Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts
For Those Long Dark Winters
30 June 2008
If you are ever visiting Stockholm during the winter and are concerned about the lack of daylight... then perhaps you should consider the Nordic Light Hotel. The modern Scandinavian interiors are given a bit of whimsy with the use of colored mood lighting. Set on a 24 hour schedule, the lighting changes throughout the day, yet can still be calibrated to the individual guests' desires. And just in case you didn't find the light patterns in the rooms and common spaces helpful enough, you can even partake in light therapy through the hotel. More photos here..
Via Been Seen
.
Museum of Middle East Modern Art
29 June 2008
Dutch firm UN Studio has recently designed a building set to house the first Museum of Middle Eastern Modern Art, as well as a host of other activities including housing, commercial, and retails zones. I have to admit, that I'm glad the this building is more than just a museum... when I first saw it, I was having trouble comprehending why a museum with such a narrow focus we need such a huge structure. .
To be honest, I'm not exactly in love with this building. Sure, its got some nice horizontal banding, consistent with a lot of UN's other work, but the symmetry and scale seem overly formal, which no really connection to the building's surroundings. I realize that much of the Dubai is under construction so there isn't necessarily a great deal of context, but this building seem to ignore the possibility of any interaction. And considering that this new building is being located in Dubai's historic district of Jadaf... I've just got to believe that the architects could have paid more attention to a sense of place. And to top it all off... whenever I look at the images, I just think 'Moby Dick'.
.
Via Yatzer
.
.
Multi-tasking
24 June 2008
I'm a total sucker for design that can multi-task... whether its architecture, interiors, furniture or some combination of the lot... This OPtafel table by [in Tussen] is really fantastic. The simple form and clean lines are really appealing... and I love the way it can be treated as a desk, table, or both!
.
.
Rest in Peace
22 June 2008
EM2N's competition design for a moturary hall in Erlenbach, Switzerland is a very simple, yet very nice solution. The simple form provides an area of sanctuary where visitors can focus on their thoughts of loved ones and commune with the outdoors. The way in which the form has been pulled apart, providing slots of light gives it an even more ethereal quality. Instead of providing a place of refuge for saddened family members, EM2N has created a structure that will encourage visitors to reflect in a positive light.
Well done in my opinion...
.
.
Rounded Corners
21 June 2008
Alexander Lotersztain's work (both furniture and interiors) all have a really nice sculptural quality... And all seem to have soft rounded corners... It really makes the materials seem approachable and comfortable. Who would have thought that concrete and coral could look so soft?.
.
Starting Tomorrow
19 June 2008
Starting tomorrow (or perhaps already today for some readers) is the New London Architecture Festival. Taking over for the London Architecture Biennale, the celebration will include about 12 pavilions, all sorts of lectures and exhibits, and even a jelly (jello?) competition. I'll be interested to see more of the pavilions and hear from anyone who has a chance to visit. More information can be found here.
.
.
A Beauty in Bolzano
16 June 2008
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Bolzano Italy has recently opened their new building by Krüger Schuberth Vandreike... I imagine the simple form allows the artwork to take center stage, even though I don't see any artwork in these photos!.
.
St Hallvard Kirke & Kloster
13 June 2008
This 1960s brutalist church located in Oslo Norway, was designed by Kjell Lund og Nils Slaatto. I actually quite like the design... the dark and simple interior really helps create a peaceful sanctuary..
Via Arkifoto
.
.
Drink Up
11 June 2008
Two lounges, the diva lounge and the sheer lounge... both by Studio Luz. I'm not totally sure what I think about the designs, but I'd love to learn more about the materials....
.
Hiding Cables
10 June 2008
Its a reality in the modern design world that we have to deal with an ever increasing amount of cables and wires... that is, until they come up with wireless electricity! The big problem with a lot of new technological advances, is that they are changing so fast, that we don't really know exactly what we'll need in the future. For this reason, it can be difficult to plan ahead with wire placement... if you locate all the wiring behind the finishes, you'll have to cut it out if you ever need to change it. But, on the other hand, if you leave them exposed, you've got a big mess. C and I are having this exact problem right now with our remodel. We've got a projector whose cables we'd like to hide... but not knowing if we'll have the projector forever, or if the next version will need the same cables, we're hesitant to put the cables in the wall. British architects Quinn provided a design for digital agency Poke, that celebrates the cables and makes them a central design feature, rather than try and hide them. I kind of like it... I'm not sure if it would work on a smaller scale, but I like the thought.
.
.
