速
Wang Shu Saatchi & Saatchi Mon Bijou Spring in Alaska Auckland City Gallery Pinaree Sanpitak issue 51. 2012 AUstralia $16.50 New Zealand $17.50 SinGapore $12.95 Hong Kong $155 USA $21.99
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welcomeindesign
letter from the editor issue 51, 2012
If you are an Indesign reader, you are more than likely aware that the creation of a successful new workplace is rarely a question of simply designing physical space. Rather, success comes from a much more holistic approach, one in which the built environment is a direct response to an organisation’s culture and vision for the future, and innovations in technology and social changes that allow for new ways of working. This approach has been fundamental to many of the projects covered in Indesign over the years. In this issue, we take another look at the importance of new ways of working. This particular article (on page 205) was inspired by a quote from Neri Oxman, architect and designer at MIT Media Lab: “As creators we must demand of ourselves to invent new ways to live by rather than inventing new places within which to live”. As a designer, Oxman’s work focusses on enhancing the relationship between the built and natural environments through the application of nature’s design principles to new digital design technologies – a type of biomimicry. So, it’s apt that she talks about inventing new ways to live, rather than inventing new places. Similarly, we must invent new ways to work. And, that is what some of the key projects in this issue focus on. Saatchi & Saatchi’s new workplace in Sydney by Smart Design Studio includes a mezzanine level, playfully referred to as the ‘war room’, a place for work that doesn’t require workstations. On the other side of the world, at BBC North in London, Sheppard Robson have created a space that truly responds to the culture and needs of the BBC. And, in our second Indesign photo shoot, we team up with Living Edge to bring you three very different workplaces, inspired by individual ways of working. Similarly, many of the creatives that appear in this issue are inventing new ways to approach their chosen fields. Annica and Marie Eklund, the charismatic directors of Bolon, are inventing new ways to think about flooring; Danish designers FurnID have developed a manifesto to support their philosophy of ‘inviting design’; and 2012 Pritzker Prize winner, Wang Shu, is inventing new ways to approach the built environment in China. Good design is firmly rooted in an understanding of human behaviour. So it stands that if designers and architects want to be creating work that is relevant to the future, they should be pushing themselves to understand how people’s behaviour will change in the foreseeable future. In this way, designers can help to invent and facilitate new ways to live and to work. mandi keighran – editor
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contentindesign
dec, 2012–feb, 2013
Issue 51 regulars
portfolio
027 EVOLVE Bite-sized portions from the latest people, places, products, events
COMMERCIAL
061 Fuse Craig DiLouie throws the spotlight on LED lighting
092 Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney, by Smart Design Studio 104 Spring in Alaska Design Lab, Sydney, by Andrew Waller Design
073 Living Edge x Indesign Living Edge and Indesign showcase three very different workplaces
110 Australian Red Cross Blood Services, Melbourne, by DesignInc
080 INDESIGN LUMINARY Melbourne-based designer Ross Didier bridges the divide between art and functional design
Education
088 ART Pinaree Sanpitak’s Anything Can Break at the 18th Biennale of Sydney 191 PULSE Annica and Marie Eklund talk about Bolon’s creative collaborations
120 BBC North, London, by Sheppard Robson
130 Monash University Student Accommodation, Melbourne, by BVN Architecture Landscape 140 Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, by Wilkinson Eyre, Grant Associates
Danish design duo FurnID on their philosophy of inviting design
Studio
2012 Pritzker Prize winner, Wang Shu, on the impact of small practices
146 Molecule Studio, Melbourne, by Molecule Studio
201 ZONE Byron George on the importance of Sydney’s Brutalist heritage
Civic
Mandi Keighran looks at how we can invent new ways to live and work 209 SUSTAIN A green visitor centre at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Gardens
150 Hangar Flying Museum, NSW, by Peter Stutchbury Architecture 156 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland, by FJMT, Archimedia Hospitality
Two architecture students imagine an alternative reality for Nauru
172 Mon Bijou, Melbourne, by Hachem
A sustainable solid surface product from Cosentino
Residential
216 PS Herman Miller’s Then X Ten: The Power of the Poster exhibition
176 Flinders House, Victoria, by Workroom Design
Cover The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland, by FJMT, Archimedia (see pp.156–168) Photo: Simon Devitt indesignlive.com
186 Curve House, Sydney, by Gilsenan Associates
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people places PRODUCTS events
The Art of Luxury Avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is one of the most recognised artists of our time, and she has recently collaborated with an equally recognisable brand, Louis Vuitton. The ‘Infinitely Kusama’ collection sees Kusama’s iconic polka dots – which have been seen in her artworks on canvas, sculpture, entire rooms, and even painted on her own body – enter the realm of fashion. From bags and shoes to sunglasses and dresses, Kusama’s vibrant prints cover everything in the new collection – an infinite pattern of polka dots, hence the collection’s name. Kusama also designed window displays showcasing her polka-dotted tentacle and abstract flower sculptures for Louis Vuitton boutiques around the world to celebrate the launch of the collection. Kusama herself best summed the ‘Infinity Kusama’ collection up in a recent interview with The Associated Press: “Polka dots are fabulous”. [Text: Mandi Keighran] Infinitely Kusama louisvuittonkusama.com Yayoi Kusama yayoi-kusama.jp
