#2
Enhancing the Creative Industry Talents/Firms/Products
about us
youraok
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YOURAOK CREATIVES NETWORK about us
yourPLATFORM An Online networking platform customised in connecting talents, firms, and product suppliers in MENA while giving them the tools to market and improve upon their digital portfolios, sell their design products online, and find new job opportunities.
yourPAGES A quarterly publication that spreads awareness on creatives works found on our online platform, while providing them with enhanced marketing opportunities throughout the region. The publication also showcases the latest products in the region from light fixtures to furniture.
yourPROFESSION Our third division is yourProfession which aids creative professionals in enhancing their creative output by providing them with workshops, forums, competitions, and seminars.
/you can find us at
blog.youraok.net
@youraoknetwork
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Mubarak AlKabeer Street Dirwaza 51 Tower, Kuwait T. (965) 9447.7391 info@youraok.net www.youraok.net
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AOK W.L.L Publishing House info@youraok.net A Customized Design by yourAOK Published in MENA
issue 02
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Fall 2013 youraok team
Managing Director Communications Director Information Director Financial Director
Ruba AlSaleh Alia AlAzzeh Abdulaziz AlKandari Mohammed AlRoumi
Editor- in-Chief
Soha AlSaleh
Content Editor
Sheikha AlSahli
Editorial Support Web Graphics Editor Workshops Curator Lead Developer Quality Control Contributing Writers
Sherihan Hassabo Samer Samhan Mai AlBusairi Mohammed Mughrabi Tariq AlAbdulmohsen Tareq Shuaib
PACE Managing Partner
Jassim AlSaddah
Babnimnim Principle Architect/Owner
Waleed Shaalan
Senior Vice President Business Development URC
Regional Correspondants
Downtown Design Dubai, UAE
Nabat
Amman, Jordan
Al-Riwaq
Manama, Bahrain
Oasis Magazine
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Firms
Pace
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Agi
Kuwait City, Kuwait / Madrid, Spain
109 Architectes Beirut, Lebanon
Mobius Design Studio Dubai, UAE
Babnimnim
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Paperhouses New York, USA
Front Cover Page Courtesy of Bahar Al Bahar Back Cover Page Talent’s Portrait: Hilda Hiary
Products Companies
The String System DeCastelli Emeco Raptor
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contents
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talents
your profession
renovation
sustainability
exhibition
real estate
landscape
product design
urbanism
interior design
research
architecture
sponsored
award
editor
Fall 2013
fall 2013
pages 02
CONTENTS
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GUEST EDITOR Tareq Shuaib
fall in design
precase concrete innovative firm USJ campus the salone satellite senna paperhouses children’s theater & library new sulaibekhat medical center from Kuwait to WAF 2013 class of chairs al-riwaq artspace
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ON research a contemporary ark
the back cover > the front cover >
FEATURED TALENTS /hilda hiary /bahar_b /ahmed al shimmiri /rakanjandali /rawankakish /tariqdesign
DESIGN Products the string system decastelli mastro decastelli celato emeco parrish collection raptor table
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Regolare wall covering system PHOTO COURTESY: DE CASTELLI
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guest editor
vision for the future
vision for the future by Tareq Shuaib, Managing Partner pace
tareq shuaib
guest editor
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on the prospects of a bright future & the exciting challenges ahead Pace has had a defining input on architecture in Kuwait and the region for the past forty five years. Today, we are a multi-disciplinary firm offering a diverse range of professional services guided by qualified expertise in the fields of architecture, engineering, infrastructure and urban planning. Our aim is to offer architectural and engineering solutions that put functionality and the needs of the population at the forefront, whilst still upholding integrity and innovation through design. Quality, reliability, creativity, adaptability, efficiency, professionalism and integrity: together these values explain who Pace is and its professional ethos. From the beginning, Pace was able to establish itself as a frontrunner in the market, spearheading prestigious projects that are now considered landmarks of Kuwait’s architectural landscape. For example, the head office for the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Arab Organisation, headquarter, the Amiri Diwan, and the conference centre at Bayan Palace are just some of our major projects. They are testaments to the company’s accomplishments over the years and the role we have played in shaping Kuwait’s architectural legacy Currently, Pace is dedicated to several projects that serve local growth and international development. The regional expansion has begun, with Pace branches established in KSA, Bahrain, Djibouti, Azerbaijan and Ethiopia. other global projects in many countries such as Yemen are taking shape. Our local work include the expansion of the Adan Hospital, Farwaniyah and Jahra Courts new Complexes and the Jamal Abdulnasser and Jahra Highway projects. These will embed Pace into Kuwait’s future much as it has been through at its history. As we present the new face of Pace to the world, we will continue in the manner that are renowned for; adhering to the values that have brought us to where we are today. These values help us cement our legacy of creative innovation and excellence which will ensure a truly remarkable future for Kuwait and beyond.
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DESIGN ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNPARALLELED YOURPROFESSION
FULL DAY GATHERING OF INNOVATIVE BUSINESS MINDS & CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS Presentations, discussions, and innovative designs discussed by visionaries during this forum. January 18, 2014
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More Information:
blog.youraok.net/designforum/
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design
precast concrete
precast concrete
PROJECTS & photography PACE
Pace is an architecture, engineering, design and planning practice founded in Kuwait City in 1968.
