Markus Andrews

More stories

  • 100 Shares199 Views

    in Rooms

    H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

    Three jagged walls delineate the colourful spaces inside this converted barn in Sant Just Desvern, Spain, transformed by Barcelona studio H3O to reference a lightning bolt that struck the building generations ago.

    The one-storey Relámpago House is a former barn with a white-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling in the Spanish town of Sant Just Desvern on the outskirts of Barcelona.
    Relámpago House features a colour-block interiorFor the interior scheme, H3O took cues from an old family legend told by the homeowner, whose ancestors are said to have survived a lightning bolt that struck the barn and entered the building through the chimney, narrowly avoiding the family members sheltering under the dining table.
    “Transforming a story into architecture seemed to us a fascinating and fun challenge,” the studio told Dezeen.
    H3O delineated spaces with jagged walls informed by lightning boltsH3O inserted three intersecting walls shaped like lightning bolts into the plan, defining rooms within the otherwise open space.

    “This geometry choice is not random – it emulates the unpredictable trajectory and rapid dispersion of a lightning bolt’s energy,” added the studio.
    The all-pink bedroom is accessed via a colourful doorThe colourful intersecting walls enclose a private bedroom and bathroom, as well as forming the perimeter of the open-plan kitchen and living area.
    This communal space features zigzagged strip lighting suspended above a boxy metal kitchen island and walls clad in green glazed tiles.
    Strip lighting was suspended above a metal kitchen islandSugary pink walls delineate the bedroom, accessed via a contrasting door that is painted dark green on one side and deep blue on the other.
    “The interaction of these colours with the opening and closing doors creates an experience of spatial fluidity inspired by the pop art aesthetic of the 70s, reflecting a radical, fun and optimistic spirit,” explained H3O.
    The angular bathroom has a blue ceiling and wallsCharacterised by a mixture of green tiles and floor-to-ceiling dark blue paint, the bathroom is the smallest and most angular of the spaces, with a jagged, asymmetric mirror that wraps one corner of the room and tops a geometric sink.
    “The construction of the walls involved a meticulous design and execution process, ensuring that every angle and twist served an aesthetic function and optimised habitability and indoor living,” the studio said.
    Stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handlesSmall stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles throughout the dwelling, adding organic accents to the otherwise colour-blocked interior.
    As a final nod to the home’s tumultuous history, a sculptural silver lightning bolt now protrudes from the chimney.

    Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

    “The idea of a lightning bolt redefining space, filling it with form and colour, pushed us to explore beyond conventional boundaries,” reflected H3O.
    “Relámpago House transforms a forgotten barn into a visual spectacle.”
    A silver lightning bolt protrudes from the building’s chimneyVarious other architectural projects have been defined by zigzagging motifs.
    London-based Outpost studio created a jagged zinc kitchen extension in Haggerston while German practice Wulf Architekten designed a sports centre for a school in Überlingen with a folding roof to reference the mountains of the surrounding Alps.
    The photography is by José Hevia. 

    Read more: More

  • 163 Shares169 Views

    in Rooms

    Elisa Ossino focuses on “the tactility of the material” for limestone V-Zug showroom

    Promotion: Italian architect Elisa Ossino has designed a “tactile” showroom in Milan for Swiss home appliance brand V-Zug.

    Overlooking Piazza San Marco in the Italian city’s Brera district, the space is organised into two areas – one that displays V-Zug’s home appliances and one that functions as an “interactive kitchen”.
    This was designed for visitors to “feel at home and experience appliances while enjoying good conversations”, the company said.
    V-Zug Milan overlooks Piazza San Marco in BreraOssino designed the space, which will act as V-Zug’s Italian flagship, using cocciopesto flooring and limestone walls rendered in soft colours inspired by the silver finishing of the brand’s appliances.
    “The narrative of the space focuses on the tactility of the material and the contrast between the mirrored surfaces of the V-Zug technological home appliances and the tactility of the stone, which is often sculptural,” Ossino told Dezeen.

