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    Prada opens Milanese-informed cafe at Harrods

    Fashion house Prada has opened the Prada Caffè in luxury department store Harrods, which has an interior that is blanketed in the brand’s signature green hue and mirrors one of Milan’s oldest patisseries.

    Located at the corner of Hans Road in London, the Prada Caffè is accessed via a mint green latticed storefront that complements Harrods’s Edwardian baroque terracotta facade.
    Prada Caffè is located in HarrodsThe interior of the pop-up cafe draws on the interior of Pasticceria Marchesi, a Milanese patisserie that opened in 1824, which has similar pale-green interiors that are paired with green velvet-upholstered soft furnishings.
    At Prada Caffè, the walls, ceilings and furniture – including booth seating, plush armchairs and architectural elements – were hued in a minty green referred to as Prada green, a colour that has become synonymous with the brand.
    It was decorated in Prada’s signature green colourA large marble countertop, decorated with textural, pebbled panelling at its base, is located at the entrance to the cafe and used to display Prada-branded patisseries that are presented like individual pieces of jewellery.

    The floors of the space were clad in black and white-checkered floor tiles in a nod to the floors of the Prada boutique located in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
    The interior referenced Prada stores and a Milanese patisserieFloral reliefs and mouldings cover the walls and ceilings of the cafe, which the brand explained aims to evoke the look of Prada stores worldwide.
    A mezzanine level, supported by green columns, is decorated with bowed balustrades and used as an elevated seating area overlooking the marble-wrapped patisserie counter.

    Ola Jachymiak Studio brightens Beam cafe in London with orange hues

    At the rear of the cafe, a secluded room continues the interior scheme. Here, green velvet booth seating surrounds the perimeter of the space beneath decorative floral relief walls.
    Tableware was selected specifically for the cafe and ranges from blue-hued Japanese porcelain, informed by ancient Celadon pottery and decorated with contrasting black lines, to blown-glass crystalware.
    A checkered floor runs through the cafeTo accompany the blown glassware and duck egg blue porcelain, silverware was engraved with Prada branding and features handle ends that are shaped like the brand’s triangular logo.
    The cafe will remain at Harrods until January 2024.
    Furniture was upholstered in velvetDuring Milan Fashion Week, Prada presented its Autumn Winter 2023 collection in the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada, which featured a moving and retractable ceiling.
    Elsewhere in London, Ola Jachymiak Studio brightened a cafe in Notting Hill incorporating terracotta-tile floors and tangerine-hued walls.
    The photography is courtesy of Prada.

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    Worrell Yeung renovates cast-iron New York building for arts organisation

    Architecture studio Worrell Yeung has renovated a historic cast-iron building in Soho for an arts organisation called Canal Projects, which hosts exhibitions “in an unmistakably New York City space”.

    Sat between Soho and Tribeca, the five-storey landmark was built in 1900 as a manufacturing centre, featuring a decorative white facade, double-hung windows and an external fire escape all typical of the neighbourhood.
    Worrell Yeung renovated the lower two floors of a landmarked building to create a home for Canal ProjectsIts street and basement levels were renovated by Worrell Yeung to create a home for Canal Projects, a non-profit arts organisation that hosts exhibitions, talks, performances, readings and screenings for the community.
    The studio was careful to retain as much of the building’s character as possible, highlighting the existing features like original masonry and steam radiators, and restoring them where necessary.
    Patinated bronze panels line the new entry thresholdVisitors arrive via a new entry threshold on Canal Street, where patinated bronze panels line the tall walls in a space intended to offer a moment of pause.

