Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2021 i AZURE

Chicago-based Future Firm is a practice that embraces the complexities of building — site conditions, system challenges and infrastructure. But instead of abandoning them as “problems solved” or “issues mitigated,” founding principals Ann Lui and Craig Reschke see those complications as opportunities for imagination. From a sensitive renovation of a former medical office into an artist studio and gallery to the conceptual installation Storm-Speed City — which revisits the role of weather in cities like Hong Kong — their approach blends built work with research. It also explodes architectural processes into a proposition that urban centres, at their most bountiful, are places full of disorder and collision. “We love parts of cities that feel like ecologies of people and things that are incongruent,” says Lui, “but that are thriving like…

Clemo Available in three diameters (49, 90 and 120 centimetres) and three heights (49, 31.5 and 28 centimetres), this trio of coffee tables by Massimo Castagna for Gallotti&Radice embraces primal shapes to striking effect. Their graphic profiles are accented by the finish options, including Ceppo di Gre stone and three marbles (Calacatta Vagli Oro shown). gallottiradice.it Rio Ipanema Taking its cues (and moniker) from Brazil’s rich history of modernism, Roche Bobois’s fittingly named Rio Ipanema end table boasts a robust carved solid oak base that balances an 85-centimetre-wide lacquered MDF and leather dishlike surface. Bruno Moinard’s 41.1-centimetre-tall design was also conceived with a series of companion pieces — a sideboard and dining tables — to complete a vignette. roche-bobois.com Sengu A deft mix of materials and forms is a signature…

London’s Proctor & Shaw bucked the status quo in their Quarter Glass House project, conceiving atypical solutions to a typical brief — for this Edwardian in South West London, the studio went over and above expectations, quite literally, to create a unique angular addition. “We re-established an extension that wraps around and reaches out into the side of the house and into the rear garden,” says lead architect and firm co-founder Mike Shaw. His team incorporated space originally occupied by a dated conservatory they had demolished into the new folded volume, bumping out the protrusion by 14 square metres in a manner that deftly navigates both zoning laws and neighbouring extensions. “There are a lot of Victorian and Edwardian houses in London with the same basic layout, and it’s common…

In the beginning, there was terrazzo. After its founding in Montreal in 1950, Ciot quickly emerged as a highly respected specialist in flooring, and over the course of its more than 70-year history, it has grown to become an international leader in natural stone, ceramic, plumbing accessories and more. Today, Ciot is expanding its collections once again, bringing its unparalleled curation and product knowledge to the world of hardwood flooring. A rich selection of solid and engineered hardwood marks its debut offerings, which are featured at the company’s North American locations. Available in a wide range of sizes, patterns and finishes, the collections are designed with timeless beauty in mind and an aesthetic palette that’s suitable for the entire home. Ciot’s selection of noble French and European oak is defined…

Project Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum Location Jingdezhen, China Firm Studio Zhu-Pei, Beijing, China Team Pei Zhu, Changchen You, Mo Han, Fan He, Shuhei Nakamura, Ling Liu, Shun Zhang, Zhigang Wu, Yang Du, Shengchen Yang, Yida Chen, Chenglong He and Xinyue Ding Photo Schranimage For almost 1,700 years, the city of Jingdezhen in south-eastern China has been synonymous with porcelain production. It’s this rich history that the sprawling Imperial Kiln Museum, designed by Studio Zhu-Pei, honours and celebrates. In fact, during the site’s excavation, the architecture team uncovered a set of Ming dynasty ruins, and rather than relocate the foundations, Zhu enveloped the remnants in his 10,370-square-metre scheme, transforming them into five sunken courtyards. The architectural design, meanwhile, borrowed directly from brick kilns. Zhu adapted the region’s traditional method of building…