    “All the materials in the space are on the one hand a search for the tactility of surfaces and on the other a search for colours,” she added. “Household appliances have mirrored surfaces that lend themselves very well to dialogue with any kind of material.”
    At the heart of the space sits a monolithic white limestone staircase, designed as a three-dimensional volume. A large porthole visually connects the upper area with the floor below.
    The interactive kitchen allows guests to experience V-ZUG’s home appliances in actionV-Zug wanted to challenge “the standard showroom” by offering guests an immersive experience during Milan design week, when they could watch chefs prepare dishes using the brand’s appliances in an interactive kitchen.
    Following the immersive experience, guests could browse an extensive materials library and sit around a long grey stone table while members of the V-Zug Gourmet Academy carried out demonstrations.
    “It is this theme in general that has somewhat suggested the entire formal layout of the showroom, which is played out very much on a balance between nature, matter and technology,” Ossino explained.
    A porthole visually connects the upper and lower areasV-Zug Milan was just one of several outposts opened by the brand in the past few months, following on the heels of showrooms in Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg and Sydney.
    “With the showroom in Milan, I tried to intercept some of the subtle themes that run through our imagination, our everyday life,” said Ossino.
    “We are witnessing on the one hand a great technological development – just think of artificial intelligence – in our daily lives. But at the same time we have a great need to reclaim something ancestral, a more humanistic design [that’s] closer to matter.”
    The architect also designed a series of installations for the space in collaboration with art studio Henry Timi, which were on display as part of this year’s Milan Design Week 2024.
    The studio is V-Zug’s Italian flagshipThe location of the brand’s showroom in Brera was not insignificant for the designer, who drew on the district’s “extraordinary” history when designing the space.
    “I would say that the whole space is about a meeting of matter, technology and craftsmanship,” she said.
    “In Italy, we have an incredible tradition in the world of craftsmanship and it is a knowledge that tends to get lost. There is a strong process underway at this time in history to valorise it, which is also very much linked to this ancestral need to reconnect with the material.”
    Guests can browse an extensive materials libraryThe space’s sleek lines and sculptural minimalism also pay homage to V-Zug’s Swiss roots.
    “For us, it was important to convey a sense of hospitality,” added V-Zug global interior art director Gabriel Castelló Pinyon.
    “We have tried to speak the language of the city: to be bolder and to work a lot with natural materials,” said the brand. “In Milan, people always expect something different. But it’s still V-Zug – it’s still minimalistic with clean lines.”
    V-Zug Studio Milan co-hosted an exhibition at Sala della Passione. Pinacoteca di Brera showcased an installation designed by Ossino in collaboration with Henry Timi. For more information, visit V-Zug’s website.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for V-Zug as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

    Read more: More

  • 125 Shares159 Views

    in Rooms

    Neri&Hu creates “wooden hut” and “cave-dwelling” interiors for Shanghai stores

    Chinese studio Neri&Hu has completed two retail spaces for Shanghai fashion company Jisifang, using wood and concrete to evoke “a more primitive state of being”.

    The two adjacent stores are located at Panlong Tiandi development in Shanghai. One was designed for Jisifang Boutique and the other for its sister brand Woven Moonlight, also owned by Jisifang.
    Neri&Hu has designed two adjacent stores in ShanghaiAccording to the Shanghai-based studio, each store was tailored to its distinct brand identities and varying spatial requirements.
    A wooden house was inserted into the 110-square-metre Jisifang Boutique, the sloping roof of which takes advantage of the full height space to create a “spacious sanctuary”, the studio said.
    A wooden house structure was inserted into Jisifang Boutique”The design concept is inspired by French architecture theorist Marc-Antoine Laugier’s Primitive Hut, said to be the fundamental prototype of all architecture,” explained Neri&Hu.

    “Stripped of decoration and style, the primitive hut establishes a relationship between humans and the natural world, providing both shelter and a connection to nature,” it added.
    White oak furniture creates a warm interiorA long table and benches made of white oak are placed at the centre of the space, with fashion garments displayed at the lower end of both sides of the roof.
    Handmade ceramic floor tiles with muted colours were used throughout the space, referencing the warm and natural textures of the linen products that the brand is known for.
    Glass bricks with rustic metal lining are featured on the facadeThe facade features glass bricks lined with rustic metal elements, inviting natural light and framing views of the bustling retail street outside into the shop.
    In contrast, Neri&Hu created a cave-like shelter made of concrete for the 200-square-metre Woven Moonlight.

    Neri&Hu divides Shanghai fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens

    Concrete walls enclose the main display area, which features carved-out display niches. These have been lined with translucent linen curtains and fitted with custom-built walnut cabinetry, contrasting the roughness of the concrete.
    A double-pitch sloped ceiling was clad with the same concrete as the walls. Skylights on the ceiling, as well as full-height glass windows on one side, fill the space with plenty of natural light.
    Linen and walnut wood contrast the concrete in Woven Moonlight”In the case of both the wooden hut and the cave-dwelling, we are exploring the original space of our humanity, harkening a return to a more primitive state of being,” said Neri&Hu.
    “We hope that when people touch the linen fabric of Jisifang, their mood and spirit may transcend the urban environment, back to nature,” it continued.
    The Wooven Moonlight store features a double-pitch sloped ceiling clad with concreteNeri&Hu was founded by architects Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu in 2004 in Shanghai.
    The studio also recently completed a simplicity contemporary art gallery, and a fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens, both in Shanghai.
    The photography is by Pedro Pegenaute.
    Project credits:
    Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana HuAssociate-in-charge: Siyu ChenDesign team: Greg Wu, Jinghan Li, Nicolas Fardet, Saint Xu, Shuan Wu, Yinan Zhu, Yoki YuFF&E design and procurement: Design RepublicLighting Consultant: DLX Lighting DesignContractor: Nantong Huaqiang Construction

