Markus Andrews

More stories

  • 125 Shares189 Views

    Nendo completes Marsotto showroom in Milan with dimpled marble facade

    Passersby can perch in the facade of Italian marble brand Marsotto’s new showroom in Milan, which has been designed by multidisciplinary studio Nendo.From afar, the front of Marsotto’s showroom in Milan’s Brera district looks as if it’s sealed up by blocks of veiny white marble.
    To achieve this, Nendo lined the entire facade – including the flush front door – in marble tiles, being careful to set them in line with the existing stonework on the building.

    Top image: people can perch in the showroom’s facade. Above: the facade appears to be sealed up with marble
    At one point the tiles dip inwards to form a small nook where passersby on the street can sit.

    “Because the traffic circle facing the showroom will soon be greened and turned into a small park, part of the facade was made into impromptu street furniture with a soft recess on it, in the hopes that neighbours might sit as if on a bench and rest for a spell,” Nendo explained.

    A flush-set door can be pushed back to reveal the showroom’s entryway
    Beyond the showroom’s front door lies a small white-painted entryway. Pale marble has been used again here to cover the floor and to form a screen which obscures the staircase leading down to the basement.
    The screen is made up of two overlapping slabs of 10-millimetre-thick marble, each punctuated with holes that measure 65 millimetres wide.
    “The partition’s tempered transparency and lightness reduce the oppressiveness of the marble constitution, softly drawing visitors to the basement exhibition space,” the studio added.

    A perforated marble screen hides the staircase to the basement
    Downstairs, the showroom has been divided into four different rooms. To keep a majority of the floor area free to accommodate different exhibitions, Nendo created three-sided display plinths that sit in the corner of the rooms.
    Each of them is backlit with bright-white strip lights.

    Products are presented on three-sided display plinths
    Some of the plinths dramatically curve inwards to form a half-moon shape. One of these has been used to present sample blocks of different types of marble that Marsotto offers.
    Stool seats in matching finishes are displayed in a row underneath.

    Steel and concrete steps cut through facade of Stairway House by Nendo

    Another room in the basement has been kit-out with one of Marsotto’s dining tables and wall-mounted shelves so that, when necessary, it can be used to host lunch meetings.

    Some of the display plinths curve inwards into a half-moon shape
    This isn’t the first time that Nendo has worked with Marsotto. For the 2016 edition of Milan Design Week, the design studio created an exhibition space for the marble brand that was half white, half black – furniture was arranged to match.
    Four years ago Nendo also came up with the Sway table for Marsotto. Designed to “provide a new expression of agility to marble”, the table looks as if it’s tilting to one side.
    Photography is by Hiroki Tagma.

    Read more: More

  • 138 Shares179 Views

    Atelier XY covers cocktail bar in Shanghai with over 1,000 insects

    Preserved tarantulas and beetles decorate the shadowy rooms inside this bar in Shanghai, China designed by local studio Atelier XY.Atelier XY designed the bar, which is called J Boroski, to reflect its owners’ interest in insects.
    It’s located in Shanghai French Concession – a region of the city that was occupied and governed by the French state from 1849 up until 1943. Over the last few decades the area has been redeveloped, and it’s now host to a number of eateries, boutiques and quaint music venues.

    Top image: beetles cover the surfaces of the bar. Above: a glass-brick wall runs down the back of the room
    To enter the bar, visitors walk through an assuming door and up through a dark stairwell.

    “It acts as a transition between the noisy exterior and the quiet interior. Once the reception is reached, the unique character of this place slowly reveals itself,” explained the studio.

    Behind the partition are dimly lit lounge areas
    The main bar area inside is dominated by a 12-metre-long counter where up to eight mixologists can stand and rustle up cocktail orders.
    Amber-hued lights illuminate drink bottles on display, fostering a sense of warmth.

    Office AIO’s Bar Lotus in Shanghai turns from daytime cafe into evening cocktail bar

    A gridded teak-wood framework covers the wall directly behind the counter and extends up to cover half the bar’s ceiling. Every square opening in the grid is centred by a beetle – in total there are 1,254.

    Dark leather furniture features throughout the bar
    Along the rear of the bar is a glass brick wall, through the centre of which runs a series of see-through blocks that contain 42 preserved Thai Black tarantulas.
    It has also been inbuilt with a couple of black-iron drawers – when pulled out, further taxidermy insect specimens are revealed. These can also double-up as small ledges where standing visitors in the bar can rest their drinks.

