Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2019 i Frame

MOBILITY – Those who fly economy know all about the physical recovery period that follows. Discomfort aside, more people are flying than ever before: in 2017, the International Air Transport Association reported a record-breaking 4.1 billion passengers worldwide. This growth has led to new cabin innovations, many of which are reserved for first-class and business flyers. But redesign is happening at the economy level, too: maybe you’ve seen Aviointerior’s vertically inclined Skyrider 2.0. Last spring, the saddle-like chair went viral. Reactions were half aghast, half curious: Stand up? For the entire flight? Luckily, Benjamin Hubert of London-based design agency Layer has a more promising alternative in mind. Developed for European aerospace corporation Airbus, Move is the prototype of a new concept for economy-class seating. The design taps into the potential…

SERVICE DESIGN – While furniture rental is not an entirely novel concept – we already touched on new entrant Kamarq last year – it’s still far from commonplace. Developments over the last 12 months, however, hint that the furniture industry’s future might be service rather than sales led, with the potential to transform how designers create for and relate to a new generation of users – one that has fallen out of love with ownership. The most gravitational among current leasing plans comes from Ikea, which kicked off 2019 by adding detail to its long-mooted move into the rental game, with office furniture-based trials launched in Switzerland and an imminent shakeup in the way it retails its kitchens. The Swedish giant is promoting the shift as a way of achieving…

Your concept relates specifically to the fashion industry … SUZANNE MULDER: PMS envisions a progressive revolution whereby ‘digital fashion’ helps to mitigate overproduction and overconsumption. Even if physical stores disappear in the near future, experiencing a brand or collection will maintain – if not gain – significance. If we use our imaginations and explore the digital world as a virtual playground, we can visualize immersive and stimulating fashion experiences. What kinds of experiences? PUCK MARTENS: A customer could interact with nonphysical clothing at several special locations – or perhaps in their own living room with the help of virtual-reality glasses. Designers would need to express their vision in a digital realm to be part of The Nearby Spectrum of Exposure, a platform that could replace current hierarchical catwalk shows. You…

MARIAM A MASTER’S IN COMPUTER SCIENCE and one in architecture: it’s not a combination we come across very often at Frame, but Mariam Kamara holds both degrees. Trained in the US but originally from Niger’s capital, Niamey, Kamara employs her architectural skills to improve and develop her beloved homeland. Strongly rooted in a sense of place, her designs offer solutions to spatial problems that are culturally, historically and climatically relevant. To achieve her aim, Kamara works closely with local engineers, masons and other craftspeople to produce simple projects that respond to the realities and aspirations she and her team identify on the ground. We meet at Design Indaba in Cape Town, where she has just given a talk. Kamara stresses the fact that design cannot be seen separately from socioeconomic…

During this year’s Milan Design Week, UniFor presented a book celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary. The publication covers the construction of UniFor’s factory, its collaboration with important designers and the development of its showrooms. Presented within a Ron Gilad-designed installation at Palazzo di Brera from 8 through 14 April, A Commitment of Architecture also details the Italian brand’s longtime ‘technical sponsorship’ of cultural exhibitions – everything from an architecture retrospective to a multimedia art show. During these collaborations, UniFor – a sister company of Molteni&C that designs and manufactures solutions for contemporary offices – works with the exhibition designer to find an optimal means of presenting the adaptation of an existing product or unveiling something entirely new. UniFor ensures that the proper technology and materials are used. These intellectually ingenious…

NEW YORK CITY – ‘It’s the definition of a pop-up,’ said Jeff Kindleysides. The jury member was talking about Hufft’s design of Baldwin’s Prairie in the City, which was first launched in New York City. ‘It travels in its own packaging. While some pop-ups might take days to build up, this one probably requires only a few hours.’ The jury agreed that while the design is ‘sound’, they were more attracted to the concept. ‘They’re not my kind of aesthetics,’ said Anny Wang, Wang & Söderström cofounder, ‘but the materials and motifs really fit with Baldwin’s origins.’ Tim Rupp of Nike praised the ‘holistic and honest brand story’, pointing out the topographic connection between the store’s Prairie Tables and the rolling hills of Kansas, where Baldwin was established. He was…

SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND – ‘Can’t we fight that?’ pleaded Sevil Peach. ‘Offices are not factories! Are we not trying to break that by bringing in some warmth and humanity to our workspaces?’ ‘That’ in this case was desk density. Owing to today’s start-up-like speeds of growth and troublingly escalating real-estate prices, many companies and designers – including even some of the category’s nominees – are forced to choose desk graveyards as the only way to make every square metre count. Not Alexander Fehre. Neue Arbeitswelt 205 is an old Bosch AS factory converted into an office space for engineers working with car parts – the AS in the name stands for Automotive Steering. Inspired by the roads on which the products are used, Fehre devised a curved pathway that reduces the…

AMSTERDAM – Although Amsterdam’s bicycle lanes transport around 58 percent of its citizens to work and school each day, nearly 200,000 citizens commute via the underground. For many, the 16 original brutalist stations of the city’s Oostlijn – the metro line that runs from Centraal Station to the city’s southeast neighbourhoods – had become a sore point. The design and infrastructure of the line was completed in 1978, and after 30-plus years of use, safety and hygiene were becoming increasingly problematic. Until, that is, the municipality brought in Rotterdam-based practice Group A. Instead of completely overhauling the interiors, Group A chose to enhance the existing identity of the stations. Daylight now floods the entrances to welcome morning commuters, while loose elements – ticket machines and information panels, for example –…

VINKEVEEN – Located in a protected nature area of the Netherlands, Holiday Home by i29 and Chris Collaris has the smallest of footprints for a three-bedroom house: just 55 m2. Part of a particularly strong category, the residence was praised by the jury for its feeling of spaciousness, achieved in part by arranging four boxy volumes around a patio. As well as producing an open, expansive atmosphere, the design emphasizes closeness to the surrounding nature and provides privacy for individual family members. All four boxes can be opened or closed, giving great flexibility in use, and simple materials used imaginatively add to the general playfulness of the home. Arianna Lelli Mami of Studiopepe pointed out the project’s ‘very joyful approach to living’ and identified links to ‘the radical architecture of…

CRAIGELLACHIE – The jury was impressed by Atelier Brückner’s considered treatment of a complex project: The Macallan Visitor Experience. Into a new Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners-designed distillery at the foot of the Scottish Highlands, Atelier Brückner inserted an exhibition to convey the story behind the brand’s single-malt whisky. Dealing with two significant challenges – sophisticated content and an environment bathed in sunlight – the designers went in search of an immersive brand experience. ‘This wouldn’t have been easy to put together,’ said Paolo Brambilla of Calvi Brambilla, ‘but the result is very well executed.’ Sakchin Bessette of Moment Factory agreed that ‘everything is thought through. There’s a real sense of craft and detail – and a simplicity of experience.’ He also pointed out the clever approach to sensory engagement…

VICENZA – The favourites for the most effective, adequate and inspiring use of light ranged from an over-the-top launch event of a prohibitively expensive car to a low-budget transformation of an underground parking garage, and from a Korean restaurant to a pop-up gallery. Light is one of the basic tools every designer uses to create atmosphere, fireworks and intimacy. So the jury cast a critical eye on the nominated entries and credited candidates who had thought outside the box and used light in less than obvious ways to bring spaces to life. ‘Only’ spectacular or poetic did not cut it. ‘Amazing use of technology,’ cried the jury upon seeing Sila Sveta’s Byd Tang Show. During the assessment of Clavel Arquitetos’s First Sunset in the Pacific, a parking garage in Madrid,…

