GRAY Magazine No. 57: The Vanguard Issue by GRAY

ISSUE

architecture interiors design fashion

VANGUARDS

DESIGN FOR A BETTER FUTURE J O O ST B A K K E R

M A R IO C U C INE L LA F E M A LE D E SIG N C O U NC IL SU Z A NNE V E T ILLA R T J A M IE W O L F O ND WEREWOOL K U NL É A D E YE M I V A NE SSA E C K ST E IN M U R IE L SO LO M O N NA T A L IE T E L E W IA K C O U NT B E NE D IK T B O LZ A + MORE

Architect: MW Works Builder: Dovetail Photo: Kevin Scott

AIA National Housing Award, 2020

ch24 wishbone chair, 1949 by hans wegner - made in denmark by carl hansen & son

please inquire about our A&D trade program

carl hansen & son bensen knoll artek vitra kartell herman miller flos artifort foscarini moooi moroso and more!

57 :

THE VANGUARD ISSUE

INTEL 2 1 . F I R S T L O O K

Modernist vanguards lead the way: the first fully 3D-printed structure made with natural materials, hands-free orthopedic sneakers, and more.

2 8 .

DESIGN DISPATCH

Highlights from Toronto’s cosmopolitan design scene.

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DESIGN DNA 3 6 . O N T H E R I S E

The women behind Werewool—an innovative textile design firm—are bioengineering fibers to combat the global climate crisis.

3 8 .

CHANGEMAKER

Visionary designer and urbanist Kunlé Adeyemi believes that design can save the world.

4 2 .

GENESIS

4 6 .

ARCHITECTURE

Toronto’s Førs design studio offers handcrafted dinnerware made with the philosophy that enough is plenty. A set of locally grown, masstimber buildings in Oregon teaches important lessons about sustainability—and the design possibilities of wood.

on the cover

Florist, designer, restaurateur, and environmentalist Joost Bakker. By Rachel Gallaher Photographed by Alexandrena Parker SEE PAGE 5 8

VA N G U A R D S 5 8 . C O U L D T H I S H O U S E S A V E T H E W O R L D ?

Joost Bakker is not a trained architect, but he is leading the way in designing homes that have the potential to change our relationship with the global food system.

L AST CALL 6 8 .

GARDEN GEOMETRY

A landscape design project in Hangzhou, China, is a balanced mix of architectural right angles and natural, leafy plantings.

7 4 . C O N T R A C T H I G H

From a 1,000-year-old Italian castle to striking neoclassical architecture in Stockholm, the best-designed new spots around the globe.

8 2 .

TRANSPORTATION

MINI’s newest concept vehicle is perfect for an on-the-go lifestyle.

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MASTHEAD

T H E VA N G U A R D I S S U E

Publisher Shawn Williams EDITORIAL

INQUIRIES

Deputy Editor Rachel Gallaher rachel@graymag.com

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Copy Editor Christine DeOrio

ADVERTISING

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STUDIO G

Creative Director Meghan Burger meghan@graymag.com In the Design Lounge Host Brandon Gaston

HEADQUARTERS

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscribe at graymag.com North America: $ 60 us for one year (6 issues) Intercontinental: $ 144 us for one year (6 issues) No. 57. Copyright ©2021. Published bimonthly (FEB, APR, JUNE, AUG, OCT, DEC) by GRAY Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every attempt has been made, GRAY cannot guarantee the legality, completeness, or accuracy of the information presented and accepts no warranty or responsibility for such. POSTMASTER send address changes to: GRAY Media, LLC WeWork 1201 Third Avenue Tower, Floor 22, Seattle, WA 98101 United States

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CONTRIBUTORS

L AUREN GALLOW (“Living Laboratory,” page 46) is a writer, editor, and marketing consultant working in the fields of architecture, art, and design. She holds a master’s degree in art and architectural history from UC Santa Barbara. She is currently the editorial chair of Seattle-based design nonprofit Arcade. WILL KITCHENS (“Toronto,” page 28) is a writer and the managing editor of Sharp magazine. Previously, he was a staff writer for Monocle’s Toronto bureau, covering Canadian design. In 2018, he attended the Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony wearing a borrowed suit with sleeves that were much too short. ALEXANDRENA PARKER (Cover and “Could This House Save the World?,” page 58) is a Melbournebased portrait and commercial photographer. She graduated in 2010 from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. NATALIA TORIJA NIETO (“Architect of All Trades,” page 38) is a Mexico City-based architecture and design writer. She has served as content director for PIN–UP magazine and her writing is published internationally, including in Apartamento, Gestalten, and T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Additional contributors Jon Brown Earl Carter Jessica Garcia Nikole Herriott José Hevia Tomooki Kengaku Josh Partee Ema Peter Fusang Ren Mark Roper Philip Vile

with host BRANDON GASTON

THURSDAYS AT 4PM PT / 7PM ET Pour a beverage and join us IN THE DESIGN LOUNGE, where we’re mixing business with pleasure over swanky cocktails, casual conversations, and some fun and games. Host Brandon Gaston visits with guests for an inside look at what drives their creativity, innovation, and success. Cheers! DETAILS: graymag.com/in-the-design-lounge

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DOWBUILT ARCHITECTURE / Olson Kundig PHOTOGRAPHY / Nic Lehoux

ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS

The following design firms are among the best in the world, and are included here on an invite-only basis. We are proud to call them our partners. Consider them first for your next project. Learn more about each firm, visit graymag.com

BjarkoSerra Architects bjarkoserra.com

Designs Northwest Architects designsnw.com

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First Lamp firstlamp.net

Atelier Drome atelierdrome.com

babienko ARCHITECTS pllc babienkoarchitects.com

Baylis Architects baylisarchitects.com

BC&J Architecture bcandj.com

Eggleston | Farkas Architects eggfarkarch.com

Emerick Architects emerick-architects.com

GATH Interior Design gathinteriordesign.com

Guggenheim Architecture + Design Studio guggenheimstudio.com

H2D Architects h2darchitects.com

Hoedemaker Pfeiffer hoedemakerpfeiffer.com

Janof Architecture janofarchitecture.com

Minarik Architecture minarikarch.com

SHKS Architects shksarchitects.com

skylab skylabarchitecture.com

Studio AM Architecture | Interiors studioamarchitects.com

Tyler Engle Architects tylerengle.com

Hoshide Wanzer Architects hw-architects.com

Hyde Evans Design hydeevansdesign.com

RUFproject rufproject.com

SCOTT | EDWARDS ARCHITECTURE LLP seallp.com

Steelhead Architecture steelheadarchitecture.com

Stephenson Design Collective stephensoncollective.com

Works Progress Architecture worksarchitecture.net

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G RAY AWARDS 2021

CALL FOR ENTRIES A R C H I T E C T U R E • I N T E R I O R S • L A N D S C A P E • P R O D U C T D E S I G N • FA S H I O N J U D G I N G PA N E L : JONATHAN ADLER

G A B R I E L E C H I AV E

I N D I A M A H D AV I

T H O M M AY N E

KATHRYN GUSTAFSON BRIGETTE ROMANEK

G R A Y M A G . C O M / AWA R D S

YOU’ V E W E AT HERED THE ST O RM. NOW SHOW THE WORL D.

A FRESH PERSPECTIVE A space where you can slow down. Relax in the warm sunlight with a favorite read. At Marvin, we believe that where we spend our time affects how we feel. That’s why we’re always looking for new ways to bring natural light and fresh air deeper into the home, refreshing those spaces most important to you. Experience light, air and views differently at marvin.com/gray

VANGUARDS

LUIS MORA

Visionary projects, collaborations, innovative new products, and design for global good.

Taylor Hill’s Boyd Court jewelry line (above) is a creative standout in Toronto’s thriving design scene. See page 28.

