Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2021 i Frame

The multi-billion-euro question that has gripped the hospitality industry for months now is: Will we be able to travel like never before this summer? And even though most of the developed nations will have finished their vaccination programme by then, it seems unlikely. China, for example, will only allow foreign travellers to enter who have been vaccinated with a Chinese vaccine. Other countries are considering exclusive access for those with a vaccination passport. And then it turns out that even the vaccinated aren’t safe: research shows that half of the elderly can be infected with the coronavirus a second time. In short: forget going back to ‘normal’ this year. And that’s only from the perspective of Covid-19. A lot of people don’t actually even want to travel like they used…

GEORGE YABU: We actually met twice, the first time while studying Interior Design at Ryerson University in the 1970s. For me, I looked at design school and thought, this looks like incredible fun, and I knew I wouldn’t have to write a thesis. The greatest thing about the course was that it did away with any preconceptions you had about design and exposed you to so many media. I chose to concentrate on photography and filmmaking, which were all about light. That was my first experience with learning about its potency in an environment. GLENN PUSHELBERG: I think we both had a similar view on school. I wanted to escape my small town and was longing to move to a big city and do something creative. There’s a history of…

We don’t need to explain why the past year has been tough for the hotel industry. Not just tough, but by all accounts the worst year ever. Data from STR showed US hotels recorded their lowest occupancy rates in 2020 (44 per cent, compared with 66 per cent in 2019). And the US fared better than a number of other places, such the UK (40.5 per cent, a reduction of 47.7 per cent) and Europe (33.1 per cent, a drop of 54.2 per cent). Although 2021 holds the promise of more freedom of movement, research from McKinsey & Company suggests that hotels’ ‘recovery to pre-COVID-19 levels could take until 2023 – or later’ while global real estate advisor CBRE adds another year to that estimation. It’s too early to tell…

Breuil’s talk of spending quality time with friends and family at Nuage points to another shift in the market. After a period of forced self-reflection, many travellers are reconsidering their motives. ‘[They’re] not yearning to go to Times Square; what they’re yearning to do is see their friends and their family,’ said Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky in an interview at the Reuters Next conference in January. ‘Mass travel is going to be replaced by meaningful travel… and I think this is a semipermanent shift.’ Although Cheksy’s words can certainly be interpreted as a marketing spiel for a platform selling the experience of staying in other people’s private dwellings, the idea is materializing in hotels, too. Jordane Arrivetz of Notoire Agency designed the interior of Nuage as a home. She realizes…

To be local or global – is this choice possible? To what degree can globalized architecture belong to a local culture, landscape and architectural traditions? Designing for such a specific geographical context as the middle of the world (zero degrees latitude), in the middle of the Andes and reaching almost 3,000 m above sea level is a great challenge – even more so when that place was the first city declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1978). As time passes and the Ecuadorian territory is transformed, urban planners and architects must consider how their designs interpret the past, present and future of the city of Quito. They need to respond to the changes looming on the horizon with thoughtful and appropriate proposals to meet complex requirements. Time has left…

With only four years on the clock, South Korean design practice Artefact has built an impressive body of work that spans Seoul’s competitive retail and hospitality industries. Rooted in the city’s cultural underground scene, the studio designs minimalistic spaces rich in materiality and with a strong architectural character sensitive to its urban surroundings. How did you two meet and why did you decide to start your own studio? HYUNGJIN KIM: I initially wanted to study fine art, but my family was quite conservative and, as was common in those days, I followed my parents’ advice. But after studying psychology and biology at university, I entered Korea’s underground scene, was soaked in techno music and started to run a record label while working in a small bar and doing mostly graphic…

From the increasing use of voice-enabled technologies across industries to the rapid rise of audio-only social media app Clubhouse: we’re experiencing a ‘sonic turn’ as we move from a largely visually and touch-driven society to one mediated by sounds. It’s a shift that New York-based company Listen, founded in 2012 by Brett Volker and Steve Milton, smartly taps into by delivering sensory-driven experiences and powerful sonic identities that help brands and artists – from Childish Gambino to Sephora and Ace Hotels – quite literally set their tone. How did your professional backgrounds lead you to founding Listen? BRETT VOLKER: We have a shared background in the music industry. I started my career working for record labels about the same time that I realized the internet was going to change everything…

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in 160 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a figure that’s expected to rise. ‘Based on epidemiological studies conducted over the past 50 years,’ writes the WHO, ‘the prevalence of ASD appears to be increasing globally. There are many possible explanations for this apparent increase, including improved awareness, expansion of diagnostic criteria, better diagnostic tools and improved reporting.’ That said, the why is irrelevant. What’s important is that designers factor neurodiversity into their buildings to make them more inclusive. Judging by a series of recent projects, the healthcare industry seems to be a good place to start. Take, for example, a new joint facility from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Designed by Perkins+Will in collaboration with McMillan Pazdan Smith…

MAISON MARGIELA BRUTON STREET, LONDON Maison Margiela’s AW 2018 collection Artisanal focused on what current creative director John Galliano called the ‘raw, undiluted essence’ of the fashion house. That show – with a gypsum-cast set designed by Dutch architect Anne Holtrop – set the precedent for the brand’s newest store concept, unveiled with the Bruton Street post in London. anneholtrop.nl maisonmargiela.com DOLCE & GABBANA CHEONGDAM-DONG, SEOUL Designing both the architecture and the interiors gave Jean Nouvel complete control over the visitor journey at Dolce & Gabbana’s boutique at Cheongdam-dong in Seoul’s Gangnam District. The interior revolves around a large spiral marble ramp. Highlighting the upwards-oriented journey, the store’s main and modular display system runs the entirety of the ramp. The experience culminates on the roof terrace, where shoppers can lounge…