KACHUMBALA – Capturing the jury’s attention were HKS’s longstanding relationship with Uganda and its continuous involvement with the community whose needs are served by the Kachumbala Maternity Ward. Judges admired the office’s straightforward ‘no bullshit’ approach to the task at hand, and the ensuing simple yet on-point design solutions. Designer and curator Matylda Krzykowski put it succinctly: ‘The project raised a question and answered it in one building.’ ‘I like the humility of it,’ said Hester van Dijk of Overtreders W. ‘It’s about getting to a place and really seeing what you can do for the community.’ Krzykowski agreed: ‘Some of these projects almost become franchises that can then be released all over the place. This one really speaks to local, specific needs.’ During their presentation, the architects light-heartedly mentioned…

AS LIVE SHOWS EXPLODE in popularity, so does the demand for performances to be arresting, unforgettable, and – most critically – available to an audience of immense size. Historically, that level of ‘availability’ has been dictated by the class of ticket you bought and, consequently, where you sat; but new advances in stage design, powered by technology, are reducing that hierarchy of experience and delivering shows that can resonate with audience members in the cheap seats as strongly as those in the front row. Take the Aubrey and the Three Migos tour, a globe-spanning arena tour headlined by hip-hop superstar Drake that took over 43 North American stages last year and is making its way across Europe under a different name this spring. Instead of focusing on the fans near…

The days of sitting in the same chair for 8+ hours are numbered. Grafeiophobia is a project based on Geoffrey Pascal’s fear of the desk. His office furniture literally recreates the relaxed postures we assume while working in bed. Each of the three pieces adheres to NASA’s neutral body posture – or ideal resting position – while still encouraging movement. geoffreypascal.com Founded in 2017, Skonne is the source of highly customizable, contemporary products. Its first Infinite collection is a line of printed carpets. Using the Carpet Creator web app, clients can adjust colour, shape and pattern to their liking. The result? A technicolour, one-of-a-kind, cut-pile tufted carpet. skonne.com From illuminated stages and basketball courts to Frame Lab, ASB GlassFloor’s LumiFlex technology turns floor tiles into customizable television screens. The company…

Born in Beijing and raised in Phoenix, AMY X. WANG is a writer and journalist currently living in New York City. As a staff reporter at Rolling Stone, she covers everything from the record industry to the digital revolution’s impact on the music business and the monetization of creativity. Her writing has appeared in Quartz, The Atlantic, Slate and The Economist. Wang has a BA in English from Yale University. On page 158, she explains how the design of Drake’s latest tour makes the live music experience more democratic. After graduating with honours in English from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, VICTOR DLAMINI began his career as a reporter at the Sunday Tribune in KwaZulu-Natal. Inspired by written language throughout his life, the Johannesburg-based jack of all trades now works…

You’re particularly interested in the inter-section of physical and digital shows… YUXI LIU: Physical shows are becoming more physical, while digital shows are forging new frontiers of experience in art, music and entertainment. As both sides of the equation develop, we may see the spectrum of shows start to broaden and fractionalize. We’re attracted to the point at which physical and digital converge. Within that liminal space lies the potential for an event that is generative, reactive and completely exclusive. Can you tell us about your concept, The Other Actor? JING YU: In a world of human-machine cohabitation, we envision a future show in which AI senses, learns, generates and – together with living collaborators – expresses latent dreams through words, materials and movements. The Other Actor’s content transforms in…

LONDON – Selecting the single-brand store of the year prompted a fierce and thought-provoking debate. After much deliberation, the jury saw the metaphor in its mooting: shouldn’t stores create controversy and provocative experiences? Isn’t this what retail itself ought to do? Experience is certainly at the centre of Gentle Monster London, a multisensory world in which robotic aliens practise kung fu and a sculpture springs into song. ‘Disruptive and inspirational’ was the description provided by jury member Tim Rupp, design director of retail environments for Nike. That said, the group found it hard to distinguish between Gentle Monster the brand and Gentle Monster London. ‘Part of the appeal of their stores is that they’re all different,’ said Berit Burema, Ace & Tate retail design manager. ‘They become destinations in their…

