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    Mithun completes airy, colourful interior for office in Austin

    Pops of colour and a bar with an entrance hidden by a bookcase have been installed in a software company’s office interiors, recently completed in downtown Austin by Seattle-based architecture studio Mithun.

    Spanning five storeys, the 157,000-square foot (14,585 square metres) office houses diverse work and amenity spaces for Atlassian Inc, an Australian company that develops products for software developers and project managers.
    Mithun has completed colourful office interiors for Atlassian Inc in AustinCompleted in 2022, the office is housed in a building shell designed by Gensler, while Mithun was responsible for the interior architecture of the workspace, collaboration areas, focus rooms, cafes and kitchen spaces, lounges and rooftop patio.
    “Atlassian creates collaboration software, so at the very core of their culture is a focus on fostering collaboration,” said Mithun partner Elizabeth Gordon.
    The office is housed in an exterior by GenslerAccording to Gordon, the team prioritized flexibility, inclusivity and sustainability.

    The studio created an environment that inspired social connection with people-centred spaces for in-person and hybrid collaboration and amenities for networking as Atlassian’s team re-establishes a workspace.
    The team prioritized flexibility, inclusivity and sustainabilityRather than delineating floor space with individual workstations, the design opens the rectangular office along the glazed exterior for collaborative zones with moveable furniture, dividing curtains and integrated technology that “empower workers to curate their own day-to-day journey”.
    The spaces are separated by warm wooden bookshelves set into the structural grid that rounds into a ceiling detail before running down the other side of the space.
    Moveable furniture and open floor plans encourage collaborationFocus rooms – provided for individual, head-down work – are arranged in rows as a transition from the open workspace to the central core with circulation and facilities.
    Lit from a large skylight, a feature stair climbs through the building, connecting the workspaces to the amenities, which include a music-inspired coffee shop and “living room” with a stage for events and an indoor-outdoor happy hour area that connects to a secret, Texas-themed bar through a hidden bookcase.
    It includes focus rooms, shower and parent suites, all-gender restrooms, meditation rooms and a wellness studio”Indoor-outdoor connections throughout provide access to fresh air, support outdoor work and help promote movement throughout the day,” the team said. “The variety of unique destinations serves to surprise and delight workers while fostering a sense of community.”
    In terms of inclusivity, the design incorporates elements that create a “safe and inviting space for all Atlassian employees” – like the installation of art and accessories from Austin-based artists of color and LGBTQIA+ creators.

    CitizenM aims for “differentiation through massing” at Downtown Austin location

    Wayfinding was integrated in the form of large-scale custom murals by local artists that lend identity to each floor. Additionally, custom bottle chandeliers serve as an abstract reference to Texas bottle trees.
    The office also includes single-occupant, all-gender restrooms, shower and parent suites, meditation and ablution rooms and a multi-purpose wellness studio that can hold classes from local fitness instructors.
    A bar is accessed through a bookshelfThe project is targeting a LEED Gold standard with high-performance systems and sustainable materials.
    “The design for Atlassian Austin incorporates biophilic principles in many different ways – with new skylights above the stairwells that let sunlight pour in across different levels, with views in and views out, and with the use of plants and natural materials and textures,” said Mithun partner Lisa Scribante
    Other office projects that have recently come online in Austin include Michael Hsu’s self-designed architecture studio and a renovated 110-year-old bungalow for a tech investment firm. West of West also completed a concrete office complex in one of the city’s industrial neighbourhoods.
    The photography is by Jasper Sanidad.
    Project credits:
    Interior architecture: MithunCore/shell: GenslerClient: AtlassianGeneral contractor: Harvey Cleary BuildersFurniture dealer: CRIPlants: Texas TropicalCustom installations: SarabiFurniture: Coalesse, Hightower, Studio TK, Keilhauer, Spacestor, Hem, Hay, Andreu World, Muuto, TON, Emeco, WCI, Blastation, Fritz Hansen, Carl Hansen & Son, Uhuru, Bend Goods, Offecct, Grand Rapids, Sossego, Herman Miller, Schiavello, Davis, Bernhardt Design, Watson, Fogia, Bludot, Kettal, PedraliMaterials: Luum, Maharam, Kvadrat, Carnegie, Kirei, Filzfelt, Pollack, HBF Textiles, Clay Imports, Shaw Contract, Flor, Wineo, Stone Source, Caesarstone, Foresso, Daltile, Cambria, Jujupapers, Katie Kime, Wolf Gordon, ArmstrongLighting: Rich Brilliant Willing, Schoolhouse Electric

