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    Jane Withers picks five projects that don’t “take water for granted” from MK&G exhibition

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    An exhibition at Hamburg’s MK&G museum examines the global water crisis and what architects and designers can do to help. Here, curator Jane Withers selects five highlights from the show and explains the stories behind them.

    Water Pressure: Designing for the Future is the result of several years of research by Jane Withers Studio, which involved compiling a broad range of ideas on how to confront water scarcity from the fields of design, science and activism.
    “The current water crisis is largely the result of mismanagement and overconsumption, so there is potential to rethink the systems,” Withers told Dezeen. “A multidisciplinary approach is required and architecture and design are strong components within this.”
    A new exhibition at MK&G (top image) deals with issues of water scarcity (pictured above in Cape Town)The exhibition, on show at MK&G until 13 October, is organised around five themes: Water Stories, Bodily Waters, Invisible Water – Agriculture and Industry, Thirsty Cities, and Ecosystems – Land and Ocean.
    Each theme explores water as a life force and a common medium that unites humans, plants, animals and the landscape.

    “We take water for granted in every way and we need to rekindle our psychological, physiological and spiritual understanding of it,” Withers said.
    The projects on show range from the CloudFisher system, which harvests water from fog or clouds, to a proposal for low-cost floating schools by architecture studio NLÉ and a mural by Slovenian architect Marjetica Potrč calling for the recognition of water as a living being.

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    While some reflect on water’s poetic and mythical associations, others offer more scientifically-led solutions to specific problems associated with water scarcity, human-induced climate change and water justice.
    Withers said she hopes visitors to the exhibition will leave with a better understanding of water and the challenges we face, as well as recognising that there are things we can all do to help shape a different future.
    “We need policy change but also individual changes of mindset and a new water consciousness,” she added. “We’re very keen that the exhibition is a starting point for conversations and for campaigning about water culture.”
    Below, Withers outlines five key projects featured in Water Pressure:
    Graphic by Marjetica PotrčTime on the Lachlan River by Marjetica Potrč
    “The first room in the exhibition is framed by two wonderful works by artist and activist Marjetica Potrč. The mural Time on The Lachlan River illustrates the campaign by Australia’s Aboriginal Wijaduri people to prevent the enlargement of a damn that could have deprived the land downriver of water.
    “On the other side, the visual essay The Rights of a River tells the story of a water referendum in Slovenia in 2021, when an overwhelming majority of people voted against a law that would have allowed private businesses to exploit the country’s rivers for profit.
    “This shift in thinking about rivers and how we view them not as objects to be exploited but as subjects with their own rights is fundamental to creating a more equitable water culture and sets the tone for the exhibition.”
    Photo courtesy of NLÉMakoko Floating System by NLÉ
    “Architectural practice NLÉ has been researching the potential for floating architecture in African cities affected by rising sea levels for over a decade. Their prototype floating building was a low-cost school for the Makoko community in Lagos inspired by their vernacular floating structures.
    “The Makoko School became something of a poster project for floating architecture through photographer Iwan Baan’s alluring images of kids clambering over an ark-like wooden building. It could have stopped there but NLÉ has gone on to develop a scalable prefabricated floating building system for the development of waterfronts amid the challenges of climate resilience.
    “The studio is currently working on a regeneration plan for the Makoko area based on this technology, and recently published the book African Water Cities that examines the potential for waterborne living in other African cities.”
    Photo by Ugo CarmeniDeath to the Flushing Toilet by The Dry Collective
    “Death to the Flushing Toilet is a campaign by The Dry Collective that provokes a rethink of the waterborne sewage systems we take for granted. It’s madness that wealthier regions of the world use vast quantities of freshwater to flush away human waste, while two billion people still lack basic sanitation.
    “In urban areas, as much as 30 per cent of freshwater is used to flush toilets and often this is drinking quality water. The Dry Collective aims to persuade architects and designers to use alternative systems.
    “Taking the traditional Finnish huussi – a composting dry toilet used in rural areas – as a model, they produced a film set in 2043 that imagines a global shift where water is no longer wasted on flushing and human waste is recycled as fertiliser. The technology for circular sanitation systems already exists so the real issue is overcoming prejudices and the ‘yuck factor’.”
    Photo by Merdel RubensteinEden in Iraq
    “Eden in Iraq is an incredibly inspiring project that has gotten off the ground against the odds in Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes, where the discharge of untreated sewage has polluted the fragile marsh ecosystem and led to disease.
    “The wetland garden is designed to use plants to clean the local community’s wastewater. The garden’s ornate symmetrical design takes inspiration from the embroidered wedding blankets of Marsh Arab tribes and their tradition of reed construction for buildings.
    “The first construction phase, completed in 2023, demonstrates the potential for nature-based wastewater systems to work at a community level.”
    Drawing by OOZE ArchitectsRe-imagine Water Flows by Ooze Architects
    “Re-imagine Water Flows is a special commission for the Water Pressure exhibition using the MK&G Museum as a case study to understand the water challenges Hamburg faces and how the building’s water ecosystem could be made more resilient.
    “A mural by Ooze Architects shows two versions of the museum – one with its current situation marooned between massive roads and Hamburg’s main railway station and the other illustrating how it could be transformed into a shady green oasis.
    “In the studio’s proposal, rainwater and wastewater are recycled to be reused for non-drinking water use inside the building, as well as for irrigating the landscape and recharging the Hamburg aquifer.
    “The mural expands to show how Hamburg is threatened by drought and increased risk of flooding that could also affect the river Elbe watershed. It invites us to think about the importance of these common water flows linking countries and cities.”
    The top image is by Henning Rogge and the image of the Newlands municipal swimming pool in Cape Town is by Bloomberg via Getty Images.
    Water Pressure is on show at MK&G Hamburg from 15 March to 13 October 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Studio Besau-Marguerre designs colour-block foyer for Hamburg’s MK&G museum

