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      White leather curtains enclose Lisbon wellness centre by AB+AC Architects

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      Portuguese practice AB+AC Architects has designed a multifunctional wellness centre in Lisbon that doubles up as an artists’ residence.

      The Open Hearts wellness centre is arranged around one large room, which AB+AC Architects refers to as the shala. This Sanskrit term refers to the idea of home but also, in the context of yoga, a place where people can learn and practise together.
      The Open Hearts centre is orientated around a curtained room known as the shalaAs well as yoga classes, this adaptable space will host everything from breathwork classes and sound baths to meditation sessions, film screenings, dining experiences and creative writing workshops.
      Running around the periphery of the shala are floor-to-ceiling curtains crafted from white vegan leather, which can be drawn to keep the room out of view from the bustling street outdoors.
      At the front of the room, a wall of gold-tinted mirrors conceals a series of storage compartments. When an event is being held, the room can also be temporarily dressed with floor cushions and long birchwood tables.

      Behind the shala is the artists’ residence”Normally, when a design is very flexible, there is a risk of ending up with a very generic or sterile space, as if the only way to address adaptability is through non-specific design,” explained AB+AC Architects.
      “We knew that creating a neutral mood that could accommodate a variety of programs would not be stimulating, so we decided that the centre had to be able to evoke different emotions based on the function occurring at that given moment.”
      This includes a dining room and bespoke kitchenA grand limestone archway to the side of the shala grants access to the artists’ residence, which is entered via a narrow lounge area.
      The room is topped with a light-up ceiling that measures eight metres long and, when the artist is hosting an exhibition, washes their work in a complementary glow.

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      Next up is a small dining area and a custom-made kitchen suite featuring wooden cabinetry and a terrazzo-style countertop.
      Surfaces in the adjacent bedroom are painted a crisp shade of white while the corner dedicated to the bathroom – complete with a freestanding tub – is clad in distinctive terracotta tiles.
      The same gold-tinged mirrors from the shala are used here to help disguise the toilet.
      A terracotta-tiled bathroom contrasts with the white walls of the bedroomShould the resident artist want some fresh air, they can head outside to the small private patio.
      Here, a concrete planter that winds around the edge of the space is overspilling with leafy tropical plants, while volcanic stone pebbles are scattered over the floor.
      Foliage lines the private outdoor patio of the artists’ residenceOpen Hearts Lisbon has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Other projects in the running include a cow shed-turned-library, a historic cinema in Berlin and the world’s first multi-storey skatepark.
      The photography is by Ricardo Oliveira Alves.

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      Konishi Gaffney repurposes church into versatile community hub

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      Timber cladding features in this church in Edinburgh, which has been converted into a community centre by Scottish architecture firm Konishi Gaffney.

      The Greyfriars Charteris Centre now contains a flexible workspace, community hub, events spaces and a non-denominational sanctuary.
      The new link building unifies the complex of early 20th century buildingsThe church was used a place of worship from its opening in 1912 until 2013, reopening in 2016 as the Greyfriars Charteris Centre. With its change of use came the need for an overhaul of its circulation and accessibility, as well as a clear point of entry.
      Konishi Gaffney was challenged with transforming the perception of the church from a closed-off, imposing historic building to an inclusive space to be used by all members of the surrounding area’s diverse community.
      The new entryway provides a definite point of access for usersThe studio’s design aims to physically and aesthetically unify the collection of buildings that had been gradually acquired over time while being sensitive to the historic fabric of the buildings.

      The structure was opened up at street level by extending the length of the existing lancet windows, allowing passers-by to see the activities going on inside and encourage participation.
      The use of terrazzo and timber fins provides contrast to existing stone buildingsA rational entryway was created by slotting a timber link building between the church and the neighbouring office building.
      This is distinguished from the original stone buildings by its facade, which features terrazzo slabs on the ground floor level as a contemporary reference to the rusticated bases of the city’s Georgian buildings.
      The geometric motif is visible throughout the interiorRelief patterns provide further texture to the white terrazzo and were designed in collaboration with artist Steven Blench of local plastering company Chalk Plaster.
      Higher up the frontage, overlaid grids of timber fins add a linear dimension to the terrazzo and, on the second floor, contain a floor-to-ceiling window.
      The atrium creates circulation between all areasThe triple-height, top-lit atrium contains reception and lobby areas and houses a lift for easy access to all areas of the complex.
      An open-plan co-working area, punctuated by structural columns, and two screened-off meeting rooms occupy the lower floor.

