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    Raúl Sánchez Architects adds colourful details and “kitchen cube” to Spanish home

    Spanish studio Raúl Sánchez Architects has renovated the PSM21 house outside of Barcelona, adding an interior staircase to turn two separate apartments into one home with colourful details.

    The studio aimed to turn the properties, in the coastal town of Castelldefels, into a single 250-square-metre house that takes advantage of its sea views.
    “The connection with the views, which are striking, are paramount in the project, so the layout tries to connect all the spaces with the exterior, but without simplifying the space, creating, at the same time, a complex indoors living,” Raúl Sánchez Architects founder told Raúl Sánchez told Dezeen.
    The Spanish home was previously two separate apartmentsThe studio initially renovated the upper apartment and will begin working on the lower floor next year. To connect the two floors of the building, which previously had separate entrances, the studio added an internal staircase.
    “The new requirements of the new family did not match the existing layout,” Sánchez said.

    “The two main storeys of the house were split and had no connection, and now the new house will be one only house, with a new connection staircase.”
    A yellow entrance hall welcomes visitorsOn the upper floor, a yellow entrance hall welcomes visitors to the house and leads into an open-plan kitchen and living room.
    Here, a blue-painted volume, which the architect calls the “kitchen cube”, holds the kitchen as well as a small storage room and the internal staircase.
    The kitchen features a blue “cube”On its other side, doors lead to the floor’s three bedrooms, each of which is connected to one of the home’s two bathrooms. The bedrooms are separated from the living spaces by a hallway lined with cabinets.
    To create interest in the space, the architect worked with a number of different textures and bright colours.

    Gold-leaf wall divides renovated Barcelona apartment by Raúl Sánchez Architects

    “Most of the ambience is whitish, but there are different materials giving that whitish, from paint, to white wood, white tiles or white microcement, so the texture is always adding a different character,” Sánchez explained.
    “And then, some colour spots, highlighting, for example, the kitchen cube – which also conceals a wardrobe and the staircase, to be done in the next second stage – that organizes the circulation around it; or in the bedrooms, with a very characteristic tinted wood in unfamiliar colours for the wood, which is something I really enjoy, to use unfamiliar colours with familiar materials.”
    Colourful details decorate the homeDifferent types of metals and stones add more tactile details.
    “There are also metals, as in the doors, mixing brass and stainless steel, or stones, like the red onyx and the granite in the kitchen and island,” Sánchez said.
    “The materiality is rich in textures and colour, so the experience of the house, now from a more tactile approach, is really rich and complex.”
    Architect Raúl Sánchez worked with colourful wood in the bedroomsRaúl Sánchez Architects also aimed for the house to be energy-efficient, using heat pumps to control its tempertaure.
    “All facade walls have been treated to improve their insulation and energy performance, both in solid sections and in the new windows, while a new aerothermal system meets the climatization needs in a highly efficient manner,” Sánchez said.
    “Most of the materials come from local suppliers, reducing the carbon footprint of the construction.”
    A “sauna pavilion” overlooks the gardenWhen complete, the lower floor will contain a study space, additional leisure areas and guest accommodation.
    Outside the home, stone-clad steps lead down to a garden and pool area, while a former warehouse at the bottom of the building was turned into a “sauna pavilion”.
    Each bedroom is connected to a bathroomThe studio was named Emerging interior design studio of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022. Recently completed projects by the studio include the renovation of a Barcelona apartment with a gold-leaf wall and a townhouse with a four-storey spiral staircase.
    The photography is by José Hevia.
    Project credits:
    Architecture: Paolo Burattini, Flavia Thalisa Gütermann, Dimitris LouizosEngineering: Marés ingenierosCarpentry: Vallés carpinteríaMetal works: MetalwareAlluminium and glass works: Jaume Costa

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    Bude Architects uncovers historic clay bricks for Kyiv cosmetics showroom

    Ukrainian studio Bude Architects has designed a minimalist showroom and salon for cosmetic company Pleka in Kyiv.