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      German practice Studio Besau-Marguerre has overhauled the entrance hall of Hamburg’s MK&G design museum, using colours to guide visitors through the space.

      The brief was to create new zoning in the foyer for better wayfinding and orientation while setting the tone for the rest of the museum with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
      Studio Besau-Marguerre has overhauled MK&G’s foyer”We wanted to create a place that allows visitors to relax and draws them into a world of art and design with a new colour scheme and improved acoustics,” Studio Besau-Marguerre told Dezeen.
      “We wanted it to be a place of tranquillity and warmth, in contrast to the hustle and bustle outside the museum.”
      Deep blue ticket counters were designed to draw attentionThe Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, or MK&G for short, was built in the late 19th century and previously had a plain white foyer with the ticket office and cloakrooms hidden away out of sight, leading to confusion amongst visitors.

      “Due to the architectural details, the huge emptiness and the reverberant acoustics, the space looked like a large railway station hall and had no quality of stay,” the studio said.
      Rooms are painted in progressively darker shades of terracottaIn order to improve visitor flow and create an inviting atmosphere, the area was reorganised in collaboration with German firm SWP-Architekten, resulting in a straightforward and intuitive guidance system.
      The new interior concept is marked by the use of contrasting, bold colours – a signature feature of Studio Besau-Marguerre’s work.
      For this project, the studio developed a unique colour scheme that structures the space using three main tones: vibrant blue, bright yellow and shades of terracotta.
      Cobalt blue seating features in the lounge areasMK&G visitors are now greeted by two bright blue ticket desks upon entry – with the surrounding walls painted in a matching shade for emphasis – while the rest of the room is finished in white.
      “Here, visitors first arrive, catch their breath and get their bearings,” the studio said.
      From there, museumgoers are intuitively led into the two adjoining lounges and cloakrooms, where walls are painted in progressively darker shades of terracotta to draw visitors into the rooms.
      The media lounge provides a space for reading books and magazinesYellow acts as an accent colour found across curtains, acoustic elements and storage lockers, while blue reappears to highlight the seating areas.
      “For the colour concept, we were inspired by the historic colour scheme of the coffered ceiling in the vestibule that visitors notice before they enter the main foyer,” the studio said.
      “We thought it would be nice to reference the historical colours and interpret them in a contemporary way. In this way, we refer to the history of the building and the colours feel natural.”

