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CONTENTS
OCT 2015

FEATURES

WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN THE YEAR AHEAD

The colours, shapes and spaces that will define 2016, starting on page 70

10th
ANNUAL
TRENDS
REPORT

INTERIOR

DESIGN

ARCHITECTURE

BEST PRACTICES

COLLAGE BY TAYLOR KRISTAN

86

92
Art of the Matter A house that
makes space for really big art.
By Alison Garwood-Jones

66

80
Future of Footwear A look at the
next frontier of wearable technology
and more. By Marie OMahony

The Scenic Route Inside Medibank,

the healthiest office on the planet.
By Marcus Baumgart

Assemble Londons hottest

architecture firm is built on teamwork. By Brendan Cormier
OCT 2015 25

CONTENTS
OCT 2015

DEPARTMENTS
38

Groundbreaker
Diller Scofidio + Renfro
touches down in Los
Angeles with The Broad

51
THE NEW
OFFICE
Task chairs,
wooden desks,
smart gadgets
and more

JUST BUILT

42

Elephant in the Room The Zurich zoo builds

creature comforts of mammoth proportions

DESIGN FILE

FIELD TRIP

40

Story Of A lounge chair that takes its cue

from the origami crane

44

Fresh Take Making parking signs foolproof,

even for people with colour-blindness

48

Et Cetera String art in France; swing chairs;

ball room by Snarkitecture; and more

100 Vintage Revival Monverde Hotel in northern

Portugal is a striking backdrop for wine lovers
MATERIAL WORLD

ALSO
34

Contributors

46

Calendar Chicago Architecture Biennial;

Solar Decathlon in Orange County; the
Pixar process on view in New York; and more

110 Media Shelf Books, films and podcasts:

what were reading, watching and
downloading
112 Boldface Movers, shakers and winners
113 Advertiser Index
114 Trailer A coal miners maze in Belgium
104 Its a Wrap The latest in textiles for
upholstery, drapery and acoustics
26 OCT 2015

108 Rock Solid Marble, composites and

ceramics, for use indoors and out

Design: architects tillmann ruth robinson

Custom Engineering, Fabrication and Installation: Eventscape Inc.
Project: Krembil Discovery Tower Education Centre, Toronto, ON

DESIGN &
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RESEARCH &
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FABRICATION

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CONTENTS
OCT 2015

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A high point of fall is the Architecture and Design Film Festivals return to New York. Running October 13 to 18, ADFF
features over 30 films, including documentaries The Infinite Happiness, an up-close look at BIGs 8House in Copenhagens
suburbs; and Modern Ruin, which revisits the futurist architecture of New Yorks 1964 Worlds Fair (above).

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D E S I G N P O R T R A I T.

Tufty-Time, seat system designed by Patricia Urquiola. www.bebitalia.com

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VOL. 31 NO. 243 OCT 2015

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CONTRIBUTORS

WE ASKED:
COLOUR IS BACK. WHERE HAVE
YOU SEEN IT USED BEST?

New perspectives
for your projects.
Im a big fan of SelgasCano, and I was lucky enough to attend the opening
of the 2015 Serpentine Pavilion in London, which they designed using an
incredible spectrum of colour.

Discover innovative materials. Experience the

range of unusual solutions that textile interior
design has to offer the hotel industry. Gain a
wealth of knowledge in a series of high-quality
events and lectures. And benet from an early
preview of the international trends for 2016/2017
in the theme park Well-Being 4.0. These unique
opportunities for architects, project planners and
interior designers are provided only at Heimtextil,
the worlds largest forum for contract textiles
in 2016 from Tuesday through Friday.
For further details and tickets visit
heimtextil.de/contract
info@canada.messefrankfurt.com
Tel. 905-824-5017

For Vintage Revival, Portugal-based writer Rupert Eden spent a night at the
Monverde Hotel in northern Portugals scenic wine country. Page100

Dean Browns innovative and trippy A Matter of Colour exhibition, featured

in this issues trends report, asks the viewer to imagine how colour can
transform a blank canvas like the white vases created for the show.
As co-writer of our 10th annual trends forecast, Elizabeth Pagliacolo drew on
ideas from a host of recent international expos she has attended . Page70

NEW:
Tuesday Friday

12 15. 1. 2016
Ashton Raggatt MacDougalls Shrine of Remembrance additions here
in Melbourne use the symbolic colour of the red poppy to activate public
spaces. Theres a directness and a visceral quality to the use of colour
throughout the scheme.
For The Scenic Route, architect and writer Marcus Baumgart toured
Medibanks new offices in Melbourne, Australia. Page80

Munichs Museum Brandhorst, by Sauerbruch Hutton, is a master class

in colour and optics. The use of multi-hued ceramic pieces on the facade
creates a beautiful optical effect that is dynamic and always changing,
based on your vantage point.
Contributing writer Philam Nguyen turns her attention to stone surfacing and
alternatives for this issues Material World. Page108
34 OCT 2015

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GROUNDBREAKER

BROAD
TASTES

EVEN ALONG GRAND AVENUE, a

street that is becoming Los Angeless major hub

for architectural show-stoppers, the all-white honeycomb veil is hard to miss.
The Broad, which opened in September, sits next door to the silvery waves of
the Walt Disney Concert Hall and kitty-corner to Arata Isozakis heavyset
Museum of Contemporary Art. Housing the collection of Eli and Edythe Broad,
the private art museums rectilinear form is cloaked on all sides (including the
roof) by a perforated shell, with a blocky profile antithetical to Frank Gehrys
roller-coaster curves. The concert hall is a formidable neighbour, says Liz
Diller, founding partner of NewYork firm Diller Scofidio+ Renfro. We wanted
to make something that was more absorptive, perhaps more brittle feeling,
that would not compete but would be an interesting counterpoint.
The veil, assembled from fiberglass-reinforced concrete modules set
on a steel frame, resembles fabric cut on the bias, with the diagonal pattern
designed to capture and diffuse indirect light. At street level, DS+R has
38 OCT 2015

Diller Scofidio + Renfro plants an art

museum in L.A. that holds its own among
formidable neighbours
BY KARINE MONI PHOTOGRAPHY BY IWAN BAAN

employed one of its trademarks, slicing off the buildings corners to create
dramatically angled entryways and portals, like a lifted skirt. The veil envelops
all three storeys: a vast lobby and exhibition spaces on the ground floor; the
archives, which fill the second level; and 3,250 square metres of uninterrupted
exhibition space on the top floor. Without pillars or load-bearing walls, this
sprawling gallery easily accommodates the largest pieces from the museums
collection of postwar and contemporary American art, which comprises
2,000 works by such artists as Jeff Koons and Barbara Kruger and includes
the worlds largest body of photographs by Cindy Sherman.
The sidewalk from Grand Avenue flows directly into the lobby, broken only
by a wall of glass. From here, a seemingly endless escalator glides through
the central concrete vault, where the archives are held, and deposits visitors
on the top floor. There was a paradox in the ambitions of this building, Diller
says. While the museum was intended to contribute to the areas ongoing
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

revitalization, the brief required a substantial amount of archival space on

site. Rather than mere storage, the firm decided to make it an active, visible
architectural component. Our sculptural effect, unlike Gehrys, is more on
the inside, says Diller.
From the top gallery, visitors descend to the vault along a circuitous
staircase. Though the archives are physically off limits, racks of paintings and
scenes of conservators at work are on full view through two glass windows.
We think of it as pre-curated art, Diller says. From outside, the vault is coyly
visible through the veil, and more apparent or less so throughout the day.
Alarge window that provides the vault with daylight is set into a dimple in the
cladding, appearing as if it is being sucked into the building.
Its a bold move, but then the Broad represents just one familys personal
tastes, and, like the collection it contains, is an idiosyncratic statement free
from anyone elses expectations. dsrny.com

The museums perforated veil,

composed of reinforced concrete

modules, extends to the sidewalk
of Grand Avenue in Los Angeles.
The top floor is turned over to
3,250 square metres of column-free
gallery space with soaring sevenmetre ceilings.
Cantilevered over the ground-floor
lobby, the vaults sculpted concrete
form is an ominous presence.

OCT 2015 39

STORY OF

WORKING
AN ANGLE

Japanese paper folding inspired

the striking profile of Formstelles
not-too-big armchair for Rolf Benz
BY CATHERINE SWEENEY

1 LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER

Given carte blanche by German
manufacturer Rolf Benz to envision
an armchair, Claudia Kleine and
Jrg Krschner of Munich studio
Formstelle looked to origami to
inspire the open frame that defines
their 580 chair. The famous image
of the crane served as the formal
motif, say Kleine and Krschner of
the reclining seat, which mixes retro
styling with more contemporary
moves. For the intricate seams, they
drew from another unique Japanese
tradition: the art of folding fabric.

2 CHARTING THE COURSE

Sketches soon gave way to lifesized models made of foam and
cardboard, then a wooden prototype
to determine the geometry needed
to give the chair its deep, comfortable
recline. It was quite challenging
to develop the folded wooden frame,
says the duo of the chairs unusual
V-shape. Fabric folding came into
play when they created the channels
that run through the upholstery.
Tucked and stitched to stretch open,
they act as a visible joint between
the seat and the backrest.

3 THE FINAL FRAME

The chairs fluidity lies in the dramatic
ergonomics of the framework, which
gives the 580 its singular profile,
evoking the meaningful image of the
crane. The figure is one floating
shape, say the designers. One
wooden element that starts at the
front folds to the back and ends in
the armrest. The folded seams are
structured into zones, to create a
casualness thats also high in comfort. Launched in Milan this past
spring, the 580 is offered with a low
or high back and an oak or walnut
frame. formstelle.de, rolf-benz.com
40 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

The dierence is Gaggenau.

To satisfy the worlds nest chefs, you need
to meet the worlds highest performance standards.
Thats why weve been perfecting our craft
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JUST BUILT

ELEPHANT
IN THE ROOM

A wildlife enclosure in Zurich

reveals our changing attitudes
toward animal well-being
BY LLOYD ALTER

INTERNATIONAL OUTRAGE over the death of Cecil the

lion in Zimbabwe this past summer has shown how
our attitudes toward animals have changed. Even
airports are endeavouring to treat them better.
Gensler, the international design and architecture
firm, is working on the first air terminal for animals,
at New Yorks JFK airport. Zoos have changed, too,
becoming less like prisons where wild beasts live
behind bars, and more like research facilities where
species can be observed and protected from
poachers and habitat degradation. In Paris, architect Bernard Tschumi and landscape architect
42 OCT 2015

Jacqueline Osty rebuilt the zoological park, with

fewer animals in more spacious environments.
Rather than a mere attraction, such institutions
are a means of instilling appreciation for science
and natural history.
One of the most revolutionary controlled habitats to be realized has opened at Zoo Zurich, where
local firm Markus Schietsch Architekten unveiled
a home for elephants based on the principle of
protected contact, which calls for entirely separate areas for animals and their keepers. The
massive Elefantenhaus enclosure is covered by

a 1,000-metric-ton undulating dome made from

three layers of cross-laminated timber. This shell is
perforated by skylights that cause the sunlight to
dapple the ground below, creating the effect of a
forest canopy. Project architect Philipp Heidemann
notes that the house responds to the needs and
behaviour of its inhabitants: Its a diverse and stimulating environment for these highly social, intelligent animals. Visitors can glimpse the behemoths
from outside, or from below, where a glass partition
reveals these stunning creatures swimming in their
new pool. markusschietsch.com
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS: TOP AND LEFT BY ANDREAS BUSCHMANN

Elefantenhaus is
topped by a dome punctuated with skylights
that mimic the effect of
a forest canopy.
A glass-walled swimming channel lets guests
view the elephants up
close without intruding
on their space.

FRESH TAKE

SIGN OF
THE TIMES

A pilot project rolls out street signage

thats legible to all, even people with
colour-blindness
BY DAVID DICK-AGNEW

of us lives with some form

of colour vision deficiency. For such people,
navigating a world where indicator lights and
map legends can look virtually indistinguishable is difficult at times. Design that goes
beyond the spectrum to convey information
is beginning to take hold across disciplines,
even in the digital world, as developers
explore unique shapes and orientations for
icons that were once differentiated only
by colour. Whatever works for colour-blind
people will work for others, too, says graphic
designer Nicole Sylianteng, so its a good
thing to aim for.
She created a signage pilot project
now under way in Brisbane, Australia, and
Los Angeles, which makes parking signs far
easier to read, especially for those who have
trouble distinguishing hues. The project was
sparked by a fine she received, the result
of a cluttered, ambiguous street sign that was
confusing even to those with perfect sight.
Ive always been the type to notice everyday
problems and try to figure them out, she
says. My goal was to answer the question
Can parking signs be made clearer?
Her original template, which radically simplified seemingly contradictory signs into a
single all-inclusive one, was initially met with
both encouragement and criticism. People
liked the clarity, but the red and green used
to specify times were difficult to read for
people with certain types of colour-blindness
(distinguishing red from green is the most
common form). Their comments showed me
that they were already jumping ahead to the
next obstacle.
To address the problem, Sylianteng
formed a colour-blind focus group to get
detailed feedback. Based on her findings, she
reworked and refined the patterns to visually
convey the park/dont park information in
multiple ways, adhering to a central maxim:
never rely on colour alone to get your message
across. With the first prototypes now on
selected streets in Brisbane and Los Angeles,
Sylianteng hopes other cities will soon adopt
her parking signage. toparkornottopark.com
NEARLY ONE IN 12

Graphic evolution: four stages of Nicole Sylianteng's parking sign

Initially, solid green

and red bars indicated
parking times.
44 OCT 2015

Icons were added

to reinforce what the
colours represent.