    As the first step in a brand transformation for Pleka, the studio designed the showroom in an early 20th-century building to showcase natural materials with a neutral and inviting colour palette.
    Bude Architects has taken a minimalist approach to the showroom interiorHistoric yellow bricks made from local clay, which are characteristic of architecture in Kyiv during the 19th and early 20th century, were exposed throughout the interior.
    The studio showcased the material as it was keen to create a space that resonated with the architecture of the building, with other materials selected to complement this brickwork.
    Exposed yellow brick has been incorporated as a key feature throughout the interior”The choice of materials was influenced by the space background,” Bude Architects co-founder Julia Shataliuk told Dezeen.

    “We wanted to showcase the historic yellow brick, so we were looking for good companions for it.”
    The multifunctional showroom incorporates a retail space and a beauty salonThe studio combined the brickwork with natural woods, travertine and an earthy shade of decorative plaster, with the aim of creating a warm environment to reflect Pleka’s brand identity.
    “The brand’s core value is a careful and attentive attitude towards its customers,” Julia Shataliuk explained. “They manifest the importance of each person taking care of themselves.”
    “It was important for us to create a space that would convey the brand’s openness, create a special atmosphere, and improve the customer experience,” she continued. “This is reflected in the spatial solutions and materials.”
    Pared back, neutral tones have been used throughout the space to create a calming environmentBude Architects designed the space to encourage customers to interact with staff and test the products as well as utilising the beauty services on offer.
    “Pleka had a request to give customers more attention and an individual approach,” said Julia Shataliuk. “The result of the cooperation is a hybrid space where they comfortably unite a store and an express beauty salon in a small area.”
    Designated seating areas were incorporated into the scheme to create a comfortable customer experienceSet in a sunken ground floor, the showroom’s entrance space has a large reception desk, a client meeting area and a large, feature shelving unit. The studio designed the space to draw people in from the busy street.
    “It was crucial for us to use the shape of the room and its content to attract the attention of passers-by from the street through the windows,” explained co-founder Denys Shataliuk.
    A large dining table adds a homely element to the interiorThe shelving unit on the far wall functions as a focal point within the space to highlight the retail products – made from aluminium and mounted onto a mirrored surface, the unit was intended to contrast with the earthy tones of the interior.
    This section also contains a large meeting table, which acts as a designated area for clients to meet with staff and emphasises Pleka’s aim of building lasting customer relationships.

    Glass bricks divide spaces in Suprematism apartment in Kyiv

    “When we researched the brand to reflect its identity in the interior, we learned that the company establishes warm and long-term relationships with its customers,” said Denys Shataliuk.
    “It was important to express this friendliness through the space by creating an atmosphere of trust and comfort.”
    The large shelving unit acts as a focal point to showcase Pleka’s cosmetic productsAt the rear of the showroom, the second room has a more private atmosphere, with “a functional double-sided island with a built-in-sink” utilised for product testing and Pleka’s beauty salon services.
    Small hearts have also been incorporated throughout the interior scheme to reflect the brand identity, featured on custom clothing hooks and metal inlays in the worktops.
    The double-sided island is used for product testing and beauty salon servicesBude Architects was founded by Ukrainian couple, Denys and Julia Shataliuk. Originally from Kharkiv, the architects were forced to relocate to Kyiv due to the ongoing conflict. Other recently completed projects in Kyiv include a Nastia Mirzoyan’s renovation of a Stalinist-era flat and a colourful industrial-style interior created by design studio Dihome.

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    Studio Empathy and Praxes design library at Korean Cultural Center New York

    Traditional Korean architecture influenced the layout and shelving design in the library at the Korean Cultural Center New York, designed by Studio Empathy and Praxes.