YANGZHOU – Conceptually powerful and aesthetically beautiful: that’s how the jury saw Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat, for which Neri&Hu enclosed 20 boutique guest rooms within the brick walls of several established buildings. In addition to repurposing the existing structures, the team integrated new elements to ensure the hotel contained all desired amenities, including reception, library and restaurant. The jury was impressed by the project’s counteraction to current trends. Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat is not a high-tech, fast-paced environment but a luxurious encounter with relaxation and comfort. ‘Life is stressful in China,’ said Peter Ippolito of Ippolito Fleitz Group. ‘Between working, commuting, sustaining a family … there’s constant pressure. This explains the need for such spaces, where there is nothing. It’s a peaceful contrast. It empties your mind.’ Most of all, the judges…

MADRID – ‘When you can work with a low budget and the existing conditions, and make it work… that makes people think,’ reasoned Andy Heath, WeWork’s head of design for Europe, Israel and Australia, during jury discussions for Co-Working Space of the Year. At Impact Hub Piamonte, the low budget was a straightforward matter, but a narrow, deep and impersonal administrative building represented the existing conditions. The architect in charge, Josemaría de Churtichaga, viewed the limitations as dogmatic challenges: the project became an exaltation of local materials and high-quality execution, allowing many items to be recycled and given a new life within the walls of the space – walls that feature gresite tiles made from recycled bottles at a factory in Santander. Leftover plastic hoses from Barcelona are woven into…

HELSINKI – Lasipalatsi Square in Helsinki is home to Amos Rex, previously known as the Amos Anderson Art Museum. The latter half of the institution’s updated name comes from Bio Rex, a cinema that was established in the 1930s and is now restored in a neighbouring functionalist-era glass building. Visitors first encounter the museum’s conceptual ‘roofscape’: large white domes that erupt from the square. ‘You’re presented with sculpture before you go inside,’ said jury member Alex de Rijke of dRMM. ‘It’s abstract – but it’s warranted by human scale and user concerns.’ When beginning the project, JKMM founding partner Asmo Jaaksi realized that to accommodate the goals of the new art museum within its compact site, the galleries would have to go underground. ‘We wanted the exhibition environment to be…

TOKYO – ‘An exciting solution’, is how jury member Paola Navone characterized House of Wind and Light. For his domestic take on wabi-sabi, Shogo Onodera imagined how the life of the home’s residents might evolve in the future, resulting in an intrinsically flexible design. He swept away all partitions in the 40-year-old, 70-m2 apartment, in his own words ‘mixing old and new to emphasize innovation’. The once three-bedroom flat became a large, open-plan space, allowing wind and light to pass through it unhindered. The jury panel particularly praised the way that Onodera, formerly of SANAA, carved out a new identity for the apartment without erasing its past. ‘Very few architects have the ability to make really sensitive use of the existing aspects of a building like this,’ said Dominique Taffin,…

ALMERE – ‘It’s an anarchist project – that’s what’s so good about it.’ That’s how Dominique Taffin of Yanfeng Automotive Interiors explained the jury’s choice of what some might regard as a surprising winner of a design award. The simple 100-x-12-m slab that houses nine families in a field in Oosterwold – a developing residential area in the Dutch province of Flevoland – is an extremely low-budget project based on inexpensive prefab elements. To save money, even the glass lacks wooden frames. Beyond sketching out the basics, the architects took a back seat: each family designed its own interior and decided where to place exterior doors and windows. ‘The building is a canvas,’ said Taffin, whose jury mates Libby Sellers and Arianna Lelli Mami respectively called the project ‘disruptive’ and…

PARIS – Before selecting the Set Design of the Year, jury members decided that too many projects use technology for technology’s sake. What were they looking for instead? Simplicity and poetry. Their attention eventually landed on 35-year-old Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman and the deluge of green balls that forms part of Play, a performance by the Paris Opera Ballet at Palais Garnier. ‘The balls are used in such an interesting way,’ said Moment Factory’s Sakchin Bessette. ‘The set is clever and surprising.’ Yutaka Hasegawa, vice president of design at Sony Creative Center, agreed: ‘The balls were the most unique part of the project.’ Commending Ekman on his use of ‘movement and transformation’ while ‘merging stage and show’, Bessette reflected on his own digitally oriented portfolio with Moment Factory. ‘We’re constantly…