indesignlive.com
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evolveindesign
Digital art An impressive wall installation that crosses the line between art and design, the Maharam ‘Digital Projects’ are similar to large scale artworks. The focus is on one-off pieces that interact with the whole space and provide a focal point for people to engage with. A slight divergence from Maharam’s typical textile work, the ‘Digital Projects’ range is an interesting evolution of the brand that sees its typical projects broadened to the outskirts of interdisciplinary collaborations with emerging and established artists, photographers, illustrators, fashion and graphic designers. The Long Passage Towards Night (pictured) was created by Jacob Hashimoto, a New York and Verona-based artist, and is composed of hundreds of handmade, traditional rice paper and bamboo kites. Using black monofilament, the kites are arranged as a floating tapestry and form a seamless assemblage of 64 photographs. [Text: AS] Kvadrat Maharam (61 2) 9212 4277 kvadratmaharam.com
compartmentalise this
Flexibility in furniture ‘Experimental - Hybrid Furniture’ by Hungarian designer Kata Monus resembles a living organism. The knitted structure hangs loose while the durable wooden structure provides a stern contrast. Monus has found a way to integrate her formal training in textile design with the very utilitarian skills of furniture making. The result is a very bespoke design object with a kind of post-apocalyptic aesthetic. [Text: AS]
Kata Monus katamonus.blogspot.hu
Studio Becker, the makers of high quality multi-unit project kitchens since 1986, offer standout kitchen storage solutions designed with years of experience and expertise to meet the needs of major developers. Their clean, contemporary, high quality designs are a functional answer to cluttered spaces overflowing with pots and pans. The white laminate joinery accented with aluminium ABS edging features Beech drawers and stainless steel accessories to make sure every kitchen utensil has a compartment. Studio Becker’s project kitchens are a competitive solution and are manufactured to the most current environmental standards. [Text: AS]
Studio Becker (61 2) 9698 8870 studiobecker.com
evolveindesign
GREENER and brighter Previously neglected laneways of London have been brought to life with the Gibbons Rent Laneway Project. Taking inspiration from the overgrown laneways of Sydney and Tokyo, this laneway regeneration initiative has been a huge success. It was the brainchild of young Australian architect, Andrew Burns, in collaboration with British landscape designer, Sarah Eberle. The creative project was made possible by the support of Team London Bridge, Southwark Council. [Text: AS]
Andrew Burns Architects (61 2) 9698 6711 andrewburns.net.au Team London Bridge teamlondonbridge.co.uk
Big Love, Small footprint Naoto Fukasawa’s ‘Papilio’ soft seating collection for B&B Italia continues to grow. The latest additions are ‘Mini Papilio’ and ‘Love Papilio’ (pictured). The ‘Love Papilio’ sofa offers a compact footprint suitable for seating arrangements in commercial, public, and domestic situations in which space is a factor. With the same solid structure and sweeping curves as the rest of the ‘Papilio’ collection, ‘Love Papilio’ offers maximum comfort and an iconic aesthetic. [Text: MK]
Space Furniture (61 2)8339 7588 spacefurniture.com.au
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Design that matters Based on the techniques developed in his ‘Skin’ collection, Dutch designer Pepe Heykoop is using design as a tool to help elevate a poor community in Mumbai from poverty. The ‘Matka Vase’ is the result of upcycling matka – traditional Indian stainless steel water carriers – into design objects by covering them with scraps of high quality leather. The project is a follow up to last year’s ‘Skin’ project, which was a reaction to huge amounts of high quality leather wasted by the furniture industry. Heykoop has teamed up with Tiny Miracles Foundation, a Mumbai-based charity that aims to bring one poverty-striken community to a middleclass within ten years. A workshop has been set up employing local residents, and part of the proceeds from the sales of the ‘Matka Vase’ project go toward sending street children to school. ‘Matka’ is proof of the difference that design can make, not only within the industry (as ‘Skin’ did) but to the wider community. [Text: MK] Studio Pepe Heykoop (31 64) 128 9850 pepeheykoop.nl
Lay of the land Brazilian designer Renata Rubim has created a collection of floor tiles that resemble city maps or the view from a plane of fields and roads. The tiles can be composed in a variety of ways to make complex metropolises and graphic patterns. Made from a special kind of refractory concrete for floors that offers high levels of durability, the product is a subtle and sophisticated way to bring playfulness to flooring. [Text: MK]
Renata Rubim (51) 3330 3571 renatarubim.com.br
WoOd, could, should With the weather heating up and the strength of the modern sun, it is important that our outdoor furniture, fixtures, and finishes are made to last, and innovative technology is the answer to longevity. Introducing the ‘Oxford’ by Porcelanosa – a ceramic alternative to timber flooring. The slip resistant surface of ‘Oxford’ has harder wearing qualities than any natural timber floor and requires no sealing or ongoing maintenance. In addition, the surface has been designed to be environmentally sound. Available in four colours and two widths, the colour of ‘Oxford’ varies to create an organic flow that resembles natural limewashed timbers. ‘Oxford’ is available in Australia from Earp Bros in four beautiful and subtle colours – Blanco, Acero, Castano, and Antracita. [Text: AS]
