Hasta La Ideas

Dutch architect OMA has built the 24-storey Nhow Amsterdam RAI Hotel in Amsterdam, which is made from three triangular volumes stacked on top of each other.

OMA has completed the tower, which is now being fitted out as a hotel for the NH Hotel Group, which owns the Nhow brand. When it opens it will have 650 rooms and be the largest hotel in Benelux – the grouping of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

The distinctive-shaped building is intended to be both interesting and fun, as well as allowing guests and locals to enjoy the virtues of modern architecture.

“I think it is important we learn to enjoy modernity again,” said Reinier de Graaf, partner at OMA.

“Given how much progressive values – and consequently modern architecture too – are under attack these days, I don’t think we can stress enough the virtues of either,” he told Dezeen.

The hotel is located alongside the RAI convention centre and its distinctive form is a reference to an advertisement column, which was once the tallest structure in the local area.

“When this complex was built, in 1961, this column was the tallest structure in the area, but has since been surpassed by a multitude of much taller office buildings erected nearby,” said De Graaf.

“Derived from this column, the hotel can be read both as an extension of the RAI complex itself and as part of the new context, giving the RAI a new presence in a dramatically changed cityscape.”

The three triangular volumes will contain hotels rooms, with 24 to 36 rooms placed in each floor, allowing views over the cityscape.

“The building form functions perfectly for a hotel, orienting its rooms to the three main views: to Amsterdam’s old city centre to the north, the airport to the southwest and to Amsterdam’s modern extensions in the southeast,” explained De Graaf.

The triangles sit on a two-storey circular podium, which will contain shops on the ground floor and the hotel’s lounge and bar on the first floor.

At the top of the building will be three storeys of meeting spaces and conference rooms alongside a broadcasting studio, where a daily television show will be broadcast.

OMA is a Dutch architecture studio founded in 1975 by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

The studio is currently designing a residential tower in Kuwait City, a department store in Vienna, a waterfront conference centre in Shenzhen and an extension to the New Museum in New York.

Project credits:

Architect: OMA
Partner-in-charge: Reinier de Graaf, Rem Koolhaas (competition)
Associate in charge: Michel van de Kar
Contractor: Pleijsierbouw
Structure: Van Rossum Raadgevende Ingenieurs
MEP & Vertical circulation: Techniplan Adviseurs BV
BREEAM consultant: Techniplan Adviseurs BV
Fire consultant: Royal HaskoningDHV
Acoustic consultant: Royal HaskoningDHV
BIM coordinator: Van den Berg Groep

The post OMA completes tower made from trio of stacked triangles appeared first on Dezeen.

From exclusive handmade objects to everyday essentials, some of our favorite Japanese items to share this year

Japan’s allure cannot be attributed to any one specific trait. Be it cuisine or culture, design and architecture, cities of the future or soothing reprieves, the island nation offers unparalleled experiences across the spectrum of high and low. This is why we continue to return and explore. This year, our Japanophile Gift Guide is particularly close to our hearts, as it includes our 2019 Omakase gift box, a collection of 13 gifts crafted in collaboration with Japanese artisans. Every design object we’ve developed has function, but to decipher their untold value requires history lessons. With products exquisitely made by Asahiyaki (now led by a talented 16th generation ceramist), Chi Chi, Grisal, KIUN, Taro Tabuchi, Hajime Shoji, Zillion and others, this is an exclusive, high-quality gift for any Japanophile or lover of textile, design and craftsmanship. For that high-end gift, and so many more thoughtful products, take a look at our Japanophile Gift Guide.

For his first footwear design, architect Kengo Kuma has created a trainer in collaboration with Japanese sports brand Asics that draws on the craft of bamboo knitting.

The shoe’s upper consists of a slip-on mono-sock, overlaid with a criss-crossing pattern of clean, white strips.

It mimics the way that a supple material like bamboo is interlocked in the traditional technique of bamboo knitting – or yatara ami – to create a solid structure.

Made from recycled polyester, the lines are placed strategically to stabilise the foot, while also converging to form the Asics logo on the sides of the shoe.

“Originally, Japanese culture was based on ‘connecting lines’,” said Kuma. “A single line is weak, but bundle of lines in aggregate is strong. An approach to yatara ami combining delicacy and functionality works well with modern designs.”

The shoe is named the Metaride AMU, based on Asics’ classic Metaride shape which curves up towards the toes to prevent excessive bending of the ankles and reduce energy consumption.

A tan midsole breaks up the otherwise monochromatic shoe – its colour derived from the natural fibres the material is made with. These are usually dyed, but were left uncoloured at Kuma’s request.

“I was captivated by the fact that cellulose nanofibres are used in the midsole foam,” he explained.

“This is a fibre material derived from wood. It was a great approach — this material combines the contradictory functions of superior cushioning and durability.”

In this way, it imitates bamboo’s ability to be both hard and soft at the same time.