MILAN – During the judging of what may well be the most innovative category in the entire Awards series, it was a challenge to balance appreciation for the technological ingenuity that is possible today with appreciation for technological ingenuity that actually adds something. Although the jury was impressed by the technological spectacle at Sila Sveta’s introduction of the Lamborghini Urus in Moscow, it believed that the project would have been even more exciting and meaningful had there been more storytelling behind the design choices. Lego House, by Kiss the Frog and the Lego House experience-design team, was received with applause, partly thanks to the invisibility of the technology used. It is the Lego brick that is in the spotlight here, which is as it should be, agreed Masquespacio’s Ana Milena…

NEW YORK CITY – Unfortunately, it’s still common in the event and trade-fair industries to discard materials used to build temporary structures. With this in mind, the jury singled out Zero Waste Bistro, a restaurant and event space by Finnish designer Linda Bergroth for NYCxDesign. Although jury members questioned some of her design choices – for instance, she furnished the space with Artek products rather than employing the structure’s ReWall panels – they were convinced by Bergroth’s exploration of the circular economy, a much-needed blueprint for the future of temporary structures. ‘All aspects of this project are connected to the idea of the circular economy,’ said Humberto Campana, cofounder of Campana and Instituto Campana, while also praising the bistro’s ‘poetic aesthetic’. The final verdict, delivered by Overtreders W cofounder Hester…

THE CONCERT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. The crowd gathers as the lights dim. Everyone is dressed in elaborate costumes. A panda shifts from foot to foot as a fish in a spacesuit break-dances with a sushi chef. Many wear white and carry speakers on sticks, while others spin giant pickaxes around their heads. As the music starts to play, millions of onlookers jump. Gravity changes in time with the beat, allowing people to project into the air, float and fly around the stage. Showers of particles fall from the sky like meteorites, and giant yellow beachballs rain down on the spectators, who swing wildly at the bright orbs, sending them spiralling up into the clouds. As the set finishes, the ground disappears, taking the stage with it, and everyone skydives…

NorthernLight’s Let’s Get Physical is an intelligent, multisensory space that explores how digital technology can stimulate human interaction and attraction in shared areas. Technology presents challenges for our social relationships, but it can also be harnessed to make them stronger than ever. The Amsterdam agency sees a future in which spaces are alive – both reactive and empathetic to people and their needs. northernlight.nl German company Sedus aims to foster a positive workplace through modular ergonomic furniture. Its solution-based design values address comfort, productivity and sociability in the office. Examples on display at Frame Lab included a collection of office chairs and se:cube, a room-in-a-room module that offers premium acoustics and privacy. sedus.com Andreu World’s Eat Well Seated is a global restaurant guide that marries the idea of gastronomy and…

You began by questioning what it is that people love about shows and exhibitions… BEN BERWICK: We often attend fashion shows and design weeks without intending to purchase anything. Such events are about being in the loop, feeling inspired and having a fantastic experience. Can’t we re-create these qualities digitally to reach a much larger audience, a group that either doesn’t have the privilege to be invited to an event or the means to travel to one? What makes a designer or creator exhibit their works? Recognition? Awareness? Sales? Could an online platform offer such benefits? Your answer to these questions is Instabition. Can you tell us more? Instabition – a portmanteau of ‘instant’ and ‘exhibition’ – is a bit like Fyre. It didn’t matter about the physical event; the Fyre…

What was your initial response to the brief? JADE CHAN: The word ‘show’ calls to mind images of a theatre, a catwalk, a furniture fair – charismatic worlds of cultural innovation and progress. Yet these types of shows are often accessible to only a select group of individuals. CHRISTIAN HAMMER JUHL: We envision a future in which shows are a fluid and integrated element of daily urban life – any citizen can become a performer or a member of the audience. Through a series of small height-adjustable ‘podiums’, a public square transforms into a stage, market stands, seats for a debate or chess tables. Common Ground is easy, free and accessible. It’s a democratic tool that gives locals the ability to adapt public space to their needs. We also want…