Earp Bros (61 2) 4925 4555 earp.com.au indesignlive.com
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Keeping it Local This year’s Saturday in Design celebrated ten years of the event that brings the industry together. Mandi Keighran discovered a focus on Australian design and manufacture. Saturday in Design 2012 marked a decade of bringing the design industry together to celebrate creativity, collaboration, new products, and everything else our thriving community has to offer. What better way to celebrate than to throw the spotlight on local design and manufacture? Which is exactly what many exhibitors did for the event, which was held in various locations around Melbourne. Launch Pad kicked the proceedings off with an exhibition that showcased the best emerging designers the country has to offer. As winner, Andrew Grigor has the opportunity to take his ‘Glide’ lights from prototype to production, thanks to a $10,000 manufacturing grant from champions of local design and
manufacture, How We Create. How We Create further supported local design at their MAKE it precinct. Guests partied beneath Christina Waterson’s ‘Lilypads’ while the two winning designs of the ‘Design a Cup’ competition were manufactured live. The vibrant festival atmosphere led to How We Create being awarded the Best Showroom Experience 2012 in the inaugural Saturday in Design Awards. The other award-winners were also deserving. The Indesign Award for Best Commercial Product Launch went to DAL+Brands for the HÅG ‘Capisco Puls’ task chair, for its playful take on ergonomic design; the Habitus Award for Best Residential Product Launch was awarded to Cosh Living for the
Indu+ ‘TomBoy’ barbecue, for the potential to redefine the Australian tradition; and the DQ Award for Best Australian Product Launch went to Adam Goodrum’s ‘Volley’ range for Tait Outdoor for the collaboration between designer and manufacturer. Collaboration between designers and exhibitors was also showcased in The Project installations. Geyer and Viabizzuno won The Project Award for their sophisticated take on the ‘Activate’ theme, which was developed by Woodhead. Other installations of note included Great Dane’s Whiskey Den, Insitu and V Arc for their dynamic hanging installation, and Space Furniture with HASSELL. Interface again took
collaboration to new levels by teaming up with six local designers to interpret Interface materials. Looking at the event from a commercial point of view, it was clear that the trend toward more domestic workplace settings is alive and well. New acoustic furniture was on show at Eastern Commercial Furniture, Envoy Furniture, and Haworth. Meanwhile, Stylecraft did their part to support local design and manufacture with the launch of the impressive One / Third collection. All in all, it was a fitting event to celebrate a decade of Saturday in Design. Here’s to next year’s event in Sydney keeping the focus local.
saturdayindesign.com.au
Tait Outdoor Adam Goodrum’s ‘Volley’ range for Tait Outdoor took out the 2012 DQ Award for best Australian product launch for its playful aesthetic and the collaboration between designer and manufacturer. Tait Outdoor (61 3) 9419 7484
tait.biz
How We Create The MAKE it precinct was buzzing with live demonstrations, product giveaways, and plenty of entertainment. The precinct was awarded the Best Showroom Experience 2012. How We Create (61 3) 9411 5236
howwecreate.com
Space Furniture New products and creative installations set the playful tone in the Space Furniture showroom. The Moooi ‘Extension’ chair installation (pictured) kept guests entertained, as did designers demonstrating the diverse applications of Green Hat Workshop building blocks. The Project installation by HASSELL was equally impressive, with timber frames containing huge quantities of black balloons. Space Furniture (61 3) 9426 3000
spacefurniture.com.au
evolveindesign
Christopher Boots Spectacular lighting by local designer Christopher Boots was on display in the DQ Design Collective in Fitzroy and the VIP After Party. Christopher Boots (61 3) 9999 6626
christopherboots.com
Andrew Grigor
Great Dane Furniture
Sydney-based designer Andrew Grigor took out the Launch Pad award with ‘Glide’. The pendant light comprises a bright folded metal shade over a timber support. As the winner, Grigor will receive a $10,000 manufacturing grant from How We Create and the opportunity to be retailed through Living Edge.
Guests at Great Dane Furniture admired new collections by Benjamin Hubert for De La Espada (‘Quarry’ marble pendants pictured), and enjoyed the first Muuto concept store-within-a-store. On Saturday, makers entertained guests with their weaving skills, and as the sun set, Great Dane’s Scandinavian whiskey pop-up bar – the Whiskey Den – opened its doors for delicious Balvenie cocktails and tastings.
Andrew Grigor (61) 412 283 355
andrewgrigor.com
Great Dane Furniture (61 3) 9417 5599
greatdanefurniture.com
Zenith & Godfrey HIrst Zenith teamed up with Godfrey Hirst to transform their showroom into a vibrant installation by Rothelowman. Japanese designer Taku Kumazawa was on hand to talk about his ‘Tipo’ chair. Zenith / Godfrey Hirst (61 3) 9693 2600 / (61 3) 9368 8100
zenithinteriors.com.au / godfreyhirst.com
Corporate Culture Extremis was on display in Corporate Culture’s Belgian Beer Café alongside Adam Cornish’s ‘Monkey Grip’ planters. Corporate Culture (61 3) 9066 1177
corporateculture.com.au indesignlive.com
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Investigating the latest trends and products in lightin Investigating the latest trends and products in lighting
André Tammes, Indesign’s lighting editor, presents the future of LED lighting.