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      A wide staggered staircase with integrated seating allows users to sit and collaborate and connects the lower floor co-working areas with the lobby, as well as providing access to the main church hall above.
      The former nave acts as a function room, facilitated by its open floor and unobstructed high ceiling. Original features including ceiling details, crucifix and masonry work remain.
      A wide staircase facilitates easy movement between floorsA six-metre-tall screen inserted into an existing pointed arch sections off the main hall from the ‘all faiths and none’ contemplation area above the stairway, which is lit by a large pointed arch window at the end of the space.
      The Greyfriars Charteris Centre’s interior is unified by the use of American maple and birch plywood joinery combined with white plaster.
      The original church hall is lit by natural and energy saving lightingThis neutral palette ties in with features of the existing structure, such as the main hall’s vaulted ceiling, which was stripped back to its original pine colour from a dark mahogany stain using a soda blasting technique.
      The materials were chosen to keep the interior light and easy to navigate while tying in the new subdivided areas with the original building. Double glazing and new interior lighting was added throughout.
      Bespoke joinery is harmonious with historic featuresImprovements were also made to the building’s environmental performance, with insulation fitted throughout as well as the installation of a more efficient heating system, double glazing, low-energy LED lights and solar panels.
      Other church conversions featured on Dezeen include a church in Los Angeles that was transformed into an events and co-working space by by Francesca de la Fuente and Working Holiday Studio, and a restaurant in London that sits inside a former church by Michaelis Boyd.
      The photography is by Nanne Springer.
      Project credits:
      Client: Greyfriars Charteris CentreArchitect: Konishi Gaffney Architects: Kieran Gaffney, Adam Williams, Ivan Fraile-Gisbert, Dana Cherepkova and Dee FarrellStructural engineer: Entuitive / Forshaw GauldM&E: Irons Foulner Consulting EngineersQS: Thomson GrayOther design consultants: Francis Milloy (lighting design), Chalk Plaster (sculptural collaboration) and Old School Fabrications (joinery)Main contractor: SJS Property ServicesSpecialist subcontractors: Gray & Dick (glazing), Cambridge Architectural Precast (cladding) and Hall & Tawse (windows and doors)

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      The Africa Centre finds new home inside former office building in London

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      A lacklustre office building in Southwark has undergone a vibrant makeover to become The Africa Centre, designed by architecture studio Freehaus.

      The Africa Centre first opened in Covent Garden in 1964 as a “home-away-from-home” for the African diaspora in London, where people could meet, connect and enjoy cultural events together.
      After closing its doors to the public in 2013, the institution now occupies a former office building on Southwark’s Great Suffolk Street.
      The Africa Centre takes over a former office blockThe redesign of the building was appointed to Shoreditch-based studio Freehaus, which sought to create an interior that reflects the African continent’s rich array of cultures and traditions.
      To establish the key ideas and themes that would underpin the centre’s interior scheme, Freehaus embarked on a thorough research process.

      A reception was created at ground level to welcome guestsKey points of reference were the work of British-Ghanian architect David Adjaye, Burkinabé architect Diébédo Francis Kére, as well as projects by Niger-based studio Atelier Masōmī.
      The studio also visited other cultural buildings and members clubs around London to pick up inspiration.
      There’s also a pan-African restaurant called Tatale on the ground floor”The key to the brief was for The Africa Centre’s new headquarters to be unmistakably African,” explained Jonathan Hagos, co-director of Freehaus.
      “Given the breadth of diversity on the continent and among the diaspora, we were keen to avoid stereotypes and well-trodden aesthetic tropes.”

