Steel structure provides storage and seating at Apartment in the 6th by CUT Architectures

French studio CUT Architectures have used a steel grid structure to create shelving, seating areas, a kitchen and a climbing frame for this apartment renovation in Paris’ 6th arrondissement (+ slideshow).

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

CUT Architectures remodelled the interior of the second-floor apartment for the client, his wife and two children, who requested a completely different feel from the existing apartment.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

“Retrieving the apartment he grew up in, our client commissioned us to reshape the flat so he would feel like being in a totally different place,” said the architects.



The apartment is located in a 19th century building with a U-shaped floor plan that wraps around a courtyard.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

CUT Architectures decided to remove the old partition walls, strip the wallpaper and repaint the walls white to create the feeling of more space. The original timber parquet floors were sanded and the existing doors, windows and fireplaces were retained.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

The architects designed a simple steel grid structure that could be adapted and used throughout the apartment to create continuity. Two large versions were installed in the living room and kitchen, along the wall where the servants corridor once was.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

In the living room, wooden shelves and cabinets were inserted to create areas that can be used as bookcases, seating or simply a climbing frame by the children.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

“In the kitchen, [the grid] integrates shelving, cupboards and a worktop with a sink and a hob,” Yann Martin told Dezeen. “One part of the structure is on wheels to become a mobile worktop so the whole family can cook together.”

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

The south wing of the apartment has been dedicated to the children, with a playroom and two bedrooms.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

A bathroom and a toilet are located off this space, with doors hidden in a wooden partition wall. In the middle of the wall is a two-way mirror that brings light into the bathroom and allows views out into the playroom area. The grid structure is used in the bathroom as the base for two sinks with shelving underneath, opposite is a fireplace with a mirror above.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

“In order to give natural light to the bathroom and yet to preserve intimacy within it we designed a partition wall with integrated doors and a huge two-way mirror,” said Martin. “The semi-reflecting transparency gives privacy to the bathroom users and offers a game of infinite reflections when between the mirror in the bathroom and the windows in the playground area.”

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

The clients are in the process of transforming the adjacent studio into a private suite, which will occupy the north wing.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures

CUT Architectures was set up by Benjamin Clarens and Yann Martin in 2005. Other projects in Paris by CUT Architectures include an apartment with perforated folding screens, and a house extension with a glass-fronted music room.

Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures
Floor plan – click for larger image
Apartment in the 6th Paris by CUT Architectures
Section – click for larger image

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Iceland Photography by David Martin Castan

Le photographe espagnol David Martin Castan est allé en Islande capturer toute la beauté de cette île unique, proposant ainsi avec ses clichés de paysages époustouflantes. Des clichés aux couleurs impressionnantes à découvrir dans la suite, révélant toute la beauté de la terre de glace et de feu.

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Hitzig Militello Arquitectos combines two homes in one building in Buenos Aires

Two clients joined forces to commission one building with two separate homes by Buenos Aires studio Hitzig Militello Arquitectos, which has been coloured grey to contrast with its neighbours (+ slideshow).

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

The two occupants of Two Houses Conde in Buenos Aires were both looking for homes around the same size, so Hitzig Militello Arquitectos encouraged them to buy a plot of land together.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

“They were both young, entrepreneurial guys, and I felt the land had potential to adjust to the size of two houses, so we encouraged them to buy a plot of land together,” architect Leonardo G. Militello told Dezeen.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

The building occupies the full width of the site to maximise space for both homes, and has been painted grey and covered in perforated metal shutters to contrast with the neighbouring buildings.



Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

“The houses have nothing to do with the neighbourhood style. The owners wanted something different, but mute,” said Militello.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Both homes are approximately the same size, with rooms arranged across three storeys. One is built at the front of the building, with two bedrooms and a playroom, and one is built at the back, with three bedrooms.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Stairs between the floors of the two homes have been arrange externally around a central courtyard, in order to free up space inside for other uses. One home has two flights of stairs, and the other has one.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

The external stairs are enclosed in grey corrugated metal and feature perforated metal stair treads.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Perforated metal has also been used for shutters on the exterior of the building, which permits light into the homes while maintaining privacy.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Both homes have staggered set-backs to create space for terraces that are not overlooked by the others.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Timber flooring and white walls have been used inside to create a contrast with the building’s dark exterior, while dark-grey metal balustrades offer a sense of continuity with the industrial character of the exterior.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Wood encases the cupboards on the kitchen walls, and extends out to form open shelves above the counter top.