    Changhaak Choi of Studio Empathy and Jiyoung Kim from Praxes worked together to complete the 1,600-square-foot (149-square-metre) library, located on the third floor of the Korean Cultural Center New York’s new venue in Midtown Manhattan.
    The library is arranged to from a central courtyard formed by bookshelvesThe space houses a collection of over 10,000 books, periodicals, government publications, and multimedia resources in both Korean and English.
    It acts as a resource for research on Korea, introduces Korean writers to the New York audience, and provides educational materials for young Korean-Americans and those interested in Korean culture.
    The shelves are fabricated from plywood elements and joined to resemble traditional Korean architectural details”This new library aspires to be a cultural hub, promoting information exchange and enhancing mutual understanding of Korea among the Korean-American community and the broader New York population,” said Choi.

    “The design seamlessly blends archaic forms with a minimalistic and contemporary aesthetic, which incites a biophilic space.”
    The central space is populated with cube-shaped stools for visitors to sit and readTo enable easy circulation, the bookshelves were arranged in a rectangular plan with a pathway around the perimeter and a courtyard in the centre, with openings to allow movement between the two.
    The layout is akin to a traditional Korean han-ok house, which is similarly organised in a loop around a central space.
    The shelves sit away from the building’s glass walls so that visitors can circulate around the perimeterHere, the “courtyard” serves as the reading area and includes cube-shaped wooden stools upon which visitors can sit.
    “This design enables visitors to continuously explore the diverse scenery of book stacks and enjoy views of the rooftop garden through glass walls, seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor elements,” Choi said.
    The library’s children’s section is housed within a lower storage moduleThe bookshelves were also modelled on the typical post-and-lintel assembly and joining techniques found in han-ok homes.
    They were fabricated as modular units using thin plywood panels, slats and metal components to be efficient and cost-effective.

    Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns

    Along the tops and sides of the storage modules, a wooden lattice is coloured in five bold hues to enliven the design.
    “This design resonates with the vibrant book spines, creating a dynamic visual contrast with the monochromatic, bright wood shelves, and light grey stone floor,” said Choi.
    Wooden latticework is also installed across the ceiling and behind the reception deskThe aim is for the library to become a community hub for Korean-Americans and others New Yorkers, and host events like book launches and other group activities.
    “This project showcases how cultural heritage can be preserved and celebrated through thoughtful and contemporary design, creating a unique and enriching environment for all visitors,” said Choi.
    The tops and sides of the shelves are coloured in five bold huesPlayful shelving solutions have become a hallmark of contemporary library designs around the world.
    At a space in São Paulo, MAB3 and Zénite created forest of books where shelves encircle tree-like columns, while Studio Hinge took an arboreally informed approach to storage at a library in Mumbai.
    The photography is by Michael Moran and Changhaak Choi.

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    Seven transparent bathrooms for households who share everything

    In this lookbook we collect bathrooms with see-through walls, best suited to those who take a more relaxed attitude to privacy in the home.

    In most homes the bathroom is designed as a private space. But as the interiors listed below demonstrate, deciding against encasing the washroom in opaque walls can bring in natural light, act as a space-saving device or even create an unusual focal point in the home.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring bathrooms with sunken baths, subway tiles and double sinks.
    Photo by Yosuke OhtakeHouse in Kyoto, Japan, by 07Beach
    The bathroom inside this house in Kyoto, designed by architecture studio 07Beach, sits alongside a skylit central courtyard-like living space to give the residents the feeling of “open-air bathing”.