GRAY

ANNOUNCED IN FEBRUARY BY GLOBAL ATHLETIC-WEAR BEHEMOTH NIKE, the Go FlyEase—an innovative,

“hands-free” sneaker—is a potential game-changer for the industry. With a sleek profile and Nike’s signature bright colors, the easy-wear shoe lands far from traditionally bland adaptive models. Available in three colorways, Go FlyEase has a patentpending design that features two 22

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core components: the tensioner, a large elastic band stretching around the entire shoe, and a bi-stable hinge in the heel. By inserting a foot into the shoe, the wearer applies weight to the hinge, locking it closed and allowing the tensioner to hold the shoe in place. To remove the shoe, the wearer simply steps on the heel “kickstand” (with the opposite foot) and lifts the shoe-wearing foot up

and out. While lace-free shoes aren’t new to the market, the Go FlyEase expands the category by providing a new, brand-name option—one that can mean a heightened sense of independence, style, and confidence, whether you’re on the court, in class, carrying groceries, or just hanging out with friends.

COURTESY NIKE

FIRST LOOK

HANDS-FREE SNEAKER

INTEL

WA S P’ S N EST

Leading the pack in materials development and building construction, WASP—Italy’s specialists in 3D printing—has completed the first fully 3D-printed structure made with natural materials and constructed using multiple 3D printers operating at the same time. The finished model (two connected conical domes that look similar to hives), which took 200 hours to print, was designed by Mario Cucinella Architects and engineered by WASP using a

proprietary system called CRANE WASP—an architectural 3D printer that prints a structure with reusable, recyclable, carbon-neutral materials sourced from local soil. “From the shapeless earth to the earth as house-shaped— today we have the knowledge to build with no impact, in a simple click,” says WASP founder Massimo Moretti. “Technology is now at the service of humans and the idea of everyone having a home as a birthright is real.” »

MARIO CUCINELLA ARCHITECTS

A rendering of the interior of a 3D-printed structure made with earth.

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FIRST LOOK

INTEL

TOP: The Better

Together table, a 2019 piece by Luam Melake. MIDDLE: Designers Luam Melake (left) and Mia Wright-Ross (right), winners of the Female Design Council’s inaugural grant program. BOTTOM: A leatherbased fixture from Wright-Ross’ lighting series, “The doubleAimed struggle.”

The Female Design Council has announced the winners of the council’s inaugural juried grant, GRANT 01, which was designed to support the ideas of Black female designers in the United States and to further its commitment to champion equity and gender parity in design. The two $2,500 grants are meant to provide emerging designers with the financial resources needed to bring their ideas into prototyping and/or production. Revealed in March, the grant recipients are furniture designer Luam Melake and leather artisan and designer Mia Wright-Ross, who are both based in New York. Melake’s submission, “The Optimisd,” is a series of furniture pieces that references a period of European design in the 1960s, when designers aligned social concerns with innovation. WrightRoss’ project, “The double-Aimed struggle,” comprises three lighting fixtures (two lamps and one chandelier) that each represent a moment in contemporary history that relates to the struggles of the contemporary Black artisan. Read an extended Q&A with each of the grant winners at graymag.com. »

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SCOTTY SLADE WAGNER; COLIN CONCES; DEMITRIUS OMPHROY; MATTHEW PANDOLFE, COURTESY MWR COLLECTION

WI NNI NG WOM EN

Imagine the possibilities

Shop our assortment by phone, live video at dwr.com/virtual-studio, or in person at your local DWR. THE BEST IN MODERN DESIGN | 1.800.944.2233 | WWW.DWR.COM

INTEL

FIRST LOOK

LEFT: Edith Heath throwing a bowl on the potter’s wheel, ca.1955. RIGHT: Heathware, ca.1960.

C E R A M I CS QU EEN

The story of Heath Ceramics—known for its innovation, quality, and embrace of the mass market—is deeply rooted in the history of American craft. At the heart of that story is Edith Heath, a visionary Midwesterner—and one of the company’s namesakes—with an entrepreneurial spirit and eye for design. Fittingly, the Environmental Design Archives at the University of California, Berkeley—which is relaunching its Berkeley Design Books series as an effort to highlight its collection of work by women designers—

is set to release Edith Heath: Philosophies this April. Copublished by Berkeley Design Books and Information Office, the volume dives deep into the designer’s life and work with photographs, sketches, notes, and an engaging narrative that illuminates the company’s dedication to producing American dinnerware, tile, and utilitarian ceramics that would be accessible, durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of daily use, and coveted—even nearly a century after their creation.

This April marks the 40th anniversary of Boma Jewelry, the Seattle-based company that has been embracing ethical and sustainable production practices for the past four decades. Founded in 1981 by Boon and Chieko Chaya, Boma is now helmed by the couple’s daughter, CEO Suzanne Vetillart, who not only upholds her parents’ high ethical standards—by recycling precious metals and providing fair wages, education, and safe working conditions to the company’s factory employees in Thailand—but also sets new, higher ones for herself. In June of 2020, Boma Jewelry launched a grant program in direct response to the wave of social 26

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justice movements happening in Seattle and across the country. “In our 40 years of business, we had never worked with a Black jewelry designer,” Vetillart says, “and that spoke loudly to me. I started thinking about the connections and the access to resources that we have that many Black designers do not, and about how we could help change that.” The firstround grant winner was Sharece Phillips, a jewelry designer in Seattle who received a variety of support including design mentorship, sampling, production opportunities, and industry insight. The next round of grantees will start their mentorships this summer. —Rachel Gallaher h

In February, Boma Jewelry launched the This Matters Collection, which includes the pieces seen above, in partnership with fellow Seattle-based brand and lifestyle boutique Cura Collective. All profits from the sales will support the Black College Matters campaign by Save Your VI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

HEATH COLLECTION, ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN ARCHIVES, UC BERKELEY; JESSICA GARCIA

AC CES S GR A N TE D

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DESIGN DISPATCH

INTEL

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TORONTO’S COSMOPOLITAN DESIGN SCENE By Will Kitchens If the creative culture of a city is its lifeblood, then Toronto is not just alive and well, it is thriving. Succinctly summing up the Canadian capital’s design scene is no easy task, but a number of factors have influenced the experimental architecture, edgy fashion, and trendsetting furniture and lighting coming out of the city. Toronto is young, diverse (more than 50 percent of residents were born in another country), and has come to maturity during the internet age, when information crisscrosses the globe at breakneck speed. Unlike other international design hubs such as Paris or Milan, Toronto isn’t located in a country with a long and treasured design tradition. That creates limitations, but it also means the city’s designers and architects are freed from dogma about how to approach their work and where to find inspiration. Instead, the beauty of Toronto is its global outlook. Combine that with being the fastest-growing city in North America, and it’s an exciting place to be. From a brewery embracing the latest tonal trends to the architects honing a distinctly Toronto style, here are seven of the city’s creative standouts that you should know before you go.

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VIRGIL BERTRAND; JOEL ESPOSITO

EXPERIENCE STUDIO PAOLO FERRARI

After spending time at Yabu Pushelberg, arguably the most celebrated name in Toronto interiors, designer Paolo Ferrari went solo, setting up his own studio in 2016. In the years since, Ferrari has designed a bar in Dubai, a salesroom in Ottawa, and produced handmade-inToronto chairs, sofas, and cabinets for his furniture label, Editions. And it feels like the studio is just getting started. Ferrari recently garnered global applause for cannabis company Alchemy’s Toronto flagship boutique, which bucks stoner stereotypes with its sophisticated interior that includes a terra-cotta cash desk and a rippling eco-resin wall.

Looking forward, Ferrari is currently at work on the interiors of the muchanticipated downtown mixed-use tower designed by one of the city’s own, architect Frank Gehry. »

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Designed by Studio Paolo Ferrari, the Secret

Room is a speakeasy-style bar at the Five Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai. Accessed via an underground passage, the space features a blend of modern and traditional aesthetics. Another Studio Paolo Ferrari project, a sales center for the future Zibi House residential project in Ottawa, features a sound room that highlights indigenous music.

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DESIGN DISPATCH

INTEL

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A residence designed by

Shim-Sutcliffe Architects on Point William in Muskoka, Canada. Interiors of the Integral House, one of the firm’s most notable projects. The prayer hall at the Wong Dai Sin Temple in Thornhill, Ontario.

