On September 16, 2016, a new brand ice cream shop opened up at 119 Baxter Street in Manhattan. Called Taiyaki NYC(instagram), the shop distinguishes itself from others with a unique taiyaki-inspired fish-shaped cone that conveniently holds the cold treat securely in its wide mouth. While taiyaki is made with pancake batter, the cones are made with a sturdier recipe that can hold up to melting soft-serveNow Japan’s traditional taiyaki treat has journeyed across the Pacific and popped up in a new store in the heart of New York’s Chinatown and Little Italy, with a brand new look that’s stunning sweet lovers around the globe. The modified dessert is made from a different batter to give the waffles a crispier texture and the fish now has a larger mouth to hold a creamy soft serve ice cream…(Read…)
Les villes dans lesquelles nous vivons regorgent de structures géométriques pleine d’esthétisme lorsque la lumière du jour évolue au fil de la journée et vient dessiner de nouvelles formes grâce à ses jeux d’ombres. À travers cette nouvelle série qu’il a baptisé « Abstract City », le photographe berlinois Julian Schulze, que nous avons présenté à plusieurs reprises ici, dévoile la beauté graphique qui se cache dans nos villes, de Paris à Berlin.
Parts of the mountain landscape extend into this house in southeast China, which was planned by designer Xu Fu-Min to offer its residents a peaceful retreat from city life (+ slideshow).
The client grew up in the countryside, but had spent many years living in the city and grown tired of it.
He asked the FMX Interior Design founder for a residence that would allow him to appreciate nature again.
“He had been wishing to own a paradise-like house in a valley far away from the city, where he and his families could enjoy a quiet and leisurely life,” explained Xu.
The designer’s response, called Returning Hut, is a two-storey property that not only makes use of natural materials, but also allows the natural terrain to extend inside.
The main example of this is in the first-floor master bedroom, where a large rock extends up from the ground to frame a generous bathing area.
Similarly, the walls of the building are made from stone that has been shaped into brick-like blocks. These are left exposed throughout the interior, echoing the texture of the huge rocks the surround the property.
Flooring follows a similar format, with cool slate tiles on the lower floor and warm solid wood floorboards upstairs.
“Built at the foot of the mountain and beside the forest, the hut hides in the valleys, and retains and uses the natural rocks and trees to the greatest degree,” said Xu.
“The design style of the interior space is simple, elegant and natural; it shows respect for nature and gives people a feeling of cutting off from the noisy city and returning back to real tranquility and peace.”
The 390-square-metre house is located in Fujian Province, just outside the city of Xiamen. Because of the natural topography, the two storeys of the building both function as ground-floor levels.
The lower level is the smallest of the two floors. It contains two rooms – a secluded home cinema, and a much more open living space that features double-height ceilings and a wall of glazing opening out the garden.
A wooden staircase leads up from the living space to the top floor, which is divided into two wings. The smaller wing contains only the children’s bedrooms, while the larger one holds the master suite, a second bedroom and a bar.
Furnishings in all of these spaces are mostly made from wood, while textiles – ranging from sofa upholstery to rugs – are kept simple and predominately muted in tone.
Xu said his approach was to avoid excess decoration.
“It reflects the essence of space and materials, and presents a space where nature coexists with human,” he explained.
“Through reasonable functional planning and use of simple lines and structures, and together with adopting simple and natural furniture as decoration in the space, a simple but cozy and warm living space is built.”
Amsterdam fashion label Senscommon has combined high-tech fabrics with functional fastenings to create a waterproof coat designed specifically for cyclists (+ slideshow).
The Cyclist Raincoat is a lightweight unisex overcoat designed to suit the needs and movements of those on two wheels.
Described by the brand as a “minimalist tech-wear item”, it is made from a technical fabric developed by Senscommon, which is a combination of nylon and polyester.
To make it waterproof and breathable, it coated with Hipora – a three-layer membrane – and later given a waxed coating that has been airbrushed to create a matte finish.
Towards the bottom of the coat, the hem splits into two on the front and back. Push button fastenings around the splits allow cyclists to fasten the coat around their legs, keeping them dry and secure.
Sleeves are tapered, and the hood can be adjusted for different head and helmet sizes.
The raincoat is the product of four years of observation, research and experimentation with different concepts of a raincoat suited for cycling.
Senscommon has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the coat, with bundles including additional accessories such as a bike light, keyring and waterproof drawstring bag.
As cycling becomes increasingly popular among city commuters around the world, designers are responding to a perceived need for more stylish items for riders that move away from the lycra-clad stereotype.
Described by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as Brazil’s most celebrated living architect, Mendes da Rocha, 87, will be presented with the medal in early 2017 in a formal ceremony.
He is known for a particular style of Brazilian brutalism and is considered largely responsible for the modernisation of Sao Paulo, but has built few significant structures outside of his home country – making his clean sweep of prizes even more unusual.
He also won the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s equivalent of the Nobel, in 2006.
Museu Nacional dos Coches, Portugal’s National Coach Museum in Lisbon, was completed by the Brazilian architect in 2015. Photograph by Armenio Teixeira
“Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s work is highly unusual in comparison to the majority of the world’s most celebrated architects,” said RIBA president Jane Duncan. “He is an architect with an incredible international reputation, yet almost all his masterpieces are built exclusively in his home country.”