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KISR Building, Kuwait by pace
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Great architecture, whether brought to life via buildings or engineering projects, is ultimately about creating great places for people through the intelligent use of materials and resources. Within this context, Kuwait has some of the greatest architecture in the region, a testament to its legacy as a regional leader in the latter half of the 20th Century. The burst of development in the country from this time can still be seen in some of Kuwait’s most outstanding and memorable buildings. As one of the most distinguished and prominent architectural, design and engineering firms of the era, Pace has been successful in delivering some of the most enduring projects of the time. These are projects which have become synonymous with the architectural identity of Kuwait, providing a material context and design reference point for the renewal of Kuwait’s urban environment. The new impetus of redevelopment and urban expansion in the country has seen Kuwait’s leading consultants such as Pace look again at the inherent qualities of any material that can deliver a controlled high quality finish on site. Precast concrete is one such material, used widely in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, that with modern construction technologies and design software can deliver programme and environmental
design advantages to a construction project, whilst at the same time offering design choice and a high degree of material expression to a designer. First used extensively by the Romans, concrete consists of sand, gravel, crushed stone or other coarse material, bound together with various kinds of cementations materials, such as lime or cements. When water is added, the mix undergoes a chemical reaction and hardens. The Romans poured concrete mixtures into moulds to build networks of aqueducts and tunnels, but also to create complex geometrical forms such as at the Parthenon in Rome, where the unreinforced concrete dome remained the largest spanning dome until it was surpassed only in 1913. Its concrete is made of aggregates that vary in density: from basalt in the foundations, through brick and volcanic rock in the upper walls, to the lightest of pumice at the top. Precast concrete is produced by casting concrete in a reusable mould or «form» which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into place. In contrast, standard concrete is poured into site-specific forms in-situ and cured on site. Precast stone is distinguished from precast concrete by using a fine aggregate in the mixture, so the final product approaches the appearance of naturally occurring rock or stone. Whether in Roman times or today, the use of reusable forms, cast off-site (today in controlled factory conditions) affords the opportunity to properly cure the mixture and monitor the process by plant employees, with several advantages to the process over concrete cast in-situ
precast concrete on site. The production process for this precast concrete is normally performed at ground level, which helps with safety throughout a project as there is a greater control of the quality of materials and workmanship in the factory conditions of a precast plant rather than on a construction site. In a precast plant, where air quality, temperature and humidity levels can be controlled a greater uniformity of product is ensured. Furthermore, precast offers an important financial advantage, as a significant factor of construction costs is construction waste, which along with water usage, can be more closely monitored and controlled off site than on. Yet another economic benefit of precast is that the forms used in a precast plant may also be reused hundreds or thousands of times before they have to be replaced, which allow cost of formwork per unit to be lower than for site-cast production. In the early 20th Century, precast concrete panels began to be re-used extensively in modern architectural design as a faster and more cost effective way of building houses in the UK. The use of precast forms then became more widely spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe, advocated by the modernist movement spearheaded by Walter Gropius and later Mies Van Der Rohe, influencing many subsequent high rise developments by using precast concrete panels on a large scale. In the 1940’s and 50’s a demand for large precast cladding units increased as a means of speeding up the construction process fuelled by the post war building boom in Europe and the USA. Like many other parts of the world, and as a response to fast construction
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Left: Adan Hospital Extension Right: Detail section of the same project
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programmes, the need for simple construction technologies and the harsh environment of Kuwait, the pre-eminent architects and engineers of the time used concrete either cast in-situ or in precast forms to deliver designs that expressed the civic and institutional nature of the development, whilst at the same time providing a sense of human scale and expression through the detailing and finishing of the material. The original 1973 headquarters building for the Kuwait Fund along with the subsequent 1978 addition, both projects of Pace in association with The Architects’ Collaborative (TAC), use building overhangs and angled fenestration to modulate glare from natural daylight, which together with precast concrete louvers and façade modelling serve to bring light into the building but still provide shade from direct sun exposure, improving the internal working conditions and reducing reliance on air-conditioning systems. The combination of the material aggregate within the concrete and the brush hammered finish was designed to provide a sense of scale and expression to the materials and further reduce the light reflectance of the window reveals. A similar finish was applied to the precast concrete panels of commercial complexes
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such as the 1980 Public Institute for Social Security on Hilali Street and the 1978 Gold Souk, both of which further refined the external materiality with the use of white aggregate in the concrete mixture to present a crisp, high quality and sophisticated aesthetic.
beautiful, offering an ability to realise creative and imaginative projects and at the same time making buildings and places of integrity, quality and honesty.
The KISR headquarters at Shuwaikh and the 1982 Behbehani Commercial Complex developed the technique further, sandblasting the deep reveals of the façades to provide a fine grain weathered texture to highly expressive structural forms. In the case of the KISR HQ, additional modelling created from the precast formwork and large solar shades in the form of angled concrete louvers further enhanced the scale and modelling of the architecture whist simultaneously improving the environmental conditions for the external walkways of the building approach. The new architecture and infrastructure programmes of today’s Kuwait continue to develop the construction technology of precast concrete in new and innovative ways, delivering design quality and environmental sustainability through intelligent use of materials. With modern construction technologies, and when detailed and specified with care, precast concrete can also be one of the most
Newly designed but as yet un-built developments, such as the Al Adan hospital by Pace, have employed the uniquely durable and expressive qualities of precast concrete to deliver an expressive architecture that works at both a civic and human scale, yet still responding to the extremes of Kuwaiti weather and environmental conditions. Precast panels are used to increase thermal mass, provide elevational shading and act as modulating light-shelves, providing passive environmental measures to ensure excellence within the environmental design strategy is fully coordinated with the innovative architectural response to the brief for these new healing environments. The materiality, architectural form and environmental conditioning of these projects and others yet unpublished, will form part of the new urban legacy of our era and will stand as benchmarks for the future quality standard of Kuwait’s structural environment and urban character.
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1. Bait Al Quran 2. KISR Building 3. Kuwait Fund
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innovative firm 109 Architectes / Beirut, Lebanon
109 Architectes is an international design studio skilled in all aspects of designing and planning. Since 2002, our diverse team of architects has worked collectively to develop visionary solutions that meet each client’s individual needs. We prioritize new ideas, functionality, and a superior level of client service. The result is distinctive, practical designs that realize the project intention at the highest international standards. At 109 Architects, context and concept provide the framework for each project’s distinct identity. We work as a collective of architects and external consultants to ensure a constant flow of ideas, pushing boundaries to challenge the status quo. Maintaining the highest standards from concept to execution, we adopt sustainable building practices whenever possible. Our inspired designs come to life when innovation and practicality merge
USJ CAMPUS
109YOURAOK.01 ARCHITECTS
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109 Architectes team in their element
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USJ campus L’Innovation et du Sport Beirut, Lebanon Text 109 ARCHITECTS
photography 109 ARCHITECTS / Albert Saikaly
This new campus takes a contextual approach, integrating physically, culturally, and historically with Beirut’s urban tissue.