    Up a short flight of steps is the main gallery space – a large, open and flexible room that can be programmed in accordance with the organisation’s needs.
    The main gallery space is surrounded by windows and features historic details”We designed the foundation to be a series of spaces that would compress and expand, collapse and unfold and move between dark and light,” said Worrell Yeung co-founder Jejon Yeung.
    Surrounded by 14 large windows on two sides and boasting ceilings over 13 feet (four metres) tall, this room is light-filled and spacious.
    A staircase leads down to more space at cellar levelNew white oak floors complement the industrial details, including five cast iron columns and five wide flange steel columns that were exposed and restored.
    “Similarly to providing artists with a distinctive platform, we wanted viewers to experience art in an unmistakably New York City space,” said Max Worrell, Worrell Yeung’s other co-founder.
    A library area is formed by pivoting floor-to-ceiling shelves”Passers-by will glimpse exhibitions from the street through the window walls along Canal and Wooster Streets, and visitors on the interior can see artwork with the city context visible in the background,” Worrell said.
    Also on the ground-floor level are private offices for the curators and a bright orange public restroom.
    The dark cellar space is used for film screeningsNext to a freestanding reception desk by artist Zachary Tuabe, a staircase leads down to the basement level, which has a much smaller occupiable footprint.
    Darker and more enclosed, the cellar space features original brickwork, masonry and timber ceiling joists, and provides a very different exhibition space that is suitable for film screenings.
    A bright orange kitchen is tucked into an alcoveLight from the steel sidewalk grates illuminates one end of the space, where a library area is created by floor-to-ceiling shelving that pivots as required.
    A pantry area is hidden in an alcove behind a set of stable doors and is coloured entirely bright orange to match the upstairs restroom.

    Worrell Yeung contrasts wood pillars and grey marble in Chelsea Loft

    “We wanted artists to confront a venue that provides sufficient neutrality for their work, but that is also distinctly undivorceable from the Soho Cast Iron District,” said Yeung.
    “This is a building typology unique to New York City, and a richly layered context within which to exhibit.”
    A public restroom on the upper level matches the kitchenCanal Projects opened to the public in September 2022, with an exhibition titled Pray organised by artistic director and senior curator Summer Guthery.
    The show featured works by Bangkok and New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, and American artist and filmmaker Alex Gvojic.
    The building is located on the corner of Canal and Wooster Street, between Soho and TribecaWorrell Yeung was founded in 2015, and has worked on a variety of projects in and around New York.
    The studio recently completed a timber-clad lake house with cantilevered roof planes in Connecticut, while past endeavours have included a Hamptons renovation, a Chelsea loft apartment, and the penthouse in the Dumbo Clocktower Building.
    The photography is by Naho Kubota.
    Project credits:
    Architecture and interior design: Worrell YeungWorrell Yeung project team: Max Worrell, founder and principal; Jejon Yeung, founder and principal; Beatriz de Uña Bóveda, project manager; Yunchao Le, project designerStructural engineer: Silman (Geoff Smith, Nick Lancellotti)Lighting designer: Lighting Workshop (Doug Russell, Steven Espinoza)MEP engineer: Jack Green Associates (Larry Green)Expediter/code consultant: Anzalone Architecture (James Anzalone)Contractor: Hugo Construction (Hugo Cheng, Kong Leong)

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    Eight earthy kitchens where terracotta tiles add warmth and tactility

    For this lookbook, we’ve collated eight kitchens from Dezeen’s archive that use terracotta tiling to bring a sense of warmth into the functional space.

    Terracotta – meaning baked earth in Italian – technically refers to any object made from fired clay. But most commonly, the term is used to describe pottery made from a porous type of earthenware clay that is high in iron oxides, giving it a rusty reddish brown colour.
    Unlike ceramic stoneware or porcelain, terracotta is fired at lower temperatures so it does not vitrify – meaning the clay retains a coarse, organic texture and isn’t waterproof unless it is glazed.
    Used as a backsplash or flooring, this can bring some much-needed colour and texture into the kitchen while helping to create a connection to the outdoors.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

