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Dezeen promotion: studying strategic interior design at IE University has enabled designer Borja Esparza Pamplona to “future-proof” his practice and respond to the rapidly changing demands that his clients have on their offices in light of the pandemic. More
Dezeen promotion: bathroom brand VitrA has opened a showroom in London’s Clerkenwell, where it will present its latest products and host design events. More
Dezeen promotion: Kriskadecor’s aluminium chains offer a quick, easy and hygienic way to transform the interiors of hotels ready to welcome back guests. More
Dezeen promotion: the UK Timber Trade Federation is showcasing the winning entries of its Conversations about Climate Change design competition via a virtual exhibition and event series.The competition, which received more than 100 responses from around the world, called on entrants to create an installation that would provoke discussions about global warming while showcasing the environmental benefits of responsibly sourced, tropical hardwoods.
Top image: Joseph Pipal’s Carbon Print is one of the winning projects. Above: The Extraction pillar is by Julia and Julian Kashdan-Brown
“Responsibly forested timber is an essential part of the climate change solution; however, tropical forests have too often been undervalued and their forest land cleared for other uses,” said David Hopkins, CEO of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF).
“Our competition asked architects and designers to respond to tropical timber, think about the materials they usually work with and consider how the role of materials specified is vital for implementing change.”
Tree Whisperer are sound sculptures by Sheryl Ang and Yuta Nakayama
Selected by a panel of judges including Yinka Ilori and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects, the six winning “conversation pieces” are now on display at London’s Building Centre for the next three months (temporarily closed due to the lockdown restrictions) and via a virtual 360-degree tour.
Among them are a series of sound sculptures by Singaporean designers Sheryl Ang and Yuta Nakayama, which are shaped like various tree species and emit different “heartbeats” that their particular response to climate stress.
A simple teak column by UK-based Michael Westthorp shows today’s sea level as well as its projected rise by 2120, while Julia and Julian Kashdan-Brown took a pillar of sapele wood and drilled holes through its heart to visualise the impact of uncontrolled deforestation – “take too much, and the system will collapse”.
High Tide by Michael Westthorp shows the effects of sea-level rise
Meanwhile British furniture maker Joseph Pipal created a series of blocks reminiscent of gold bullion, made from meranti, sapele and iroko wood, each emblazoned with the amount of carbon they are able to sequester from the atmosphere and store.
“I’ve been uplifted, as a maker, by the simple realisation that using sustainably sourced wood can help with the climate crisis,” he said.
Design duo Jeremy Yu and Tomos Owen as well as architect Tom Wilson are also among the winners.
The Carbon Print project shows the amount of carbon that different tree species can sequester and store
All timber for the installations was sourced from countries that are currently working towards being licensed via the United Kingdom and European Union’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative.
This sees countries commit to a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) and an action plan for overhauling their legal, social, business and environmental infrastructure to combat illegal logging and timber trade as well as deforestation.
“This landmark shift in governance and procurement means that FLEGT-licensed timber is safe, responsible and legal,” Hopkins said.
Also among the winning projects was the Sapele Sound Pavilion by Jeremy Yu and Tomos Owen
Alongside the exhibition, Hopkins will be speaking to Dezeen’s founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs as part of a live-streamed interview that will delve deeper into the environmental benefits of responsibility sourced timber, and how the materials specified today can have a positive impact on the world’s forests and climate change.
The talk is set to take place on Thursday 11 March at 3pm and will be broadcast exclusively on Dezeen.
Explore the virtual exhibition and discover more about the six winning installations made from VPA tropical hardwoods on the Building Centre’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for the Timber Trade Federation as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Dezeen promotion: DU Studio has redesigned the headquarters of Zhengzhou Yutong Bus in Zhengzhou, China, creating an updated corporate identity while reusing up to 60 per cent of the existing structure and materials.Zhengzhou Yutong Bus – China’s largest electric bus manufacturer – commissioned interior design firm DU Studio in 2017 to update its head office and create a space that better reflected company’s successful development in recent years.
The goal was to improve the building’s spatial efficiency, aesthetics and sustainability, creating a multifunctional environment while reusing the majority of the existing structure and materials.