LYNGE – ‘United Cycling firmly puts the product at the centre, creating a sense of drama, wonderment and three-dimensional completeness.’ These words formed part of the jury report for the winning multi-brand store of the year, the first flagship for the retailer of high-end bicycle brands in Northern Europe. Searching for unpredictability – and something you can’t encounter online – the group found its pot of gold in Johannes Torpe Studio’s‘dynamic and flexible’ environment. ‘I’m drawn to things that effect a sense of change,’ said jury member Jeff Kindleysides, founder of Checkland Kindleysides. Tim Rupp of Nike, who envisioned the concept working equally well for a single-brand store, saw huge potential in the lighting scheme. ‘You could illuminate certain quadrants to highlight fewer products. Or if, say, a new red…

MILAN – Club Unseen became a temporary haven from the hectic mainstream of Salone del Mobile 2018. Designed by local agency Studiopepe for the annual fair, the secret members’ club was housed in a former warehouse and comprised three living rooms, a bar, a dining room and a beauty parlour. Studiopepe put the warmth and comfort of the human experience at the project’s centre – qualities greatly appreciated by the jury. ‘Temporary pop-ups are an interesting typology that has become increasingly relevant in reflecting the ethos of modern society,’ said jury member Werner Aisslinger, founder of Studio Aisslinger. ‘Being part of the Milan fair, Club Unseen had a specific influence on the city during that short period and responded to the changing needs of the modern consumer. Nonpermanent spaces represent…

WUHAN – One Plus Partnership thought inside the box with its design for Panlong Plaza Yinxing Cinema in Wuhan, China. The premise is simple: imagine the space as a volume and subtract blocks to shape the interior. Simplicity turned to strength, or so the jury commented in its final report, which commended One Plus Partnership for ‘redefining the industry’ through innovative conceptual designs capable of immersing moviegoers. El Equipo Creativo cofounder Natali Canas del Pozo was particularly interested in the use – or rather, the absence – of colour. Overall, the jury admired the grey-on-grey palette’s ability to leave a lasting impression. Patricia Holler, senior interior design director for Marriott International, pointed out the cinema’s theatrical qualities: ‘This project is memorable. The materials and concealed LED lighting create so much…

ASUNCIÓN – ‘Work needs to be redefined,’ mused Sevil Peach as she and her fellow jury members picked the winning Small Office of the Year. They were well aware that the small office is a key battlefield when it comes to reshaping our collective perception of where a working day should take place. As a Goldilocks zone, halfway between the transitory nature of a co-working space and the sense of self-knowledge that comes with successfully growing into a large facility, this is one of the most experimental breeding grounds for renewed office typologies. How could they use their choice to send a message to the industry as a whole about what’s really necessary in the workspace of the near future? To convey that message, the jury chose a project that…

SYDNEY – The jury particularly appreciated Cleveland Rooftop’s sense of place. The apartment’s strong connection with its context bucks the trend, noted by Libby Sellers, of ‘lots of residential projects becoming like hotels, while ironically hotels become more like homes’. According to SJB’s Adam Haddow, the project originated from the desire to create a unique and localized space ‘without relying on the usual Sydney iconography – the harbour and the Opera House – and instead using the landscape and climate, which are very special’. The apartment is a new rooftop addition to an older, industrial structure. As Sydney’s climate allows for year-round outdoor living, the home brings the outdoors inside through garden spaces and skylights, which also help to provide a sense of time passing. Studiopepe cofounder and creative director…

