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    “Proud Mancunian” Norman Foster to renovate Manchester United training ground

    Architecture studio Foster + Partners has begun work renovating the interiors of the men’s first-team building at Manchester United’s Carrington training complex.

    The renovation of the training ground located around six miles from the club’s Old Trafford home stadium commenced yesterday and is being led by Foster + Partners founder Norman Foster, who is from Manchester.
    Born in Reddish in 1935, Foster described the design as capturing “the spirit of industry, grit and ambition that exemplifies both Manchester and Manchester United”.
    “As a proud Mancunian, it is a particular honour for me to see Foster + Partners given this responsibility,” he added.
    Foster + Partners will renovate the men’s first-team building at CarringtonThe project will include a complete interior refurbishment of the building, transforming it into what Manchester United described as a “world-class football facility”.

    Foster + Partners will initially focus on creating more streamlined interiors for the gym, as well as medical, nutrition and recovery areas.
    Renders show sandy-hued interiorsRenders released by Foster + Partners show sandy-hued, open-plan spaces illuminated by floor-to-ceiling glazing and filled with potted plants.
    “When we conducted a thorough review of the Carrington training facilities and met with our men’s first team players, it was clear the standards had fallen below some of our peers,” explained club co-owner Jim Ratcliffe.
    “This project will ensure Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest standards,” he added.

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    The renovation is the latest stage in wider developments at Carrington, where the Manchester United Women and Academy building opened in October 2023.
    The Foster + Partners project is set to last through the next football season, although temporary adaptations will be made to the rest of the Carrington site to accommodate player and staff needs during the renovation period.
    The studio has designed the architecture for previously completed sports venues including London’s Wembley Stadium, which opened in 2007, and the more recent Lusail Stadium in Qatar created for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.
    The renderings are courtesy of Foster + Partners. 

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    BIG opens Los Angeles office in renovated 1920s building

    Danish architecture studio BIG has opened an office in Santa Monica in a renovated 1928 Spanish revival building designed by iconic Los Angeles architect Paul R Williams.

    The 1928 building was refurbished by the team, many of whom will be joining the freshly minted BIG Los Angeles team – recruited both from the New York office and from the local “talent pool”.
    BIG has opened an office in a 1928 Paul R Williams building in Santa MonicaBIG, the architecture studio established by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will be anchored in the Californian city by partner Leon Rost.
    For the renovation, the studio kept many of the original Spanish revival details of the original structure including the expressive reliefs on the facade.
    Some of the plaster detailing was kept, but the office largely has an unfinished lookSome of the interior plasterwork was maintained as well. The primary second-floor workspace was opened up, and much of the walls were peeled back to reveal the wooden structure and enhanced mechanical system.

    Unfinished concrete columns are located in th middle of the space, with thick wooden rafters intersected by skylights.
    The office layout is open, with large spanning desks and folded Roulade chairs by KiBiSi, which Ingels is also a partner of.
    The office will help expand the studio’s West Coast presenceAccording to Rost, the studio plans to continue to update the space with samples of technology such as solar panels from the studio’s local projects, many of which are in late states. These projects include Claremont McKenna College Robert Day Sciences Center.
    “We’ve also designed an interior layout that preserves the original interior plasterwork from 1928 and intentionally chose a location that is close to public transport,” Rost told Dezeen.
    “As a Japanese Californian I am excited to root BIG on the Pacific Coast. In the city of storytelling, big dreams and a pioneer spirit, I am certain LA will be a fertile frontier for continued experimentation. You could say BIG – though born in Copenhagen – has always been an Angeleno at heart.”

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    The office is the studio’s second in the United States, after its New York office opened in 2010.
    The studio has a significant presence on the West Coast, and is currently in the process of completing a large mix-used development on an industrial site in Downtown Los Angeles and is working with British studio Heatherwick on a Google headquarters in the San Francisco Bay area.
    The studio will be under the direction of partner Leon RostBIG New York partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann told Dezeen that the move has come from the “considerable” amount of West Coast work the studio has had since opening in the United States.
    “Having also once called Los Angeles home – I attended UCLA in the 1990s – I am super excited to bring ‘Scand-American’ thinking to our future work within the Pacific Rim region,” said Bergmann.
    Other significant projects on the West Coast by BIG include the impressively massed Vancouver House skyscraper in Vancouver, Canada.
    The photography is by Pooya AleDavood.  