      Sam Jacob Studio adds glass-tube entrance to London’s V&A museum

      “At the same time, we wanted to avoid continent-sweeping generalisations – ‘Africa isn’t a country’ is a familiar response, often born of frustration at the dismissive understanding of the breadth in peoples, cultures and traditions that span the African continent,” he added.
      “We wanted to turn this misnomer into a strength,” he continued, “and envisage what an embassy for a continent might look like in the 21st century; a space that demonstrates what connects us and binds us to one another, while celebrating the dynamism of the continent.”
      Latticed banquettes and wooden tables decorate the restaurant’s interiorWith the help of engineers Price & Myers, Freehaus opened up the ground floor of the building to make way for two new entrances.
      One of the doorways opens onto the buzzy Great Suffolk Street, while the other connects the rear of the building to a couple of converted railway arches that The Africa Centre already used for events.
      Clay-plaster walls feature throughout the building, including the barThe ground floor also now accommodates a reception and pan-African restaurant Tatale. The dining space has been decked out with lattice-back banquettes, wooden tables and vibrant pendant lamps that contrast the neutral clay-plaster walls.
      Upstairs on the first floor is a bar and lounge that features patterned armchairs and a large, curved drinks counter clad with relief tiles. The following second floor contains an event space and a gallery.
      The bar is dressed with clusters of patterned furnitureThere are a further two floors in the building that, once funding is obtained, will be transformed into a learning facility and incubator for budding Afro-centric businesses.
      The extra funding will also go towards adding an ornamental screen to the centre’s black-painted facade, which will echo the ornate mashrabiya screens seen in north African architecture.
      A gallery can be found on the building’s second floorA few London cultural spots have recently undergone an update; architecture practice Sam Jacobs Studio has added a contemporary ribbed-glass entrance to the Grade I-listed V&A museum.
      Haworth Tompkins has also created a chainmail-shrouded pavilion to connect two performance spaces belonging to immersive theatre company Punchdrunk.
      The photography is by Taran Wilkhu.

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      Sam Jacob Studio adds glass-tube entrance to London's V&A museum

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      British architect Sam Jacob has used ribbed glass to create a contemporary entrance for London’s historic V&A museum and updated its bathrooms with a broken-ceramic cladding that feels “a little perverse”.

      The studio drew on the Victoria & Albert museum (V&A’s) collection for its designs, choosing glass for the lobby in a nod to the museum’s glass collection and crushed jasperware for the bathrooms.
      The lobby has glass tubes in three sizesThe entrance structure was designed in response to the existing proportions of the building and is formed of three bands of glass tubes, starting with 120-millimetre diameter tubes on the lower level that become thinner on the upper levels.
      Sam Jacob Studio wanted the design, which marks the entrance from Cromwell Road, to function as a modern response to the surrounding Grade I-listed museum building.
      It sits in front of a large arched window”The heights of the whole structure and the way it is split into three levels is a contemporary response to the historic fabric,” Jacob told Dezeen.

      “This helps the new elements resonate in a harmonious way even with a very different design sensibility,” he added.
      “Working with historic buildings is a great challenge and one that means it’s important to understand what is really there, and why it might be like that.”
      The contemporary lobby was designed as a response to the historic museumUsing glass for the lobby also helped create a more dramatic and dynamic effect at the entrance, while nodding to the large arched window that dominates the space.
      “The glazing for the entrance – especially the glass tubes – were a way to retain a sense of transparency at the entrance, but also to dramatise the way light is transmitted into the space,” Jacob said.
      Sam Jacob Studio designed the lobby for the Cromwell Road entrance”The effect of the tubes is to act like lenses, and the movement of people through the entrance becomes visually more animated, producing different effects as the daylight changes over time,” he added.
      “It’s also a response to the large arched window above, that has texture and colour to the glass, so that the whole interior elevation now acts in a similar way.”