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Since founding ShimSutcliffe Architects in 1994, Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe have won 15 Governor General’s Medals for Architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada as well as an AIA National Honor Award. Their Integral House project, built in 2009, is among the city’s most famous residences, while their 1993 Laneway House was well before its time. One of the first houses built on one of the city’s laneways (narrow roadways behind rows of houses or buildings), the residence features stepped walls that created a remarkable

sense of privacy for city living and established the firm’s reputation for forward-thinking and sitespecific designs. (Toronto has only recently started to develop its laneways, thanks to an ongoing housing crisis). While Shim and Sutcliffe rarely accept commercial commissions, the pair have designed Canada’s first Ace Hotel, which is slated to open in downtown Toronto later this year. Like all Shim-Sutcliffe designs, the project is sensitive to its context, with a brick façade that nods to the neighborhood’s historic warehouses.

EDWARD BURTYNSKY; JAMES DOW

SEE SHIM-SUTCLIFFE ARCHITECTS

LUIS MORA

WEAR BOYD COURT

Taylor Hill founded Boyd Court in 2018 after realizing there was a hole in the accessories market between costume and luxury jewelry. Challenging the stereotype that rock ’n’ roll baubles are loud and gaudy (Hill is a musician), the designer’s pieces are tasteful, but with a little bit of edge. His flair comes from texture, shape, and earthy stones—details that elevate his rings, bracelets, and other accessories above the glut of ubiquitous minimalist jewelry currently being produced by a multitude of brands. A sterling-silver signet ring, for example, features a large, oval onyx stone surrounded by 20 smaller stones set in a checkerboard pattern. Like most of Boyd Court’s designs, it’s fun, striking, and just a little bit brash. » GRAY

INTEL

Known for creating hotels with locally inspired décor, the San Francisco–based Kimpton hospitality group turned to local interior design firm Mason Studio when setting up shop in Toronto. Previously a generic Holiday Inn, the Kimpton St. George was reimagined as a 188-room homage to the two neighborhoods it straddles, ritzy Yorkville and the more laid-back, bohemian Annex. Inside, the hotel’s detailing (furniture, fixtures, accessories) were

inspired by a mishmash of influences—much like Toronto itself—and built by a handful of local craftspeople, including Hollis + Morris and Talia Silva. Record players can be found in guest suites, and while that isn’t the most original touch, it is a reference to Yorkville’s past. Before going upscale, the area was the city’s hippie enclave and the haunt of musicians including Joni Mitchell.

DRINK AVLING KITCHEN & BREWERY

Architecture firm LAMAS had its hands full turning a former grocery store, built in 1949 in Toronto’s Leslieville neighborhood, into a multifunctional space for local brewery Avling. To bring more natural light into the dark 32

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and dingy space, LAMAS added windows and skylights, excavated the basement to accommodate a butcher and a beer lab, and reinforced the ceiling to support a rooftop garden. For the dining area, the firm took inspiration from

crop rotation, using the practice as a metaphor for the restaurant’s need to accommodate different visitors throughout the day. The open and airy room, featuring original terrazzo floors and pink steel beams, was

organized into quadrants around a central bar. It’s a highly flexible space, with minimal lighting by Lambert & Fils, chairs from Muuto, and a colorful abstract wall mural handpainted by artist Madison van Rijn.

NAOMI FINLAY; FELIX MICHAUD

DESIGN DISPATCH

STAY KIMPTON ST. GEORGE

SHOP L’OEUVRE

Kwame Essien’s accessories and jewelry store, L’Oeuvre, is playful, youthful, and eminently stylish, stocking everyday necessities, such as sunglasses from Y/ Project, alongside more whimsical items including a phone case covered in a

floral crystal fringe. While L’Oeuvre is primarily an online boutique, it does have a physical showroom, although visitors would be hard-pressed to find it; the space is tucked inside the second floor of a King Street office building. The interior was

designed by Vancouverborn industrial designer Tom Chung (whose credits include Menu, Muuto, and EQ3) and built by local fabricator Open Studio. The space combines plenty of wood—from rich cabinetry to a curving bench—with industrial details such as

tempered-glass shelves, steel-accented display cases, and perforatedmetal storage boxes. It’s a beautiful mix, but a word of warning: The showroom is open by appointment only.

JAMES C. LEE; JAMIE WOLFOND

BRING IT HOME JAMIE WOLFOND STUDIO

Jamie Wolfond is best known as the founder of Good Thing, the affordable homewares brand he founded in 2014 after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design. Four years later, Wolfond sold the company in order to return to his roots and devote his energies to his eponymous design studio, which was founded on the belief that hands-on making is the best approach to creating physical objects. Last year, before COVID-19 halted most travel, Wolfond

was set to unveil an impressive roster of furniture and lighting prototypes at the Salone del Mobile design fair in Milan, including the Daisychain Pendant System, which cleverly uses headphone jacks to create a string of pendant lights. Instead, Wolfond pivoted to the digital marketplace, revealing prototypes of his pared-back and formforward new products via Instagram throughout the year. h

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DESIGN DNA

ON THE RISE

CUSTOM CLOTHES

The women behind Werewool—an innovative textile design firm— are bioengineering fibers to combat the global climate crisis. Written by Rachel Gallaher Photographed by Jon Brown

IMAGINE GOING THROUGH YOUR CLOSET AND FINDING A RATTY OLD T-SHIRT—STAINED, FULL OF HOLES, TOO DAMAGED TO DONATE. There

are a handful of things you can do with this garment: repurpose the material into another clothing item, tear it into scraps for cleaning rags, or, as statistics suggest the majority of people do, throw it in the trash— according to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 11 million tons of textile waste go into landfills each year. Now imagine being able to toss that T-shirt into your compost pile with the assurance that it will rapidly decompose along with the banana peels and dinner scraps. We’re not quite there yet, but this scenario is one being pursued by The founders of Werewool—from left, Theanne Schiros, Morgana Kattermann, Werewool, a New York–based, womenValentina Gomez, and Chui-Lian Lee—in their New York lab. owned-and-led startup focused on mitigating the fashion industry’s environmental impacts through the development of you can read about or even see pictures of this biodegradable fibers with inherent color and perfortype of pollution, but to experience it firsthand mance properties (meaning that the color, feel, and was another thing. It motivated us to want to do stretch of a material can be manipulated at the DNA something about climate change.” level). Aside from allowing for specific customization, Back in New York, after their study-abroad these fibers eliminate the need for textile dyes or session, Gomez, Kattermann, and Lee entered the petroleum-based synthetic fibers, both of which have 2018 Biodesign Challenge—an annual global coman extremely harmful impact on global ecosystems. petition for students exploring ideas in the field Werewool was founded in 2018 by Valentina of biotechnology—and received an “Outstanding Gomez, Morgana Kattermann, Chui-Lian Lee (the Presentation” honor for their project, the Werewool three met in India during a textile-focused studyFiber Discovery Kit, which allowed students and abroad program through the Fashion Institute of designers to create new fibers using synthetic Technology), and Theanne Schiros (a materials biology and biochemistry. The trio met Schiros scientist, professor of science at FIT, and research through the competition when she served as their scientist at Columbia University), as a reaction to team mentor, and later brought her—and her deep the exorbitant amount of pollution produced by knowledge of the biofabrication of sustainable the fashion industry. textiles—onto the team. Schiros currently serves “Our story really starts at the airport in India,” as Werewool’s chief sustainability officer. Gomez says. “It was filled with smog and hard to “Our inspiration always comes from nature,” breathe. For me, it was really eye-opening because Gomez says of Werewool’s proteins, which are 36