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    GRT Architects creates buttery yellow interior for San Sabino restaurant

    Yellow hues make for a sunny environment inside this restaurant in New York’s West Village, designed by Brooklyn-based studio GRT Architects.

    For San Sabino, GRT Architects once again teamed up with chefs Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, with whom they worked on the neighbouring Don Angie restaurant.
    San Sabino’s historic facade was restored and painted pale grey to constrast the yellow interiorWith a very different menu and aesthetic, the new space is typified by buttery yellow interiors that contrast its pale grey facade.
    Both restaurants occupy the same wedge-shaped building on Greenwich Avenue, in what used to be a trio of retail spaces with “diminutive storefronts”.
    An interior wall was partially removed to connect the bar and dining areasThe facades were restored and windows were uncovered, returning the historic corner to its former glory.

    “Under many layers of paint and filler we found the original storefronts clad in copper sheet that seemed only better for neglect with a charming verdigris and patina,” said GRT Architects.
    A stainless steel ribbon above the bar fronts the lower connects and connects through to the dining spaceInside, a thick brick wall was partially removed to unify the spaces, while still visually separating the bar area from the main dining zone.
    A ribbon of stainless steel above the bar wraps around to connect the two, with custom polished brass sconces affixed at intervals onto the undulating surface.
    Ribbed leather banquettes and custom light boxes creates intimate moments”This horizontality is reprised at the bar with a shapely solid pewter rail, echoed by stainless nosings set into the bar die,” GRT Architects said.
    Low-slung ribbed banquettes covered in warm caramel-hued leather surround the perimeter, notably below a mirrored side wall with light boxes installed between the reflective panels.

    Don Angie restaurant interior takes influences from Italy and New Jersey

    Mottled grey stone floor tiles are patterned with smaller, glossy yellow circles and squares, riffing on a classic carreaux d’octagones pattern.
    The handmade yellow tiles were also installed behind the bar, while the ceilings are padded and upholstered to help with acoustics.
    The sunny daytime mood becomes more sophisticated at night thanks to the lighting scheme”Naturally this was an excuse to play with pattern and texture,” said the team. “The dining room features a winking vermiculated print while the bar tips luxe with a woven jacquard.”
    Overall, the vibrant color scheme and the cool metal tones come together to create a playful yet sophisticated dining environment, which shifts dramatically from day to night and reflects the spins on the Southern Italian cuisine served.
    The warmth of the yellow tones contrasts the cool metals to create a playful aestheticGRT Architects was founded by Tal Schori and Rustam-Marc Mehta in 2014, and over the past decade has built up a portfolio of projects in New York City.
    Among these are several Manhattan restaurants, including the similarly sunny Cucina Alba in Chelsea and the maximalist Bad Roman on Columbus Circle.
    The daytime photography is by Nicole Franzen. The nighttime photography is by Alice Gao.

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    The Red Room by Apparatus forms theatrical lighting presentation

    New York lighting brand Apparatus has enveloped its showroom in red to present a new modular version of the Cylinder pendant series during NYCxDesign.

    The Apparatus showroom in Manhattan’s Garment District has been transformed once again, as part of the brand’s continual evolution of its spaces and product lines.
    The central space at the Apparatus showroom in Manhattan’s Garment District has been enveloped in redThe Red Room was created to showcase the brand’s updated Cylinder series, which first debuted in 2014 and has now been extended into a customisable modular system.
    The central room of the fourth-floor space is decorated in a dark oxblood hue across the walls and floor, with furniture pieces upholstered to match.
    The installation was created to present a new modular version of the brand’s Cylinder seriesTo contrast the old-world glamour of the red decor, illuminated lightboxes overhead and gunmetal-lined portals into the room lend a more futuristic tone.