There can be few who are unaware of LED – the Light– Emitting Diode. It made its first appearance in the 1960s in the form of red indicator lights on electronics and household appliances. Since those very early days LED has become the workhorse of the architectural and entertainment lighting and display screen industries around the world. The original forms of LED were in colour – red, green, blue, and amber – but in 1996 the first white light-producing LED became available. This marked a sea change in the design and production of
architectural lighting fixtures which continues to this day. The subject of LED lighting is a complex one since it is based on a sensitive electronic component that is subject to stringent operating conditions. Great efforts are now being made, however, to simplify the specification process of LED whilst ensuring that the inherent benefits of the technology are retained throughout the product’s life. In this edition of FUSE, American lighting expert, Craig DiLouie examines the LED revolution in some detail. He provides an insight into where this technology,
referred to generically as ‘Solid State Lighting’, currently stands and where it is likely to take us in the future. André Tammes is Founding Director of Lighting Design Partnership.
indesignlive.com
Craig DiLouie casts light on an industry saturated with LED and looks at the benefits and the challenges.
or another year, solid-state lighting (SSL) technologies dominated the big lighting trade shows Light+Build (Frankfurt, Germany) and LIGHTFAIR International (Las Vegas, USA). At LIGHTFAIR, one had to look fairly hard to find luminaires with any other technology on display. Although there was evidence of fewer major leaps in innovation this year, products are continuing to proliferate and improve – with many luminaires aimed at the same markets and customers as conventional products, which may pressure prices downward. LED lighting technology provides several major benefits, such as energy savings, long service life, optical control, more compact luminaires, friendliness with switching and dimming control, interesting opportunities with colour, no mercury in the product, no
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radiated direct heat, and resistance to shock and vibration. While many LED products follow the form and function of traditional luminaires, as this is the fastest and easiest approach to market, a significant number of new products are taking advantage of the unique characteristics of the light source. And LED is not the only game in town. Other light source technologies such as plasma and organic LED (OLED) lighting are now being commercialised and expected to carve out their own applications and markets. For now, however, LED is the main player. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), LED still has an overall low penetration, but demand is outpacing that for conventional sources. In fact, if the USDOE is to be believed, conventional illumination technologies are already approaching their decline phase in at least several major building markets due to growth in demand for upstart LED technology. USDOE predicts LED’s share of lumen-hour sales will grow to 10% by 2015, 36% by 2020, and 74% by 2030, with the biggest initial gains occurring in the outdoor stationary and residential replacement lamp markets. Similar patterns of uptake are likely to occur in Australia. This growth will be fuelled by continuing improvements in efficacy, service life, and cost. Looking at cool-white indoor LED luminaires, USDOE predicts average efficacy will more than double to 145 lumens per watt; average service life will increase to 44,000 hours; and initial cost will fall to about $42 per kilolumen by 2015 – just a few years from now. Despite the growing benefits of LED illumination technology and optimism around its adoption, it is still a young technology and therefore presents some risk. The first thing designers should do is become familiar with the basic technology – sample some products, as there is no substitute for firsthand experience – and understand the similarities and differences in performance. For example, unlike conventional luminaires, which are typically built around standard light sources (such as fluorescent, halogen, or metal halide), LED luminaires are typically highly integrated, purpose-built devices in which the light engine cannot be easily accessed and replaced. This is slowly beginning to change as some manufacturers are offering maintenance- and upgrade-friendly luminaires, and the Zhaga Consortium
Above Water Droplet at
VIVID Sydney by Destiny Paris and Aurecon Right Koda Lighting supplied LED lighting for the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney
FUSEindesign
words Craig DiLouie
LED... is still a young technology and therefore presents some risk Craig DiLouie
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Personal space The space in which we choose to work is a reflection of both how we work and our own personal style. Living Edge has teamed up with Indesign to showcase three very different workplaces. living edge + Indesign pHOTOGRAPHY tim robinson styling mandi keighran art direction one8one7
living edgeindesign
CLOCKWISE from Left ‘Grey Pepper’ paint from Porter’s Paints; Georg Jenson ‘Voyage’ shoehorn; Menu globe from top3 by design; document case from Bally; Tusk ‘Capri’ passport holder from Flight 001; ‘Beocom 2’ from Bang&Olufsen; Blackberry ‘PlayBook’; ‘Classique’ pen from Mont Blanc; Compact Desk ‘Ultimate Set’ trays from Workshopped; ‘Ilse’ glass bowl from Georg Jensen; Normann Copenhagen whisky glasses from top3 by design; Fink water jug from top3 by design; ‘Tizio’ lamp from Artemide; Folle stapler and tape dispenser from Forest For The Trees; One Point One ‘Nic Nac’ leather tray from Workshopped; pins and clips from Kikki K; ‘Panton’ tray from Georg Jensen Living Edge Walter Knoll ‘Headoffice Mono’ executive desk; Herman Miller Eames ‘Aluminium Group Executive’ task chair in white; Established & Sons ‘Font Clock’
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Personal Space Left to Right Native ‘Arboreal’ lamp; Nokia ‘Lumia 800’; Lexon ‘Buro’ desk top set from Vincent Vincent; Copic markers from X-Press Graph-X; Playsam pencil from Forest For The Trees; Alexander Lotersztain ‘Rock’ cup from How We Create; Rotring pens; MMMG ‘Ping Pong’ calendar from Notemaker; Daniel.Emma ‘D.E’ desk accessories; ‘Scandiphone’ from Vintage & Nostalgia Co; Barbara Wiggins ‘Vintage Crackle’ satchel from Notemaker; Lightly ‘Merry-Go-Round’ wall hooks from Workshopped; Power by Friends With You limited edition print from Outré Gallery; Marc Newson for G-Star Raw jacket; Patryk Koca ‘Onda’ fruit bowl from Workshopped; books, stylists own; Vitra dolls; Flatland OK ‘Hand Mirror’ from Workshopped; Kikki K boxes; ‘Petal Face’ paint from Porter’s Paints Living Edge Established & Sons ‘Torch’ lights; Herman Miller Eames desk and storage unit; Jaime Hayon ‘Showtime’ chair for BD Barcelona Design; Established & Sons ‘Two Timer’ and ‘Store’; Herman Miller and House Industries limited edition Eames wire-base table; Herman Miller Eames ‘Walnut Stool’
