leather remnants and resin formed under high pressure into reconstituted ‘boards’. The latest reincarnation of Structural Skin is a series of lamps.
Brenda Germade
jorgepenades.com
JENNY BANKS
jenny-banks.co.uk
Floor Kuitert
Central Saint Martins MA Material Futures student Jenny Banks is the initiator of #sustainablefastfashion, a project that questions the durability of products supplied by mainstream fashion labels. The process she developed allows textile remnants to be used as raw materials for 3D printers in an attempt to apply advanced technology to the fast-fashion industry for the sake of sustainability.
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Design: Martin Ballendat
DAUPHIN LORDO FLEX – FLEXIBILITY IN FORM AND FUNCTION Making daily work routines more dynamic – that’s what the innovative Lordo series, sleek design courtesy of Martin Ballendat, stands for: thanks to the patented seatadjustment mechanism and smart backrest technology, the seat anatomy follows the user’s movement in a synchronous, ergonomic fashion. This ensures that the body is always kept in balance.
Dauphin HumanDesign® Group GmbH & Co. KG Espanstraße 36 I 91238 Offenhausen, Germany Tel. +49 9158 17-700 I Fax +49 9158 17-701 www.dauphin-group.com I info@dauphin-group.com
THE
E Courtesy of Panter & Tourron
TOMORROW'S WORKPLACE In the lead-up to each issue, Frame challenges emerging designers to answer a topical question with a future-forward concept. Sparked by media reports that robots are likely to replace half of all jobs over the next 20 years, we commissioned five makers to design an item, tool, space or service that relates to the anticipated automation of tomorrow’s workspace.
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TOMORROW'S WORKPLACE
Nº 1
Out of Office Lotte van Velzen creates a collaborative NETWORK OF KNOWLEDGE that furthers the idea of a more diverse workforce.
You’ve moved from the Netherlands to New York City. How did this influence your concept? LOTTE VAN VELZEN: Living in a different city is a wonderful experience and has widened my perspective, although the question 'where do I end up?' has also become more important. My concept is a response to this topic: it basically eliminates the importance of location in the workplace. What is it? I call it the Augmented Office Environment (AOE), a future workspace that’s built around a virtual experience rather than a physical presence. How will it work? You log into your system in the morning, navigate to your personal work platform and take a seat behind your computer. Your co-workers, who are logged into the same platform, are in the same virtual space. You can attend meetings, participate in brainstorm sessions and have lunch with them. Which professions do you see benefiting from an AOE? It has applications in many fields. Teachers can give classes attended simultaneously by students worldwide. Engineers, architects and manufacturers can develop projects in an AOE, while automated factories and smart machines make their data physical. Scientists can use an AOE to share data, and it’s a good choice for virtual-simulation labs as well. What are the advantages for individual workers? So many people are denied opportunities because of where they live. A shortage of engineers in one part of the world and an excess in another can be addressed by using AOEs. It can also create a greater diversity in the workforce. If engineers from Senegal and Germany worked together in the same AOE, the result could be a better collaborative network of knowledge, uninhibited by geography. With the freedom to live anywhere, people will leave cities where the cost of living is high. Densely populated areas will spread out, and urbanism will reverse.
What role could big data and AI play in your concept? These two developments are moving technology into the realm of ethics. We need to be conscious of the fact that concepts like AOE could radically alter our lives. It’s up to us to take responsibility for the extent to which such advances might render ‘you’ and ‘I’ obsolete. The AOE’s human component cannot be compromised. While simulations will improve efficiency, we have to consider why we make these tools to begin with. Frame was curious to see how LOTTE VAN VELZEN, whose portfolio is rich in physical design, would address the digital in ‘The Challenge’.
And why do we? My belief is that they will provide us with the opportunity to more thoughtfully balance our generation’s dynamic work demands. In short, technology gives us time to do the things we want, wherever we want. – WG lottevanvelzen.com
THE CHALLENGE
Built around virtual experience instead of physical presence, Lotte van Velzen’s Augmented Office Environment gives us the freedom to meet, brainstorm and share with others, no matter where they are.