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currently being made through a fermentation process in small, one- to three-liter batches that take about three days to produce. “Performance properties—things like color, moisture-management, stretch—are attributed to proteins and their structures. We can design proteins to have specific performance properties by modifying their amino acid sequences.” This means that if Werewool wanted to create a fiber that was blue, instead of using a traditional, water-intensive synthetic dyeing process that can pollute nearby water sources (textile dyes are responsible for 20 percent of global wastewater), it could manipulate the structures of the proteins in the fiber so that they come out of the fermentation process presenting as blue. Kattermann says that the hand feel of the product is something they are still working on, but that they are aiming for fibers similar to polyester or nylon (both are petroleum-based fabrics), with the hope that they might someday replace them. Although the company is still nascent, the women hope “IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, EVERY STAGE OF to bring a sample product—a filament fiber with textile PRODUCTION HAS SOME SORT OF NEGATIVE properties, likely for use in the IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY. athletic apparel category—to the market by the end of 2021. IT’S HOPEFUL AND EXCITING TO BE PART OF THE “It can be easy to feel really SOLUTION.” —MORGANA KATTERMANN, WEREWOOL helpless,” Gomez says when reflecting on the size of the textile industry and its environmental impact, “but us creating a replacement for something in a really resourceintensive industry at least feels like a step in the right direction.” h FROM TOP: Werewool is currently developing a platform to

design fibers at the DNA level. The fibers, which are fluorescent under a black light, are produced in a lab using a fermentation process. Although the company hasn’t yet produced enough fibers to make a garment, the founders hope that their output could one day replace petroleum-based synthetic materials such as polyester.

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CHANGEMAKER

DESIGN DNA

ARCHITECT OF ALL TRADES

Visionary designer and urbanist Kunlé Adeyemi believes that design can save the world. By Natalia Torija Nieto Images by NLÉ

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ALTHOUGH KUNLÉ ADEYEMI IS A TRAINED ARCHITECT—he studied the

discipline at both the University of Lagos and Princeton University—the Nigerian-born academic and urbanist is difficult to define. As an architect, Adeyemi constantly crosses creative disciplines to advocate for social change (in addition to designing buildings, he has collaborated with museums and cultural institutions on temporary exhibitions and performances), while creating nature-based connections among humans and the environment.

Adeyemi is currently a visiting professor at the University of Lagos, where he established the African Water Cities project, a platform for furthering the research and advancement of cities built on water. He insists that the current urban development taking place around coastal cities in West Africa needs to accommodate climate change rather than fight it. “Water has to be more of an integral part of the fabric,” Adeyemi says. “Finding alternative ways of dealing with the growth of cities that are in harmony with the

CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW LEFT: A Makoko Floating System—architect Kunlé Adeyemi’s solution for building on water—as seen from inside.

The Floating Music Hub, which is scheduled to be completed this year on the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde, Africa. Architect Kunlé Adeyemi, founder of NLÉ Works. OPPOSITE: The Makoko Floating System as part of the Cosmopolis #1.5: Enlarged Intelligence exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou and Mao Jihong Arts Foundation. The exhibition ran from November 3, 2018, to January 6, 2019.

changing environment is critical.” Adeyemi, who worked closely with architect Rem Koolhaas for nine years at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), founded his practice, NLÉ Works, in 2010, with offices in Lagos and Amsterdam— cities that are built around water infrastructure systems that serve as conduits for research. “We’re always thinking iteratively,” the architect says. “We like the opportunity for the improvement and innovation of building systems or solutions, and don’t really think of architecture »

“ARCHITECTURE IS A VERY POWERFUL TOOL AS A CATALYST FOR DEVELOPMENT, WHETHER IT BE TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT. ITS KEY FUNCTION IS TO ACTIVATE AN ENVIRONMENT AND LET PEOPLE THINK DIFFERENTLY, BUILD DIFFERENTLY, AND ULTIMATELY, LIVE DIFFERENTLY.” —KUNLÉ ADEYEMI, NLÉ WORKS

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CHANGEMAKER

DESIGN DNA

Part of the Bruges Triennial 2018: Liquid City exhibition, in Bruges, Belgium, the third iteration of the MFS—a fully prefabricated, modular, flat-pack floating building system—was built in Minnewater, one of the city’s parks.

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as a singular, one-off piece.” In 2012, NLÉ Works designed the first prototype of its trademarked Makoko Floating System (MFS), a simple architectural solution for building structures on water. The prefabricated, A-frame timber unit, which first functioned as a school, was built in Nigeria’s Lagos Lagoon with the participation of the local Makoko/ Iwaya Waterfront Community. In subsequent years, NLÉ Works constructed similar systems in Italy, Belgium, and China. The firm’s latest iteration, MFS IV, or the Floating Music Hub, scheduled to be completed this year, is being built on the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde, Africa. It comprises three timber units: a bar, a performance hall, and a recording studio, all tethered to a central dock that functions as a plaza. After testing the model in different conditions around the globe, NLÉ Works is addressing an issue that will likely worsen as climate change progresses: Many of the houses in the Makoko slums are built on stilts that sit precariously atop reclaimed land consisting of washed-up trash covered with sawdust and sand. The region also faces rising sea levels and seasonal flooding, which prevent the construction of traditional brick-andmortar housing. NLÉ Works hopes to implement new forms of development beyond the single A-frame model in vulnerable water-based communities like Makoko. “The vision is to be able to scale the systems as a solution for all kinds of uses, [like] housing, hospitality, culture, healthcare, and education,” Adeyemi says, “not only as individual units, but into an ecosystem of communities that includes other kinds of building and infrastructure solutions [that are] innovative, sustainable, and nature-based.” In addition to the MFS, Adeyemi has designed residential developments, furniture, civic and commercial projects (the Black Rhino Academy in Karatu, Tanzania, was another multiyear iterative build), and museums (including plans for the Contemporary

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A community gathering on a MFS still under construction in Lagos, Nigeria. A desk and chair designed for the Black Rhino Academy (an NLÉ Works project) in Karatu, Tanzania. A rendering demonstrating the potential layout for the Lagos Water Communities.

Arts Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria, and the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in South Korea). In May 2018, NLÉ Works designed A Prelude to The Shed, a temporary performance space and, as Adeyemi describes it, “placemaking activation project” for the future Diller Scofidio + Renfro– designed cultural center in New York (The Shed). The flexible-plan prefabricated structure, with movable walls and detachable chairs, was partially built in Montreal, then flatpacked and transported for assembly on an undeveloped lot in Hudson Yards. “We took that opportunity to question architecture itself— particularly, if architecture can be more human,” Adeyemi explains, “because humanity is about adaptation and a need to be able to respond to a changing context.” Designed in

close collaboration with artist Tino Sehgal, the temporary space offered a free-admission program led by Hans Ulrich Obrist, a Swiss art curator, critic, and artistic director of London’s Serpentine Galleries. A second program is already in the works. Adeyemi’s vision is the betterment of humanity and a more harmonious coexistence with the natural world— no small order given the current state of politics and the environment. “If we can think of our cities, and design and build them, like we would our homes—better connect them to the environment—then we can increase our chance of surviving as a human race,” Adeyemi says. “That is what NLÉ is; NLÉ means ‘home’ in Yoruba, because we believe the home is the building block of any society.” h

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GENESIS

DESIGN DNA

VALUE ALIGNMENT Toronto’s Førs design studio offers handcrafted dinnerware made with the philosophy that enough is plenty. Written by Rachel Gallaher Photographed by Nikole Herriott/Graydon

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anessa Eckstein and Muriel Solomon, the founders of Førs design studio, share a love of many things, from dancing and dinner parties to coffee and chocolate croissants. “They are essential to our meetings!” says the former with a laugh. But the two women—who were born nearly 7,000 miles apart (Eckstein is from Argentina and Solomon from Paris) and met in Toronto—also share core values, which include the importance of community, of an uncompromising commitment to sustainable practices, and of embracing the moments in life that carry true meaning. So, a few years back, when Eckstein proposed that they collaborate on a creative project, the duo decided to channel their love of design and hospitality (Solomon has a business and marketing background with executive roles at Canada’s Food Network, HGTV, and in hospitality; Eckstein is the founder and creative director of Blok graphic design studio) into a ceramic tableware collection that would encourage people to slow down and connect in an authentic way—whether over a lavish, hours-long meal or a simple afternoon espresso. »

THIS PAGE: Tableware from Toronto’s Førs design studio. OPPOSITE: Vanessa Eckstein (left) and Muriel Solomon (right), the founders of Førs.

