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    V&A’s Tropical Modernism exhibition explores “the politics behind the concrete”

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    London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has launched its Tropical Modernism exhibition, which highlights the architectural movement’s evolution from colonial import to a “tool of nation building”.

    According to the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), the exhibition aims to examine the complex context, power dynamics and post-colonial legacy of tropical modernism – an architectural style that developed in South Asia and West Africa in the late 1940s – while also centralising and celebrating its hidden figures.
    London’s V&A museum has opened a major exhibition exploring tropical modernism”Tropical modernism is experiencing something of a modish revival as an exotic and escapist style popular in verdant luxury hotels, bars and concrete jungle houses,” the exhibition’s lead curator Christopher Turner told Dezeen.
    “But it has a problematic history and, through an examination of the context of British imperialism and the de-colonial struggle, the exhibition seeks to look at the history of tropical modernism before and after Independence, and show something of the politics behind the concrete,” he continued.
    The exhibition traces the evolution of tropical modernism within a South Asian and West African contextThe exhibition follows the V&A’s Tropical Modernism exhibition at the 2023 Venice Biennale, which revealed the team’s precursory research on tropical modernism in a West African setting.

    For the in-house iteration of the exhibition, additional architectural models, drawings and archival imagery have been introduced to interrogate tropical modernism in India alongside the African perspective.
    Exhibition materials line a series of rooms within the V&A’s Porter Gallery, divided by brightly coloured partitions and louvred walls referencing tropical modernist motifs.
    Archival imagery, architectural drawings and physical models line the gallery roomsThe exhibition begins by tracing tropical modernism back to its early development by British architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry. Stationed together in Ghana from 1944, Drew and Fry adapted international modernism to the African climate, proposing functional over ornamental design.
    Drew and Fry would also become part of the Department of Tropical Studies at the Architectural Association (AA), which exported British architects to the colonies from 1954 in a bid to neutralise calls for independence.
    The exhibition aims to centralise local professionals who have gone widely unrecognised for their contributions to the movementThe exhibition continues by spotlighting local Ghanaian figures who worked with Fry and Drew, noting the power shifts that were taking place behind the scenes to reappropriate the architectural style for an emerging era of colonial freedom.
    Influential political leaders Jawaharlal Nehru in India and Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana are the exhibition’s key personas, framing the evolution of tropical modernism from conception to regionalisation.
    Gallery rooms are divided by brightly coloured partitions informed by tropical modernist motifs”The heroes of our exhibition are Nehru and Nkrumah, the first prime ministers of India and Ghana,” Turner explained. “Tropical modernism, a colonial invention, survived the transition to Independence and was appropriated and adapted by Nehru and Nkrumah as a tool of nation building.”
    “Nkrumah, who sometimes sketched designs for the buildings he wanted on napkins, created the first architecture school in sub-Saharan Africa to train a new generation of African architects, and this institution has partnered with us on a five-year research project into tropical modernism.”
    According to the V&A’s research, tropical modernism shifted from its western Bauhaus roots towards a localised vernacular stylesThrough a host of physical models and artefacts, the city of Chandigarh becomes the exhibition’s narrative focal point for tropical modernism in India.
    Under prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Chandigarh was the first large-scale modernist project, recruiting Drew and Fry along with French architect Le Corbusier to plan the ideal utopian urban centre.
    As with Nkrumah – who saw how the Africanisation of architecture could become a symbol of progress and change – the exhibition also aims to highlight Nehru’s ambitions for a localised modernism drawing from the Indian vernacular, rather than the Western Bauhaus style.

    Applied Arts Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale aims to “complicate the history of tropical modernism”