Project: USJ Campus de L’Innovation et du Sport Location: Beirut, Lebanon Client: Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) Area : 55000m2 Budget: $33M USD Year: 2005-2011 Status: Under construction
Conceptually an urban block with sculpted voids, the building’s hollow spaces defines six autonomous blocks and constructs multiple viewpoints across Beirut, connecting students to their dynamic setting. The voids also generate a street-level meeting space, which flows fluidly to the top floor in the form of a massive staircase. It concludes at a landscaped terrace overlooking the city. Light is a vital element in oriental architecture and one that shapes its style and identity; the campus exposes alternate light qualities through Moucharabieh-inspired perforations and a polycarbonate volume. Such manipulation presents a striking contrast in filtered light and luminescence. A stylized random-opening treatment is a snapshot of the Lebanese War, lending a poetic glimpse into the reality of destruction and violence
Architects: 109 Architectes and Youssef Tohme Partner in Charge: Ibrahim Berberi Architect in Charge: Nada Assaf Team: Rani Boustani, Etienne Nassar, Emile Khayat, Naja Chidiac, Richard Kassab Photos: 109 Architectes / Albert Saikaly Renders: Patrick Helou
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Light is a vital element in oriental architecture
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the salone satellite 33
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SALONE SATELLITE
from sharjah to milan
Text & photography AUS / United Arab emirates
The Salone Satellite was created in 1998 for the express purpose of bringing together, in the same place and time, the most promising young designers from all over the world with the most important business people and talent scouts gathered in Milan to visit or exhibit at the Saloni. The Satellite immediately became an unparallelled observatory of young international creativity: many of the pieces presented as prototypes in the fourteen previous editions have gone into production, and many of the participating designers have become important figures in the star system. Each year 700 young designers and students of the most prestigious design schools and universities exhibit and exchange ideas at this unique showcase. The proposals are examined and evaluated by a prestigious Selection Committee drawn from the same pool of international professionals from the world of design, architecture and media. PROJECT: OFFICE FOR LIVING Specially commissioned by Cosmit, Pritzker Prize 2008 winner Jean Nouvel’s project explores the tremendous changes that have marked out living and working spaces over the last few years. Within a dedicated 1,200 m2 area inside SaloneUfficio’s pavilion 24, Jean Nouvel explores contemporary building concepts
informed by a rejection of cloned, alienating, standardised and serially repetitive spaces, inspiring exhibitors and visitors with different ways of achieving alternative aggregation formulas. The “office for living” exhibit takes the form of a small district – showcasing unique and unusual work scenarios that endeavour to demonstrate that, because of their individuality, workspaces need to be able to make for happy living as well as to provide inspiration. These are not utopias, or showrooms, or collections of a few exceptional pieces: these offices are representative of ordinary situations, often existing ones, and feature office furniture produced in the main by SaloneUfficio exhibitors. A monolith rises in the middle of SaloneUfficio, as intriguing as it is inviting, showing four video-portraits – of the stylist Agnès B, the photographer Elliot Erwitt, the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and the writer and film director Alain Fleischer – each raising their concerns and expressing their points of view on the office space. Five groundbreaking work situations are freely grouped around the monolith, serving to accentuate just how outdated today’s attitudes to the workplace really are. The first of these is a classic city-centre apartment, left intact: the reception rooms, bedroom, kitchen, fireplaces, floors and mouldings have been left untouched. The space, used for both work and entertaining, is furnished to chime with the original architecture and the echoes of the past, with several different activities taking place in a warm, intimate atmosphere.
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01 Amal’s Prayer Chair Sarah Alagroobi was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. She is a graphic designer, filmmaker and first-time furniture designer. She is currently a student of visual communications at American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design. course Form, Furniture and Graphics instructors Bill Sarnecky Amir Berbic´ www.aus.edu/caadmilan This chair rocks to aid in the act of praying. The concept originates from the desire to aid the designer’s late grandmother and mother who struggled to pray in the prostrate position. According to Islamic tradition, those who cannot physically endure prostration may pray in a sitting position. The typographic pattern on the skin of the chair is derived from the Arabic letter kaf and refers to the “The Throne” (Ayatul-Kirsi), a powerful verse in the Holy Quran. The verse states: “His Chair doth extend, Over the heavens And the Earth...” sarah alagroobi was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. She is a graphic designer, filmmaker and first-time furniture designer. She is currently a student of visual communications at American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design. material: (prototype) 3mm mdf; (scale model) Z Corp 3D print powder; finish: (prototype) Spray paint; process: (prototype) Laser cut contours and glue lamination; size: 3/4 scale prototype (70cm w x 68cm d x 58cm h); scale model (29cm w x 25cm d x 22cm h).
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02 D Bench Danah Al Kubaisy Earned a Bachelor of Interior Design degree from American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design in 2011. She is currently a Junior Interior Designer at the Architectural Design Department of norr Group Consultants International Ltd. in Dubai. In addition to her full-time job, Danah works as an architect and interior designer for a single-family private villa in Saudi Arabia. course Furniture Design Basics instructor Bill Sarnecky www.aus.edu/caadmilan The bench explores eruption as a formal quality and the deregulation of a rational ordering system along its length. The piece consists of 36 3mm-thick hand-shaped aluminum bars fastened with machine screws to a welded aluminum tube frame. The piece was sandblasted after fabrication and assembly. material: 3mm thick aluminum flat bar; finish: Sandblasted; process: Metal-forming and general metal fabrication and assembly; size: Full-scale furniture piece (200cm w x 35cm d x 36cm h).
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03 De-LaminationTable Ghenwa Soucar holds a Bachelor of Interior Design (2011) from American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design. She participated in the 2009 International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (if i) exhibition in Dubai and has exhibited work in Index Dubai, and the 2011 Pecha Kucha in Damascus, Syria. Ghenwa is currently working on a project for a dance school and gymnasium in Damascus. She has recently accepted a design position at a small architectural office in Damascus. course Furniture Design Basics instructor Bill Sarnecky www.aus.edu/caadmilan Originally inspired by an overlapping wave pattern, this table combines two simple two-dimensional curves to develop a complex three-dimensional form. The piece consists of four layers that appear to delaminate like a flexed deck of playing cards. Each of the four layers consist of three laminations of red oak that were steam bent, then glue laminated to lock in the final form. material: Red oak; finish: Stain and polyurethane clear coat; process: Steam bending and glue lamination; size: Full-scale furniture piece (89cm w x 50cm d x 39cm h).
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The spaces are comfortable, individual and original. The apartment serves as a pleasing backdrop for living, enabling self-expression through objects and work, conserving the functional ethos of the office yet without prompting the same resonance.
The doors are sliding or folding, there are blinds for light regulation, with frosted glass for intimacy. Sophisticated wood and chrome finishings and high-tech components impart a luxurious feel. An overall yet generous layout, geared to enjoyment in life.
The second is informed by the increasing vogue for working from home. During the day the house serves as an office, reprising its domestic function in the evenings, at weekends and on days off. “Habitation” and “office” become interwoven: the lines between office and home furniture become blurred, in a space in which even the objects have a dual existence.
A light laboratory promoting artistic and pictorial lighting for working environments, breaking with the monotony of traditional, homogeneous office lighting, is another feature. Prototype lamps, providing hitherto undreamt-of lighting solutions enabling each person to create their own lighting system, are on exhibit. Spaces unfettered by traditional rules, therefore, with the concept of enjoyment in work firmly first and foremost, allowing people to put their own spaces together as best suits them, with plays of light and reflections.
Then there is an open space, containing pieces of industrial furniture that can be put together, stacked, taken apart and reassembled, breaking with the totalitarian, repetitious character of today’s offices. Furniture from several different eras is combined, incorporating objects from different spheres. The openness of the space enables everyone to express themselves freely, building their own working environments: cut off from their neighbours or in close contact; sitting on their desks or hunkering down on them. Different varieties of wood, cardboard, leather and coloured plastic rub shoulders, crowned with atypical and unexpected objects, marking out an irregular and astonishing cityscape. The fourth space consists of a warehouse, a basic steel container of the kind found in city suburbs the world over. These often-empty cubes make for freerange furnishing. Their particular spatial quality affords each and every form of appropriation and differentiation. They make for and absorb specific nonsystematic, totally flexible furnishing, lighting and decorating solutions. The scope for unfettered conversion is what sets this free space apart. Rationalism provides the theme for the final space: a high-tech, open-plan office system which, while conforming to normality and to rational standardisation, is geared to transformation. The footprint, which may seem static and repetitive, is in fact free-form: sliding, collapsible walls enable individual offices to be built, either opening out into the adjacent space or the corridor or providing isolation.