“Revolutionary and transformative, Mendes da Rocha’s work typifies the architecture of 1950s Brazil – raw, chunky and beautifully ‘brutal’ concrete,” she added. “Paulo Mendes da Rocha is a world-class architect and a true living legend.”
Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s 1993 renovation of the Pinacoteca Estado, Sao Paulo’s oldest fine arts museum. Photography by Nelson Kon
Awarded by the RIBA, the Royal Gold Medal is presented annually in recognition of a significant contribution to the profession.
The 2016 medal was presented to Zaha Hadid shortly before her unexpected death, making her the first woman ever to win the Royal Gold Medal in her own right.
“After so many years of work, it is a great joy to receive this recognition from the Royal Institute of British Architects for the contribution my lifetime of work and experiments have given to the progress of architecture and society,” said Mendes da Rocha.
The Brazilian Sculpture Museum MuBE – completed in 1998 – features huge slabs of raw concrete that cover outdoor spaces. Photograph by Nelson Kon
“I would like to send my warmest wishes to all those who share my passion, in particular British architects, and share this moment with all the architects and engineers that have collaborated on my projects,” he added.
Born in 1928 in Vitória, Brazil, Mendes da Rocha began his career in São Paulo. He established his office in 1955 and completed one of his most important projects – the Athletic Club of São Paulo – two years later.
This was followed by a string of predominantly public buildings across Brazil, including the Estádio Serra Dourada in Goiás (1975) and the Saint Peter Chapel in São Paulo (1987). He renovated Sao Paulo’s oldest fine arts museum, the Pinacoteca do Estado in 1993.
A view inside FIESP, the Sao Paolo cultural centre completed by Mendes da Rocha in 1997. Photograph by Nelson Kon
He is known for a particular style of Brazilian brutalism, combining the raw concrete and finishes typical of the style with huge sections of glazing, light wells and open walls.
“Many decades after being built, each of his projects have resisted the test of time, both stylistically and physically,” said Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena and the board of directors at 2016 the Venice Architecture Biennale, which awarded Mendes da Rocha with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
“This astonishing consistency may be the consequence of his ideological integrity and his structural genius,” they said.
Unused patches of land in a densely populated area of the Thai capital have been transformed into a series of irregularly-shaped football pitches for local residents (+ movie).
The companies wanted create a space that could change the lives of young people in the Bangkok slum area.
“Teenagers in warren communities need space to express their creativity like other teenagers,” said a member of the AP Team. “But their habitats are not suitable.”
After seeing the wasted space in between residences, the teams spoke to the local community and brainstormed ways to utilise it.
They came up with concepts for four football pitches, which they claim are the first of their kind.
It was impossible to create traditional rectangular pitches – the four new playing fields had to adhere to the boundaries and limitations of the space. Shapes created include an L and a U.
“It’s the first time the football field is not necessarily in the square,” reads a statement on the AP Thai website.
Each space is painted in a brick-red colour, and features pitch markings in a contrasting grey.
Slanted slats of aluminium cover the irregular, curving form of this house and cafe in Gyeonggi Province designed by South Korean architecture practice AND (+ slideshow).
The Seoul-based architects, whose name stands for Architecture of Novel Differentiation, named the project Louverwall after its distinctive cladding.
The louvres cover a glazed wall that faces out onto the street in the city of Paju and curves over at one corner to form the roof of the building.
The slats mediate the amount of light that enters the building, which contains a cafe at ground level and a home for a couple – and their five cats – on the two floors above.
“The goal is to have soft daylight in the cafe space, as it is facing due west,” explained the architects. “We have decided to limit the direct light of the west and bring in the light from the south.”
Inside the cafe, the reinforced concrete structure of the building is left exposed and paired with pale timber and metal furniture. The louvres cast dramatic linear shadows across the light-coloured surfaces.
“The light pours in between the two curved walls, emphasising the verticality of the space,” said the studio. “As one walks up the stairs to reach the rest space, one can experience the utmost play of light and shadow, and the verticality.”
“The light that changes every minute touches the interior surfaces,” it added. “Every movement of the clouds, the sun, as well as the changes of season is recorded on the walls.”
The design of the facade was mapped out using the Parametric Louver Design System – a computer algorithm developed by researchers from Seoul National University that calculates the best performing louvre form for any given surface.
A recess covered in pale brick provides two separate entrances to the 188-square-metre building – a glazed one for the cafe and a grey door for the house.
Like the cafe, the residence is finished with a combination of red oak plywood and exposed concrete. The bedroom and bathroom are set on the first floor, while an open plan lounge containing a small kitchen occupies the uppermost floor.
Dow Jones’ Mansion Global has named Pete Catapano executive editor, a new role at the company.
Catapano most recently served in the same role for Salon.com. Prior to Salon, he served as amNewYork’s editor in chief.
“In this new position, he [Catapano] will be responsible for running the daily day-to-day coverage in the newsroom, driving traffic to our news stories and strategizing on new editorial products,” wrote Mansion Global publisher and editor Mae Cheng, in a note.
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