Striped bars increased

readability for people
with colour-blindness.

Lower-contrast stripes
improved readability
for everyone.

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

MY LIFE DESIGN STORIES

Kitchen Collection
Phoenix. High Quality System

To find your nearest showroom call 1-888-poliform | info@poliformusa.com | www.poliformusa.com | design now quick ship program available

CALENDAR
OCTOBER 3 TO JANUARY 3

CHICAGO
ARCHITECTURE
BIENNIAL
ITS A NATURAL FIT for the birthplace of modern architecture to host this

ambitious event, which aims to be the North American rival of the

Venice Biennale. The list of more than 100 participants looks promising,
with top local talents (SOM, Studio Gang) and international virtuosi
(Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, VoTrong Nghia of Vietnam, and Spains
SelgasCano, the firm behind this summers Serpentine Pavilion in
London). Joining them are such emerging practices as the British collective Assemble (profiled on page 66), and MOS Architects (right), the
NewYork firm that won the 2015 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award
for Architecture.
Exhibitions, films and talks will be spread across six venues, including
four galleries, Millennium Park, and the Chicago Cultural Center, where
Torontos Lateral Office will install a series of modern campsites. As
the sole Canadians, Lateral will represent the nations rugged landscape
using five scale-model concepts erected in a 3.6-by-4.3-metre exhibit,
revealing new advances in tent design. chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org

OCTOBER 8 TO 18

SOLAR DECATHLON
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA
The U.S. Department of Energys biennial competition brings
17 college teams to Orange County, in a race to build the
most cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive solarpowered house they can imagine. The public is invited to tour
the completed structures, explore the benefits of the latest
technologies, and judge how this years entries measure up
to RhOME for denCity (left), the social housing concept from
Italy that won the decathlons European edition in 2014.
solardecathlon.gov

OCTOBER 2 TO 4
DWELL ON DESIGN, NEW YORK
The modern design festival returns
to New York, with installations,
products and more than 60
speakers. dwellondesign.com
OCTOBER 17 TO 22
HIGH POINT MARKET,
NORTH CAROLINA
Housewares and home furnishings.
highpointmarket.org
OCTOBER 28 AND 29
NEOCON EAST, PHILADELPHIA
East Coast expo for commercial
interiors. neoconeast.com

OCTOBER 8 TO AUGUST 7

PIXAR: THE DESIGN OF STORY

NEW YORK
The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum provides a
behind-the-scenes look at Pixar, the pioneering studio where
each day animators dream up new landscapes, buildings,
characters and costumes. The paintings, pencil sketches and
sculptures on display reveal the fascinating, intricate process
behind such Oscar winners as Toy Story and WALL-E (right).
cooperhewitt.org

TO OCTOBER 31

OUT OF PLACE
BARCELONA, SPAIN
More than 40 international artists and teams re-examine
such basic concepts as food and shelter for this weird and
wonderful exhibition, curated by local non-profit Fostering
Arts and Design. Included are works from Front Studio,
Droog, Studio Formafantasma, students at the Institute for
Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and Royal College of
Art graduate Johanna Schmeer, who will show her Bioplastic
Fantastic synthetic food project (left). fad.cat
46 OCT 2015

UPCOMING FAIRS

NOVEMBER 18 TO 20
GREENBUILD, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Sustainable products and
innovations. greenbuildexpo.com
DECEMBER 2 AND 3
IIDEXCANADA, TORONTO
Architectural and interior products.
iidexcanada.com
DECEMBER 2 TO 6
DESIGN MIAMI
High-concept collectibles and
exhibits. designmiami.com
JANUARY 12 TO 15
HEIMTEXTIL, FRANKFURT,
GERMANY
The ultimate fair for contract
and residential textiles.
heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com
JANUARY 21 TO 24
INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW, TORONTO
Bath fittings, lighting, home
furnishings and much more at
Canadas premier design event.
interiordesignshow.com

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Modern Style and Superior Ergonomics. With distinctive, angular design featuring a unique, intuitive pull-out spray on
the main and prep models, Metris will fuel your passions in the kitchen. Available in chrome and steel optik. Discover our entire
assortment at www.hansgrohe.ca.

ET CETERA
SELECTION BY ERIN DONNELLY

LIMES BOOKENDS
These deceptive bookends, by Italian studio
Imperfettolab, are cast in
featherweight fibreglass.
Each piece is hand-sanded
and painted to resemble
the texture of natural limestone. imperfettolab.com

PRISMA GUITARS

THE BEACH

Self-taught San Francisco

woodworker Nick Pourfard
recycles broken and used
skateboards into handbuilt guitars. The random
colours of the wooden
decks give each instrument
a one-of-a-kind look.
$2,500, prismaguitars.com

For this summer installation at the National Building

Museum in Washington, D.C.,
New York firm Snarkitecture
constructed a monochromatic seascape of 750,000
translucent plastic balls.
snarkitecture.com

48 OCT 2015

HANGING HOOP CHAIR

One of Lee Brooms

launches in Milan this
year, the suspended
chair is formed from two
brass-plated steel rings,
with a seat and backrest
upholstered in bright red
Kvadrat wool. Aversion
finished in satin black is
also available.
leebroom.com

LES VOTES FILANTES

4TH DIMENSION

Eight different styles of

arches are incorporated
into Atelier Yok Yoks
pavilion of yarn passageways, which was the
winner at the 2015 Cahors
June Gardens Festival in
France. atelieryokyok.com

TABLE CLOCK
This concrete timepiece, by
Taipeis 22 Design Studio,
resembles a tiny staircase,
offering a whimsical representation of the climb to
the top of each hour. $199,
22designstudio.com.tw
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Photo Michel Gibert. Special Thanks: TASCHEN, Camille Stoos. *Conditions apply, contact store for details.

lart de vivre
by roche bobois
Manufactured in Europe.

Mah Jong modular sofa system upholstered in

Rockford rug, design

, design Hans Hopfer.

for Roche Bobois.

Mah Jong cocktail tables, design Roche Bobois Studio.

Doc pedestal table, design Fred Rieffel.
TORONTO
101 Parliament Street
Tel. 416-366-3273
toronto@roche-bobois.com

MONTRAL
505 Avenue du Prsident Kennedy
Tel. 514-350-9070
montreal@roche-bobois.com

Interior design services* and complimentary parking

www.roche-bobois.com

LAVAL - Quartier Laval

660 Boulevard Le Corbusier
Tel. 450-688-6000
laval@roche-bobois.com

BROSSARD - Quartier DIX30TM

8440 Boulevard Leduc
Tel. 450-656-8440
brossard@roche-bobois.com

THE NEW OFFICE

Projects, ideas and innovations
for a better work environment
EDITED BY KENDRA JACKSON

Warm
Front
By turning to wood
finishes, workspaces
like Box Office bring
natural elements inside
BY PAIGE MAGARREY

AT NEOCON THIS YEAR, such brands as Coalesse,

Herman Miller and Teknion launched desks, seating and
storage units in nude wood, tipping the balance toward
a more residential aesthetic. The trend has begun to
travel around the globe; for example, in Melbourne, Cox
Architecture, one of Australias largest international
firms, chose wood as the main material for its new
1,000-square-metre headquarters. Blackbutt eucalyptus and Douglas fir cover the walls, floors and staircases, and in the communal kitchen an expansive
countertop was fashioned out of planks left over from
the construction.
Patrick Ness, design director of the Melbourne
office, says that the elementary material allowed us to
craft spaces that are better suited to creative design
thinking. Astaff of 80 now circulates through the open
areas, with a bank of glassed-in rooms reserved for
private meetings. While wood may not absorb sound

Warm Front P.51
Natural Departure P.52
Lean Machines P.54
Tom Lloyd: How I Work P.56
Noise Busters P.58
By the Numbers P.60
Twice as Nice P.62
Good Chemistry P.64

as well as carpet tiles, it creates what Ness calls a

livespace, where the ambient noise of people working
adds to the energy. Woods natural look also lends
warmth, especially in environments dominated by rows
of monitors, and it makes effective privacy screens.
Ness believes thats why it has started to turn up in
design schemes more often.
Completed this year, Box Office has already
received a nod from the World Architecture Festival,
which shortlisted the project for an award. One striking
feature is in the main atrium, which links two floors via
an oversized staircase that doubles as a multi-stepped
box theatre. Its large enough to provide seating for
the entire team, to act as a meet-up point, or to be used
as a workshop space when clients visit. Ness refers
to it as the town square. Every aspect of the space has
been considered in terms of how we use it to create
and collaborate, he says.
OCT 2015 51

THE NEW OFFICE

Natural
Departure
Wooden elements that bring
a relaxed energy to the office
BY PAIGE MAGARREY

CREATION BY
GERFLOR USA
For this easy-to-install
vinyl flooring, wood grain
patterns are printed on
tear-resistant film and
then topped with a
28-millimetre wear layer.
Thirty-eight finishes are
available, in planks and
tiles. gerflorusa.com

GRID BY ARCO

British designer Jonathan

Prestwichs conference
table, in solid oak or wood
veneer, spans up to 3.6
metres between supports,
providing a flexible surface
for solo or group work.
Hidden power and data
plug-ins included. arco.nl
PARKER BY HBF

These super-clean hardwood tables come with

brushed brass and copper
accents, including purse
hooks and power troughs.
hbf.com
STADERA BY CASSINA

Designed by Franco Albini

in 1954, this reissued
trapezoidal writing table
has two defined zones that
can be customized in ash
or walnut, among other
options such as leather.
Shown here with Albinis
matching Luisa chair.
cassina.com
52 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

0.0"

8.3"

16.7"

25.0"

33.3"

41.7"

50.0"

58.3"

66.7"

75.0"

83.3"

8.3"

16.7"

25.0"

33.3"

100.0"

108.3"

10%

ZOOM: THE BEAUTY OF NATURE IN GLASS

Zoom Digital Darkroom + Zoom photo library + ViviGraphix Spectra glass
Together, they make it easier than ever to bring natures beauty to large-scale glass applications.
www.zoomdigitaldarkroom.com

91.7"

THE NEW OFFICE

Lean
Machines
Lighter and less bulky, office chairs
are becoming streamlined without
sacrificing lumbar support

ALLSTAR BY VITRA

WHEELS BY KEILHAUER

This adjustable seat by

Konstantin Grcic is defined
by a tube of polyamide
that forms the arm- and
backrest. Vitra encourages
mixing the upholstery from
the 28 colours available.
vitra.com

Light and compact, Wheels

moves around effortlessly
to encourage breakout
sessions. Its part of a
seven-piece collection by
EOOS; and the casters come
with or without locks.
keilhauer.com

THEO BY KIMBALL

Wood veneer and tweed

offer a casual elegance.
An embedded heightadjusting gas cylinder
has an auto-return to
bring the swivel seat back
to a straight position.
kimballoffice.com

TURNAROUND BY

SOLAR BY GLOBAL
An integrated tilt function
and a near-invisible height
adjustment lever give Solar
its sleek profile. Amesh
seat and back with a polymer frame make it featherlight, at just 11kilograms.
globalcontract.com

SHORTCUT BY

TURNSTONE
Meant for brief sitting
stints, Shortcut has a
polypropylene back with
built-in elbow rests that
invites users to lean back
while using handheld
devices away from the
desk. myturnstone.com
54 OCT 2015

INSCAPE
While a wraparound
backrest supports good
posture, the sloped edge
makes it easy to transition
to standing. Available as a
stool or chair, its a perfect
partner for standing desks.
inscapesolutions.com

BAY BY NIENKMPER
Busk+Hertzogs casual
seat can be tailored to
almost any environment.
It comes in various
upholstery options, with
a tapered base that can
be upholstered, wrapped
in veneer or painted.
nienkamper.com

HARD MAPLE, BARISTA

Or

D+

Ex

Na

El

Origins

Design+

Exotic

Nature

Elegancia

Collection

Collection

Collection

Collection

Collection

Five collections offering over 2,000 wood ooring combinations, and an endless variety of
colours, widths, and nishes. With Mercier, youll discover a world of options where your
imagination can have free reign.
MERCIER

dream it, imagine it, achieve it!

mercierwoodooring.com

THE NEW OFFICE

Tom Lloyd:
How I Work
The co-principal of furniture design studio
PearsonLloyd on what it takes to create a happy
and productive office AS TOLD TO PAIGE MAGARREY

Your staff of 16 shares a

167-square-metre office in
Shoreditch, in London.
Tell us about it.
Most of what we do is at human
scale. We design digitally, but we
also need a parallel process for
physical building, so we have 3-D
printers next to our sketchbooks,
next to our CAD software, next
to our cardboard mock-ups. Weve
moved our workshop to another
location a mile or so away; we
decided to take a second space,
where we can manipulate models.