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      “It’s glass used not so much for quality of transparency but for the dynamic effects of light passing through that it creates,” he added.
      Jacob also added sliding doors to the lobby and designed a collection of moveable stations that will be used for bag checks on entry.
      A welcome desk with mirrored backing sits in the lobbyAt the museum entrance, the studio added a welcome desk made from glass tubes with a mirrored backing that reflects the surroundings.
      As well as the lobby, the architect also updated the bathrooms. Here, Jacob used crushed jasperware waste material from the Stoke-on-Trent factory that makes the V&A’s Wedgwood porcelain collection.
      This was used to create colourful wall panels constructed by crushing 700 kilograms of blue, grey, pink and black ceramic waste.
      Terrazzo made from jasperware decorates the bathroom”Terrazzo is a material you often find in these kinds of spaces, so our intention was to introduce a really unusual material element by using the waste jasperware,” Jacob said.
      “It is a material that resonates with the history of the V&A, and with the history of British applied design and with a certain luxury,” he added.
      “Even in a fragmented state, jasperware colours are instantly recognisable. Using it in this smashed-up state, and making a feature of its brokenness, felt like a very modern take on those traditions.”
      Bathroom walls have life-sized digital printsThe design was also intended to make the museum’s visitors think about reuse and how we care for objects.
      “It also feels a little perverse – using broken ceramics in a museum where objects are usually incredibly carefully looked after,” Jacob said. “But a beautiful kind of perversion – all the coloured fragments make a speckled colour field to the walls that surround you.”
      “It’s an interesting experiment in the high concept reuse of waste material, about how we care for objects and the impact that the production of designed objects has on the world.”
      The V&A Museum is in a Grade I-listed buildingThe bathroom walls have been decorated with life-sized digital prints showcasing figures from V&A’s collection, as well as landscape scenery.
      For Jacob, designing for the V&A meant “working in the shadow of people” such as British designer William Morris, a history that made him think about what a similar design response might look like today.
      “We tried to channel a contemporary version of that same spirit of applied arts to help transform some of the most functional spaces of the museum into places of delight, places to interact with the collection in different ways, and make it a more accessible and engaging experience,” he said.
      The glass entrance lets light into the interiorOther recent projects by Sam Jacob Studio include an office, bar and events space for the ArtReview magazine in London and a neolithic shelter in Shenzhen port.
      The photography is by Timothy Soar.
      Project team:
      Architecture: Sam Jacob StudioLighting: Studio ZNAStructure: Price and MyersMain contractor: AlcemaSpecialist fabricator: MillimeterTerrazzo: DiespeckerQuantity surveyor: Currie BrownMechanical and electrical services (M&E): Harley Haddow / JRG Electrical

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      OEO Studio uses materials in a “playful way” for Designmuseum Denmark cafe and shop

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      Copenhagen-based OEO Studio has created a cafe and shop interior for Denmark’s Designmuseum using stone, steel and wood to honour architect Kaare Klint’s original design.

      OEO Studio worked with materials and colours that reference Klint’s design from the 1920s and added details such as custom-built cabinets to the shop and a “monolithic” steel serving counter to the cafe.
      OEO Studio created the interiors for the Designmuseum cafe, above, and museum shop, top imageThe interior design was part of a major two-year renovation of the Designmuseum, which showcases Danish design. It is located in a building from the 18th century that was renovated and adapted into a museum by Klint and architect Ivar Bentsen.
      While OEO Studio didn’t make any structural changes, the studio added some major interventions to the museum’s interior.
      Stone and wood were used throughout the interior”The large arched doors inside the museum have undergone a drastic change and have been covered in hot-rolled steel, present in the entrance way and in the museum cafe,” OEO Studio head of design and founding partner Thomas Lykke told Dezeen.

      “A huge monolithic serving counter made of steel and wood is the primary fixed piece in the cafe,” he added. “As for the museum shop, the major changes are custom-built cabinets filling out the arches in the walls.”
      A hot-rolled steel counter creates a monolithic effect in the cafeLykke and Anne-Marie Buemann, OEO Studio managing partner, designed the 240-square-metre cafe and lounge space and the 140 square-metre museum shop to be based on Klint’s simple, “ascetic” design.
      “We were inspired by Klint and his almost ascetic touch on design with his clean lines – subtle yet majestic at the same time,” Lykke explained.
      Kaare Klint paper lamps hang in the cafeAs well as the six-metre-long bespoke counter, made from oiled oak and hot-rolled steel, the studio also designed custom cafe tables, high tables and counter-style seating for the museum’s all-day eatery.
      The cafe also features a selection of chairs by well-known Danish architects and designers, such as Hans J Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, with the mostly wood and steel furniture contrasting against a grey stone floor made from original tiles that were reused.

