Hasta La Ideas

L’artiste taïwanais Hsin-Chien Huang a réalisé cette jolie sculpture kinétique pour le MRT Public Art appelée « The Moment We Meet ». Cette installation propose par un système de panneaux de composer et représenter divers visages, permettant de mettre à l’honneur des personnes agées en multipliant les combinaisons possibles. Un projet installé dans le métro à Taiwan à découvrir en vidéo dans la suite.

A complex arrangement of overlapping wooden joists gives a twisted roof to this dental surgery in Osaka Prefecture by Japanese studio Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates (+ slideshow).

The surgery was designed by Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates for a vacant corner plot in a residential neighbourhood of Minoh City, to the north of central Osaka.

Local planning regulations dictated that the surgery’s size and proportions should match those of the previous building to occupy the site, which was determined by examining old microfilm plans.

To achieve this, the architects created a sweeping roof that culminates in a pointed corner, at a similar level to the gables of the surrounding properties.

Wood was specified by the client as the main building material for the project, so the architects worked with a specialist timber engineer to developed an intricate ceiling structure.

This is made up of criss-crossing beams that are angled differently to alter the pitch of the roof along its length, creating the twisted appearance.

“The curved contour was created from the silhouette of its surroundings,” said the team. “The trapezoidal form of the truss structure was anticipated to express [the building’s] whole figure.”

The upper storey cantilevers out over the car and bicycle parking area to optimise the internal floor area, while the underside of the cantilevered section and the adjoining wall are clad in wood to mark the route to the entrance.

A glazed wall with a curved edge reveals the surgery’s reception, which is lined with timber to resonate with the external surfaces. Tongue-and-groove jointed panels display the wood’s natural grain.

Large windows and skylights help to create bright, naturally lit spaces, intended to create a relaxed and comfortable environment.

“Many patients feel anxious when going to a medical facility,” said the team. “Therefore, this medical facility conquered to have a bright space where patients can relax and ease the feelings.”

Rather than separating the interior into a series of small boxy rooms, the architects focused on connecting the spaces through a continuous route and a large double-height atrium.

From the reception area, patients can see all the way to the ceiling and towards the mezzanine level housing the director’s office.

Wooden benches provide seating in the waiting area, while a corridor leads to the treatment rooms beyond, which each feature a rooflight so patients can look up at the sky during their surgery.

Project credits:

Architectural Design: Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates: Kohki Hiranuma, Takehiro Muramatsu, Shoko Gurtner Matsumoto
Structural Design: Holzstr: 
Masahiro Inayama, Seiji Iwata
Mechanical equipment: Minami Building Equipment Design, Hirokazu Minami
Electrical equipment: Kawazoe Environmental Design, Nario Kawazoe
Pleated Weave Curtain: Nuno
, Reiko Sudo, Yumi Yasui
Construction contractor: Nishimura Architectural Studio, Saburo Nishimura
Construction equipment: Kuribayashi Denki Shokai, Masahiko Kuribayashi
Electrical equipment: Higuchi Equipment, Toshiyuki Higuchi

The post Kohki Hiranuma’s Osaka dental surgery
features curvy corners and a twisted roof appeared first on Dezeen.

Interior design studio AfroditiKrassa has created a pentagonal pendant light with casing made from mirrored and tinted glass (+ slideshow).

Designed as part of AfroditiKrassa‘s first product range, the AKollection, the Pentagon Pendant light comprises five flat rectangular panels of beveled, tinted, mirrored glass around the light bulb casing.

The glass panels, available in a choice of three colours – bronze, rose and black – are made by a specialist glass workshop in the UK. Aluminium bulb casing, an LED bulb and cabling complete the lights.

“The AKollection uses processes and materials that are centuries old, traditional and craft-based,” studio founder Afroditi Krassa told Dezeen. “I looked across the UK to find artisanal glass factories that were up for being challenged.”

“I wanted to bring some digital know-how into the process and push the boundaries of what could be done,” she continued. “We found the only manufacturer in the UK using advanced technology to bevel very small parts of glass. Each flat rectangular piece is only 35 millimetre wide, which is actually quite a feat.”

The collection came about as a result of the difficulty in sourcing the right products and finishes for the studio’s restaurant, bar and hotel interior schemes, which include London establishments Dishoom, Sketch, and more recently Curzon Cinemas.

“When I design a new restaurant, hotel or bar at the studio, I have a very specific idea of what we want the end result to look like,” said Krassa. “A lot of the time, we simply cannot find what we want, so we painstakingly design our own.”

“I thought that it would be a great idea to take our products to the market and make them available to a wider audience,” she said.

The pendants are a modern take on art deco Tiffany style lights, which often featured bevel-edged glass. “We wanted the fitting to be restrained, classic and elegant,” said the designer. “Faceted, bevel-edge mirror was very popular during the art deco era and I absolutely love this material. It gives life to something flat and stiff, there is something very elegant about it too.”

The full collection, which also includes beveled, tinted, mirrored-glass wall panels and monochromatic handmade encaustic cement tiles, will make its debut as part of Super Brands London‘s first dedicated bar area – custom-designed by AfroditiKrassa to showcase the collection during London Design Festival.

The catwalk-inspired bar will include an installation of 35 Pentagon Pendants.

Super Brands London, part of the Tent London exhibition, takes place from 18 to 21 September at the Old Truman Brewery, Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR.

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is clad in beveled mirrors appeared first on Dezeen.