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TOMORROW'S WORKPLACE
Nº 3
Microbe Management Foreseeing a loss of existing jobs to automation, James Shaw envisions three BIO-BASED PROFESSIONS immune to the development.
You’re putting misunderstood microorganisms under the microscope. Yes. ‘Bacteria’ has been a dirty word for a long time, despite the fact that less than 1 per cent of all bacteria have a harmful impact on the human body. I would like to paint a picture of a new organic world, where the cultivation and management of microbes provide many of our basic energy, health and material needs. What impact will your project have on the workplace? These developments go hand in hand with the way in which our connected, always-on world is already changing the way we work. Automation is eroding a lot of mid- and low-level jobs, but I’ve created three professions that would be immune to this threat. What are they? The first is a plumber who maintains the bacterial cultures that service your home. She monitors the microbial-bio
THE CHALLENGE
digester, which converts organic matter into fuel; the algae on the roof that convert solar energy to biomass; the winter moulds on the outside of the building, which provide insulation during colder months; and the microbiological water filter. Number two? A producer specialized in growing a material similar to plywood for use in the building industry. In a matter of weeks, he can cultivate the amount of material that a tree produces after 40 years of growth. Rather than shipping and distributing pallets of this material across the world, he delivers a mere handful of spores directly to a site where they can be grown and can assume the proportions required for a specific project. And last but not least? A dietician. It has long been known that a fungus such as candida can affect a person’s mood and energy levels, but we now know that the bacteria in our
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gut can influence our chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Fully aware of the delicate ecosystem that we all carry around in our bodies, the dietician sells weekly samples of her gut flora to wealthy clients who wish to live more indulgent lives but don’t want to pay the microbial price.
Fascinated by the sculptural character of his materialfocused designs, Frame asked JAMES SHAW to contribute to ‘The Challenge’.
Doesn’t this practice raise issues that relate to privacy and ethics? Yes. The dietician would have to lead a very strict life, but the privations involved would be compensated by her personal wellbeing and the payment she receives for maintaining her health. You can compare the situation to the trade-off we make when using a free app that sells our data: we exchange a certain amount of privacy for the benefits we think the app gives us. – WG jamesmichaelshaw.co.uk
A plumber who maintains bacterial cultures (left), a producer who grows building materials (above) and a microbial dietician (top) are robot-resistant jobs conceived by British designer James Shaw.
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THE CHALLENGE
TOMORROW'S WORKPLACE
Nยบ 5
No Sweat(shops) With his 3D-TAILORING ROBOT, Clement Balavoine sets out to make squalid garment factories obsolete.
Frame invited CLEMENT BALAVOINE to take part in ‘The Challenge’ after noting the spirit of innovation that radiates from his design and production processes.
How does it work? The first step is to make a body scan of the person who will wear the garment. You can also select a preprogrammed size. The resulting dimensions provide the basis for a digital avatar on which you can design tailored garments. You need the avatar, plus organic wax and a 3D printer, to make a dress form. Once the wax has cooled, Kuka robots can begin clothing the form. When they are finished, a special solution is applied to both the garment and the wax form. This solution melts the wax, leaving the garment untouched, ready to wear. Do you see the Proto-Unit being used for mass production or mainly for individual pieces? This is where it gets interesting: robots are tools, and how you use them defines their function. Depending on the amount of time and fine craftsmanship you put into the design process, the Proto-Unit can create a highly detailed haute-couture dress or a less complex garment for mass production.
Clement Balavoine’s Proto-Unit relies on a digital avatar and a 3D-printed dress form to make clothes with a seamless fit.