    The display culminates in a video featuring 16 key tropical modernist structures, interspersed with interviews and footage explaining the social and political context behind each building’s realisation.
    “We made a three-screen 28-minute film, shot in Ghana and featuring panoramic portraits of over a dozen buildings, cut with archive footage from the time and interviews with architects like John Owusu Addo and Henry Wellington, and Nkrumah’s daughter, the politician Samia Nkrumah,” said Turner.
    The exhibition aims to address gaps in the museum’s African and South Asian studiesAccording to Turner, the exhibition begins to address gaps in the V&A’s collections and archives pertaining to architecture and design in the global south.
    “Archives are themselves instruments of power, and West African and Indian architects are not as prominent in established archives, which many institutions have now realised and are working to address,” Turner explained.
    “Tropical modernism was very much a co-creation with local architects who we have sought to name – all of whom should be much better known, but are excluded from established canons.”
    The display will inhabit the V&A’s Porter Gallery until 22 September 2024Bringing tropical modernism back into contemporary discourse was also important to the V&A as a timely investigation of low-tech and passive design strategies.
    “Tropical modernism was a climate responsive architecture – it sought to work with rather than against climate,” Turner said.
    “As we face an era of climate change, it is important that tropical modernism’s scientifically informed principles of passive cooling are reexamined and reinvented for our age,” he added.
    “I hope that people will be interested to learn more about these moments of post-colonial excitement and opportunity, and the struggle by which these hard-earned freedoms were won.”
    A 28-minute video captures footage of remaining tropical modernist structures at the end of the exhibitionThe V&A museum in South Kensington houses permanent national collections alongside a series of temporary activations and exhibitions.
    As part of London Design Festival 2023, the museum hosted a furniture display crafted from an Alfa Romeo car by Andu Masebo and earlier in the year, architect Shahed Saleem created a pavilion in the shape of a mosque at the V&A as part of 2023’s Ramadan Festival.
    The photography is courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
    Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence will run from 2 March to 22 September 2024 at the V&A Museum in London. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit the Dezeen Events Guide.

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      WOA designs own studio space using materials that had been “relegated to landfill”

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      Indian architecture studio Workers of Art has converted a former storage space into its own plant-filled office, using recycled and repurposed waste materials in almost every aspect of its design.

      Called WOA Second Home, the office is located in Kochi, Kerala, and occupies a 1,450-square-foot (135-square-metre) concrete structure that was previously used for storing tiles.
      Aiming to “underscore the necessity of the curtailment of waste output in architecture,” Workers of Art (WOA) made use of materials that had been “relegated to landfill” including concrete board, PVC pipes and acrylic sheets, to create a workspace that would reflect the studio’s ethos.
      WOA has converted a former storage space into an office in Kerala”The design celebrates the value of materials that might have otherwise been discarded, creatively forming patterns and combining different elements to breathe new life into the space,” said the studio.
      “For instance, odd-shaped waste tiles are harmoniously mixed and matched, finding their new home in the powder room. A strikingly repurposed tile piece also elevates the entry steps, underscoring the studio’s attention to detail and innovative flair,” it added.

      Organised across one floor, the entrance to the office leads into a large space lined with a zig-zag of ferrocement desks along the eastern wall, next to a meeting table and sample board at the centre of the room and a more private workspace to the west.
      The design uses recycled and repurposed waste materialsA new partition with a large arched opening and blackout curtain leads through to a breakout area and facilities space containing a locker area, kitchen and bathroom.
      “The design of the workstations, which meander through the shared workspace, was strategically planned to encourage teamwork while also allowing for individual space,” WOA co-founder Priya Rose told Dezeen.
      “The philosophy was to create a workspace that feels like a ‘second home’ – evident in the thoughtful design elements that prioritise comfort, aesthetic pleasure, and a sense of belonging,” she added.

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      Custom black light fittings on the ceiling were created by repurposing lengths of PVC pipe, while bespoke planters were made using ferrocement lined with blue plastic barrels.
      The existing tile floor in the building was retained, with areas that had become cracked removed and infilled with microcement to create contrasting dark grey geometric areas.
      Throughout the studio, discarded antiques and over 100 species of local plants were introduced to bring a “homely” quality to the space.
      A large arched opening forms a new partition within the officeWOA Second Home has been shortlisted in the workplace interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.
      In Madrid, designer Lucas Muñoz used upcycled junk and construction waste to create nearly every interior element of the Mo de Movimiento restaurant.
      The photography is by Ishita Sitwala. 

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      Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns

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      Indian practice Studio Hinge has completed Forest of Knowledge, a library in Mumbai that sits beneath a tree-like canopy of latticed wood.