    Apparatus, led by artistic director Gabriel Hendifar, described the setting as “Ms Vreeland’s ‘Garden in Hell’ meets Mr Kubrick’s Space Odyssey as imagined by Mr Fellini”.
    On a central plinth sits a bronze statue of Phaethon, the son of Helios in Greek mythologyOn an elongated pedestal in the centre of the room sits a bronze statue of Phaethon, the son of Helios in Greek mythology.
    “The boy is struck down by Zeus with a bolt of lightning after he scorched the earth with his father’s Sun Chariot – the source of all light itself,” said the Apparatus team.

    Apparatus updates Los Angeles showroom to include a “modernist grotto”

    The Cylinder System comprises Canopy and Lamp units that can be combined in various stacks and as double pendants, as demonstrated in The Red Room.
    “The light is soft-edged, warm, diffused, and can be directed to find the object of its affection,” said Apparatus of the products.
    Furniture is upholstered to match the walls and floorThe brand frequently updates its showrooms in New York, Los Angeles and London to present new or updated collections, which it refers to as “Acts”.
    For example, Apparatus updated its Los Angeles showroom to include a “modernist grotto” earlier this year.
    “We believe that our work is to create a stage for the human drama of life,” the team said. “We adopt the language of theatre and literature as a structure, with work organised in Forewords and Acts, each with their own exploration of form or narrative.”
    Illuminated ceiling panels and gunmetal-lined portals add a futuristic slant to the spaceThe evolution of the Cylinder Series is one of several to be expected from the brand this spring, as it revisits several from its catalog and introduces new ideas to existing pieces.
    Dezeen’s US editor Ben Dreith hosted a discussion with Hendifar at the showroom on Tuesday 21 May 2024, about the role of design in renewal and transformation.
    This was one of over 10 events we co-hosted during NYCxDesign, which took place across the city 16-23 May 2024.
    The photography is by Matthew Placek.

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    In Common With opens Quarters showroom and hospitality venue in Tribeca

    New York lighting brand In Common With has opened a multi-functional space in a 19th-century Tribeca loft in time for NYCxDesign, and will host a shoppable experience and a variety of events during the festival and beyond.

    In Common With founders Felicia Hung and Nick Ozemba renovated the 8,000-square-foot (473-square-metre) space on the second floor of a historic building on Broadway as a venue to host events and showcase installations and collections both by themselves and others.
    Designed with a residential feel, the Quarters venue includes a wine bar for hosting events”A marriage of warmth and grandeur, whimsy and irreverence, Quarters is both a concept store and community gathering space,” said the duo.
    “Inspired by Tribeca’s rich artistic history – and by the participatory spirit of 1960s ad hoc art spaces – Quarters shifts between the expected and the altogether disarming, a curated space and one that’s improvisational and alive.”
    Quarters is divided into multiple interconnected spaces, including one styled as a living roomDesigned and styled to have a residential feel, the venue unfolds through various interconnected rooms, including a bar, lounge, library and great room.

    Each features richly hued decor and is populated with artful vintage and contemporary designs, the majority of which are shoppable.
    The majority of the design products on show are available to buyThere’s also bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and powder rooms that feature dramatic marble sinks and are lined with handmade tiles.
    Other highlights include large tapestries hung on the walls, built-in burl wood storage that matches a counter base in a foyer, and the bar area that’s framed with a fresco by artist Claudio Bonuglia.
    The furniture, lighting and artwork presented in the space – by In Common With and many of their collaborators – will change frequently”Quarters is more than a retail concept; it’s a platform for showcasing our unique view on domesticity and hospitality and sharing our creative vision with a broader audience,” said Ozemba.
    “It represents our imagination, values, and ambitions in a tangible form, and it’s an open invitation for others to find inspiration within our world.”
    In Common With’s lighting collections including Flora, designed by Sophie Lou Jacobsen, are dispersed throughoutSince starting In Common With six years ago, Hung and Ozemba have collaborated on lighting collections with designers including Sophie Lou Jacobsen, Danny Kaplan and Simone Bodmer-Turner.
    All of these are represented throughout the different rooms, in pendant, floor, table and chandelier variations and multiple colourways.
    The various spaces, including bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining room, are all decorated with a mix of vintage and contemporary furnitureThe launch of Quarters also coincides with In Common With’s debut collection of wooden furniture, which features hand-painted trompe l’oeil surfaces and customisable inlaid ceramics created with artist Shane Gabier.
    Other new pieces on view include glass lighting and objects with hand-cut graphic patterns, and a three-piece series of hand-embroidered fabric lighting fixtures.