    Photo by Prue RuscoeBudge Over Dover, Australia, by YSG
    Australian studio YSG used narrow terracotta tiles to “draw the outside in” to this house in Sydney, spilling from the floor of the garden patio onto the adjacent kitchen and dining area, which can be opened up to the exterior using sliding glass doors.
    The rough clay is paired with shiny aubergine-coloured plaster and travertine in the sunken living room beyond, creating a contrast between raw and polished surfaces.
    Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›
    Photo by Mariell Lind HansenFarley Farmhouse, UK, by Emil Eve Architects
    When Emil Eve Architects added a gabled kitchen to a farmhouse in Wiltshire, the British studio set out to mirror the material palette of the existing home by adding arrowhead terracotta tiles to the extension’s exterior.
    Inside, matching rectangular tiles were laid in a herringbone pattern on the floor while a row of clay pendant lights hang from the wooden roof beams.
    Find out more about Farley Farmhouse ›
    Photo by Denilson MachadoHygge Studio, Brazil, by Melina Romano
    Terracotta flooring and tan brick walls lend a “rustic charm” to this São Paulo apartment, designed by Brazilian designer Melina Romano.
    The tiles spill out across the entire home including the bedroom and lounge, which is framed by a screen made of decorative perforated cobogó blocks.
    Find out more about Hygge Studio ›
    Photo by José HeviaLas 3 Marías, Spain, by Bajet Giramé and Nicolas Burckhardt
    All-over terracotta flooring was one of the ways that Spanish studio Bajet Giramé found to connect the kitchen of this 1960s holiday home to its generous backyard, alongside the addition of generous arched openings and perforated steel doors.
    “We ended up working on the whole plot, treating both house and garden as a playful matrix of varied interconnected rooms,” the studio told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Las 3 Marías ›
    Photo by Adrià GoulaLa Odette, Spain, CRÜ
    To create a bright, open floor plan inside this apartment in a Barcelona housing block that dates back to 1877, Spanish studio CRÜ tore down most of the internal petition walls
    Instead, the kitchen is now delineated by a statement wall clad in terracotta tiles – left over from the flooring and turned back-to-front to reveal their ribbed underside.
    Find out more about La Odette ›

    West Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco
    Three kinds of tiling provide textural interest inside the kitchen of this “forever home” in Melbourne, with sections of rustic terracotta contrasted against a backsplash of teal-glazed ceramics.
    Corrugated tiles were also folded around the pendant light above the island that illuminates the work area, courtesy of Australian lighting brand Southdrawn.
    Find out more about West Bend House ›
    Photo by Conrad BrownComo Taperia, Canada, by Ste Marie
    Both the seating area and the open kitchen of this Spanish tapas bar in Vancouver were lined with terracotta, in a nod to the brick chimneys of Barcelona’s industrial Poble Sec power station.
    Other Catalan references can be found in the restaurant’s cobalt blue accents – informed by the paintings of Joan Miró – and various abstract details that nod to the work of architect Antoni Gaudí.
    Find out more about Como Taperia ›
    Photo by German SáizConde Duque apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera
    Different spaces in this open-plan apartment in Madrid were defined by traditional Moroccan zellige tiles, with glossy yellow and green glazes and organic handcrafted surfaces.
    To balance out these flashier surfaces, terracotta was used to ground the kitchen and dining area, paired with plain white walls and custom timber joinery.
    Find out more about Conde Duque apartment ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

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    Norm Architects devises understated HQ for children's lifestyle brand Liewood

    A refined palette of oak, plaster and steel defines the interior of the Liewood headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by local practice Norm Architects.

    The pared-back 2,200-square-metre office was conceived to give prominence to Liewood’s colourful, Scandi-style children’s clothes, toys and homeware.
    Norm Architects has completed Liewood’s Copenhagen headquarters”With the ambition to create a comfortable space with a somewhat understated character, we worked to let the space obtain its significance through the thoughtful use of tactile elements such as textured plaster walls and contrasting elements like oakwood and steel,” explained Sofie Bak, an architect at the practice.
    Staff enter the five-floor office via an airy light-filled lobby that is anchored by a rounded counter, roughly washed with sandy-beige plaster.
    Plaster podiums provide display space on the first floorCone-shaped pendant lights are strung along the ceiling while oversized stone tiles are laid across the floor, helping to “emphasise the grandeur” of the space.

    A pre-existing staircase curves up to the first floor, which accommodates a showroom. This part of the building formerly served as a production hall, with a vast scale that could easily feel empty and unwelcoming, according to Norm Architects.
    At mealtimes, staff can gather in The ParlourTo counter this, the practice constructed what it describes as a “warm wooden core” – a house-shaped oakwood volume with built-in shelves for showcasing Liewood’s products.
    Large, plaster-coated display plinths are dotted across the rest of the room. At the back is a short flight of wide, wooden stairs where staff can sit and chat throughout the day.