    “The house was designed as one big space, placing the double height living room at the centre so they can see who does what,” said the studio. “Although a curtain rail was set up in the bathroom just in case, it seems the family got used to the exposed bathroom, and still use it without a curtain.”
    Find out more about House in Kyoto ›
    Photo by Miguel de GuzmánBathyard Home, Spain, by Husos
    Madrid architecture studio Husos went further than merely making the bathroom visible in this apartment, instead removing partition walls to make it the main communal area of the home.
    “The bathyard is a space whose character can be negotiated and altered by the users by sliding transparent partitions and opening out a folding bench,” the studio said.
    Find out more about Bathyard Home ›
    Photo by Hey! CheeseCats’ Pink House, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio
    This holiday home in Taiwan was designed by KC Design Studio as a place for the owner to have fun with her three cats.
    The bathroom adjoins the cats’ playroom via a wall composed of a terrazzo plinth topped with pink glass, affording a view of what’s going on next door. For moments when additional privacy is desirable, the glass can be dimmed.
    Find out more about Cats’ Pink House ›
    Photo courtesy of Suppose Design Office (also top)House in Nagoya, Japan, by Suppose Design Office
    This house was completed by Japanese architecture studio Suppose Design Office all the way back in 2009 but is too good an example of a transparent bathroom not to be included on our list.
    The main living space looks straight through glass walls to the bathroom via a landscaped area filled with rocks and plants.
    Find out more about House in Nagoya ›
    Photo by Tomooki KengakuThe Life, Japan, by I IN
    Tokyo studio I IN overhauled an apartment for Japanese developer Smarg in an attempt to change perceptions of renovation projects.
    The flat has an open-plan layout and a restful ambience. Reeded glass partition walls allow light to penetrate into the windowless bathroom, as well as distorted view of the other side.
    Find out more about The Life ›
    Photo courtesy of Blueberry NightsBlueberry Nights, Georgia, by Sandro Takaishvili
    Georgian architect Sandro Takaishvili wanted this hotel in Tbilisi to make guests feel like they’re inside a movie.
    In the bedrooms, designed to evoke David Lynch’s visual style, the bathrooms are only separated by a slight change in level and the introduction of white tiles.
    Find out more about Blueberry Nights ›
    Photo by Torben EskerodVibo Tværveh, Denmark, by Valbæk Brørup Architects
    The bathroom at this summer cabin designed by Copenhagen studio Valbæk Brørup Architects takes the form of a tiled wet room that can be opened up to the elements.
    Located at one end of the long building, it opens through glass sliding doors onto an outdoor bathing area – which is fenced to avoid giving any passers-by a nasty shock.
    Find out more about Vibo Tværveh ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring bathrooms with sunken baths, subway tiles and double sinks.

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    Funamachi Base cafe and sweet shop designed as “extension of the park”

    Timber pillars and PVC pipes were left bare to blur the boundaries between the interior and exterior of cafe and sweet shop in Funamachi, Japan, designed by Schemata Architects.

    Named Funamachi Base, the combined sweet store and cafe is located next to a park in the centre of Funamachi, a riverport town in central Japan.
    The cafe is located close to a riverThis location inspired the design of its three buildings, which house a restaurant, sweetshop and a structurewith an office, kitchen and workshop.
    “We envisioned the facility as an extension of the park, including the courtyard connected via flowerpots, so that the boundary between the inside and outside of the site would disappear and one would be gradually drawn inside,” the studio said.
    Part of the foundation of the building forms a counterSchemata Architects’ founder Jo Nagasaka told Dezeen that the aim was also for people to wander into the space as they walk along the river.

    “The main idea was to incorporate the greenway along the river into the facility,” he said. “The design is based on the expectation that people will find themselves entering into the shop as they walk along.”
    Schemata Architects designed the cafe and sweet shop with large overhanging roofsLarge roofs extend out from the buildings of the 326-square-metre Funamachi Base, creating sheltered spaces where visitors can sit and enjoy the cafe’s bean buns.
    “The distance between each building is taken and a roof is placed between them to create a semi-outdoor space, but to avoid clear boundaries between the inside and outside, the idea was to use the same materials inside and out,” Nagasaka said.
    The same materials were used for the interior and exterior of Funamachi BaseMade from concrete and Douglas fir wood, Funamachi Base also features visible PVC pipes, a design choice that Schemata Architects made to underline the interaction between the interior and the exterior.
    “The same materials were used inside and outside: calcium silicate board and putty coating, PVC pipes generally used for outdoor gutters were sandblasted and placed across the inside and outside of the building, and the eaves extended to create a space where the inside and outside are interchangeable,” the studio said.

