Identity | June 2010

The Middle East’s interiors, design & property magazine

identity

Infinite design: compatible aesthetic contrasts Borderless kitchens: the invisible take over 2010 Pritzker Prize: SANNA’s sensual simplicity New world ownership: multiple destination choices

ISSUE eightyone Year seven june 2010 A MOTIVATE PUBLICATION

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Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority

com I 800 TEKA teka

O ve n s

M i crowa ve s

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Co o ke r H o o d s

Teka K端chentechnik, Bin Khedia Center, Al Garhoud, P.O. Box 35142, Dubai UAE. Office Tel.: +9714-2833047, Fax: +9714-2833048. Showroom Tel.:

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INSIDE

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Cover: Cliffhanger.

Photography: Mads Mogensen

SUMAHAN HOTEL

SANAA

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DECA ARCHITECTURE

JUNE 2010

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FEATURES

26 Going for gold

60 Cliffhanger

32 Sheer genius

84 Awesome Ottomans

Winning ways to create beauty from cast-offs, generate power from heart-healthy exercise and reduce the ecological footprint come from innovators from around the world.

The talented dual winners of the 2010 Pritzker Prize for Architecture who comprise SANAA create deceptively simple designs with an ethereal transparency.

Perched atop a rugged cliff on a volcanic Greek island, a holiday home features simple, subtle lines that contrast with the rugged natural environment.

Istanbul’s creatively stylish hotels welcome guests with a blending of Ottoman inspirations and tomorrow’s aesthetics, technology and design.

June 2010

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INSIDE

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DESIGN FORMULA

ISSUE #81 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Obaid Humaid Al Tayer GROUP EDITOR & MANAGING PARTNER

Ian Fairservice BOFFI’S APRILE KITCHEN

GROUP SENIOR EDITOR

Gina Johnson | gina@motivate.ae GROUP EDITOR

Catherine Belbin | catherine@motivate.ae FEATURES EDITOR

Dorothy Waldman | dorothy@motivate.ae

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CHIEF SUB-EDITOR

Iain Smith | iains@motivate.ae

Menu Milanese Kitchens, as seen at Eurocucina 2010 in Milan recently, are breaking out of the box as they become integrated into the family’s main living areas, increasing the importance of design, colour and materials, in addition to their primary function as the home’s culinary epicentre.

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June 2010

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EDITORIAL

Design triumphs

Clockwise from top left: Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa; José Antonio Gandía-Blasco; Giorgio Armani.

PHOTOGRAPHY: VIKRAM GAWDE

The opening of the world’s first Armani Hotel brought a tear or two to the eyes of fashion’s top designer, 75-year-old Giorgio Armani. The designer who brought us the deconstructed jacket and who has dressed some of the most elegant men and women of the past 30 years basked in the limelight as his 160-room luxury hotel was opened in the world’s tallest building, the 882 metre-high Burj Khalifa.

There were no surprises, as the design is Armani through and through – what was impressive was the standard of finishing and workmanship, the perfection and attention to detail that has earned Armani his undisputed place in the design world. The materials and textures used throughout ooze luxury and richness. Even Armani himself quipped that the interiors are even more luxurious than he expected, though some find them a little too understated.

The opening was a proud day for Dubai – the debut of the world’s newest luxury hotel chain is housed in the SOM designed mega tower. Armani hotels in Milan, Morocco and Egypt will follow. Without revealing any design secrets, Armani stated that the Milan hotel will have more of a Milanese flavour.

Meanwhile, The Bonnington hotel in the Jumeirah Lakes Towers district was inaugurated. Revealing interiors by LW Design, well known for their distinctive and refined contemporary style, this was the last project of founder Lars Waldenstrom before his recent retirement.

Without a doubt, architect Wajih Nakkash’s 200-plus square metre stand, was the most impressive at the Dubai Hotel Show 2010. Over the years Nakkash has been concentrating on building a portfolio of outdoor furniture brands that includes Dedon, Gandia Blasco, Royal Botania and Gervasoni. The flamboyant new collection from Fendi Outdoor took pride of place at the show along with his other new brands including John Kelly, Chillsensaciones, De Castelli, Manutti and Ivini.

Among his special guests was the renowned Spanish designer José Antonio Gandia-Blasco, who was also one of the main speakers at the event.

Gandia-Blasco’s family’s company has been setting design standards for some of the most minimalist and ultra cool outdoor furniture and outdoor living concepts for over two decades. He revealed his plans for the exciting new Passion Resort Project. The designer has been associated with numerous cutting edge hip hotel projects including the Adam and Eve in Turkey, the Gansevoort South in Florida and the Farol in Portugal.

Nakkash is planning to open the UAE’s first furniture gallery dedicated exclusively to designer outdoor furniture and accessories later this year.

Congratulations to Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, partners at the Tokyo-based architecture firm SANAA, winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2010 who share their design philosophies with id this month.

Celebrate new additions to the Dubai furnishings and accessories scene with the id team at the Crate and Barrel Design Events, June 8 and 9 at the Mall of the Emirates and Mirdiff City Centre, and discover this season’s bright new trends.

Group Editor Catherine Belbin.

June 2010

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Outdoor style With the lazy, hazy days of summer just a few calendar pages away, the liveliest trends for outdoor living by Crate and Barrel are bright and green.

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identity [interior/design/property]

CRATE AND BARREL TRENDS

Bringing the latest trends for the out-of-doors to the UAE is Crate and Barrel, a newcomer to this area. Their two stores are filled with hot colours such as ultra-sunny yellow, succulent orange and shimmering turquoise which are the epitome of cool this season, while vibrant botanical prints bloom in stylised graphics on everything from textiles to plates. This is not a retro rendition of a 1970’s fad, rather it is definitely a 21st century take on a bright idea, reinterpreted with textural weaves and bold combinations. Regardless of the hue, green is the watchword of the moment with sustainability and recycling at the forefront of everyone’s consciousness.

Their fresh offerings for the new season make it imminently obvious that taking care of the planet can also be stylish. The woods used in the company’s products are all certified sustainable, with the teak, as in the Trovata collection, being supported by The Forest Trust. Other materials are also of the green variety such as the all-weather UV-resistant wicker, which is hand-woven of 100 per cent recyclable and non-toxic resin and the eco-conscious fabrics for umbrellas, cushions and pillow are made at a facility that sends no waste to landfills.

June 2010

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CRATE AND BARREL TRENDS

A path of zippy stripes on umbrellas and cushions that repeat the linear pattern of either real wood or the look of wooden slats – but actually made of an innovative Polystyrene faux wood treated with UV and anti-oxidant protection - on an outdoor dining scheme, is the perfect setting for fun fabrics or sophisticated neutrals that create an ideal platform for accenting with colourful accessories ranging from graphic tableware to Middle Eastern-inspired sheet metal lanterns with a soft, soothing zinc coating.

The end result is a zinging green that will cause the summer to sizzle with lively al fresco excitement.

Furniture and accessories from the Crate and Barrel 2010 Spring Summer collection.

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identity [interior/design/property]

Going for gold The spotlight is on conceptual plans for a Solar City Tower in 2016 Olympic Games host city Rio de Janeiro, Johnny Swing’s innovative Coin Chair and the sustainable credentials of the Melbourne Convention Centre.TEXT: STEVE HILL

SUSTAINABLE OLYMPICS

Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture & Design has unveiled a spectacular concept project to showcase Rio de Janeiro’s sustainability credentials in time for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Solar City Tower, located on Cotonduba Island, would feature a solar power system to generate power during the day, ostensibly for the Olympic village. Any excess power would be used to pump seawater into a storage tank within the tower, which would then be released at night to power turbines and provide power for the city.

On special occasions, what RAFAA describes as a “machine building” could be converted into an urban waterfall, symbolising the force of nature.

An urban plaza located 60 metres above sea level would ensure access to the tower while the plans also make provision for a cafeteria, shop, an observation deck offering panoramic views of the ocean and city plus a retractable bungee jumping platform.

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ECO

Solar City Tower.

March June 2009 2010

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ECO

Clockwise from left: Johnny Swing’s Butterfly Chair from his Coin Furniture series; Ashley Watson’s bag made from recycled materials; Tomate d’Épingles’s earrings made from film negatives.

LOOSE CHANGE

Verrmont-based Johnny Swing “repurposes” everyday items into functional sculpted furniture, such as his unique Butterfly Chair. Forming part of his Coin Furniture series, it features some 1,500 hand-welded half-dollars which are polished to produce a stunning finish that is as stylish as it is comfortable.

Swing, who completed his studies at Skidmore College and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, has also fashioned work from recycled baby food jars and the remnants of Italian leather floor tiles. But it is his furniture that has turned most heads, including a couch fashioned from 7,000 nickels.

Swing’s Coin Chair weighs 26 kilograms and is available from vivre.com, price on request. His work is displayed in the Robert Crowell Museum in Newfane, Vermont, and the Storm King Arts centre in New York.

BAGS OF POTENTIAL

Ashley Watson is a Vancouver-based designer who has been hand-crafting one-of-a-kind leather products using recycled materials since 2005.

She was inspired by the originality of soft and gently worn jackets she purchased from charity shops, and incorporates these features, such as pockets and seams, into her bags and wallets.

Watson, who created her first bag from one of her father’s old leather jackets, holds a degree in Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and also worked in New York before establishing her own company.

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No leather is dyed in the production process, making her bags, wallets, card holders and belts totally unique. Watson’s recycled leather products are now sold in stores across North America and are also available in select outlets in Europe, Asia and Australia.

FILM CLASSICS

Sisters Guylaine and Isabelle Martineau have established Tomate d’Épingles, a Quebec City-based company that produces quirky handmade jewellery and accessories from recycled or repurposed materials.

Particularly eye-catching are their earrings and necklaces featuring vintage recycled film negatives, while they have also used recycled paper to create origami star earrings and taken scraps of leather and turned them into flower-style rings.

The sisters have also created what they term faux heirloom vintage necklaces, featuring a cork-stopped vintage glass vial containing small curios they have collected, including vintage or antique Swiss watch parts and rhinestones salvaged from damaged jewellery.

POWERFUL STATEMENT

Powerkiss Corporation, founded in Finland in 2008 by CEO Maija Itkonen, utilises the principles of electromagnetic induction to create wireless charging solutions for handheld devices.

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Left to right: One of HOK’s Advanced collaboration rooms; the Melbourne Convention Centre.

Users simply place their mobile phone on the top of a furniture surface for it to be recharged, safely and conveniently without the need for cables, wires or adaptors, making the world more user friendly and environmentally sound.

The concept of wireless charging is based on an inductive coupling: whenever two components of wireless charging are next to each other, an energy transfer starts through an invisible electromagnetic field. The components are a Wireless Charging Transmitter, which is installed into the furniture, and a Wireless Charging Receiver, which is plugged into the handheld device.

Powerkiss hopes to develop technology in the near future to also recharge MP3 players and laptops in the same way.

CENTRE OF ATTENTION

The Melbourne Convention Centre has achieved a Six-Star Green Star environmental rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.

