The gabled forms of Santiagomendi House by Pauzarq Arquitectos are set into a hillside overlooking the Cantabrian Sea in Astigarraga, Spain.
The Spanish architecture studio designed the home to suit its sloping site and make the most of its coastal views.
Set over two floors, Santiagomendi House is comprised of two overlapping volumes, one single storey and one with a second floor.
A sweeping driveway leads down to a front porch sheltered by the overhanging gabled roof of the tallest volume. A concrete-lined garage has been cut into the hillside.
Timber beams support the building’s gabled roofs, which are clad in traditional ruddy-coloured ceramic tiles.
“The use of inclined roofs with great eaves emphasises the adaptation to the surrounding while the house is protected from the northeast storms,” said Pauzarq Architectos.
Part of the roof over the entryway has been left uncovered, with the shape of the roof continued by a wooden pergola.
Spread across both volumes, the ground floor is divided by what Pauzarq Arquitectos designated as day zones and night zones.
The day zone mainly occupies the shorter, single-level volume, which is rotated to make the most of the scenic views.
An open-plan living and dining area abut a kitchen that sits in a corner of the larger volume of the house. Large picture windows frame views of the landscape beyond.
The roof of this volume overhangs too, sheltering a terrace that runs along the front and projecting at the gable end to create an outdoor room with a roof but no sides.
One corner is glazed and features sliding glass doors, and skylights in the roof allow daylight in from yet another angle.
The main bedroom and bathroom are also on this level, with glass doors that open on to a sheltered patio that occupies the triangular space where the two volumes meet.
Upstairs there is another bedroom and bathroom, and a long playroom with a half wall so it overlooks the space below.
Pauzarq Arquitectos used a minimal palette of materials throughout. The exterior walls are a combination of white plaster and raw concrete, accented by pale timber panelling.
The white walls are decorated in places by pale ceramic rectangular tiles arranged in bands between wood-framed windows. These pinkish-coloured tiles have also been used for the outdoor patio spaces.
Pauzarq Arquitectos was founded in 2010 by Felipe Aurtenetxe and Elena Usabiaga and is based in San Sebastián.
Through our years-long quest to participate in art adventures outside of NYC (that fit within a day trip), the 120-acre sculpture and architecture park Art Omi continues to rank high on our list. More than 60 large-scale works—and growing—can be discovered (and interacted with) on the grounds and in the on-site gallery. The organization—built around a residency for artists, dancers, musicians and writers—keeps the entire experience free for all visitors (and dogs are welcome, so long as they are leashed). Highlights are numerous, though perhaps the greatest of all is walking between the sprawling fields and winding wooded paths, happening upon unexpected treasures.
During our recent visit, we booked a free ticket for the indoor exhibition dedicated to the works of Howardena Pindell. Just three guests are allowed into the large, clean space at a time. A projection of Pindell’s stunning video “Free, White and 21” (1980), which addresses the obstacles of being a young, Black woman, set the tone for the entire exhibition. Back outside, two hours of strolling brought us to Art Omi signatures—like Rob Fischer’s “Omi Pond House” (2016) and Alex Schweder + Ward Shelley’s teetering “ReActor” (2016)—and to brand new works on site including artist Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s site-specific “Mahican Pearl-Hole (The Mahican Bowl)” and Bianca Beck’s colorful, figurative “Untitled” (2020).
Two-and-a-half hours from NYC and only 15 minutes from Hudson, New York, Art Omi offers an escape for those who enjoy thought-provoking art scattered throughout their time outside.
We Are Open was created for mall operator Klepierre, which owns shopping centres in countries across Europe. It’s intended to convey “open-mindedness and hospitality”, as well as the joy of returning to a bit of normality.
Parisian artist Séverine Assous created the illustrations, which feature some classic aspects of retail life including security staff and check-out assistants wielding barcode scanners. Notably, every person is wearing a face covering – included as a reminder that we all still need to take precautions.