    Read more: More

  • 138 Shares169 Views

    in Rooms

    Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

    The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.

    Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.
    Masquespacio has designed a live-work space in Valencia”Everything revolves around the concept of play,” explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.
    “We’ve been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism,” Penasse added. “We can say that our private home is a mix of it all.”
    The ground floor holds the studio’s workspacesThe duo maintained the building’s original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.

    Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.
    Masquespacio restored the building’s original hydraulic floor tilesHere, Masquespacio restored the building’s decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.
    Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio’s characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.
    There is a double-height interior courtyard at the centre of the home”As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we’re working with,” Penasse told Dezeen.
    At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.
    From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.
    The couple’s bed is encased in a green dome next to a hot-pink seating booth.The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple’s bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.
    This immersive furniture – Penasse’s favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.
    A mosaic of yellow tiles defines the bathroom”There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it’s kept private by the bed’s form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor,” explained Penasse.
    The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.

    Ten self-designed studios by architects and designers

    Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.
    “Geometry can be found all over our house,” explained Hernández Palacios. “Everything is a game of circles and triangles.”
    The terrace follows a similar geometry to the interiorsThe light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.
    There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.
    Triangular cupboards feature in the kitchenNext to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio’s Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.
    Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.
    Striking pyramid-shaped dining chairs continue the maximalist theme”Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio,” said Penasse.
    Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.
    The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio. 

    Read more: More

  • 175 Shares149 Views

    in Rooms

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils Sleeping Beauties exhibition spanning four centuries of fashion

    In this video, Dezeen previews the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s latest blockbuster fashion exhibition Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, following last night’s Met Gala.

    The exhibition explores the concept of rebirth and renewal in fashion, showcasing the archival and restoration processes that take place behind the scenes of the Met’s Costume Institute.
    [embedded content]
    The exhibition brings together historical and contemporary pieces from the museum’s archive
    The show also uses nature as a visual metaphor to explore ideas around the transience of fashion.

    In addition to bringing to life the behind-the-scenes work of fashion conservation, the exhibition also explores the sensory aspects of fashion, with visitors being encouraged to smell aromas of floral motifs, feel the textures of different embroideries, and talk to historical figures through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
    The show links exhibits through the motif of nature. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe title of the exhibition is derived from the “sleeping beauties” of the institute’s archives – pieces that are too fragile to be displayed on mannequins. Instead, the exhibition uses AI, animation and X-rays to bring these historical garments to life for visitors.
    Approximately 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries will be on display as part of the show.

    KOKO Architecture + Design creates interactive children’s space for the Met

    Sleeping Beauties will be open to the public from the 10th of May, following the annual Met Gala fundraiser, which took place yesterday and celebrated the exhibition’s debut.
    Celebrities interpreted the theme of The Garden of Time on the red carpet, with celebrities like Zendaya, Nicki Minaj and Gigi Hadid sporting floral motifs.
    The show includes pieces by fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen, Dior and Iris van Herpen. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe exhibition was organised by Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of The Costume Institute, with photographer Nick Knight acting as creative consultant for the exhibition.
    Exhibition design is by architecture studio Leong Leong in collaboration with The Met’s Design Department.
    Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion takes place from 10 May to 2 September at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

    Read more: More

  • 100 Shares149 Views

    in Rooms

    EBBA references modernist architecture at WatchHouse coffee shop

    Architecture studio EBBA has completed a store for coffee brand WatchHouse that draws on modernist design to provide a calming environment in the heart of the City of London.

    Situated in the 30 Fenchurch Street building of the Square Mile financial district, the store was designed by EBBA for coffee company WatchHouse, which has several cafes around London and also sells its own roasts.
    The store interior references modernist architectureHaving previously completed several other stores for the brand, EBBA was tasked with transforming an empty unit in the landmark office development into an inviting space aimed at attracting visitors from the adjacent lobby.
    “This store offered the opportunity to think carefully about how to make a high quality and calming retail environment that also caters to the flexible operation of the visitors and the building in which it sits,” EBBA founder Benni Allan told Dezeen.
    The space aims to offer a calming environmentThe project brief called for a space focused on retail that also integrates a bar for serving customers. The interior has a more open and relaxed feel than the brand’s other locations, which operate more like typical coffee shops.