Project Welcoming the Water: Tongnan Dafosi Wetland Park Location Chongqing, China Firm Turenscape, Beijing, China Team Kongjian Yu with Huiyong Zhang, Fei Shao, Yaqi Zhang, Liming Chen, Jian Zong, Jialiang Sun, Liusha Zhang, Donghua Zhang, Mingyu Cao, Lei Zhang and Wentao Li For decades, the edge of China’s Fu River was little more than a concrete embankment. Like many municipalities around the world, the city of Chongqing had made the mistake of transforming its natural riverfront into a hard, “impenetrable” flood wall. It not only made for a dull, lifeless setting, but it ultimately failed at its sole purpose, as extreme weather became more frequent and waters threatened the surrounding farmland. Enter Turenscape. The Beijing-based landscape architects (winners of past AZ Awards) have replaced the flat concrete barrier with a…

While its streamlined and striking form is in itself worthy of praise, the advanced technology concealed within the SensoWash Starck f catapults it far beyond a standard-issue loo. It is the latest iteration in a more-than-10-year collaboration between pre-eminent designer Philippe Starck and German porcelain sanitaryware manufacturer Duravit (the first version also earned an AZ Award, in 2011). The shower-toilet enhances the bathroom experience, taking it to a luxurious level that is at once spa-like and ultra-hygienic. Defined by its flat top surface (the feature behind the “f” in its name) and gently rounded base, the glossy ceramic body has a subdued elegance that belies its hard-working and fully integrated features: automatic opening and closing of the lid, three wash functions (Comfort, Lady and Rear), a controllable hot-air dryer, a…

Project Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Plan Location Los Angeles County, U.S. Firm Studio-MLA, Los Angeles, U.S. Team Monica Rodriguez (Council District 7), Mía Lehrer (Studio-MLA) and Sarah Rascon (MRCA) with Jane Dyer and Jean Yang (Studio-MLA); Jaime Sayre (Tetra Tech); Brian Baldauf, Joe Edmiston and Melissa Vega (MRCA) The tributaries of the Upper Los Angeles River have been marred by a racist history of neglect. Today, the hostile concrete landscape offers little in the way of community space, flood protection or nature. Intending to restore all three, the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries (ULART) Plan is led by Los Angeles Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, Sarah Rascon of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and landscape architecture firm Studio-MLA, led by Mía Lehrer. This trio was joined by designers,…

Project Green Pea: Democratizing Sustainability Location Turin, Italy Firms Acc Naturale Architettura (Turin, Italy) and Negozio Blu Architetti Associati (Turin, Italy) with Associato Vigetti e Merlo (Turin, Italy) Team Cristiana Catino (Acc Naturale Architettura) and Carlo Grometto (Negozio Blu Architetti Associati) with Bruno Finzi and Mauro Savoldelli (CEAS) and Gabriele Gerbi (Sapi) Photo Fabio Oggero Green Pea in Turin sells only environmentally friendly products — an ethos that its architecture embodies right down to the finest details. The shopping centre bursts with plant life, is made with only upcycled and recyclable materials and harnesses the kinetic energy of its shoppers. Commissioned by Eataly, the project injects a dose of altruism into consumerism. The five-floor, organically shaped structure is characterized by its trellis-like wooden sunshade slats — made from storm-felled trees…

Solid Surfacing 1 Aurora Inspired by the shimmering qualities of the northern lights, Hi-Macs has expanded its fittingly named Aurora suite with four additional colours: Ecru (shown), Frost, Midnight and Ocean Grey. They are offered in 1.3-centimetre-thick slabs at 76.2 by 368.3 centimetres. himacs.eu 2 Rooted Durasein’s Rooted collection is a charmingly rustic trio of wood-look solutions with a weathered effect — Hickory (shown), Cherrywood and Barnwood. The chemical- and stain-resistant 76.2-by-365.8-centimetre slabs are produced at a thickness of 1.3 centimetres. durasein.com 3 Nero Assoluto Velluto Available up to 150 by 336.5 centimetres, the jet-black, full-colour Nero Assoluto Velluto rounds out Lapitec’s broad range of sintered stone surfaces. In addition to being heat-, cold-, scratch-, chemical- and UV-resistant, it’s also soft to the touch for use in both kitchens and…