      The library was designed for the Cricket Club of India, a member’s club dating back to the 1930s that is housed in an art deco building in southern Mumbai.
      Columns were created to resemble tree trunksAdapting the third floor of this building, Studio Hinge looked to recreate the feeling of “sitting under a tree with a book” by reimagining the structure’s concrete columns as tree trunks.
      Alongside, a former Zumba studio has been updated to be used as a flexible space for book clubs, film screenings and workshops.
      Circular bookshelves sit underneath the “canopy””India experienced one of the harshest and most sudden covid lockdowns in the world, and a lot of the design of the library was developed during this time, during which it was clear that people were yearning to meet and share ideas in person again,” explained the studio.

      “On a conceptual level, the design draws from nature, in particular the notion of sitting under a tree with a book, and also borrows from the beautiful canopy formed by the ficus and gulmohar trees to be found in the adjacent street,” it continued.
      The shelves are connected by plank-covered steel framesA steel frame covered with small wooden planks lines each of the concrete columns.
      This integrates shelving and extends upwards to create arched forms across the ceiling that are then connected in areas with a wooden lattice.

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      Curving bookshelves have been organised in a circle at the base of each column, with seating areas at the edges of the floor plate creating a variety of different conditions and atmospheres for visitors.
      On the library’s floor, custom terrazzo tiles feature a pattern of green “leaves” with a circle of wooden flooring used at the base of each column.
      The floor was decorated with a leaf pattern”Care has been taken to ensure no bookshelf in the open space is taller than 1.2m,” explained Studio Hinge.
      “This allows maximum natural light to permeate deep into the plan and for most adults to have an unobstructed view whilst standing, while creating sheltered semi-private nooks to sit and read in,” it added.
      “It also provides a very different perception of the library for children, from whose vantage the space between the circular bookshelves is playful, almost labyrinthine in nature.”
      A ceiling of timber planks adds interest to the multipurpose roomIn the multipurpose room, the ceiling has been finished with an undulating pattern of timber planks and the walls lined with cabinets to maximise storage.
      Forest of Knowledge was recently longlisted in the workplace interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.
      Elsewhere in Mumbai, The Act of Quad recently converted a former library into its own interior design studio, with a see-through facade of perforated, white metal sheets and Malik Architecture transformed an ice factory into an events space.
      The photography is by Suryan + Dang.
      Project credits:
      Design team: Interior Architecture – Studio Hinge, Pravir Sethi, Chintan ZalavadiyaLighting design: Studio Trace, Tripti SahniMEP: ARKK Consultants

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      Otherworlds transforms Goan villa into restaurant that “celebrates chance encounters”

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      Local design studio Otherworlds drew on the traditional Goan balcão when converting a 1980s villa in Panjim, India, into the Terttulia restaurant and bar.

      Housed in a Portuguese-style villa, Terttulia Goa is defined by a central island bar informed by the balcão – an outdoor porch with built-in seats that serves as the entrance to a typical Goan home.
      The restaurant takes its name from the Spanish word tertulia, meaning a social gathering with literary or artistic associations.
      Intimate two-seater booths flank the bar”The balcão is a crucial part of a Goan home as this is where one spends most of their time,” Otherworlds founder Arko told Dezeen.
      “At a time of rampant urbanisation, all houses tend to become very self-contained, private and detached, separated away from the city or the neighbourhood,” he continued.