    In Common With opens lighting studio and showroom in Brooklyn warehouse

    Hung and Ozemba plan to use the space as a platform for their fellow designers and artists, as well as their own work, and to entertain their peers with wine evenings and dinners.
    The displays will be updated to present new projects and collections, and to reflect In Common With’s fluid approach to collaborative design.
    Highlights include a marble counter with a burl wood base in a foyer area”By welcoming others and fostering our artistic community, [Quarters] will continue to evolve in new and exciting ways,” said Hung.
    “With each new perspective and collaboration, Quarters will transform again and again, pushing the boundaries of design, expression, and creative connection.”
    Bathrooms and powder rooms feature handmade tilesQuarters launched just in time for NYCxDesign, New York’s annual design festival, and is hosting a variety of events over the course of the month. Check out Dezeen’s NYCxDesign highlights and all of the events we’re hosting.
    In Common With previously opened a studio, showroom and production facility inside a Brooklyn warehouse in 2022.
    The photography is by William Jess Laird.

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    Red staircase anchors Diesel store in Miami Design District

    Fashion brand Diesel has debuted a retail design concept at its store in the Miami Design District, featuring raw metal surfaces and a red lacquered spiral staircase.

    Designed under the creative direction of Glenn Martens, who joined the brand in 2020, the industrial-style store is intended to reflect “the brand’s signature bold attitude”.
    Diesel’s new store in Miami Design District debuts an industrial-style retail concept”Envisioned as a fresh, powerful expression of Diesel’s design edge and identity, the store is anchored by a glass facade framed in signature Diesel red with the brand’s red-and-white Biscotto logo,” said the design team.
    Red was also applied selectively to interior elements, including a statement spiral staircase and a wall behind at the back of the store.
    The store’s focal point is a red lacquered-metal spiral staircaseThe helical lacquered-metal form has solid balustrades and steps with a diamond-plate texture for added grip.

    It leads up to a second level where another red wall with floating shelves is used for product displays.
    The staircase has solid balustrades and steps with diamond-plate texture for added gripAcross the two floors, the 1,900-square-foot (177-square-metre) store presents the full Diesel collection.
    Bags, shoes, accessories and fragrances are presented on the lower level, while areas dedicated to denim, ready-to-wear apparel and footwear can be found upstairs.
    The upper level also has a red display wall that stands out against the concrete and metallic surfacesExposed concrete floors and ceilings, and walls covered in riveted raw metal panels and mirrors create a monochromatic backdrop that allows the red elements to stand out.
    “Throughout the space, minimalist red leather couches and streamlined silver fixtures create a strong sense of structure with a touch of softness,” said the team.

    Space-age design informs Nodaleto shoe store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Vitrines for displaying accessories on the ground floor sit atop crinkled metal bases, though the sales counter opposite is flat and sleek.
    Both levels have floor-to-ceiling glass across the street facade, and at night, fluorescent lighting throughout the store gives off a harsh white glow.
    The ground floor features vitrines atop crinkled metal basesFollowing the Miami store unveiling, the interior concept will be rolled out to global Diesel locations.
    The brand was founded in 1978 by Italian entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, who still serves as its president.
    The Diesel store joins many luxury fashion brands in Miami Design DistrictMiami Design District is home to the stores of many luxury fashion labels, each of which has exterior and interior treatments designed to reflect its distinct brand identity.
    Other examples include Louis Vuitton’s menswear space, which Dutch studio Marcel Wanders wrapped in a patterned facade informed by the brand’s monogram, and a Christian Louboutin boutique that’s covered in tree bark.
    The photography is courtesy of Diesel.