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      A selection of soft, warm and tactile materials – including wood, wool and hand-tufted carpets – complements the colourful interiors while improving the acoustics of the open space.
      Studio Besau-Marguerre designed a number of custom furniture pieces for the space, including the checkout counters, but was also keen to source pieces from up-and-coming German designers.
      “It was important for us to use furniture from young manufacturers and designers who work sustainably and with high-quality materials,” the studio said.
      Some of these are displayed on a blue-painted timber table by StattmannThis includes the cobalt-blue sofas and matching pouffes in the lounges, which were made by Berlin design brand Objekte unserer Tage.
      “The sofas harmonise wonderfully with the round arches of the architecture and are a perfect mix of artistic object and inviting, cosy seating landscape,” said Studio Besau-Marguerre.
      Yellow acoustic panels feature in the cloakroomsIn the media lounge, where books and magazines are on display for the reading pleasure of visitors, the oblong table and matching stools are by Frankfurt furniture brand Stattmann.
      “The surface of the tables and stools is treated with a wax that creates a wonderful feel and is very durable,” said Studio Besau-Marguerre.
      “All the furniture plays with the rounded and soft design language, as well as warm, natural materials, thus contributing to a harmonious, cosy atmosphere.”
      Storage lockers are finished in a matching hueNot every detail of MK&G’s original interior was scrapped. The studio also retained the huge glass chandelier in the centre of the foyer that British artist Stuart Haygarth designed specifically for the space in 2018.
      “It was clear from the start that the luminaire had to stay and would fit in wonderfully with our concept,” the studio said. “It is very exciting to see how it benefits from the new interior design.”
      Digital displays advertise the museum’s changing exhibitionsStudio Besau-Marguerre, which was founded by Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau in 2011, was also responsible for designing the interiors of another key cultural building in Hamburg – Herzog & de Meuron’s £163-million Elbphilharmonie concert hall.
      Elsewhere, the duo created the exhibition design for Christien Meindertsma’s solo show Beyond the Surface at the Vitra Design Museum in Basel, conceived to illustrate the designer’s approach to material research.
      The photography is by Brita Sönnichsen.

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      Norm Architects balances “richness and restraint” in refresh of Alsterhaus' menswear department

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      Oak, grey stone and yellow-tinted glass are some of the materials that Norm Architects has used in its minimal makeover of the menswear section of German department store Alsterhaus.Alsterhaus is situated at the heart of Hamburg and first opened its doors in 1912. Spanning 24,000 square metres, the department store offers a mix of fashion, accessories, beauty products and homeware.
      Norm Architects was tasked with refurbishing the long-standing store’s menswear section, which featured lack-lustre white walls and herringbone walls.

      The practice was keen to create a “unity of different universes” across the men’s section that would offer customers a richer experience than shopping online – but also wanted the architecture and material palette of the space to look inherently “pure”.

      The work of American-German architect Mies van der Rohe and Austrian-Czech architect Adolf Loos became a key point of reference.

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      “A department store is a visually busy place and we realized early in the process that the design needed to be pared down and clear conceptually – ruling out strong patterns and ornamentation,” said Sofie Thorning, associate partner at Norm Architects.
      “We looked to Mies van der Rohe and Adolf Loos for inspiration on natural materials with inherent characteristics that form textures and colours while evoking sensations of warmth, cold balancing feelings of soft and hard to the touch,” she told Dezeen.

      The menswear section is now orientated around a colonnade comprising a sequence of oakwood frames.
      It leads off to various brand concessions that are each fronted by gunmetal signs denoting their name.

      While some areas boast plush carpeting, a majority of the floor has been clad with pale-grey Ceppo di Gre stone tiles.
      “This balance between richness and restraint affords the user a unique and engaging shopping experience, relying on a considered quality of materiality and space,” added Thorning.

      Garments hang from rectangular black-metal frames that descend from the ceiling, while smaller accessories like shoes or lifestyle items are presented on bespoke steel or dark-wood shelving units.
      Pops of colour are offered by yellow-tinted glass clothing stands and blocky display plinths crafted from milky-green natural stone.

      Norm Architects has been established since 2008 and was founded by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Rønn Von Lotzbeck. Its most recent projects include the creation of a Copenhagen hotel that doubles as a showroom and the refurbishment of a pair of Tokyo apartments.
      The practice also is longlisted in the interior designer of the year category in this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Photography is by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects.

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