It has a long list of sustainable features, including solar hot water systems that can offset more than 40 per cent of general hot water requirements and also provide 100 per cent of public amenity hot water needs.

Energy efficient lighting has daylight and motion detection control features while a black water treatment plant collects building waste water and some storm water to provide treated water for toilet flushing, irrigation and cooling towers.

Displacement ventilation – low level air delivery and high level air exhaust in the plenary hall and foyer areas – provides effective air flow with high indoor air quality at low energy consumption.

And an expansive glass facade allows natural light to flood the foyer and pre-function spaces, reducing the need for artificial light and providing good thermal qualities in the winter months.

Inside, the centre makes use of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) timber, which is environmentally friendly, rather than non-renewable timber, and sustainable furnishings and floor coverings.

DECREASING FOOTPRINT

Architectural company HOK is reducing its environmental footprint by linking 14 of its offices around the world through Advanced Collaboration Rooms (ACRs).

These combine Cisco’s TelePresence high-resolution, interoperable videoconferencing technology with PolyVision’s Thunder Virtual Flipchart

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System, enabling project teams to conduct meetings while designers sketch ideas and collaborate in real time.

The firm’s meeting scheduling process requires users to record potential flights saved through use of the ACRs. And in February this year alone, an estimated 259,276 kilograms of CO2 – or 204 flights – were saved by avoiding travel between HOK offices.

The company is aiming to reduce carbon emissions in its projects and practice by 50 per cent by the end of 2010, and last year it achieved a 27 per cent reduction in carbon emissions within its operations.

“Our use of enhanced virtual technology is a high-impact strategy to help us shrink our carbon footprint,” said Mary Ann Lazarus, HOK’s sustainable design director.

GREEN HOTEL

The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers recently opened with the stated aim of becoming carbon neutral and one of the world’s greenest hotels.

It has a host of sustainable design features, including Denmark’s first groundwater-based cooling and heating system, using water drawn from 100 metres below the hotel, which reduces energy demands by around 90 per cent.

More visible are the building’s solar panels on its exterior and roof which generate significant amounts of power, while the hotel also uses low energy lighting as well as eco-friendly computer and kitchen equipment.

Guests, can play their part in helping power the 366-room hotel. Anyone visiting the gym and using special energy-producing fitness bikes can earn locally produced complimentary meals.

Users are able to monitor how much electricity they are producing via iPhones mounted on the handle bars. Avid fitness fans can also race against the hotel’s solar panel system in a bid to produce the most electricity. ID

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PHOTOGRAPHY: HISAO SUZUKI, COURTESY OF SANAA

Interior of the O-Museum in Nagano, Japan.

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Sheer genius Ryue Nishizawa, one half of Pritzker Prize-winning SANAA architects, discusses the deceptive simplicity of the studio’s acclaimed work. TEXT: ASHLEE BEARD

identity [interior/design/property]

PROFILE

With a product launch in Milan and a major architectural project underway in France, the last thing that Ryue Nishizawa, co-principal of Tokyo-based architectural studio SANAA, needed was to be stuck in Southern Sweden, but as Nishizawa calmly spoke to moderator and architecture and design critic, Mark Isitt, in front of a packed auditorium at this year’s Plåt 10 event in Malmö, the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano wreaked havoc around Europe. The most obvious question was asked; “How does it feel to be this year’s co-recipient of the most prestigious architectural award?” to which the architect jocosely responded, “On the day of the announcement I was in Beirut attending a competition, so I wasn’t really involved. A few of my friends sent emails saying congratulations, so I was happy to receive so many emails from them!” However, the more pressing query was possibly how he would make his escape as flights came to a halt.

Over the past 15 plus years, since Ryue Nishizawa and his business partner Kazuyo Sejima began a collaborative working partnership under the name SANAA, they have created one of the most exciting architectural practices in the world, as the announcement last March that they were the recipients of architecture’s highest accolade, the Pritzker Prize Award, attests.

Standout projects, from their early Ogasawara Museum in Nagano, completed in 1999, to the New Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in Manhattan last year, illustrate a unique architectural approach that catches one’s attention not for its imposing presence, as in the case of former winners Gehry, Koolhaas or Hadid. SANAA’s style is much more understated “We always try to make things simple, we never like to make things complicated.

Maybe this is the Japanese way” says Nishizawa. However, in a time when status architecture has become the ultimate trophy, the architect suggests that their simplistic style is not so sought after, particularly in Europe, or possibly even in the UAE where they have yet to secure a commission. When asked how many competitions the studio wins, it is surprising to hear that SANAA’s success rate is as low as one competition out of around every 30 entries “In Europe competitions are done in a very precise way, but we create very simple drawings that cannot compete against the detailed presentations of European

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PHOTOGRAPHY: CYRILLE THOMAS, COURTESY OF SANAA

PROFILE

architects. They are too simple, too diagramatic and maybe too easy I think,” he surmises. There is a sense of irony to this as the practice’s past misfortune has no doubt been something of an advantage to the architects, who prefer the hands-on, involved approach to each project as an alternative to certain previous winners, whose studios have grown into architectural production lines.

Through the use of concrete, aluminium, steel and glass – the studio’s materials of choice – the architects create ethereal structures that possess a lucid, illusionary quality. Take the glass pavilion created for the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, USA, in 2006, for example. The transparent facade has no bones, just a slim, lightweight structural system to support the roof and within the low-level space, glass walls create invisible partitions, creating a feeling of luminousity that highlights the works on show.

Even larger scale projects, such as the New Museum of Contemporary Art, a shrouded six story stacked gallery complex in Manhattan, seem to posess a stealth-like quality thanks to an expanded aluminium mesh facade that conceals windows, allowing visitors to look out, while passers-by cannot see in (although the effect has been slightly muted by the addition of Ugo Rondinone’s “Hell, Yes!”, a huge rainbow sign that has been affixed to the frontage).

The levels all differ in dimension and are stacked like bento boxes, creating gaps that allow for connection with the outdoors “One of the big issues for us was that the clients had a very small property, yet so many programmes, so we began to study how we could arrange these things. One of the ideas was to stack each congruence, so that each one was shifted to create a gap, to create

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PHOTOGRAPHY: HISAO SUZUKI, COURTESY OF SANAA

PHOTOGRAPHY: HISAO SUZUKI, COURTESY OF SANAA

Clockwise from above: Rendering of the proposed Museé du Louvre-Lens, due for completion in 2012; New York’s New Museum of Contemporary Art; the glass pavilion of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, US.

skylights to bring sunlight into the skyscraper, or sometimes a gap that becomes a terrace so that visitors can go outside of the building to enjoy the New York view,” recalls the architect.

SANAA’s acclaim is built largely on its cultural spaces as its current project, the building of the Musée du Louvre’s Lens outpost, proves. In September 2005 SANAA’s plan was selected out of 120 entries - beating Zaha Hadid and Steven Holl – to transform a twenty-hectare industrial wasteland, into a major cultural centre. Working in collaboration with co-designers American museum architects, Celia Imrey and Tim Culbert and French landscape designer Catherine Mosbach, ground breaking finally began last year on the eagerly awaited project, which is due to be completed in 2012 - the same time as the Louvre Abu Dhabi. “The site is in the middle of the town. It used to be a mining area for coal, so they have so much archaeology from the 19th century, such as transportation routes, so we thought it would be nice to preserve this, together with the existing landscape,” explains Nishizawa. “The plot is quite big, like 40,000 square metres or something, so we broke the plot into several pieces to have a smaller scale volume to avoid disturbing the beautiful landscape. The idea was to regiment each unit to position it to define the natural flow of the topography of the area. They look like a group of boats floating in the river.”

A cluster of low level steel and metal units with shiny, curved aluminium facades reflect a distorted image of Mosbach’s verdant landscaped surroundings, much like SANAA’s cloud-like temporary structure created for London’s Serpentine Gallery in 2007. The centre pavilion is a large transparent glass

PROFILE

PHOTOGRAPHY: TAKASHI OKAMOTO, COURTESY OF SANAA

Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA, recipients of the 2010 Pritzker Prize for architecture.

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“We have been exploring how we can make architecture feel open.” identity [interior/design/property]

Clockwise from above: Zollverein School of Management and Design in Essen, Germany; Teshima Museum, a new addition to the Benesse Art Site Naoshima; Vitra’s Flower bench.

volume, while the second main space, the ‘Galerie du Temps’, is opaque on the outside. The design is reported to be reminiscent of two outstretched wings, inspired by its stately Parisian headquarters, but the resemblence stops there.

While both Lens and Abu Dhabi will run under the auspice of the Musée du Louvre, the new Northern French annex will be an actual extension of the illustrious Paris institution, unlike the Abu Dhabi location, which is the result of a deal between the French and Emirates government that will enable the Middle Eastern museum to loan artworks from the Louvre over a 15 year period, enabling it to build up its own collection.

Up until now SANAA Architects has remained small in scale, allowing both Nishizawa and Sejima to pursue separate projects through their own studios, which are all housed together. While SANAA employs around 30 architects, Ryue Nishizawa’s studio employs around 10 and Kazuyo Sejima around five.

As Sejima’s staff currently prepare for this year’s Venice Biennale of which she is the director, Nishizawa’s studio is working closer to home on the island of Teshima to create an addition to the acclaimed Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation, founded by the late publishing tycoon, Tetsuhiko Fukutake. In 2006 SANAA completed the Marine Station Naoshima connecting the island to Takamatsu and Uno via ferry and Nishizawa also designed the Honmura Lounge as part of the famed Benesse Art Site Naoshima. Nishizawa’s latest proposal is the Teshima art museum, a windowless concrete space, created in collaboration with artist Rei Naito. The museum could not be further from the weightless structures with which SANAA have become associated. “It’s very natural, it’s not a square, it’s a more organic shape. One of the concepts was that the space

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PHOTOGRAPHY: VITRA

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF SANAA

PHOTOGRAPHY: TESHIMA ART MUSEUM, COURTESY OF OFFICE RYUE NISHIZAWA

PROFILE

would look like a water drop. This kind of shape fits very well with the organic nature of the topography,” he explains. Instead of using a steel supporting structure, or even a plywood frame, typically used when casting concrete, the 2,000 square metre form was created by pouring concrete over a soil mound, which was then dug out, creating a hollow. “Inside the building you can see the edge of the floor, the wall and the ceiling all go together, so there is no definition between the walls and the ceiling. I cut a section from the left to the right so you can see how the curvature changes at each different point.”

Like many architects, for more than ten years Sejima and Nishizawa have created furniture and accessories that complement their spaces, from tea and coffee sets for Alessi, to their latest design, Flower, a bench produced by Vitra, which was launched at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair. The clover shaped design coincides with the completion of a far grander project for the Swiss furniture company, the near completion of a new factory building within the firm’s campus. Vitra’s chairman, Rolf Fehlbaum has always had an eye for architectural talent spotting. In 1986 he commissioned Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza to design one of the factory’s production buildings six years prior to winning the Pritzker Prize and fellow recipient Zaha Hadid’s breakthrough came in 1993 with her premier completed project, the Vitra fire station. Maybe the project was an omen? It’s hard to say, but as Nishizawa explains, it seems like SANAA were the only ones who were unaware of the anticipated announcement “I was not so sure that we would win, but whenever I was in the United States with clients, they would often say to us ‘Next year must be your turn’.” How right they were. ID

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KITCHENS | DESIGN FORMULA

Menu Milanese The very best of the kitchen world converged on Milan for Eurocucina 2010. identity spent time in the city of style to track down the hottest trends shaping contemporary interiors. TEXT: RUBY ROGERS

DESIGN FORMULA

Create a customised kitchen solution with this modular InDada kitchen from Dada.

