Les illustrations de Maïté Franchi mêlent plantes, animaux et surtout nourriture. Dans le cadre d’un partenariat entre Fubiz et Nissan, l’illustratrice lyonnaise a réalisé des Micra pour le lancement de la nouvelle génération de la citadine. Son style reste inchangé, pop et coloré avec un grain si reconnaissable.
La peintre Charlotte Keates a toujours été inspiré par l’architecture intérieur des années 60. À travers de ses peintures, elle cherche à réinventer ce style et aborde même d’autres paysages comme des piscines, des arbres ou le bord de mer comme elle nous le révèle dans sa dernière série ci-dessous.
L’homme a un impact terrible sur l’environnement, c’est bien connu. Dans notre quotidien, l’angoisse des enjeux environnementaux et de nos conditions de vie futures est constamment présente. Toshio Shibata, photographe japonais, essaye d’aller outre cette dichotomie entre hommes et nature. La série présentée ici-bas, montre des structures architecturales cohabitant en parfaite harmonie avec le paysage environnant. L’artiste établit un processus d’échange entre les éléments en créant une harmonie subtile. Grâce à un long temps d’exposition, le photographe a pu retranscrire la force de l’eau glissant sur des écluses et des canaux. Les routes semblent sculpter les flancs des montagnes et les formes précises dessinées par l’homme rencontrent la sinuosité de la nature. Une vision optimiste de la relation de l’homme à l’environnement.
Sheela Maini Søgaard, the only woman among the 12 partners at BIG, has described the architecture firm’s male-female balance as among the “best in the industry”, after a social media backlash.
Søgaard defended the diversity at BIG after founder Bjarke Ingels posted a photograph on Instagram of all 12 partners, captioned “BIG BOYS&GIRL” – highlighting the gender imbalance at partner level.
She said that 50 per cent of BIG’s managers are women, and 60 per cent of its directors are female. In total, across both the firm’s New York, London and Copenhagen offices, staff are 40 per cent female.
“Gender equality and equal opportunity is something that is truly central to how we think about leadership at BIG,” she told Dezeen.
Ingels’ photograph – taken at VIA 57 West, the firm’s tetrahedral tower in New York – was shared with his 273,000 Instagram followers and attracted 126 comments.
Some criticised BIG for the lack of women, while others defended the firm and suggested it was indicative of an industry with a huge gender gap.
“Where are all the female architects gone? At home with kids and husband after their frustrated work experience in the architectural world?” asked a commenter called Fischer_nada.
Another commenter, Keiruuhhh, wrote: “It’s not cute, nothing to be proud of. Either their unconscious biases prevent them from hiring qualified women, or there isn’t really a pipeline of women in design.”
But according to Søgaard, gender equality is pivotal to the way BIG operates. She claimed that, although she is the only female partner, the firm is admirable in promoting equal opportunities for women.
“I personally, along with the rest of my partners at BIG, have dedicated much time and focus in these past years to fostering and promoting female talent,” she said.
“I feel confident in having created a pipeline of diverse talent, which is the best insurance for diversity trickling up into the partner group.”
BIG ranked at number two on the inaugural Dezeen Hot List – a countdown of the most newsworthy names in architecture and design.
Sheela Maini Søgaard has been with BIG since 2008. Her background is in business development, and her role is general management with a particular focus on finances.
She said that BIG’s retention rates are, on average, higher for female staff than for male staff, because the firm enforces exemplary wage equality and maternity/paternity leave policies – among the “best in the industry”.
“Securing an equal opportunity workplace is an ongoing effort and we are committed to developing our team to match our inherent conviction that talent resides in equal measures and quantities across genders, ages and races,” she said.
“We acknowledge that this is a conversation not to be undertaken lightly or briefly, and one that requires time and collective effort from individual, corporate, institutional and governmental levels.”
The lack of women continues to be a major issue in the architecture industry, particularly women in senior positions.
The recent Women in Architecture survey revealed that men are paid more than women across the board and pay disparity is widening.
David Adjaye is among a number architects that have spoken out about the issue. On the day that so-called Women’s Marches took place internationally, Adjaye said the industry still doesn’t provide the same opportunities for both sexes.
Similarly, the American Institute of Architects came under attack recently for the lack of female keynote speakers at its annual conference.
The post BIG’s only female partner defends company’s gender balance after Instagram attack appeared first on Dezeen.
British firm Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has created a new headquarters for London’s Metropolitan Police Service by remodelling a 1930s block overlooking the River Thames.
Now fronted by a squat oblong entrance pavilion and capped by a bronzed roof extension, the neoclassical block has also undergone a significant interior reorganisation by Stirling Prize-winning practice AHMM, which first revealed plans for the £60 million project in 2013.
The building, which faces the Thames from the Victoria Embankment, was originally designed for the Met police service by British architect William Curtis Green in the mid 1930s, and occupied until the mid 1960s when the headquarters was moved to a new site near Victoria.
Curtis Green’s restored building is now officially known as New Scotland Yard – a name derived from the location of the Met’s very first headquarters.
“Our New Scotland Yard preserves and showcases elements unique to the heritage of the Metropolitan Police whilst creating a robust headquarters building, fit for the 21st century in the heart of Westminster,” said AHMM director Paul Monaghan.
A revolving sign – one of the most iconic features of the Met’s old home in Victoria – has been retained and now signposts the AHMM-designed entrance pavilion.