Jean Nouvel has also put together a small compendium of furnishings by his great heroes, a homage to extraordinary designs of the past that are still tremendously contemporary. The pieces are displayed in front of the photographs of the places for which they were conceived by their “creators,” the masters who make up the imaginary museum that fires his inspiration. The VIP lounge, where Ron Arad, Michele De Lucchi, Marc Newson and Philippe Starck have been interviewed in their own workplaces and expounded on their visions, rounds off the project
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senna 33
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the beginning of thinking is geometric Text & photography Mobius design studio
SENNA
MOBIUS
Möbius Design Studio, founded in 2010, is based in Dubai and is run by designers with a longstanding passion for visual communication. The founders, Hadeyeh Badri, Hala Al-Ani and Riem Hassan, met while studying at the American University of Sharjah. Möbius is in constant pursuit of balancing studio initiated research and commissioned work.
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IN collaboration with Faysal Tabbara, Mobius Design Studio created Senna. Specifically conceived for “The Beginning of Thinking is Geometric” which is a temporal spatial construct that purposefully juxtaposes two opposing geometric attitudes, the organic and the synthetic. Organic and behaviorally volatile materials are given a new opportunity to self-compute through their negotiation with synthetically structured and stable geometries. This creates a dynamic dialogue between the precise and the wavering, the patterned and the textured. Spatially, the temporal construct questions its geometric condition as a surface and provokes a novel understanding of thickness
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YOURPROFESSION October Workshop
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what not to process architecture research & diagramming Workshop Description: The purpose of this workshop is to guide students to reach an understanding of proper architectural research, as well as to aid them in diagramming their architectural projects. The workshop will be conducted using the students’ own work, and aims to highlight the benefits of research and diagramming in capturing and explaining the ideas and concepts behind a project. The workshop is highly recommended for thesis students, and upper design class students. How to research your information? How to present them? What is an architectural diagram? What are the ways to diagram (housing, urban, Building … etc.) Workshop Instructors yourAOK is proud to present this workshop’s instructors from Kuwait’s leading principal and senior architects. TAUGHT BY: ARCHITECT RICARDO CAMACHO ARCHITECT NAJI MOUJAES ARCHITECT COLM DUNPHY ARCHITECT SHARIFA AL SHALFAN
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paperhouses YOURpages.02
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architecture in open source from new york
about paperhouses co
This idea of crowd-sharing, creative commons and collaborative creation was the trigger for our office to join the PAPERHOUSES.
The open source architecture has the potential to reach the users that would never even think to find an architect and start a design-built process with. Here is the potential in open source architecture that can really affect a lot of territory and population. Open source architecture offers a potential for process to go from generic to highly specific and where user customisation means collaborative design.
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DEREK DELLEKAMP 1. Ground Floor Plan 2. First Floor Plan 3. 3D Render View
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Text & Diagrams Paperhouses
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1 derek dellekamp This project for An imaginary house for Silence reflects an enduring interest in creating a space that is formed by a close relationship with nature, where one can live intimately in the natural world. The house emerges from the essence of the forest, where towering trees surround and protect the body, creating a magical environment of dappled light in the quiet solitude of nature. By our human weakness, we are moved to leave a contemplative and tranquil mark on the site. Like a cloister, characterized by its intimacy and purity, the structure thoughtfully concentrates the elements and the surrounding environment in an architectural space. The horizontal organization of the volumes makes it possible to form a concentrated space that creates a range of relationships to the outside by using shadow, shelter and varying heights. The program of the house is marked by the intimate spaces of the bedrooms, which are elevated, and an open living space with big openings. The construction materials, concrete and wood, are also chosen in terms of simplicity while expressing qualities of purity and utility.
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DEREK DELLEKAMP 3D Front View
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opensource
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2 florian busch architects
“Our Private Sky” addresses the dichotomy of privacy and openness. Whereas architecture has, from its beginnings, ventured to shield from the sky, “Our Private Sky” makes the sky protagonist of everyday life. Size and orientation of the “sky” are derived from and optimised for the specific local condition. While the usual setting will be the typical urban environment of midto highdensity, the “Our Private Sky”series also opens up ways for a poetic existence in rural solitude. Following simple, parametrically controlled processes each house is optimised for its local specific circumstances. The result is a series of similar yet distinctly individual, customised houses with their own “Private Skies”. One
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Open Private Sky 1. OPS Diagram 2. Concept Demonstration 3. Level 1 Plan 4. Level 2 Plan 5. Concept Variations
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Concept – Several Sizes The flexible concept easily accommodates both local parameters and customers’ individual needs. A range of sizes and configurations are able to incorporate a diversity of criteria whilst maintaining the overall integrity and performance of the design.
opensource
paperhouses
1. Living, dining, kitchen 2. Courtyard 3. Lounge/optional bedroom 4. Bedroom 5. Bathroom 6. Utility/Storage
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1. Living, dining, kitchen 2. Courtyard 3. Lounge/optional bedroom 4. Bedroom 5. Bathroom 6. Utility/Storage
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3 christian pottgiesser Dobox is a tailor made answer to a personal quiz. Composed of highlydetailed moulds of a new concretebased material the project is openended.
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opensource
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PHOTO COURTESY THE STRING SYSTEM
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YOURPRODUCTS
www.youraok.net/products
children’s theater & library keifan / kuwait 55
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renovation
childrentheater&library
Text & photography babnimnim
babnimnim
renovation
Keifan Theatre is one of the oldest theaters established in Kuwait. Its halls hold the memories of the first actors that lead and pioneered the theatrical movement of Kuwait within the Gulf region.
The theatre business for children plays is certainly active at the moment and hence transforming it into a Children’s theatre with other programs to support it on a day to day basis to gain income is what we are proposing here.
After the liberation its name was changed to Liberation Theatre and went through a maintenance phase that just rubbed the surface. The building at current is old, deteriorated and forgotten, although its history is what makes it a special commodity within all the theatrical establishments here in Kuwait.
Major extensions to the theatre’s structural body are necessary in order to facilitate it with new mechanisms to update it to international standards, said changes include the addition of a flying tower, extension of the backstage, an orchestra pit, and relocation of the workshop for ease of access to the stage.
The additions consist of a library that carries all the wonderful childhood stories that we all know, and a crafts/ performing arts centre for youngsters that can house summer camps and musical and artistic programs all year round.