Situated on the idyllic eastern shore of the Adriatic, the coastal city of Šibenik meets the sea in a picturesque array of stone walls and faded red roofs. But just steps from the water, the romance fades as the tranquil seaside suddenly gives way to a car-dominated and congested urban centre. The main square was even replaced by a parking lot, which hemmed in the neighbouring theatre and library with vehicles. Thanks to a sensitive intervention by Dubrovnik-based Atelier Minerva and the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Architecture, however, that once-integral civic space is reborn. Poljana Square is an 11,800-square-metre open and flexible public forum that conceals a new underground parking garage and logistics hub beneath its hardscape surface. The sloped garage entrance creates an informal amphitheatre above, transforming the…

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times, but a distinctly subdued palette is defining the latest crop of furnishings the world over. While this inclination is no doubt related to the abrupt global halt experienced during the early months of the pandemic, it’s also indicative of a larger shift in the landscape of contemporary design. In products ranging from sartorial partitions to graphic rugs and modular seating systems, designers are eschewing passing statements in favour of flexible keepsakes — ones that, like the sage hues that adorn them, only get better with age. As Magis says of its latest release, Costume by Stefan Diez, these epochal yet adaptable offerings are at once “transformable and pragmatic.” Costume Modular. Minimal. Modern. Magis’s new Costume sofa is all this and more. A slender…

1 FORMALIA The Formalia kitchen by Vittore Niolu is distinguished by its understated detailing: Flat-faced doors feature recessed titanium or black metal hardware for a super-streamlined profile, while a modular shelving system helps establish rhythmic symmetry. It’s part of a larger range that includes living room and bathroom solutions. scavolini.design 2 INTERSECTION Anchored by a five-centimetre-thick work surface made from dramatically streaked Breccia Capraia marble, Vincent Van Duysen’s Intersection is a study in proportion. Countering this heft are linear, corner and island modules that feature geometrically arranged inlaid wood panels with visible grain and a perpendicular snack table. dada-kitchens.com 3 V2 Rendered in a palette of natural materials — Jura marble and dark-stained oak — the modular V2 is an expression of refinement and tactility. Comprising two freestanding islands and…

1 NORMA Designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, Norma includes a cooking module (with five gas burners and optional fry-top plate), as well as sink and peninsula units. A collaboration with Italian kitchen-technology company Ilve, the system is made from powder-coated stainless steel with sintered stone and polished stainless-steel surfaces and larch-wood shelving. rodaonline.com 2 AMAI An indoor–outdoor workbench, Amai will soon have an optional cooktop for exterior use. Framed by two A-shaped structures, the versatile two-height (standing and sitting) piece can also be equipped with dimmable LEDs, power and USB outlets, a retractable awning and multiple surface materials, including steel and hardwoods. extremis.com 3 OUTDOOR FRAME An electrophoretic painting process — which prevents metal from rusting — transforms designer Salvatore Indriolo’s Frame kitchen workstation for the outdoors. Composed of two or…

Project Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School Location Jaisalmer, India Firm Diana Kellogg Architects, New York City, U.S. Team Diana Kellogg with Basia Kuziemski (Diana Kellogg Architects); Surya Kumar and Arya Nair (associate architects); Kareem Khan (general contractor); Nat Oppenheimer and Carolyn Bai (Silman); Pankaj Kumar Rastogi and Amit Kumar Sinha (Genus Innovations) Photo Vinay Panjwani “I wanted to create a building about light and community — a structure that resonates with the soul of its people and enforces the natural energies to nurture and heal the women and girls,” Diana Kellogg says. The New York architect has done just that with the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, a resplendent haven in a region of India where female literacy is barely above 30 per cent. The pro bono project serves 400 girls from…

Project The Line Location Lockeford, U.S. Firm REgroup, Sacramento, U.S. Team Gary Lewis and Julia Lewis Photo Tim Griffith A sweeping remote landscape in Northern California is perhaps the last place one would expect to find a live performance venue. And that’s exactly the reason for The Line. The temporary structure, by Sacramento-based REgroup, democratizes the theatregoing experience with its profoundly minimal design. It also attempts to “rethink what the role of the rural can be and acts as an armature for a new type of ‘rural performance.’” Constructed entirely from pressure-treated lumber and clad in MDO plywood, the 22.8-metre-by-1.2-metre platform appears as a pure white ribbon stretched taut across an otherwise empty field. While its simplicity is striking, it’s also pragmatic: REgroup was given a budget of less than…