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    PGM Arquitectura adds garden suites to César Pelli skyscraper in Mexico City

    Local studio PGM Arquitectura has completed a series of garden suites on top of the podium of the St Regis hotel skyscraper in Mexico City, originally designed by Argentine-American architect César Pelli.

    Hotel chain St Regis brought on PGM Arquitectura to refresh the interiors of the skyscraper in Reforma, one of the city’s central business districts. The studio had previously carried out designs for the hotel’s restaurant.
    PGM Arquitectura has completed terrace suites on a César Pelli-designed hotelThe 150-metre-tall César Pelli-designed skyscraper was completed in 2008 but the team at St Regis found that its interiors had become dated. The hotel wanted to update them to keep pace with the growing tourist industry in the city.
    The skyscraper has a fourth-floor podium, after which the glass-clad spiral structure steps back and continues its climb toward the sky.
    The fourth floor now houses a large suite and several smaller ones with jacuzzisPGM Arquitectura founder Patricio García Muriel told Dezeen that this was the best place to demonstrate the potential of the hotel’s interiors, which the studio plans to completely revamp in the next few years.

    “There was a rooftop on the fourth floor, which was horrible,” he said. “Those rooms on the fourth floor were the worst in the hotel.”
    Steel pergolas provide shadeThe studio transformed the eight suites on that level, turning the rooftop into garden terraces for guests.
    The largest suite, the two-bedroom Caroline Astor Garden Terrace Suite, now wraps around nearly a quarter of the building and comes complete with an elevated infinity pool.
    Before construction commenced, PGM Arquitectura had to carry out a full structural analysis to determine that the terrace could hold the massive pool without altering the exterior of the iconic Mexico City tower.

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    “It’s a very solid building,” said García Muriel. “It has sustained through all the major earthquakes in Mexico.”
    All of the suites include pergola and privacy screens made from stacked pale-coloured bricks to shield guests from onlookers in the surrounding tall buildings, especially on the side facing the denser areas of Reforma.
    The other side has terraces that are “much more open”, according to García Muriel.
    The Yabu Pushelberg interiors were left relatively unchangedInside the suites, PGM Arquitectura stuck mostly with the scheme used for the original interiors by Canadian studio Yabu Pushelberg, keeping the lilac and white hues of the walls.
    However, the studio swapped out the carpet that had lined most of the floors – a move it plans on continuing for the rest of the hotel. Details in the rooms and throughout the PGM Arquitectura-designed spaces were informed by the Mexican landscape, with tactile surfaces, gold finishes and colourful wall hangings.
    Details were informed by Mexican landscapesThe terrace serve to create a kind of “oasis” in the bustling city, García Muriel said.
    “You can get away from the city, with it still being there,” he said. “You’re in the city surrounded by buildings, but you’re in an outside protected area with a lot of privacy.”
    Pelli’s studio Pelli Clarke & Partners recently completed a similarly shaped skyscraper in the southern part of the city, which is now the tallest skyscraper in Mexico City.
    The photography is courtesy of St Regis Mexico City. 

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    Shovk completes Japanese-infused renovation of Dzen House near Kyiv

    Elements of Ukrainian and Japanese architecture combine at this pared-back residence on the outskirts of Kyiv, which local architecture studio Shovk created for a client with a passion for Japanese culture.

    The project involved the transformation of a basic bungalow built in 2010 into a two-storey dwelling that makes the most of its picturesque setting in a garden lined by conifer trees.
    Charred wood was used to clad the exterior of Dzen HouseShovk lead architect and partner Anton Verhun oversaw the design, which was informed by the owner’s travels to Japan and his respect for the aesthetic simplicity and practicality of traditional Japanese interiors.
    “Dzen House was conceived as a place where the client and his family could feel in harmony with themselves and the world,” Verhun told Dezeen.
    The two-storey home was originally a bungalow”They wanted somewhere they could simply watch the rain outside the window, warm themselves by the fireplace and practice yoga on the tatami mat near the round window,” he added.

    Shovk implemented several references to Japanese architecture in the project, including a large roof with overhanging eaves and an exposed wooden structure.
    A wood-fired oven features in the living roomThe exterior of the first floor is clad with Japanese-style yakisugi charred wood that provides natural weatherproofing. The blackened timber contrasts with the traditional Ukrainian mazanka plaster finish applied to the ground floor’s internal and external surfaces.
    The house’s entrance leads directly into a kitchen and dining space at one end of the largely open ground floor. A functional core at the centre of the plan separates this space from a lounge at the opposite end.
    Shovk’s interior scheme was informed by traditional Japanese designThe volume containing the staircase, utility room and shower room delineates the communal areas while allowing free-flowing circulation that helps to create a feeling of spaciousness.
    Throughout the building, large openings including frameless floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the living room provide a strong connection to the gardens.