    Preserved spiders are set inside the glass-brick wall
    The wall separates the bar from a couple of dim lounge areas dressed with comfy armchairs upholstered in dark, umber-coloured leather.
    A small amount of light is offered by a handful of tealight candles in glass tumblers.

    The bar includes a lab-style space where guests can watch cocktails being made
    There is also what the studio describes as a “chamber room”, which lies behind a heavy glass-brick door. Inside there’s a laboratory-style space where visitors will be invited to watch mixologists experiment with making drinks, using extravagant tools like centrifuges or rotary distillation machines.
    The dark colour palette of the bar seeps through into the bathroom, which is completely clad in glazed, oxblood-coloured tiles. It’s centred by a lengthy wooden sink.

    Oxblood-coloured tiles cover the bar’s bathroom
    Atelier XY is based in Shanghai and was established in 2018 by Qi Xiaofeng and Wang Yuyang.
    Its J. Boroski project is shortlisted in the bar interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards. It will go up against spaces such as The Berkeley Bar & Terrace by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, which features ornate plasterwork friezes, walnut wall panelling and a blush-pink snug where guests can retire with their drinks.
    Photography is courtesy of Schran Images and Hu Yanyun.
    Project credits:
    Design: Atelier XYTeam: Qi Xiaofeng, Wang Yuyang, Chen XiProduct design: Notion Common, Atelier XYLighting: Zenko lighting design

    Read more: More

  • 125 Shares189 Views

    Minimal Fantasy holiday apartment in Madrid is almost completely pink

    Patricia Bustos Studio channelled “aesthetic madness” to create the striking bright-pink interior of this rentable apartment at the heart of Madrid, Spain.Locally-based Patricia Bustos Studio applied 12 different shades of pink throughout the Minimal Fantasy apartment, which is meant to offer a bolder take on the typical holiday rental.
    “We wanted to do something eye-catching and not go unnoticed, since in Madrid the offer of vacation rentals is enormous and you have to differentiate yourself if you want to have a recurrence in the rentals,” the studio told Dezeen.

    Surfaces throughout the apartment are bright pink
    The 55-square-metre apartment is set inside a 1950s residential building that’s a stone’s throw away from Madrid’s lively Puerta del Sol square.

    It formerly played host to just one bedroom and one bathroom, but Patricia Bustos Studio reconfigured the floor plan so that it can comfortably accommodate slightly larger groups of holiday goers.

    An arched doorway looks through to the kitchen
    There are now two bedrooms and an additional bathroom. The kitchen has also been separated from the living area so that, if necessary, it can sleep another two guests.
    With structural changes out the way, the studio set about creating the apartment’s stand-out interior – which is almost exclusively pink.

    Cabinetry in the kitchen is a mix of blue, pink and gold
    “Except for the distribution, which had to be practical, the rest of the project has been an aesthetic madness to take the visitor out of their comfort zone and make them dream,” explained the studio.
    “Pink is already the colour of a whole generation… the generation of the brave, those who are not afraid of change,” it continued.
    “Pink vindicates the fall of stereotypes – everything is possible, nothing is planned or established and that’s the beauty of it. There are no rules, or rather that everyone has their own.”

    Pink cushions and faux-fur throws dress the beds
    In the living area, bubblegum-pink paint has been applied across the walls and ceiling. A flecked pink laminate covers the floor and a chunky L-shaped plinth that winds around the corner of the room, topped with plush pink sofa cushions.
    Guests can gather for meals around the oval-shaped pink dining table, which is surrounded by dining chairs upholstered in metallic pink fabric with an iridescent finish.

    One of the beds is supported by a pink-tile platform
    The monochromatic colour scheme is interrupted in the adjacent kitchen, where the cabinets are covered in a mixture of blue, pink and gold geometric shapes.
    Worktops are lined with glazed, blush-pink tiles.

    Child Studio looks to worker’s cafes for pink interiors of London’s Humble Pizza

    These same tiles have been used to clad the side tables and supporting mattress base in one of the apartment’s bedrooms.
    In the other bedroom, the mattress is pushed up against a scalloped pink headboard. Textural interest is added throughout by baby-pink lamé soft cushions and faux-fur throws.
    Arched sliding doors can be drawn back to reveal pink-tile bathrooms, complete with pink-frame vanity mirrors and shiny pink shower curtains.