Project Thermally Speaking Location Toronto, Canada Firm LeuWebb Projects, Toronto, Canada Team Christine Leu and Alan Webb (LeuWebb Projects); Paul Boken and Stephen Kaye (Mulvey & Banani Lighting); Sepideh Nabaee (Delta Light Canada) and Jesse Blonstein (Light Brigade) Photo Doublespace Photography Toronto-based duo Christine Leu and Alan Webb are known for their charming and playful installations that chart a distinctive path between art and architecture. Their latest mounting — Thermally Speaking — follows suit, mixing a sensitive and site-specific approach with interactive technology for an entirely singular experience. For the 2019 edition of the all-night art crawl Nuit Blanche, LeuWebb Projects activated the facade of the Fort York Visitor Centre (by fellow Canadian practices Patkau Architects and Kearns Mancini Architects) in their home city’s West End. Using the inherent properties…

Taking an utterly original approach, architect Christine Djerrahian of Montreal’s Future Simple Studio successfully reimagined a private unit within a former factory as a family-friendly loft that supports modern-day living. The concept was simple enough: place a box inside another box. But the execution showcases a skilful mastery of spatial planning, materiality and ingenuity that respects the structure’s original industrial characteristics. Located in a 100-year-old heritage building in the city’s Old Port neighbourhood, the apartment was spacious enough, but its open-concept layout impeded the flexible and ever-changing lifestyle of its inhabitants. By organizing the shared domains — the kitchen, living and dining areas, along with designated spots for exercise, study and artistic endeavours — around the perimeter, Djerrahian freed up space to insert two bespoke kit-of-parts bedrooms, complete with ceiling…

Project Marguerite-d’Youville Elementary School Location Saguenay, Canada Firms Étienne Bernier Architecture, (Quebec City, Canada); APPAREIL Architecture (Montreal, Canada) and BGLA (Montreal, Canada) Team Stéphan Gilbert (BGLA), Étienne Bernier (Étienne Bernier) and Kim Pariseau (APPAREIL) with Lydia Lavoie and Pascal Drolet (BGLA); Johanie Boivin and Jérome Duval (Étienne Bernier); Marc-Olivier Champagne-Thomas, Antonin Boulanger-Cartier and Marc-Antoine Juneau (APPAREIL); Dominique Maheu and Carl Gauthier (LGT); François Fortin (Rousseau Lefebvre) and Karyna St-Pierre (Collectif Escargot) Sensitive. Contextual. Contemporary. What makes the Marguerite-d’Youville Elementary School in the city of Saguenay, Quebec, an award-winning project — even before its completion — can be distilled into these three words. The combined effort of Étienne Bernier Architecture, APPAREIL Architecture and BGLA, the building is one of five winners in the Lab-École competition, a project reimagining the future of…

On September 28, 1985, Metropolitan Police entered the home of Dorothy “Cherry” Groce, a Black mother of six, in London’s Brixton neighbourhood and subsequently shot her in the shoulder. Protests broke out immediately following the attack, which left the 37-year-old paralyzed from the chest down. Groce died in 2011 of health issues that resulted from her injury. It’s this personal and political history — of her perseverance and the community’s activism in the face of injustice — that David Adjaye’s monolithic Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion honours and continues into the future. Grounded by a thickset tiered triangular base with integrated seating and inscribed with a dedication, the folly-like edifice is given prominence in Windrush Square by the monumental pillar that rises from a single side. From it, a heroic cantilevered…