      “The balcão becomes all the more important at such a time as it is built with the idea of reinforcing the kinship between the house and the neighbourhood.”
      Terttulia Goa is defined by a central bar informed by the balcãoMultidisciplinary studio Otherworlds overhauled the villa, which it describes as a “formerly enclosed shell”, by removing some of the external walls and extending the dining area into an outdoor porch.
      This area is sheltered by a large bamboo canopy with elliptical openings that diffuse the natural light, transforming the space throughout the day.
      The canopy is intended to mitigate the region’s extreme weather conditions; sheltering customers from the rain during monsoon season and providing a semi-open space with plenty of air circulation during the hot summer months.
      Low-hung lamps add a sense of “whimsy”Otherworlds designed the bar so that customers face each other, rather than facing the wall, in a bid to “encourage chance encounters”.
      “The intention was to create an immersive atmospheric experience that inspires a feeling of being in a tropical, lush outdoor space under an overgrown natural canopy,” said Arko.
      A metal and fluted glass structure hung from the building’s external walls floats above the white marble bartop and holds the arc-shaped lamps that light the intimate two-seater booths flanking the bar.
      A bamboo canopy was inserted to mitigate the region’s extreme weather conditionsAt night, the restaurant is lit by low-hung sinuous lamps informed by sweeping stems that are intended to add a sense of “whimsy” to the interior.
      Adhering to Terttulia’s signature green and white colour scheme, the studio opted for a palette of locally sourced materials, including the green-pigmented hand-cast concrete that it used to create the restaurant’s flooring.
      “The green pigmented hand-cast concrete floor, largely termed as IPS [Indian Patent stone], is found in most places in the country and is also used to finish the balcão in all Goan homes,” Arko explained.
      Terttulia Goa is housed in a revamped 1980s villaOtherworlds worked with local workshop Jyamiti & Sea to create ovoid terrazzo accents that are scattered in various places across the floor and walls.
      The studio achieved what it terms “the perfect green” using a mixture of white and grey cement and green oxide pigment.
      Otherworlds opted for a palette of locally sourced materials”The tricky bit with coloured concrete is achieving the exact shade [because] once the cement sets and is polished, the result is quite different from the initial wet mix,” said Arko.
      “The process required numerous iterations and experiments to get the right mixture of materials that would yield the correct shade.”
      The green cement is offset by dark wood derived from the matti, Goa’s state tree.
      “We imagined the restaurant to be an extension of the house and while being part of it, [we also wanted it to] feel like a part of the city.”
      Other projects that take a contemporary approach to Indian design traditions include a rammed-earth family home in Rajasthan designed by Sketch Design Studio and a Rain Studio-designed “native yet contemporary” home in Chennai.
      The photography is by Suryan and Dang. 

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      FADD Studio models Bangalore duplex apartment on caterpillar curvatures

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      Indian practice FADD Studio has fused two separate apartments inside a high-rise development in Bangalore to create a multigenerational family home.

      The neighbouring four-bedroom apartments, stacked one on top of the other in the SNN Clermont residential tower, were transformed into a six-bedroom duplex for a cosmopolitan couple, their parents and two young children.
      FADD Studio has fused two apartments in Bangalore’s SNN Clermont towerFADD Studio’s interventions were driven by the owners’ desire for something new and unique.
      “Our clients wanted this home to be contemporary and free of the fuss of their previous home, which was more old-fashioned with traditional elements from the previous generation,” the studio told Dezeen.
      “They didn’t want a run-of-the-mill place that looked like any other home with straight lines and contemporary anonymity. They wanted character and they were open to exploring the language of curves and most certainly wanted something out of the box.”

      A sweeping staircase now connects the two flatsThe practice gave careful thought to how best to open up and link the two apartments before deciding on two connection points – a staircase near the entrance on the lower level and a double-height section in the adjacent living area for visual interest and ease of communication between family members.
      Knowing the clients wanted to avoid straight lines, FADD Studio carefully considered the form of these linking elements.
      “We began our usual process of looking to nature for inspiration, from shell exoskeletons to caterpillar curvatures, from topographical maps of different landscapes to fish scales and from sand dunes to waves,” the practice said.
      A “zebra border” on the floor helps to define different zonesThis research formed the basis for the curving statement staircase that sweeps into the living area.
      “It has a sculptural feel with the addition of multiple curves, carved into each riser’s deep red marble,” the studio said.
      The narrow double-height section in the living room is framed by an arched cutout in the ceiling, enveloped in white micro-cement with a soft sheen finish.
      A small double-height space was carved out in the living roomLinking the two levels, the double-height back wall is fluted in an irregular pattern, mimicking the soft ripples and waves that can be found across the ceiling in the neighbouring entrance hall.
      “It hides all the conducting and allows a smooth transition between the different ceiling heights within the apartment,” FADD Studio said.