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The articulated street facing facade spirit is carried through the new proposal with the introduction of lightweight pivoted hollow cubes that move freely with the wind, creating an ever changing mural of colors.
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childrentheater&library
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Research
ark
a contemporary ark an artificial environment Text & Diagrams Samer Samhan
The Ark – an artificially sheltered environment created by mankind, built to shelter and to sustain life to the temporary inhabitants via locally inside the shelter or from its surroundings. The ark houses different varieties of inhabitants, each having their own special needs and requirements. Yet forced by circumstances and conditions to remain in this cramped space till an allocated duration has passed over in which they can return to their personal surroundings. The temporary inhabitants are entrapped in a wilderness, in which the so-called principal “survival of the fittest” plays out. It is the game in which the powerful survives; yet the concept of power is falsely blurred as all are trapped within. The inhabitants move around in packs, flocks, groups or individually promoting false power fighting between themselves for physical territories, to show dominance between themselves and to others, furthermore to stand out, to show signs of willingness to mate, yet what is shocking is that this ark is not Noah’s ark. It is a contemporary ark, called a mall.
samersamhan
research
NOAHS ARK 3,600 sqm
X3
FANAR MALL 11,000 sqm
AL RAYA 5,800 sqm
MARINA MALL 52,500 sqm
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AL HAMRA 7,750 sqm
X3
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AL MUHALLAB 7,500 sqm
SOUQ SHARQ 32,500 sqm
X5
X2
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360 45,250 sqm
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THE AVENUES 245,000 sqm
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THE AVENUES 650,000 m3 - Phase I to III . thus far
We –as mankind– forcibly and willingly cramp ourselves into these contemporary arks, getting up from dawn till beyond nightfall being entertained, being fed, pampering and flaunting ourselves in the ark, it is a place where subconscious animal instincts are displayed to the inhabitants. We, as species of humanity, share a common baseline, Homo-sapiens, yet these surroundings in the ark, stir something deep down within to rise, forming clicks, followings, packs, a sense of belonging, anger and a spectrum of emotions and actions. This voluntary action repeats over years, becoming a social norm not being questioned just accepted as a part of our daily life. Why must we seek this ark, is it for the salvation from boredom, it is to strut for a mate, or to cause commotion amongst another pack. The original ark had a purpose of preserving the species for an unspecified duration of time till a certain event receded. These contemporary arks serve the inhabitants with gifts, joys and memories yet in the in the long haul they generate a dehumanizing effect on the inhabitants allowing for base instincts to appear. The Ark –can be argued as a ray of salvation from the rough climates of the region, providing a paradise for most that afford its price, giving constant entertainment, new facilities and expansions to keep the masses occupied for the duration of the stay. Yet there is an unforeseen price to be admitted to – the ark –it comes with the cost of dulling out the senses and becoming integrated with an isolated shelter were no good or bad arises unless seen within the confines of its walls. Becoming a cage that we ourselves choose to voluntarly enter to escape from the so-called harsh reality that we see everyday. The Ark – a vessel to salvation or a vessel to obliviousness? The path is not set yet.
samer samhan
CONSTRUCTION Groundbreaking Phase I Phase II Phase III
2004 2007 2008 2012
3 stories high 2 stories dedicated to r - Phase I to III
re
etail/leisu - varing from phases
1 story underground parking - Phase I to II 3 stories underground 4 stories above ground parking - Phase I to II - Phase III UPON COMPLETION 3 stories underground Built up volume, to updated plans - 1,000,000 m3 Allocated Parking Inside - 16,000 parking spaces
NOAHS ARK 12,000 m3 3 Decks - Roof - Shelter - Deck 1 - Bird Storage - Deck 2 - Food Storage - Deck 3 - Animal Storage
SCALE 1:5000
One of Oasis›s previous coverpages
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browse talents youraok.net photo courtesy Ahmed Al Shemmiri
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design
Medical Center
Text & RENDERS AGi Architects
Agi architects
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2013 WAF Winner Future projects health category
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Medical Center
concept of the facade generating light views
AGi architects’ project for the New Sulaibikhat Medical Center, currently under construction in Kuwait, was chosen as winner of the WAF Award 2013 in the Future Projects Health category, after competing against two other shortlisted entries. WAF Award 2013 in the Future Projects Health category for New Sulaibikhat Medical Center by AGi architects The judges praised this reprogramming of existing health services that draws on the needs of local people. Two other projects of the design firm were shortlisted at this edition: S Cube Chalet and GDIS. AGi architects won two WAF awards in previous editions, 2011 and 2010, in the Future Projects Residential and Health categories. Winners were announced at the World Architecture Festival that took place in Singapore from 2 to 4 October 2013. The judges praised this reprogramming of existing health services that draws on the needs of local people. ‘It overcame the limitations of the normal existing typology,’ they said.
In addition, two other projects by AGi architects, a Spain and Kuwait based practice led by architects Joaquin PerezGoicoechea, Nasser Abulhasan and Salvador Cejudo, were shortlisted in their categories. These selected projects were S Cube Chalet that competed in the Completed Buildings House category and GDIS in the Future Projects Office category. According to AGi architects’ team, “this WAF Award is welcomed with great satisfaction for all the team and encourages us to continue working to achieve an integrating architecture that takes into account all existing local conditions and needs”. The New Sulaibikhat Center, currently under construction in Kuwait, stands as a pioneer in the healthcare sector. Challenging issues such as privacy and security are addressed using an innovative
design process where courtyards attached to the façade are the driving element behind this unique typology. The concept of the façade generating light views and ventilation is reversed. The courtyards are brought inwards from the perimeter creating privacy which is enhanced by a metal mesh with a geometrical pattern allowing light to penetrate whilst constructing veiled threshold in between the exterior and the internal courtyards. Due to the density and variety of the program presented in this clinic, the spaces are sectioned off into multiple self-sufficient departments, which can operate independently from one another. Therefore easy orientation and navigation through the clinic is key, where each of the departments is color coded with sufficient signage throughout, to facilitate a universal way-finding technique.