    Bathrooms lie behind arched sliding screens
    Other than a few spherical pendant lights, trailing ivy plants and neon art piece, Patricia Bustos Studio hasn’t incorporated a lot of decoration in the apartment.
    Some elements, like the stepped blocks which display books and other trinkets, are meant to riff off La Muralla Roja – a housing development designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill in 1968, distinguished by its maze of interlocking stairways.
    “[Bofill] creates a mysterious and infinite space with the perfect transformation between 2D and 3D, and with several elements that play with the optical illusion,” added the studio.

    Shiny pink curtains and pink-frame mirrors complete the bathrooms
    Several other architects and designers haven’t shied away from making extensive use of the colour pink – last year, Child Studio covered the interior of a vegan pizza restaurant in London with candy-pink Formica.
    Mar Plus Ask also washed the walls of a cave-like guesthouse in Spain with blush-pink stucco.
    Photography is by JC de Marcos.

    Read more: More

  • 113 Shares99 Views

    Outdoor dining on New York City streets becomes permanent

    New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has made the Open Restaurants Program, which allows restaurants in the city to extend seating onto streets, sidewalks and public spaces, permanent following the coronavirus pandemic.First temporarily initiated in June to allow restaurants to continue doing business while adhering to social distancing restrictions, the programme will now be a year-round fixture, De Blasio announced on 25 September.
    The Open Restaurants Program, which has seen outdoor dining spaces pop up across the city, will boost the capacity of restaurants as they open indoor dining at 50 per cent capacity as New York gradually reopens after the coronavirus lockdown.
    Restaurants allowed to heat outdoor spaces and build tents
    Under the scheme, eateries are allowed to extend seating onto sidewalks and roadways, or onto adjacent outdoor spaces with their neighbours’ consent. Establishments must follow a list of requirements for an Open Restaurant design, which include a clear path on the pavement, a maximum distance from the curb and a required height of enclosing barriers.
    De Blasio’s extension will also introduce guidelines for restaurants to heat outdoor areas during the colder winter months, which will be released by the end of September.

    David Rockwell unveils kit to build restaurants on streets following pandemic

    These regulations will allow the installation of electrical heaters on both sidewalks and roadways, and propane and natural gas heaters only on pavements. Propane will require a permit from New York City Fire Department.
    Restaurants will also be able to build tents, ranging from partial to full enclosures, in order to keep diners warm.
    Outdoor seating enables safe dining amid pandemic
    Food establishments will have to apply online for permission to become an Open Restaurant. Three or more restaurants on a street that is closed to traffic can also apply together to expand outdoors in another option known as Open Streets: Restaurants.
    Following the city lockdown, more than 10,300 restaurants citywide reopened with activities outdoors over summer, according to the New York Times, allowing them to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic.
    A number of architects and designers also came up with creative ways for restaurants to allow safe dining post-Covid-19. In May, ahead of New York’s outdoor dining programme, designer David Rockwell created a kit of parts to turn the city’s streets into outdoor restaurants with socially distanced dining.
    His firm, Rockwell Group, later built a pro-bono DineOut NYC project (pictured top) comprising 120 seats for restaurants on Mott Street in Chinatown.
    Arts centre Mediamatic also developed a socially distanced dining experience in Amsterdam where guests sit in their own greenhouse and hosts wear face shields.
    Photograph of DineOut NYC is by Emily Andrews for Rockwell Group.

    Read more: More

  • 100 Shares119 Views

    Shortlist revealed for AHEAD MEA 2020 hospitality awards

    Dezeen promotion: a cluster of luxurious tents in the Namibian desert and a hotel set amongst verdant gardens in Marrakech are some of the projects shortlisted in the Middle East and Africa heats of this year’s AHEAD awards.The AHEAD MEA awards give praise to outstanding hospitality projects that have launched, opened or reopened across the Middle East and Africa between January 2019 and February of this year.

    Zannier Hotels Sonop, a group of guest tents in Namibia, is on the shortlist
    Entries were initially organised into 15 categories, which acknowledge everything from a project’s guest suites to its landscaping and outdoor spaces.

    A shortlist was then composed by a judging panel of leading experts from the hotel industry. This year it includes figures such as Leila Abdul Rahim, design director of Hilton Worldwide, and Pallavi Dean, founder of studio Roar.