    Schemata Architects transforms 145-year-old townhouse into Le Labo flagship

    The foundation of the building was designed to bulge out, forming a counter from which to sell the sweets.
    It was also used to create a bench for visitors to rest on and a well, as water is needed to create Japanese sweets.
    A light-brown pattern decorates the facadesThe facades of the buildings have a light-brown pattern, adding to their industrial feel.
    “White walls would make it look like a stylised Japanese building, so we dared to deviate from that,” Nagasaka explained. “We have chosen this so that the construction process is reduced and the finish is unusual.”
    Schemata Architects recently designed the Komaeyu bathhouse in Tokyo, which was shortlisted for a Dezeen Award 2024 in the interiors category.
    The photography is by Yurika Kono.
    Project credits:
    Architect: Jo Nagasaka / Schemata ArchitectsProject team: Yuko YamashitaConstruction: GikenCollaboration: Monochrome (solar panel integrated roof), Fukushima Galilei (kitchen)

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    Studio Collective completes The Hotel at The Moore in Miami Design District

    Design firm Studio Collective has created a boutique hotel inside The Moore building in Miami Design District, completing the landmark’s transformation into a multi-functional hospitality venue.

    Recently opened, The Hotel at The Moore occupies the building’s fourth floor and includes 13 suites designed by Studio Collective to feel like private residences.
    “The hotel suites are a new addition to the fourth floor, but were designed to fit the building’s original footprint within its historic interior,” said the hotel team.
    Each room inside The Hotel at The Moore has a unique design conceptThe rooms range from 700 to 1,000 square feet (65 to 93 square metres) and each is designed differently to create a unique experience for guests.
    One suite is decorated primarily in light neutral tones, where textured plaster walls allow walnut bed frames and furniture to stand out.

    Another features wood-panelled walls and woven textured ceilings, complemented by details like rattan lampshades, while colour is introduced through rugs and throw pillows.
    One suite features wood-panelled walls and a woven ceilingThe rooms include art and custom furnishings by makers such as Dallas-based furniture brand Mous and sustainably-focused Brazilian company Sossego.
    The Moore building’s central atrium features a sculptural installation by architect Zaha Hadid, titled Elastika, which was added in 2005 when the space was used as an events venue.
    Colour is subtly introduced through rugs and other detailsThe artwork has lent its name to a public restaurant that now occupies the space, where diners can enjoy a menu by chef Joe Anthony beneath the sinuous white forms that span across and up the four-level void.
    Interiors for the Elastika restaurant were created collaboratively by operators Woodhouse and design firm Icrave, and include velvet banquette seating and an 18-cover bar.

    Esme Hotel in Miami draws on the “bohemian grandeur” of its past

    Constructed in 1921 to as a showroom for Moore and Sons furniture, the neoclassical-style building now also accommodates a private members club, which has its own restaurant and dining room.
    Members also have access to a karaoke room, hidden cocktail lounges, game rooms, a library, various dining rooms with distinct themed decor, a photo booth, sun room and a late-night speakeasy called The Rabbit Hole.
    The Moore building’s lobby is outfitted with black and white flooring, and contrasting colourful furnitureThe Club spaces are populated with furniture and accessories in muted red, blue and green hues, and many have rounded shapes that echo the architectural details through the building.
    Lower levels have terracotta floor tiles, which are swapped for wooden planks on the upper storeys.
    The building’s Elastika restaurant sits within an atrium housing a Zaha Hadid-designed sculpture of the same nameBolder colours are used in the lobby area, where black and white marble flooring contrasts the bold tones of paintings and furniture.
    A grand black and honey-toned stone staircase connects the ground level with the open balconies that overlook the atrium and Elastika.
    Many of the furniture pieces in the building’s private members club are rounded to echo the architectural featuresMiami Design District continues to add distinctive architecture and retail interiors as it develops, from a sculptural block of buildings planned by Kengo Kuma to a Louis Vuitton store wrapped in a diamond-patterned facade completed by Marcel Wanders.
    Boutiques that have recently opened in the area include a Nodaleto shoe store, a Diesel store, and locations for PatBo and Cult Gaia.
    The photography is by Kris Tamburello.