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    The Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils Sleeping Beauties exhibition spanning four centuries of fashion

    In this video, Dezeen previews the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s latest blockbuster fashion exhibition Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, following last night’s Met Gala.

    The exhibition explores the concept of rebirth and renewal in fashion, showcasing the archival and restoration processes that take place behind the scenes of the Met’s Costume Institute.
    [embedded content]
    The exhibition brings together historical and contemporary pieces from the museum’s archive
    The show also uses nature as a visual metaphor to explore ideas around the transience of fashion.

    In addition to bringing to life the behind-the-scenes work of fashion conservation, the exhibition also explores the sensory aspects of fashion, with visitors being encouraged to smell aromas of floral motifs, feel the textures of different embroideries, and talk to historical figures through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
    The show links exhibits through the motif of nature. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe title of the exhibition is derived from the “sleeping beauties” of the institute’s archives – pieces that are too fragile to be displayed on mannequins. Instead, the exhibition uses AI, animation and X-rays to bring these historical garments to life for visitors.
    Approximately 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries will be on display as part of the show.

    KOKO Architecture + Design creates interactive children’s space for the Met

    Sleeping Beauties will be open to the public from the 10th of May, following the annual Met Gala fundraiser, which took place yesterday and celebrated the exhibition’s debut.
    Celebrities interpreted the theme of The Garden of Time on the red carpet, with celebrities like Zendaya, Nicki Minaj and Gigi Hadid sporting floral motifs.
    The show includes pieces by fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen, Dior and Iris van Herpen. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe exhibition was organised by Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of The Costume Institute, with photographer Nick Knight acting as creative consultant for the exhibition.
    Exhibition design is by architecture studio Leong Leong in collaboration with The Met’s Design Department.
    Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion takes place from 10 May to 2 September at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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    Almost Studio designs Loft for a Chocolatier in Brooklyn

    Brooklyn practice Almost Studio has completed an apartment renovation inside a former chocolate factory, retaining an open layout while adding level changes to demarcate functional spaces.

    The Loft for a Chocolatier occupies part of a 1947 industrial building along Myrtle Avenue, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
    The loft’s kitchen revolves around an island that’s anchored by a structural column surrounded by corrugated metalThe apartment boasts many features typical of loft-style living, including high ceilings, large windows, and exposed pipes and ductwork.
    In one sense, Almost Studio founders Anthony Gagliardi and Dorian Booth aimed to retain this character through an open floor plan, adding powder-coated white mesh boxes and metallic accents.
    Exposed ductwork and white powder-coated mesh boxes highlight the industrial character of the spaceIn another, the pair chose to denote or separate some of the functional areas using changes in angle or elevation.

    They looked to artists like Kazimir Malevich and Josef Albers for ways to honour the original spatial composition while organising the various spaces.
    The kitchen counter integrates a work-from-home area, where pale wood panels are contrasted by lime-green storage niches”It became a way for us to distinguish different areas – such as entry, kitchen, living room, dining room, and office – through these subtle rotational moves in a space that was otherwise entirely open,” said Gagliardi and Booth.
    “In many lofts, every space is equally capable of hosting any activity, and is therefore equally inadequate to host any activity,” the duo continued. “If a dining room can also be an office, gym, and workshop – is it the best place to have dinner?”
    A lounge area is located in the middle of the open-plan spaceThe apartment’s dining room is therefore located on a raised platform at the end of the space, where the ceiling is also lowered using the mesh boxes.
    This set-up aims to create “a closer relationship with the high loft windows, and light, as well as a smaller, more intimate space for conversations”, Gagliardi and Booth said.
    The dining area is raised on a platform to differentiate it from the rest of the apartmentThe raised area is accessed via a short staircase that’s covered in green carpet and flanked by sculptural pale pink screens.
    These elements – covered in Shirasu Kabe plaster – are indicative of the studio’s approach to softening the industrial architecture, along with cork flooring and wainscoting, and upholstered seating.
    Shutters can be opened to connect the mezzanine bedroom and the main living areaPale millwork fronts the pill-shaped kitchen island and curved cabinets behind, while other niches are left open and lined in chartreuse.
    The kitchen counter integrates an area for a desk, used as a home office, where the shelving also continues overhead.