Lloyd and his team have developed

some unexpected concepts for
Teknion, including a wooden loveseat
for one-on-one meetings.

56 OCT 2015

Is collaborative space key?

In London, we dont have the luxury
of space, because its so expensive,
so our individual workspaces have
gotten smaller, but that has allowed
for more collective environments.
There is constant interaction
between team members, and as in
most offices everyone benefits from
the different types of spaces: the
big conference table, a quiet area,
various pin-up zones, a workshop
and so on. These tend to merge.
What do you consider
essential to a productive office?
The understanding that productivity
within the knowledge economy is
about making the most of peoples
minds. Motivating them properly,
keeping them active, keeping them
alive, keeping them healthy.

What led to your recent line

for Teknion, which includes
a chair that two can sit in and
a hat stand?
We were trying to understand what
makes a work environment healthy.
Its not always about sitting in one
chair in front of a monitor. It becomes
much more about finding a point of
interest for groups of people. We
wanted to express craft making as
an antidote to the seriousness of
office design. The hat stand is close
to my heart. It immediately gives
you a different sense for a workspace. I have one myself, next to my
office chair.
It seems almost residential.
Well, we arent aiming to make
offices look like homes. You might
call it humanity; thats what were
interested in. Its about investing in
peoples emotions. For a long time,
that kind of thinking, where the
employees well-being is important,
was like a bonus to staff. But enlightened organizations now realize that
humanity is how you get productivity.

So what happens at the

main office?
People work from their individual
desks, but the studio is also collaborative. The creative areas are more
about standing in front of drawings,
almost like at a design school, where
you can see what someone else
is working on and discuss it openly.

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

RESCAPE

Wall Tile Office

Winner in Workplace: Furniture/Systems

by Interior Design magazine

2015 Idea Book at three-h.com

THE NEW OFFICE

Noise
Busters
Sound panels that artfully
dial down the cacophony of
shared environments

1 WOOF AND WARP BY MOROSO

Influenced by the Jacobs ladder folk toy, Maarten deCeulaers divider
is assembled with fabric strips that work like hinges, giving it flexibility
in how it folds and unfolds. A foam core dampens sound. moroso.it
2 BUZZIFALLS BY BUZZISPACE
With graphic cut-outs (including forest silhouettes), these hanging
screens double as room dividers. Theyre made of felt constructed
from 100 per cent upcycled plastic bottle waste. buzzi.space
3 SCREEN SYSTEM BY CAPPELLINI
Copenhagen studio GamFratesis screens are suspended from the
ceiling. Any number of textile petals can be added to the Alexander
Calderinspired design. cappellini.it
4 PATCH BY STOKKEAUSTAD AND GU
Combining colourful wool with such hard materials as mirror, polished
brass and Norwegian stone, these standing or wall-mounted panels,
designed by StokkeAustad, are like works of art. gu.no
58 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Beautiful, contemporary Italian design. Luxurious European materials.

Exclusively Made In Italy. Because your ofce is your image. Babini Ofce.

Adaptable.
Elegant.
Welcoming.
North American Dealer Soscia Professional Engineers Inc.
10376 Yonge Street, Suite 307
Richmond Hill, ON L4C 3B8
www.sosciaeng.ca /babiniofce
For a personal consultation, please email ciusso@sosciaeng.ca or call 905 - 237- 5410

THE NEW OFFICE

By the
Numbers
Recent studies show that millennials
thrive in work environments that take
well-being seriously BY KENDRA JACKSON

26min.
Ideal nap time to
improve productivity
and performance

10min.

67%

Minimum
amount of exercise
needed to boost
concentration

feel happiest in
bright, colourful
workspaces

4/10
value employee
well-being
over profits

Facebooks headquarters in Silicon Valley,

designed by Frank Gehry, hits many of the marks
that make an ideal office for todays generation.

94%
say access to
natural light is their
top request

60 OCT 2015

called Mind the Gaps, an expansive study into the

minds of millennials and their priorities at work.
One of the most compelling takeaways is that the
generation born after 1982 has a stronger commitment to improved social good and well-being
than to profits. Other think tanks and R&D departments are reaching similar results. A key finding
from a report by research firm Human Spaces,
commissioned by Interface, indicated that physical space is central to happiness. For instance,
two-thirds of survey respondents said that they
feel most fulfilled in brightly coloured, naturally lit
environments, with green, yellow and blue accents
favoured the most.
We wondered how the ultimate millennial
office the Frank Gehrydesigned campus for
Facebook, which opened in March stacks up.
Many of the most desired features have been
worked into the sprawling building. For one, the
rooftop is a vast playground, and almost everywhere you look there are full-height windows
with views of Silicon Valley. Colour, too, has been
generously added, and the open concept layout
accommodates a variety of set-ups for working,
relaxing and eating. The campus may not address
every preference, but it points to a sea change in
office design.
STATISTICS PROVIDED BY DELOITTE,
HUMAN SPACES, NASA AND THE BMJ

PHOTOS BY JEREMY BITTERMANN

EARLIER THIS YEAR, Deloitte published a report

THE NEW OFFICE

Twice
as Nice

FADE BY FADE STUDIO

The first product from San Francisco lighting
company Fade Studio is this articulated
lamp. The key selling point of the design is
the touch-slide dimmer, which adjusts light
from warm to cool with a simple swipe of
the finger. The die-cut steel arm bends and
rotates, and a USB port is embedded in the
iron base. fadestudio.com

Five ingenious desktop essentials

that multi-task as much as youdo

DIGITAL
TRANSCRIBING

DUAL
POWER
1

WIRELESS
CHARGING

AESTHETIC
APPEAL
4

62 OCT 2015

1 LIVESCRIBE NOTEBOOK BY MOLESKINE

The beloved notepad company has
joined the digital age without losing the
power of the pen. Simply writing on the
page makes your notes appear instantly
on a computer screen, where they can
be converted into type. moleskine.com

3 CORIAN CHARGING SURFACE

BY DUPONT
Dupont is now building transmitters
into Corian. A phone sits on a disc-shaped
spot and starts to refuel its battery
immediately via a Powermat ring attachment. dupont.com

2 RIGGAD BY IKEA
Ikea has been rolling out numerous
products that double as charging stations.
Riggad offers two ways to revive devices:
a built-in USB port, and a wireless charging
surface on a blond wood base.
ikea.com

4 ASOLA BY CLIQUE
Part lamp, part power station and part
sculpture, this stylish lamp, designed
by emerging Milan studio Clique, is made
of Carrara marble and has a discreet
USB charger integrated into the base.
clique-editions.com
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Large and small squares,

planks and skinny planks.

NS230 in Wasabi and NS231 in Chai

PE A C E A N D Q U I E T C L A R I T Y
Nature shows us how to enliven the spirit and awaken our senses from the ground up. It is the very root of creativity and well-being. Invite it inside
and witness its power to positively inuence human motivation and productivity. Introducing the Narratives Collection.

A Foundation For Beautiful Thinking.

beautifulthinkers.com

THE NEW OFFICE

Good
Chemistry
With its mobile desk in tow, one
London consultancy helps companies
stir up team spirit and maintain
a healthy bottom line BY PAIGE MAGARREY

IN 2014, entrepreneur Curtis James, an avid documentary photo blogger, founded a novel

Baines&Fricker's portable workstation

is similar to military field equipment.
Once unpacked, the desktop lab is mounted
on its case.
Fieldwork founder Curtis James began
setting up his desk in offices around the U.K.
in September.
64 OCT 2015

consultancy in London called Fieldwork, which uses ethnological studies to help companies
fine-tune their operations by finding new ways to inspire employees. But James doesnt
rely on management meetings or remote data research. Rather, he and his agents (one with
a Ph.D. in anthropology) immerse themselves in their clients workspace, tracking the daily
habits and goings-on, and recording their observations via photographs and notes.
The fieldworkers arrive with their own custom-made lab, a plywood trunk on wheels that
opens into a mini-office with a pull-down writing surface and cubbyholes for storing
research materials. Designed by Steve Baines and Eliza Fricker, of Baines&Fricker, the lab
is constructed for quick set-up and portability, in the tradition of military field desks. When
its delivered, the agent simply mounts the contents on top of the shipping box and begins.
Its a rather theatrical way of studying human behaviour on site, but one that helps James
and his team engage employees in the process while keeping an impartial distance. Once the
studies have been completed, the artifacts are exhibited on the office wall, and later
turned into a digital book with recommendations and tools to adopt. wearefieldwork.com,
bainesandfricker.net
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

BEST PRACTICES
YARDHOUSE, STRATFORD, 2014
Handmade concrete tiles
cover the facade of Yardhouse,
a barn-like two-storey studio
which Assemble rents to out to
other creatives. The interior is
raw timber, with two outer bays
opening onto a double-height
communal area.

ASSEMBLE
Britains hottest collective is all about teamwork,
public and volunteer collaborations, and making the
most of tiny budgets. By Brendan Cormier
Location
Stratford, U.K.
Established
2010
Current members
James Binning, Amica Dall, Alice Edgerley, Frances Edgerley,
Anthony Engi Meacock, Jane Hall, Joseph Halligan, Lewis
Jones, Mathew Leung, Maria Lisogorskaya, Louis Schulz,
Giles Smith, Paloma Strelitz and Adam Willis
Awards
2015 Shortlisted for the Turner Prize

Selected projects
Current Goldsmiths Art Gallery, London
Current 10 Houses on Cairns Street, Liverpool
Current Durham Wharf artists studio redevelopment,
London
2015 The Brutalist Playground exhibition, RIBA , London
2011 Folly for a Flyover, London
2010 Cineroleum, Clerkenwell Road, London

assemblestudio.co.uk

66 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

BELL SQUARE PAVILION, LONDON, IN PROGRESS

The raked seating for an outdoor theatre, with storage
space beneath the bleachers, will use cross-laminated
timber for its primary structure, with an exterior skin of
glazed porcelain tiles and acid-etched concrete treads.

THE BRUTALIST PLAYGROUND,

RIBA GALLERY, LONDON, 2015
For a recent exhibition exploring
playgrounds, Assemble
recreated the notoriously unsafe
concrete and steel playgrounds
of the brutalist era and added
a layer of soft, squidgy foam. The
material happens to look like
terrazzo, though its pastel palette
is industry standard for denoting
the foams density.

GOLDSMITHS ART GALLERY, LONDON, IN PROGRESS

The studio has been commissioned to design a new art gallery for Goldsmiths,
University of London, contained within a network of existing spaces at a former
Victorian bathhouse. Many of the original cast iron water tanks will be kept intact
within the brick building, while skylit galleries will be inserted on top to provide
a distinct spatial counterpoint.
OCT 2015 67

BEST PRACTICES

FOLLY FOR A FLYOVER,

LONDON, 2011

BACKSTORY
Heads turned this spring when Assemble was
nominated for the Turner Prize, one of the worlds
most prestigious art awards, handed out each
year by the Tate gallery. It was the rst time an
architecture practice made the short list. The
novelty, however, is one of a string of exceptional
facts about Assemble. To begin with, they are all
young, in their mid-twenties; and for a start-up
they are big, currently made up of 14 co-founders.
But its their work approach that has triggered
the most interest. Hands on, community engaged
and locally inspired, their projects stand in stark
contrast to the spectator-driven glass and steel
boxes that have blanketed London, and other
metropolises, in recent years.
How did such an anomaly start? It was with a
simple ambition to build. Assemble began in 2010
as a group of mostly architecture graduates keen
to work with their hands. Their rst project was
self-initiated. Using arts grant money of 5,000
pounds, they found a vacant gas station in London
and convinced the owner to let them take it over
for a short time. We wanted to make something
where people would have a reason to go to,
member Alice Edgerley explains. The result was
Cineroleum, a pop-up cinema constructed from
cheap industrial materials. Built in three weeks
with volunteer labour, it ran for a month and was
managed by the team and their friends. Its an
aspect that has become an important trait in
Assembles projects, where clever management
has played an equal role to design.
Cineroleum was a huge hit, and what followed
was a series of invitations to design, program and
manage similar temporary installations around
the city. With Folly for a Flyover (2011), Assemble
lled an underpass with a scaffold structure
whose gable poked up through a gap between
express lanes. The house-like building was clad
in wooden bricks hand sawn from reclaimed
timber. Together with the Barbican Arts Gallery
and local businesses, they programmed and
hosted a month of performances, screenings and
other activities that brought the space to life.
Edgerley explains that the project emboldened
the authorities to develop the space further:
Theres now capital investment on the site, with
a permanent stage, water and electricity.