Your concept is rooted in technology and sustainability, terms not normally associated with fashion. Did you make a deliberate attempt to design something revolutionary? CLEMENT BALAVOINE: Yes and no. I love traditional techniques like embroidery, pattern-making and stitching. I hope these handicrafts will always be a part of fashion. But my goal was a concept that could eliminate the negative aspects of the current fashion industry. Tell us about your Proto-Unit. It allows the designer to prototype or produce a garment very quickly, without touching a piece of fabric or a sewing machine.
It sounds as if Proto-Unit could change the way clothes are designed and made today. Omitting all the traditional and technical features now required to produce clothing, such as seams and buttonholes, would open new possibilities in terms of shape, structure, fit and feel. The Proto-Unit can make extremely detailed pieces from a single pattern. Things that were previously impossible or too timeconsuming for one person to make could be accomplished easily. As well as being efficient and effective, the concept is also sustainable. Absolutely. The machine runs on solar power, so there’s no waste of raw materials or energy. On top of all that, it could finally render sweatshops obsolete. Nobody would need to stitch garments 16 hours a day. Factory workers could be trained as programmers or managers – jobs that offer safer conditions. It might take a generation or two, but we have to try. – WG clementbalavoine.com
Cindy Baar
DAVID CHIPPERFIELD is serious about society. RAFAËL ROZENDAAL works the web. WERNER AISSLINGER influences evolution. GERMANS ERMIČS masters glass. Meet the people; get their perspectives.
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PORTRAITS
Defying the commercial direction suggested to architects during his formative years, DAVID CHIPPERFIELD says the most important aspect of his profession is a strong engagement with society. Words
IZABELA ANNA
Portraits
GENE GLOVER
‘Architecture has been reduced to a special event’
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
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PORTRAITS
David Chipperfield’s Berlin apartment and studio are housed within a complex of buildings restored by his firm.
DAVID
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
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as the best school of architecture, because it has always handled the balance between the conceptual and the practical very well. As far as an office is concerned, you need both qualities in your team. You want people who are good thinkers but whose thoughts can be channelled in practical ways.’
DAVID CHIPPERFIELD: ‘When I started working independently as an architect in England in the 1980s, the conditions were difficult. There was a deep economic recession and, in comparison with the earlier post-war generation, not as many opportunities for young architects. Even to this day, architecture is more dependent on private commissions than on the public sector, and commercial clients are often distrustful of young architects. While in other European countries young architects were entering small competitions for schools and similar projects, in England at that time you had to make do with designing bathroom extensions for small houses. There was also a negative attitude towards modern architecture, led in some ways by Prince Charles.’ ‘The reason I eventually went to Japan to find better work was because my first real project in London was a shop for Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake. Luckily, the financial boom in Japan coincided with the Japanese desire to bring designers and influences in from outside. The Issey Miyake shop in London gave me a chance to work for him in Japan, where for five years I participated in projects that weren’t available to me in England.’ ‘There has always been phenomenal talent out there, but the problem with architecture education seems to be deciding which skills to encourage. Many architecture schools seem to focus on developing either conceptual skills or practical skills. Historically, you would say that German schools tended to emphasize the practical, and maybe not enough of the conceptual, whereas English schools were doing it the other way around. That might be a bit of a caricature, but it has some truth. ETH Zurich is often regarded
‘I first studied at Kingston School of Art, which was more of a technical school, and I was encouraged to continue my studies somewhere more suited to my conceptual interests. A teacher at Kingston suggested that I might enjoy the Architectural Association [AA], where I actually became more practical. The people who taught me at Kingston and the AA were very encouraging and influential. I was hugely fortunate. I learned that teaching comes in many different forms, and the same goes for sources of inspiration.’