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    Eight London house extensions that maximise space and light

    For our latest lookbook we’ve gathered eight London homes that have traded in unused garden space for contemporary and light-filled living areas.

    Rear extensions are a popular option for transforming the pokey side returns and galley kitchens of Victorian and Edwardian housing, abundant in many areas of London.
    The eight examples below showcase how extensions can bring contemporary flair to a more traditional home and optimise living space for entertaining, relaxing and cooking.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring soothing cabin interiors, kitchens with sleek metal details and living rooms with warming fireplaces.
    Photo by Jim StephensonVictorian terrace house, UK, by Oliver Leech Architects

    Oliver Leech Architects retained this late 19th-century building’s character while opening up the “disconnected and dark” interior of this Victorian terrace house in Herne Hill.
    Prioritising natural light, the studio expanded the ground floor to include an open living, dining and kitchen space, meeting the existing building with a large skylight and window seat.
    Find out more about Victorian terrace house ›
    Photo by Jae W V KimSunny Side Up, UK, by THISS Studio
    THISS Studio approached this extension in east London as though it were a piece of furniture rather than a conventional structure.
    “We wanted to think of the new addition at a domestic scale and more like a piece of furniture that you can sit within and enjoy, rather than a typical extension of the existing spaces,” THISS Studio told Dezeen.
    The practice reconfigured the dark interior of this interwar house which features timber joinery and a light-filled dining space.
    Find out more about Sunny Side Up ›
    Photo by Helen LeechMoroccan inspired house, UK, by Merrett Houmøller Architects and All & Nxthing
    The client’s extensive travels to Morocco and the Mediterranean inspired this rear extension in London.
    Merrett Houmøller Architects and interior designer All & Nxthing renovated and extended this Victorian home with clay-plaster walls, exposed brickwork and tile floors to evoke the feeling of a Moroccan home.
    Find out more about Moroccan inspired house ›
    Photo by Ståle EriksenHeath House, UK, by Proctor & Shaw
    A dilapidated conservatory and awkwardly sized rooms were swapped for a light, wood-filled interior at this Grade II-listed villa in Highgate, north London.
    Architecture studio Proctor & Shaw prioritised natural light and a natural material palette of wood and white brick for the above and below-ground extension in north London.
    Find out more about Heath House ›
    Photo by Tim CrockerMagpie House , UK, by DGN Studio
    DGN Studio extended the kitchen of this east London terrace house by three metres to create “a more cohesive and seamless sequence for living, dining and cooking”.
    The extension is illuminated by skylights between wooden beams and features a concrete window seat overlooking the garden with the client’s furniture and fittings incorporated throughout.
    Find out more about Stoke Newington house ›
    Photo by Jim StephensonVictorian maisonette, UK, by Nimtim Architects 
    Douglas fir timber screens, exposed brickwork and rough plaster characterise this extension of a Victorian maisonette in Camberwell, south-east London.
    Nimtim Architects responded to a brief calling for greater connectivity and openness in the home to create a “place of reflection and sanctuary from the city”.
    Find out more about Victorian maisonette ›
    Photo by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian BraileyEdwardian home, UK, by Architecture for London 
    Architecture for London transformed this Edwardian home in Muswell Hill, which had been untouched for 40 years, using only sustainably minded interventions and natural materials.
    Created for the studio’s founder Ben Ridley, the house was renovated and extended to create a minimal interior characterised by oak wood, stone and lime plaster.
    Find out more about Edwardian home ›
    Photo courtesy of AOCForest House, UK, by AOC
    Gillian Lambert and Geoff Shearcroft of architecture firm AOC wanted to add personality and a connection to nearby Epping Forest when designing the front extension of their Victorian house in north London.
    A single-storey garage was removed to create a series of interconnected, playful living spaces featuring tactile materials, exposed block work and bold colours.
    Find out more about Forest House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring characterful kitchens with sleek metal details, soothing cabin interiors and living rooms with warming fireplaces.  