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GENESIS

DESIGN DNA

“The idea came about as a way of manifesting what was important to us from a values perspective,” Eckstein says. “Both of our cultures and the essence of who we are as people celebrate friendship and connection, which is often emphasized over a meal. It’s not just about eating, it’s about preparing great food, engaging in conversation and good debate—all of these things create intimacy between people.” Førs officially launched in October 2020, after a long period of meticulous research and development—some pieces underwent nearly a dozen iterations before something as simple as the curve of a cup or the shape of a spout was approved. “When you have a love of design, it’s inevitable that you also have a love of precision,” Eckstein says. “It’s not just about form, it’s about the subtleties, like how it feels in your hand or how it pours. We have a whole museum of old iterations!” The finished collection, comprising a set of ceramic tableware and a trio of wooden trays, includes 51 pieces ranging from serving bowls and cups to teapots and pitchers. The silhouettes are fresh

THIS PAGE: The tableware—which includes teapots, plates, bowls, cups, and more—is available in four colors including white and blush pink. OPPOSITE: In addition to ceramics, Førs offers handcrafted wooden trays in three sizes.

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“THE ENTIRE ETHOS OF FØRS IS ABOUT RITUALS IN OUR LIFE AND ENJOYING THE SIMPLE PLEASURES. WE NEED A LOT FEWER ‘THINGS’ THAN WE THINK WE DO TO BE HAPPY.” —VANESSA ECKSTEIN, FØRS

and interesting (pieces nest together in unexpected and harmonious ways), but minimal enough to be timeless. Eckstein and Solomon wanted to create modern heirlooms that would last (the pieces were designed to meet global hospitality standards) and be passed down through generations. The company had originally planned to debut its first wares in the spring of 2020, but when the global pandemic shut down manufacturing plants and made it impossible for Eckstein and Solomon to travel in order to sign off on the final products, the duo pushed pause on the launch. The hiatus forced the founders to embrace the philosophies that sparked the development of Førs in the first place. “This particular moment has made us all stop and value the things that we take for granted,” Solomon says. “The essence of relationships, the value of gestures, the dinner table as a place of community, and the importance of honoring time in a meaningful way. These are the values that mean something to both of us and the line is a simple expression of those beliefs. We don’t create products just to sell, we create products because they are an expression of how we live.” And for Eckstein and Solomon, that’s mindfully, with integrity, and with stunning dinnerware. h

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ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN DNA

Clad in Oregon red alder, Oregon State University’s Oregon Forest Science Complex, designed by Vancouver’s Michael Green Architecture, showcases the latest technologies in wood construction.

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LIVING LABORATORY

A set of locally grown, mass-timber buildings for OSU’s Oregon Forest Science Complex teaches important lessons about the sustainable—and healthy—design possibilities of wood. By Lauren Gallow Photographed by Josh Partee and Ema Peter

JOSH PARTEE

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t Oregon State University in Corvallis, a pair of new buildings for the College of Forestry is revolutionizing the way people think about architecture. Designed by Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture around the concept of a symbiotic forest ecosystem, and built using mass-timber construction, the new Oregon Forest Science Complex (OFSC) offers a blueprint for a net-zero future—one in which buildings and cities integrate sensitively with the environment to offer a deeper connection to place. “In the Pacific Northwest, our forests are everywhere,” says Natalie Telewiak, principal at Michael Green Architecture. “We often talk about the forest and the city as distinct places, but the natural environment is knit throughout our communities.” The new OFSC buildings put this concept of environmental connectivity into practice, collectively housing over 100,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory, workshop, and convening spaces designed to support the latest research and innovations in sustainable forest management, all while showcasing the benefits of wood construction. “Because timber sequesters carbon and is a renewable resource, it offers such rich potential for low-carbon building technologies and better construction resource management,” Telewiak says. Hands-on research and wood product-testing take place in OFSC’s Advanced Wood Products Laboratory, which contains state-of-the-art equipment for building and testing timber structures up to three stories high. Adjacent is the much larger Peavy Hall, home to classrooms, lecture halls, and informal gathering areas that overlook the Peavy Arboretum, a living classroom containing more than 100 plant species native to Oregon. Designed as two intersecting bars, the heart of Peavy is an airy, » 48

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ABOVE AND LEFT:

Peavy Hall is home to classrooms, computer rooms, and laboratories for the College of Forestry. The building’s innovative wood structure contains a cross-laminatedtimber (CLT) rocking wall system—the first of its kind in North America—that helps stabilize the building during earthquakes.

JOSH PARTEE

ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN DNA

The heart of Peavy Hall is a double-height atrium with Douglas fir glulam columns and locally sourced CLT floors and shear walls. The wood creates a warm, central gathering space that complements the natural beauty of the landscaped arboretum outside.

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“BECAUSE TIMBER SEQUESTERS CARBON AND IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE, IT OFFERS SUCH RICH POTENTIAL FOR LOW-CARBON BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES AND BETTER CONSTRUCTION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.” —NATALIE TELEWIAK, MICHAEL GREEN ARCHITECTURE

two-story atrium with towering columns and a feature wall, all made from locally grown and fabricated Douglas fir timbers. The central stairs double as auditorium seating with integrated glulam benches milled from reclaimed wood that was salvaged from the previous building. “One of the beautiful elements of timber construction is that it has existed and evolved throughout history,” Telewiak says. “Using wood was an opportunity to connect to this legacy while also creating warm, welcoming spaces to foster future innovations.” As architects increasingly turn to mass timber as a solution for more sustainable buildings, Telewiak proposes an even broader view of the value of wood construction: “I hope our buildings will expand our connection to natural ecosystems,” she says. “Just like the burgeoning local food culture, I imagine a future where each person knows where their building was grown and made.” h

THIS SPREAD: Housing the TallWood Design

Institute, the Advanced Wood Products Laboratory emits a soft glow through translucent, photochromic panels, which maximize daylighting in the high-bay lab space while reducing solar heat gain and glare.

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EMA PETER

ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN DNA

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HOME DESIGN | LIFESTYLE | RENOVATION

INQUIRIES : INFO@MARCBLACKWELL.COM WWW.MARCBLACKWELL.COM

MARVIN + GRAY

WELL -BEING SOLUTIONS I N S P I R E D BY T H E WAY YO U L I V E

Easily control the ventilation, lighting, and shading of your connected skylight with a user-friendly app, wall switches, or smart home systems like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings.

ON THE SURFACE, MARVIN SKYCOVE™ AND MARVIN AWAKEN™ SKYLIGHT MAY LOOK LIKE YOUR STANDARD WINDOW SEAT AND SKYLIGHT, but innovations from Marvin—the

family-owned window and door manufacturer with more than 100 years of experience— take these two pieces beyond the conventional to contribute to happier, healthier lives. Skycove is a glass structure that projects from a building into the open air, adding up to 20 square feet of usable space. Awaken is a smart skylight equipped with tunable lighting and a first-of-its-kind venting system, with sensors that automatically shut the unit when they detect rain, and that send an alert when changes in VOCs are detected. Christine Marvin, vice president of strategy and design, helps us better understand these products and the company behind them. »

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MARVIN + GRAY

Skycove is a projected glass structure that creates a smart extension of up to 20 square feet of valuable space without extending a home’s footprint. Whether located in a bustling living area, or placed in intimate rooms like bedrooms and dens, Skycove can be your favorite retreat.

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For forward-thinking architects, interior designers, homeowners, and builders, Marvin Awaken and Skycove create a space for air, light, views, and comfort.