The We Are Open campaign will appear in shopping centres in 13 countries, and feels like a pleasantly upbeat take on current events.
L’artiste américaine Janet Echelman a installé une sculpture tissée composée de fibres bleues sur un site à la portée symbolique pour les revendications du mouvement « Black Lives Matter » en Floride.
Pendant ses recherches, elle a en effet appris que ce parc fut un lieu important pour le mouvement des droits civils, qui a débuté dans les années 1950, en tant qu’espace où les citoyens locaux protestaient contre la ségrégation. Ces manifestations avaient conduit à l’arrêté de la Cour Suprême des États-Unis de 1957, qui a autorisé les personnes de toutes les provenances culturelles à utiliser la plage et la piscine municipales, jusque là réservées aux blancs.
Bending Arc est une œuvre permanente suspendue au-dessus d’un parc herbeux surplombant le Pier District à St Petersburg, en Floride. Avec ces couleurs bleutées l’artiste reproduit un grand para-sol de plage voulant justement symboliser cet arrêté historique de 1957.
Selon l’artiste, cette oeuvre est une manière de célébrer tous.tes celles et ceux qui se sont battus.es pour l’égalité au sein de l’espace public et qui ont ouvert la voie à plus de libertés et démocratie aux Etats-Unis.
Birdwell’s 11-ounce double-looped cotton terry Indigo Baja Hoodie doubles as a light towel, courtesy of its soft and absorbent fabric. Each garment is made in the USA and features a large pocket on the front and split hem sides. A real wood button secures the collar, while herringbone stitch reinforcements at the hood and on the sides prevent wear and tear. Perfect for sunset after a long day at the beach, this piece conjures a distinctly retro vibe.
This year’s Cocktail Robotics Grand Challenge wound up being canceled due to COVID, but Donald Bell of Maker Project Lab didn’t know that eight months ago, when he started building his entry for the competition. Inspired by “Blade Runner,” Bell tried to imagine what a cocktail-making machine would look like if it was designed by Voight-Kampff, the fictional company that made the replicant detector:
Taking more design cues from the machines Deckard uses in the movie–the public videophone, his photo-enhancing rig–Bell crafted the following, which benefits greatly from archival footage of an Orson Welles whiskey commercial recorded for the Japanese market:
Here’s Bell explaining what he was going for, and how he did it:
Bell also produced an Instructable on how to build your own. It’s fun to read through–his process exactly mirrors the actual prototyping process industrial designers will find familiar.
A rocking horse, a series of animal companions and three storage solutions have been selected as finalists in Samsung and Dezeen’s contest to create innovative household objects from repurposed cardboard packaging.
A jury comprising Samsung executives Kangwook Chun, Kyounghoon Kim and Jae Julien, alongside Dezeen’s editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs and assistant editor India Block, selected the top five designs from a 15-strong shortlist, which we published last month.
Each design was assessed on its innovation, aesthetics, functionality and how practical it would be for someone to build at home.
“The quality of the shortlist was extremely high,” said Fairs. “The top five designs are all simple to build, yet elevate the humble cardboard material to create objects that are both useful and attractive.”
“There were so many brilliant ideas that we didn’t even think of and it was a pleasure to see so many people support the Eco-Package concept and share their creative designs with us,” Samsung said. “These top five designs were outstanding among the many submissions.”
Readers can vote for their favourite design via Instagram
The five finalists were based in Belgium, India, Portugal, Sweden and the UK, reflecting the wide range of entries received. In total, the contest attracted over 1,500 submissions from 82 different countries around the world.
The jury will convene later this month to determine the overall winner.
Readers can also vote for their favourite design by replying to our Instagram Story by Friday 7 August . The results of this public vote will be shared with the jury to help inform their decision and will also be revealed alongside the winner announcement in September.
Sarah Willemart and Matthieu Muller created a series of animal companions for kids
The competition draws from Samsung’s Eco-Package concept, which aims to reduce waste by providing customers with a way to repurpose their television packaging into new household items.
