Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2025 i AZURE

There’s always one project that you just have to get. As an A&D magazine editor, I have been guilty of craving a fantastic home that I know is just about complete, just about to be photographed. This time around, that holy grail was Ulster House, designed by LGA Architectural Partners. I had been following the project’s trajectory ever since I learned about ReHousing, a research initiative that attempts to provide the fledgling citizen-builder with tools to expand on existing houses and urban lots in Toronto. Janna Levitt (one of ReHousing’s founders) and Dean Goodman, partners in work and life, were using their own architectural undertaking as a paragon — a compelling case study for a tool kit that has major ambitions to densify our single-family neighbourhoods. What they’ve created is…

After his initial meeting with Minotti, Hannes Peer did not hear back from the Italian furniture manufacturer for two years. But he wasn’t being ghosted. “I only understood afterwards that their selection process takes that long — to let someone inside the magic circle.” The South Tyrol–born architect, who had built a reputation for opulent interior projects and for custom furniture and lighting that walked the line between art and design, would benefit from his patience. At the Salone del Mobile, he introduced a 22-piece collection with the brand. For Minotti, the launch also represented a historical departure. For a quarter century, until his death in 2023, Rodolfo Dordoni had helmed the brand’s art direction. While Dordoni had worked with outside talents, including Nendo and GamFratesi, Hannes Peer was completely…

Visitors returning to Bologna for Cersaie this past September may have noticed that the city looked different than in previous years. With many of the streets closed for construction, the transportation network was riddled with gridlock, bursting at the seams with over 95,000 attendees to the annual tile fair. The temporary traffic will be well worth the payoff: A major project is underway to build two new tram lines, and once they are completed in 2026, one of them will allow for easy access to the airport. In fact, the city is currently leading the transition to zero-emissions public transportation in Europe with the largest fleet of electric buses in Italy, and it plans to introduce electric trolleys down the line. When you consider that the region of Emilia-Romagna is…

When they first enter their dormitory bedrooms, fledgling university students often have low expectations. While it may be their first taste of freedom — a new home away from home — too many tales of cramped, cell-like spaces and roommate horror stories tend to quell any confidence that their experience will be different. Enter Le Within. Led by Sid Lee Architecture and Canora Real Estate Agency, the student-housing project in Montreal reimagines a common reality: adaptable interiors that support everyday needs while inspiring personal and academic growth. Located in a historic Shaughnessy Village building, the student lofts are defined by four design pillars: duality, immersion, urbanity and modularity. The scheme explores contrast through rich colours and textured materials, while frame-within-a-frame interior compositions and the repetition of certain elements create a…

Outer space may once have been the exclusive domain of professional astronauts, but in recent years, interstellar tourism company Axiom Space has opened up the cosmos to any run-of-the-mill business tycoon seeking an otherworldly vista. (Tickets for its private 2022 trip to the International Space Station reportedly ran a cool US$55 million.) But along with catering to this luxury clientele, Axiom is working to invest in scientific exploration and infrastructure initiatives, too. One of its latest ventures is developing spacesuits for NASA’s upcoming Artemis III mission, set to be both the first lunar landing since 1972 and the first time that a woman and person of colour will walk on the moon. Unveiled this past fall, the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit incorporates design input from an unexpected collaborator: Prada. Leveraging…

When designers Bruce Hannah and Andrew Morrison unveiled their Morrison Hannah chair (originally known as the 2300 Series) back in 1973, Knoll held a splashy launch event at NYC’s then–newly completed World Trade Center. Among those in attendance was Rowena Reed Kostellow, who had been one of Hannah and Morrison’s favourite teachers at the Pratt Institute. “She was wearing a dramatic cloak that day, so I remember her swirling around to evaluate the design, and then singing our praises to the press,” recalls Hannah. But five minutes later, he felt Kostellow tug at his arm. “She told me, ‘Bruce, you know, the back curve is lovely. But the front curve still needs a little work.’ And 50 years later, I finally got the chance to make some adjustments.” This past…

FERN MINI Part of the larger Fern family of hand-built sustainable steel lockers, Fern Mini from British manufacturer Bisley introduces a decidedly industrial edge to modern interiors. The flat-panel door (which can be right- or left-opening) is detailed with a sleek handle and charming ventilation holes; inside, a fixed shelf creates two compartments for storage. A total of 37 colour-ways are available, ranging from subdued and earthy to bold and vibrant. FONTE A versatile table collection by Molteni&C creative director Vincent Van Duysen, Fonte marries exceptional craftsmanship with an approachable yet sophisticated style. Made with a solid oak frame (in coffee or black), the nightstand features a practical drawer and a raised burnished-aluminum surface ring to neatly corral items. Material options for the tabletop include multiple glossy or matte marbles,…