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MARVIN + GRAY

Marvin’s two new products are feats of innovation. Yes, Skycove is a fully constructed alcove with glass on all three sides and the top, so you can fully immerse yourself in light and views and feel connected to the outside world. It’s the first of its kind in the U.S. building industry—fully constructed, with no need to custom order, and suitable for a wide range of projects. Awaken, an automated and customizable smart skylight, is the first on the market to offer supplemental lighting. It combines natural light from above with built-in LEDs that mimic natural light by matching the color, temperature, and intensity of sunlight at various times of the day. It can be programmed to provide extended daylight during short winter days or to awaken early risers each morning. Another advancement is its unique venting system. Most skylights vent on a hinge, but Awaken’s projection venting protrudes from the roof evenly on all four sides, improving indoor air quality more efficiently. It can be controlled via our app, a magnetic and removable Bluetooth-enabled wall switch, or voice command through smart-home systems like Alexa. How did they come to be? We conducted extensive research that revealed homeowners are seeking smaller, cozier spaces filled with natural light, like reading corners where they can recharge and escape from stress. This seemed to fit under the theme of well-being, so we dove deeper to figure out how we, as a window and door company, could help people live happier and healthier in their homes. We interviewed sleep scientists, light designers, and even astronauts, who helped us understand light’s vital role in supporting our daily rhythms.

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Built on a foundation of 100 years of experience and expertise, Awaken (left) and Skycove (right) are fully constructed in the factory where critical tolerances can be controlled, which is why Marvin stands behind them with a 10-year product warranty.

What were the biggest challenges the Marvin design and engineering teams faced during research and development? It was important to us that Skycove provide an alternative to customorder options, which can be timeintensive and expensive. The challenge was in developing something revolutionary yet straightforward and easy for builders to install. For Awaken, the task was developing an intuitive digital interface that wouldn’t feel overwhelming. It was also a challenge to reimagine the hardware. For example, traditional skylights are hinged on one side, and when open, block the view to the sky. Our design allows for more air circulation and leaves the view unobstructed. What looks simple is actually quite complex behind the scenes.

more tree—it’s like the coolest tree house you could ever imagine.

These products are just rolling out to dealers across the United States. Have any been installed in homes yet? Yes. One recent install of Skycove was in Minneapolis, for architect Michael Anschel’s personal home. It’s an interesting story: The Skycove was installed on the second floor, looking out to a 240-year-old Eastern white pine, the tallest tree in Minneapolis. From inside the Skycove, you can look up and see

Founded in 1912, Marvin has always been driven by imagining better ways of living. Has the pandemic changed the company’s notion of what that means today? Home is becoming more of a refuge, and after our time spent indoors over the past year, we want to feel safer, happier, and healthier. Our Design Lab team continues to explore what helps homeowners live better.

Marvin is an established vanguard in the industry. What are the keys to Marvin’s consistent brand innovation? People have always been at the center of Marvin’s purpose and values. Second, the Marvin Design Lab, our in-house team of designers, engineers, architects, researchers, and industry pros, uses human-centered approaches to innovation, dedicating 100 percent of their time to understanding emerging ways of living and design—how architects design, builders build, and homeowners want to live. We focus on discovery and concepting around harnessing light, air, and view in new ways for better living.

Learn more at marvin.com

“ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE DISCOVERED WAS THIS INCREDIBLY TRANSFORMATIVE OBJECT THAT IS COMPLETELY IMMERSIVE.” —MICHAEL ANSCHEL, ARCHITECT

graymag.com/marvin-skycove-awaken Architect Michael Anschel of OA Design + Build discusses the renovation of his own home, featuring the largest tree in Minneapolis.

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Joost Bakker is not a trained architect, but he is leading the way in designing homes that could change our relationship with the global food system. By Rachel Gallaher 58

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MARK ROPER / NEWSPIX

COULD THIS HOUSE SAVE THE WORLD?

Greenhouse by Joost 5.0, a zero-waste house and restaurant designed by artist and activist Joost Bakker, currently sits in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Chefs Matt Stone and Jo Barrett are living in the three-story structure (serving meals there, four days a week) through June 2021. After the residency, the house will be dismantled, relocated and occupied by Bakker’s mother.

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oost Bakker is a fast talker. Not in the euphemistic sense that he’s slick or easily convincing, but as an individual who has a brain full of ideas and the energy to test each one of them out. Bakker’s words come out quickly and are filled with an infectious enthusiasm wrapped up in a friendly, Australiantinged accent (Bakker is originally from the Netherlands, but moved to Australia with his family at age 9). He has a lot to say about subjects ranging from sustainability to food, architecture, farming, and art, all of which roll into his current job description: designer-restaurateur-environmentalist—or, as he’s often called by the media, an eco-warrior. What started nearly 30 years ago as floral and art installations made with things that most people would call garbage (old light bulbs, broken glass jars, electrical clamps) was actually a crusade to convince consumers to rethink their relationships with the things they throw away. “My work was about getting people to understand that there is no such thing as waste,” Bakker says. “I took materials that were problematic—ones that people would regard as dirty or useless—created art, and sold it for a lot of money.” Since then, Bakker has opened multiple zero-waste restaurants, built eco-friendly houses out of straw (one of which he lives in with his family), and pioneered systems for serving wine and milk on tap, to avoid buying and disposing of thousands of bottles a year. His most recent venture (produced by his Future Food System project), Greenhouse by Joost, is a threestory, 937-square-foot, zero-waste neo-home in Melbourne’s Federation Square, which opened in January 2021. Two chefs and longtime Bakker collaborators, Matt Stone and Jo Barrett, are taking up residence there for six months, through June 2021, to tend to the space, cook meals, and demonstrate that living in a zero-waste house isn’t as difficult as it might seem. Greenhouse by Joost is the culmination of a series of experimental

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structures and eateries—lessons learned from each previous build are hammered into the walls and floors. It is a restaurant—reservation-only meals for 14 diners are offered Thursday through Saturday evenings, and there’s also a Sunday lunch—but it’s also a closed-loop two-bedroom house that grows food, uses aquaponics to cultivate shellfish, and has a humidity-controlled nook for growing mushrooms. The structure also utilizes green technology, eco-materials, solar panels, and biodigesters (systems that convert organic waste into fertilizer or gas). It’s a revolutionary living arrangement with the potential to radically shift the ways in which we design

ideas, an insatiable curiosity, and a passion for trying to save the planet— specifically when it comes to the current global food system, which he describes as the most destructive human activity on the planet. Growing up on a flower farm near Melbourne, Bakker was surrounded by a do-it-yourself mentality that stuck with him into adulthood. “Money was tight, so we all pitched in where we could to get things done,” he says. “If we needed a coal room or a shed, we’d get out our tools. Anything we needed, we’d just build it ourselves. I loved that idea.” Bakker dropped out of high school to learn the family trade. In the early ’90s he became, as he puts it,

“If the argument is, ‘I don’t have time to grow food,’ then I’d counter with the question: ‘How much time a day do you spend on social media?’” —JOOST BAKKER, FUTURE FOOD SYSTEM

and build residences—and that’s what exactly what Bakker wants. He envisions a future in which we’re able to solve some of the world’s biggest problems (hunger, land scarcity, environmental degradation) by changing the way we live. Bakker isn’t a scientist or a trained architect. He’s just a guy with a lot of

“obsessed with food waste” and started a massive worm farm to sustainably convert leftovers and scraps into compost. During this time, he also began to create and sell flower arrangements—a decade later he had become one of Melbourne’s top florists, delivering bouquets to restaurants and cafes before they »

ALEXANDRENA PARKER

Bakker became obsessed with food waste in his early 20s and most of his projects—from floral installations to restaurants to housing design—revolve around issues of sustainability, zero-waste systems, and eco-friendly design.