    With ample comfortable seating available in the adjacent atrium, EBBA chose to incorporate different settings where customers can rest while waiting for their coffee.
    Furniture including lounge chairs arranged around a coffee table and bar stools at the counter allow the space to be used in a variety of ways.
    Wooden seating is provided in an adjacent atriumElements of the shop’s design are informed by European modernist architecture. In particular, Allan drew on the large lobbies of banks and civic buildings such as libraries, which he said seem to “carry a particular feeling of calmness”.
    Referencing the work of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, EBBA used grid patterns and clean lines to bring order to the interior, while sculptural objects help to partition the space.
    “The overall concept was to create the sense of a box within a box,” Allan added. “The reference to Miesian buildings can be understood in wanting to establish a clear logic to the space through its grid and making objects that help to demarcate space.”

    Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy combines glass bricks and walnut for first store

    EBBA designed and built all of the furniture for the store, including the eight-metre-long stainless steel counter that forms the centrepiece of the space. This monolithic element is used for coffeemaking as well as providing a communal workspace.
    The large coffee table made from blocks of solid oak is intended to resemble stacked timber. Its construction echoes the grid of slatted timber panels cladding the ceiling.
    EBBA chose a material palette that reflects WatchHouse’s goal to create places people want to spend time in. Warm and natural tones and textures offer a respite from the busy urban setting.
    An eight-metre stainless steel counter centres the space”We opted for warm oak panelling, which gracefully cocoons the space, and a unique Ceppo stone floor, which enhances the store’s gridded pattern whilst complementing the feeling of civic grandeur,” said the architects.
    The rear wall is lined with full-height cabinets that conceal the necessary utility spaces, adding to the store’s sense of cohesion and simplicity.
    Minimalist shelving used to display WatchHouse’s simply packaged produce blend in with the relaxed setting.
    All of the furniture was designed and built by EBBAEBBA has worked with WatchHouse on several of its venues, including another site within the 30 Fenchurch Street building that also looks to balance contemporary aesthetics with nods to the City of London’s heritage.
    The studio, founded in 2017 by Spanish architect Benni Allan, has completed a number of projects in London including a temporary education centre built using only reusable components and a residential extension that combines brutalist-style materials with details inspired by a Roman villa.
    The photography is courtesy of EBBA. 

    Read more: More

  • 138 Shares169 Views

    in Rooms

    Dubrovska Studio uses “leftovers” in Kyiv to furnish local dance studio

    Local architecture practice Dubrovska Studio has created a fitness studio lined with curtains and outfitted with custom furniture made from materials sourced from around Kyiv in the face of wartime shortages.

    Located in Kyiv, Stan will host barre and yoga classes for up to 15 people in its main space and includes a reception area and locker area across 1,290 square feet (120 square metres).
    Dubrovska Studio has created a barre and yoga studio in Kyiv”In our situation, when we initiated the project, there was virtually nothing available. We literally pieced the project together from leftovers we found around Kyiv,”  said Dubrovska Studio founder Natalie Dubrovska. 
    Visitors first walk into a curtain-lined reception and welcome area, which contains a custom, semi-circle sofa, reception desk and “little tables” made of stone.
    The studio is lined with curtains to soften the spaceThe curtains lining the space follow a curved track at the corners in order to soften the space and “smooth” out the interior.

    Many furniture pieces were custom-made from locally sourced or reused materials, which the studio says was a “primary concept” for the studio’s design – in part due to difficulties faced when ordering abroad during the ongoing Ukraine war.
    Furniture was made from locally sourced or reused materialsThe tables were crafted from scraps found at a warehouse, while the sofa was upholstered in a neutral, multicoloured fabric from the 1970s.
    “The quest for the right fabric turned into a humorous journey, with many Gobelins featuring unappealing cat face illusions,” said Dubrovska. “Almost giving up, we lucked out, discovering a fabric from the 1970s that closely mirrored our initial design.”
    The curtains follow a curved trackA reception desk sits to one corner, and was made from cast concrete. Rough edges line the top to contrast with the softness of the surrounding curtains, while its smooth base runs into the concrete floor.
    A standing mirror sits across from the desk, mounted into a stone to create “magic and special charm” and next to it, a sink and countertop are concealed behind a curtain.
    White drapes and mirrors line the studioThe same white drapes cover large windows along the studio, which sits in front of the welcome area. Ballet barres and mirrors also line the space.
    A locker and changing room sits to the other side of the welcome area, with wooden storage created by Dubrovska Studio “in the absence of a minimalistic and soft solution” in contrast to standard metal lockers. 