TIPPING POINT
Despite the teams successes, Assemble was
operating on a voluntary basis. Things changed
in 2012 when the London Legacy Development
Corporation offered them a deal on a studio
space in East London, amid a landscape of derelict
industrial buildings awaiting redevelopment.
At Sugarhouse Studios, the group explored ways
to bring in private creative practices combined
with public uses. Acting as property managers,
they established a caf-pizzeria, and later invited
a group of carpenters and a stonemason to inhabit
68 OCT 2015

and use the space. They later built Yardhouse,

a barn-like structure adorned in multicoloured
concrete tiles, to house even more workspaces.
Besides creating a rental income, it tested out a
strategy that Assemble felt could be applied to
the whole neighbourhood. Says Edgerley,
Yardhouse was talking about how affordable
workspace could be created, but also about how
vacant yards could be turned into assets.
At the same time, Assemble had also been
working on temporary interventions and collaborating as projects arose. It was a commission in
a suburb of London that gave them the security
they needed to become a full-time practice.
Design for London commissioned them to redesign a central public square in New Addington.
Not satised to simply draw out the plans from
their new East London digs, they collaborated
with locals for nine months to determine ways
the space could be activated. They tried pedestrianizing streets, setting up a stage, reorganizing
the market and laying down a skate park. The
1:1 scale mock-ups were crucial in understanding
the viability of each proposal. More importantly,
they engaged local residents and helped to foster
a spirit of ownership for the project.

Like most of Assembles projects,

this temporary venue, wedged
between two elevated street
ramps in East London, was built
by teams of enthusiastic
volunteers. The toy-like facade
looks like brick but is actually
made from chunks of reclaimed
wood strung together on wires.
Open-air seating was added for
watching films at night. During
the day, the peak-roofed venue
operated as a caf.

ON THE BOOKS
It was this commitment to community collaboration that earned them the Turner nomination,
and what may win them the award when it is
announced in December. In Toxteth, a blighted
area of Liverpool, a community group had been
trying to save some vacant houses from demolition. Through a social investor, Assemble was
brought in to create a plan to reinvigorate a
cluster of houses and public spaces in the area.
The refurbishment, now under way, uses local
apprentices and simple, low-cost materials that
will instantly lend the street character. Whether
efforts like this can be called art is perhaps
beside the point. More importantly, it continues
Assembles mission to nd affordable and locally
engaged ways to deliver architectural projects.
Their largest project to date is a commission
to build an art gallery for Goldsmiths, University
of London. Once again, they have turned to found
resources to inform the project. In a former
Victorian bathhouse, they hope to preserve the
more formidable relics, including the massive
cast iron water tanks, while providing a proper
environment for an art gallery to operate. Its
about amplifying those pre-existing conditions
while creating a range of different spaces to
display art, says Edgerley. Big, small, temporary
and permanent, Assemble is amassing a diverse
portfolio that demonstrates a common idea:
architecture can be co-created, communicative
and locally inspired. Thats a big deal in a city
where citizens are increasingly alienated from
big-money development.
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

THEATRE ON THE FLY,

CHICHESTER, 2012
To create a summer playhouse
for the Chichester Festival
Theatre, Assemble and a team
of volunteers built a barn-like
structure made almost entirely
from donated reusable and
recyclable materials. The cladding is a translucent fibre web,
typically used to line ponds. Held
in place by cable ties that fasten
its structural seams to the subframe, it is almost silent when it
moves in the wind and rain.

THE CINEROLEUM, CLERKENWELL ROAD, LONDON, 2010

The groups first project turned an old gas station into a pop-up summer cinema.
An Austrian drape curtain made of silvery roofing membrane was strung along all four
sides and rose after screenings to reveal the audience to the street. The flip-up seats
were made from reclaimed scaffolding boards.
OCT 2015 69

2016
DESIGN
TRENDS
From luminous translucency to the depths of outer
space, here are the materials, objects and buildings that are
basking in the most impactful colours of the coming year
Selected by Catherine Osborne and Elizabeth Pagliacolo

70 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Daniel Libeskinds Gemma chair

for Moroso, upholstered in deep
blue ombr. moroso.it
Opposite: Flex wall lamp, by
Karim Rashid for Fontana Arte.
fontanaarte.com.

CO
OLOUR
R ALW
WAYS AROUSE
ES VISCERAL REACTIO
ONS
S. While
e whitte is seeen
ass pure and timeleesss, second
dary shadess such ass red
ds, purplles an
nd greeens
ch
han
nge with each fasshion seeason. Yet studies sh
how
w we havve a meaasuraable
reeacction
n to colourr. Itt is weell proven thaat blue bo
oostts creatiivity, forr insttancce,
whiilee reed en
nhancees our atttention to deetail or makees us feeel more red
d up..
In
n Milan
n thiss sprin
ng,, theree was a notab
ble shift towaard
d morre brilliaant to
oness.
Nott the mintt green
ns and dussty roses off the pastt cou
uple of yearss, but ricch,
allmost regall, shad
des of burrgundy, goldeen ochree and
d forestt greeen.
For his neew furn
nitture linee for &tradiition, dessign
nerr Lucaa Nich
hettto caamee
up
p with
h an entire texxtile palette of nattural shaades in
nspireed fro
om eartth
to
onees. Mean
nwhilee, Moooiis inaugural carpet collecttion ussed pow
werfu
ul
diigiitaal-p
printting teech
hnologgy to bring out the ceellularr struccturees and jeweel
to
onees off rosee petaals, amon
ng other microscopicc dettaiils. On
ne caarp
pett fro
om
th
he seriies, Crystall Rose byy Marcel Waanders (fe
featu
ureed on
n pagee 73)), was
laaun
ncheed in indigo, atimeeleess, brillian
nt hue th
hat iss havingg its momen
nt
(aagaain).. Or, if you prrefer, you can call it royal blue,, electriic blu
ue, #dreess-gaatee blu
ue. Orr, as th
he youngg design stud
dio Soft Baro
oque off Lond
don lik
kes to
o

caall itt, ch
hrom
ma blu
ue. Danieel Libeskindss Gemmaa chaairr, a prrototyypee spo
otted
d
att th
he Morosso boo
oth
h durin
ng Salone deel Mobilee, waas cloak
ked in
n a spacceaggeyy wh
hite and blu
ue ombrr.
While satu
urated
d tones deliver a wom
mb-like warrmth, offten com
mpattiblee
with
h such in
nvitingglyy plush
h textures as velvet and wool, ligght in
nfu
usion
n is
allwaays on trend to
o balance things out. One of the best exaamplees arrrivved in
Lo
ondon
n thiss summ
mer, with
h the installaation of Span
nissh rm
m SellgaasC
Can
nos
Seerp
penttine Pavilio
on. The psychedelic wormho
ole, as the Guard
dian
n callled it,
wass made off an iriideescentt polymer th
hat let in sunligght an
nd prrojeected
d
bonss of co
olour on
nto thee skin and clothing of vissittors ass theyy moveed
ribb
th
hro
ough
h the cocoo
on--like spaace. In mosst of the rm
ms projeects, multi-h
hued
d
trran
nspaarenccy is th
he main material.
Other architectts are exxpaanding their paletttes, too
o. Sou
u Fujiimotto,
kn
nown for his all-wh
hite min
nimalist aeesthetic, receently co
ompleeteed a shop
ppiingg cen
ntre in Miaami, decckeed out with
h light-diffussin
ng blu
ue glaasss. Collourrs
mayy com
me an
nd go,, bu
ut as Ettore Sottsaass once said
d, You dontt saave yourr
so
oull jusst paiinting evveryth
hin
ng white.
OCT 2015 71

ELECTRIC

1
3

2
72 OCT 2015

1 Like a rushing river, a vibrant blue courses through the Water Museum in Lisbon, contouring
the ceiling and exhibit displays. Interior by P-06 Atelier. 2Soft Baroques plank chair, la Gerrit
Rietveld, features a chroma blue skin that acts as a green screen, allowing patterns and images to be
projected onto it. softbaroque.com 3Dutch lighting company Booo has taken a fresh approach to
LEDs with its Smart Bulb that hides in an aluminum sleeve. booo.com 4Jasper Morrisons classic
Bac seat (2009) is shown here in indigo. cappellini.it 5 The Plug side table, by Lanzavecchia+Wai,
is the young studios first collaboration with Cappellini. cappellini.it 6Francesco Binfar has
created some of Edras most iconic sofas. His latest is a massive sectional called Absolu. edra.com
7Daniel Sean Murphys paper roses and shears decorated a table by Egg Collective, shown last
spring in New York. danielseanmurphy.com 8With the help of a Chromojet800 printer, Moooi is
able to produce Marcel Wanders Crystal Rose (actually a rectangular carpet measuring two by
three metres) with picture-perfect resolution. moooicarpets.com 9Giorgio Bonaguros Roots
vase within a vase can be used from either end. driade.com

5
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

FIVE MINUTES WITH ITALIAN DESIGN LEGEND

PAOLA NAVONE ON WHY SHE IS SOIN LOVE
WITH THE COLOUR BLUE

How do you describe the particular blue you use most?

My blue is a kind of fluid, powerful indigo. Its a mysterious,
ancient colour, and it makes me feel at home while also
taking me far away to countries like Africa or India, or to
places near the Mediterranean Sea that are very special
to me.
What first drew you to this colour? Its been part of
your work since the 1980s.
I have a huge attraction for cold, liquid colours that do not
have a sense of earth. I was born in March; Iam a fish.
Water is my natural element, and blue for me has a kind of
hypnotic effect. Im drawn to it because it can be so many
things: it can be soft or full of energy, or it can look contemporary or traditional, or ironic, or tribal or pop. It gives me
so many unexpected opportunities to be creative.
Youve designed for a wide range of brands, from
Gervasoni and NLXL to Crate&Barrel and Anthropologie.
Do you take a different approach with each client?
My tools are always the same: simplicity, curiosity and
irony. Simplicity is my way of living and thinking about
design. Curiosity is to see the little wonders that are everywhere. And irony makes even the simplest things special.
What are you working on now that uses your signature
colour?
Im working on two interior projects: a patisserie in Athens
and a bar in Paris. I have just finished a new collection for
Dominique Kieffer by Rubelli, the Venetian textile company.
Of course, in all these things my blue is always there. - E.P.

Navones wallpaper collection for NLXL is called Addiction, after

her lifelong infatuation with blue. nlxl.com

RICH
JEWEL
TONES
1
1 Zanotta has reissued Joy, a modular unit of five or seven shelves with articulated joints, originally designed in 1989 by Achille Castiglioni. zanotta.it 2Dirt
Pattern Material is 100 per cent cotton pre-stained with grass, wine, bike oil and
blood to camouflage any additional stains the wearer might make. A project
by Mair/Wennel. dirtpatternmaterial.com 3Ideal for cocooning, the Lipp seat
by Piero Lissoni is defined by its tufted diamond pattern. livingdivani.it 4Big
Island, by Anderssen& Voll, is the Norwegian studios first product with Artifort.
artifort.com 5These w151 spun aluminum lights, by Claesson Koivisto Rune,
come in deep hues of orange and red. wastberg.com 6Luca Nichettos Cloud
One Seater is shown here in volcano red upholstery by Kvadrat. andtradition.com
7Raction Potique, by Jaime Hayon, is a playful collection of accessories in
black-stained ash wood. cassina.com 8Sebastian Herkners Pipe chair uses
a fat steel pipe for its construction. moroso.it 9Stefan Borseliuss Poppe
upholstered chair stands nearly four times as tall as it is wide. blastation.com

FIVE MINUTES WITH DESIGNER DEAN BROWN

ON HIS ADDICTION TO COLOUR
6
7

Tell us about A Matter of Colour, the recent project you

created with Svres.
Initially, I knew very little about the company, which in
retrospect was quite valuable. I now know it to be the most
prestigious porcelain manufacturer in France, with a royal
legacy. A lot of designers might have been intimidated to
work with them, so my naivet gave me a fresh perspective.
I wasnt scared to try something different.
What was the biggest thing you learned from Svres
about colour?
I visited the factory three times and found the vividness
of the ceramic powders really striking. Svres has libraries
dedicated to the archiving of pigments that date back 300
years. Its the closest experience Ive had to feeling like
Charlie visiting the chocolate factory. I wanted my pieces to
celebrate that magic. We produced 14 unique vases, some
of which have been sold. The others are travelling to various
art and design fairs.
So much of what you do involves bold, brilliant tones.
Tell us about your relationship with colour.
I was a resident at Fabrica, then I became a senior design
consultant for the communications research centre.
Relocating for the job was a defining moment for me, because
the Italians are so effortless with colour. During that period,
we did a number of projects for United Colors of Benetton, a
brand with a wonderful DNA that requires a bold, brash and
optimistic palette.
Designers often avoid colours because they are prone
to being in or out. Can colour be trend immune?
I always try to use colour to articulate a certain message
rather than just because. With Svres, the company is
particularly famous for blue, which comes in deep and vivid
variations. This blue became the dominant hue in the palette
I chose. A contextual rationale can allow a colour
to transcend trendiness.
What do think of the recent colour resurgence?
Its definitely encouraging to see big brands becoming more
adventurous. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius is doing great
things with Vitra. Even classic pieces by the likes of Jean
Prouv are being renewed with a palette that is bold and
nuanced beyond the expected. - C.O.
Vases from Dean Browns A Matter of Colour series showcase
Svress ceramic pigments, which date back 300 years.