‘Unless architects become more engaged with the social issues of our time, we’re nothing more than decorators’
‘At the AA, Su Rogers got us excited about modern architecture, about going to Paris, about seeing work by Le Corbusier and others who belonged to the early Modern Movement. She brought in good people to talk to us. She made me enthusiastic about architecture in a way that has lasted.’ ‘After completing my studies in the late ’70s, I worked for Norman Foster and Richard Rogers just as their practices were becoming well established. It was a vibrant time, and those were exciting offices. Something I observed was the seriousness with which they approached their profession – and everything else, for that matter. In England, architecture had long been a rather amateur ‘sport’ for gentlemen; doctors, lawyers and architects all tended to come from the same kind of background. Foster and Rogers were part of the first generation to change the profession into something more dynamic, more outward-looking, more social – just think of the Pompidou Centre, a project that questioned what a social or cultural building could be. It was probably the last great utopian building. Looking back now, I realize more and more that persuading the authorities to approve a large-scale museum with such a radical appearance was an enormous achievement.’ ‘What I also learned during that time was that every detail of a building counts. They were obsessive about how a building fits together, how the services operate and how the structure works. Yet at the same time they were idealistic; they were children of ’68. »
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PORTRAITS
opportunity to take all the nonsense away – everything that might otherwise be found in a commercial office project – and to show that it doesn’t have to be too expensive. Architecture can be simple and have value beyond the aesthetic.’
David Chipperfield 1953 Born in London
Details and idealism are the two main things I took from them – aspirations that continue to sustain me and my practice. How do you make architecture? How does architecture work at the most physical level? How does it engage users in the most social way? Making nice concrete buildings or designing nice window frames is not what architecture is about. It has to be engaged.’ ‘It is a sad thing if architects can demonstrate engagement only through specifically cultural buildings. In England we’ve experienced a significant shift from the post-war situation, when architects worked on everyday schools and housing, not just museums. Their task was to build a new society. People of my generation have grown up in a more commercial environment, where clients often choose architects to help them make more money. We think we’re contributing to a better world, but our commercial clients are pursuing a richer world. We would like to add quality; they want us to add monetary value.’ ‘We architects can no longer get up in the morning and say let’s build some social housing, despite our deep commitment to society. We want to make a positive impact and to provide a service. Perhaps not the popular perception of architects, it’s what drove me to direct the 2012 Venice Biennale under the theme ‘Common Ground’. It was an attempt to show that architecture can have purpose only when it’s an engaged, collaborative activity. The biennale marked a critical moment; unless we were to become more engaged with the social issues of our time, we would be nothing more than decorators. In many ways, that is what happened: ‘architecture’ has been reduced to a special event or monument. People think of good architecture as a visual spectacle at the end of a pilgrimage. For me, good architecture should be the building on the other side of your street; it should be the school where you drop off your kids; it should be the norm. That is what we have tried to do with our office campus in Berlin. When designing the project, we seized the
1976 Graduates from Kingston School of Art with a diploma in architecture 1980 Completes Part 2 of the architecture course at the Architectural Association, having finished Part 1 in 1975 1983 Designs a London shop for fashion designer Issey Miyake, which leads to opportunities in Japan 1985 After previously working at the practices of Douglas Stephen, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster, establishes David Chipperfield Architects, which now has studios in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai 1989-1997 Designs and builds the River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames 2011 Receives the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2012 Directs the Venice Biennale under the theme ‘Common Ground’ 2013 Is awarded the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale prize for architecture 2014-2016 Serves as artistic director of Italian furniture brand Driade