    Norm Architects creates warm yet minimalist interior for Y9 sailing yacht

    More products can also be presented here on bespoke podiums that, thanks to cut-outs at their base, are able to slot onto the steps.
    The building’s first floor also contains The Parlour – a kitchen and dining area where Liewood employees can enjoy meals together. It features a large travertine table, a series of plump grey sofas and graphic art pieces by the Danish designer Sara Martinsen.
    Traditional work areas can be found across the rest of the HQWork areas throughout the rest of the HQ are furnished with practical desks and storage units that match the off-white walls, while meeting rooms are fronted with panes of glass to foster a sense of openness.
    As the building’s original staircase didn’t extend all the way to the fifth floor, Norm Architects installed a spiralling set of white-steel steps.
    These grant access to a space the practice refers to as The Apartment: a secondary showroom designed to have a more intimate, homely feel.
    The top floor accommodates The Apartment, a more intimate showroomElsewhere, Norm Architects recently took its minimalist aesthetic off-shore when designing the interiors of the Y9 sailing yacht, decked out with supple suede furnishings and wood-panelled surfaces.
    The photography is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen of Norm Architects.

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    BoND uses pink scaffolding at New York “embassy” for fashion brand PatBo

    Architecture studio BoND has designed the New York headquarters for Brazilian fashion brand PatBo, which features pink scaffolding and rugs based on drawings by Roberto Burle Marx.

    The office and showroom for PatBo occupies a 7,000-square-foot (650-square-metre) loft, which spans the entire seventh floor of a historic building on Fifth Avenue.
    The PatBo showroom is located in a light-filled loft in New York’s Flatiron DistrictAs the brand’s global headquarters, this space serves multiple purposes: showcasing the brand’s apparel; providing office space for staff; hosting buyers and events.
    “Our biggest challenge was to divide the space according to the showroom’s new program while keeping its loft-like openness,” said BoND co-founder Noam Dvir.
    To divide the open space, BoND used pink-painted scaffolding that doubles as clothing railsTo create partitions that double as displays, the designers chose scaffolding elements on which clothing can be hung and shelving can be installed.

    “They are so readily available, so New York in their character, and very easy to adapt to different conditions,” said Daniel Rauchwerger, BoND’s other co-founder. “Moreover, they’re inexpensive and have a younger, fresher feel that works so well with the spirit of a PatBo studio.”
    The showroom also serves as an office space for the PatBo teamScaffolding has been used in a variety of retail environments for its versatility and ease of installation, including a bright yellow Calvin Klein store transformed by Raf Simons and Sterling Ruby, and a boutique for Wardrobe NYC designed by Jordana Maisie.
    Painted pale pink in the PatBo showroom, the industrial scaffolding takes on a more feminine appearance, which sets the tone for the rest of the showroom.
    Feminine touches like pleated pendant lights align with the brand’s aestheticCurved couches, pleated pendant lamps and tambour panelling all add to the soft aesthetic and further align with PatBo’s brand expression.
    Circular fitting rooms surrounded by curtains allow clients to try on the colourful clothing in the main showrooom.
    Private offices feature tambour panelling and a mix of furnitureA second showroom area for hosting buyer appointments and casting calls includes minimal clothing racks with brass rails and oak frames.
    This space is closed off from the reception, but still visible through large glass panels that allow light from the exterior windows to pass through.
    The historic building overlooks Fifth AvenuePrivate offices along the far side of the loft also feature glass doors for the same purpose, and add to the feeling of openness and transparency throughout the showroom.
    “It’s not meant to be too precious or delicate, but rather a place where a group of creative professionals can feel encouraged to move things around and make it their own,” said Dvir.