76 OCT 2015

1 Celestial, by Edward van Vliet, is part of Mooois signature carpet collection,

launched in Milan this spring. moooicarpets.com 2On July 14, 2015, NASAs New
Horizons space probe passed by Pluto, gathering new information on the dwarf
planet and showing off the detail of its terrain with amplified colours. nasa.gov
3Balance of Beautys interior hemisphere is partially filled with sand, enabling the
mirror surface to be rolled into the desired position. janandhenry.com 4Moon
Light, a prototype by London designer Marjan van Aubel, is made of lightweight
porcelain that rises like bread in the kiln, expanding to 300per cent of its original
size. marjanvanaubel.com 5Ron Arads Glider, made from a single block of
foam, rests on hidden tracks, allowing it to rock gently back and forth. moroso.it
6Sebastian Herkners Nebra LED pendants, made of casted glass, are as flat as
a CD. fontanaarte.com 7 For pre-fall 2015, Valentino went where no couture
collection has gone before, with embroidered constellations capturing the planets
in motion. valentino.com 8Bec Brittains Maxhedron encases eight halogen lights
inside a volume made of two-way mirror panels. becbrittain.com 9The Eclipse
sconce by Philippe Malouin, available in December, produces a corona of light
around a hemispheric shade. rollandhill.com 10Cosmic Diner plates, by Diesel
Living with Seletti, includes Uranus, Venus, the sun and the moon. seletti.it
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

10

OCT 2015 77

1
78 OCT 2015

PHOTO BY ROBIN HILL

6
3

1 A detail of this years Serpentine Pavilion in London. Spanish design firm

SelgasCano wove the tent-like structure from stripes of the fluorine-based polymer
ETFE. serpentinegalleries.org 2Sou Fujimotos Palm Court, a shopping centre in the
Miami Design District, delivers high drama with a repeat of blue glass fins that reflect
its glamorous surroundings. 3Dewey bookshelves, by Patricia Urquiola, are made of
plastic but give the impression of glass. kartell.it 4Juicer, by Elinor Portnoy,
a master of arts student at the Royal College of Art in London. The juicers are hand
blown, carved, then ground. elinorportnoy.com 5Chinese firm Coordination Asias
Rainbow Chapel, inShanghai, is enclosed with panels constructed from over 3,000
glass elements in 65 colours. coordination.asia 6Philippe Starcks Boxinbox,
made of laminated and thermo-welded extra-light glass, sits on a stainless steel
base. glasitalia.com 7One of four vases inspired by the seasons, each one mouth
blown by Oslo designer Kristine Five Melvaer. kristinefivemelvaer.com 8Piero
Lissonis two-tone thermoplastic vases for Kartell exploit the translucency of colours,
creating different hues where they overlap. kartell.it

8
OCT 2015 79

THE
SCENIC
ROUTE
A dramatic atrium of stairways and ramps
within a Melbourne office is designed to get
employees out of their seats and walking
By Marcus Baumgart
Photography by Earl Carter

80 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

OCT 2015 81

 A ribbon-like blue ramp traverses four

levels and invites employees to bring their
bikes into the buildings storage facility.
Approximately 520 climbing and bedding
plants, mostly native, are incorporated into
the facade and cover 10 per cent of the
building. Grassy areas above street level
are ideal for taking midday breaks.
 The atriums spiral of colour-coded
ceilings and floors are an effective
wayfinding feature for navigating the seven
floors where 1,600 employees now work.
82 OCT 2015

PHOTO (BOTTOM) BY PETER BENNETTS

MEDIBANK IS AUSTRALIAS largest private health

insurer, and last August it opened its new head
office in Melbourne, in a building that neighbours such landmarks as Etihad Stadium, home
to the Australian Football League, and Southern
Cross railway station. Located in the Docklands,
the countrys largest urban renewal development,
the black and whiteclad building has quickly
become a beacon for what could be the healthiest
work environment on the planet. Hassell, the
international design practice behind the new
office, calls the interior landscape a health-based
working environment, or HBW, and it is a clear
departure from the more familiar activity-based
working phenomenon that has permeated so
many workplaces, where foosball tables and tube
slides are the norm.
Health-based working puts the emphasis
on the well-being of the buildings occupants,
and one of the primary goals is to encourage
employees to move continually throughout the
day. At Medibank Place, the central atrium,
which rises the full height of the 16-storey building, is the most evident feature that encourages
walking versus taking the elevator. Various
circulation paths, including one extensive ramp
and 17 stairways, snake in all directions. Its a
spectacular and inviting sight, a bit reminiscent
of a bustling termite mound. Upbeat colours
that demarcate oors and ceilings are combined
with the uid forms of curving white walls that
appear to recede into the distance. Even cycling
is encouraged. The ramp, located near the main
entrance, spirals upward from the street, allowing
employees access to a bike storage area en route.
Beyond promoting physical movement, the
building is lled with nourishing environments.
Twenty-six types of work settings are available
to the roughly 1,600 employees, including such
tropes as standing desks, caf-style breakout
areas, balconies equipped with Wi-Fi, and quiet
places for solitary downtime. Locating these

OCT 2015 83

 Hassells design for a health-based

working environment includes 26
variations on work settings, including
casual caf-style meeting areas and
standing desks.
The new headquarters is in the
Docklands, Australias largest urban
renewal project, which has seen three
square kilometres of abandoned
land outside Melbourne transformed
into a major office, entertainment
and transportation hub.
84 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO (BOTTOM) BY PETER BENNETTS

spaces in different orientations allows for varied

natural lighting conditions. Circadian lighting
in certain areas mimics natural daylight patterns
to support peoples biorhythms. Liberated from
xed seating arrangements, employees are free
to choose where and how to work within these
spaces, as individuals or as part of a team.
Another piece of the puzzle is the inclusion
of plants. Foliage can be found on balconies, on
the buildings exterior and throughout the
interior. Two green walls 25 metres high ank
the ground-oor entrance, bringing the green
theme to the public realm. The effect is soothing,
offering a visual respite from the tedium
of screen-based work.
Collaboration is not just a keyword for the
Medibank workforce. It is what informed Tony
Dickens, lead architect and principal at Hassell,
and his team which consisted of Hassells own
staff, plus interior designers, architects and
landscape architects from other studios, each
playing a part in every aspect of the facility and
crossing disciplinary boundaries at will.
The plaza level, which rises for several oors,
was jointly conceived by Hassell and local rms
Kerry Phelan Design Office, Russell& George,
and Chris Connell Design. The result is a sense
of variety and subtle variation worked into the
experience of the building, which now contains
a number of healthy features, including a multipurpose sports court, and an edible garden with
a demonstration kitchen nearby, to encourage
good nutrition among the ranks.
Benets of the HBW agenda are beginning
to emerge. Internal polling shows a marked
increase in productivity, by as much as 66
per cent, and absenteeism has dropped by ve
per cent. Perhaps the most striking aspect of
Medibank Place, though, is the sculptural
internal forms and voids, resulting in an interior
that expresses a unique social and philosophical
intent.
hassellstudio.com

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FROM SNEAKERS THAT

SIGNAL DIRECTIONS WITH
VIBRATIONS TO SOCKS THAT
HELP ATHLETES PREVENT
INJURIES, OUR FEET ARE
POISED TO BECOME THE NEXT
LOGICAL PLACE TO EMBED
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

BY MARIE OMAHONY
86 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

A concept shoe by Adidas

made from deep-sea
gillnets gathered off the
coast of West Africa.
Below: Collaborators Cyrill
Gutsch, founder of Parley
for the Oceans, and Adidas
brand marketer Eric
Liedtke are investing in
ways to recycle oceanic
debris into usable fibres.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, in an initiative with the nonprot

Parley for the Oceans, Adidas announced the worlds

rst sneaker made from ocean debris. The shoes
upper is woven from yarns and laments recycled
from deep-sea gillnets dredged from the coast of West
Africa. Presented at the UN in June as a demonstration of the joint ventures commitment to clean
up our waterways, the textile is expected to hit the
market in other forms as early as 2016. But the bigger
goal is to help avoid plastic waste in the rst place,
by developing technology that will intercept plastic
before it even reaches natural habitats.
The Adidas/Parley for the Oceans shoe represents
one of the ways technology is nding its way into footwear. Research into new materials is one area where
change is happening, but other innovations are
geared toward tuning people in to how their bodies
and feet are central to their health. Haptic footwear,
which works through vibration, has already hit the
market; and shoes that help runners recalibrate their
stride, for injury prevention as well as other benets,
are not far off.
OCT 2015 87

London researcher
and designer Shamees
Aden has envisioned
trainers that become a
second skin by employing
protocells, a new method
of engineering life from
liquid chemicals.

In Seattle, Pensar Development is among a handful of research-based

design and engineering rms that are testing the potential for rapid prototype footwear. Unveiled last year, their DNA shoe concept, which ts on
like a sock, is more of a slipper tailored to individual feet. At Philadelphia
University, industrial design students Matthew Flail and Tim Ganter are
also developing their own customized prototype, called Footprint. The
goal is to create shoes that will reduce the risk of joint problems caused by
improper alignment. The team is using algorithmic models and rapid
prototyping to build a cellular structure for the insole and midsole, based
on specied measurements. Nylon-based DuraForm Flex plastic provides
a functionally gradient support, cushioning the foot where needed. So far,
their efforts look rather clumsy, but the concept has earned them a grant
to advance their research.
Designer Neri Oxman has gone a few steps further by tapping in to
the potential of biomimicry. She works at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, and is well known in the architecture world for her explorations in digital fabrication and 3-D printing. Oxman has developed a
bizarre photosynthetic material, which she has named Mushtari. Inspired
by the gastrointestinal tract, it hosts synthetic micro-organisms that can
show bright colours in the dark and produce biofuel when exposed to
sunlight. Footwear is one of the applications envisaged for the futuristic
textile. As with all wearable technology, nding a reliable, portable energy
supply is an issue, so there is considerable interest in Mushtari and
other materials like it.
While power-generating shoes are still a ways off, smart footwear is
now on the market. Initially developed by Ducere Technologies of India
for visually impaired users, Lechal is the rst everyday shoe that vibrates
via Bluetooth, enabling wearers to navigate hands-free. The company
recognized its potential as a lifestyle product, and added in a route planner, a distance tracker and a calorie counter, among other customizable
88 OCT 2015

Distance trackers and calorie counters

are making their way into smart-technology
footwear. Digitsole insoles keep your feet
warm, too, using a built-in thermostat
that can be adjusted via Bluetooth.

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Dutch designer Marloes

ten Bhmer is studying
ways to make stilettos
pain-free without losing
their glamorous appeal.
Her investigations include
finding out what happens
to the heeled foot on
hazardous terrain.

The DNA shoe concept,

by Pensar Development,
is tailored to individual
feet for maximum comfort
while walking, running or
sprinting. The material
needed to make the rapidprototype slip-on is too
costly to manufacture, but
that will likely change as
3-D printing evolves.

OCT 2015 89

Lechal footwear offers

an alternative to wristbased sports and health
devices. They track
calories and footsteps;
and via Bluetooth, each
shoe vibrates to provide
hands-free navigation.
Users can also map out
fitness routes and tag
destinations.

novelties. The Digitsole chargeable insole created by a start-up based in

Nancy, France, and launched this past summer tracks steps and caloric
intake and keeps the feet warm. Wearers enter their weight, height
and desired temperature into an app, and the insoles maintain a consistent
warmth. Equally intriguing are the Sensoria running socks, embedded
with textile sensors on the sole; the conductive yarn detects pressure and
communicates data to an anklet, which transmits speed, cadence and foot
landing to an app. Meanwhile, at the University of Boras in Sweden, the
smart-sock concept is being turned into a training aid, to help runners
optimize their foot landings by shifting the strike focus to a more effective,
less stress-inducing position.
One of the longest-standing battles in footwear is the ever-elusive comfortable heel. Dutch designer Marloes ten Bhmer has been looking for an
answer to the age-old problem for years, seeking to design a stiletto thats
glamorous yet supportive. Her body of work, A Measurable Factor Sets the
Conditions of Its Operation, is an intriguing combination of art, science,
engineering and sports research. It includes investigative pieces that have
been the subject of various gallery displays, like Smarter.Tougher.Faster, an
exhibition of high-tech sportswear now on view in Toronto. Ten Bhmers
studies incorporate recordings of how a heeled foot responds to some of the
perils of walking, such as stepping into a slippery puddle of baked beans
or a loose pile of foam blocks. Her ndings suggest that an asymmetric position would give greater support and comfort. In adapting technology from
athletic footwear, she applies similar metrics to produce an ideal ergonomic
heel, particularly when the foot is in motion.
Ten Bhmers shoes are still at the testing stage, though that might not be
the case for much longer. With 3-D printing and micro-technology developing rapidly, we are going to see more smart materials worked into footgear,
with shoes that can not only communicate with us, but potentially improve
our health, too.
90 OCT 2015

Sensoria socks are equipped with Bluetooth-enabled

anklets that give runners updates on form, distance,
pace and speed, right down to the millisecond. The
wearable system is designed to improve performance
and prevent injuries.