    Another Seedbed is a Brooklyn apartment that doubles as a performance space

    Meanwhile, corrugated metal surrounds a structural column that anchors the island, and the dining chairs have tubular steel frames.
    At the opposite end from the dining room, another elevated portion of the space houses a bedroom, which is closed off from the rest of the apartment.
    The light-filled bedroom features cork wainscoting and plenty of built-in storageThis space is more intimate, and features cream walls, built-in storage, and an arched niche beside the bed that’s lined with more green carpet for the owner’s cats to nap in.
    A fritted glass door slides across for privacy, and a series of shutters that offer views between the bedroom and the main living area can be closed when desired.
    An arched niche lined with green carpet provides a spot for cat napsBrooklyn has many former industrial buildings that have been converted for residential use over the past decade.
    Others include a 19th-century hat factory in Williamsburg that is now home to an apartment that doubles as a performance space and a warehouse in Dumbo where one loft features a book-filled mezzanine.
    The photography is by Jonathan Hokklo.

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    CitizenM aims for “differentiation through massing” at Downtown Austin location

    Architecture studio Concrete has designed a hotel block for Dutch chain CitizenM in Downtown Austin, which is the brand’s first Texas location and features artwork created in partnership with locals.

    CitizenM worked with long-time collaborator architecture studio Concrete to purpose-build a 16-storey structure at the top of a slope in the city’s downtown.
    CitizenM has opened a location in AustinWorking with US architecture studio Baskervill to create the symmetric facade, which features wide spans of black steel interspersed with wide windows, with a stretch of aluminium panelling above the entrance.
    The brand said that the modern form was meant to stand out from the surrounding buildings – a mix of historical stone buildings and contemporary glass-clad skyscrapers.
    It is housed in a 16-storey building”Downtown Austin is quite a dynamic urban environment with many new constructions gradually changing the character of this part of the city,” CitizenM told Dezeen.

    “We are surrounded by lower, older buildings as well as some of the new office towers. While CitizenM is standing out as one of the new additions to the neighborhood we try to add character and interest to our buildings by creating differentiation through massing, materials and facade design.”
    It features a mix of local and international artThe double-height entrance space features a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that wraps the corner of the block. It has been set back from the street with an overhang created by a cantilever on the lobby level.
    CitizenM placed its signature red staircase at the entrance. It leads up to the lobby floor past built-in shelving cluttered with Pop Art pieces, many of which were gathered from local artists and sources.
    The eclectic collection of art continues in the lobby and the 344 guest rooms, which have works selected with the help of Austin Contemporary Museum.
    Large windows characterise the facadeThe lobby was divided into a variety of spaces separated by built-in shelving and furnished with brightly coloured editions of modern furniture, most of which was supplied by Vitra.
    The bar and social area feature banquette seating placed under the glass walls.

    CitizenM to become “first hospitality company to build in the metaverse”

    In the hallways of the upper floors, the mix of standardisation and localisation continues. Red carpets have been printed with the black outline of an aerial view of the Austin city grid.
    Each room has a large king bed wedged under a window with blinds remote-controlled from a bedside iPad, which also controls the lights. A wrapped polycarbonate pane separates the shower from the rest of the room and a small sink sits opposite.
    It sits among a mix of historical and modern buildingsAmenities include a workout room that includes an AI fitness instructor that operates through video feedback and a rooftop pool adorned with a mural by Mexican artist Hilda Palafox.
    CitizenM was founded to give contemporary travellers a sense of “affordable luxury”, according to the brand, and has recently opened in Miami.
    The photography is courtesy of CitizenM.

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