‘Balancing the commercial viability of a practice and its intellectual ambitions is a struggle. As an office, we work on projects that may not have a strong commercial incentive but that are important to us, especially in terms of scale. Ideally, an office the size of ours would work only on large-scale projects, which are relatively easy to manage. If a project takes five years, you can guarantee a certain level of security and plan your time to good effect. You have breakfast, lunch and supper all lined up. Small-scale projects are more like snacks; you eat them without knowing when you’ll be having your next meal. As a result, you tend to gravitate towards the long-term work, even though it slows the overall production of your office and means you won’t get the quick feedback that comes with short-term jobs. Philosophically, we like the idea of building all kinds of typologies and taking advantage of a range of intellectual and creative opportunities. If an interesting client wants to build a very good department store, for example, why not accept the challenge? Whether we’re engaged in a commercial, cultural or private project, we aim for an achievement of the highest quality.’ ‘Though I grew up in the countryside, I am still excited by urban life. Cities are an interesting phenomenon and one we have to address, but I believe we’re currently in a state of crisis, especially in London. Problems affecting the built environment are more about planning than about architecture, but we need to play our part. I spend a lot of time in Galicia, and last year I began a study of the ecosystem there, including a qualitative assessment of the environment. I think the study I’m doing in Galicia is relevant to the way we look at cities. A great city depends on keeping the good things and changing or revitalizing the spaces in between. A city ought to be developed organically and intelligently. It’s an issue we’re addressing in Galicia, with an exercise that allows us to talk about quality of life and not just about architecture as an independent activity.’ ‘In Galicia, people appreciate the alignment of expectation and reward. Their sense of contentment seems to emerge from the region’s beautiful scenery and their devotion to it. They may not be able to articulate what they feel, but love of place is in their blood. In the city, where buildings replace nature, architects have to design buildings that create a similar love of place – a meaningful relationship between inhabitants and their surroundings. You can’t transfer the conditions found in Galicia to the streets of London, but you can hold on to the notion of quality of life and protect it.’ ● davidchipperfield.com
THE OUTDOOR ALCHEMIST
Outdoor Alchemy is the pursuit of a smooth relationship between nature and living spaces. In this philosophy, Maestro is the top project for 2017: the opportunity to choose between two types of coverage - sliding canvas or adjustable blades - makes it uniquely versatile. Performance, aesthetics and thinking outside the box: this is Corradi’s interpretation of outdoor space. www.corradi.eu
THE SPIRIT OF PROJECT
RIMADESIO.COM
COVER FREESTANDING STORAGE SYSTEM DESIGN G.BAVUSO
Satoru Umetsu / Nacasa & Partners Inc.
INDIA MAHDAVI pulls it together at KaDeWe. CASSON MANN and SNØHETTA reveal a replica. Brands get to the point at MILAN DESIGN WEEK. Step inside the great indoors.
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SPACES
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HOSPITALITY
RYOJI IEDOKORO’s meaty restaurant reconnects Tokyoites with nature
Satoru Umetsu / Nacasa & Partners Inc.
TOKYO – The Roppongi district in Tokyo is renowned for its trend-conscious spirit. A mecca for bar-hoppers and restaurantgoers seeking new concepts, it’s also a battlefield; only the fittest venues survive. Contemporary restaurants in Japan tend to fall on extreme sides of the spectrum, from elaborate and eye-catching to simple no-frills spaces. Aware that anything ordinary or commonplace won’t pull in many pedestrians, architect Ryoji Iedokoro carved an expressive two-storey interior for the Nikunotoriko restaurant. Located near Tokyo’s Midtown Tower, Nikunotoriko specializes in yakiniku (grilled meat). ‘Barbecue is primal,’ says Iedokoro. ‘It’s been served ever since our ancestors began to hunt. Here, diners can return to their roots, eating game surrounded by trees or in a cave. The experience locks in customers; they can’t resist coming back.’ »
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Iedokoro delivers both an aesthetic and a haptic experience by drawing from the natural environment. In the ground-floor ‘cave’, walls and ceiling are moulded with mortar – a tactile treatment that evokes primitivism and antiquity. Running down the centre, a 6.5-m-long glass table features a smoky motif, referencing bonfires. Underneath the table, gravel-like glass forms a ‘riverbed’, while at least 1,000 glass tiles comprise the floor’s herringbone pattern, alluding to the flow of water. Above ground, a forest awaits. Framed with greenery, an earthy landscape of OSB provides fertile ground for 126 steel pipes, or ‘trees’. Branches act as hooks, allowing guests to plant their coats and bags, which mimic fruit and flowers, add a touch of colour to the scheme, and help to partition the space. To further increase intimacy and privacy, tables are perched at various heights throughout the restaurant, preventing eye contact between separate groups of diners. Instead of chairs, guests sit on zabuton floor cushions around sunken kotatsu tables, creating a relaxed camp-site vibe intended to transport visitors’ minds from the city to the wilderness. – MT riao.co.jp
‘Diners can return to their roots, eating game surrounded by trees or in a cave’
SPACES
Materials that mimic nature in Ryoji Iedokoro’s design for the Nikunotoriko restaurant include glass with a smoky motif, which references bonfires.