CONTENTS: 48 Come together 50 Material world 52 Heart of glass 53 Savvy storage 54 Home entertainment 54 Hide away 54 Can you handle it?

57 Fashion focus

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DESIGN FORMULA | KITCHENS

Ernestomeda has collaborated with French designer Marc Sadler to create the Carré fitted kitchen.

With the average homeowner spending more time entertaining at home, stamping one’s individuality on a space has never been more important. Colour is the ultimate mode of expression and while white is always popular, sales of on-trend coloured kitchens have soared.

Lucente by Record Cucine is a new design that lends itself well to this trend.

Produced in bold glossy violet, it boasts equally slick features such as a LED TV built into the wall unit door, an extractor hood with matching coloured glass panels and wall units with Blum overhead opening doors.

Quick to cash in on colour is Italian manufacturer Zucchetti, which presented new and exclusive finishes for its kitchen mixers. White lacquer was predictably included in its line-up of new launches in Milan, but a departure from the norm included spicy madras red and calming sky blue to strike a playful vibe.

Leading appliance manufacturers are equally keen to exploit the success of colour, used to make a space come alive and therefore add new value to it. Hot on the trail of the latest colour trends is Whirpool who has recently unveiled its Glamour collection of refrigerators, ovens and hobs in a palette of explosive hues – yellow saffron, lime sorbet, parsley green, orange, pink watermelon and blue sugar candy – designed to transform the kitchen into a “lively, cheerful and positive experience.”

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For homeowners who shy away from bright colours, Whirlpool has recognised the trend towards metallics with the inclusion of stunning satin anthracite and satin bronze. “Chrome has been the metallic of choice in kitchen trends for years but finally there is a shift towards warmer metals,” says trend forecaster Victoria Redshaw of Scarlet Opus. “While the world of fashion has been embracing all things gold, this has largely been ignored by the kitchen sector. But now that the fashion industry is moving in the direction of bronze and coppers it seems that kitchen companies are prepared to follow suit.

“The introduction of bronze and coppers [and even rose gold] into kitchens creates a highly sophisticated styling that is luxurious and glamorous. These metals work well with amethyst tones, rich purples, slate grey and black-on-black to create dark alluring kitchen schemes that perfectly suit the developing trend for dark wood finishes and cooking/dining experiences with an added sense of drama.”

Contrary to its adventurous use of colour, Whirlpool has adopted a “less is more” approach to aesthetics. Designs have been pared down to the bare essentials and consequently clear, pure lines are among the leading looks.

“Nothing juts out; no superfluous shapes can be found,” says Whirlpool of its chosen aesthetic. “This gives the impression of extreme simplicity although in

Architect and designer Hadi Teherani has teamed up with Poggenpohl to produce its +Artesio kitchen.

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KITCHENS | DESIGN FORMULA

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DESIGN FORMULA | KITCHENS

Clockwise from top left: Express yourself with Record Cucine’s Lucente kitchen in bold violet; Zucchetti launches its kitchen mixers in new finishes including Madras Red; the trend for florals continues with Lineaquattro’s Opal Pura kitchen.

actual fact every element and detail serves multiple visual and functional purposes.”

Pattern is another way to express personal style and has been made available by a number of leading kitchen manufacturers. Check out Opal Pura by Lineaquattro, available with the option of a bold floral design, or the Q2 System

by Pedini, which comes with decorated lacquered glass doors on request.

“Of course you need to select wisely and choose a pattern or colour that you love and will enjoy living with for years to come,” Redshaw advises. “But by adding a bold splash of colour or a more subtle pattern you can express your personality and add real character to your kitchen.”

COME TOGETHER

The well-defined line that once separated the kitchen and living room has all but disappeared along with the conventions that dictated their layout and design.

The kitchen has been transformed from a solely functional space into the hub of the home and the industry has responded with a host of exciting solutions.

Architect and designer Hadi Teherani believes that the trend towards “individualised living” – freedom from fixed structures and specific functions

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– is set to continue. “Whether sleeping, working, cooking, receiving guests, exercising or taking a shower, the focus will remain on a home liberated from all constraints,” he explains. “The more this flexibility is made available through easy-to-change furniture systems the less it will be necessary to define subliminal functional boundaries through architectural means.”

Iran-born Teherani, who is known for seeking out the best possible practical solution while staying true to his ambition to turn sensible architecture into a sensuous experience, has recently teamed up with Poggenpohl to produce +Artesio, his debut design for the kitchen. Together they wanted to liberate the kitchen from its traditional, spatial barriers and integrate it into the overall structure of the home.

“Right from the very beginning our vision was not only to create a kitchen, but an all-embracing spatial concept that no longer draws a line between cooking and living,” Poggenphol managing director Elmar Duffner says. “When searching for a designer it seemed obvious to go one step further and find someone who thinks in terms of rooms rather than just furniture design.”

The designer’s concept embraces every aspect of the space including the floor, walls and ceiling. This is primarily achieved thanks to a “function

DESIGN FORMULA | KITCHENS

Top to bottom: Antonio Citterio’s new Spatia kitchen for ArcLinea; Siemens coffee machine.

arch” that integrates all the elements necessary for lighting, ventilation and sound. Other defining features include horizontal wall and base units based on a newly developed type of carcass where the front and side sections are identical. A dining table and matching chairs have also been added to the collection, another nod to his ambition to create a kitchen where cooking and eating blend seamlessly.

“For me, the kitchen is a living space within the home environment – not a workshop, not a laboratory and certainly not an ancillary room,” Teherani says of his design. “This kitchen creates an exciting living space where boundaries can be defined by the individual.”

Italian heavyweight Dada agrees that the modern home has become more flexible with the rise of multipurpose living areas that must constantly adjust to changing needs. Its solution is InDada, an innovative kitchen concept that not only responds to this changing contemporary domestic landscape but also recognises the growing trend for unstructured kitchens, targeting a younger clientele who enjoy a dynamic lifestyle.

‘Unstructured’ refers to modular units that can be assembled to create a customised kitchen solution. To this end InDada comprises a large, laminated washing-cooking-storage unit

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featuring a built-in sink, hob and storage options (including extractable drawers and hanging cabinets), a tall unit designed to house built-in appliances and a wallmounted storage module available in a choice of three widths. A large island unit featuring the same fixtures and fittings as the washing-cooking-storage unit is also included, enabling customers to create a customised kitchen.

MATERIAL WORLD

With consumers hot on the trail of products that merge good design with high performance, manufacturers have risen to the challenge by turning to science.

“With potentially limitless applications, science allows materials to be engineered to obtain exceptional performance in quality and aesthetics.

Innovative materials become the crux of the products’ design and lifecycle, helping to improve its value,” Whirlpool says.

Its latest creation is iXelium, a range of stainless-steel hobs that use nanotechnology to preserve the quality and natural shine of the metal over time. Described as “anti-ageing”, iXelium prevents surface stains and yellowing as well as reduces the sign of scratches, corrosion and marks commonly found on older models.

Other innovations shown in Milan include Arrital Cucine’s new Etherna kitchen, which is covered in a thin layer of Ceramic Gres produced using cutting edge technology to make it resistant

Top to bottom: Whirlpool splashes out on colour with its Glamour collection of ovens and hobs; SieMatic’s S2 features a tall multimedia cabinet designed to transform your kitchen into a living space.

to abrasions, stains and sudden changes in temperature. Ceramic Gres is therefore high functioning and performing, satisfying the needs of customers who seek both aesthetic value and practical features in their kitchen.

Concrete has moved into the kitchen and is ideal because it is hard wearing, heat resistant, hygienic and easy to maintain. Austrian company Steininger launched its Concrete Kitchen at Eurocucina, having developed a process that enables the concrete to be made thinner than ever before – just 8 milimetres – without compromising its strength. The procedure, which took more than a year to develop, means that the surface retains the natural look and feel that you would expect of concrete while the interior of the unit is handmade using stainless steel and wood.

The Concrete Kitchen caught the attention because it effortlessly blends nature with man-made components. In particular the inclusion of two built-in herb boxes that establish a connection between the natural solid wood and the practical hard-working concrete is a winner.

HEART OF GLASS

Glass has always played an important part in the kitchen, but more recently it has adopted a starring role thanks to the rise of glass furniture fronts. “Glass is booming, there is no question about it,” says Berthold Müller of Alno. “Basically you can use it almost anywhere from the floor and stairs to furniture fronts.

Today special glass is so robust that its area of use has multiplied.”

Müller believe the success of glass comes down to a universal craving for open spaces defined by freedom and lots of light. “As a building material

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KITCHENS | DESIGN FORMULA

Top to bottom: Steininger’s Concrete Kitchen effortlessly blends elements of nature with man-made components; fashion’s leading man Giorgio Armani has collaborated with Dada to create Checkers.

SAVVY STORAGE

in modern architecture, glass is getting more popular because it gives you this openness in your house without – in the case of large window fronts – technical requirements such as heat insulation being neglected,” he explains.

“In the kitchen, its transparency means it can blend with various styles from the country kitchen to the purist kitchen. Glass fronts generally create a ‘soft’ crossover between the living room and kitchen, between comfort and functionality. Therefore they correspond ideally to the trend of open living concepts.”

Working with appliance brands Schott and Bosch, Alno has recently launched its Alnostar Satina kitchen featuring sanitised matt glass fronts designed for spaces in which living and eating come together. In order to create a soft, flowing transition between the two, Bosch has introduced a solution for its oven doors whereby the glass inserts are only partially sand blasted, which allows a clear view of the displays and the cooking food without spoiling the overall aesthetic of the kitchen.

Alnostar Satina recently went into production and is now offered in white, magnolia and platinum blue as well as the prototype terracotta colour showcased at Eurocucina.

Wall systems found in living rooms where elongated horizontal units are still a popular choice have influenced the current crop of solutions for the kitchen.

Among them is the 36e8 by Lago; a system based on 36.8 centimetre x 36.8 centimetre modules intended to be used like building blocks to create an endless number of combinations according to individual kitchen storage requirements.

The reason for the system, Lago says, is that homes are increasingly versatile and contemporary storage solutions should acknowledge this. Consequently the 36e8 system can be adapted to the needs of the kitchen as well as the living room, more evidence of our ongoing romance with open-plan living.

Working on a similar premise, British born designer Michael Young created Tetrix for Scavolini. “This new project sprang from the desire to create a horizon-free aesthetic, playing with elements on horizontal axes and discovering all the possible layouts,” he explains. Inspired by one of the world’s most famous video games, Tetrix comprises rectangular modules measuring 36 centimetre x 60 centimetre that are combined on a horizontal axes – again according to individual needs – allowing for a creative approach to kitchen design.