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    A fireplace located near the centre of the living area creates a focal point within this room. Its stainless steel chimney passes through the bedroom above, helping to warm the spaces on both floors.
    The new first floor was constructed from timber to minimise loading on the existing walls and foundations. Its interior is lined with birch plywood that has a similar thermal expansion coefficient to the pine frame, thus helping to prevent any cracks caused by movement.
    One room was dedicated to meditation and tea ceremoniesA simple plywood staircase ascends to a sequence of low, attic-like spaces including two bedrooms, a study, bathroom, utility room and a Japanese-style room with tatami mat flooring.
    Verhun added a circular window as an expressive element that “brings softness and naturalness” to the space, used for tea ceremonies, yoga and meditation.
    The compact main bedroom features a podium bed set next to a large frameless window that looks out onto the nearby trees. Built-in wardrobes provide discreet storage, while the exposed chimney adds a distinctive feature.
    A plywood staircase leads up to the second floorAccording to Verhun, the house’s owner has temporarily moved to another Ukrainian city for his own safety due to Russia’s invasion of the country.
    The project was completed despite long power cuts, air raids and missile attacks that forced the builders to spend hours in shelters.
    Birch plywood lines the upper-floor interiorVerhun also said that Shovk has begun taking on more projects abroad due to a decline in its Ukrainian work resulting from the ongoing war.
    Other recently completed projects in Kyiv include an apartment renovation by Modektura and a dance studio that was furnished using materials sourced from around the city in the face of wartime shortages.
    The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

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    Modektura adds sand terrazzo flooring to Kyiv apartment

    A balcony-turned-conservatory features in an apartment renovated by architecture and interior studio Modektura in Kyiv, Ukraine.

    Kyiv-based Modektura designed the interior to reflect the history of the apartment block, which was initially constructed in 1900.
    The one-bedroom apartment was renovated by Modektura”We wanted to tie it back to the house itself,” Modektura founder Maksym Dietkovskyi told Dezeen.
    “Colours and textures were chosen to create an interior that feels like it has a history – one that has been waiting for its owner for a long time.”
    The studio added sand to the terrazzo flooringThe studio refurbished the flooring of the apartment incorporating sand into the terrazzo as part of several material experiments undertaken by the studio during this project.

    Additionally, marble chips were embedded within the mineral plaster on the walls.

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    “The idea to experiment with materials was inspired by old decorative techniques, blending them with a modern approach” Dietkovskyi explained.
    “Using sand and marble chips not only combined their decorative properties but also created a unique, aesthetically pleasing effect.”
    The open archways feature an inner wooden frameToned-oak, marble, stainless-steel and brass was used throughout the rest of the apartment.
    The material palette was chosen to “cultivate a sense of stability and tranquility”.
    Doors were swapped for open archways that feature a decorative moulding with an inner wooden frame.
    A balcony was turned into a conservatoryA corridor, described by the architect as a “central artery”, extends through the entire length of the flat leading from the kitchen to the bedroom and living area.
    A balcony attached to the kitchen was turned into a conservatory. The studio added underfloor heating to ensure a comfortable temperature for the plants.
    Paintings and sculptures are displayed throughout the apartmentTo accommodate the client’s art collection, the space includes a library and pedestals for displaying art pieces.
    Artworks on display include sculptures by Ukrainian artist Dmytro Hrek, paintings by Kristina Otchych-Cherniak and a diptych by Rostyslav Zavhorodniy.
    A pair of Cassina tilting back chairs are placed in the living roomThe studio, working with the owners, decided to keep the building’s classical elements, notably the decorative cornices.
    Mid-century design pieces such as Cassina tilting back chairs, Louis Poulsen glass pendants and Snoopy table lamps from Flos were selected to “collectively evoke a nostalgic retro atmosphere.”
    The living room includes a small library areaModektura completed the project during the ongoing war in Ukraine. The team described having to deal with unforeseen circumstances due to the wartime context.
    The reduced number of workers necessitated more extensive supervision and power supply issues and obstacles related to the conflict “significantly complicated the project implementation process,” the studio told Dezeen.
    Other projects in Kyiv recently featured on Dezeen include a fitness studio lined with curtains, a laser clinic with futuristic interiors and a holistic healing centre by Ukranian designer Olga Fradina.
    The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

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    Alarquitectos lines Lisbon apartment with colour-blocked walls and pine wood

    Portuguese studio Alarquitectos has used walls of pink and blue to brighten São Sebastião 123, an apartment converted from a 20th-century office in Lisbon.