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Battat Contemporary, Birch Contemporary,

Clint Roenisch, Diaz Contemporary, Division
Gallery, Equinox Gallery, Erin Stump Projects,
Feheley Fine Arts, galerie antoine ertaskiran,
Galerie Donald Browne, Galerie Graff, Galerie
Hugues Charbonneau, Galerie Nicolas
Robert, Galerie Ren Blouin, Galerie Roger
Bellemare & Christian Lambert, Galerie
Simon Blais, Galerie Trois Points, Georgia
Scherman Projects, Initial Gallery, Katzman
Contemporary, Laroche / Joncas, Lisa Kehler
Art + Projects, Macaulay & Co. Fine Art, Monte
Clark Gallery, Parisian Laundry, Patrick
Mikhail Gallery, Republic Gallery, Stephen
Bulger Gallery, Wil Aballe Art Projects

Official Partner

Benefit Partner

Educational Partner

featureartfair.com
Joey & Tanenbaum Opera Centre
227 Front St E, Toronto

Feature is produced by the Contemporary Art

Galleries Association AGAC

A sculpture by Joana Vasconcelos

sits at the centre of the dining
room, which functions as a gallery
space. Opposite page: Wide
doorways allow much of the
collection to be taken in at once.
Abstract painting by Jack Bush.

92 OCT 2015

PHOTOS BY NAOMI FINLAY

ART OF THE MATTER

Taylor Smyth Architects overhauls
an existing house to accommodate
a vast collection

BY ALISON GARWOOD-JONES PHOTOGRAPHY BY

NAOMI FINLAY AND VIRGINIA MACDONALD

A WOOD-PANELLED TUDOR HOUSE on a quiet residential street is hardly an

ideal environment for viewing large-scale works of art. There are too
many dark rooms, too few long views. For a Toronto couple who are passionate about art that doesnt t neatly on walls or above mantelpieces,
the architecture of their house, built by Henry Fleiss in 1969, posed various
limitations in displaying some of their favourite pieces. These include a
sculptural installation by Christian Boltanski, with long ropes of electrical
wire hanging down; and video art by Bill Viola, which runs on two monitors.
Michael Taylor, of local rm Taylor Smyth Architects, found an
approach that effectively rejuvenates the two-storey house and puts the
focus on the artworks while keeping it as a very livable family dwelling.
OCT 2015 93

 Taylor refashioned the

fireplace with a low-key
limestone surround that
doesnt compete with the
video art by Bill Viola.

The floor plan allows

for dedicated areas to
adequately display single
artworks.

As a result, art is everywhere. The original dining room is devoid of table

and chairs, to make room for a rotating display of large installations,
currently a sculpture by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. The boxy
piece sits at the centre of the room, with giant hand-knit and crocheted
balls that extend outward like entrails.
The centre hallway underwent the largest transformation, says Taylor;
a heavy oak staircase and dark wood panelling dominated, and restricted
the art to a smattering of smaller works. Now stripped away, the entrance
doubles as a bright, white-walled exhibition space, which radically alters
the feel of the house. This is the rst project in my career where individual
artworks gured so prominently in my CAD drawings, says Taylor, who
94 OCT 2015

congured feature walls to match the dimensions of two large pieces in

particular: a Jeff Wall photograph of a backyard summer scene that spans
three metres, and a 3-D installation by Canadian collective General Idea.
Part of the oor space of the upstairs study was sacriced to create the
double-height clearance required for that statement-making work, which
rises up the wall four metres and reads as an oversized bubble pack of
prescription capsules. Taylor maximized the ow of natural light with
reective white oak ooring, large door openings, and glass railings that
allow for unobstructed sightlines between oors.
To further illuminate the collection, Taylor hired lighting consultant
Suzanne Powadiuk, who has lit the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS: LEFT AND ABOVE RIGHT BY VIRGINIA

MACDONALD; BOTTOM RIGHT BY NAOMI FINLAY

General Ideas One Year

of AZT fills a four-metrehigh wall in the entryway,
which was specified to
accommodate it.

Taylor enlarged the entrance and

increased the flow of natural light
with full-height windows, glass
railings and white oak flooring.
The back wall was measured to
accommodate a photographic
artwork by Jeff Wall.

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA MACDONALD

OCT 2015 95

 Large double glazing

replaced mullions in the
family room and kitchen
for light flow and views
to the yard. Chandelier by
Lindsey Adelman. Walnut
veneer cabinets by Neff.
In the master bathroom,
acid-etched grey mirror
on the walls and porcelain
charcoal tile give a matte
appearance. Mirror tiles
by Walker Textures. Tub by
Blu Bathworks.

and the Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. She installed

museum-grade xtures by LSI throughout, with UV-blocking lters,
beam softeners, and rotating spread lenses, which can be aimed vertically
and horizontally. In a gallery, the art is lit rst, says Powadiuk, but in
a residential setting, appropriate light levels are based on the function of
the space. As a result, residential art is often lit to a higher level to provide
sufficient contrast.
Every inch was considered in making way for the collection; mouldings
were removed and walls extended. The double-height wall adjacent
to the open-rung staircase now holds many statement-making works,
including the Holocaust memory piece by Christian Boltanski with the
96 OCT 2015

hanging loops of electrical wire, and a large text-based painting by

Graham Gillmore of Winlaw, British Columbia.
The clients all-black bathroom is itself like a work of art. It was a
challenge to nd the right nishes a black tub, black faucets, controls
and tiles that would give a dark, sophisticated look without feeling
monotonous, says Taylor. The skylight is the moon, and the pin lights
are the indoor stars that prevent the look from being oppressive.
Lightness permeates the entire design. We opened up and unied the
ground oor, says Taylor, making it more gallery-like while improving
sightlines and ow. At some point, the spaces tell us exactly what they
need to be.
taylorsmyth.com
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS: TOP BY NAOMI FINLAY; BOTTOM BY

VIRGINIA MACDONALD

The exterior of the

Tudor revival house was
modernized with a random
pattern of black-painted
marine plywood, and a
larger square window for
the master bedroom.

boosarchitekten Ditz Fejer

Lakefront house with breC facade

| 350 m breC facade in silvergrey, matt
| Sustainable glassbre reinforced concrete
| Unique, honest character of material

Distributed by breC North America

1-877-740-0303 (toll free) | canada@brec.com | www.breC.us

The leading building industry

event in the Northeast

MAKE MOTION
Peruse and spec new products and services for commercial, residential,
industrial, and municipal worlds in the marketplace that is the ABX
show oor. Expand your industry knowledge with the energizing
and thought-provoking conference program.
Register at abexpo.com by October 23 for FREE admission
to the exhibit hall and early bird workshop perks.

NOVEMBER 17-19
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center

Produced by the Boston Society of Architects

abexpo.com

International Keynotes,
Best of Workplace Feature,
3 Summits: Healthcare, Wellness
and Accessibility, 350+ Seminars,
Tours, Awards, Parties and More.
Be Inspired

The best products, projects and ideas.

Be Connected

30,000 attendees & 1,600 exhibitors.

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Stimulating keynotes, seminars and tours.

Be at IIDEXCanada 2015

Wednesday, December 2 Thursday, December 3

Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building

iidexcanada.com

#iidex15

IIDEXCanada is part of The Buildings Show, North Americas largest exposition, networking and educational event for
design, construction and real estate, including:

FIELD TRIP

QUINTA DA LIXA, PORTUGAL

VINTAGE
REVIVAL

Architect Fernando Coelho wrapped

the existing structures with screens of

vertical wooden slats to create strikingly
minimal volumes.

100 OCT 2015

Nestled amid 20 hectares of rolling

vineyards, the Monverde Hotel gives
wine lovers a lesson in relaxation
BY RUPERT EDEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY FERNANDO GUERRA

ARRIVING AT THE MONVERDE HOTEL is

a bit like
visiting a billionaires private complex, or even a
Bond villains impossibly extravagant lair. The
hotel is located on the grounds of the Quinta da
Lixa winery, roughly 60 kilometres east of Porto,
and close to the historical town of Amarante, on
the banks of the Tmega River. Deep within this
idyll, behind high stone walls and surrounded by
rows of vines, the gates slide open to reveal a
world of spa pampering and fine wines, snugly
wrapped in design-conscious luxury.
The chic four-star hotel, which opened its doors
this past August, offers 30 rooms divided among
three separate buildings, all immaculately
furnished by local interior designer and rising star

Paulo Lobo. There is something profoundly

liberating about Lobos Scandinavian minimalist
interiors of pinewood and mirrors. The hotel is
decked out in comfy bright green sofas, and Arne
Jacobsenstyle chairs upholstered with natural
wool in Harris Tweedinspired plaids that seem to
reflect the cool microclimate and the rich local
history. Lobos designs draw on many sources of
inspiration; handmade craft and textile traditions
are mixed with contemporary art in softly lit corners
to create cozy, intimate spaces for guests.
The Monverdes structures were designed by
Portuguese architect Fernando Coelho. Balancing
old and new, he turned a 1950s manor house into
a central hub that contains the hotels reception
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

 Masonry recycled from

the old farm buildings and

panels of Corten steel add
layers of texture to the
exterior of the converted
manor house.
A spa, complete with
indoor and outdoor pools,
a Turkish bath and a
sauna, offers signature
vinotherapy treatments.
The Monverde
Hotel is surrounded by
the vineyards of Quinta
daLixa, 60 kilometres
east of Porto.

area, a wine bar and a restaurant. Coelhos brief

was to create a low-impact, carbon-neutral design
where old ruins would provide the foundation for
cutting-edge interventions, and in so doing convert
a cluster of tumbledown farm buildings into a sleek,
modern hotel. The existing structures benefited
from considerable exposure to natural light, and
their mountains of high-quality stone became the
building blocks for the new additions. Coelho has
completely transformed these rugged foundations
by adding strikingly orthogonal volumes wrapped
in screens of narrow vertical slats, punctuated by
accents of Corten steel. The results expertly marry
Lobos soft green fabric and pine interiors with
Coelhos geometric exteriors, linking inside and

out with glass walls that offer exceptional views

of the surrounding landscape.
The central buildings shape is clean and simple,
with an unobtrusive presence, broken down into
several low, interconnected natural stone and
wooden volumes. In the lobby, guests can enjoy
a variety of amenities, including Restaurant
Monverde, a regional gourmet dining spot run by
chef Agostinho Martins, along with a well-stocked
wine and spirits bar. Down a flight of granite steps,
the vinotherapy spa is defined by spare concrete
lines and American pine interiors, with indoor and
outdoor pools divided by mirrored glass. Here,
guests can enjoy a 90-minute massage that uses
essential oil made from citrus and spices, or the

spas signature Red Vine Leaf treatment, known

for its antioxidant properties.
Of course, the main draw is the propertys wines.
The Quinta da Lixa brand operates six vineyards,
totalling 52 hectares spread across the region.
The local specialty is vinho verde, or green wine,
a classic dry white that uses a blend of three indigenous grapes: Alvarinho, Loureiro and Trajadura.
These and other wines from every part of Portugal
(as well as Champagne) can be sampled in the
hotel restaurant. For those looking to delve deeper
into the vineyards operations, the Monverde gives
complimentary tours of the facilities, while a tasting
of three wines produced on site can be added for
a modest $10.
OCT 2015 101

FIELD TRIP

QUINTA DA LIXA, PORTUGAL

Interior designer Paulo

Lobo used a palette of

wood punctuated by cool
greens to lend the hotel
an elegant yet inviting
atmosphere.
Many of the suites
feature generous
terraces, furnished with
distinctive conical chairs
handmade in Portugal.
The public and private
spaces throughout
are lined with American
pine, channelling
Scandinavian chic.

If you go
HOW TO GET THERE From Porto Airport, Guimares
station is a 40-minute taxi ride away (roughly $90).
Train service to Guimares runs almost hourly
from Portos So Bento metro station in the city
centre; at less than $5, the hour-long train ride
provides a more economical alternative to a taxi,
and also boasts excellent views of the lower Minho
River en route. Alternatively, GetBus (getbus.eu)
operates a direct service between Porto Airport
and Guimares, costing $12 each way or $18 return.

THINGS TO DO Theres plenty to see around the

Monverde Hotel, including the local town of
102 OCT 2015

Amarante, about 10 kilometres down the road.

Head to the riverside in the historical town
centre, where a bustling caf and restaurant
scene attracts visitors. North of the Tmega River
lie the centuries-old Travanca and Freixo de Baixo
monasteries, as well as the Gato Church. The
Amarante bus station is principally served by
Rodonorte, which provides trips to the south side
of the river. Winding through town in a perpendicular direction, the nine-kilometre-long Tmega
Line Ecotrack cycle path offers the best views
of the picturesque riverbanks.
Driving about 50 kilometres from the hotel into

the centre of Guimares a UNESCO World Heritage site proudly referred to as the cradle of the
nation youll quickly realize that its like no other
city in Portugal. Guimares has remained virtually
unchanged since the 15th century, and it remains
something of a design hub, having been designated
as a European Capital of Culture in 2012.
Rooms from $175. monverde.pt

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

Interior Jan 21-24

Design 2016
Show Toronto

Presented by

I make a point of experimenting

with contrast in every aspect
of approaching a new design.
Exploring through juxtaposition
of materials: the old and the
new, the tough and the delicate,
the heavy and the lightweight;
to create contemporary and
original pieces.