Two of the top five designs transform the cardboard boxes into animal-shaped toys for children.
The rhino is made from Samsung’s The Serif Eco-Package
Sarah Willemart and Matthieu Muller, who are based in Waterloo, Belgium, created a series of three companions for kids called Endangered Animals.
There is a polar bear that can be made from Samsung’s The Sero box, a black rhinoceros that can be constructed from The Serif box and a sea turtle that can be built from The Frame packaging.
The polar bear is made from The Sero box
The animals, which are intended to help teach children about declining biodiversity, can be produced without glue and have been designed to be simple to construct.
“The animals are made of four to five pieces only and use the existing folds of Samsung packaging,” explained Willemart and Muller.
“It makes the assembly very simple and accessible to children. The polar bear, black rhino and sea turtle can be used as riding stools, drawing tables and secret hideouts.”
André Cardoso created a rocking horse
André Cardoso, who is based in Braga, Portugal, created a rocking horse called The Rider.
Designed to be made from the box of Samsung’s The Serif television, it is assembled from a series of folded cardboard panels, which are orientated so that the graphic representation of The Serif TV printed on the outside of the box forms a saddle.
The rocking horse is designed to be made from The Serif box
“The design was envisioned for kids between three to five years old and dimensioned to make the most of the available cardboard, reducing waste,” said Cardoso.
“The package cardboard capabilities such as thickness, stiffness and flexibility were thoughtfully studied to ensure a stable and sturdy object.”
Akhil Kumar created a basket called Twist
The other three finalist designs are all different forms of storage.
The most simple design is the Twist basket by Akhil Kumar, who is based in Mumbai, India.
The sides of the basket are made from a single panel of cardboard cut from The Sero Box, which is scored and folded diagonally to create a visually appealing faceted form.
The basket is constructed from just two cardboard panels cut from The Sero box
“I wanted to create a design that will require the least amount of cutting and gluing,” said Kumar.
“I believe minimizing the effort is a way to encourage people to recreate and repurpose the cardboard boxes. The complex-looking faceted shape is actually rather easy to create. Its form is simple and the angular faces lend a unique visual interest, adding character to any space.”
Revaz Berdzenishvili created a stepped storage unit called Kibe
Revaz Berdzenishvili, who is based in Stockholm, Sweden, has a different take on using Samsung’s Eco-Packages to create storage.
His Kibe design, which means “stairs” in his native language of Georgian, features a distinctive stepped design that can be used to display objects, as well as housing a series of draws to hide things away inside.
Kibe can be used to display objects or hide them away in drawers
“Many efforts were made to make Kibe delicate and simple to use,” said Berdzenishvili. “Clean lines, shadows and light interplay to draw attention to its design.”
“The piece does not require glue,” he added. “It consists of the main enclosure and five storage units. It leaves minimum cardboard leftovers after assemblage.”
Abigail Whitelow created a modular furniture system called Tessellate
Abigail Whitelow, who is based in London in the UK, created a modular display and storage system called Tessellate.
It comprises six modules, which can be arranged in different ways to create a coffee table, a sideboard, or a variety of different shelving configurations.
The modules can be configured as a coffee table or shelving
“It’s perfect for houses of all shapes and sizes, and can be easily adapted, giving endless possibilities to a cardboard box that would usually be discarded,” said Whitelow.
“Each module of Tessellate is an assembly of nine unique components – four modules can be created using The Frame packaging.”
Four modules can be produced from a single The Frame box
The five finalists were selected by the jury ahead of 15 other shortlisted designs, which included a planter, a sneaker rack and even an amplifier for mobile phones. View the shortlist here.
The final results of the competition will be announced in September. The winner will receive a top prize of $10,000. The runner up will receive $5,000, third place will receive $3,000 and the fourth- and fifth-placed entrants will receive $1,000 each.
The results of the public vote will be announced at the same time, although there is no cash prize for the popular vote.