living edgeindesign
“ W ho ever said that pleasure wasn’t functional?” Charles Eames
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Personal Space
“ I think everything is born from your experiences� Scott Fellows, Bassamfellows
living edgeindesign furniture from left to far right
‘Amber’ paint from Porter’s Paint; Otto & Spike ‘Ikat’ scarf from Workshopped; Farage ‘Gabrielle’ tweed coat; DesignByThem ‘Stem Tree’ coat rack; ‘Labrador’ leather folder from Paper2; Kate Stokes ‘Mr Cooper’ pendant from Corporate Culture; ‘Essey’ bin from Top3 by Design; book, stylists own; Kaweco Sport ‘Al’ pen from Paper2; ‘Midori’ brass ruler from Notemaker; Kikki K ‘Basic’ notebooks; scissors from Paper2; Lightly ‘For Good Measure’ mug from Workshopped; Wästberg ‘Massaud w083’ lamp from Euroluce; Zuny dinosaur bookend from Top3 by Design; Bang & Olufsen ‘Beolit 12’ portable speaker; Georg Jensen ‘Ilse’ bowl Living Edge Established & Sons ‘Hold’
hooks; Bassamfellows ‘Tractor’ stool; Established & Sons ‘Tank’ lamp; Established & Sons ‘Store’; Bassamfellows leather desk; Herman Miller Eames ‘Soft Pad’ chair; Bassamfellows ‘Sharp Series’ storage; Jaime Hayon ‘Showtime’ vases for BD Barcelona Design; Bassam-fellows ‘Tray Rack’ side table
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ROSS in just over a decade, ross didier’s achievement
luminaryindesign
words Jan Howlin portrait Anthony Browell
DIDIER reads like a case study for all ambitious designers indesignlive.com
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here do we draw the line between art and design? If you are furniture designer Ross Didier, with numerous collections to your credit and a fine art sensibility that feeds into whatever you do, there is no need for a line at all. For him, the two disciplines are merely the two ends of a creative spectrum, a continuum that he moves upon freely depending on the project he is working on, be it a range of contemporary corporate furniture, a quirky solution to particular brief, or an artwork. However, he does maintain that the need to satisfy function makes design more demanding – with fine art you only have to please yourself – and function is something Didier has great respect for. In little more than a decade, Didier has produced around ten distinctive ranges of furniture, including the ‘Obelisk’ range and his ‘Start 914’ chair which are produced under licence in the UK for Allermuir and in Italy for Tonon respectively, for international distribution. There are his ‘Felix’ and ‘Quoin’ lounges, ‘Bombala’ chairs and ‘Elfin’ stools, the ‘Connected’ range and, notably, the kangaroo fur ‘VDM Tiller’ chairs he created for Melbourne’s renowned Vue de Monde restaurant. Along the way, he has established a successful manufacturing and design business – no easy feat in this economic climate. And he has created a brand with a reputation for ideas, clever engineering, character and quality, that is represented across Australia and in New Zealand by leading design retailers. While this trajectory was by no means a clear plan from the beginning, Didier must be doing something very right. Didier established his studio in 2000. The small company, now called simply Didier, has a staff of five
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including his wife, Libby, and his father, Max, whose well-regarded office furniture business, Moderntone, operated in Melbourne for many years. Didier himself has moved well past the designer/maker stage to a point where his commercial ranges are manufactured in increasingly large production runs. His designs are created, prototyped, and assembled (from components produced by local or international specialist suppliers) at the company studio and factory in Heidelberg, Melbourne. Didier’s hands-on production and industry expertise allow him to retain quality control of his major ranges and to produce small-run custom designs. “I understand what it means to manufacture,” he says. “I’ve been on the factory floor, I’ve been in the spray booth, I’ve been in there gluing, and carving timber and working on machinery.” But business, he says, is a balancing act. “The challenge is to get a great product, at the right price, and to brand yourself correctly, making sure the creativity is still there and that you are proud of it.” Equally critical to the success of his business is the strength of the relationships he has developed with high-end design partners who advise on, stock and promote his work, but also collaborate on bringing new products to market. In particular, Didier is grateful for the continued support of Corporate Culture throughout Australia and New Zealand, who have worked with him since the early days. He has long established relationships with Designcraft and Schiavello in Canberra, Aptos Cruz in Adelaide, and Designfarm in Perth, and more recent partnerships like Janie Collins in Queensland and Table&Chair in Western Australia. He has also recently begun a new working relationship with
luminaryindesign Previous Ross Didier with
Insitu in Melbourne and Sydney, for whom new designs are currently being developed and prototyped. For Didier, finding his niche within the plethora of quality international design brands available has been an ongoing process. Intuitively reaching inward for that point of difference, he draws on the experiences of his childhood, which he describes as completely fantastic. “A lot of my business strategies and practices are probably based in childhood memories of resourcefulness and exploring exciting design ideologies quite naïvely,” he says. He remembers being thrilled when first encountering design through a friend’s older brother, an industrial design student who “had a room full of the most fabulous things”. Industrial Design, Art, Theatre Following that lead, Didier enrolled in design at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in 1989, studied industrial design in 1990, then switched to a fine arts degree in sculpture the following year. His introduction to the concepts and aims of high art by lecturer, Robert Owen, was pivotal, “an incredible experience, truly mind-boggling”. It confirmed Didier’s dedication to making objects and the vital importance of the idea behind them. “When I was doing fine art,” he says, “everything was product related.” In contrast to other students, he used industrial techniques and processes to make his sculptures. “You have an idea, you just find any way to get it made,” he says. “Which is what we really still do today.” It is telling also that his work often dealt with functionality and was invariably related to the body. After university Didier spent several years travelling and working in Europe and the UK. He worked in theatre set and prop production in London, where
he met and married Libby, and where he was primarily involved in designing and building furniture for the stage. On one of his return visits, Didier entered ‘Astro’, a range of desk furniture he had designed through Moderntone, into a competition and picked up a Victorian Design Award. While he’d had no plans to come home at this time, he says, “Things were falling into place in the head space – I think the DNA had started kicking in”.