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JO NAGASAKA / Schemata Architects
Jo Nagasaka’s focus is often drawn to tired, found objects or unused spaces. Through investigations to seek modern solutions and pioneering re-purposing techniques, he manages to transform interiors and breathe life back into objects. This book encapsulates the essence of the studio’s work. €39
STUDIO O+A Twelve True Tales of Workplace Design
POWERSHOP 5 New Retail Design
This artfully-designed book tells Studio O+A’s design story in a series of twelve true tales – plus a bonus comic book in the middle of it all – that accentuate the company’s spirit of innovation. €39
This inspiring book delves into the worldwide exploration of the latest leading retail design. With over 100 featured shops, Powershop 5 presents current trends and the evolution of retail interiors. Readers will have an exclusive look as to how designers conceptualize ideas and bring them to life, in order to create the ultimate brand experience. €69
HAPPENING 2 Design for Events
SOUND MATERIALS A Compendium of Sound Absorbing Materials for Architecture and Design
Happening 2 journeys into the world of event design, vibrantly showcasing over 60 stunning spectacles – from fashion shows to festivals and exhibitions to exclusive product launches – that leave lasting impressions. €69
Navigating the field of sound absorbing materials, this definitive resource guide provides context, examples, inspiration and direction to help users explore the 100+ materials presented for specific acoustic applications. €29
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Fitness
Courtesy of Studio Qiu Yang
LAB While some fitness fanatics are out to shrink in size, the wellness economy itself is swelling exponentially. Not only have health-related spaces upped their game – there’s more appeal, more design – the trend is also invading retail, hospitality, work and living. Follow THE FASHION OF FITNESS.
Helenio Barbetta
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BRANDING FITNESS Supporting a total lifestyle through nutrition and exercise, STORAGE ASSOCIATI’s restoration of Dsquared2’s headquarters includes a restaurant, gym and spa. Words
JONATHAN OPENSHAW
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OPPOSITE Storage Associati relied on timeless materials to achieve the sense of elegance that permeates Dsquared2’s spa.
CONTINUING THE BRAND’S expansion beyond high-end retail, Dsquared2’s headquarters in Milan saw the addition of a luxury spa and gym earlier this year. ‘It’s the latest stage of an overarching restoration of the historical Enel building,’ says Storage Associati cofounder Michele Pasini, who undertook the design for Dsquared2. ‘We’re creating a total lifestyle, moving from nutrition to health to fashion. It’s a very personal project based on what [brand founders] Dean and Dan Caten enjoy most in life. They like a nice place to have dinner with friends, so we have the restaurant on the roof. They like to look after their bodies, so we have the gym and spa. It’s all about what the Catens see as quality moments. They want to empower people to live a better life.’ The building’s penthouse level houses a poolside bar and a restaurant, Ceresio 7. Heading the kitchen is Elio Sironi, a chef known for his Mediterranean cuisine and attention to nutritional values. For the interior, Storage Associati’s architects worked together with another Milanese outfit, Dimore Studio. The restaurant, which opened in 2013, was their first step in the realization of a holistic lifestyle destination. Spa and gym occupy three lower levels, one of which is underground. These facilities represent a new departure for a clothing brand best known for its playful collections and designer denim. Guests discover a grown-up air of opulent simplicity that harks back to the 1930s heyday of the building and espouses a fuss-free approach to health and fitness. Instead of the lurid colours and plastics so familiar to the patrons of contemporary gyms, Storage Associati’s design has the pared-back brutalist look of a space that’s been reduced to the bare essentials. ‘We hid all the mechanical systems and relied on materials to achieve a sense of elegance,’ says Pasini. ‘We wanted all that stuff to be in the background and to provide an experience that’s driven by beautiful, timeless materials and design elements.’ All non-loadbearing walls were removed from the cavernous gym area, which is dominated by Ceppo Lombardo stone. Flooring is made of black sprung rubber. The muted palette continues in teal-tinted glass, as well as in window and door frames in black-painted steel. Much of the gym equipment was supplied by Italian wellness