CMF DESIGN The Fundamental Principles of Colour, Material and Finish Design In this first book about the young discipline of CMF Design, author Liliana Becerra consolidates its key principles, so that they can be consulted, referenced and utilised by both design students and professionals. €33 ARCHITECTURE IS A SOCIAL ACT Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects Good architecture needs to meet head-on the forces that are shaping today’s world. Featuring 28 projects drawn from across LOHA’s nearly 30-year history, this book underscores this urgent idea and points the way ahead for both people and architecture. €39 WHERE WE WORK Design Lessons from the Modern Office The office isn’t dead. But just in what form will it live? As we think about the future of the office in a post-pandemic world, this book…

Hotels and locals: the two have been trying to link arms for a while now. Our Sep/Oct 2017 Frame Lab was dedicated to the topic, looking at how hospitality spaces were striving to be local in every sense of the word, from the food they offer to the plates on which it’s served. Back then, going local was about sustainability – using what’s around you – and trying to create a so-called ‘authentic’ experience for guests. A shift away from the cloned spaces of chains across the globe towards providing visitors with a sense of place instead. Post-pandemic, hotels are facing a different challenge. How can they treat tourists to a genuine experience when there are barely any walking through their doors? According to the latest research from global real…

VIBIA GHOST Made of handblown triplex opal glass, Arik Levy’s Ghost line for Vibia is a set that brings a sense of grandness to entryways and living areas. The Ghost table lamp combines two stacked curved forms cinched by a black band, which functions as a handtouch dimmer – its light can also be programmed to emanate a white, burgundy or amber hue. Hung from barely visible cables, the large pendant has a sculptural presence. vibia.com DESALTO FOURMORE The moniker of Gordon Guillaumer’s Desalto dining table Fourmore comes from the ability to host ‘four more’ guests with its extension. Its lacquered steel frame holds up a tabletop in light or dark oak veneered wood that is joined with a seamless sliding system on aluminium tracks. Guillaumer’s design comes in two…

Looking at Hanoi’s aspirations for the future is like examining the mistakes of its counterparts in the present. Rather than forge a new cityscape and avoid the mishaps of Bangkok and Manila, Hanoi seems set to emulate these traffic-clogged, glass-obsessed and heat-choked dystopias. But some local architects reject a future dominated by concrete and glass. Keen to design more energy-efficient buildings and craft a native urban aesthetic, they are revisiting a method that was popular half a century ago: mashrabiya façades. Modern mashrabiya façades, named after the perforated exterior walls used in the Islamic world, shelter buildings from the sun and rain while inviting in the breeze and natural light. These façades are especially effective when combined with a generous buffer zone between them and the building proper. Hanoi experiences…

In 2013 Mark de Lange launched Ace & Tate, a direct-to-consumer brand born from the founder’s own frustrations with the laborious process of buying eyewear. After starting as a web model, the company opened its first physical space in Amsterdam’s Van Woustraat in 2015 and has quickly amassed a portfolio of 70 stores across ten countries. Ace & Tate still intends to grow, but the pandemic’s pause button has given the team space to put a strategy in place for how – to focus on core markets first and to give due attention to projects long in the pipeline, such as a master plan for responsible retail. Creative director Ruud de Bruin and retail expansion director Doortje van der Lee discuss the strategy behind Ace & Tate’s physical spaces –…

‘Wash your hands for twenty seconds.’ It’s probably the most recited phrase in the past twelve months. An array of handwashing guidelines and graphics has made its way into the mainstream of public and private space, advising simple hygiene measures as the most effective way to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus – and many other diseases transmitted by touch. But although the general population is washing its hands more often – studies from the World Health Organization suggest a 110.8 per cent increase in regular handwashing from pre-pandemic statistics – there is a corresponding desire to touch things less; particularly bathroom fixtures, such as taps or flush handles, which are often shared with other users. Responding to this heightened concern, bathroom designers and manufacturer Roca has introduced its…

Until recently, many hotels and accommodations were aiming to be as social as possible. The focus was on communal spaces that bring people together – their square metreage often siphoned from private sleeping quarters. ‘Covid changed that,’ says Youri Sawerschel, founder of brand strategy and design agency Creative Supply, whose work includes helping hotels navigate changes in technology, consumer behaviours and regulations. Safety measures may have initially dictated the change, but Sawerschel believes it was also brewing beforehand, with people increasingly searching for a retreat from their busy lives. The appeal has no doubt surged for those sharing small apartments during seemingly endless lockdowns. But ‘retreats’ have often been remote places beyond city limits. What about travellers who want to visit busy metropolises but still have some semblance of a…

22 per cent was the rate by which Solar PV generation increased in 2019, a year of record growth, as the International Energy Agency reports. 2020 is also projected to have shown stable growth in spite of slowed distributed deployment resulting from the pandemic 1883 was the year Charles Fritts developed the first working solar cell by coating selenium on a thin layer of gold. Van Aubel’s light comprises solar cells created with ECN. TNO, one of Europe’s most advanced energy research centres 80 cm in length, Sunne can be installed in windows with two steel wires – no external plug is needed 3 of the sun’s natural moments – its rising, lighting and setting – are imitable through Sunne’s settings 100 fixtures will be manufactured in the first series.…