      The Act of Quad designs multi-generational Mumbai apartment with its own temple

      The firm’s approach to the flooring was similarly inventive. In the main living space, a “zebra border” of black-and-white stones swoops and crisscrosses in seemingly abstract patterns across the floor, helping to bring definition to the different zones.
      The spaces in between are filled by a selection of heavily-veined peach-pink marbles.
      “We created an inlay pattern much like repeating fish scales or groups of overlapping wild mushrooms but more abstract,” said FADD Studio.
      The upstairs living room is organised around a circular slab of marble flooringIn the upstairs living room, the furniture is grouped around a central circle of linear-veined marble surrounded, which is inlaid into the floor and surrounded by another black-and-white border.
      “The flooring is dramatic, something bold and thoughtful, contributing to the strong visual and spatial language of the space,” the studio said.
      “The ceilings and floor defy the mundane and give us and the apartment’s inhabitants pure joy to see the lines and curves continue infinitely.”
      A black-and-white border cuts across the floorThe peach, black and white of the floor ties into the colour scheme throughout the apartment.
      “This colour palette is unusual for an Indian home,” FADD Studio said. “These colours, along with the nature-inspired curvatures and rounded forms resulted in a minimal-futuristic vibe.”
      With so many ideas at work within the space itself, the furniture has taken on a supporting role.
      The duplex now has six bedroomsThe colour palette was chosen to tie in with the walls so that the sculptural shapes and curving forms become the focal point, while boucle and textural cotton bring interest in terms of tactility.
      Another Indian studio known for its unconventional apartment interiors is The Act of Quad, which has recently completed a home with cobalt-blue accents in Thane and a Mumbai apartment with its own temple.
      The photography is by Gokul Rao Kadam.

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      The Offbeat Sari exhibition celebrates “one of today’s most important global fashion stories”

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      The first sari to be worn at the Met Gala and sequins made from discarded X-ray film sourced from hospitals feature in the Offbeat Sari exhibition, which showcases around 60 contemporary saris at London’s Design Museum.

      The Offbeat Sari is the first UK exhibition to explore the contemporary sari, according to the Design Museum. The show opens today in a cavernous space within the museum’s subterranean gallery, illuminated by thin neon pendant lights.
      Hailing from India and wider South Asia, a sari is traditionally thought of as an unstitched drape wrapped around the body from shoulder to waist.
      The Offbeat Sari opens today at London’s Design MuseumIn recent years, designers have been reinventing the 5,000-year-old garment to serve young people’s growing interest in the sari, which has led to its revival, according to Design Museum head of curatorial Priya Khanchandani.
      “Women in cities who previously associated the sari with dressing up are transforming it into fresh, radical, everyday clothing that empowers them to express who they are, while designers are experimenting with its materiality by drawing on unbounded creativity,” said the curator.

      The first sari worn to the Met Gala features in the exhibitionSplit into various themes such as identity and resistance, the exhibition presents around 60 contemporary saris created by a range of established and emerging designers.
      Among the garments is the first sari to be worn at New York’s Met Gala in response to the annual ball’s 2022 theme, Gilded Glamour.
      Embellished with semi-precious stones, the tulle Sabyasachi-designed sari worn by Natasha Poonawalla features a statement train and was paired with a gold Schiaparelli bodice with protruding, orbit-shaped elements.
      Fashion brand Abraham & Thakore created sequins from recycled X-ray filmAnother navy blue sari by Abraham & Thakore is characterised by delicate sequins that were made using discarded X-ray film salvaged from hospitals – a design that aims to address the issue of sustainability within the fashion industry.
      Also on display is a purple georgette silk sari embroidered with shimmering acrylics, sequins and crystals. Founder of the #DeGenderFashion movement, author and comedian Alok previously wore the garment to highlight their belief that saris can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender identity.
      Photographs showing different ways of wearing saris are pasted across a blue wallContrasting textiles such as distressed denim and woven stainless steel make up other saris in the exhibition, highlighting the garment’s versatile evolution.
      Within the show’s “movement” section are a number of saris worn by young people while engaging in sports. These include a garment adorned with cherry blossom motifs that was donned during a cricket match as well as a polyester chiffon sari, which is among the outfits worn by a group of women who have begun to skateboard in saris – a growing trend, according to the museum.
      Sari wearers are increasingly wearing the garments to engage in sports, especially skateboardingThere is also an area dedicated to the craftsmanship involved in sari-making that explores how its history has transformed over the 21st century.
      “The sari is experiencing what is conceivably its most rapid reinvention in its history. It makes the sari movement one of today’s most important global fashion stories, yet little is known of its true nature beyond South Asia,” explained Khanchandani.