By this point in the digital age, we’re accustomed to blaming “the algorithm” for the eerily prescient ads served on social media, or the embarrassing movies that streaming services automatically queue up based on our past viewing history. Brooklyn architecture firm SO – IL has a different bone to pick with big data. In the eyes of founders Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu, opaque number-crunching also dictates what type of housing gets built, as spreadsheet-obsessed banks and overly regulated planning departments favour safe investments that result in a loop of bland, boxy sameness. Over the past few years, SO – IL has been pushing back against this paint-by-numbers design while inventing more creative (yet nevertheless lucrative) solutions. In the process, it is imagining a different form of urban domesticity —…

100 Women: Architects in Practice Described as a “sample, and not an exhaustive survey” of the world’s female architects, this volume showcases the built works for which these women are best known, as well as their social impact on a male-dominated field. The book is organized geographically, seeking to bring light to regions long overlooked in the Eurocentric architectural canon. “While most of us can name more household products than we can women architects, this book also features women from countries and regions where most of us can’t name a male architect, either,” the authors (Harriet Harriss, Naomi House, Monika Parrinder and Tom Ravenscroft) write in their preface. Alongside profiles on established talents like Mariam Issoufou Kamara, Tatiana Bilbao and Liz Diller (and a foreword by Alison Brooks), the book…

1. What are some markers of Erickson’s signature style? A An integration of architecture and nature  B “Flying beams” that extend out from a building’s walls C Waterfalls and cascading forms D All the above (Yes, we’re starting off with an easy one.) 2. Erickson was the first Canadian architect to have received which accolade? A The Pritzker Prize B An Academy Award for Best Production Design C The AIA Gold Medal D An AZURE AZ Award 3. How old was Erickson when his paintings were featured in a gallery show at the Vancouver Art Gallery? A 6 B 16 C 19 D 21 4. What inspired Erickson to become an architect rather than pursue his original plan for a career in diplomacy? A A Fortune magazine story about Frank…

This past September, the vibrant coastal city of Valencia — long a hotbed of Iberian design — welcomed more than 600 brands for the latest edition of Feria Hábitat. Placing Spain’s historic yet forward-looking design culture in the global spotlight, the four-day fair reflected its relaxed seaside setting while still placing emphasis on environmental stewardship — a prescient choice, as just a few weeks later, a torrential deluge brought over a year’s worth of rainfall to the region in a single devastating day. (The worst of the flooding occurred just south of Valencia.) The calm, sustainable future that Feria Hábitat advocated for can’t come soon enough. Noha by Viccarbe As designers Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba put it, “Noha is a simple gesture: a pillow folded in the act of…

1 CANVAS In the extensive furniture series Canvas, by industrial designer Christian Haas for Schönbuch, every detail allows for complete customization. The storage units (in varying heights, widths and depths) can be fronted by doors, hinged flaps or drawers, which in turn can be paired with one of seven types of grips; internally, fixed shelves, middle walls and drawers can be configured to suit personal storage needs. Each unit can be set on a plinth or legs or be wall-mounted and is available in the brand’s full range of rich and saturated colourways, in matte, glossy or mirrored finishes. 2 CROMA WARDROBE Colourful, shapely and infused with personality, the Croma collection of hospitality storage pieces was developed by multidisciplinary design firm Lagranja for Valencia-based Systemtronic. Included within the series is…

ONCE IN A WHILE, A HOUSE BREAKS THE MOULD. On downtown Toronto’s residential streets, tight rows of century-old dwellings are occasionally interrupted by something newer, taller, bigger. But that’s usually another single-family home, its footprint seemingly swelling in proportion to the levels of wealth necessary to enter a prohibitive market. As the houses get larger and young families are increasingly priced out of the urban core altogether, their communities are contracting. Many of the city’s neighbourhoods — and the majority of Toronto’s forbiddingly zoned land area — quietly face the problem of declining population. At first glance, the building on the northeast corner of Ulster and Lippincott Streets in Harbord Village might appear to fit the pattern. Handsomely clad in an array of clay tiles, the three-storey form — contoured…