A three-storey green wall towers over the main sales lobby at the Zhengzhou Yutong Bus headquarters
Located in Zhengzhou’s Jingkai District, the headquarters comprises of a 12-storey research and development building and a 15-storey sales office – totalling approximately 60,000 square metres that encompasses multiple lobbies, public spaces, workspaces and VIP areas.
“The main challenge of this renovation was to make the best use of the existing structure, materials, and equipment, and to upgrade the function and aesthetics of the space as much as possible so that it better fit Yutong’s corporate culture,” said DU Studio founder Zhu Ping.
Curving room dividers and tables in the financial hall mimic the design of the brand’s buses
The studio overhauled the main lobby of the sales building, creating a green wall that stretches three levels to bring plants into the building and underscore the renovation’s sustainability goals.
A new sculptural reception desk features three metal rings, one on the floor as the desk itself and two suspended from a central column.
DU Studio added improved lighting in the financial hall, including a light box to create a more human scale
These rings symbolise the wheels of the buses manufactured by the company, and one features a bright digital display screen. DU Studio added new ceiling lights to make the space feel brighter and more welcoming.
The studio also switched up the lighting in the building’s financial hall, putting a large light box in the ceiling to create softly diffused light. Low, curving room dividers and tables mimic the design of the brand’s buses.
In the sales reception hall, planters represent gears and the lights are wheels
The light box “brings the space to the human body scale, increasing the intimacy and forming a cozy waiting area,” according to Ping.
DU Studio also channelled this mechanical inspiration into the tree-filled planter benches in the sales reception hall, which are designed to look like gears biting together.
Black panels were added to the hall to help absorb sound
Ring-shaped pendant lamps are suspended over this atrium and also represent wheels, while doubling as sound-absorption units. To further improve the acoustics in the hall, black panels were added to act as sound baffles and break up the harsh reflective surfaces.
Each office floor has a dedicated coffee area for employees to use, as well as two new cafes for visitors to the headquarters.
Wood panels fixed to the walls at different angles are influenced by the movement of gear wheels
For the second-floor cafe, located next to the exhibition area, DU Studio used burnished metal panels to evoke machinery parts.
Another cafe, located on the building’s 15th floor, is intended to be used by overseas business visitors. Tranquil blue hues were chosen to evoke the ocean, while white ceiling panels installed at different heights mimic clouds.
The 15th-floor cafe for overseas visitors is designed to be calm
Wooden panels line the atrium reserved for VIP guests, which also features trees in planters to represent growth and prosperity. “The renovation design used dense and varied wood grain grids to raise up the three-story height, unifying the visual effect and strengthening the vertical sense of the space,” said Ping.
In the research and development building, DU Studio transformed the previously cramped lobby into a two-storey space covered with a futuristic stainless steel ceiling and glass walls.
Wood panels and trees can be found in the VIP atrium
Each R&D office floor is equipped with exhibition and social spaces for employees to gather in, helping to foster a sense of community.
For the communal spaces of the offices, display shelves feature a decorative pattern of tyre tracks. Lots of different types of seating give employees a range of comfortable places to meet or work from.
Tyre tracks are printed on the walls of the office space
Splashes of blue, the Yutong Bus livery colour, brighten up the open-plan desk areas, which feature lots of plants too. A pattern of buses picked out in grey over a blue wall decorates the office’s storage space.
Since its completion in November 2020, over 5,000 employees have moved into the revamped headquarters. DU Studio hopes to have created an environment in which they can work more efficiently and enjoyably.
A motif of buses decorates the open-plan office
“It was important to analyse in great detail the corporate structure and functional requirements of the spaces, take full use of the existing materials and conditions, and strive to achieve maximum improvement on the quality of the spaces that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and same time provide a strong sense of comfort and well-being,” said Ping.
The designer founded her Shanghai-based studio around the principles of developing “healthy, humanistic and happy” spaces that include retail, offices, education centres and more. Visit the firm’s website for more information.
Project credits:
Client: Zhengzhou Yutong BusInterior design: DU Studio (向合空间)Design director: Zhu PingInterior design group: Cai Xinhang, Jiang Yishan, Shen YiwenTechnology consultant: Yan GangLighting: BPI
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for DU Studio as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Dezeen promotion: graduating from the IE School of Architecture and Design provided the skills to design adaptable spaces for the post-pandemic workplace, according to designer Araceli Torres Muñoz.Torres Muñoz, who is a workplace strategist and designer at architecture studio Sshape in Washington DC, received a master’s in Strategic Design of Spaces from the IE School of Architecture and Design at IE University.