his kangaroo fur-covered ‘VDM Tiller’ chairs (2011) Opposite ‘Obelisk’ lounges for Allermuir (2007) Below left ‘Puk’ chair was presented in Milan (2006) Below Right ‘Kin’ is a cocktail set commissioned for The Lui Bar, Rialto Towers in Melbourne (2012)
Focus on Furniture Didier returned to Melbourne with Libby, and worked for a couple of years in retailing at Moderntone, learning about ergonomics and what he calls “the dry side of furniture”. At the same time he set up a workshop. “I knew that I wanted to make things. I wanted to make sure they were valuable things, and I wanted to sell them,” says Didier, who gradually found his metier in furniture. “Furniture is about as close as it comes to being commercially sculptural,” he says. By 2000, he was focused on furniture, although he still made art pieces for exhibitions, which he found often led to other opportunities. Finding Opportunities One such showpiece was a huge golden ‘Chrysalis’, a symbol of the body. Another was his ‘Mantis’ chair, which was included in an exhibition at Westpac Bank, Melbourne, and which led to a few small commercial jobs. Then there was his ‘Cow Udder Chandelier’ produced for Elastic, an exhibition held at Span Galleries, Melbourne. When he collaborated with a group to create The Deanery, a wine bar in an underground city carpark, his designs led to a commission for the well-known
“ Ideas are fun... Ideas are underestimated a lot of the time” Ross Didier
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nothing is impossible This striking fit-out by smart design studio reflects the philosophy of the client, saatchi & saatchi
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words Guy Allenby photography Sharrin Rees architect Smart Design studio location Sydney | AUS PROJECT Saatchi & Saatchi
f there is an adjective that is routinely applied to the advertising industry, ‘subtle’ wouldn’t be it. After all, the best campaigns might indeed be rigorously considered and carefully nuanced, but the fundamental idea of selling consumer goods and services is to imbed your messages in the target audience’s consciousness as simply and effectively as possible. That is to say, it is the apparently straightforward and streamlined ideas that take the most sweat to achieve. It’s a fine metaphor for what has been accomplished at Saatchi & Saatchi’s new offices at The Rocks, Sydney. A cursory look tells you it is a slick, strong, and accomplished fit-out with starkly monochrome sensibilities. And then you notice the clean lines of the white exposed ceilings (where have they hidden all the services?); you learn the warehouse building is of State heritage significance (no drilling without prior approval and changes need to be reversible); and then you spy the fine, but strongly proportioned, details like the brass balustrading. In short, the job Smart Design Studio have done is entirely appropriate for one of the best-regarded names in the advertising business. It is, in other words, strong and subtle. The strongest statement is the use of the black and white palette. Black denotes “everything that has been inserted into the space” explains project architect, William Smart. A bold black statement contained within a space that is white on the inside with the exception, says Smart, of the original brick walls. “We had to convince the Sydney Harbour Authority to let us paint all the woodwork white,” says Smart. “It was a big effort because it’s not reversible.” The black and white elements are the finishing touches to a 12-month job that began with extensive groundwork on the base building. Saatchi & Saatchi have been the tenants at the old Sydney Metcalfe
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Left The reception sets the
tone for the sophisticated, monochrome fit-out Above Looking over the reception desk toward the meeting and board rooms
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Right The board room
adjoins reception
Below Type set into the
floor of reception reminds staff and visitors that ‘nothing is impossible’ Bottom The stairwell boasts sophisticated brass balustrades and black pendant lighting
Bond stores for the last 25 years and, not surprisingly, their original fit-out was tired. Last structurally reinforced in the 1930s, the building needed a BCA and fire safety upgrade, to be structurally reinforced to meet contemporary earthquake regulations, and an energy efficient mechanical ventilation system. It also needed new lifts, staircase, toilets, staff lunch room, and a mezzanine between the existing roof trusses, and the building’s entry needed to be reconfigured. So, while the work began on the base building for clients Metcalfe Bond, Saatchi & Saatchi were relocated next door and a series of workshops were held by the architects to ascertain the tenants’ specific wants, needs and concerns. The process identified a number of issues. “People were feeling it was a disorganised environment,” says Smart. “There were ‘siloed’ businesses within businesses. There was a lack of transparency and people were feeling tired.” On top of that, in the 25 years since the last fit-out the advertising industry has undergone enormous change. As recently as 10 years ago, says Smart, television and print advertising dominated a typical campaign. “Nowadays it’s so much more complicated. They have to run social media advertising, internet work – the ads have to move across different forums and have different shelf-lives and different cost structures. It is a much different environment.” Simply put, the new scheme puts accounting services on one floor, creative on the other two, and a ‘war room’ (as Saatchi & Saatchi themselves describe it) on the new mezzanine level. This ‘war room’ provides a place where the creatives can “set up a project and run with a project,” says Smart. It is a place to work out a pitch to client, where they can “work late at night or spread out rolls of paper and work out ideas,” he says. It’s a place for work that doesn’t lend itself to workstations. The main board room was placed near reception, on the ground floor, to lend the public spaces the sense of movement and excitement appropriate to a busy and dynamic advertising agency. As for workstations (which were supplied by Knoll), these have been configured to provide acoustic and visual partitioning for individuals on
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A bold black statement contained within a space that is white on the inside with the exception of the original brick... Guy Allenby
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A slick, strong and accomplished fit-out with starkly monochrome sensibilities... Guy Allenby