Howeler + Yoon
08 June 2008
Even though I grew up not far from Boston, I really don't know that much about the city's architecture... having studied and work entirely outside the Boston area... Most of what I know about the local vernacular, has to do with the historic architecture, rather than modern. So, its always exciting to me to learn about young and modern firms in the area....
I quite like all of these projects by Howeler + Yoon. Above is a landscape design - Switch - in which new and old techonologies, and soft and hard textures are braided together to created an integrated and interactive landscape. I really like the lit pavers... reminds me of the glass cobblestone project by 2b Architectes... mostly I like the attention paid to the bricks. Much of my memories of Boston are colored by the bricks of the city, so its nice to see a design that integrates this historic feature, with a thouroughly modern design.
.
Architects are a bit obsessed by the mobius strip... this dress, the mobius dress, is just another example of using the strip as a design solution. The series of photographs makes the dress interesting, probably more interesting than it would be on its own...
.
This design for the Davol Loft in Chinatown combines two lofts into one, with a pretty spectacular coutyard in the center. The simple forms and materials of the skylights, courtyard, and bathroom modules allow light to penetrate entire space. In my opinion, the courtyard is a particularly great feature. Courtyards are a fairly common feature in Chinatown - I remember a school field trip to Chinatown in middle school, where we visited a school with their playground on the roof - but, this courtyard offers privacy while still allowing the owners to enjoy the outdoors. Oh.. and just as a sidenote - I'd like to point out that once again, a Corbu chaise lounge is in the background of the top photo....
.
Glass Cobblestones
04 June 2008
This modern intervention in an old Geneva square (or actually... a trapezoid) by Swiss firm 2b Architectes is quite beautiful. The design manages to be completely modern, yet still evoke images of the past. Using traditional sandstone, as well as glass blocks or cobblestones in a random pattern, the architects are letting you in on a secret - a lake used to occupy this land. The closer you get to the location of the medieval lake, the closer the glass blocks are spaced. Its a fun design, that actually allows for some interaction and understanding of the context. To top it off, it looks great at night! Now, I just wonder what it looks like during the day....
Via Mimoa
.
.
Prefab Plus
02 June 2008
I really like Swedish design firm Claesson Koivisto Rune's body of work... Every product and piece of architecture they work on has a clear, yet delicate direction... nothing is too heavy handed..
The pre-fab house they designed for Arkitekthus is particularly nice. The simple 'Plus House' manages something that most pre-fab projects don't... it has roots. The proportion of the house is based on a traditional Swedish barn house, and the materials are consistent with both new and old building in the region. Its actually quite hard to imagine this house in any setting other than the one photographed... To me, this is particularly impressive for a pre-fab designs. In my opinion, many pre-fab modern projects are lovely aesthetically, but they seem like they could be plunked down in the middle of a field anywhere. And while I guess that's the point... I miss the locale specific design. This project on the other hand, really seems indigenous to the region, and I really love that about it.
.
.
Studio 80: Shigeru Uchida
27 May 2008
Since we are working on the house, we've got all of my architecture books packed away... I just stumbled across Studio 80's website, and I realized that I actually have one of Shigeru Uchida's books in my collection. All of his work is nice, but the tea houses and furniture are particularly spectacular..
.
Dwell on Design
23 May 2008
Most everyone probably already knows that the Dwell on Design Conference and Expo is taking place in Los Angeles, June 5-8.If you haven't already checked out the conference, consider going... it should be well worth it. And if you're already in the area, then you have no excuse!
Here is a link to the conference registration... Dwell has been nice enough to send us a code for a free ticket to the exhibit - BDODEC , and a discounted conference ticket code - GRP22SP .
They are also offering Atelier A+D readers a free month to Dwell's online magazine. If you don't already subscribe, check it out!
.
I hope some of these links will be helpful! I sure wish that I could attend the DOD... maybe next year!
.
.
Seamless
22 May 2008
These projects by Blasen Landscape Architecture are amazing examples of a seamless blend of architecture and landscape. I'm really in love with the clean lines, simple use of materials, and plant selection (I'm not really into flowery designs)..
.
DvG Architecten
21 May 2008
This project, the Nederlands Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by Dick van Gameren, was one of the most recent winners of the Aga Khan award... its a pretty interesting project. While the red concrete structure clearly has roots in the African dirt, its design and form is Dutch in every way.
This apartment complex is some serious adaptive reuse... the complex spreads across an Amsterdam site previously occupied by a sewage treatment plant, to the extent that it even pierces an old concrete sediment drum. I'm not sure if I could get over the idea of living in a sediment drum... but if someone can, more power to them!
.
.