According to Torres Muñoz, the skills she learnt during the course taught her to embrace change and utilise technology to develop her workspace designs.
“It was there that I received the tools to react with agility and view change as an opportunity,” she said.
“Technology has served as our ally in this change. This is an idea I’ve internalised since I completed the master’s at IE University. There, we were encouraged to integrate technology in all the phases of the design process – from analysis to development to execution of the project and, finally, to monitoring the project’s performance.”
IE University taught Torres Muñoz to embrace change and utilise technology to develop her workspace designs. Photograph by Manolo Yllera
This knowledge has become especially valuable over the past year as the coronavirus pandemic has forced numerous companies to adapt their workspaces and adopt digital working strategies.
“Although we’d spotted this new style of work approaching on the horizon, we still weren’t prepared for it,” said Torres Muñoz. “In a blink of an eye, our work environments and lives were reduced to a screen and a keyboard. We were forced to go virtual.”
“As a workplace strategist and designer at Sshape in Washington DC, I had to rethink my approach to work in that moment. I needed to provide solutions for my clients, who were facing an unforeseen situation with high levels of uncertainty,” she continued.
Technology has become an essential tool for connecting employees to their workspaces, says Torres Muñoz. Photograph by Manolo Yllera
Since the pandemic began, Torres Muñoz has observed that technology has become an essential tool for connecting employees to their workspaces.
“Technology has become the link between designers and the users of the spaces; it is the open communication channel between both extremes,” she explained.
“The immediacy and capacity for data collection and analysis that new technologies provide are the foundations an interior design strategy should be built upon,” she continued.
“They allow offices to become efficient and, above all, flexible spaces that attract talent and respond to the needs of their users.”
Below Torres Muñoz outlines four areas of strategic interior design where technology is driving change:
Technology can confront uncertainty, measure change and predict the future
“Anything that cannot be measured cannot be improved. Understanding how employees work, their needs, routines, timings, etc. is key to developing a knowledge base that serves as a foundation for strategic interior design,” she said.
“Online survey tools help us perform these internal analyses and detect changes in work models. Additionally, they allow employees to express themselves freely and encourage all voices to be heard.”
Technology to reinforce company culture and build engagement
One of the principal problems of the shift to working virtually is the feeling of personal disconnect. Working from home can lead to isolation. For companies, this means that successfully transmitting their mission and values can be a difficult task.
We use gamification techniques to increase engagement and ensure employees take ownership of the office design project. These platforms and activities give us an understanding of the company culture; the unwritten rules that define the behaviour of people in a group. This critical information helps companies build a more flexible culture that encourages continuous learning and lets interior design strategists design an office that transmits and reinforces its values.
Technology and leveraging virtual reality for architecture
Designing, and above all, explaining online projects can be complex. We often find that it’s difficult for customers to understand detailed plans and schematics from behind a screen.
With the integration of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology and virtual reality technologies, designers can offer companies virtual tours of their future workspaces. They can walk through the different areas, see what the materials will look like and experience the final result before even beginning construction.
Space and technology: A perfect symbiosis
The future of workspaces lies in flexible and connected spaces. We must emphasise the design of wireless spaces where walls, screens and furniture can move and adapt to the needs of the moment. We will see outlets and lights on rails, air stream systems integrated into each space and a generally flexible office space that allows its users to adjust it to their needs.
For the hybrid work model to function, we have to implement a simple and efficient space-reservation system that can adapt to different teams during distinct project phases. This requires state-of-the-art technology that serves both people and spaces.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for IE University as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Dezeen promotion: UK brand Clayworks has created a range of natural clay plasters to achieve a smooth, rustic, or rammed earth appearance across interior surfaces.Presented as part of Dezeen Showroom last year, the Clayworks series of natural and sustainable products can be used to add visual intrigue for residential or commercial interiors.
Clayworks’ range of natural plaster finishes includes Smooth, used in this London house extension by Magri Williams Architects
All of the Cornwall-based company’s plasters are created by mixing unfired clays with minerals and pigments, resulting in a variety of breathable finishes for interior walls and ceilings.