Above Workstations are punctuated by meeting and break-out spaces for collaborative work Opposite Above The main workspace Opposite Below
The stairs leading to the mezzanine level
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Student Life
New student accommodation sets the benchmark for quality affordable housing
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words Paul McGillick photography John Gollings architect BVN ARCHITECTURE location MELBourne | VIC PROJECT MONASH UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING
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t’s every project architect’s dream. We met the student in the lift at the new Monash University Student Housing complex and it spilled out that Richard Middleton, who was showing us over the complex, had been one of the designers. “This is so fantastic compared to the old halls of residence,” she gushed. “We’re so happy to be here. It’s like someone actually thought about what a student needs.” In fact, this is precisely one of a number of things which distinguish the project – namely a focus on the quality of experience for the students who occupy the complex. This focus mirrors the university administration’s emphasis on the welfare of the occupants, exemplified by the live-in support staff. Accordingly, the architecture responds to the aim of promoting collegiality amongst the residents and countering any sense of isolation that students living away from home may experience. Perhaps this is nowhere better illustrated than in the range of options offered for eating and mingling. Students have their own in-room kitchen, or they can go to a relatively intimate break-out space with more elaborate cooking facilities, or they can go to the large communal rooms which have their own kitchens – there is a total of 600 rooms broken up into cohorts of 30, each with its own common room located in the central zone of each building to encourage interaction
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and mitigate noise. Add these amenities to a strategy of maximising visual transparency and you get a constant sense of connection to the bigger picture without compromising an individual’s privacy. This all boils down a strategy of communitybuilding which begins with the way the two blocks are cranked into two opposing boomerang shapes generating a garden courtyard which, Middleton observes, is a very social and active space. Breaking up the form of the 150 metre-long buildings and articulating the façades with a zig-zag or faceted use of low-maintenance Spotted Gum screens, glass and slender concrete blades creates the feeling that this is a little village with all the natural rhythm which that implies. The aim was to break things down and generate a lot of movement and activity around the rooms, while protecting the privacy of the ground floor rooms by areas of crushed rock. Cranking the two buildings has the added benefit of optimising access to natural light and views. The outside rooms – facing either the sporting fields or the reserve with its lake on the north-eastern side – have the best views. But, as Middleton points out, even inward facing rooms enjoy the social activity and greenery of the courtyard. The complex is the first university project built under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS). Apart from the requirement that all studio apartments be rented for at least 20% below market
Previous The cranked
buildings and faceted elevations work to animate the courtyard Above Left The interior of the communal room Above The timberscreened communal room
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constant sense of connection... without A compromising an individual’s privacy Paul McGillick
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GROWING VISION Gardens by the Bay in Singapore’s thriving Marina Bay precinct are a vision for the future
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words GIOVANNA DUNMALL photography Craig Sheppard architects WILKINSON EYRE Architects, grant associates location MARINA BAY | SNG PROJECT GARDENS BY THE BAY
he brief for Bay South, the first – and at 54 hectares the largest – of three waterfront gardens built on reclaimed land and destined to transform and develop Singapore’s Marina Bay area, was straightforward but ambitious. “The National Parks Board wanted to create a garden that would become a global tourist attraction, but also one of the major outdoor recreational spaces for Singapore, a park that would be used as often as possible by day and night,” says Andrew Grant, founder and Director of UK landscape architecture firm Grant Associates, who master planned the project. Grant put together an all-British team of architects, landscape architects, and structural and environmental engineers, and won the competition to design the garden back in 2006. When Bay South opened at the end of June this year it featured a winsome combination of lakes, themed gardens, boardwalks, bridges, and hundreds of thousands of plants – a quarter of a million of them rare specimens. But it was the garden’s two cooled biomes and forest of steel man-made trees – known as the ‘supertrees’ – that instantly stole visitors’ hearts and have given the gardens their undeniable wow factor. The two conservatories, which replicate the cooldry climate of the Mediterranean and cool-moist climate found in tropical mountain regions, were designed by London-based architects Wilkinson Eyre, a firm renowned for designing highly engineered and daring but beautiful structures. The effortless swooping elegance of the glasshouses belies the challenges involved in their conception. “It’s very hard to do a cool conservatory in the tropics because glasshouses like to get hot,” says Paul Baker, Director at Wilkinson Eyre. The organic shapes and braced gridshell structures were informed by Singapore’s tropical climate and the debate about light versus heat. To cut out as much heat gain as possible, the conservatories’ glass roofs are double-glazed and have
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Above Aerial view of Gardens by the Bay
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ARTFUL WEAVING A gallery that respects the past and displays an inclusive and optimistic future
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words ANDREA STEVENS photography SIMON DEVITT architects FJMT, ARCHIMEDIA location AUCKLAND | NZ PROJECT AUCKLAND ART GALLERY TOI O TāMAKI