    Another project on the AHEAD MEA awards shortlist this year is Dubai’s Opus hotel
    Among the projects on the shortlist is Zannier Hotels Sonop, a group of 10 tents that perch over huge granite boulders in the Namibian desert.
    Decadently designed to evoke old-world safari charm, inside the tents have been decorated with vintage maps, binoculars and telescopes.

    Also on the shortlist is The Oberoi Marrakech, which is surrounded by lush gardens
    Other projects on the shortlist include the Opus hotel in Dubai designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, which is set inside a cuboid glass building that’s punctuated by an irregularly shaped void.
    Also on the shortlist is The Farmstead at Royal Malewane, an intimate lodge that looks out over the tree canopies of a national park in South Africa, and The Oberoi Marrakech, which is nestled amongst 28 acres of Mediterranean gardens and citrus trees.

    Additionally on the AHEAD MEA 2020 shortlist is The Farmstead at Royal Malewane
    This year – due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – the final stages of judging will take place over a series of video calls between 30 September to 1 October, where those on the panel will review projects one last time before deciding on their favourites from each category.
    Winners will then be announced on 9 November at the awards’ inaugural “hybrid” event, which will involve a digital screening for overseas audience members and a localised on-the-ground ceremony for people part of the AHEAD MEA community.
    See the full shortlist below:
    Bar, Club or Lounge
    Archer Bar & Eatery at Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South AfricaTwenty Three Rooftop Bar at Grand Plaza Mövenpick Media City, Dubai, UAESiddharta Lounge by Buddha Bar at W Muscat, OmanSt. Trop at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE
    Guestrooms
    Four Seasons Hotel Doha, QatarLekkerwater Beach Lodge, De Hoop Nature Reserve, South AfricaThe Farmstead at Royal Malewane, Hoedspruit, South AfricaThe Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, UAE
    Hotel Newbuild
    Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South AfricaME Dubai at Opus, UAEThe Museum Hotel Antakya, TurkeyThe Social House Nairobi, Kenya
    Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces
    Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas, TunisiaLe Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, MoroccoThe Farmstead at Royal Malewane, Hoedspruit, South AfricaThe Oberoi Marrakech, Morocco
    Lobby & Public Spaces
    Le Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, MoroccoMarriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South AfricaME Dubai at Opus, UAEVida Hotel Emirates Hills, Dubai, UAE
    Lodges, Cabins & Tented Camps
    Abelana River Lodge, Phalaborwa, South AfricaandBeyond Ngala Treehouse, Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South AfricaHabitas NamibiaKing’s Pool, Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, BotswanaLepogo Lodges’ Noka Camp, South AfricaPuku Ridge, South Luangwa National Park, ZambiaZannier Hotels Sonop, Namibia
    Renovation, Restoration & Conversion
    andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibrand Nature Reserve, NamibiaFour Seasons Hotel Doha, QatarLe Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, MoroccoLong Lee Manor, Shamwari Private Game Reserve, South Africa
    Resort
    Al Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Abu Dhabi, UAEAnantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas, TunisiaThe Oberoi Marrakech, MoroccoW Muscat, Oman
    Restaurant
    Bull & Bear at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, UAEKeystone at Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South AfricaMina’s Kitchen at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, UAENammos Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Dubai, UAE
    Restaurant
    Bull & Bear at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, UAEKeystone at Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South AfricaMina’s Kitchen at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, UAENammos Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Dubai, UAE
    Suite
    Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas, TunisiaFour Seasons Hotel Doha, QatarLe Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, MoroccoMarriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Read more: More

  • 113 Shares149 Views

    Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Yokohama spotlights natural materials

    Oak chairs sit amongst paper yarn-wrapped columns within this Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Yokohama, Japan created by Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects.The Blue Bottle Coffee cafe occupies a glass-front building in Yokohama’s bustling business district, Minatomirai, and looks out across a leafy public park.
    This setting became a key point of reference for Tokyo-based studio Keiji Ashizawa Design, which has exclusively decked out the interiors of the cafe with natural materials.

    Top image: Paper yarn wraps around the cafe’s columns. Above: A curved bar is at the centre of the floor plan
    “We have aimed to create an atmosphere which welcomes the local community by mainly using wood, inspired by the park located by the Blue Bottle Coffee Minatomirai,” said the studio’s eponymous founder, Keiji Ashizawa.

    “The building acts as the main character of the park and provides a feeling of kindness with the natural materials in the industrial-looking landscape.”