The system is defined by freedom of colour as well as composition, with doors designed using sheets of glossy or matt tempered glass, flush-fitted to a panel and available in a palette of bold colours. Fashioned without visible handles to satisfy the latest looks in interior design, the range is completed by tables and chairs specifically designed to match the style of the units.

A final word must go to the trend for combining open and closed kitchen units exemplified by Kalea, the star of Cesar’s Eurocucina proposal for 2010 comprising units with doors of different widths and heights (allowing them to be arranged according to the needs of the homeowner) as well as a set of open units – 12 milimetre thick and in various sizes – designed to fit into base units, larders and wall units. These units are available in wood laminate but also in a range of lacquers to create bold colour contrasts.

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Michael Young’s Tetrix kitchen for Scavolini comprises a series of rectangular modules.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Multimedia technology is now crossing over the breakfast bar into the kitchen where it has become a crucial part of the planning process. According to lifestyle researcher Harry Gatterer, “the traditional family home is going through a transition towards an entertainment centre.”

SieMatic’s S2 has been designed to accommodate this lifestyle trend and features a tall multimedia cabinet designed to integrate all the elements needed to transform your kitchen into a living space. Highlights include a stylish flat screen television-cum-computer that can be pulled out and swivelled for ease of use with storage space behind the screen for an air mouse and keyboard to ensure a clutter-free environment. The cabinet also houses an iPod docking station, great for those who love to listen to music while cooking.

Ulrike Siekmann of SieMatic is keen to stress that the technical advancements of S2 are intended to do one thing – “and one thing only” – to enhance and improve the life of the user. “That is what has always guided us and always will when we develop and improve our kitchens,” he says. “That is also what makes for good design and good design is – as we know – timeless.” The S2 is also on-trend in terms of aesthetics, available in increasingly popular gold-bronze.

HIDE AWAY

Investing in show-stopping appliances does not necessarily mean people want them on display. Sliding and shutter-style doors are two ways in which to keep appliances well hidden where simplicity is the defining characteristic. This trend goes hand-in-hand with the desire for a kitchen-cum-living space whereby homeowners can hideaway kitchen clutter while they entertain or relax.

Antonio Citterio’s new Spatia kitchen for ArcLinea is an excellent example comprising a series of sliding doors that open-up to reveal a laundry-cum-ironing

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zone with space for appliances and storage; a kitchen and washing zone featuring all the usual suspects (hob, sink, storage); plus a tall unit to house a standard sized fridge. When the doors are closed the kitchen disappears from view (along with the washing up) and the space is transformed into a clutter-free oasis.

An alternative solution is from Lineaquattro whose Ambra Arca kitchen includes a contemporary cupboard unit equipped with electronically automated sliding doors that neatly conceal the domestic appliances stored within (refrigerator, slide-in oven and warming drawer). An island unit comprising a cooking zone serviced by a down draught hood, which is also hidden when not in use, completes the project.

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

The inventor of the handleless kitchen, SieMatic, is celebrating 50 years of kitchen innovation. Working according to the design philosophy “something is perfect not because there is nothing to add but because there is nothing more to reduce,” SieMatic has frequently reinvented its handle free kitchen since its inception in the 60s. According to managing partner Ulrich Siekmann, it has reached a degree of visual and ergonomic perfection that stands alone. “Just as the button does not make a coat, the handle does not define the design of a kitchen,” he says.

Appliances are now following in its footsteps, wanting to achieve the same must-have minimalist look together with practical benefits, making the user’s life easier. Take a busy chef who wants to check on dinner in the oven but has his hands full. With Baumatic’s new handleless touch opening oven from its minimalist Studio Solari collection this becomes an effortless task.

The growing trend for appliances with soft-close doors also takes its cue from kitchen furniture. AEG-Electrolux has introduced Velvet Closing, designed to remove the slam-bang noise normally associated with oven doors and replace

KITCHENS | DESIGN FORMULA

Kitchen by Varenna-Poliform available at Obegi.

June 2010

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KITCHENS | DESIGN FORMULA

Clockwise from left: Arrital Cucine’s new Etherna kitchen is covered in a thin layer of Ceramic Gres; Scavolini’s Attitude kitchen; Karbon by Kohler; Lago’s 36e8 system is based on 36.8 x 36.8 centimetre modules intended to create an endless number of kitchen combinations.

it with a system that uses a hydraulic damper to close the door silently and gently. AEG argues that the innovation not only aligns its products with the rest of the kitchen furniture but also communicates a feeling of “high quality” and “robustness” to consumers.

When kitchen handles come into play they are usually pared down to an absolute minimum. German manufacturer Schüller has recently received a honourable mention from red dot for its NX830, a hidden recessed grip that creates the look of a sleek handleless kitchen. Italian manufacturer Ernestomeda has collaborated with French designer Marc Sadler to create the Carré fitted kitchen defined by a “non-handle handle” whereby the conventional fixture has been transformed into a convenient recess in the door.

“A lot of people say they detest the rigid structure of the many minimalist kitchens on the market,” Sadler says of his design. “And everyone agrees that the kitchen is also the room that best reflects the taste of the people who live in the home, who personalise it with their favourite symbols, family heirlooms or holiday souvenirs. This is the starting-point for Carré: if I had to choose just one word to describe it, that word would be ‘multifaceted’ reflecting its ability to be all things to all persons.”

Final mentions must go to Record Cucine whose Miami kitchen features a bright white door with a recessed handle that can be lacquered in various colours upon request or the Cube collection by Bravo Cucine comprising a matt white lacquered island unit featuring a recessed ‘line’ handle that draws a continuous line along its length.

FASHION FOCUS

Fashion’s leading man Giorgio Armani has once again collaborated with Dada, this time to create Checkers, which recently debuted at Eurocucina in Milan.

“Checkers interprets the home workspace through a sensorial approach that develops from a refined and exclusive research of materials, finishes and colours,” Dada says. “At the same time, from a formal viewpoint, the project is based on an extremely simple, sober and linear language that completely reflects the expressive elements that distinguish the work of Giorgio Armani.”

Designed for large spaces and available in a wide range of materials, finishes and colours that allow customers to personalise components, standout features include a workbench with a stunning black granite counter and wall units in back-painted glass with a chessboard design. These are equipped with an innovative system of LED lights arranged horizontally along the wooden crosspieces that divide the doors, illuminating the workspace but also allowing for atmospheric lighting.

Fashion is the focus for Stefano Spessotto and Lorella Agnoletto’s Attitude kitchen for Scavolini. “The first step was to ask ourselves exactly what values, sensations and emotions we wanted to transmit and if, in order to do so, we needed to explore new aesthetic languages. The answer came from the fashion industry… hence we have the exclusive design handles inspired by the accessories from the female wardrobe,” the design duo explain.

The doors are the true protagonists of Attitùde, available in wood, lacquer, laminate and glass, each with its own personality. Lacquers are available in a range of glossy and matt colours including new Alaska blue; laminates come in a fabric-effect finish, another nod to the fashion industry; and glass is proposed in matt black, featuring a contrast metallic silk-screen print. ID

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Design sources alno.de arclinea.it armanidada.com; tel: (04) 3344478 arritalcucine.com baumatic.com; tel: (04) 3357433 bosch.com; tel: (04) 8030400 bravobravo.it cesar.it dadaweb.it electrolux.com; tel: (04) 3309295 ernestomeda.com; tel: (04) 3488140 cosmit.it lago.it lineaquattro.com palmongroup.com; tel: (04) 8817000 pedini.it poggenpohl.com; tel: (04) 2831331 poliform.it; tel: (04) 394 8161 purity.ae; tel: (04) 3349943 recordcucine.com scarletopus.com scavolini.com; tel: (04) 2691003 schueller.de schott.com; tel: (04) 8872571 siematic.com; tel: (04) 8864202 steininger-designers.at teka.com; tel: (04) 2833047 whirlpool.com; tel: (04) 3376600 zucchettidesign.it

Aprile kitchen from Boffi available at Purity.

Cliffhanger Holiday home on the Greek island of Antipรกros has been designed to sit gracefully and respectfully in the rugged volcanic landscape, sheltered from the offshore breezes but still offering magnificent views of the Agean Sea. TEXT: LENA SEMANN PHOTOGRAPHY: MADS MOGENSEN

Deca Architecure opted for style and subtlety when designing this Greek holiday home.

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DESIGN@LARGE

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Clockwise from top left: Outdoor BBQ area covered by a wooden screen. The high wall has been designed to stop the wind, while on the side looking to the horizon and the sea the wall has been kept low to preserve the view of the sunset; part of the outdoor living area; part of the house with white walls and shutters surrounded by the Mediterranean garden.

Dramatic cliff top sites often encourage dramatic design statements, but Deca Architecture has taken an extremely subtle approach to a holiday home on the Greek island of AntipĂĄros. This popular tourist destination, set in the heart of the Cyclades Islands cluster and just a 35-minute flight from Athens, boasts a raw, natural beauty inextricably linked with its volcanic origins. Deca Architecture has carefully and respectfully appreciated these factors in conjuring up a stylish property that instantly commands attention in this rugged landscape.

It is set on a steep slope which provides unrivalled and unbroken views of the shimmering Aegean Sea but which is simultaneously exposed to the elements.

The first challenge for Deca was to create a buffer from the formidable offshore winds for the external living areas. And the second was to immerse the house itself in the landscape, ensuring an arresting presence but without diminishing any of the impact of the proposed structure itself. The decision was

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taken to build a stone wall that responds organically to the slope with constant variations in height and inclination.

On the front edge, the infinity-style swimming pool appears to hang on the slope, complemented by a sequence of exterior living areas that enhance the landscapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural qualities and create a relaxed feeling.

The outdoor barbecue area is covered by a wooden screen, providing much-needed shade for cooks and diners, while the walls here have been specifically designed to hold back the wind but still retain side views of the horizon, ensuring that sunsets can be fully appreciated in all their glory.

Sunbathers have been provided with their own cushion-lined rooftop area, and the white exterior walls and shutters as well as a low-maintenance Mediterranean garden further underline a design commitment to simple, uncluttered lines.

DESIGN@LARGE

Simple, uncluttered lines accentuate the magnificent views.

Outside seating area.

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DESIGN@LARGE

Clockwise from top: In the living area, the red sofa is by Piero Lissoni, two mirrors by Philippe Starck, table by Isamu Noguchi; black Trois Bras lamp by Serge Mouille; the kitchen and dining area. Kitchen block by Boffi, red rubber chairs by Komplot design for Kallemo. Background painting by Anna Malagrida.

The interiors of the home, an Antipáros Design properties Project, developed

by Oliaros, also maintain harmony with the raw, delicate landscape.

Natural materials and colours are strongly favoured throughout with the owners making a determined effort to avoid anything that might remotely resemble the feeling of a beach house.

It has been furnished sparingly with strong yet simple design pieces that further enhance and underline the property’s striking ambience.