For Kuma, switching from architecture to footwear design was not as big a leap as it might first appear.

“When we design a building, we work while analysing how people move and feel. It is no different from ergonomically designed shoes,” he explained.

“One of the major themes in my architecture is how people and the earth connect. For me, I feel uncomfortable when people are separated from the earth by architecture, and I think people remember their peace of mind when they connect with the earth. In terms of that connection, I felt sneakers had more possibilities than architecture.”

Kuma – who is well-known for designing the V&A Dundee and Japan’s National Stadium for the upcoming 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games – has had a long-standing fascination with bamboo as a material.

Most recently he weaved it together with carbon fibre for an installation during the London Design Festival.

The post Kengo Kuma designs his first ever trainer for Asics appeared first on Dezeen.

Curved wood-panelled volumes designed to recall traditional Moravian wine cellars are stacked up in this Czech wine bar to create intimate tasting rooms.

Located in Znojmo, a walled town in the Czech Republic’s winemaking region of Moravia, House of Wine is a wine bar and tasting rooms designed by Czech architects Chybik + Kristof.

The bar occupies two buildings – a converted 19th-century brewery and its adjacent technical space, which was added to the structure in the 1970s. Both overlook a ninth-century chapel and neighbouring gothic church.

In the 19th-century brewery, the architects restored and preserved the building, reinventing the classical rectangular edifice as an exhibition space and wine bar where visitors can learn about the history of Moravian wine culture.

Meanwhile in the former technical hall, only the outer structure was preserved. The interior was completely gutted to create a double-height, all-white internal space dominated by a large wooden structure made up of stacked interconnecting platforms.

Made from steel profiles and spruce timber studs, the rounded volumes are set at different levels and connected by staircases.

Each one is clad internally with bent plywood and furnished with tables and chairs, providing elevated balconies for guests to sample wine while looking out across the space and through the building’s windows.

The architects said they wanted the structure’s internal spaces to recall the scale and atmosphere of the region’s traditional wine cellars, which were made up of cave-like interconnected rooms.

“The spatial concept and shape of the wooden insertion is based on dividing an existing volume into a set of smaller spaces,” the studio told Dezeen.

“These spaces have the same scale and irregularity as the historical wine caves dug into the rock in the region in the past.”

The building’s asymmetrical windows are distributed to reflect the division of the interior space into various rooms and to open the former technical hall up to views across to the neighbouring churches, the town and the river valley.

In turn, the colours of the surrounding landscape are reflected in the building’s chalky beige facade.

“The House of Wine challenges traditional notions of restoration of historical buildings,” said the studio’s co-founder, Ondřej Chybík.

“The presence of two distinct structures, each with its own history and original function, inspired us to adopt likewise distinct approaches to renovation.”

“On the one hand, we adhered to a rather orthodox restoration, based on preservation; on the other hand, we embrace a more experimental – and unusual – approach which fully rethinks the initial structure,” he continued.

“In doing so, we immersed ourselves in the town’s heritage and landscape, while establishing the House of Wine as a part, a reconciliation and a continuation of its architectural history.”

With offices in Prague, Brno and Bratislava, Chybik + Kristof was founded in 2010 by Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof. The studio’s previous projects include a furniture showroom in the Czech city of Brno which is clad with 900 plastic chairs.

Photography is by Alex Shoots Buildings.

The post Chybik + Kristof stack wooden balconies inside Czech Republic’s House of Wine appeared first on Dezeen.

Being a writer myself, I know that inspiration can hit anytime anywhere, and the chances of retaining it after the moment has passed are too few! In an attempt to ensure that your precious ideas aren’t swept away real quick, Dango launched the D01 Dapper Pen Wallet, an innovative addition to their already intriguing collection of EDC wallets! Merging its P-Series and D-Series, Dango created a wallet that can hold up to 16 cards and cash, and the biggest surprise of all, it holds a pen and notepad!

Boasting anodized aluminum chassis and pockets, the pen wallet is equipped with 4 water-resistant DTEX bifold pockets, with one pocket reserved exclusively for the pen. Amped with RFID blocking, ensuring that your information is secure at all times, the wallet has been tweaked to include a handy built-in bottle opener as well. With mil-spec stainless bolts supporting the entire concoction, the D01 Dapper Wallet is an EDC that manages to somehow look sleek and rugged!

The accompanying pen and paper duo have been crafted from top-notch materials as well. Created from CNC’d 6061 aerospace-grade aluminum, the pen is filled with 4889M Pressurized ink refill, aiding you in jotting down your little notes. With slotted ends, for attaching keyrings, lanyards and etc, this pen is multifunctional! Positioned casually next to the pen, is the 48-page compact notebook. The pages absorb the ink for instant permanence! Handmade with red stitch binding, and showcasing a natural finish and card-stock cover, the notebook is a looker. Put all these elements together, and you have a badass wallet that’s ready to face your rough and tough everyday life with you!

Designer: Dango

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