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      “We defined a material palette that complimented the building and the architecture,” Lykke said of the studio’s design.
      “Materials were also chosen for their durability and their ability to age beautifully,” he added.
      “A mix of hard materials, as well as more soft and warmer materials, were used, including steel, wood, leather, stone, and textiles. The materials have been used in a playful way – still not over-shining the architecture. ”
      The Designmuseum cafe can be accessed from the gardenIn the museum shop, OEO Studio reused glass cabinetry designed by Klint and added custom-built cabinets.
      Small islands display books and other museum items for sale, while the built-in wall cabinets showcase sculptures and other accessories.
      In both the cafe and the shop, OEO Studio used a colour palette designed to compliment the building itself.
      The Designmuseum shop features built-in cabinets”For the colour scheme our intention was to create a palette that naturally blended well with the original building and the materials used,” Lykke explained.
      “The stone tiles on the floor have a major presence in the museum – beautiful and rich,” he added.
      “The use of hot-rolled steel with its bluish tones creates a beautiful contrast to the tiles and the old plastered walls with their original colour. The special blue-grey paint was carefully created to complement the architecture and floors.”
      A pale-blue, beige and blue-grey colour palette contrasts against wooden furnitureThe studio also created a 35-metre boardroom for the Designmuseum, which can accommodate up to 10 people and features furniture that the studio designed for Stellar Works.
      All of the furniture was built by Danish makers from materials sourced locally.
      “Materials of high durability, quality and a design that allows for hard use over many years were important factors,” Lykke said.
      OEO Studio reused glass cabinets designed by KlintThe Designmuseum reopened during the annual Danish design festival 3 Days of Design, when it also unveiled a translucent pavilion designed by Henning Larsen in the garden outside of the museum.
      Homeware brand Vipp also showcased new architecture during the festival, with a renovation of a former garage.
      The photography is by Christian Hoyer.

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      h2o Architectes converts storage space into colourful studio for Louvre museum

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      French firm h2o Architectes has designed a brightly-hued educational facility, hosting art classes for young and old inside Paris’s Musée du Louvre.

      Over 1,200-square-metres, The Studio encompasses a common area and nine studio spaces on the lower ground floor of the Louvre’s Richelieu wing.
      The Studio (top image) has nine workshop rooms (above)What was once a storage depot for the Islamic art department is now a space for learning, where anyone from school children to professionals can expand on their own artistic skills and find out more about the artworks displayed in the museum.
      The Studio’s grand arched entrance leads visitors into The Forum, which functions as a reception and plays host to a changing roster of free 20-minute workshops.
      Workshop rooms towards the rear of The Studio are painted in bright huesh2o Architectes designed the interior as “a place for conviviality and exchange”, with a broad bank of tiered wooden seating allowing visitors to perch and chat.

      The cushioned seats can be lifted up to reveal storage boxes for workshop participants to stow away their jackets and other personal items.
      One of the rooms is vermillion teal blueBuilt into the surrounding walls is a series of backlit niches.
      These showcase work by members of the public, as well as small-scale pieces made by the Louvre’s in-house roster of expert guilders, painters, framers, metalworkers and other craftsmen.

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      Towards the back of The Studio are nine rooms for hosting lengthier workshops and training courses in everything from art history to project management.
      These rooms have been painted in bright, punchy colours like lemon yellow, teal blue and vermillion red.
      Another of the rooms is lemon yellowIn contrast, the corridors connecting the rooms are much more neutral-toned and entirely lined in wood.
      Their curved walls meet to form snug corners where visitors can stop and socialise while simple spherical pendant lights cast a warm glow throughout the interior.
      The Forum doubles as a reception area with tiered seatingh2o Architectes was established by Jean Jacques Hubert and Charlotte Hubert in 2005.
      Since then, the studio has completed a diverse array of projects in France including an angular timber wine-tasting pavilion, a nursery extension topped with a fabric canopy and an apartment with hidden space-saving storage.
      The photography is by Maxime Verret.
      Project credits:
      Architect: h2o ArchitectesStructural consultant: Équilibre StructuresConstruction economist: Cabinet PiltéFluid engineering office: INEXLighting designer: Agence OnMultimedia: Labeyrie & AssociésSignage: Wanja Ledowski StudioAcoustics: ABC DecibelFire prevention and safety: CASSO & AssociésSupervision unit: Alpha ContrôleHealth and saftey coordination: Qualiconsult

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