      “Genuine inclusivity in design is not a fantasy and need not be tokenistic”

      “For me and for so many others, the sari is of personal and cultural significance,” reflected the curator.
      “But it is also a rich, dynamic canvas for innovation, encapsulating the vitality and eclecticism of Indian culture.”
      There is also an area dedicated to materials and craftsmanshipChinese artist Ai Weiwei’s first design-focussed exhibition is another show that is currently on display at the Design Museum until late July. In other recent fashion news, designer Rick Owens has released a collection of wearable helmets that double as fluorescent floor lamps.
      The photography is by Andy Stagg. 
      The Offbeat Sari is on display at London’s Design Museum from 19 May to 17 September 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      Project credits:
      Curator: Priya KhanchandaniAssociate curator: Rashmi Varma3D design: Studio Mutt2D design: Stuthi Ramesh

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      Renesa completes “grotto-like” interior for Tin Tin restaurant

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      Indian architecture and interiors studio Renesa has completed a restaurant in Chandigarh with curving walls, ceilings and countertops blanketed in mosaic tiles.

      Tin Tin is a pan-Asian dining venue with an experimental menu, which New Delhi-based Renesa was asked to reflect in its design for the restaurant’s interior.
      The Tin Tin restaurant features curved walls and countertopsThe studio aimed to create a rich and engaging experience for guests, unfolding gradually as they move around the space.
      This is achieved by breaking up Tin Tin’s floor plan with curved walls and built-in furnishings that combine to from various different seating nooks and zones.
      A gridded mosaic covers surfaces across the restaurant”Sweeping arches, contoured ceilings and a juxtaposition amidst solid and voided structures dot the layout,” Renesa said.

      “These conjure focal nodes and morphing vistas as one lets the eye take in the space, only to reveal that no two sights within the interior volume can be identical.”
      Renesa designed the restaurant interior to reflect Tin Tin’s experimental menuThe fluidity of the restaurant’s internal surfaces is accentuated by the mosaic tiles that are arranged into a rough grid pattern across its walls, floors and openings.
      The surfaces were cast on site using terrazzo combined with slices of Indian stone in shades of jade, umber brown, veined white and greige.
      Renesa says Tin Tin’s “minimalist grotto-like feel” is a result of this homogenous materiality, which took a team of stonemasons and plasterers more than six months to complete.

      Renesa uses contrasting terracotta and terrazzo materials to create all-day cafe in New Delhi

      The built-in elements are complemented by a range of custom-made furniture featuring similar curvilinear silhouettes and a matching colour palette.
      The restaurant’s entrance flows into an open space containing a range of freestanding high tables and communal seating areas, offering an array of dining experiences.
      Custom-made furniture separates different dining zonesTin Tin also provides varying degrees of privacy, allowing it to be transformed from a fine dining space during the day to a lively lounge in the evening.
      A large terrace featuring the same decor as the internal dining space provides additional seating in the daytime, while at night the tabletops and bar areas are illuminated by spotlights from above to create an intimate atmosphere.
      The curved elements contrast with their gridded surface patternRenesa was founded in 2006 and is led by architect Sanjay Arora and his son Sanchit.
      Previous projects from the studio include an all-day cafe in New Delhi that juxtaposes terracotta and terrazzo surfaces, and a brick manufacturer’s showroom in the same city that is clad entirely in earthy-hued masonry.
      The photography is by Niveditaa Gupta.

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      The Circus Canteen interior is a “collage of unwanted items”

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      Local studio Multitude of Sins has created an eclectic restaurant interior in Bangalore out of a mishmash of reclaimed materials, including discarded bicycle bells and cassette tape boxes.

      Officially called Big Top but known as The Circus Canteen, the restaurant is shortlisted in the sustainable interior category for a 2022 Dezeen Award.
      The Circus Canteen interior is made of almost all reclaimed materialsMultitude of Sins sourced the components that make up the interior from a city-wide waste donation drive held over several weeks.
      The materials were then painstakingly curated into distinct categories, ranging from home appliances to toy cars, and used to design an eclectic interior featuring mismatched furniture and flooring.
      Visitors enter through a series of scrap metal archwaysLess than 10 per cent of the materials used to create the interior were sourced as new, according to the studio.