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The living area, for example, boasts two unusually shaped Philippe Starck mirrors, a red sofa by Piero Lissoni and an Isamu Noguchi table. A dramatic square window, which sits at floor level, ensures the owners and visitors can sit in comfort, staring out to sea and enjoying the brilliant light of the Cyclades.

At night, a black Trois Bras lamp by Serge Mouille provides plenty of light for reading. The Boffi kitchen, meanwhile, is also open and light filled, with an Anna Malagrida painting, and red rubber chairs by Komplot design bringing important added points of visual interest.

Other highlights include a Bambu dining table by Artek Studio and a white Pipistrella lamp by Gae Aulenti.

Deca, an Athens-based creative platform of international architects established four years ago, has compiled an interesting portfolio that includes two hotels, a park and a housing development. And its Antipáros home further enhances its growing reputation for bespoke design. ID

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CONTENTS: 68 Paint the town red 72 Paid vacations 78 Antennae 80 Portfolio

June 2010

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Entrance hall in the ground floor apartment.

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INTERNATIONAL | idProperty

Paint the town red Overcoming some wide-ranging opposition, designer Carolyn Trevor has injected colour into a couple of London flats, a small victory against a prevailing public preference for neutral decor.

TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

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Clockwise from above: Penthouse lounge; stairwell and skylight; ground floor apartment entrance hall.

Why do so many people fear colour these days? The Georgians didn’t have a problem with it, they had loads of colour within their beautifully proportioned houses and their large windows allowed plenty of light into rooms, which meant hues could be seen at their brightest. Red was their preference for dining rooms – the colour of their dietary staples, port and beef, if Dickens is to be believed. But today, we are told, the dining room is “dead” and when it comes to designing interiors many people wish that was true for the colour red and other bright shades.

Many contemporary designers and their clients are in the better-redwas-dead camp. They prefer to decorate a home in neutrals, sometimes emphasising texture rather than colour because it is a more subtle decorative option, less likely to offend sensitive eyes. Many estate agents have no qualms in bringing design down to a lower common denominator, believing homes ought to be decorated according to the so-called “BMW mantra” of beige, magnolia and white. The seriously reductive among them want magnolia dumped, because it “looks cheap”. To be fair, some beautiful, Zen-like homes have been created by minimalists using bucket-loads of white and this trend has caught the imagination of many people.

Of the bright colours, red rouses the greatest hostility. Those designers who do like it sometimes struggle to find a client who feels the same way, possibly because this colour can have a strong negative impact on people psychologically.

Studies show that red and other colours from that part of the spectrum, including brown, orange and pink, are people’s least favourite and red can provoke a strong physiological reaction – when a person sees this colour their heart rate increases. It is associated with anger and danger. Drivers are more likely to want to overtake a red car than any other coloured car. The Liverpool

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Football Club manager Bill Shankly had his team play in an all-red kit from 1964 because he felt it made them look bigger and more imposing.

Bearing all that in mind, it is no wonder interior designer Carolyn Trevor found herself having to fight hard to persuade one of her clients to accept floor-to-ceiling-length scarlet curtains for an entrance hall at his central London apartment. But persuade him she did and she also managed to get more red and other bright hues into this Belgravia residence. Ironically, Trevor doesn’t have much red in her own home, preferring blue, which fills people with a sense of calmness and serenity. As a side-point, wealthy Georgians may have been less gluttoness and prone to gout if they had decorated their dining rooms in blue, because psychologists have found that this colour suppresses appetite.

Back to the present day, reds, browns and bronzes appear throughout the Trevor-designed ground and lower ground floor duplex conversion, giving warmth to this family home. To distance herself from today’s fashionable fear of bright colours, she declares: “I am not afraid of colour. I would use more colour if given a free reign, but many clients take a lot of persuading, such as with the red curtains in the Belgravia flat. I like monochromes with some bright colours, but not so that they are splashed all over the walls.”

There is a bright yellow bedspread in the youngest daughter’s bedroom at the duplex and there is a bright red headboard, lamps and accessories in the other daughter’s bedroom. The expansive lounge has bright red chairs at one end while bronze cushions and lampshades complement blue curtains at the

INTERNATIONAL | idProperty

Clockwise from top left: Lounge of the ground floor apartment; penthouse, with lounge in the background, glazed stairwell and skylight in foreground, as seen from the dining room/kitchen; daughter’s bedroom in ground floor apartment.

other end. The lounge’s brown carpet and grey upholstered sofas hold the colour scheme together but the walls are mainly white throughout, so colour combinations are not overpowering.

One set of walls that are not white are those in the master bedroom downstairs. Here they are brown. These combine with the dark brown bed, and grey carpet and bedspread to make for a warm, calm environment. The glossiness of the silk carpet complements the matt walls, one of several similar textural combinations in the apartment. Unusually, part of the wall in the neighbouring ensuite bathroom slides open, so that natural light coming into the bedroom through large windows can filter across.

Deep in the heart of London’s diplomatic quarter, the apartment is in a former embassy residence – a five-storey, white stucco Regency block that houses several other embassies. National flags adorn many buildings in the area, their bright patterns bringing their own bit of colour to this part of the city.

Upstairs from the apartment is the multi-million dirham penthouse duplex designed by Trevor. The penthouse’s two floors have distinct roles. The open plan top floor is designed for entertaining, and has a lounge and kitchen/dining room either side of an entrance hall and stairwell, with noise from the kitchen/ dining area kept out of the lounge by closing glazed, sliding doors. Daylight filters down through a large skylight above the stairwell into the apartment and more light enters the lounge through French doors that open out onto one of the apartment’s two terraces. The second terrace is on the roof above, from where

expansive views can be enjoyed that take in landmarks like The London Eye and the Swiss Re Tower, more popularly known as “The Gherkin”.

The penthouse’s lower floor has a more private feel, symbolised by secret doors leading to a bathroom and wardrobe in one of its three bedrooms. This floor has its own entrance, so occupants can come and go without having to pass through the reception rooms upstairs.

Colour usage also helps differentiate the two floors. The top floor is predominantly grey, white and brown with a couple of pieces of red furniture.

Its stained oak floor, dark enough to look like wenge, is complemented by a grey silk carpet in the lounge. Downstairs the walls are predominantly brown and floors mainly grey. Textural features focus on glossy, smooth elements, like the grey silk carpets and gold and silver-coloured cushions, complementing coarse, matt, beige seagrass wallpaper. This apartment was styled for a bachelor.

“The penthouse is designed for a man about town,” Trevor says. “It’s very slick, very James Bondish.”

Both apartments are filled with bespoke furnishings created by the designer’s company or by specifically hired crafts people, such as chairs, tables, light fittings and kitchen work surfaces.

“I prefer bespoke, because as soon as you put in something ready-made it devalues the interior design immediately,” says the designer who finds much of her inspiration in hand-crafted objects made by others.

Trevor takes an architectural approach to interior design, because it is more holistic than simply focusing on decoration. “It is essential that functional requirements are recognised and integrated fully within the aesthetic,” she says.

The designer may find it easy to convince clients to think about the structure of their home and not just its decorative elements, but she is likely to continue to encounter resistance to using bright colours during this neutrals-obsessed, late-New Elizabethan age. It is like showing a red rag to a bull. ID

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Paid vacations

Holiday homes are available, provided you are happy to share them with others, and the ways and means of doing so are widening. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

K Club, Ireland.

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INTERNATIONAL | idProperty

June 2010

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idProperty | INTERNATIONAL

Feeling more optimistic following the recent economic maelstrom, and still dreaming of having your own holiday home? Well, you can rest assured; the world’s property developers are becoming more innovative. To boost sluggish sales, some developers are offering alternatives to conventional property ownership that make holiday homes less expensive to buy.

That’s the good news. Now here’s the bad – these alternatives take a bit of understanding and can be less reliable investments than conventional property ownership. However, if you are looking for an affordable holiday home or even a bolthole in a place where you often do business, and are not too bothered about the long-term fiscal consequences, then read on.

Condo-hotels, timeshare, leaseback, fractional ownership and destination club membership are five alternatives to conventional residential property ownership.

Furnished and maintained by management companies, they are mostly found at purpose-built resort communities and city centres.

Destination clubs have a portfolio of properties in various locations for members to use and jointly own, with beachside villas, ski chalets and city apartments generally available. They are flourishing in the United States, where they were invented, but are struggling to take hold in Europe because high annual service charges put off potential members.

The newest destination club, London-based Safe Haven, hopes to get around the service charge problem by not having it. Rather ingeniously, the cost of maintaining its portfolio of holiday homes is paid for by investment in high yielding rental properties. Most of the club’s holiday homes are in Europe, with some others in New York, Kenya, Morocco, the Caribbean and Thailand. For a minimum Dhs295,000 investment, a member enjoys at least a couple of weeks in a city centre apartment or a week in a large, seaside villa or ski chalet each year.

If you’re happy to settle for something smaller than a villa or apartment, then a hotel room could be the answer. Guest rooms can be purchased at condohotels, which are also sometimes known as apart-hotels. A guest room or suite owned by an investor is let out to visitors, and cleaned and maintained by the hotel company in the same way as a guest room at a conventional hotel. This option produces an income, because it is let to other visitors, with proceeds shared between investor and condo-hotel operator. In some cases, rental

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Clockwise from above: Banyan Tree Ungasan Resort, Bali; Palheiro Village, Madeira; Pracondu Il Nendaz, Switzerland ski apartments.

returns are guaranteed for a limited period. Condo-hotels are found in cities and holiday resorts across the world.

Lucy Russell, managing director of buyer agency Quintessentially Estates, says condo-hotel investment is strongest in financial centres like London, Hong Kong and New York, where it appeals to visiting businessmen.

“If you are in a city on a regular basis and you would normally be in a hotel room I think it works out quite well and is financially viable,” she says. “If you are looking at it as a long-term investment, then I am not sure if it is the best route to take. You may be better off buying an individual unit somewhere.”

However, hotel rooms and apartments could be less expensive to buy than a one-bedroom flat, so they attract some investors. “I think also people are much more transient than they used to be,” Russell says, “so things like hotel investments are more popular than they would have been five years ago.”

Buyers ought to take professional advice before investing in condo-hotels advises Charles Weston-Baker, director at estate agency Savills. “The model can be good,” he says, “but like all property it is dependent on location. It needs to be somewhere with high occupancy rates.”

On the popular Philippines holiday island of Boracay, 56 guest apartments are being offered at the Continent Fairways condo-hotel at prices starting from Dhs404,000 and the developer, Paradisya Land, guarantees investors a 14.2 per cent rental return for at least one year. The condo-hotel is being built in the grounds of the Fairways and Bluewater Golf and Country Club, which has an 18-hole golf course for investors and hotel guests to use.

Dating from the 1960s, timeshare is the oldest alternative to conventional property ownership and in these schemes the right to use a holiday home for a specified length of time is offered. Timeshare is not a property purchase and has been abused by fraudsters over the years, but it is very affordable.

DUBAI: Mazaya Centre â&#x20AC;˘ Arabian Center

idProperty | INTERNATIONAL

Clockwise from top left: Pestana Promenade Ocean Hotel resort, Madeira; Continent Fairways, Varacay, Philippines; yooPhuket, Thailand; Regency Country Club, Tenerife, Spain.