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trip to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki is to travel into the past, present, and future. With 75 per cent more floor area than the original gallery space, the country’s largest art collection and program has expanded dramatically. Figure-eight loops now flow seamlessly through highly decorative Victorian-period galleries, square stately rooms, contemporary white cubes, and the re-discovered Neo-classical Mackelvie Gallery. Spaces throughout the gallery are linked horizontally and vertically, anchored by two new atriums. And the journey continues outside along the park edge with an open amphitheatre, sculpture decks, cafés, and terraces that allow art and people to experience the open air. The depth and breadth of the collection is more than matched by the variety of gallery scales and types. Established on the site in 1888, the Auckland Art Gallery originally fitted into what was the old council chambers adjoining the public library. The French Chateaux-style building and clock tower was a proud Victorian structure which stood sentinel above Queen Street, a gateway to Albert Park and the city’s first university. During the Gallery’s 124 years, council variously extended and adapted the original building – most notably the construction of the Mackelvie Gallery of 1916, and the Edmiston Wing of 1971 when the library relocated across the road. By the early 21st Century, the Gallery’s collection and program had outgrown its home. The Victorian structure also needed to be seismically strengthened, so Director, Chris Saines led a 360-degree review of existing facilities and explored options for its re-development. With the support of Council and private funders, he has been the force behind a full restoration and extension, which has not just brought the Gallery into line with other facilities around
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the world, but has poetically woven Maori, colonial, and post-colonial stories into its fabric. Its inclusive and optimistic vernacular, designed by FJMT and Archimedia, has earned both popular and critical acclaim locally and abroad. Weaving is an apt (if somewhat over-used) local metaphor for two cultures working together, but the idea is evident conceptually and also physically in plan where the historic and new buildings of the gallery literally interlock. Much of this connection and interlocking of old and new occurs behind the Victorian façade where the Edmiston wing was removed, and is experienced by travelling through the various old and new galleries. The greatest display of modern thinking versus Victorian thinking, however, is seen along the Kitchener Street elevation, and nothing can quite prepare you. If approaching from Wellesley Street, you walk past the classically detailed bays of the original art gallery, whose windows are so high you can’t see in. At the end of this wall a public plaza opens up, and set back is a four-storey glass façade sheltered by a
PREVIOUS The Kitchener St elevation shows the contrast between old and new ABOVE Choi Jeong Hwa’s Flower Chandelier in foyer RIGHT Large windows frame views of the streetscape BELOW Section of Gallery by Richard Francis-Jones
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BEACH Raw materiality, aspect, and minimal spaces are key to the success of this
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words STEPHEN CRAFTI photography TREVOR MEIN architect WORKROOM Design location VICTORIA | AUS PROJECT FLINDERS RESIDENCE
BLOCK beach house by Workroom Design indesignlive.com
SYDNEY • BRISBANE • MELBOURNE hello@cafeculture.com.au • cafeculture.com.au
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profiling the life and work of creators around the globe 191 Annica and Marie Eklund 194 Furnid 196 Wang Shu
PORTRAIT: Tobias Regell
Annica and Marie Eklund, directors of Bolon, talk about working creatively with Missoni and Jean Nouvel.
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ISSUES AND IDEAS AROUND DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
ILLUSTRATION ALEX BUCCHERI
201 Beautifully Brutal? 205 Unlocking Human Promise?
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Reputed industRy almanac, the collection by indesign, is going online The Collection Online is a searchable resource for specifiers and an invaluable tool for consumers, edited by Indesign. Conceived for those seeking a comprehensive directory of companies, brands and products commonly used by industry professionals, this is an indespensible go-to source for design. This new era for The Collection puts convenience and excellence at your fingertips. thecollectiononline.com.au
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sustainable practices indesign 209 Orchid Inspirations 212 Alternative Future 214 Substance Beneath the Surface
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One last thing Artist Emily Forgot Exhibition Then X Ten: The Power of the POster Contact HermanMiller.com To her mother she is Emily Alston, to the rest of us: Emily Forgot. A peculiar, adopted name that says something of the whimsy and sense of humour that pervades her broad body of work. Since graduation in 2004 from the UK’s Liverpool School of Art & Design, Emily Forgot has established herself as a prominent young creative whose work bridges graphics, retail display, illustration, visual identity and ceramics. Citing A.M. Cassandre (a 20th Century illustrator who also worked from behind an alias) as a defining influence, her fondness for creative pursuits were grounded in a sense of structure and process throughout her formative years. She describes her early sketches as “Heath Robinson-esque”, concerned mainly with problem solving, visually examining the before and the after. “I had a pre-occupation with beautifying things too... all of this makes me think a career in design was perhaps always an inevitability. I also like how design can be more accessible than fine art.” Most notably exhibited in 2007 at the Fragile show as part of the prestigious Miami Art Basel, Forgot this year contributed to Herman Miller’s Then X Ten: The Power of The Poster exhibition curated by Steve Frykholm. Opening in Melbourne, Australia in August during Saturday in Design, the collection wends its way throughout the Asia-Pacific region presenting contemporary illustrative interpretations of Herman Miller’s famed furniture designs.
Artwork: Emily Forgot Text: Owen Lynch indesignlive.com
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– Innovative Swedish flooring meets legendary Italian fashion, see the collection at Bolon.com
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