      “The Circus Canteen [was informed by] the concept of creating a collage of unwanted items with a curatorial spirit,” Multitude of Sins founder Smita Thomas told Dezeen.
      Multitude of Sins created booths out of mismatched objectsVisitors enter the restaurant through a bold scarlet door decorated with unwanted bicycle bells and humourous hand horns, which is accessed via a series of labyrinthine archways made from teal-hued scrap metal.
      The archways are illuminated by alternative chandeliers composed of dismantled bicycle chains and old vehicle headlights.
      Some of the restaurant tables are decorated with old CDsInside, the two-level dining area is made up of custom tables and seating that double as a set of striking installations.
      Salvaged objects used to create these booths include abandoned sofas, obsolete bathroom ventilators and colourful coffee tables created from old oil barrels sliced in half and topped with glass surfaces.

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      “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” acknowledged Thomas. “We have seen and felt this phrase come to life as we pieced together The Circus Canteen.”
      The restaurant’s flooring is a jigsaw puzzle-style mosaic of sample tiles sourced from ceramics stores, while a kitchen serving hatch is framed by a colourful collection of outdated cassette tape boxes.
      A serving hatch is framed by cassette tape boxesPrompted by the desire to create an eatery interior with a minimal carbon footprint, Multitude of Sins’ project responds to many designers’ growing concerns about the wastefulness of their industry.
      “The creation of each element – from custom lighting and flooring to art installations and furniture – was attributed to the mercy of the waste donation drive,” said Thomas.
      “It reminds us of adapting skillfully, to reinvent with agility.”
      The Circus Canteen intends to address wastefulness in the design industryThe Circus Canteen is part of Bangalore Creative Circus – a project formed by artists, scientists and other “changemakers” who host various community-focussed events in the Indian city.
      Other eateries that feature reclaimed materials include a restaurant in Spain with elements made from upcycled junk and site construction waste and a cafe in Slovenia defined by recycled components that create a mix of patterns and textures.
      The photography is by Ishita Sitwala.

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      Play Architecture tops restaurant in India with undulating tiled roof

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      A wavy, tiled roof formed by intersecting catenary vaults shelters this lakeside restaurant, designed by Bangalore-based Play Architecture for the Deva Dhare Resort in Karnataka, India.

      Perched above a narrow stream on recycled steel stilts the structure, which has been shortlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen awards 2022, provides both internal and external dining areas for the 10-acre resort.
      The Deva Dhare Restaurant is topped with a vaulted tiled roofNestled in the forests of Sakleshpur with expansive views of the Western Ghats mountain range, Play Architecture sought to create a form that would “weave and integrate seamlessly” into the landscape, making use of local materials and labour.
      “The dining space is located on an extremely ecologically sensitive zone, where one needs to touch the ground gently,” explained the studio.
      “The design approach is bottom-up, where the construction process and choice of materials address the local climate, ground conditions, flora and available local labour.”

      The restaurant sits over a small stream in a Sakleshpur forestTo create a column-free interior, a dramatic, unreinforced catenary vaulted roof spanning 16 metres was created, using five layers of 15-millimetre clay tiles typical to the area.
      This roof sits atop a granite and steel deck slab, supported by the structure of thin, green-painted steel columns beneath and accessed via two stone staircases at either side.

      Vaulted brick roof spans Intermediate House in Paraguay by Equipo de Arquitectura

      “The form shows how the forces flow through the structure, and the resistance of the form allows large spans to be built with small thicknesses, saving on materials and labour,” said the studio.
      “More over, the focus of this research was to stay away from sophisticated software solutions and find geometric, logical means and hands-on methods, empowering unskilled labour to apply the idea on a day-to-day basis.”
      Four glass-covered openings under the wavy roof offer views of the surroundingsFour arched openings at either side of the restaurant are filled with full-height glazing framed with black steel, providing views out in every direction.
      To the east and west, glass doors provide access out onto two terraces for overlooking the lake and stream, and to the north a short corridor leads to a standalone bathroom block.
      The curved roof is formed of intersecting catenary vaultsThe granite slabs of the platform have been left exposed throughout, creating a continuity between the interior and exterior, and some have been replaced with glass to provide views of the stream below.
      “The project is a simple, straightforward demonstration of the strength of an idea…with a sincere effort to express the material and construction tectonics truthfully,” said the practice.
      Other projects shortlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen awards 2022 include a copper-clad shelter for a teahouse in China by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, and a boutique hotel in Mexico by Alberto Kalach topped by barrel vault roofs.
      The photography is by Bharath Ramamrutham.

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