    Anastasiia Tempynska designs futuristic interior for laser clinic in Kyiv

    A bench made of the same light-coloured wood sits in the centre of the space, while a line of showers was clad in small white mosaic tiles as a nod to public restrooms.
    According to the studio, there were frequent electricity black outs during construction, but despite the challenges, Stan is a “sanctuary”.
    Wooden lockers were created as a “soft solution” for storage”Stan encapsulates the spirit of feminine strength, elegance, and individuality, inviting to embark on a transformative journey within its carefully curated space,” said the studio. “It is not just a studio; it is a sanctuary for self-expression and holistic well-being.”
    Stan studio was founded by professional dancer Mariia Dreihaupt. The word “stan” is the Latin translation of the Ukrainian word “ctah”, meaning “physical posture”. 
    Small, white mosaic tiles line a shower area as a nod to public restroomsDubrovska Studio is based in Kyiv and was founded in 2018 by designer Natalie Dubrovska. It focuses on bringing “calmness, harmony and self-connection” to projects. 
    Another project recently completed in Ukraine includes a holiday cabin in the Carpathian mountains. Recently architecture and design studios shared how they are coping at the two-year mark of Russia’s invasion.
    The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.
    Project credits:
    Team:  Natalie Dubrovska, Katerina Bandura, Daria Shmyrko

    Read more: More

  • 113 Shares149 Views

    in Rooms

    Partisans sculpts limestone facade for Rolex boutique in Toronto

    Toronto architecture studio Partisans has used parametric modelling to create an undulating stone storefront for luxury watch brand Rolex.

    Partisans’ latest application of its digital modelling and fabrication technique resulted in a sculptural facade that wraps the ground floor of a high-rise on Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto.
    The flowing lines of the Rolex store’s limestone facade emanate from the building’s existing architectural featuresThe studio worked with Italian architect Arturo Tedeschi on the project, which is intended to give the store presence and allow it to stand out from others in the busy shopping district, as well as reflect the high-precision of Rolex timepieces.
    Limestone panels affixed to the building’s exterior are shaped to echo the forms and textures of the brand’s watches.
    The stone panels are shaped to curve around windows and emulate the brand’s watch designsThe material was chosen for its luxurious appearance and longevity, according to Partisans founder Josephson, who said: “Stone is future heritage, it’s having a renaissance.”

    The panels continue the geometry of the existing building features, such as the rigid vertical mullions, but flow into softer shapes that curve around large windows and over the entrance awning.
    More stone appears in the boutique’s interior. Photo by Robert Lowdon Photography”Each stone bay was cut according to measurements found through 3D scans of the existing building,” said Partisans designer Ian Pica-Limbaseanu.
    Niches are integrated into the stonework to house cove lighting that washes over the curvaceous forms at night, yet the junctions between the stone and the glass were trickiest to detail, according to Pica-Limbaseanu.
    Dark green seating matches a glass artwork, while walnut panelling and furniture contrast the paler stone. Photo by Robert Lowdon Photography”The window detailing, specifically, had a tall order of requirements to satisfy,” he said.
    “Not only did it need to meet the exterior stonework at exact locations accurate to within a quarter of an inch, but it also needed to allow for easy maintenance and proper energy performance for what was otherwise an utterly unprecedented look to glazing on Bloor Street.”

    Partisans creates pixelated brick facade for Toronto house

    Tedeschi applied his computational design skills to create an algorithm for the parametric compositions etched into the limestone across the east facade.
    These forms follow the geometries of engravings seen on watch-face dials while also responding to the unique qualities of the structure’s elevation.
    Niches in the limestone facade house cove lights that wash over the facade at nightThe store interiors feature plenty more stone, whose creamy tone is contrasted with dark walnut panelling and furniture.
    Dark green seating matches a glass wall artwork that bears the Rolex logo, which separates the main shop floor with a more intimate lounge area tucked behind.
    The facade was designed to reflect the high-precision of Rolex timepieces and to stand out on Toronto’s high-end Bloor StreetPartisans has previously used parametric design tools to create a rolling, pixellated brick facade for a single-family home, and a high-rise informed by architectural “revision clouds” – both in Toronto.
    The firm was founded by Josephson in 2012, and has since completed a pool house in Ontario with an undulating timber roof and a lakeside sauna designed as a cavernous wooden grotto.
    The photography is by Doublespace Photography, unless stated otherwise.

    Read more: More