Agi architects
RENDERING Rendered image of clinic interior
design
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YOURPROFESSION NOVEMBER workshop
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DESIGN
DESIGNINGTHEFUTURE
world architecture festival/singapore Text waleed shaalan
Photography & Renders Michael Rayner Kenneth choo erik g.l.’heureux
Waleed Shaalan is Senior Vice President of Business Development in United Real Estate Company and is also responsible for Sustainble Design. Prior to joining URC in June 2013, Waleed was a Design Principal for SSH Design, a multidisciplinary firm with over 50 years’ experience in architecture, engineering, infrastructure and project Management. Recently he led the URC/SSH/Cal Earth team that won the best leisure led project at the World Architecture Festival 2012. He has collaborated with Atelier Jean Nouvel on the winning design for Educational and Cultural Center of Abdullah Al Ahmad Competition in Kuwait. After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Architecture he joined Perkins & Will in Chicago and worked with The Architects Collaborative (TAC) on the Design and Master Planning of Umm Al Qura University in KSA. Waleed also worked in Korea with Jung Lim Associates on the corporate headquarters
Waleed also worked in Korea with Jung Lim Associates on the corporate headquarters of the Samyang and Dongbu corporations. In 1999 he founded BrainStorm, a multidisciplinary design firm based in Kuwait, and in 2009 merged with SSH and joined forces after a decade of successful collaboration. Recent projects include a collaboration with Enric Ruiz-Geli of Cloud 9 on a residential complex in Kuwait. Waleed is a visiting critic in the College of Architecture in Kuwait University
WALEEDSHAALAN
DESIGN
world architecture festival 2013 projects & winners singapore
the jury I first went to WAF in Barcelona in 2011 where I represented SSH in one of their shortlisted projects. We submitted in the Energy, Production and Recycling Category. Unfortunately we did not win that year. It was a great experience seeing the diversity of architects and designers presenting different ideas to the same problems.
What I liked about WAF is if a project is good it wins even if the architect is not famous. I had the opportunity to meet Enric Ruiz-Geli of cloud 9 the winner of the best building of the year and later invited him to lecture in Kuwait University and to collaborate on a project in Kuwait. Meanwhile URC in collaboration with California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture began building two prototypes of the Earth bag (super Adobe) architecture in Oman.
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Project: National Maritime Museum of China, By Cox Rayner Architects, Brisbane, Australia Award: World Architecture Festival 2013 Future Project of the Year
I had the opportunity to lead the team from SSH and we spent a great deal of time working with our hands and learning the types of construction methodology. We decided to submit the project for WAF 2012 where we then received the good news of us being shortlisted.
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DESIGN
Project: A Simple Factory Building, By Pencil Office, Singapore Award: World Architecture Festival 2013 Category: Production/energy/recycling
We went to World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore to present the project and were surprised to hear the news that we won the Best Future Leisure Lead Project. Later that year I received an invitation from WAF to become one of the judges for WAF 2013. It was a different experience being a judge with an overwhelming responsibilitywe spent more time getting involved in the projects we were judging due to the responsibility of delivering a fair decision. This year WAF projects were as diverse as always with projects pouring in from all around the world. There are several project categories from World Building of the Year to New & Old, Future Projects, and Hotel & Leisure with even a longer list of contestants. We had a few winners from the Arab World, some architects such as AGi from Kuwait won Future Projects Health Category which they could now add on to the few previous WAF awards under their belt. Also Meditation House from Lebanon by MZ Architects took their award home for Future Projects House Category. I personally judged two categories this year the first was Energy Production and Recycling and the second was Future Competitions and the panel included myself as well as Peter Murray and Sergio Daniszewski from Argentina. The winner of our category on Future competitions also went to win the best future building of the year which was National Maritime Museum of China (China), Cox Architecture.
DESIGNINGTHEFUTURE
WALEEDSHAALAN
We selected the winners as follows: A Simple Factory Building (Singapore), Pencil Office and National Maritime Museum of China (China), Cox Rayner Architects. The winner of our category of Energy, Production and Recycling is unique in the sense that, the winner was a simple office building in Singapore by Pencil A Simple Factory Building which addresses two contradicting demands: the mitigation of tropical solar radiation, and the open, views, and transparency sought by the clients in a basic industrial typology. Completed in 2012, the 10,742-square-foot (998-squaremeter) building is located in an industrial area in Singapore. It utilizes a sophisticated 4-foot-deep (1.2-meter-deep) veil fabricated in lightweight Dryvit and a bronze full-height window-wall envelope to reconcile this architectural conflict. Wrapping continuously as a loop around the front elevation, car porch ceiling, rear elevation, and roof, the veil shields the building from the harsh tropical sunlight while calibrating views to the exterior. It also amplifies natural illumination, directs natural ventilation, and conceals mechanical equipment. It calibrates the performance of the building as a climatic engine. That being said, there needs to be a continued effort in MENA to partake in full-fledged competitions that aid in improving the status-quo and the levels & standards of architecture we hope to see accomplished
DESIGN
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exhibition
THE SCHITZO #18, Class of Chairs
Class of chairs
class of chairs class of chairs
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from kuwait to belgium
Text & PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS OF CHAIRS ORGANIZERS
Marble, copper, glass, neon, moss, textile, corian, and 27 chairs was all that Aseel AlYaqoub, Arch. Jassim AlSaddah, and Arch. Yousef AlMehdari needed to create one of the most unique exhibitions Kuwait has witnessed. As the school culture in Kuwait is relatable to Hollywood’s pop-cultural representation of the high school hierarchy and social groups found in playgrounds and classrooms; the satirical commentary on the stereotypical characters found within school life was the raw idea behind creating The Class of Chairs exhibition. The collection of chairs was designed as a literal adaptation of the different student typecasts. Each chair represents an individual high school persona, where the character’s attributes are translated in the design aspect of its material and functional use. With a very distinctive view, the template of each chair was based on the classical 1950’s European school chair in which different manufacturing processes were used to materialistically translate the different student characteristics. As a result of one year collaborative work and research between the three architects; the exhibition was finally launched with an attempt to evoke nostalgic scenes
of past high school memories to create a relatable experience for the viewer… and it did!! The insightful exhibits were later shipped to Hungary to participate in Kursi: an Attribute to Chair – at Zenith Art Exchange – which uncovered artists and designers fascination by the chair and its potential weight of meaning, from its religious allusions to its social, political, and humanistic implications. In Kursi, the graphic and architectural dimensions explored by these artists and designers from Kuwait highlight the infinite possibilities of their creativity as they were reflective of the creators’ reactions to their environments, both locally and globally
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ehibition
Class of chairs
class of chairs
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CHAIRS Chairs snaposhots taken at the exhibition based on each artist’s alteration.
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youraok industry partners 2013
PHOTO COURTESY EMECO
ABOUT Cykno is more than a bicycle. Designed for those who embrace luxury, but are aware of sustainable mobility issues, Cykno combines a green soul with a vintage design style, it blends innovation with fine materials, as well as precision technology and proud Italian production. It’s an eclectic vehicle and each example is designed and manufactured as a unique piece that is customizable
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manama/bahrain
places
AL RIWAQ
Text SHERIHAN HASSABO al-riwaq photography Abdulaziz alkandari
Al-Riwaq Art Space is a leading non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting contemporary art and design practices in Bahrain. Founded in 1998 by Bayan al-Barak Kanoo, Al-Riwaq Art Space is nestled at the heart of Manama’s cultural center, Block 338. Through a robust annual roster of art exhibitions, residency and educational programs, al-Riwaq Art Space plays a key role in training and nurturing local artistic talent, connecting Bahraini and international artists, and providing opportunities for collaboration and exchange. With its strong emphasis on public art and community engagement, al-Riwaq Art Space acts as a major local hub for the Bahraini public, promoting creativity and artistic expression especially among the youth.