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    Trauma of Ukraine war “was crucial for me as an architect” says Tallinn Architecture Biennale curator Anhelina Starkova

    Anhelina L Starkova explains how her experience of living through the Ukraine war has shaped her approach to curating the 2024 Tallinn Architecture Biennale in this interview.

    Starkova, who was chief curator of this year’s biennale, is from Kharkiv in north-east Ukraine – a city that has suffered heavy bombardment since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, coming close to being captured early on in the conflict.
    According to the curator, she experienced something close to an epiphany not long after the war began, while taking refuge in the bunker in her house as bombs fell around it
    Anhelina L Starkova is chief curator of this year’s Tallinn Architecture Biennale. Photo by Helen Shets”I remember that planes were flying around, and the building was shaking, and it was really the moment when you understand that it’s probably your last minutes,” she recalled.
    “I was standing with this wall, and I was thinking that this wall was a continuation of my body – this is me,” she continued.

    “It was, for an architect, [a] very interesting feeling. Because I finished university, I had my 10 years in practice, and I still was not really immersed in architecture.”
    “You always think it intellectually, but when I was in this bunker I started [to] think, ‘oh my god, this is the only one thing that can really save me – this wall is the only one thing that I need’. It was a very existential experience.”
    Titled “Resources for a Future”, the exhibition explores innovative ways of using materials in architectureLater, while spending some time in Bucharest, visiting a shopping mall made her reconsider the value of architecture.
    “There’s all this commercial architecture, and I feel such a disgust,” she told Dezeen. “Like it’s a cartoon, it’s not real. I felt it not with my brain but with all my body: we live in a world of complete illusion.”
    In other words, Starkova said, the traumatic experience of the war has given her a new sense of clarity about what really matters in architecture.
    “When the war started in the Ukraine, that was crucial for me as an architect,” she explained. “I didn’t expect that it would influence me so much personally.”
    “Everything kind of started to be very clear: many, many things that we add to architecture – these addictive visions – are extra things, and they are not making buildings in a total way.”
    “If I would like to continue [in architecture] then I would need to isolate myself from all this gallery of thinking, which I can’t stand anymore.”

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    Instead, Starkova, who as well as running her own studio lectures at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons and Kharkiv School of Architecture, has become more interested in the bare essentials of architecture.
    “Really great architecture, it’s about durability factors, the functionality, but also giving people a kind of stability and safety,” she said. “In the end, it’s mostly about our immersion.”
    Starkova has applied this back-to-basics philosophy to her curation of the seventh Tallinn Architecture Biennale, which opened in the Estonian capital last week.
    Pihlmann Architects presented a proposition for changing the function of a building by changing parts of its floorplates into rampsAt the centre of this year’s biennale is an exhibition exploring the theme of Resources for a Future, hosted by the Estonian Centre for Architecture.
    Featuring 14 exhibits from studios including Gus Wüstemann Architects, KAMP Arhitektid, Déchelette Architecture and Pihlmann Architects, it examines different approaches to using local resources for creating new buildings and prolonging the life of existing ones.
    “I had conversations with each architect that you have to look at the basics and the fundamental, real feel of what you are doing,” Starkova said.
    “And even asked each architect, when you’re talking about resources, what really fosters you to do architecture, what supports you? And each installation showed the answers.”
    For instance, Denmark-based Pihlmann Architects created a large model of a stripped-back building shell where part of each floor had been cut out and sloped downwards to form a ramp up from the floor below.
    “It was really about this idea of purification,” said Starkova. “You see an old building and you just do not add anything. You see the nature of the building and you’re trying to heal it or to reformulate its elements.”
    Déchelette Architecture’s exhibit showcased rammed-earth pillars using material dug locally to TallinnThat, she said, is a lesson she learned while working on repairs to damaged buildings in Kharkiv during the war.
    “You’re trying to compose it again, to heal it, and then it gets another conceptual environment – another feeling, and it’s already architecture.”
    “Architecture is the constant process of thinking of your relation to materials, different elements, and assemblage of them in a holistic way.”
    At the centre of the exhibition are a series of pillars erected by rammed-earth specialist Emmanuelle Déchelette of Paris studio Déchelette Architecture, with the material dug locally to Tallinn.
    “It’s about doing a lot with nothing, that complete purification,” said Starkova. “To avoid this ideological or even social architecture.”