    A local park inspired the natural material palette of the cafe
    The open floor plan of the cafe is dominated by a huge half-moon service bar, behind which staff prepare drink orders. Its base is clad with slats of light-hued timber, while its countertop is made from flecked grey stone.
    Pale timber has additionally been used for the cafe’s flooring and its circular tables. Timber also forms smaller decorative elements like the menu board and a couple of oversized, ring-shaped lights that have been suspended from the ceiling.

    Norm Architects designed the seating throughout the cafe
    A series of white, spherical pendant lamps that hang above the cafe’s high counter provide extra light as evening falls.

    Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects pare back Tokyo apartments

    In keeping with the natural material palette, braided paper yarn has been wound around the lower half of the grey support columns that run along the periphery of the room.

    Some of the chairs are upholstered in creamy leather
    Keiji Ashizawa Design asked long-term collaborators, Copenhagen-based practice Norm Architects, to devise a range of seating for the project.
    The practice designed three chair models made from Japanese oak wood: a traditional cafe-style chair, a tall bar stool and a slightly more formal dining chair that’s partially upholstered in creamy leather – its low, curving backrest is meant to draw subtle reference to the cafe’s architecture.

    The frames of the chairs are made from Japanese oak
    All of the pieces were produced by Karimoku Case Study, the sister brand of Japanese manufacturer Karimoku which collaborates with architects across the world to design furnishings.
    Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design had first worked with Karimoku Case Study back in 2019 on the launch of its inaugural Kinuta collection.

    The facade of the cafe is made from glass
    “For us, there couldn’t be a better partner to team up with than Karimoku,” explained Frederik Werner, partner at Norm Architects.
    “They uphold a unique quality and approach to the manufacturing of wooden furniture, maintaining a focus on the craftsmanship combined with the latest robotics, making sure that their philosophy of ‘high-tech, high-touch’ is truly embedded in each furniture piece leaving the factory.”

    Customers can spill out onto an outdoor seating area
    This is one of several Blue Bottle Coffee cafes in Japan, with others located in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe.
    The coffee brand was founded by James Freeman in 2002, starting out as a small roastery in Oakland, California before growing into a network of cafes across the US and Asia.
    Last year saw Blue Bottle Coffee open its first branch in South Korea, which was designed by Schemata Architects. The cafe is situated in the artsy neighbourhood of Seongsu and features sparse interiors dotted with timber furniture and red-brick display plinths.
    Photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.
    Project credits:
    Design: Keiji Ashizawa & Norm ArchitectsConstruction: #TankFurniture: Karimoku Case Study

    Read more: More

  • 225 Shares139 Views

    With two weeks left to vote, see the interiors projects winning in the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote

    There are now less than two weeks left for you to vote for your favourite Dezeen Awards projects and studios, here is an update on votes cast so far in each of the 12 interiors categories.The voting progress for the architecture categories was shared yesterday and we’ll be sharing the progress for design and studio categories tomorrow and Thursday.
    Closing on 12 October, the public vote allows readers to vote for projects and studios shortlisted in the architecture, interiors and design categories, as well as architects and designers in line for the studio of the year awards. Winners will receive a special certificate.
    Voting is open for another two weeks so get started today!
    Click here to vote ›
    Public vote winners announced in October
    Public vote winners will be announced 19-22 October. The public vote is separate from the main Dezeen Awards 2020 judging process, in which entries are assessed by professional judges.
    We’ll be announcing the Dezeen Awards 2020 winners online at the end of November.
    Who’s ahead in the voting
    With 28,985 votes received so far, here is a snapshot of which projects and studios have received the most support. There’s still time to influence the results so keep voting!

    Kew Residence by John Wardle Architects, Breezeway House by David Boyle Architect, Art Villa by Formafatal, House in Kyoto by 07Beach, and Bismarck House by Andrew Burges Architects, David Harrison and Karen McCartney
    House interior

    29% – Kew Residence by John Wardle Architects22% – Breezeway House by David Boyle Architect20% – Art villa, Puntarenas by Formafatal19% – House in Kyoto by 07BEACH10% – Bismarck House by Andrew Burges Architects