Lee Broom
Product
Design and
Interiors
AZURE Trade Talks
Fri Jan 22 at IDS16

Canadas Design Fair

Metro Toronto Convention Centre
North Building

InteriorDesignShow.com
Sponsors

Thurs Jan 21
Opening
Night Party

Fri Jan 22
Professional
Trade Day
Presented by

Sat Jan 23
General
Admission

Sun Jan 24
General
Admission
Produced by

DESIGN FILE
TEXTILES

COVERALLS

Six traditional upholstery textiles are

reborn with a bold, contemporary spin

BY KENDRA JACKSON

4
6

1 Erin Ruby Collection by HBF Textiles

Designed by New York interior architect
Erin Ruby, Needlepoint Grid introduces to
the contract environment a graphic pattern
in rayon, with cotton stitching that almost
appears hand done. Shown in Wireframe
and Windowpane, two of six colourways.
hbftextiles.com.
2 Terrain by Kettal
Doshi Leviens inaugural fabrics for outdoor
furniture company Kettal have an iridescent quality, and a durability that works well
with such materials as stone, wood and
marble. kettal.com
104 OCT 2015

3 Blueprint Collection by
Momentum Textiles
Lucio is one of nine patterns from the
Blueprint Collection of cotton-polyester
blends by Emanuela Frattini Magnusson,
whose palette was inspired by some
of the greatest mid-century artists and
architects. Lucio, named after Italian
avant-garde painter Lucio Fontana, has a
soft, velvety weave. themomgroup.com

4 Looking Up by Bernhardt Textiles

A fascination with the celestial unknown
led to this set of four motifs by North
Carolina fashion studio Raleigh Denim
Workshop. Novas starbursts form a
hexagonal grid, shown here on Bernhardts
Vika chair. bernhardttextiles.com

6 Twiggy by Threadcount
Textile & Design
Strips of yarn in contrasting electric
hues invigorate classic herringbone in
this cotton blend by the Toronto textile
company. Shown in Atlantic, its available
in 11 colourways. threadcountinc.com

5 The Adjaye Collection by KnollTextiles

Architect David Adjaye expresses his love
for Africa through a series of nine patterns,
each named after a city on the continent.
The boldest one is Aswan, a blend of viscose,
linen, acrylic and polyester that riffs on
traditional kente cloth. knoll.com
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

WELL
DRESSED

From delicate sheers to heavy metal,

drapery options that redefine rooms

6
4

1 Sparkling by Kvadrat
Moving from a solid to fluid abstraction,
Sparkling evokes the look of water lapping
against the shore. The polyester sheers,
designed by Aggebo & Henriksen, come in
two colourways. kvadrat.dk
2 Metal curtains by KriskaDecor
Tiny anodized aluminum mesh links are
strung together for this versatile product,
ideally suited for hospitality and commercial
settings. The customized pieces, with a
high-gloss or matte finish, make effective
room dividers, too. kriskadecor.com

3 Faces by Kinnasand
A subtle fade from orange to white makes
a strong statement in Freestyle, one of 27
drapery options in this dramatic collection,
which includes everything from solid
neutrals to bold prints, and from sculpted
to translucent effects. kinnasand.com

4 Patch by Nya Nordiska

A part of the Creative Concept collection,
this custom Roman blind with accordion
pleats arrives ready to use. Playful blue
dots and a red drawstring show off the
mechanics that are usually hidden.
nya.com

6 Eprisma by Cration Baumann

Made up of 3-D pyramids in sequin foil
appliqud to semi-transparent fabric,
this textile has a dramatic fractal look
that reflects light in various directions,
depending on the angle.
creationbaumann.com

5 Djinn by litis
Like a large-scale watercolour, these
transparent canvases in red, blue or green
lend an artful touch when hung as sheers,
drapes or blinds. elitis.fr

OCT 2015 105

DESIGN FILE
TEXTILES

BARRIER
RELIEF

Soft walls and dividers that look

good and help cancel out noise

4
6
5

1 Baux Acoustic Panels by Baux

Swedish design studio Form Us With Love
is behind this eco-friendly mix-and-match
system made from wood, wool, cement
and water. Patterns include Quilted, Check,
Stripes, Lines and Diagonal. baux.se
2 BuzziSkin by BuzziSpace
Thanks to a self-adhesive backing, these
sound-absorbing felt panels in 12 colours
can be applied to most surfaces. Derived
from 100per cent PET flakes, the textile is
sold in 10-metre rolls. buzzi.space

3 Rossoacoustic Pads by Rosso

Whether hung from the ceiling or affixed
to walls, these embossed fleece pads
add a sound-muffling quality as well as a
soft element to open offices and studios.
Available in round (shown) or rectangular
versions, in six nature-inspired colours.
rosso-acoustic.com

4 Ellipsis by Designtex
This panel fabric comes in a variety of
solids, from Snow and Caramel to Hunter
and Mallard, and is made from recycled
polyester. designtex.com

6 Textured Edge Collection by Teknion

New York designer Suzanne Ticks five panel
fabrics, for Teknion, use a boucl yarn in
varying thicknesses to create elements of
texture and dimension that play with
colour, light and shadow. teknion.com

5 Plus by Unika Vaev

Designer Michael Young developed Plus
using software to randomize and harmonize
over 50,000 mathematical intersections.
Silkscreened by hand on Ecoustic felt, in six
colourways. unikavaev.com

FOR MORE GREAT PRODUCTS SELECTED BY THE EDITORS AT AZURE, GO TO AZUREMAGAZINE.COM PRODUCT-GUIDE
106 OCT 2015

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

OCTOBER 28 & 29, 2015

PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION CENTER

New Location.
New Approach.
Entering its 13th year and now located in Philadelphia, NeoCon East continues to
evolve as the premier design expo and conference for commercial interiors on the East
Coast. This years show will feature new partnerships with important regional design
organizations as well as the best in products and services, ready to specify, across a
spectrum of vertical markets including Workplace, Healthcare, Education, Public Space,
Hospitality, Retail and Government.

REGISTER AT NEOCONEAST.COM

PRODUCED BY

MATERIAL WORLD

ROCK
SOLID

Stone and composite surfaces deliver

hard-wearing, long-lasting solutions
for interior and exterior cladding
BY PHILAM NGUYEN

PROJECT:
COMMUNIQUE HEADQUARTERS,
SEOUL

NESTLED IN A MIXED-USE NEIGHBOURHOOD with little street life,

the Seoul headquarters of PR agency Communique stands out
from the crowd. Through the novel application of simple materials,
London architect DaeWha Kang has transformed the formerly
nondescript 1980s office block into a community landmark and
a healthy work environment.
Opening up the building at street level, Kang replaced a
parking lot with inviting outdoor seating and a caf. An existing
corner column, clad with faceted panels of stainless steel,
gives the impression of a tree branching inward to support the
structure. These reflective tiles extend into a canopy of rhombusshaped leaves, which runs the full extent of the soffit before
wrapping up onto the northwest and northwest facades. Here,
the material transitions into a spectacularly striking and unique
tessellation of grey granite.
The locally sourced stone panels were shaped and arranged
using computational scripting techniques that calculated the
optimal dimensions for each module, streamlining the processes
of manufacture and installation. Fitted with steel brackets fastened onto the existing wall structure, they cover the remaining
sides of the tower in an orthogonal grid that accommodates
new operable windows. The added natural light and ventilation
combine with built-in interior planters and low-glare glazing
to enhance the quality of the work environment. The cumulative
effect of these interventions has given the building a new
purpose, breathing life into spaces that will benefit both the
occupants and the surrounding community. daewhakang.com

From slabs to modular panel systems, technology and

innovation are making the material surprisingly flexible.
Erth Coverings large-format strips system mixes various
tile sizes and depths to create three-dimensional effects.
Three wood-look styles Black Oak, Ash and Beachwood
have now been added to the collection. Suitable for
interior walls, they can be treated with a sealant for easier
maintenance. erthcoverings.com
Antolini The 2015 Signature Collection incorporates a
proprietary bacteriostatic treatment. Injected into the
stone, AZerobact prevents bacteria and mould. Designed
for counters and walls, the line includes Black Cosmic,
108 OCT 2015

with off-white and grey veining; and Fusion WOW, a

mlange of grey, green and rust accents. antoliniusa.com
Stone Source Artesia hexagonal tiles, in five versions
with mixed finishes, give a sense of depth and textural
variety on interior or exterior floors and walls. The
Grafite and Cenere options in black and grey slate give a
monochromatic look, while Palette mixes eight colours
of slate and quartzite for a high-contrast aesthetic.
stonesource.com
Lithos Design The five new styles of Pietre Incise threedimensional wall modules feature intricate raised patterns
carved into the stone using CNC technology. The designs,
in 60-by-60-centimetre panels, include Diamante, which is
reminiscent of draped and gathered fabric. It suits interior
or exterior installations. lithosdesign.com

Ann Sacks Reve Blue Calacatta marble features

broad swaths of light blue and grey veining on a cream

background, broken by fine wisps of brown and green.
In sizes up to 30 by 72 inches, this alternative to classic
white works for any interior application, including floors
in high-traffic areas. annsacks.com
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

TOP PHOTO BY KYUNGSUB SHIN

NATURAL STONE

QUARTZ AND GLASS

Natural materials combined with resins, dyes and
binders form durable floors, walls and work surfaces.
Cambria The colours and veining of Coastal are inspired
by the textures and tones of natural rock, sand and water.
Made of 93per cent natural quartz, the slabs are available
in thicknesses of 10, 20 and 30 millimetres, with various
edge profiles. Certified by Greenguard as a low-emitting
product. cambriacanada.com
EOS Surfaces GEOS Recycled Glass slabs combine
post-industrial and consumer waste glass with a solid
substrate to produce a durable, terrazzo-like finish.
Theyre now available in Cirrus, a white-on-white option;
and Glacier Bay, which sets flecks of azure glass against
an off-white background. eos-surfaces.com
Technistone The five styles of Noble mimic the veining
and colouration associated with natural stone. Noble
Calista, for example, is based on Turkish marble, with fine
off-white veining set against a warm taupe background.
The polished slabs come in extra-large formats up to
three by 1.4metres. technistone.com

Dupont has added a capsule collection, Natura, to the

Caesarstone The Concrete series achieves the

Zodiaq line of quartz surfaces. The six nature-inspired

styles include Marble Mist, Cashmere Carrara and London
Sky. The sparkling slabs, composed of 93per cent natural
crystal, are scratch- and heat-resistant. dupont.com

industrial look of concrete with the non-porous, scratchand stain-resistant benefits of quartz. Available in slabs
up to 144 by 305centimetres, it comes with a lifetime
warranty for residential installations. caesarstone.ca

CERAMIC

Refin combines recycled materials, wood and cement to

create the unique, eco-friendly tiles in the Plant collection.
The surfaces distressed texture comes in five colours,
including grey Ash, beige Clay and Rope, a reddish copper.
In six sizes, up to 75 by 150centimetres, theyre suitable
for interior floors. refin-ceramic-tiles.com

Technical innovations make clay-based products a

versatile option for interior and exterior applications.
Laminam A collaboration with bath brand Toto , Kotan
features Hydrotect technology, a titanium dioxideinfused
finish which works to purify the air in interior or exterior
settings. Inspired by the soft colours and matte texture of
Japanese washi paper, the slabs are sold in beige or grey.
laminam.it

Casalgrande Padana Steeltech evokes the look of metal

in three styles reminiscent of light grey oxidized steel,
mid-tone stainless and rusted Corten. Ideal for interior
walls and floors, the modules measure up to 90 by 90
centimetres, and they also come in segments for trim and
stair treads. casalgrandepadana.it

Porcelanosa Kaos porcelain tiles emphasize a slightly

textured surface with a matte finish in deep black
or neutral beige. They offer low water absorption (0.1
per cent) and imperviousness to wear or staining. These
through-body tiles are available in a 45-by-90-centimetre format for facades, and smaller sizes for interiors.
porcelanosa.com

ENGINEERED SURFACES
These man-made products improve on materials found
in nature with increased durability.
Durat Made of 30 per cent recycled post-industrial
material, Durat is cast as 290-by-80-centimetre sheets,
in standard or custom colours. These can be formed into
cladding or furniture using wood tools and traditional
sanding and gluing. Originally manufactured in Finland,
the fully recyclable product is now made in the U.S.
durat.com
Lapitec Skyline panels for ventilated walls come in three
colours Cream, Cement and Anthracite with a lightly
textured finish similar to that of parchment paper. In the
standard 336.5-by-150-centimetre size, they make for
a UV-resistant cladding that withstands extreme temperatures. lapitec.com

Margranite Resembling natural stone, the Ultra collections full-body porcelain slabs measure 60 by 120inches.
In addition to classic marble looks, the line includes such
choices as Travertino Santa Caterina. Versatile for use
in interior residential spaces, Ultra suits high-traffic and
commercial applications. margranite.ceramstone.com