On the Atlantic holiday island of Madeira, Pestana Promenade Ocean Hotel has timeshare apartments available, with prices starting at Dhs32,000 for a studio that can be used for one week a year for 15 years. Pestana’s timeshare users can exchange their weeks with it to spend time at other resorts worldwide in a programme run by Group RCI. Fractional ownership is sometimes confused with timeshare, but is quite different. In a fractional ownership scheme, a share of the property is purchased and this entitles the buyer to use it for some of the year. Normally, a fractional property has between four and eight owners, with each owner having an equal share of the property and time that can be spent there.

Russell says fractional options have been popular with buyers during the recession. “People are being more careful with their money,” she says.

“However wealthy you are, in the last year you will have cut back slightly.”

However, the recession killed off some high profile schemes, so buyers need to exercise caution when investing off-plan and Russell says they must ensure a developer can afford to finish a project and that a brand-name hotel group will run its facilities.

Charles Weston-Baker says buyers are better off purchasing a whole property than fractions of it when doing so for investment. “Buyers are paying considerably more for their fractions than the divided price, so owners will make less on capital appreciation, and they can be hard to sell,” he warns.

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In Ireland, 33 fractional homes are on offer at the K Club, which counts golf, archery and fly fishing among its attractions. Prices start at Dhs730,000 for a completed, two-bedroom duplex apartment that buyers can use for at least six weeks each year. Fractional owners can swap their time at this estate with weeks at other resorts around the world in an exchange programme run by Interval International.

Leaseback can sometimes be the best option for buyers with one eye on making a profit. This allows an investor to buy a villa or apartment from a developer and then lease it to the scheme’s management company to rent to visitors in return for a guaranteed rental income. Investors can stay at the property for a few weeks each year or increase their rental return by not using it.

Leaseback originated in France, where a government-backed scheme provides investors with a guaranteed rental return for up to 11 years. Most non-French schemes guarantee rental returns for shorter periods, often only two years.

But leaseback properties with short guaranteed rental periods can be problematic Weston-Baker warns. “Leaseback is often guaranteed for a period, but that level of return is not always realistic after the scheme ends,” he says.

“You need to be sure there is a very professional system driving visitors there.

You also need to be realistic about the split between what the operator and the owner gets. Quality always wins.”

Banyan Tree Holdings has a leaseback scheme for investors in Bali. Investors are guaranteed an eight per cent gross return for two years and can use their property for 21 days each year at the Banyan Tree Ungasan Resort. Prices start at Dhs3.6 million for the 73 villas at this completed project. ID

lagranja design

365 days of ideas and passion Feria Hรกbitat Valencia / Spain Trade Fair for Interiors: furniture / decor / home textiles / lighting the contract sector / nude (young talent) / kitchen R, D & i workshops

idProperty | ANTENNAE

Singapore is booming and hopefully things are not be as bad as they seem in Greece, Spain, Britain, Thailand and the United States. But who cares, June is all about the World Cup and that means South African homes are in vogue. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

BACK TO BLACK

GREAT BRITAIN?

In theory, Greek property prices ought to plummet thanks to austerity measures introduced to erode the country’s debt mountain – higher taxes, lower wages, smaller pensions and fewer jobs mean less money to spend on flats and houses. But this is Greece, so things are not that simple. The Greek government says the “black economy” accounts for one quarter of the nation’s GDP. You can be sure people employed in this sector pay little tax and rarely cut their own wages, so their money could support property prices. Indeed, they may be the only Greeks who can afford to buy. So who are these people that beaver away so productively in the black economy? According to the government, which has included its output in official GDP figures since 2006 to make the nation’s budget deficit seem smaller, they are prostitutes, money launderers and cigarette smugglers. Estate agents won’t care one jot.

So is Britain a safe haven or a banana republic?

Britain’s budget deficit is heading towards a huge 12 per cent, just one percentage point short of the Greek total, and this scares Britain’s bankers, currency traders and tabloid newspaper editors – but has not fazed the Greeks. The number of Greeks buying central London homes has doubled over the past 12 months, estate agency Knight Frank says, with six per cent of buyers of London homes valued at Dhs11 million-plus being Greeks trying to get their money out of their own imploding economy. Germans, Italians and others from the troubled Euro-zone are piling in behind them, while wealthy Chinese families are making their presence felt at London estate agents for the first time. They are buying homes so their children can be educated in British schools and “enjoy a better life”, estate agents reveal. Somebody should tell London’s sterling-bashing currency traders.

VOLCANIC DOWNTURN

That pesky Icelandic volcano, the name of which nobody can pronounce, is not only bad for airlines, travel agents and their customers, but also for estate agents selling European holiday homes and investment properties. ProVenture Property, a company that sources German homes for investors had sales delayed when buyers could not fly over from Britain because of the air flight ban. It expects property viewings by overseas investors to drop by one-third until the volcanic eruptions are safely over. Still, it has found a way around the problem of completing sales, by carrying out formalities at German embassies in investors’ home countries. Other estate agents think sales to overseas buyers could be down by half until everyone is sure they can fly normally. European train passenger numbers are booming, so homes close to train stations may become popular with buyers now.

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LION CITY ROARS

SCORING A HOME

It’s June, it’s the World Cup, it’s the month all eyes (except the eyes of those who hate football) are focused on South Africa. Making the most of this opportunity, estate agents there are urging us to spare a glance for all the juicy properties they have for sale. The boldest among them tell us hosting the World Cup will give a boost to South African property values, partly because of the euphoria surrounding it, but mainly because of new infrastructure, such as better roads, that have been created to make it possible.

The hype probably exceeds the reality, but South Africa does have some lovely homes in stunning locations. Aylesford International is marketing homes on the Erinvale Golf Estate in the Cape village of Somerset West. Prices start from Dhs10.6 million for a four-bedroom home, which has views of the sea, vineyards and mountains. The 150-hectare estate also has an 18-hole golf course.

Singapore’s residential property prices will be 22 per cent higher by the end of 2010, bringing them back to 2008 peak levels, according to pundits. Values were already up 7.4 per cent in the last quarter of 2009 before this year’s surge began. Government attempts to cool the market and a doubling in the number of uncompleted homes offered for sale by developers are doing little to dampen price rises.

Fuelling all this euphoria in the property market is a mind-boggling expansion of the island state’s economy – up 32 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 – its biggest leap since the government started recording quarterly figures 35 years ago.

Few people fear a bubble is forming, because Singapore’s resurgence is supported by rapid growth elsewhere in East Asia. The West must just look on and weep.

SMALL IS SUCCESSFUL THAI-ED MARKET THE SAGE HAS SPOKEN

Thailand’s political turmoil is bad for its property market. Estate agency Savills says its property management arm is receiving requests from residents to beef up security at premises in central Bangkok, where anti-government protesters, the Red Shirts, have fought running battles with the police in recent months. The estate agency says images of political street violence broadcast around the world have put off potential holiday home buyers from overseas from coming to popular resorts like Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui. Savills insists the political situation is better than the media makes out, that violence is localised and it says the market for homes bought by Thais is “performing exceedingly well”. However, it concedes hotel occupancy levels are likely to fall. This means anybody looking to let out their holiday home will find tenants tougher to find. Oh well, at least there will be more room on the beach.

US mortgage company Fannie Mae may want an additional Dhs30.8 billion government loan as its losses grow and home loans continue to go bad, but some powerful figures consider the worst is over for the housing market. The Sage of Omaha, Warren Buffett, the world’s most successful investor, says that “within a year or so, residential housing problems should be largely behind us”. Others feel the same. Hedge fund manager John Paulson says property prices in battered California will begin to rise this year, setting the stage for a wider recovery. Following the Buffet dictum that investors ought to get greedy when others are fearful, the dearth of homebuyers in the market means bargains are available for those who look hard enough.

Property marketers Experience International says homes can be bought for up to 72 per cent below recent selling prices in Florida.

Spain’s big property developers are struggling, with the country’s biggest holiday home developer, Polaris World, narrowly avoiding bankruptcy in the spring while other large developers have already gone bust. However, some smaller developers remain in the game.

In Andalucia, Surmarly Promociones, a developer that specialises in small renovation projects and building individual villas, has completed its conversion of a 19th century “senorial home,” Palacete Thebussem, into four two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom townhouse, in the “oldest town of Europe” Medina Sidonia, near Cadiz. Prices for the apartments start at Dhs1.4 million. Prices started to rise month-onmonth at the start of this year, but the number of sales completed is half what it was at the height of the market in 2007 and purchases made by foreigners are at their lowest levels for a decade.

Deutsche Bank considers a sustained recovery unlikely until 2012 at the earliest.

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Haute spots The optimism created by ecologically-conscious projects continues to light up the region as completions and handovers continue apace. TEXT: LYNN DAVIS

HIGH HOSPITALITY

A new stratum in hospitality has been achieved with the opening of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tallest building. Giorgio Armani himself attended the gala grand opening, which, like his fashion collections, emanated the timeless, refined elegance of the hotel.

Characterised by high technology and furnishings by Armani/Casa the 160-room hotel will be joined by 10 additional Armani hotels and resorts, which are scheduled to open over the next decade.

Armani Hotel Dubai.

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PORTFOLIO | idProperty

Clockwise from above: Al Barari; Mohammed Bin Zaal; Kamelia Zaal.

NURTURING ENVIRONMENT

At the opening of the expansive Mediterranean Garden, the first of six uniquely themed garden venues in the multi-billion-dirham Al Barari residential project, Mohammed bin Zaal, CEO of Al Barari, said: “The gardens that form such an integral part of our development encourage outdoor living and enable Al Barari residents to enjoy unique landscapes within their own residential environment.” With more than 80 per cent of the development reserved for botanical gardens, lakes, waterways and other open spaces, the property, whose name means “the wilderness,” has one of the lowest densities of any development in the region and is the region’s first luxury eco-conscious development designed according to water management and sustainability principles.

More than a business proposition, Al Barari is the passion of the Zaals, an Emirati family that has combined its talents in the creation of the only private, family owned residential development in Dubai. Zaal bin Zaal is the visionary and chairman, his wife Lesley is the interior designer, his son Mohammed is the CEO and his daughter Kamelia is the Landscape Director.

Handovers have begun with a number of families already in residence, while the remaining villas of the 275-strong first phase are on track for a 2010 completion.

we anticipate similar success for these modern spacious apartments when they are available for leasing in mid 2011.”

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ), which is celebrating its 21st anniversary in the region this year, is opening a new office in Abu Dhabi, its third in the region.

The award-winning UK architectural and design practice has been responsible for such projects as Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Bab Al Shams Resort and the Dubai Creek Golf Club.

FRENCH FLAIR

The WA International-designed Sofitel, located at Jumeirah Beach Residences, officially launched recently. With additional properties under construction in Doha, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, the company’s French flair merges with local design elements to create unique, site-specific environments. The Dubai property incorporates important water elements as well as accenting the brilliant stars of the desert night sky.