Spanning almost the full width of the front facade, the pavilion is raised on a pale stone plinth that visually marries the addition with the Portland stone walls of the original building.
Its curving glass walls are intended to convey a message of organisational transparency and create a “non-institutional” entrance.
The pavilion is also intended as a memorial for officers who died in the line of duty, with an eternal flame and contemplation pool visible through the glazing.
Lifts rise through a glazed void in the centre of the building to the roof pavilion and illuminated terraces on the eighth floor.
Alongside the entrance and rooftop pavilions, modest Portland stone extensions help to increase the building’s original floor area from 8,700 square metres to 12,000 square metres.
The additions are intentionally restrained and make reference to neighbouring Whitehall buildings, including the striped brickwork of Norman Shaw’s adjacent North building.
Accents of colour are added through the peach- and bronze-toned louvres that cover the rear facade and the tiled splashbacks in the toilets – a reference to the checkerboard designs applied to police cars.
AHMM, which ranked as one of the most read-about architecture firms in the first Dezeen Hot List, won the Sterling Prize for another renovation project – the Burntwood School in southwest London.
Photography is by Tim Soar.
Project credits:
Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Space Planning: Haverstock
Landscape Architect: Gillespies
Project Manager: Arcadis
Principal Designer: BAM
Client: Metropolitan Police Service, The Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime
Structural/civil engineer: Arup
Cost consultant: Arcadis
MEP engineer: Arup/BAMSE
Planning consultant:
DP9
Main contractor:
BAM
The post AHMM overhauls Thames-side block with glazed pavilions to create New Scotland Yard appeared first on Dezeen.
The latest “character” from Nyllili Studio’s series of smart objects, Bero is the spirit of light and is represented in the form of a functional luminary friend! Not only aesthetically enchanting, Bero is also interactive and can be controlled using a dedicated smartphone app. Let Bero set the mood with an almost limitless variety of vibrant colors from his RGB LED and give his tummy a knock-knock to turn off or on!
Designer: Nyllili Studio
Designed by Shelby Jones and Yoav Schlensinger for Hello Mazel, stocked exclusively at the Jewish Museum Shop, this “schvitzy” towel is made for all the mensches headed to the pool and beach this summer. Produced in the USA from 100% Turkish cotton……
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Baptisé CanopyStair, cet escalier a été imaginé l’an dernier par les designers Robert McIntyre et Thor ter Kulve. C’est lors d’un voyage au coeur des Açores que les deux designers, ont eu l’idée de créer cet escalier autour d’un arbre. Ce dernier leur permettant ainsi d’admirer le coucher du soleil et l’océan, et ce, même quand la vue était obstruée par un mur de pierre. Ils ont ainsi créé ce mobilier pour profiter de la vue tout en restant dans leur jardin. Le résultat est à découvrir ci-dessous.
Paolo Balsamo est un photographe italien et baroudeur, qui nous emmène avec lui en voyage au sein de son compte Instagram. Dans le cadre du partenariat entre Fubiz et Nissan, pour le lancement de la nouvelle Micra, il a imaginé une illustration minimaliste, aux traits francs, mettant en scène la citadine en situation au coeur de la vielle ville de Gubbio au nord-est de l’Italie.
Philipp Thonet explains how furniture manufacturer Thonet collaborated with flooring brand Bolon to create an updated version of its classic 209 bentwood chair in the next video in our Bolon at Heart series.
Thonet, which was founded by Philipp Thonet’s great, great grandfather Michael Thonet in 1819, first produced the 209 chair at the turn of the 20th century.
The bentwood chair was a favourite of Le Corbusier, who used it in many of his buildings. It is made from six pieces of curved wood, either beech or ash.
“Because of the bend of the backrest, the 209 is a very labour-intense and precious product,” says Philipp Thonet in the movie, which was filmed at Thonet’s factory in Frankenberg, Germany. “It’s really a piece of Arts and Crafts.”
Traditionally, the 209 chair is made from beech with a rattan seat. Thonet also produces a version of the chair with a padded seat and this year has been experimenting with upholstering it with a new material by flooring company Bolon.
“We are collaborating with Bolon, reinterpreting the classic 209 chair by using the new material called Villa La Madonna,” Thonet explains.
Originally designed for a collection of rugs, which Bolon unveiled earlier this year at Stockholm Design Week, Villa La Madonna features a square geometric pattern composed of strips of vinyl and metalised polyester.
“We specifically picked the Villa La Madonna material because we felt the straight lines [contrasted] very well with the round ergonomic shape of the 209,” Thonet explains. “It adds a nice interesting new fabric to a classic chair.”
The project is part of an ongoing collaboration between Bolon and a range of furniture producers around Europe, which are experimenting with using the company’s woven flooring materials to upholster furniture.
Other collaborators include Italian brand Cappellini, while Stockholm design duo Färg & Blanche created a completely new chair using Bolon fabric.
While the project with Bolon is experimental, Thonet says that he was so impressed with how the chair turned out that the company is considering incorporating Bolon fabrics into its collection.
“It started off as an experiment, but we are so surprised with the results that we might even use it in our own range and offer it to our clients,” he says.
This movie was filmed by Dezeen for Bolon in Frankenberg, Germany. It is the eighth in a 12-part series exploring Bolon’s history, design and technology.
Watch all the movies at: www.dezeen.com/bolonatheart
The post Thonet reinterprets classic bentwood 209 chair with Bolon’s Villa La Madonna material appeared first on Dezeen.
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