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The organization mainly aims to promote creativity and art value in a traditional society where alternative art struggles to gain acceptance. In order to encourage public awareness and appreciation for the arts, Al Riwaq’s interdisciplinary program is comprised of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, seminars, charity events, book signings, film screenings, artist residency programs, and a new alternative art school. In 2004, operations were expanded to comprise four floors. Today, Al Riwaq consists of a workspace, artist studio, office space, bookstore, gift shop, and exhibition space. Moving beyond art and culture, a coffee shop was added in 2010. Al Riwaq Café was established to provide young talented artists and the public with a platform to exchange ideas, provoke intellectual debate, promote, inspire and develop creative thinking and generally nurture culture.
PLACES
The Café offers the Bahraini community an exclusive venue to meet and relax. Strategically located in Adliya, a bohemian neighborhood of Manama city, the Café was designed entirely by talented artists to be a meeting point for everyone who loves and enjoys art as well as authentic food created in an innovative way. In order to encourage public awareness and appreciation of visual arts, Al Riwaq hosts local and international group exhibitions, workshops, talks and debates, film screenings and meetings for the art communities and patrons. Al Riwaq Art Space was founded with the vision to act as the leading promoter of creativity and art value by nurturing a strong relationship between art and society through its programs.
AL RIWAQ
When established, Al Riwaq was the first art gallery in Bahrain and is now a leading organization in Bahrain’s art and culture scene. The commitment of those who help run the Art Space is present and can be observed simply by how much it has grown since its establishment
Artspace
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It’s all about the talents you have, and the talents you want to show the world. You are the architect of your sketches, the designer of your vision. We just give You the space.
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About the Background About the Background Rakan Al Jandaly’s abstract work Taken by Ahmed Shimmiri - an upcoming young Kuwaiti artist known for his keen eye on street photography
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/talents/hildahiary
hilda hiary AMMAN, JORDAN Category: ARTS
Tags: FINE ARTS / PAINTING
About Hilda Hiary is an artist whose work demand contemplation of its unique qualities. She lives and works in her native Jordan but is also a cosmopolitan global citizen and very widely traveled since she was a child and has exhibited at very important venues including recent exhibitions in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and Middle East. Over the years, her prolific presence and persistence has vaulted her to the top of a select group of female artists emerging into global space from the specific cultural environments of their Middle Eastern origins. Orient Gallery / Amman
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BAHAR AL BAHAR
PROFILING
SHARJAH, UAE
Category: ARCHITECTURE
Tags: DESIGN
About Syrian architect based in the United Arab Emirates, with a need to understand how things work, and a passion in making things. Currently focusing on product design practice and personal projects.
Profiling: bringing back the negative space. Bahar Al Bahar Profiling is the act of applying a 2-dimensional shape onto a path, resulting in a 3-dimensional extrusion of it. The extrusion could follow a straight path, or any other curvilinear path. The consequential process of these notions were undertaken to produce the structures described below. The design process began by looking at specific forms of decay: excavating and grooving. After taking ploughing machines as a case study (machine which essentially makes a groove in the earth), the following became clear: though the machines come in different sizes, shapes, and forms, they all plough the earth and leave behind a liner landscape. The result of the machine›s blades is what matters as an outcome, and not the shape of the machine or the blade. The process then moved to focus on profiling as a method of excavation. Profiling’s ability to preserve the negative of the excavation process and allowing it
to be reinserted back into context, makes it a sophisticated type of excavating and digging into earth. In the design process, the initial profile was a straight line running across a block of material, in this case high density foam as a mock-up of the intended earth form. The results came out to be redundant and plain as it is still an extrusion of the profile. As a result, a V-shaped profile was added to the process where it excavated in a circular path. The double profile allowed for complex three-dimensional results. These resulting forms (circular and linear) were either used within the composition to formulate the building – or were removed. This exercise of eliminating and adding created negative spaces within the building that could slide or rotate, forming interesting spatial conditions. The product of this process is a large leftover element, and a series of preserved negative pieces. The resulting form becomes the base of the building and is left in place as it is embedded in the earth. The negative spaces and voids however can juxtapose between elements that remain, and elements that are removed, and elements that are reconstructed out of different materials. But still maintaining their formal qualities as designed by the system. To move this process on to a next level, the outcome of the current system was
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made into a program not too different from what it is in itself, a per-formative set of objects and spaces. Within this play of space and void, both interior and exterior spaces are created/maintained as performance spaces. As the profile becomes at this stage the section of the building, this section is designed containing steps, ramps, and platforms embedded into it as a custom profile. All of this creates a futuristic alien looking landscape that embraces its performances, performers, audience, and visitors. It also adapts to the different possible occupancies by sliding and rotating these different forms, bringing some together at times, and getting others apart other times. In summary, a three step process is followed. First the sections are designed and profiled. Next the circular profiles are run. And finally the parts to be reconstructed are reconstructed on site. The relevancy of such a process is the simplicity of the inputs, and the adaptability it holds. A custom profile, or several, could be inserted into the system, which is digitally simulated. It will predict the outcome of the profile, preview the results (to help modify them), and apply them once altered. The information could then be implemented on a site, an empty barren landscape, or a flat lunar gravityfree flatland, as the separate elements placed float in space. This form generating system of applications is not limited to creating structures on earth but can extend to construct a space station on the moon, or Mars. Various profiles can be produced for each location to cater to its site specificities.
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Visual journey
/talents/ahmadalshammeri
Ahmad alshammeri KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT
Category: PHOTOGRAPHY
Tags: Photography / Instagram
About A Kuwait based photographer. My practice involves a study of space, subject, movement, and light to reproduce visions of reality. Inspired by photography itself, the people I meet, the places I visit, my work shows the relationship between the culture and the voice of individuals.
A photo essay of a spiritual journey
every issue we publish has a photo journey published as well, a story that portrays the unknown of places & people alike. youraok talent ahmed al shimmiri tells the story of the public. Capturing moments portraying the lives of the people he meets as he takes his camera on the streets of Kuwait Ahmed finds the opportunity to speak untold stories of the public, as described by Ahmed “I focus on humanity, where there’s an unspoken message between two or more souls. It’s a spiritual journey into people’s thoughts, dreams, hopes, and fears. They are intimate and subject-related scenes, where lights and shadows are reflecting true emotions without any direction or manipulation.”
ahmedalshammeri
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visualizations creative mess
/talents/rakanjandali
rakan jandali Dubai, UAE
Category: VISUALIZATIONS
Tags: digital art & INTERIORS
About A 3D Digital Artist born in Hims , Syria 1986 Currently living in Dubai , UAE. he works as a 3D Visual Artist / Designer and is Head of the Visual Department at KCA international Designers. In his spare time he does photography, Music, and the most important thing is – watching Sci-Fi TV Series.