    Tasked with revitalising the old workspace’s dark and poorly ventilated interiors, Alarquitectos opened it up by removing the existing partitions and adding a courtyard.
    Along with an existing outdoor space that has been reorganised, this courtyard doubles as a lightwell for the 167-metre-square apartment.
    Walls of pink and blue decorate the São Sebastião 123 apartmentSão Sebastião 123 is organised with a series of “fluid” living spaces at its front and more private spaces, including the bedrooms, at the rear.
    Narrow corridors brightened by the colour-blocked walls lead into the airy, open-plan living area that is illuminated by a window and full-height opening connected to a slim balcony.

    In the living area, a shelving unit runs the length of the room and is paired with pine flooring and grey-toned furnishings.
    A sliding door connects the living space to the kitchenA sliding door leads from the living space into a kitchen “box”, which is enclosed on both sides by deep-blue cabinets topped with metal counters, and complemented by terrazzo flooring.
    Bronze detailing is used for lighting fixtures, mirrors and door knobs throughout the home.
    The kitchen features deep-blue cabinets and terrazzo flooring”We envisioned the kitchen as a vibrant focal point, hence the striking colour of the kitchen box,” studio co-founder Mafalda Ambrósio told Dezeen.
    “We sought cool colours that contrast with the warm tones of the pine wood,” she continued.
    “This colour palette was inspired by the aggregates in the kitchen terrazzo, resulting in a deep blue with green pigments and a light pink.”
    There is a dining room with an oak table and three pendant lightsAdjacent to the kitchen is a dining area with an oak dining table and three pendant lights. Further counter space and shelving are provided along one side.
    To the back of the dining area, a full-height door opens up to the new enclosed courtyard, which is lined with ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring and decorated with black-steel furniture and leafy plants.

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    A glazed opening onto the courtyard draws light into a bedroom, while a smaller circular opening illuminates the adjacent corridor – operating as a “physical bridge between the interior and exterior”.
    “We extended our focus to the exterior space, not merely as a source of natural light and ventilation but also as an extension of the living experience,” Ambrósio said. “The materials for the patios were meticulously chosen to create a sense of refinement and tranquillity.”
    Ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring features in the courtyardSão Sebastião 123 is complete with two small workspaces beside the living area and a shared bathroom lined with ceramic tiles and terrazzo flooring matching the external courtyard.
    Other recent projects defined by colourful interiors include a playful seaside hotel that uses colour blocking to distinguish different areas and a residential conversion with jagged walls that reference a lightning bolt.
    The photography is by Do mal o menos.

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    Studio Aisslinger completes “nature-loving” renovation of Hotel Seegarten

    Designer Werner Aisslinger has renovated a lakeside hotel in Germany’s Sauerland region, adding hydroponics and locally sourced materials including wood and terrazzo to craft interiors informed by the surrounding nature.

    Hotel Seegarten is owned and operated by TV chef Olaf Baumeister, who took over the traditional inn from his parents in 1992 and has overseen its transformation into modern boutique accommodation.
    Werner Aisslinger has renovated a boutique hotel in the SauerlandWerner Aisslinger’s studio was influenced by the hotel’s location overlooking the Sorpesee lake when developing its “nature-loving” concept for the guest rooms and public areas.
    This includes Baumeister’s Seegarten restaurant, where hydroponic shelves are used to grow ingredients for the kitchen.
    Terrazzo and wood feature throughout the interior”The overall atmosphere is friendly and close to nature, as all materials are processed in their purest form and can be felt,” said the design team, adding that further inspiration came from Baumeister’s passion for using local produce in his cooking.

    The studio described the hotel’s setting as an “oasis in the Sauerland”, which informed a design that is casual, modern and focused on promoting wellbeing.
    The two main materials used throughout the scheme are terrazzo and wood, which are intended to evoke the pebble beaches of the nearby lake and the trees of the surrounding forest.
    Stones from a nearby quarry were incorporated into the grey terrazzoOther elements such as curtains, carpets, plants and rattan screens were chosen to complement these two cornerstone materials, as well as adding different tactile surfaces to the interior.
    Stones from a nearby quarry were incorporated into the grey terrazzo, which was processed by a local firm and is used throughout the bathrooms.
    As well as referencing the natural surroundings, the use of local materials and regional manufacturers helps to minimise the project’s carbon footprint by reducing shipping requirements.