Les architectes berlinois Tom Wünschmann, Achim Kaufer, Wei Cai et Philipp Buschmeyer et les instituts de design chinois SADI et JDTM ont créé un pont « infini » aux lignes sinueuses qui traverse la rivière Fu Hé à Chengdu, en Chine. Dans cette infrastructure, les routes se croisent tout en épousant le mouvant de l’eau et en valorisant le contexte urbain.
L’équipe de conception a créé un chemin piétonnier continu sur le pont dit « Wuchazi » en transformant cette structure en une destination aussi récréative qui va au-delà de l’ingénierie purement fonctionnelle. Le pont relie le Century City New International Conference & Exhibition Center et le parc riverain avec les zones résidentielles voisines en formant un superbe huit au-dessus du fleuve.
While we all wait to find some light at the end of the tunnel that is the year 2020, we can continue admiring beautiful lighting designs like the Wave desk lamp! Inspired by nature’s way of always maintaining balance, this minimal lamp will certainly tip the scales of interior design in your favor.
Nature will always find a way to restore fair balance and this is the way of life – balance is a natural law that we observe all around us as well as within us. The Wave lamp embodies this philosophy and puts it forth in an elegant manner that lights up your space. “Designed using simple dome geometry for its diffusers with the addition of a rather striking base, the Wave lamps base takes the form of a segmented wave symbolizing the unbalance that exists within pure balance,” describes the team.
Wondering how it works so you don’t end up see-sawing it a little too hard? Same. Wave utilizes a series of chambers that are filled to maintain its center which means when it is upright the lights are turned off. Tilt it slightly to either side and it will cause the interior balance to shift which will trigger the mechanism to generate light. To turn it off, simply restore balance – same law applies for negativity in our lives too! “Nature is pure balance, and once that balance is disrupted, we get the warning light, this is the story of the Wave desk Lamp,” says Mawalla and we couldn’t agree more!
A “new planning system” that will see new housing, hospitals, schools, shops and offices on land designated for growth automatically granted planning permission in England has been announced by UK housing secretary Robert Jenrick.
Under the new regulations, described by Jenrick as a “once in a generation reform”, land will be divided into three categories “for growth, for renewal or for protection”.
Planning permission will be granted “automatically” in growth areas, with “permission in principle” given in renewal areas.
“Land designated for growth will empower development – new homes, hospitals, schools, shops and offices will be allowed automatically,” Jenrick wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.
“Renewal areas will enable much quicker development with a ‘permission in principle’ approach to balance speed while ensuring appropriate checks are carried out.”
“Complex and slow planning system barrier to building homes”
According to Jenrick, who became secretary of state for housing, communities and local government in 2019, the action is being taken to speed up the planning process and create more homes.
Jenrick blamed the current “lengthy and absurdly complex” planning process as the reason for high housing costs in England and delays to infrastructure projects.
“Our complex and slow planning system has been a barrier to building homes which are affordable, where families want to raise children and build their lives,” he wrote.
“We are introducing a simpler, faster, people-focused system to deliver the homes and places we need.”
“Cutting red tape, but not standards”
He claimed that it currently takes a “standard housing development” five years to pass through the planning process and that the reforms would greatly speed this up.
According to Jenrick, the new regulations would make it easier for smaller housebuilders to compete with England’s largest developers.
“Our reforms seek a more diverse and competitive housing industry, in which smaller builders can thrive alongside the big players and where planning permissions are turned into homes faster than they are today.”
Jenrick wrote that the deregulation of the planning process would not lead to lower standards of housing in the country.
“We are cutting red tape, but not standards,” he added. “We will be driven by outcomes, not process.”
“Planning regulations are absolutely not the reason for the housing crisis”
The intent of the regulations, however, was contested by architects including Charles Holland.
“This is just absolute boll*cks. Planning regulations are absolutely not the reason for the housing crisis,” Holland wrote on Twitter.
“Deregulation of planning will not result in more affordable houses,” he continued. “Nor is it intended to. It is just a way to allow volume housebuilders to build more shite and make more money.”
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