NEW HOMES

LIFE’S A BEACH

Leading US architects JZMK and AN Design have designed the Saadiyat Beach Apartments to be built near the Cultural District and Saadiyat Beach Marina Village, which is due to open in the latter part of 2012. Lee Tabler, CEO of the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the master developer of cultural, residential and tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi, commented: “Following the success of the sale of phase one of Saadiyat Beach Villas last year,

Handover of the 555 apartments in the MAG 218 residential tower in Dubai Marina has commenced, with more than 70 per cent of the owners moving in themselves. The apartments have appreciated at least 10 per cent a year since the project’s inception in 2006, despite falling prices elsewhere, according to the Dubai-based Moafaq Al Gaddah Group of Companies (the MAG Group), which was established in 1978 and now has 18 offices in eight countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

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idProperty | PORTFOLIO

Clockwise from top: Exterior and interior of Rihan Gardens; Nation Towers; Fabio Angele, owner, with barista at Italian café Brunetti.

STAR-CROSSED

The St Regis Abu Dhabi, the fifth of the Starwood brand’s projects under development in the Middle East (along with Doha, Bahrain, Dubai and Saadiyat Island) will be located on the top of The Corniche Nation Towers, a mixed-use development by the waterfront in downtown Abu Dhabi. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide currently operates more than 45 hotels throughout the Middle East with more than 20 projects in development.

Also scheduled to debut in the UAE capital is another of the Starwood brands. The design-led W Abu Dhabi will be located on the waterfront of Al Bateen Wharf. “Abu Dhabi is an important market for Starwood as we continue a strong growth pace in this booming, vibrant capital of the UAE,” said Roeland Vos, president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East.

ECO-SEEKERS

The first GCC project by Sparch Designs, Rihan Heights, a 250,000 square metre luxury residential development, is on track for completion in the first

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quarter of 2011. Solar gain is reduced in the environmentally friendly design by wrapping the residential towers with horizontal fixed brise soleils, which add shade and provide architectural interest to the facades. Sky garden pods and a serpentine swimming pool add refreshing touches.

SHOPPER’S HAVEN

With between 16,000 and 20,000 new hotel rooms entering the Dubai market by the end of the year, and even more available on line when Abu Dhabi and other emirates are included, the challenge to attract more visitors to the UAE becomes all the more evident. One major draw is the country’s reputation as a retail destination. The UAE is ranked second, behind the UK and ahead of the USA, in the availability of international brands, with London being the first-place city and Dubai ranking next, above Paris and New York, according to CB Richard Ellis’ How Global is the Business of Retail? 2010 report.

Among the new offerings for shoppers and tourists is the renowned Italian café Brunetti, which is considered one of the most popular restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, known for its gelateria, cioccolateria, pasticceria and more, opened in Dubai Mall. ID

Awesome Ottomans With a long history of innovation and a well-deserved pride in its rich history, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Turkish designers have created a new strand of contemporary hotel design. TEXT: DOROTHY WALDMAN

Bosphorus Terrace Suite, Radisson Blu.

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DESIGN@LARGE

From the days of Sinan, a famous Ottoman architect who designed a number of grand buildings 500 years ago, to the award-winning Turkish architects of today, Istanbul has been an eclectic blend of the cutting-edge fused with tradition.

Europe’s first W Hotel, a US import that is part of the Starwood family, is an excellent example of how different centuries and cultures can merge to make a 21st century statement. Originally built in the 1870s as living quarters for officers of the Dolmabahce Palace, the Akaretler Row Houses in the Besiktas section of the city had fallen into disrepair. “We started with trying to figure out how to marry an American with an Ottoman,” says Mahmut Anlar, the hotel’s designer.

“Our expressions were Ottoman and we combined it with the contemporary.”

Keeping only the façade, the inside was recreated into a jewellery box of a bygone era. The black Marmora marble floors of the entrance lead to the reception desk, whose concept was based on the ornate back of a ladies’ silver hand mirror. Crystals backlit with colourful LED lighting reference displays of precious gems at Topkapi Palace, with an emerald-green cut glass tree stretching across the ceiling.

Passing through billowing, transparent silver curtains evokes the sensation of entering an exotic world, a sensation that continues into the corridors of black, back-lit mirrored glass and squared archways illuminated with Ottoman-inspired calligraphy, which is lit in fuchsia LEDs on the way to the 134 guest rooms.

Above an open wooden staircase leading to the restaurant level, the ceiling is a typical Turkish pattern.

Wall panels based on eight traditional patterns, some from the 17th century and some that date back to before the Ottoman Empire, feature on the walls, while other walls feature contemporary, almost abstract versions of the letter “W” – an important symbol in the local culture, in addition to being the name of the hotel. With lighting by Tom Dixon and furniture from Moroso and B & B, as well as custom-designed pieces such as stools where the seats are set like a gem in a ring, the result is most definitely very 21st century.

Across the Bosphorus, on the quieter Asian side of the city, is the Sumahan, a boutique hotel that has successfully managed to combine its historic roots with contemporary aesthetics and, in the process, been named as one of the world’s best hotels by the editors of Luxury Travel Magazine and won the 2010 Reader’s Award by Condé Nast Johansens and the 2009 Istanbul Tourism Award – Creative Project.

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DESIGN@LARGE

Clockwise from above left: Lounge and hamam at the Sumahan hotel; cabanas for individual rooms at the W Hotel.

This spectacular family heirloom has been given new life as a small, 20-room hotel. During the transformation of the mid-19th century structure, which was originally built as a distillery, the Turkish-American architect/owners, Mark and Nedret Butler, mixed different eras and design elements while accentuating the spectacular views of the Bosphorus from every room.

Stone walls from the original structure, which had been in Nedret’s family for generations, provide a sense of history and add texture, while the clear glass elevator and exposed steel structural beams present a contemporary counterpoint, accented by hot red seating from B & B in the street-level lounge/ reading room. The smooth grey Mamara marble in the traditional hamam on a lower level features taps by award-winning industrial designer Ross Lovegrove and relaxing neutrals are injected with cool turquoise in the form of cushions and the custom-designed place settings in the restaurant on the Bosphorous level.

Everything from the handmade ceramic pieces in the restaurant and lobby to the bedside tables with a low rim (because Mark frequently knocked his glasses on the floor during the night) was created with a purpose. Even the shower amenities are in custom-designed packaging printed with a mini English-Turkish dictionary aimed at teaching basic words in a rather non-traditional way.

Near the Bosphorus Bridge linking the continents of Europe and Asia, on the European side, in the trendy Ortaköy section of the city, is the Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel. Though often considered a business hotel, it is located just metres from the some of Istabul’s hottest nightspots, such as Zuma and

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the über chic Angelique, which was recently redesigned by the Wallpaper award-winning duo Seyhan Ozdemir and Sefer Caglar, otherwise known as Autoban, who have gained recognition for creating awareness of great contemporary Turkish design.

Included in their vast portfolio is the design of the Vakko luxury department stores, a brand encompassing fashion, interior design and fine chocolate, further expounding today’s Turkish design ethos – a blend of the contemporary with a sprinkling of Ottoman inspiration. An outstanding example of this style is the Vakko Suite of the hotel, a comfortable, contemporary interpretation of traditional Turkish design. Decorated by interior designer and Ottoman art expert Serdar Gulgun, it features fabrics and designs custom tailored by the renowned Vakko, creating a timeless, yet regal experience.

Interior architect Sinan Kafadar, the designer of the hotel’s interior, injected unexpected dashes of colour, such as the glowing yellow in the entrance, vibrant accents like the lime green chairs and mirrored panels that reflect the honeyed woods on the floors and walls of even the standard rooms, providing a fresh, very contemporary yet elegant aesthetic. Celebrating the local affinity for enjoying the outdoors, the StarBoard Terrace offers waterside dining beneath a flowing white canopy, where the predominate design feature is the ever-changing view of boats and ferries.

Istanbul offers a plethora of choices that reflect and interpret its four millenia of history in a thoroughly modern way. ID

;<J@>E <M<EK ALE< / 0# )'('

Trend-setting design

by

identity

®

Join identity at Crate and Barrel for two festive design events filled with inspiring ideas for adding a fresh dash of excitement to your home. Attend one or both events to increase your chances of winning a Dhs5,000 Crate and Barrel voucher to be awarded each evening.

In addition, every id reader will receive a fabulous design discount to use during the event. For your personal invitation, please go to: winwithmotivate.com/crateandbarrel

Crate and Barrel Mall of the Emirates June 8, 2010 19:00 – 21:00

Crate and Barrel Mirdif City Centre June 9, 2010 19:00 – 21:00

June 2010

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ANTENNAE

Sparch’s spectacular Shanghai International Cruise Terminal, a new cultural complex for the Southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung and Pritzker Prize-winning SANAA’s acclaimed Rolex Learning Centre in Lausanne share the spotlight in this month’s global architectural journey. TEXT: STEVE HILL

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2. KAOHSIUNG 1. ADDIS ABABA

3. LAUSANNE CULTURAL COMPLEX

GREEN FOR GO

The British Council, the UK’s leading institution for cultural relations, has recently moved into new offices in the Ethiopian capital which showcase a commitment to environmental design. The 550 square metre resource centre is naturally ventilated using wind-catchers set into the roof structure and the mass of the building’s envelope, while the way the windows have been positioned in the façade minimises the solar heat gain and the amount of energy required to heat and cool the building. Sun pipes have been installed in the roof, bringing natural light to the heart of the centre and saving the need for electrical lighting for most of the day.

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TIME IS RIGHT

Mecanoo’s Wei-Wu-Ying Centre for the Arts has broken ground in this southern Taiwanese city.

The new cultural complex will be the largest in Asia at 141,000 square metres, housing a 2,000-seat concert hall, 2,250-seat opera house, a playhouse capable of accommodating an audience of 1,250 as well as a recital hall, public library and studios for music and dance.

A huge roof provides shade and protection from Taiwan’s tropical climate and forms an informal public space where city residents can stroll, practise Tai Chi, meditate or relax, while a park features light slopes, valleys and water pools creating intimate public spaces. It is due to open in 2013.

The awarding of the Pritzker Prize to Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, who together founded Tokyo-based architectural company SANAA, has focused even more attention on their most recently completed work, the Dhs364 million Rolex Learning Centre. It houses the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and is essentially one continuous structure spread over a site of 88,000 square metres. The building is rectangular in plan, but appears to be more organic in shape because of the way that its roof and floor undulate gently, always in parallel. The main library contains 500,000 printed works while there is also a 600-seat amphitheatre.

5. LONDON CREATIVE SOLUTION

GOING UNDERGROUND

English architectural company Sparch master-planned the site for Shanghai’s new International Cruise Terminal. The 800 metre riverfront site recently became a new gateway to the city and, when fully complete, will deal with an expected passenger flow of more than 1.5 million people per year. The project covers a total area of 260,000 square metres and features six low-rise buildings with 50 per cent of the development below ground. The focal point is the Shanghai Chandelier and its four architectural ‘eggs’ – each weighing 750 tonnes – while sustainable features include an innovative river water cooling system which, in tandem with photovoltaic membranes on the roof, will reduce energy consumption.