MILAN – ‘Fun’: Paolo Brambilla’s description of The Diner by Rockwell Group is not one typically associated with trade-fair stands. But that’s what the cofounder of Calvi Brambilla and his fellow jury members were looking for: deviations from the norm. The Diner – a collaboration with Cosentino, whose products formed dining and serving surfaces – ‘pushes the industry forward because visitors are actually using the space and the products within it’, said Sakchin Bessette, Moment Factory cofounder and executive creative director. ‘The project is about social connection and activation – about coming together to create an experience far removed from simply walking around a trade-fair stand, shaking hands with company reps.’ True to its name, The Diner re-created the archetypal US eatery within an abandoned railway arch beneath Milan’s Central…

MADRID – Determining which design studio has best used the power of colour in its interiors is tricky. By which criterion? The atmosphere? Narrative character? The significance of the selected colour palette to the space? Can something else, like a print or a material, create the same effect as the colour? Are the colours surprising, bold, distracting, or perhaps unnecessarily exciting in relation to the function of the space? (Nominees in this particular category ranged from spa to restaurant, shop, educational centre and office space.) Colourful interiors abound this year. Colour incarnate herself, jury member and Studio Wood founder Bethan Laura Wood was primarily interested in the relevance and originality of colour usage: why pink, purple, blue, yellow, jet black (!) or many shades of green here, of all places?…

MOSCOW – When Atelier Archi@Mosphere’s designers presented Station Neo, a shared office for tech start-ups in South Korea, they wowed the jury with their commitment to the extravagant use of a single material – polycarbonate panels – to create seemingly floating, overlapping boxes. But the jury wondered how this concept would behave in a dusty environment. How is the use of the space integrated? ‘The key element in this project is the construction method, rather than the material,’ said Masquespacio’s Ana Milena Hernández Palacios. Note Design Studio’s sophisticated use of flooring materials for Tarkett’s trade-fair stand was acknowledged, but remained within the limits of predictability. Beautiful but conservative, agreed the jury. Curiosity’s impressive all-marble store design felt misplaced in this category. ‘Marble is an expertise,’ said Benoit Steenackers of Hermès.…

BANGKOK – Frederik Pohl’s famous quote opened the jury’s discussion on innovation-category nominees: ‘A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam.’ Designer and curator Matylda Krzykowski expanded on his statement: ‘When I see designers fiddling around with our futures, they don’t yet see the consequences – that’s a lack of imagination.’ It makes sense, then, that the jury selected a project that proposes a solution for the staggering pace of the daily grind in the burgeoning metropolis of Bangkok. Even though reappropriating unused space in train stations is nothing new – Seats-2-Meet in Utrecht (2007) is but one example – architect Didier Faustino commended co-working environment Werk for presenting ‘residual space as an opportunity for people to recapture their time’. In…

IMAGINE A GIG where the venue walls melt away to reveal a sci-fi universe of rushing stars – or your favourite artist splits into a cloud of pulsating pixels or grows skyscraper-tall. LA-based digital studio TheWaveVR is shifting the paradigms of musical performance, proving that anything imaginable can be built. Far more than a concert playback in VR, the studio’s platform enables musicians to design entire audio-visual worlds that VR headset-wearing fans can explore in their own homes. Like any real space, these worlds include going to the bar and socializing with like-minded gig-goers, but untethered to the laws of physics. ‘You can empower visual creators to develop a new type of experience that conveys a certain emotion based on the spatial,’ says Adam Arrigo, CEO and cofounder of TheWaveVR.…

In response to London’s housing crisis, Paula Strunden designed Micro-Utopia, a location-based VR experience that challenges perceptions of domesticity. Strunden’s virtual world allows viewers to delve into the metaphorical dimensions of familiar objects within the home and to better understand their own sensory responses. In VR, the imaginary potential of ‘home’ is boundless – a world away from the square meterage of most city dwellings. strunden.com Experience design studio Amigdala wants to provoke thought about personal identity in digital space and about how we represent the continuity between the physical and the digital. What is the relationship between algorithm and spatiality? The studio’s interactive installation prompts users to ask themselves such questions by choosing an avatar and observing their recorded movements in a digitally designed world. amigdala.ch Interstuhl’s Active Sitting…