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“I think that in 2040, we’ll look back at 2020 as the taking sustainability and environmentalism mainstream ideas and practices.” —JOOST BAKKER, FUTURE FOOD SYSTEM

year when everyone woke up and started seriously. I can already see it infiltrating

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Greenhouse by Joost 1.0 was built in 2008 in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Greenhouse by Joost in Perth. In Sydney, the façade of Greenhouse 3.0 was covered in a screen that held thousands of terra-cotta pots brimming with strawberry plants. A dish served at the Greenhouse pop-up in Melbourne.

opened their doors for the day. His style was bold and even then, he favored native Australian plants— he currently cultivates more than 1,000 species on his farm in Monbulk. Around that time, he noticed the amount of food waste generated by the restaurants and started asking his clients to give him their organic waste for compost, dangling the promise of even more gorgeous bouquets in the future. A proponent of practicing what he preaches, Bakker built a 6,500square-foot eco-friendly house in the Yarra Valley, about an hour east of Melbourne. The year was 2006, and the “reduce, reuse, recycle” lifestyle wasn’t as mainstream as it is today. 64

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But the house, where Bakker lives with his wife, Jennie, and their three daughters, was (and still is) a marvel of eco-architecture. Built on a recycled concrete slab foundation, the residence utilizes upcycled materials (150-year-old wood planks from wharves, industrial felt, recycled wire) and is constructed with a steel frame and straw-bale insulation (a Joost Bakker signature). “I’ve got a really simple rule,” Bakker says of the building materials he uses. “If it can’t be recycled, I don’t use it. That pretty much eliminates 90 percent of the stuff on the market. I don’t use engineered or treated timber, my window system is steel, which is easily recyclable

and incredibly strong, and I use straw for insulation. There is no other product on earth that is more wasted than straw.” The exterior of Bakker’s house is covered with a steel mesh scaffolding that holds 11,000 terra-cotta pots, each planted with strawberries grown from seeds sent by his uncle in Europe. In addition to providing food, the setup doubles as a shield from the sun. In 2008, inspired by Bakker’s home, the City of Melbourne commissioned him to design a three-month pop-up restaurant in Federation Square. The building was made from recycled and recyclable materials, and featured a rooftop

FROM LEFT: At Brothl (now closed), Bakker’s second zero-waste restaurant in Melbourne, food was made from the scraps

EARL CARTER

and bones that neighboring restaurants would otherwise throw out. Greenhouse 5.0 is more than just a restaurant—it’s a model meant to demonstrate that zero-waste systems, which Bakker believes have the potential to easily and quickly reverse the damage humans are doing to the planet, can be modern and easy to adopt.

garden that supplied fruits and vegetables for the kitchen. Think of it as Greenhouse by Joost 1.0. The concept skipped around the country for versions 2.0 through 4.0—to Perth in 2009, Sydney in 2011, and back to Melbourne for the 2012 Food and Wine Festival—and with each iteration, Bakker’s name became more closely associated with the field of sustainability. Handsome, blond, and with a no-holds-barred attitude, Bakker was the poster boy for the eco-conscious movement. He made things like recycling, compost production, and solar panels look cool. But fame didn’t necessarily inspire a mainstream adoption of his practices. The pop-ups had

become more of an attraction than anything else—people would wander through to take pictures or gawk, but the underlying point really was education that would encourage implementation. “By 2012, I was frustrated that a lot of the ideas I was putting out there were not being widely adopted,” Bakker recalls. What’s more, “the restaurants had become way too complex—we were grinding our own wheat, growing a garden on the roof, crushing our own sugar cane—so I decided to open a soup café, Silo. I thought, ‘This has to look like an ordinary café, there will just be no bin.’” Silo, a narrow space with minimal décor made from upcycled

materials such as used plywood, off-cuts of leather, and end-of-life plastic, became the world’s first permanent, zero-waste restaurant. It was followed by Brothl, an eatery that made food from the scraps and bones that neighboring restaurants would otherwise throw away. “I got a little van and drove around Melbourne in the early mornings, picking up buckets of waste,” Bakker says with a laugh. Brothl was forced to close in 2015, after three years of back-and-forth with the City of Melbourne regarding the alleyway storage of the café’s invessel composter and the resulting monetary fines. But during its three years of operation, the business »

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turned 140 tons of organic waste (equivalent to the contents of seven garbage trucks) into 20 tons of nutrient-rich compost. By the time Brothl closed, Bakker had “had enough of restaurants,” he says. The composter incident wasn’t the first time he’d run into red tape when trying to implement his ideas, and it wouldn’t be the last. At least a dozen of his projects have been waylaid or cancelled outright due to varying forms of bureaucracy, including a small, off-the-grid community he was planning for Kallistra, Australia, and a rooftop farm development on Collins Street in downtown Melbourne. Although he admits to feeling disappointment and frustration, Bakker never views these setbacks 66

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as failures, but rather as testing grounds that help elevate the next ideas to a higher level. After Brothl, he decided to pivot and focus on housing. “I believe that our homes hold the solution to dramatically change the way we damage the atmosphere and the world,” he says. Greenhouse by Joost 5.0 is a functioning restaurant (a way to get people in the door, so they can see firsthand that urban farming is a viable alternative to our reliance on factory farms, grocery stores, and the entire current food system), but it’s the structure’s potential as an easy-to-maintain, zero-waste residence that most interests Bakker. He’s come full circle, back to Federation Square, armed with two decades of knowledge and an

altruistic attitude that makes you think that just maybe there’s hope for this world, and the human race, after all. In a perfect scenario, the florist-turned-restaurateurturned-designer envisions these “houses of the future” going up in neighborhoods around Melbourne, Australia, and countries worldwide— little self-contained micro-ecosystems that sequester carbon, produce clean food, and enrich lives through enhanced contact with the natural world. It sounds like a far-fetched dream, but Bakker has already shown that it’s a possibility. “I’m a big believer in building examples,” he says, “because then people aren’t able to say that something can’t be done.” h

ALEXANDRENA PARKER; EARL CARTER

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Bakker, who started out as a florist, is the son and grandson of tulip farmers. The living room of Bakker’s house, which was designed using recycled and repurposed materials including a plywood ceiling and floors. The exterior of Bakker’s home is clad in scaffolding that holds 11,000 terra-cotta pots, each planted with strawberries grown from seeds sent by his uncle in Europe.

Chefs Matt Stone and Jo Barrett tending to one of the gardens that are integral to Greenhouse by Joost, the zero-waste neo-home and restaurant popup in Melbourne’s Federation Square.

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G A R G D E E O N M A landscape design E project in Hangzhou, China, is a balanced mix of architectural right T angles and natural, leafy plantings. R Y By Rachel Gallaher

Designed by landscape architecture firm Trop: Terrains + Open Spaces, the Times Garden is part of a sales gallery for a forthcoming high-end residential project. Each section of the garden is a reference to a popular local attraction.

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HOLI LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY, FUSANG REN

angzhou, a large city located on China’s eastern coast, is known for its abundance of natural attractions—the Qiantang River, the iconic West Lake, and the Xixi National Wetland Park are among the sites that draw millions of tourists each year. So, when landscape architecture firm Trop: Terrains + Open Spaces—which has offices in both Shanghai and Bangkok—undertook the design of a sales gallery for a forthcoming upscale apartment complex in Hangzhou, it looked to some of the city’s top landmarks as muses. “The client wanted the design to marry artistic scenes with the touring experience,” says landscape architect Pok Kobkongsanti, founder of Trop and the lead designer on the project. “Designers always want to give a project its unique character. Every project Trop accepts is an opportunity for us to learn about the city, its natural treasures, and residents’ lifestyles.” Called the Times Garden, the space begins to unfurl as visitors pass through the entrance gallery and into a central water garden, whose natural design—which follows a creek from one area of the garden to the next—is a nod to nearby West Lake. Since, according to 70

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Kobkongsanti, “the temperatures in Hangzhou often drop below freezing at night in January, the idea is to create a courtyard that looks beautiful both with the water in summer and without water in winter.” The firm partnered with Zoe Lighting Design to create a custom installation visible at night or when the water is drained for inclement weather. Beyond the water garden is the tea hill (the nearby Longjing tea plantation is known for its production of Dragon Well green tea); its gentle fragrance greets visitors the moment they step into the entry court. Geometric shapes are woven throughout the landscape (from rectangular planters to the right angles of the lighting installation)—a subtle move to complement the architecture of the adjacent building. “Straight lines and squares respond to this architectural volume the best,” Kobkongsanti explains. “Since the architects took the geometric element from classic Chinese gardens, the landscape design needed to bring the form to life with artistic and modern elegance, forced views, layered spatial composition, and seamless transitions. Through the experiential landscape, the Times Garden creates a unique new name card for the city.” »

ZOE LIGHTING DESIGN

The landscape design employs a large number of square patterns, as seen in this lighting installation by Zoe Lighting Design in the central water garden. “The dark material contrasts with the light vertical building façade,” says landscape architect Pok Kobkongsanti. “It makes people feel like they are standing at a floating pavilion.”