Dekton The Wild Collection includes two styles that

mimic the texture of wood. Borea is dark, with a solid depth

of colour, while the contrasting cream-coloured Makai
features delicate ochre veining. Sizes up to 126 by 56inches,
in three thicknesses, offer high flexural strength for interior
or exterior projects. dekton.ca
Paperstone has launched two new earth tones, Sand
and Graphite, in six thicknesses up to 1.25inches and
three panel sizes. These solid surfaces are made from
FSC-certified 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper
and natural pigments. Suitable for countertops as well as
furniture, vertical panels and partitions they contribute
to LEED credits. paperstoneproducts.com
The Sizes Neolith brand has expanded its Classtone line
with an onyx-inspired style thats slightly translucent, so
it can be backlit. The sintered compact surfaces weigh
just seven kilograms per square metre, and theyre sold in
formats up to 3.2 by 1.5 metres. thesize.es
OCT 2015 109

MEDIA SHELF

MAKING AFRICA
Book edited by Amelie Klein and Mateo Kries
Vitra Design Museum (softcover, 345 pages)
THIS CATALOGUE COMMISSIONED for an ongoing exhibit at the Guggenheim
Museum Bilbao provides an extraordinary in-depth view of the dynamo
that is contemporary African design. It rips away post-colonial notions of
indigenous art to expose a continents creativity alive with the energy
that powers some of the worlds youngest and fastest-growing economies
(in2014 alone, Africas total GDP grew by 5.0 per cent, compared with
the global average of 3.3 per cent ).
Editors Amelie Klein and Mateo Kries have combined spreads of
photography, graphics, art, design and fashion with learned essays that
attempt to define what it means to be a creator in Africa today, while
describing the context in which these artists and designers operate
acontinent full of contradictions.
Curator Azu Nwagbogu of Lagos argues that African design suffers
from inefficient mass reproducibility, which elevates objects to rare art
forms that are not easily duplicated. The pages of this catalogue bear
him out, offering a cross-section of expression as beautiful and chaotic
as a Lagos slum. Stunning photography by Hctor Mediavilla documents
Congolese Sapeurs (couture-obsessed male dandies) against a background of Brazzavilles pockmarked walls. And artist Tahir Carl Karmali
interprets the Kenyan concept of jua kali making something valuable
from something seemingly worthless with photomontages of circuit
boards and mechanical parts interwoven and fashioned into fantastical
headdresses for an unknown social order: an aesthetic of recycling
taken to a logical extreme.
Making Africa captures the extraordinary constructive energy and
the impulse to innovate that is pushing the continent to the forefront of
global growth. In so doing, it helps to demolish any notions that African
ingenuity is constrained by poverty or tradition.

Iconic Designs
Book edited by Grace Lees-Maffei
Bloomsbury (hardcover, 240 pages)

The word iconic has become so

ubiquitous that its at risk of losing its
meaning. Once used to describe sacred
artifacts that helped to spread religious
110 OCT 2015

ideas, over time it came to be conferred

on people, mass-produced goods, even
brands. Acknowledging that it takes a
medley of ingredients to elevate an object
to such a rarefied position, this beautifully
presented book asks, What do we mean
when we say a design is iconic? Most
of the 50 wide-ranging entries span
from the late 19thcentury to today, from
the Eiffel Tower to Benettons provocative
advertising campaigns, from Philippe
Starcks Juicy Salif citrus squeezer to the
shapely Coca-Cola bottle. These venerated buildings, objects and ephemera are
organized into five categories based on
scale, from the magnitude of a city to the
size of the humble paper clip. Each entry
offers detailed explorations of the history,
legacy and cultural impact of a design
that whether through ubiquity, renown, or
some combination of both has achieved
exalted status. BYKENDRAJACKSON

Designed for the Future

Book by Jared Green
Princeton Architectural Press
(softcover, 176pages)

This engaging collection of essays

rounds up 80 architects, urban planners,
academics and artists, and asks each the

same question What initiative gives you

hope that a sustainable future is possible?
Theres a catch: the answer cant include any
project the interviewee is involved in. All
the same, the varied examples are thoughtfully selected and mostly compelling. Artist
Janet Echelman chooses Park(ing) Day,
a global event that encourages the transformation of single parking spaces into
tiny temporary parks. Bjarke Ingels cites
Company, an industrial design firm that
keeps heritage alive by combining modern
culture with traditional artisanship. This
follows water and planning expert Henk
Ovinks piece on coalitions, which speculates that its individuals, working collectively, who will save the world a point
of view that emerges as the books overall
conclusion. From river management to
miniature pop-up parks, its the little things
that come together to fill in the bigger
picture. BYERINDONNELLY
AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS BY TAYLOR KRISTAN

Reviewer Rachel Pulfer is the executive director of Journalists for

Human Rights and an Azure contributing editor.

BOUTIQUE
BEGINS AT
Top picks from
Neri&Hu
Architects and designers
Watching Rossana Hu: Alfred
Hitchcock is really interesting
for the way he moves through his
lenses, the layers he adds. The
voyeuristic images he includes in
many of his films have been quite
influential for us.

November 8 - 9, 2015
Javits Convention Center

Reading Lyndon Neri: Ive been

fascinated by On Photography, by
Susan Sontag. It talks about how
photography as a medium is quite
invasive. Its almost a licence for
people to ask you to pose, but try
it without a camera and everyones
going to look at you funny.
Downloading RH: I had my phase
with social media, including the
WeChat app, or . It inundates
you with short excerpts of news
and literature, images and so on.
I enjoy reading them, but once in a
while you realize its such piecemeal
information, you can get lost in it.
AS TOLD TO DIANE CHAN

Shop Talk
Podcast by Michael Hammond
shoptalk.london

This biweekly podcast, hosted by Michael

Hammond of World Architecture News, has
been offering a platform for architects to

speak freely about their work and the

challenges facing the industry since
2007. The topics and the time devoted to
them range wildly. For example, just over
12 minutes is allotted to landscape architect Matt Gibbs of Edmonton to outline
his scheme for the Freezeway, a circuit of
skating rinks that would unite the city
during winter. Meanwhile, Paddy Dillon of
Londons Haworth Tompkins spends over
an hour describing his firms renovation
of Sir Denys Lasduns National Theatre,
offering not just a clear sense of what the
revamp entailed, but also detailed context
for the original 1960s construction and
the symbolism of working in concrete
during that era. With more than six dozen
episodes, the currency of the topics
covered such as Wolf Prixs worries that
architects are facing extinction makes
for an intriguing time capsule of the issues
of the day. BYDAVIDDICK-AGNEW

Join us in New York this fall where the most

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BDNY.COM

OCT 2015 111

BOLDFACE
AND THE WINNERS ARE

ON THE BOARDS

Over the summer, the Royal Institute of British

Architects announced a number of awards, including
the prestigious Jenks Award, given to Swiss firm
Herzog& deMeuron for its contributions to the
theory and practice of architecture. Jacques Herzog
is scheduled to deliver a lecture at RIBA on October29,
after the official presentation. Formore information,
see architecture.com.
In July, non-profit Shelter Global revealed the winners
of the first annual Dencity competition, which seeks
ways to improve living conditions in slums around the
world. A low-tech concept for a sustainable community
in Rwanda earned first place for the OCWorkshop
team. Second place went to Jack Isless scheme for
mapping the favelas of Riode Janeiro; and third went
to an idea from Iowa State University students for
improving access to water in Manchay, in Lima. Details
are at shelterglobal.org.
The German Design Councils Iconic Awards honoured
the massive Shakespeare Theatre in Gdask, Poland,
as Project of the Year. The award will be bestowed
on architect Renato Rizzi at an October ceremony.
London-based Heatherwick Studio was named
Architects of the Year, and Interior Designer of the
Year went to the ubiquitous Nendo. Further details
are at iconic-architecture.com.
A major highlight of the inaugural Chicago Architecture
Biennial, running October 3 to January 3, will be the
winners of the Lakefront Kiosks competition, which
were announced in August. The top award and the
US$85,000 cash prize, sponsored by oil giant BP, went
to Rhode Island firm Ultramoderne. Its concept for
a vendor booth, dubbed Chicago Horizon, incorporates a frame of sustainable cross-laminated timber;
installed in Millennium Park, it will act as a unique
platform for taking in the urban landscape. Three other
commissioned kiosks will be built. Details can be found
at chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Alejandro Aravena, executive director of the Santiago
firm Elemental, has been appointed director of the
2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. Best known for his
social housing projects, Aravena won the Silver Lion
Award at the event seven years ago, and he will focus
the upcoming exhibition on ways that architecture
can support better quality of life. He succeeds Rem
Koolhaas, who helmed the 2014 edition.

A new cable car system will soon make the Virgolo/

Virgl mountain in Bolzano, Italy, accessible to visitors
for the first time in nearly four decades. Snhetta
earned the commission through an international
competition, with a design that strings the cables
between two ring-shaped hubs at the top and
bottom of the mountain. A restaurant, a pool and
event spaces incorporated into the upper station
will make the mountaintop an appealing destination.
Completion is expected in 2017.

OFF THE BOARDS

After almost three years of controversy, criticism and
a tug-of-war between budget cuts and skyrocketing
costs, plans for Zaha Hadids Olympic stadium
in Tokyo have been scrapped. The ambitious design,
which resembled a massive bicycle helmet, was to
host the 2020 Games, but the structures scale and
space-age aesthetic raised objections from the
surrounding community. With building costs reportedly
soaring to well over $2billion (double the initial budget),
Japanese prime minister Shinz Abe considered
a revised plan, then announced that the organizing
committee would go back to the drawing board.

IN MEMORIAM
Danish industrial designer Christen Sorensen
has died at the age of 93. He studied under the likes
of Hans J. Wegner at Copenhagens School for the
Arts and Crafts, before moving to Montreal in 1956.
From there, he was involved in designing major
projects, such as three pavilions for Expo 67; and
the Gander, Newfoundland, international airport,
where all transatlantic flights dropped in to refuel
at the time known as the crossroads of the world.
His Respons chair, launched by Keilhauer in 1990, is
still in production.

The New Museum in New York has announced Gary

Carrion-Murayari and Alex Gartenfeld as co-curators
of its fourth Triennial contemporary art exhibition, to
be held in 2018. Carrion-Murayari is the museums

Brian Curtner, co-founder of Quadrangle Architects,

has died. He and partner Les Klein established the
Toronto firm in 1986, and went on to make many
significant contributions to the urban landscape,
including the 130 Bloor Street West condo development, which won a RAIC award; and BMWs glass

Kraus Family curator, while Gartenfeld is the founding

deputy director and chief curator at the Institute of
Contemporary Art in Miami.

showcase at the foot of the Don Valley Parkway. His

plan for the mixed-use Yonge-Sheppard Centre just
received municipal approval in June. Curtner was 64.

La Biennale de Montral will return in 2016 under the

guidance of Philippe Pirotte. As curator, he will
oversee the three-month program for the city-wide
celebration of visual arts, which encompasses
disciplines from film to landscape architecture. Best
known for his six-year stint as director of Kunsthalle
Bern in Switzerland, Pirotte is now working to establish
a common theme for the festival.

Irving Harper, the designer of Herman Millers iconic

Marshmallow sofa, has died. The piece (which he
created in 1956 as an employee of George Nelson
Associates) is considered the first example of pop art
furniture. He also designed Herman Millers logo and
its sculptural Ball and Sunburst clocks. Harper came
out of retirement briefly in 2001 to launch a re-edition
of his textile designs for Maharam. He was 99.

112 OCT 2015

COMING IN AZURE:
NOV/DEC 2015

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AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

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TRAILER

Mine games

The 1901 discovery of coal in Genk, Belgium,

catapulted a sleepy burg into the economic stratosphere. Eight decades later, after the city was
stripped of its black gold, prosperity vanished with
the same whiplash intensity, forcing thousands
out of work and depositing unsightly slag heaps
across the landscape.
Industrial ruins were also left behind, including
the Winterslag production facility. Now called
C-mine, it reopened as a cultural centre in 2010.
As it pumps new life into the region, it lends
insight into Genks past with a giant maze that
has been installed in the courtyard. Labyrint
the work of architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout
VanVaerenbergh of Leuven, Belgium allows
114 OCT 2015

visitors a visceral understanding of the coal

mining experience.
Rising five metres, the towering steel grid
consists of 186 metric tons of black steel plates.
Tunnel-like voids have been cut into the walls,
so that adventurers may navigate their journey
with the occasional reassuring glimpse of the
larger scheme, or of fellow explorers. The paths
uncertainty is reminiscent of the mine shafts,
and visitors can climb one of two old hoist frames,
which loom over the public square, for another
perspective of the obstacle course.
Each journey is different, even for the designers,
who were surprised by the impact of light and
sound in the dark, metallic corridors. You try to

imagine the impact of the final space, but the

actual experience is always more intense, says Van
Vaerenbergh. Both artists perceive the installation
as a metaphor for history. We used the elevator
towers as reference points, and we framed specific
fragments of the site with our cut-outs, so that
Labyrint becomes a tool to examine itself and the
mine. Indeed, tracing ones way through Labyrint
gets the strenuousness, danger and even camaraderie of mining under your skin.
David Sokol is a New York writer, whom you will
more likely find navigating Internet rabbit holes
than darting through steel mazes.

AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO BY FILIP DUJARDIN

A giant steel maze refuels a former industrial site

New 2015 Collection

www.caesarstone.ca | 5212 Taj Royale

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