    Raf Simons and Sterling Ruby transform Calvin Klein store with yellow scaffolding

    Atop the wooden floors are rugs based on the drawings of Brazilian modernist and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, designed in collaboration with São Paulo-based Punto e Filo.
    Colourful furniture and potted plants also contribute to the Brazilian vibe in the space, and complement PatBo’s vibrant garments.
    Rugs throughout the space are based on the drawings of Brazilian modernist Roberto Burle MarxAt the back of the showroom is a bar area, featuring a pink stone counter with rounded corners, and a sink placed within a curved niche that has mirrored sides.
    “This is a space that combines elements of office, retail, and hospitality,” said Rauchwerger. “With that, it is able to serve as a real embassy for PatBo as a brand.”
    A bar area with pink stone counters is used for hosting eventsRauchwerger and Dvir, both former journalists, founded BoND in 2019 after working as architects at OMA, WeWork and more.
    Their studio’s previous projects have included the renovation of a dark Chelsea apartment into a light-filled home.
    The photography is by Blaine Davis.
    Project credits:
    Project team: Daniel Rauchwerger, Noam Dvir, Liza Tedeschi

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    Eight living spaces with industrial Crittal-style windows

    Industrial-looking living spaces with Crittal-style windows and doors are the focus of this lookbook, which includes an apartment in Israel and a rural Chinese house.

    Crittal-style windows and doors are characterised by their gridded metal frames, traditionally made of steel with a bold black finish.
    They are modelled on the iconic Crittal windows by ironmonger Francis Henry Crittall, which were developed in the late-19th century and became a feature in many art deco and modernist buildings.
    Today they are seeing a resurgence in popularity, with their clean graphic lines bringing an industrial quality to contemporary homes around the world.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring striking accent walls, stylish bookshelves and tranquil sunken baths.

    Photo is by Felix MooneeramGhost House, UK, by BPN Architects
    This double-height Crittall-style window doubles as the wall to an open-plan living and dining room in an industrial concrete house in Warwickshire, England.
    It is one of several steel-framed windows that enclose the home, which was designed by BPN Architects to have an “ethereal presence” – leading to it being named Ghost House.
    Find out more about Ghost House ›
    Photo is by 181Tel Aviv apartment, Israel, by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon
    Interior designer Maayan Zusman and architect Amir Navon opted for gridded black window frames when renovating this apartment in Tel Aviv.
    Complemented by other delicate black furnishings, the windows form part of a wider design strategy that centred on creating an interior that felt “airy yet framed”.
    Find out more about the Tel Aviv apartment ›
    Photo is by Wu Yong-ChangReturning Hut, China, by Xu Fu-Min
    The Returning Hut is a two-storey home just outside the city of Xiamen in China, designed by Xu Fu-Min to offer their client a peaceful retreat where they can connect with nature.
    Among its key features is an open living room with a giant wall of glazing. Lined with gridded metal frames, it slides open to create a seamless connection to the garden. 
    Find out more about Returning Hut ›
    Photo is by Johan DehlinDitton Hill House, UK, by Surman Weston
    Surman Weston honoured its “client’s love for all things industrial” when creating the Ditton Hill House, a London residence with an exposed steel frame that nods to mock-Tudor homes nearby.
    This steel framework enabled the studio to create spacious, column-free interiors, such as this open-plan living area. Here, Crittal-style windows overlook the garden and are paired with exposed steel floor decks for a warehouse-like aesthetic.
    Find out more about Ditton Hill House ›
    Photo is by Greta RybusLittle Peak, USA, by Berman Horn Studio
    Black gridded windows and doors puncture the facade of Little Peak, a holiday home that the founders of Berman Horn Studio, Maria Berman and Brad Horn, built themselves on an island in Maine.
    According to the duo, they were chosen for their industrial look and to help “bring focus onto the textures and colours of the stone, huckleberry, bay and lichen that surround the house”.
    Find out more about Little Peak ›
    Photo is by Ståle EriksenBurnt House, UK, by Will Gamble Architects
    These Crittal-style windows and doors help to create a minimalist aesthetic for the Burnt House, a residential extension that Will Gamble Architects has modelled on a Japanese tea house.
    They are intended to evoke a shoji screen and were complemented by a large window seat finished in blackened wood that sits up against the glazing.
    Find out more about Burnt House ›
    Photo is by Trieu ChienBinh Thuan House, Vietnam, by MIA Design Studio
    MIA Design Studio used white gridded frames on the sliding doors at the Binh Thuan House in Vietnam.
    The steel frames were complemented by its industrial all-white structure, which is modular and designed for easy modification or expansion in the future.
    Find out more about Binh Thuan House ›
    Photo is by William AbranowiczHarrison Residence, USA, by Jeffrey Dungan Architects
    These black Crittal-style windows form the focal point of the living space at the Harrison Residence, a home in Florida designed by Jeffrey Dungan Architects.
    Framing the surrounding tall trees, the windows help bring colour into the otherwise monochrome interior, which features black shelving and a coffee table, and white walls and sofas.
    Find out more about Harrison Residence ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring striking stylish bookshelves and tranquil sunken baths.