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    The bedrooms feature bespoke shelves housing planters filled with herbs, along with equipment that guests can use to brew their own tea.
    In the bathrooms, Studio Aisslinger commissioned custom-made towel rails shaped like swimming pool ladders that attach to the bathtubs.
    Traditional wood panelling features in the Seegarten restaurant, providing a contrast with the metal hydroponic troughs and their bright LED grow lights.
    Furniture designs by Aisslinger include the Wood Bikini chairThe hotel’s wellness area features flat and curved rattan screens that are suspended from the ceiling and can be adjusted in height to provide privacy if required.
    Furniture created by Aisslinger for various design brands is used throughout the hotel, including the Geometrics pouf for Cappellini and the Wood Bikini chair for Moroso.
    The public areas also feature the solid oak Cep tables, the geometric Urban Jungle rugs and the Addit sofas designed for German furnituremaker Rolf Benz in collaboration with Studio Aisslinger’s design director Tina Bunyaprasit.
    Curved rattan screens and sheer curtains feature in the hotel’s wellness areaAisslinger founded his studio in Berlin in 1993, adding a Singapore office in 2008.
    The studio’s previous projects include the transformation of a famous Berlin squat into a photography museum and the design of a futuristic exhibition exploring topics from urban farming to robotics.
    The photography is by Nicoló Lanfranchi for Studio Aisslinger.

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    H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

    Three jagged walls delineate the colourful spaces inside this converted barn in Sant Just Desvern, Spain, transformed by Barcelona studio H3O to reference a lightning bolt that struck the building generations ago.

    The one-storey Relámpago House is a former barn with a white-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling in the Spanish town of Sant Just Desvern on the outskirts of Barcelona.
    Relámpago House features a colour-block interiorFor the interior scheme, H3O took cues from an old family legend told by the homeowner, whose ancestors are said to have survived a lightning bolt that struck the barn and entered the building through the chimney, narrowly avoiding the family members sheltering under the dining table.
    “Transforming a story into architecture seemed to us a fascinating and fun challenge,” the studio told Dezeen.
    H3O delineated spaces with jagged walls informed by lightning boltsH3O inserted three intersecting walls shaped like lightning bolts into the plan, defining rooms within the otherwise open space.

    “This geometry choice is not random – it emulates the unpredictable trajectory and rapid dispersion of a lightning bolt’s energy,” added the studio.
    The all-pink bedroom is accessed via a colourful doorThe colourful intersecting walls enclose a private bedroom and bathroom, as well as forming the perimeter of the open-plan kitchen and living area.
    This communal space features zigzagged strip lighting suspended above a boxy metal kitchen island and walls clad in green glazed tiles.
    Strip lighting was suspended above a metal kitchen islandSugary pink walls delineate the bedroom, accessed via a contrasting door that is painted dark green on one side and deep blue on the other.
    “The interaction of these colours with the opening and closing doors creates an experience of spatial fluidity inspired by the pop art aesthetic of the 70s, reflecting a radical, fun and optimistic spirit,” explained H3O.
    The angular bathroom has a blue ceiling and wallsCharacterised by a mixture of green tiles and floor-to-ceiling dark blue paint, the bathroom is the smallest and most angular of the spaces, with a jagged, asymmetric mirror that wraps one corner of the room and tops a geometric sink.
    “The construction of the walls involved a meticulous design and execution process, ensuring that every angle and twist served an aesthetic function and optimised habitability and indoor living,” the studio said.
    Stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handlesSmall stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles throughout the dwelling, adding organic accents to the otherwise colour-blocked interior.
    As a final nod to the home’s tumultuous history, a sculptural silver lightning bolt now protrudes from the chimney.

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    “The idea of a lightning bolt redefining space, filling it with form and colour, pushed us to explore beyond conventional boundaries,” reflected H3O.
    “Relámpago House transforms a forgotten barn into a visual spectacle.”
    A silver lightning bolt protrudes from the building’s chimneyVarious other architectural projects have been defined by zigzagging motifs.
    London-based Outpost studio created a jagged zinc kitchen extension in Haggerston while German practice Wulf Architekten designed a sports centre for a school in Überlingen with a folding roof to reference the mountains of the surrounding Alps.
    The photography is by José Hevia. 

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