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    The participating architects were given a deliberately open brief, because Starkova felt the exhibition was “not about dogmas”. As a result, the exhibits are highly varied in form and approach.
    They range from a huge chunk of a restored traditional Estonian log house by Apex Arhitektuuribüroo (pictured top) to an abstract proposal for a public space created only by digging by Romanian architect Laura Cristea and Swiss architect Raphael Zuber.
    In another, Estonian studio KAMP Arhitektid presented research on the surprising breadth of potential building materials that can be found on one specific 15 square-kilometre piece of land in the country.
    “Each project was a surprise because I didn’t know them personally before the exhibition, none of them,” said Starkova.
    A research project by KAMP Arhitektid demonstrated potential building materials found on a single plot of landThat effect was only heightened by the fact that Starkova managed the whole project remotely, only arriving in Tallinn a few days before the exhibition opened.
    She began with a list of more than 500 architects whose work she admires, eventually selecting those who she felt “were the most radical in their thinking”.
    The Ukraine war is referenced in one installation, produced by Elina Liiva and Helena Manna in collaboration with PAKK, composed of a series of images of apartment living rooms printed on translucent fabric and placed in a line, with chunk of concrete lying nearby that corresponds with a hole cut into the scene.
    But beyond that, Starkova deliberately avoided making the conflict a direct focus of the exhibition, believing that it may detract from a sense of immediacy.
    “During the war, it’s not a place for architecture – mostly a place for thinking,” she said.
    “And yes, architects are trying to think, with the support of international world architecture, what could be done [after the war]. But I just wanted to stay honest and not be futuristic.”
    The only exhibit to directly reference the Ukraine war looked at approaches to changing buildings damaged in the conflictOverall, Starkova hopes the exhibition will enable visitors “to learn from architects that architecture is simple to do, and that the formulas are quite simple”.
    As well as leading curation of the exhibition, Starkova was also head judge for the biennale’s customary pavilion commission competition, this time for a bus shelter at Tallinn’s Balti Jaam transit hub.
    Out of more than 80 entries, the winner was No Time to Waste by Belgian architecture duo Brasebin Terrisse.
    The central concept of the pavilion, which is still completing construction, was that the design would be led by whatever construction off-cut materials could be sourced in Tallinn.
    “This was the only project who said that we have an open end – we do not propose [a] form of the installation, we prepare that we come to Tallinn, we test a local situation and after we will develop a form given when doing the work on it,” said Starkova.
    A competition to design a pavilion for the biennale was won by Brasebin Terrisse’s project No Time to Waste (front)”So the rendering of the project itself is just a library of technology that they would like to use, but the form must be made later during the working process,” she added. “It followed the course of the biennale.”
    With the biennale’s opening-week programme complete, Starkova has now returned to Kharkiv, where many buildings lie in ruins in a city that was previously celebrated for its rich and varied architectural heritage.
    “It’s all so difficult,” she reflected. “Kharkiv is changing, it is in constant change.”
    “It’s absolutely impossible to live, because you live in that mode of always existential crisis – on the edge, always. You go to bed, you don’t know you’re going to wake up. You go outside, you don’t know you’re coming back.”
    “Maybe it brings some beauty, because we actually live in this way, all of us – right on the edge.”
    The photography is by Tõnu Tunnel unless stated otherwise.
    Resources For A Future will run until 1 December 2024 at the Museum of Estonian Architecture, Ahtri tn 2, 10151 Tallinn, Estonia. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

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