    The Gymnasium by Robbert de Goede, Jaffa House 4 by Pitsou Kedem, The Melburnian Apartment by Edition Office, La Nave by Nomos, and Apartment Block by Coffey Architects
    Apartment interior
    35% – The Gymnasium by Robbert de Goede29% – Jaffa House 4 by Pitsou Kedem Architects19% – The Melburnian Apartment  by Edition Office10% – La Nave by NOMOS7% – Apartment Block  by Coffey Architects

    Tori Tori Santa Fe by Esrawe Studio, Voisin Organique by Various Associates, DooSooGoBang by Limtaehee Design Studio, % Arabica, West Jianguo Road by Blue Architecture Studio, and Embers Restaurant by Curvink Architects
    Restaurant interior
    35% – Tori Tori Santa Fe by Esrawe Studio23% – Voisin Organique by Various Associates15% – DooSooGoBang by Studio Lim14% – %Arabica Coffee by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio13% – Embers Restaurant by Curvink Architects

    Dongshang by Imafuku Architects, The Berkeley Bar and Terrace by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, Mercantile Wine Bar by Islyn Studio, The Flow of Ecstatic by Daosheng Design, and A Secret Bar in a Lively Downtown by Atelier Xy
    Bar interior
    29% – Dongshang by Imafuku Architects26% – The Berkeley Bar & Terrace by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio18% – Mercantile Wine Bar by Islyn Studio17% – The Flow of Ecstatic by Daosheng Design10% – A secret bar by Atelier Xy

    Casa Palerm by OHLAB, Maana Kamo by Uoya Shigenori, Capsule Hostel and Bookstore by Atelier Tao+C, Escondido Oaxaca Hotel by Decada and Carlos Couturier, and Trunk House by Trunk
    Hotel and short-stay interior
    34% – Casa Palerm by OHLAB26% – Maana Kamo by Maana Homes19% – Capsule hostel in a rural library by Atelier Tao+C16% – Escondido Oaxaca Hotel by Decada Muebles5% – Trunk House by Trunk

    Les Capucins by Atelier L2, Office In Cardboard by Studio VDGA Weinmanufaktur Clemens Strobl by Destilat Design Studio, The Audo by Norm Architects, and KCC Office by KCC Design
    Large workspace interior
    38% – Les Capucins by ATELIER L225% – Office In Cardboard by Studio_VDGA16% – Weinmanufaktur Clemens Strobl by Destilat Design Studio15% – The Audo by Norm Architects6% – KCC Office by KCC – Design

    Grain Loft Studio by Richard Parr Associates, Tiny Offices by Dutch Invertuals, Office for DDB Prague by B² Architecture, CODO by Loftwork and Shuhei Goto Architects, and 12 by Ortraum Architects
    Small workspace interior
    34% – Grain loft studio by Richard Parr Associates23% – Tiny Offices by Dutch Invertuals17% – Office for creative advertising agency DDB Prague  by B² Architecture13% – CODO  by Loftwork and Shuhei Goto Architects13% – 12 by ORTRAUM Architects

    Grupo Arca Design Center by Esrawe Studio, The Webster by Adjaye Associates, PSLab London by JamesPlumb, Supreme San Francisco by Brinkworth, Reigning Champ by Peter Cardew Architects and Issey Miyake Semba by Noma
    Large retail interior
    31% – Grupo Arca Design Center by Esrawe Studio29% – The Webster by Adjaye Associates18% – PSLab London by PSLab14% – Supreme San Francisco by Brinkworth5% – Reigning Champ by Peter Cardew Architects3% – Issey Miyake Semba by NOMA

    Glossier Seattle by Glossier, Sweat-Yourself-Shop by Freitag Lab, Aesop Shinjuku by Case-Real, Small Icon by I IN, and Freitag Store Kyoto by Freitag Lab
    Small retail interior
    33% –Glossier Seattle by Glossier31% – FREITAG Sweat-Yourself-Shop by FREITAG lab16% – AESOP Shinjuku by CASE-REAL13% – small ICON by I IN7% – FREITAG Store Kyoto by FREITAG lab

    En Skincare by Archiee, Vikasa by Enter Projects Asia, EKH Children’s Hospital by IF, Bathhouse by Verona Carpenter Architects, and Domstate Zorghotel by Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe
    Leisure and wellness interior
    36% – En skincare by ARCHIEE27% – Vikasa by Enter Projects Asia19% – EKH Children’s Hospital by IF11% – Bathhouse by Verona Carpenter Architects7% – Domstate Zorghotel by Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe

    MuseumLab by Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Church of Pope John Paul II by Robert Gutowski Architects, Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theatre by Trahan Architects, Crematorium Siesegem by Kaan Architecten, and Models in Model by Wutopia Lab
    Civic and cultural interior
    29% – MuseumLab by Koning Eizenberg Architecture25% – Church of Pope John Paul II by Robert Gutowski Architects22% – Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theatre by Trahan Architects14% – Crematorium Siesegem by KAAN Architecten10% – Models in Model by Wutopia Lab

    Project #13 by Studio Wills + Architects, Writer’s Studio by Eric J Smith, Single Person Gallery by Offhand Practice, Basic Coffee by Office AIO, and Smart Zendo by Sim-Plex Design Studio
    Small interior
    26% – PROJECT #13 by Studio Wills + Architects23% – Writer’s Studio by Eric J. Smith Architect19% – Single Person Gallery by Offhand Practice17% – Basic Coffee by Office AIO15% – Smart Zendo by Sim-Plex Design Studio
    Subscribe to the Dezeen Awards newsletter
    If you have any questions or you want more information about entering Dezeen Awards 2021, please subscribe to our newsletter or email awards@dezeen.com. More

  • 150 Shares169 Views

    Studio VDGA lines office in India with curving walls of honeycomb cardboard

    Architecture practice Studio VDGA has renovated an office in Pune, India, with partition walls made from cardboard and MDF.Located in the Pimpri Chinchwad district, the four-storey office for 100 people has been given a recyclable fit-out.

    Partition walls are made from cardboard and medium-density fibreboard (MDF)
    Called Office in Cardboard, the project has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the large workspace interior category.

    “We devised an innovative concept to replace the solid partition walls with more functional and textured material,” said Studio VDGA.
    “It also serves as a low-cost material since it does not require polishing or painting as it is kept raw.”

    Honeycomb cardboard is light, strong and low cost
    Studio VDGA’s paper-based design was made for an electric-components manufacturing company that is in the process of moving away from its previous work of making petrol and diesel vehicle components.
    The cardboard’s recyclable properties are intended to symbolise this shift towards a more environmentally-friendly industry.

    Cuts in the cardboard create patterns of shadow
    Sheets of honeycomb cardboard – a kind of paper packaging with an internal hexagon structure for strength – form divider walls, doors and a backdrop for the reception area.
    “Honeycomb board was first introduced in the aeronautical industry in the form of aluminium honeycomb boards,” said Studio VDGA.
    “In paper form, it is used extensively in Japan since being a lightweight material, it does not cause harm to life in the case of earthquakes,” added the studio. “IKEA is using it in abundance to create light modular furniture.”

    The cardboard has been left raw rather than painted
    In some areas, the cardboard elements wrap around the external walls and connect to form dividers between different zones of the office floors.
    Curving elements formed from the cardboard make sections of wall that billow into the room or wrap around supporting columns.

    Curving cardboard elements wrap around columns
    Sections of the sheets’ exterior have been cut away to reveal the internal honeycomb in order to create an interesting texture.

    Nudes creates cafe in Mumbai entirely from cardboard

    “What interested us was the cross-section through the board rather than the material itself,” said the studio.
    “Transverse cuts through the nodes of the hexagon reveals sharper fins, whereas longitudinal cuts through the board reveals uneven wider bands. This combination of sharper fins and wider bands, used in combination with bands of MDF, creates interesting patterns and shadows.”

    Paint tins have been turned into a plant display
    Cardboard absorbs sound, so the portion walls double as baffles to keep the background noise of the office low and grant employees more privacy.
    Slim horizontal slots form windows to allow light through in some areas. An installation of plants and electrical components displayed in white paint tins left over from the refurbishment hangs from the ceiling.

    Tins filled with plants and electronic components hang from the ceiling
    Ceilings have been left open, with the air ducts visible, so as to create as much height as possible.
    The reception area’s floor is tiled with different kinds of dark stone, and black metal railings bracket the stairs, with brass rings designed to look like an abacus.

    Railings on the stairs are designed to look like an abacus
    Based in Pune, Studio VDGA was founded by husband and wife team Deepak and Varsha Guggar in 2004.
    Cardboard was also the material of choice for this school office in Melbourne, a collection of colourful and corrugated furniture, and the entirety of this cafe in Mumbai.
    Photography is by Hemant Patil.

    Read more: More