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    Yabu Pushelberg references multi-faceted LA culture in conjoined hotels

    Canadian design studio Yabu Pushelberg has created the Moxy and AC Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles to encapsulate a variety of references to the surrounding city.

    The two hotels were placed side by side within a Gensler-designed building in central Los Angeles, with Yabu Pushelberg carrying out the design for both hotels.
    The designers used a variety of LA-oriented references across both hotels, referencing local artist culture, streetlife, the desert, as well as the imagery of movies from Hollywood.
    The Moxy Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles was designed based on deserts and cinema”Moving making and the California Dream are all mashed up together to create this atmosphere,” studio co-founder George Yabu told Dezeen.
    “We also captured the grittiness,” added co-founder Glenn Pushelberg. 

    The hotels were designed to complement each other, providing various experiences for guests, who the team hopes can be staying in one while visiting the bars and restaurants of the others.
    Yabu Pushelberg wanted to challenge guests with a sense of “grittiness”According to the duo, the hotels are meant to be the day and nighttime versions of the same person or “like the same person in different movies”.
    AC Hotel provides a more work-oriented vision and the Moxy representing a more dimly lit atmosphere.
    The Moxy includes lounge areas with plush furnitureUsing desert themes and references to the 1969 film Easy Rider starring Peter Fonda, the Moxy has rammed earth walls, woven wall hangings and homages to motorcycle culture with a custom pouf designed with Harley Davidson in mind. It even has a motorcycle in the lobby lounge.
    “If you look at the materialities and colors and textures, it is kind of off-off, which makes it on,” said Pushelberg. 
    AC Hotel is more restrainedAlso in the Moxy’s lobby is a snakeskin-like carpet with a graphic of a snake.
    The hotel includes studio spaces above the lobby with neon lights and plush furniture; minimal rooms with tile and stone walls; and a bar inspired by the “roadside gas station” with mottled stone countertops, metal mesh liquor cabinets and “cocoon-like” chairs.
    The AC Hotel is meant to evoke the artist’s loftThe AC Hotel is more restrained. The lobby is on the 34th floor and was designed to evoke the “artist’s loft” with views of the city below. Materials were inspired by Spanish architecture – such as textured plaster and stucco.
    These details continue throughout the bars, guestrooms and library lounge, with the addition of wooden sculptures and dark black tile.
    Yabu Pushelberg designed the carpets in the guest rooms to “reflect the geometric pattern and color story found throughout the hotel” and contrast the birch wood flooring.

    Ibiza’s first hotel gets bohemian refresh from Dorothée Meilichzon

    According to the team, the hotels together are meant to bring together a variety of local influences to attract people to the downtown core.
    “It’s a ​​perfect time for the hotels to be there because all these different types of people have never ever had a reason to go downtown,” said Pushelberg, who referenced the growing gallery scene in the area as an additional inspiration.
    The AC’s lobby is on the 34th floor of the buildingThe design follows a slew of other hotels designed for LA’s downtown, including Hotel Per La designed by Jaqui Seerman, which occupies a 1920s bank building.
    A division of Marriot, Moxy has dozens of hotels around the world, including a recent addition in New York’s Lower East Side designed by Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group.

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    Five key projects by architect and Dezeen Awards judge David Rockwell

    New York architect David Rockwell has joined Dezeen Awards 2023 as a judge. Here, he selects five projects that best reflect his studio’s work.