‘People who want to be perceived as caring about their bodies invest in transformative services’
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giant Technogym; bespoke pieces range from wooden Olympic rings to bodyweight setups. It’s easy to imagine a mustachioed Milanese gentleman boxer taking his daily exercise here some 80 years ago. Expensive details in brass and hand-dyed okumè wood are complemented by basic materials such as raw concrete. The spa may have a timeless aesthetic, but the designers are at pains to emphasize that it’s part of a more egalitarian project. Pasini explains that ‘it’s open to anyone who wants to be a member’ and that it’s meant ‘to feel open to the city and to the world’. They didn’t aim for the ‘exclusivity that you often see when brands make these kinds of spaces’. As well as the main gym floor and spa area, members have access to various treatment rooms, saunas, hammams and classes that range from barre and calisthenics to antigravity weightlifting and yoga. ‘Because luxury spending is shifting from stuff to experiences – and now to personal transformations – it makes sense for brands like Dsquared2 to put transformative experiences at the core of their offer,’ says Victoria Buchanan, strategic researcher at The Future Laboratory, a leading trend-forecasting consultancy. ‘Consumers have a growing desire to care for themselves in a holistic manner, which includes both physical and mental health. It’s a status thing, too; people who want to be perceived as caring about their bodies invest in transformative services.’ Dsquared2’s wellness centre is a clear investment in a future that combines looking good with feeling good. ● storageassociati.com
Instead of the lurid colours and plastics often found in contemporary gyms, Storage Associati gave its design a pared-back brutalist look that’s been carried through to the shower rooms.
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LIGHTING
Lighting FOSCARINI emotionalizes light. BOCCI makes glass look like candy. SIMON gets smarter. FLOS reflects fairgoers in Milan. Discover what’s driving the business of design.
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(Dis)appearing Act New lighting takes two CONTRASTING APPROACHES, in some cases concealing its sources, in others wearing its technological heart on its sleeve.
The petals of Linea Light Group’s Diphy are transparent when not in use, thanks to a special texture engraved on their curved PMMA surfaces that allows for a uniform distribution of light.
Words
JANE SZITA
Giorgio Gori
Thanks to digitization, the mechanical components of luminaires – wiring, controls and the light sources themselves – have become smaller and less visible to the human eye. Along with their abbreviated size, they are increasingly easy to use, in some cases without human intervention. The highly automated workings of a light can be effectively camouflaged. ‘There is so much less need today to show technological elements in lighting objects – fewer moving parts, fewer switches, fewer joints et cetera,’ says Leif Huff, executive design director at Ideo Munich. ‘As OLED technology develops, it offers designers and lighting companies opportunities to explore new ideas in lighting surfaces.’ Whether decorative and detailed or atmospheric and ambient, the functional system of a lamp can be hidden to heighten its visual impact. Technological complexity underlies a simple and serene effect, with forms often dictated by nature or geometry. Every action has a reaction, so it’s not surprising that while some designs strive to make technology invisible, others make it the focal point. This development, too, is facilitated by digitization and technological innovation: for example, the cooler temperatures and low voltages of LEDs encourage interaction and proliferation. Lighting designs based on such advances question the unthinking pursuit of ‘integrated’ technology. With an appreciation for the industrial heritage and elemental power of currents, unveiled designs promise us control and even allow us to understand how they work.
Seeming to float in midair, Lumina’s minimalist Dot pendant – the work of Foster + Partners – is an illuminated disc with a ring of LEDs and a reflector that magnifies the light.