The central water court, as seen from above.

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HOLI LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY, FUSANG REN; YANLORD

ABOVE: Flowering rosemary adds a hint of color, while a minimal sculptural installation serves as a focal point. BELOW: An undulating installation of Buxus sinica, a Japanese flowering box plant, represents the rolling terrain of the region surrounding Hangzhou. OPPOSITE: In response to the architecture of the adjacent building, the landscape designers incorporated square patterns

and a geometric layout, as seen in the entry court, which is an interpretation of the Xixi wetland. h

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L AST CALL

Exceptional spaces to eat, play, work, and stay.

HOTEL CASTELLO DI RESCHIO

A 1,000-year-old Italian castle filled with bespoke furniture and lighting takes guests back in time with its dreamy design.

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TUCKED AWAY IN THE VERDANT HILLS OF ITALY’S UMBRIA REGION,

the Castello di Reschio sits on a 3,700-acre, family-owned estate that dates back nearly 1,000 years. For its owner, Count Benedikt Bolza, who took the reins of the estate from his father in 1999, the property, which came with 50 dilapidated farmhouses in addition to a castle, offered more than just a place for his family to live—it was also an extreme design challenge. Recently transformed into a luxury hotel with 36 guest rooms and six suites, Reschio is full of elegant, thoughtful design details, from bespoke furniture crafted by Italian artisans to timeless materials that nod to the history of the space. “When we lived in the castle, we

would frequently entertain friends and family and I could visualize how this stunning building could work as a hotel,” says Bolza, who is a trained architect. “All rooms and suites have windows overlooking the internal garden courtyard, as well as views out from the castle to the awe-inspiring countryside beyond.” When Bolza was unable to find some of the right furnishings for the guest rooms, he decided to design them himself through B.B. for Reschio, a creative studio focused on the hotel. The interiors were additionally furnished with finds from auctions and antiques stores, as well as with family portraits of the Bolzas dating back many generations.

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By Rachel Gallaher

“THE GUEST ROOMS ARE ALL VERY DIFFERENT; THE WHOLE HOTEL CASTELLO DI RESCHIO IS FURNISHED IN DIFFERENT STYLES FROM THE PAST UP TO THE MORE CONTEMPORARY STYLE OF TODAY, BECAUSE I WANTED TO CREATE AN INTERIOR THAT FEELS AS IF IT HAS ALWAYS EVOLVED AND CHANGED WITH TIME; TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LABEL.” —COUNT BENEDIKT BOLZA, B.B. FOR RESCHIO

OPPOSITE: One of the guest suites in the castle. Each room’s aesthetic was created with a specific ancestor or figure from the castle’s long history in mind. ABOVE: This bathroom’s washstand was

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ABOVE: Set in the castle’s former wine cellars, the Bathhouse lets guests float from the pool to an adjacent water-filled tower. BELOW: The Reschio

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Estate, which includes this stone castle (recently transformed into a luxury hotel), is more than 1,000 years old and spans 3,700 acres.

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A courtyard inside the castle was encased in glass and filled with greenery—and places to lounge—to become the Palm Court. The rattan chairs and other furniture pieces were designed by B.B. for Reschio. »

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GRILLNO RESTAURANT At this cozy eatery in Kawaguchi, Japan, an area for food preparation is central to the design. WHEN KEIJI ASHIZAWA STARTED DESIGNING GRILLNO, a 26-seat

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Designed by Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa, Grillno is a minimalist restaurant that makes use of industrial materials including concrete, steel, and wood wool cement board.

sipping cocktails. The materials palette, comprising concrete, steel, and wood in mostly neutral tones, is minimal, and Ashizawa opted for wood wool cement board (a material made from cement and shaved wood fibers) for the walls, which improves the acoustics in the small space. A thin, beam-like steel light fixture, designed by Ashizawa and fabricated by Super Robot, hangs above the counter. “We wanted the guests to

feel at home,” Ashizawa explains. “To achieve the cozy and relaxing atmosphere, we tried to use as few materials as possible, worked expertly by craftsmen.” The restaurant is normally only open in the evenings (during Japan’s soft lockdown, which shortened business hours for restaurants, lunch was offered as well), and its moody, sensual décor is an escape from the busy city outside.

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restaurant located in Kawaguchi, Japan (a commuter town about an hour north of Tokyo), he used a set of words as a touchstone for the process: “Fun, relaxing, close friends, and family,” the architect says. “With these keywords, we wanted to achieve a certain atmosphere.” Built on the second floor of a concrete apartment building, the restaurant offers a large selection of smoked and grilled foods; a long concrete counter gives diners a front-row seat to watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen. The dining room, which is designed around the counter, has a handful of additional seating options, from fourtop tables tucked into a nook, to a cozy sofa perfect for perching on while

The cement counter is the dining room’s centerpiece. Ashizawa designed its curved end to serve as a table for groups. He also designed the thin steel light fixture that spans the countertop. »

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ACNE STOCKHOLM

Enhanced neoclassical architecture becomes the striking backdrop for Acne Studios’ newest Stockholm store.

The new Acne Studios boutique in Stockholm is a nod to neoclassical architecture.

clothes are a wardrobe staple for downtown cool kids around the globe—has opened its newest Stockholm location in an old and storied former bank. In the 1970s, a robbery and hostage crisis at the bank eventually gave rise to the term Stockholm Syndrome. Reimagined by Barcelona-based firm Arquitectura-G, the revitalized space is a blank slate consisting of three rooms linked by massive Doric columns. At one end of the boutique, a new abstract colonnade, made of real marble, provides access to the fitting rooms. Podium-like marble furniture was designed by Max Lamb and slick technical lighting from Benoit Lalloz provides a striking counterpoint to the neoclassical Greco-Roman architecture. h 80

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JOSÉ HEVIA

ACNE STUDIOS—the high-end Swedish retailer whose

AN AWARD WINNING FULL SERVICE INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM W W W. M I C H E LLE D I R K S E .CO M | 2 0 6 - 5 3 8 - 07 27 | 132 1 E P I N E S TR E E T S E AT TLE , WA 9 8 12 2

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MASTER OF SPACE

MINI’s newest concept vehicle offers multiple modes for an on-the-go lifestyle. Written by Rachel Gallaher

the introduction of its first vehicle in 1959— a two-door marvel that economized fuel and packed in more passengers than other cars of comparable size—the brand, which is owned by BMW, has remained synonymous with superior design and radical thinking. The recent introduction of the concept vehicle MINI Vision Urbanaut cements that reputation. Featuring the brand’s signature, minimal footprint (although this model is longer and taller than MINI’s current largest offering, the Clubman), the electric Urbanaut was designed from the inside out, with an interior that shapeshifts into three different pre-programmed atmospheres called “MINI Moments.” By choosing the Vibe, Chill, or Wanderlust setting, passengers can transform the cabin into a 82

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The Urbanaut, MINI’s newest concept car, allows passengers to shift the layout and purpose of its interiors based on mood, activity, or need. If put into production, it would be the company’s largest vehicle to date.

lounge complete with a daybed, a versatile seating area that includes a small table with integrated tree, or a configuration that more closely resembles traditional car seating— though with automated driving functions, a single sliding entry door, and residentialfeeling interiors, the Urbanaut is far from conventional. Although the vehicle remains a concept (MINI doesn’t have plans for massproduction), it aligns with the company’s visionary history while addressing the future of life on the road. h

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THE MINI BRAND HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN FOR MAKING CLEVER USE OF SPACE. Since

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