    Architect and designer Rockwell is the founder of US practice Rockwell Group. He aims for his work to “help facilitate storytelling, community-building and memory-making”.
    “The core value I try to bring to all my work is empathy,” Rockwell told Dezeen.”I approach each decision from the perspective of those who will inhabit the spaces.”
    Projects spanning “theatre, hospitality and the public realm”
    “Working in the theatre has been an incredible training ground for strengthening my own capacity for empathy,” said Rockwell.

    “Our work falls into three main categories: theatre, hospitality and the public realm,” he continued. “Rockwell Group has been fortunate to work across a diverse range of project types, from restaurants, hotels, schools and offices to museum installations, Broadway sets and theatres.”
    The New York-based office is currently working alongside architectural firms Ennead Architects and SmithGroup to convert a museum at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC into an academic building for Johns Hopkins University,.
    Rockwell Group is also designing several restaurants in New York City, including collaborations with Ethiopian-born Swedish-American chef Marcus Samuelsson and French restauranteur Daniel Boulud, as well as an outpost for the international Taiwanese restaurant group Din Tai Fung.
    Rockwell among Dezeen Awards 2023 judges
    Dezeen Awards 2023 launched last month in partnership with Bentley Motors. On Tuesday we announced five more Dezeen Awards judges, including interior designers Kelly Behun and Martin Brudnizki and architects Lara Lesmes, Jayden Ali and Rooshad Shroff.
    Submit your entry before the standard entry deadline on Thursday 1 June. Click here for more entry information.
    Read on to find Rockwell’s views on the five projects that best represent the work of his studio.
    Nobu Hotel in Barcelona, SpainNobu
    “Our work with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa started 29 years ago when we designed his now iconic restaurant in Tribeca.
    “Chef Nobu’s innovative cooking, as well as his origins in the Japanese countryside, inspired an irresistible narrative we got to weave into our design.
    “All these years later, we are still reinventing Nobu – as both a restaurant and hotel brand – in cities worldwide. It is, without question, one of the most significant collaborations of my career. ”

    DineOut NYC, New York City, USA
    “We conceived our pro-bono project DineOut NYC at the height of the pandemic. Covid-19 had completely devastated our restaurant industry.
    “In addition to providing over 300 thousand jobs for New Yorkers, I have always had a strong personal attachment to this sector.
    “Designed in collaboration with the NYC Hospitality Alliance, DineOut is an adaptable, modular outdoor dining system. The project helped end our era of isolation by bringing people together again and getting restaurants back on their feet.
    “Design is most meaningful to me when it fosters community and I feel like we made a real impact doing just that with DineOut NYC.”
    Read more about DineOut NYC ›
    Photo by Paul WarcholHayes Theater and Take Me Out, New York City, USA
    “In 2018 we renovated the 100-year-old Hayes Theater, Broadway’s most intimate venue with only 600 seats.
    “In addition to instilling the historic space with a modern, approachable design vocabulary, we also needed to accommodate the staggering technical demands of modern productions.
    “Last year we had the chance to put our work to the test when we designed the sets for the revival of Take Me Out at the Hayes. Had the theatre been unable to meet our technical needs, I’d have had no one to blame but myself. Thankfully, I was a very satisfied customer.”

    NeueHouse Madison Square, New York City, USA
    “When it opened 10 years ago, NeueHouse Madison Square was a groundbreaking workspace collective that helped usher in a new typology in which art, life, culture, food, and work converge seamlessly.
    “This kind of convergence has taken on profound new meaning in our late-stage pandemic era, in which people are craving bespoke, communal experiences.”
    Read more about NeueHouse Madison Square ›

    TED Theater
    “Our portable TED Theater [for nonprofit foundation TED Talks] is approaching its 10th anniversary this year and it remains a great experiment in the power of ephemeral, shared experiences.
    “The attention to detail recalls permanent works of architecture but its flexibility allows it to adapt and evolve as TED does.”
    All images courtesy of Rockwell Group unless stated otherwise.
    Dezeen Awards 2023
    Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent. More