LIGHTING
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Massimo Gardone
Generated by complex algorithms, the shade of Frank Tjepkema’s Busk Lamp for Moooi defines the form of the pendant, whose functional structure powers all 96 LEDs.
Lighting designers often strive to hide a lamp’s flex, but Formafantasma puts it centre stage in its WireRing for Flos.
In Filo for Foscarini, Andrea Anastasio celebrates the prosaic parts of a luminaire – light source, decoration and wiring – in one design.
Vantot’s Current Currents, a collection by Esther Jongsma and Sam van Gurp, features LEDs that are safe to touch. Current used as ornament needn’t be tucked away.
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Light Moves As homes shrink and oneperson households multiply, manufacturers meet the need for COMPACTNESS AND FLEXIBILITY with mobile and multifunctional luminaires. Words
JANE SZITA Living spaces are getting smaller. The average size of a family home in the UK, for example, has decreased by 2 m2 in the last decade alone, according to a recent survey by financial services firm LV. Meanwhile, the size of the average family is also diminishing: the UN reported this year that no less than 15 per cent of households globally now consist of just one person, with the highest rates of single-person occupancy pushing 40 per cent in Northern European countries and, following close behind at over 30 per cent, Japan, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Smaller living spaces mean that people are making their homes more flexible by using the same areas to accommodate different activities. This factor, combined with the growing trend for outdoor living, has created a market for objects that can adapt easily to all sorts of contexts. Lighting manufacturers, along with furniture makers, are responding with products that are visually versatile and multi-applicable. Possibilities range from a diversity of atmospheres to an array of functional requirements. Thanks to technologies such as wireless charging, lighting design is increasingly incorporating portability, reflecting the more fluid domestic lifestyles we tend to adopt nowadays. Migrating between indoors and outdoors, or upstairs and downstairs, portable luminaires are as mobile as their owners. And with singleperson households a growing market, the lamp becomes almost as much of a personal accessory as the smartphone.
Lightweight and portable in colourful polycarbonate, Marset’s Bicoca, designed by Christophe Mathieu, has a magnetic base and a tiltable shade that directs the light.
Empatia Mobile, designed by Carlotta de Bevilacqua for Artemide, combines mobility with the high performance of a traditional lamp, thanks to cutting-edge LED technology.
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IN NUMBERS
Wall of Sound
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Ă˜IVIND ALEXANDER SLAATTO’s modular BeoSound Shape for Bang & Olufsen takes music out of the speaker box. Words
TRACEY INGRAM
types of tiles are used: for speaker, amplifier and acoustic dampener
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speakers form the largest individual setup
slaatto.dk
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colour options allow for experimentation within a composition
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is the minimum number of tiles needed for a BeoSound arrangement
8 iterations of the hexagonal prototype preceded the final design
2.3 kg is the combined weight of a speaker tile and its fabric cover
Awards Building on the legacy of The Great Indoors Awards, Frame Awards celebrate the world’s best interiors. It's our mission to empower spatial-design excellence, because meaningful places make people feel happier and healthier.
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Award Categories RETAIL
→ Single-brand Store of the Year → Multi-brand Store of the Year → Pop-up Store of the Year → Window Display of the Year
HOSPITALITY
→ Bar of the Year → Restaurant of the Year → Hotel of the Year → Cinema of the Year → Health Club of the Year
SHOWS
→ Trade-fair Stand of the Year → Exhibition of the Year → Set Design of the Year → Installation of the Year
WORK
→ Co-working Space of the Year → Small Office (<2,000 m2) of the Year → Large Office (>2,000 m2) of the Year
INSTITUTIONAL
→ Learning Space of the Year → Healthcare Centre of the Year → Governmental Interior of the Year
SPECIAL AWARDS
→ Best Use of Colour → Best Use of Light → Best Use of Material → Best Use of Digital Technology → Craftsmanship Award → Innovation Award → Sustainability Award → Social Award
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