Since its founding in 1981, Keilhauer has consistently pushed the envelope on sustainable manufacturing. This drive has culminated in the release of the company’s first carbon-neutral product: the Swurve task chair. “We build the idea of sustainability into every single product, right from the very outset of the design brief, so it comes into every conversation,” says Mike Keilhauer, president of the North American furniture brand. Getting there was no mean feat. Designed by Andrew Jones, the sculptural Swurve underwent a meticulous life-cycle assessment that calculated — and minimized — its total carbon footprint. “That was an important part of it,” says Keilhauer. “For us to be carbon-neutral, we had to identify the process of manufacturing from cradle to grave.” That process starts with materials. “Where are the parts made?…

“Marseille is one of the sunniest cities in France and is also by the sea,” says Adrian Garcin, lead architect and CEO of French studio TAUTEM Architecture, “so it has a very particular light that we were influenced by in this project.” He’s discussing the recently completed Antoine de Ruffi School, a 4,150-square-metre complex comprising a nursery and elementary school in the new Euroméditerranée district of the southern French city. Designed by his Montpellier-based practice alongside Paris agency Bmc2, the sprawling concrete building houses (among other things) 22 classrooms for children aged three to 11 and features alluring geometries, brutalist as well as Mediterranean references and monolithic volumes that ground the four-storey facility in the rapidly changing ex-industrial port area. Nestled amid construction sites for several high-rise apartments and office…

Even after they’ve reached their destination, migrant asylum seekers face a gamut of challenges, from housing insecurity to social isolation. To combat the latter, Soup International, a collective of graduates from the University of East London’s MA program in Interior Design, devised the Migrant Living/Nomadic Domesticities project to ideate a variety of community kitchen concepts and help migrants come together in a welcoming space — one where the making and sharing of food is central. Inspired by the efforts of Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers (SDCAS), which hosts workshops for refugees out of the city’s St Mary Newington church, the team began sketching proposals for easy-to-assemble portable kitchens that could be integrated directly into the church — a fire in 2016 had left the previous kitchen unusable for the…

Project House in Minohshinmachi Location Minoh City, Japan Firm Yasuyuki Kitamura Architects, Osaka, Japan Team Yasuyuki Kitamura Photo Masashige Akeda This home’s humble size and material makeup belie its marvelousness. Located in the northern Japanese town of Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, with a view of majestic Mount Aogai, the 87-square-metre house was designed on a tight budget with the aim of ushering in as much of the natural panorama as possible. To that end, its master stroke is a dramatic overhanging roof: Made of corrugated metal, lined in timber and integrating a massive polycarbonate skylight, it brings in the blue sky and lush vista while also creating an intimate in-between zone under its eaves. “House in Minohshinmachi expresses that it’s possible to have a beautiful, interesting house that’s also economical.”—Adelaide Testa…

Project Bell Works Location Holmdel, U.S. Firm Alexander Gorlin Architects, New York City, U.S. Team Alexander Gorlin with Cyrus Sarrafha, Vincent Linarello and Daniel Schuetz (Alexander Gorlin Architects); Ralph Zucker (Somerset Development); Justin Fabrikant (Laufs Engineering Design); Kit Bryant (Jensen Hughes); Randy Sabedra (RS Lighting Design); Paola Zamudio (NPZ Style + Décor); Eric Collins (Becht Engineering BT); Cindy Hamilton (Heritage Consulting Group) and Jill Walsh (OLA Engineers) Photos Eric Petschek “This is such a powerful example, and at a rare large scale, of adaptation in the suburbs. It is so important to see effective transformation in this context for rethinking mixed-use community hubs.”—Marc Ryan In Holmdel Township, New Jersey, a “MetroBurb” is born. Once home to over 6,000 engineers and scientists, the former Bell Labs campus — a 186,000-square-metre complex…

Project Patkau Collection Designer Patkau Architects, Vancouver, Canada Manufacturer Nienkämper, Toronto, Canada “Beautiful, soft and friendly.”—Ini Archibong Deftly sidestepping the ordinary and expected, this three-piece contract-furniture collection by award-winning Vancouver practice Patkau Architects for Nienkämper combines elegance and whimsy — with a little material exploration thrown in for good measure. First to be conceived was the Twist chair, which required the development of a patented process to achieve its signature shape: Two layers of Birch plywood are bent and fused together — without the need for heat or steam — to form a super-thin yet superbly strong structure. A trio of stainless steel hairpin legs support the flattened conical seat, maintaining its graceful and lightweight appearance. From here came the Cocoon. Intent on creating an intimate space for semi-private meetings,…