The high-performance clay plasters offer an alternative to gypsum plasters or paints, and help to regulate humidity, and absorb toxins and odours.
The Smooth finish has a cloudy tone and seamless appearance, available in neutral and earthy hues
Among the brand’s selection of Classic finish options is Smooth, which has a cloudy tone and seamless appearance available in neutral and earthy hues.
It was used in a London house extension by Magri Williams Architects, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Don’t Move, Improve! award.
The high-performance clay plasters are suitable for residential and commercial interiors
Clayworks’ Rustic finish has a rugged texture that adds depth to surfaces and varies depending on the application method.
Using the right tools, the plaster can be applied to mimic different types of stone or concrete.
Clayworks’ Rustic finish has a more rugged texture, as seen in this UAE cafe
The Rustic finish can be seen in Snøhetta’s Aesop store in London’s Chelsea neighbourhood and at the skincare brand’s White City outpost, as well as inside a cafe in the UAE.
Among the company’s Custom finish range is Rammed Earth, which covers walls at London’s Gaucho restaurant
Clayworks also offers a range of Custom finishes, including Rammed Earth. This recreates the effect of an ancient building technique, with textured layers stacked to form bands of different hues.
Rammed Earth wall coverings feature in London’s Gaucho restaurant, adding rich tonal variation to the bar areas.
The Rammed Earth finish is applied to recreate the layers formed by an ancient building technique
Clayworks is committed to ensuring that its products are environmentally friendly, with low embodied carbon, and the ability to recycle or compost the plasters if necessary.
The company was founded by Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce, who have travelled the world researching different applications of clay as a building material, and published two books that explore the topic in detail.
More information about the company and its products can be found on the Clayworks website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Clayworks as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Dezeen promotion: a range of carbon-negative furniture items created by designers including Ini Archibong and Thomas Heatherwick for London’s Design Museum can now be viewed as part of a permanent virtual exhibition.Jointly commissioned by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Benchmark Furniture and the Design Museum, the Connected exhibition tasked nine designers with creating a table and seating object for their own home offices.
Top: Studiopepe’s geometric table and chair. Above: The Connected exhibition was on show at London’s Design Museum
Designed for their personal use, each designer’s creation was made to suit their new ways of living and working from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The exhibition aimed to explore how designers and craftspeople have adapted their working methods during lockdown.
Designers were also invited to record video diaries documenting the process of creating their pieces, which have been compiled and made into a documentary.
Ini Archibong’s design was informed by the rock formations of The Giant’s Causeway
Participants included Archibong, who is based in Switzerland, London-based Heatherwick Studio, Jaime Hayon from Spain and Netherlands-based Sabine Marcelis.
Other designers involved were Maria Bruun, Sebastian Herkner, Maria Jeglinska-Adamczewska, Studiopepe and Studio Swine.
Ini Archibong designs rock-like furniture with its own drainage system
While Archibong took cues from the undulating rock formations of Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland for his Kadamba Gate table and seating design, Heatherwick Studio created a modular desk with wooden planters for legs.
The nine furniture pieces were displayed at London’s Design Museum from 11 September to 11 October. The show, which was digitally scanned by V21 Artspace, is now permanently available to view online as a virtual exhibition.
Thomas Heatherwick designed a table with planters as legs for the Connected project
Each design was made from a choice of three sustainable American hardwoods: red oak, maple or cherry. According to AHEC, the resulting collection of objects removed more carbon from the atmosphere than they generated.
“When considered as a group, the Connected designs are better than carbon neutral,” said AHEC. “The total global warming potential (GWP) – often referred to as the ‘carbon footprint’ – of the nine Connected designs is minus 342 kilograms of CO2 equivalent.”
Heatherwick Studio unveils modular desk with wooden planter legs
“It takes a little over 10 seconds for the hardwood logs harvested to manufacture all the Connected designs to be replaced by new growth in the US forest,” it continued.
“The full environmental Life Cycle Assessments on each of the nine projects prove that these pieces are environmentally sound, going beyond carbon neutrality and leaving a negative carbon footprint.”
Sabine Marcelis designed a work-from-home cubicle with a bright yellow interior for the show
Details on the exhibition can be found via the Design Museum website, while more information on the work AHEC does can be found on its webpage.
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