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA

Photography is by Federico Kulekdjian.


Project details

Project documentation and construction: 
HM Arquitectos (Fernando Hitzig and Leonardo G. Militello)
Collaborators:
Rubén Ruiz, Virginia Bottan
Construction: Estudio hma
Structural advisor: Carlos Gandini

Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA
Exploded axonometric diagram – click for larger image
Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA
Plans – click for larger image
Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA
Section one – click for larger image
Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA
Section two – click for larger image
Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA
Section three – click for larger image
Two Houses Conde by Estudio HMA
Section four – click for larger image

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ListenUp: David Bowie's Warhol tribute, garage rock's new DREAMERS, Christian Tiger School's #PrivateJam and more in the music we tweeted this week

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Holly Cole Trio: Losing My Mind (Virgin Magnetic Material Feel The Wind Edit) Virgin Magnetic Material remixes—or perhaps more accurately “reinterprets”—works from classic artists such as Led Zeppelin and David Bowie into completely new experiences. But Tel Aviv-based Shai Vardi also has an…

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GrandArmy rebrands United States Postal Service with "Americana" graphics

Graphic design studio GrandArmy has overhauled the signage and packaging for the United States Postal Service in the “largest retail rebrand project in American history” (+ slideshow).

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

The United States Postal Service (USPS) wanted to revamp its 31,000 locations around the country. GrandArmy‘s aim was to simplify and modernise the in-store graphics used to present customer information to make the experience better for users.



“The USPS knew their retail locations needed help,” GrandArmy cofounder Eric Collins told Dezeen. “Things had been cluttered, disorganised and visually messy for years.”

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

“So their brief was a total re-thinking of the in-store experience through signage, language and way finding, and to create a unified system that would hold everything together,” he explained. “The goal was to make the experience easier, faster and simpler through design.”

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

The rebrand encompasses all materials used in the retail outlets, including tags, signage, kiosks, menu boards, welcome signs and window stickers.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

“The USPS has something like 31,000 locations,” said Collins. “I believe that makes it the largest retailer in the US, making this the largest retail rebrand project in American history, in terms of modified physical locations.”

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

None of the buildings could be physically altered, so the designers had to implement a “paper and paint” solution to transform the interiors.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

“We developed a very stripped down grid and typographic system,” Collins explained. “The whole project really boils down to three colour fields, three typefaces and a simple ratio that determines the size of elements between them.”

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

Signage and menu boards are unified into a standard format, using a patriotic colour palette. A red strip runs along the top, headers are written in navy blue on white and supplementary information is presented inversely.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

Thin lines break up sections of information to make them easier to read and dotted lines further separate text.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

Two typefaces were chosen for text, both designed by New York type foundry Hoefler & Co. Knockout is used in two weights for headers and Gotham medium forms secondary headers and body copy.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

“Aesthetically, Knockout hints toward the Americana angle,” Collins explained. “[Gotham medium] pairs well with Knockout and is very hard working at smaller sizes.”

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

The project also includes the design of a mobile app to act as an in-store guide, which uses the same graphic language.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

Promotional posters feature an American eagle and typographic art depicting the phrase “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night”, which is inscribed across the front of the James Farley Post Office in New York.

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

“The USPS has a rich history that interweaves with the history of this country going back to its inception,” said Collins. “We wanted to nod to that heritage.”

US postal service redesign by Grand Army

“We wanted to make people proud of the USPS,” he added. “Politically it often seems like a target, or that we are constantly hearing about what is wrong with the USPS. Rarely do we ever stop to think about what an amazing technical marvel the entire institution is.”

GrandArmy’s shipping boxes designs were later modified by an external team.

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with “Americana” graphics
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