Project Matheson Cookware Designer Castor Design, Toronto, Canada Team Matty Matheson with Brian Richer and Kei Ng (Castor) A must-have for any at-home chef, the cast-iron pan is one of the few kitchen products that actually improves with heavy use. With this in mind, chef Matty Matheson and Castor Design have created the ultimate cookware. It’s a reunion of sorts: Both Matheson and Castor Design are icons, if not iconoclasts, of Toronto dining and design; the heavily tattooed Matheson (who stars in his own Vice show) is a beloved restaurateur, while Castor’s Brian Richer and Kei Ng are veterans of the city’s design scene — and also among the founders of OddFellows and Parts & Labour, two restaurants that once employed Matheson. More than a decade later, the trio has…

Project Xi’an Fangsuo Commune Location Xi’an, China Firm LSD Interior Design, Xi’an, China Team Kot Ge Photo Rumeng Gao If China was once synonymous with the museum, the library has now usurped its position as the nation’s most prominent typology. However, the equally popular bookstore may be the ideal meeting ground between the two. Nowhere is this connection more evident than in LSD Interior Design’s Xi’an Fangsuo Commune: a veritable gallery devoted to books as objets d’art. And like any museum worth its salt, the 5,000-square-metre shop is an exercise in crafting entire interior worlds. Within, the designers choreographed an immersive journey that begins with curated commercial exhibition spaces lit up by artificial light wells, continues to a family restaurant and children’s area and ends with a central “book tower.”…

Project Bicycle Parking Garage The Hague Location The Hague, the Netherlands Firm Silo, Den Haag, the Netherlands Team Rene Toneman with Jan-Roelof de Vries (Silo) and Pim Marsman (Studio Marsman) Photos Mike Bink Staking a commanding position at the heart of the city, The Hague Central railway station is a nexus of regional, local and intercity rail. And, now that it has become home to a breathtaking and seamlessly functional 8,000-spot bike parking facility, it is truly intermodal. Designed by local creative agency Silo and Delft-based architects Studio Marsman, the cyclists’ haven is a stark contrast to anonymous subterranean spaces. It may be underground, occupying the lower level of a new mixed-use development, but the ambiance is light, airy and delightfully experiential — thanks to its incredible graphic design. Against…

Project El Terreno Location Mexico City, Mexico Firm Vertebral, Mexico City, Mexico Team Elias Kalach and Teddy Nanes (Vertebral) with Michelle Kalach (El Terreno) Photo Ricardo de la Concha “El Terreno is a fantastic project — and a very important one in this moment. We have to dream that we can build like this: very simply, but with impact.”—Patricia Urquiola “Spaces that are strictly defined rapidly become obsolete. By contrast, anonymous and ambiguous spaces are resilient and multi-faceted, allowing their significance and purpose to shift among users.” That’s how the Mexico City–based architects at Vertebral describe El Terreno, their uniquely versatile project in the Mexican capital. The new community garden and educational nook is a distinctly flexible space — though hardly an anonymous one. Constructed using recycled materials left over…

Benches 1 Dividuals This capsule collection from the Void Matters series for Sancal is now offered through Note Design Studio’s own platform and includes three separate pouffes (the curved #1 and the cylindrical #3 are shown) that can be nestled together to create a single form. Materials Natural stained ash, multiple fabrics Dimensions 44 H × 116 W × 70 D and 60 H × 38 W Manufacturer Note Editions, note-editions.se 2 Corbu Bench Combining a shapely domed seat with contoured asymmetrical legs, this bench has a sculptural quality partly inspired by Le Corbusier’s modernist murals. Materials Walnut or oak, multiple fabrics or COM Dimensions 45.5 H × 83.7 or 167.6 W × 50.8 D Manufacturer DeMuro Das, demurodas.com 3 Area B2 Part of a larger seating series by Studio…