7. SYDNEY 6. QUEBEC

IMAGE COPYRIGHT SYMBOL-RICHARD BARNES/TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART

4. SHANGHAI

Studio Seilern was forced to think in an extremely creative manner when devising the best way to proceed with this mixed use development in fashionable Mayfair. A relatively small street frontage exists with the majority of land situated on an inner site with no natural light at ground or lower levels. The response was to place a garden on the complete first floor and to divide the complex into two volumes, with apartment balconies and windows being covered in vegetation which will eventually cover the glass-fronted apartments. Building work is due to begin in November and be completed in May 2012.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

8. TAMPA

Denton Corker Marshall has won a twostage international competition to design the Broadway Building for the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, which will form the gateway to a revitalised University of Technology Sydney city campus. Enveloping the building are four tilted and skewed plates which form a series of triangular corner openings extending to ground level and marking the building’s entrances. Screens of aluminium sheets are perforated with binary code digits and this shading will help secure a 10-15 per cent operational energy saving. Concealed within are 12 floor levels above ground, with another four levels below, for research laboratories, lecture theatres and offices.

BLANK CANVAS

CASCADING GALLERIES

Due to be completed in the autumn of 2013 is an expansion of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. OMA won an international competition for a new 12,000 square metre structure linked underground with the museum’s three existing buildings. It features a cascade of three stacked galleries of decreasing size, capable of housing contemporary exhibitions (1,500 square metres), the permanent contemporary collection (950 square metres) plus design and Inuit Galleries (550 square metres). The new galleries ascend from a park towards the city, forming a dramatic cantilever towards a 14 metre-high grand hall, welcoming the public into the new building.

San Francisco architect Stanley Saitowitz has designed the new Tampa Museum of Art, which recently opened to critical praise. The 6,100 square metre building features a shimmering pierced aluminium exterior and state-of-the-art gallery spaces with innovative translucent ceilings and polished concrete floors. Seven expansive interior galleries, one exterior sculpture gallery, and educational classrooms equipped with the latest technology offer visitors a wide variety of visual art experiences. The south facade features 1,100 square metres of LED lights, enabling it to become a blank canvas for public art installations by digital light artist Leo Villareal of New York.

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DRESSING UP

Like a little girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twirly dress, the Skirt lamp by Axo is inspired by fashion and the shape of a full skirt. Made of a single layer in a vast selection of colours or with a black net outer skirt, almost like a reverse petticoat, the lamp projects a light on dressing.

Fun, funky and fantastic Everything from African tales, honeybees and even deep-sea fish are among the quirky sources of inspiration for designers to create new products and improve existing models. TEXT: ANNA HANSEN

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FUNKY AND FUN

For something entirely different, Desert River has launched Filini.com, a fresh, funky design web shop offering the GCC cool, contemporary and sometimes rather whacky designs. Whether you pine for the illuminated Konkord stool from the Italian SLIDE Design, eggshell-shaped Blos inflatable seating, a Freek beach carpet or an Edison grand lamp, the growing selection of European and American brands will truly stand out from the design crowd.

FAST FORWARD

The red dot Award for Product Design for 2010 was recently presented to Puma for three of its innovative PowerCat football products: 1.10 football, 1.10 iFG football boot and Italy home shirt for the FIFA games. Springtech foam in the shark-like gills on the side of the boot is engineered to enhance each kick, while the bladed studs ensure maneuverability and smooth ground penetration.

CLEAN AIR

Jean-Marie Massaud has expanded his extensive design portfolio with the addition of the sleek Airwake air purifier for Air Sur. Known for his clean lines and visual weightlessness, he used ash wood casing harvested from sustainably managed forests and finished with soap to avoid chemical varnish. With a depth of only 141 millimetres, it will be available in the UAE at Squisito after its official launch.

ORANGE TEA

Blending the tradition of the French tea salon with todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetics, Salontea mixes its teas with herbs and botanicals to create refreshing brews and then offers them up with a line of contemporary accessories. The vibrant Orange Lacquer Tray is sharply square in the signature colour contrasting with the central graceful silhouette, which lends a zany note to grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cuppa.

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TAKE OFF

Plane, a new bench by Hector Diego for DeLaOliva of Madrid, Spain, is an aeronautical-inspired design that elevates laser cut sheet steel to a more refined level. The soft angular lines curve to create a comfortable timeless elegance while new technology creates strength and durability.

Design agenda Cityscape Saudi Arabia; Jeddah, June 7-9 American Institute of Architects; Miami, June 10-12 Expo World Middle East; Abu Dhabi, June 14-16 Neocon World’s Trade Fair 2010; Chicago, June 14-16 Light & Design Days Conference; Abu Dhabi, June 16-17 Office Furniture Japan 2010; Tokyo, July 7-9 Trendset; Munich, July 10-12 Furnitex 2010; Melbourne, July 15-18 Manchester Furniture Show; Manchester, July 18-21

TIME TO DESIGN

A bookcase by the winners of the 2009 Normann Copenhagen’s new talent design competition, Wai & Lanzavecchia was shown at Salone de Mobile in Milan recently. The bookcase from the Spaziale Series, which also includes a commode and chair, secures books, allowing them to leave their impressions on the colourful skin, creating interplay between the structure and content. And whenever the outer skin warrants freshening or a change, it can be easily washed or replaced. Entries for the 2010 competition must be in by June 16.

LIGHT IN AFRICA

Inspired by the African children’s tale Kirikou and the Sorceress, Karaba for Bernardaud, a large votive candle designed by India Mahdavi is engraved with a relief pattern derived from tribal themes. The candle glowing inside accentuates the translucency of the bisque porcelain.

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Inspirations

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BOOKS FCOURTESY KINOKUNIYA DUBAI MALL. PHOTOGRAPHY: NAVEED AHMED

BOOKS

identity’s reading list this month focuses on good design, which affects all areas of our lives including the stores we shop in, the tools we use, the homes we live in and even the future of our planet.

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INTERIORS NOW!

CLIMATE DESIGN

STORE & RETAIL SPACES

ANGELIKA TASCHEN

PETER BROEGE

RETAIL DESIGN INSTITUTE

DAVID USBORNE

TASCHEN

ORO EDITIONS

MEDIA GROUP INTERNATIONAL

THAMES & HUDSON

DHS163

DHS172

DHS161

DHS98

A collection of intriguing interior designs from around the world, this volume offers a peek into the homes of some of the most renowned names in the industry. This includes the editor’s, Angelika Taschen, whose white Berlin apartment has a dual-personality – half in the original 1865 style, half filled with straight lines and cubic built-ins linked by a black stucco corridor. Proving that size is not a criterion for good design is the 38 square metre flat of two Belgium designers, which utilises every centimetre with multifunctional curved furniture, lighting and a sense of humour. Contrasting the old and the new, and the glossy with the raw, the home of architect Seyhan Ozdemir took inspiration from his native Istanbul, while an architect in Mexico lives in a ferro-cement house shaped like a shark. The Milan apartment of designer Roberto Cavalli, the 26 rooms belonging to architects Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas and a former Berlin air-raid bunker that has been converted into a light-filled home for an art collector are also featured in the book.

Addressing the various aspects of climate change and the depletion of non-renewable resources, a panel of international experts in fields such as architecture, urban planning, hydrology and energy discuss the design issues relating to sustainability.

These involve building design and orientation, transportation, urbanisation, carbon emissions, water and food production, and maintaining delicate eco-systems.

Recognising that many of our current problems are the direct result of actions during the previous century, the panel agrees that a shift towards sustainability is needed to influence the necessary change, hopefully by allowing these challenges to be viewed as opportunities to improve the quality of life. Specific suggestions are given, such as integrating agriculture into urban landscapes, not only for food production but also because such projects make residential areas more pleasant places to live. To implement change, the interests of consumers, policy-makers and the private sector must all be considered.

Among the wide variety of winners of the 2009 Retail Design Institute and VMSD magazine annual awards featured here is Kira Plastinina, an opulent pink store in New York aimed at teenage girls, the brainchild of an innovative Russian socialite, which provokes a completely different atmosphere from the Brown University Bookstore in Providence, Rhode Island, which won for its effective renovation. The 44 retail spaces in this book, all beautifully photographed, span the globe from Jakarta, Indonesia, where Harvey Nichols incorporates local artisanship and motifs, to the Olympic Shop at The Bay, a store-within-a-store in Vancouver, Canada, where a flowing tree made of blue and white stretched fabric was one of seven original organic designs incorporated into this space.

Travellers may recognise World Duty Free at London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, where colour-changing chandeliers and stacked video screens generate buying excitement. The Middle East is also featured, with the pilot Mobility store in Jeddah winning first place in the service retailer sector.

The subtitle of this book: A designer’s book of curious tools, explains the premise behind the beautifully designed objects featured. Dividing tools by their function – hitting, cutting, gripping, holding, rubbing, shielding, moulding, spreading and testing – the author presents colourful illustrations and explanations of everyday as well as specialised objects from across the continents and centuries. The earliest tools, probably rocks, were used for hitting, while the opposite end of the spectrum involves testing, whether it is a plywood apple gauge with holes of various sizes once used by markets to ensure standardisation, or builders’ callipers, which are used to record measurements. Once used to ensure beautiful vegetables, the glass cucumber forcer itself is a long, elegant cylinder, while pharmacists pill moulds address not only how to form the pill, but also how to release them from the form.

Shields take many forms including a leather baseball catcher’s mask and a Chinese bamboo sun hat. ID

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OBJECTIVITY

BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM MAJOR UAE BOOKSTORES

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HANDWO VEN O UTDOOR FURNITURE CREAT ED WITH WEATHER-RESISTANT D EDON FIB ER

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ICON

Meccano TEXT: STEVE HILL

Inspiration takes many shapes and forms, and for Sir Norman Foster and Richard Rogers – two of Britain’s most celebrated architects – hours spent playing as children with sets of Meccano proved crucial in deciding their eventual choice of careers.

Hundreds of engineers and designers around the world also had their imagination fired as youngsters by a toy that Frank Hornby wanted to be educational and representative of “engineering in miniature”. The British inventor was clearly a man of vision because decades later Alex Issigonis used Meccano to help figure out the transmission design of the original Mini.

Hornby’s first construction sets appeared in 1901 under the name Mechanics Made Easy, but six years later the new moniker of Meccano was adopted, drawn from the phrase “make and know”. In the United States, it has been sold for almost 100 years under the Erector Set brand name.

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Hornby’s invention of re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, complete with nuts and bolts, very quickly became hugely successful as children constructed everything from cranes and planes to ocean liners and trains.

Meccano also soon had its own magazine – a cross-marketing device that today is taken for granted in any promotional campaign but which at the time was visionary and innovative.

The parent company went bust in 1964 and fortunes dipped, but Meccano, now fully owned by a French company, is enjoying something of a resurgence. Meccano and Erector sets are now sold in more than 80 countries while new ranges – still designed to Hornby’s original Imperial measurements but now featuring Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies – appeal to modern youngsters while plans were recently announced for the toy to star in an animated Hollywood 3D movie. ID

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