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rawan kakish Amman, Jordan Category: ART
Tags: PAINTINGS
About As I took off on a journey of self-discovery and self-development, exploring all aspects of my creative abilities; in the years since my Graduation as an architect, I have undertaken various projects, both architectural and artistic, in an effort to nurture and extend my capabilities. Basically, my art is about people, city and expressions, my engagement with the public, interacting with my fellow humans, listening to social contemporary reality, and watching dramas unfold before my eyes.
rawan kakish
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TARIQ YOSEF Amman, Jordan
Category: DIGITAL ART
Tags: GRAPHIC DESIGN
About I have lead creative sessions for project kick-offs and managed multiple projects from conception through completion. I also develoedp creative programs and design concepts that are necessary in meeting the business objectives of the organization and that advance the brand strategy. I find it appealing when establishing creative directions for an entire line of online services and programs which in turn generate multiple concepts for campaigns or projects.
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46 Uthman bin Affan Street, First Circle, Jabal Amman, Jordan nabad@nabadartgallery.com
Are you searching for a unique piece of furniture? Wondering where to find a good design-centered product?
Check out the following pages!
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creative interiors mess
the scandanavian design classic The String® System was designed in 1949. over 60 years it has evolved from being a ground-breaking concept to becoming one of the most loved pieces of classic scandinavian design. each component of the system is so well thought through that there is an almost infinite variety of combinations. thanks to the slim panels it’s possible to create a shelf large enough for any number of books and objects that still looks light. the components are available in a range of colours and materials, yet the measurements are fixed and have never been altered. that’s why a string® shelf can always be rebuilt, reinvented and transformed.
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Design Gumdesign
The memory of the old worktables, used in craftsman workshops, becomes inspiration of a table for the home and the office.
Mastro is made with an acid-etched iron sheet, folded to hold the two firwood trestles, allowing the fastening. So the visible slot of the trestle becomes the main feature of this table. The design involves taking off the trestles, spin them 90 degrees to scroll them inside the metal soul that contains them horizontally, in order to minimize the objet footprint if not in use, the storage, the packaging dimensions and the sustainability of the global logistics. The Mastro collection is completed by the bookcase and the benches that follow the design inspiration. Materials: Fir wood Acid-etched iron and all the metal finishings used by De Castelli in its creations Dimensions: table: 80 x 160 x h 75 cm bench: 42x 180/240/300 x h 44 cm
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Celato Design R&D De Castelli Celato means concealed, hidden and secret. A name and an adjective which generate different personalities: a menhir, a safe, a skyscraper; an object which gradually reveals itself touch by touch. Celato is a piece of furniture with a lot of drawers, almost secret, that one can enter by softly pushing on them. The drawers, made of birch, are of different heights and they are not aligned. The shell serves as a wrapping for the internal wood structure and it is available in maistral copper, acid-etched iron and acid-etched brass, aside from all the other metal finishes used by De Castelli for its production. Production year: 2011 Finishes: Cor-ten, iron/copper/brass with “maistral� finish, acidated iron/copper/brass, satin or polished Aisi 304 stainless steel Size: 75 x 40 x h 162 cm 75 x 40 x h 80 cm 130 x 46 x h 80 cm
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Detailed to perfection with a classic appearance, the Parrish Collection by Emeco and German designer Konstantin Grcic was first made for the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York.
The externally modest building of the Parrish Art Museum holds an internal complexity, just like the Parrish Collection - a set of chairs and tables with a subtle design and a heartfelt technical core. “Developing the mobile interiors for the Parrish Art Museum brings us to the peculiar psychology around chairs used in public spaces – exploring the idea of comfort using very little material. Considering the public self-awareness in a museum seat, the Parrish chair was given a generous seat and a round tube, forming a belt that defines the space around you a space where you can feel protected,” says Konstantin Grcic. The Parrish lounge and side chairs are part of a modular collection, featuring three frames with four optional seats. The recycled aluminum sandblasted frames are available in clear anodized, red or black powder coated finishes. The frames can be combined with different seat types; reclaimed polypropylene, locally sourced wood from Lancaster, PA, Danish fabric from Kvadrat or three luxurious leathers from Spinneybeck. These choices enable different combinations, creating a versatile family. All chairs with reclaimed polypropylene seats are suitable for outdoor use. The table bases are available in two recycled aluminum sandblasted finishes, the clear anodized aluminum finish or the black powder coated finish, in two different heights as café and side tables, which can be combined with two alternative Trespa table tops in pastel grey or black.
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“The collaboration with Emeco was always an important part of the project, something I had in mind as an obvious choice for the kind of furniture we needed. It is simply the only company I could think of who could bring a nice mix for this interior concept, specialists in aluminum, delivering another kind of material appearance, environmentally sound, perfect for the both indoor and outdoor and being such a truly American company - it was a perfect match,“ says Grcic. “When Konstantin asked me if Emeco would be interested in collaborating with him on the Parrish Art Museum I was thrilled. Konstantin is one of the most innovative and original industrial designers of today,” says Emeco’s CEO Gregg Buchbinder. “Konstantin’s degree of perfection combined with his analytical rigor made the product development process deliberate and thoughtful. He managed to leverage our heritage and at the same time push Emeco into the future. The Parrish Chair reminds me of something Le Corbusier might have designed in the 1920’s; yet at the same time, it looks fresh, modern, and original – it’s a real artifact of our current culture, a future classic,” Buchbinder continues. “I have always had a fascination and admiration of the hard physical labor of the production of the iconic Emeco Navy chair. My ambition for the collaboration was, therefore, to do something that uses the same aluminum work but makes the process more effective, less physically challenging. I think the design of the Parrish chair comes from a close understanding of what Emeco can really do,” says Konstantin.
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creative RAPTOR mess
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design by Sortyrs and Aleksander Pantopulos The project RT01 table by RAPTOR has been developed, and in fact has evolved over several years. Our main objective was to create a sophisticated, sculptural, biomechanical structure which is a combination of organic elements drawn from biological organisms and purely mechanical technology - something more than a simple piece of functional furniture. The biggest challenge was to combine these opposing trends to create a coherent poetic quality. The project was to be predatory and at the same time beautiful. It was meant to cause excitement, I wanted individual elements to be rather alive than still, as if they had an internal skeleton, its anatomy which would be visible through a transparent shell. The whole, however, was to be solid, rather indestructible just as a factory machine or a fast motor.
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PLACES talents AND SPACES
art creative in decay mess
faisalthef
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Enhancing the Creative Industry Talents/Firms/Products
Hilda Hiary influential artist