Hasta La Ideas

California architect Lorcan O’Herlihy, founder of the studio LOHA, has transformed a neglected 1990s house in southern California into a family residence with framed views of mountainous terrain.

Nestled amongst a cluster of trees on a Malibu hillside, the Highgrove House was purchased by O’Herlihy and his wife, Cornelia, in 2010.

At the time, the circa-1998 house was structurally sound but in a state of disrepair. Both the interior and exterior were in need of a makeover.

Over the years, the couple chipped away at renovating the two-storey house – a project described as a “labor of love”. The work included a kitchen remodel, new decks and the restoration of hardwood floors.

In 2020, the couple decided to embark on a major overhaul and create a home that “sparks creativity”. Guiding concerns included embracing the landscaping and retaining original building elements.

“It’s important to keep the existing structure when possible because it cuts down the ecological footprint of construction,” said O’Herlihy.

“The key is to strategically design within those parameters.”

O’Herlihy added a small room on the lower level but otherwise kept the home’s footprint intact. New materials were incorporated, both inside and out.

“The material choices are equally contemporary and timeless against the backdrop of the southern California mountains,” the architect said.

The home’s original fibre-cement siding was retained and the studio covered it with a grey wooden rain screen. The screen mitigates solar heat gain and, visually speaking, helps emphasize the home’s crisp, rectilinear form.

In some areas, the screen sits 18 inches (46 centimetres) from the home’s perimeter wall. The distance enabled the architect to create deep-set windows, further reducing solar gain and adding an artistic touch to the exterior.

In select areas, ordinary casement windows were replaced with mullion-free, plate-glass windows. The glazing offers unobstructed views of the landscape.

A glazed, sliding door opens onto an L-shaped terrace, where the family likes to relax and take in the scenery.

Within the 2,500-square-foot (232-square-metre) home, the layout was slightly modified.

The upper level holds the shared spaces, along with a primary suite and a bedroom. The lower levels contains two additional bedrooms.

Stairs were relocated to make the living room larger, flex space was added on the lower level, and a bathroom was enlarged. A garage was converted into a kids’ space.

Interior finishes include oak flooring and painted drywall.

In the kitchen, the architect installed custom Finnish birch plywood cabinetry and Caesarstone countertops.

The home is furnished with contemporary decor, including chairs designed by Le Corbusier.

LOHA, or Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, has developed an extensive portfolio since its founding in 1994. Notable projects include a student apartment complex that steps down an LA hillside and a row of sculptural, metal-clad homes that explore possibilities for the “small lot subdivision typology”.

The firm made the longlist for architecture studio of the year in the 2022 Dezeen Awards programme. In 2021, Lorcan O’Herlihy received the coveted Gold Medal from AIA’s Los Angeles chapter.

The photography is by Here and Now Agency (HANA).

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A $57.2 million contract moves the needle toward living on the moon and Mars

The dream of settling on the moon is beginning to look more feasible. At the forefront of this development is NASA who has recently awarded a $52.7 million contract to the Austin, Texas-based startup ICON to create a lunar construction system for longterm human presence on the moon and Mars.

The contract is a continuation of ICON’s Project Olympus, a program (also partly funded by NASA) founded in 2020 working to build space-based habitats modeled on their innovative 3D-printed homebuilding system. As the first company to build a fully permitted 3D-printed home, designed in partnership with Bjarke Ingels Group, ICON is researching how their technology could be translated in space to build outposts, roads and launchpads. Already, they have 3D printed a 1,700-square-foot simulated Martian habitat, called Mars Dune Alpha, which will be used in NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Analog mission in 2023.

Studying lunar soil, regolith and lunar gravity, the company will explore how infrastructure can be built on the moon and Mars with resources that are already available there. The contract (which runs through 2028) marks a significant development and investment in creating a viable, livable environment beyond Earth.

“The final deliverable of this contract will be humanity’s first construction on another world, and that is going to be a pretty special achievement,” says ICON’s co-founder and CEO, Jason Ballard. The nascent program’s achievements certainly speak to the promise of the new contract.

Images courtesy of ICON/Bjarke Ingels Group

Local art institutions, pop-ups and large-scale sculptural works throughout the city

Anchored by the expansive, ever-inspiring Art Basel Miami Beach and the the illuminating Design Miami showcase nearby, Miami Art Week further flourishes thanks to the continued presence of Untitled, NADA, Scope and other powerful art and design fairs. To participate in this exhaustive artistic extravaganza and not step into one of Miami’s own world-class, permanent institutions is not only a disservice to the city but to oneself. Miami’s museums and galleries host thought-provoking pieces and nurture a diverse roster of artists, and Miami’s Design District—which this year awarded Germane Barnes the 2022 Miami Design District Annual Neighborhood Commission—provides artful surprises around every corner.

In addition to these fixtures, the city itself comes to life during Miami Art Week. Yes, there are a multitude of milestone parties (White Cube gallery kicked the week off at Soho Beach House, Stone Island celebrated their 40th anniversary in Miami’s abandoned RC Cola Factory, Farfetch hosted a dance party in the Faena Theater, Prada took over the Faena Forum, Penfolds dressed Temple House in red, and Ruinart partnered with Jeppe Hein for a beach bash) but these are best celebrated alongside influential art pop-ups, large-scale outdoor sculptures and more. Ephemeral moments like DRIFT‘s enchanting drone performances may have passed, but for anyone in Miami, or dreaming of it, these nine art happenings should be explored.

Adrián Villar Rojas with Mariana Telleria’s El fin de la imaginación at The Bass Museum of Art

An enveloping, otherworldly experience, El fin de la imaginación at The Bass Museum of Art pairs sprawling site-specific installations by Argentinian sculptor Adrián Villar Rojas with archival clay works. Two sculptural pieces that address the very notion of monuments, by fellow Argentinian artist Mariana Telleria, complete the profound immersion.

Nadia Ayari’s Eyelash in the Unknown at Nina Johnson

From beloved Miami gallerist Nina Johnson comes Tunisia-born, Brooklyn-based artist Nadia Ayari‘s powerful new narrative-driven exhibition, Eyelash in the Unknown. Ayari pairs her signature lush, layered and abstract oil paint portrayals of natural imagery with cast-glass sculptures (a first for the artist) that reference elements of the paintings. It’s a bright, carefully staged presentation with an underlying story.

Saint Laurent’s SEX by Madonna, curated by Anthony Vaccarello

An official partnership with Art Basel Miami Beach, presented by Saint Laurent, SEX by Madonna, curated by Anthony Vaccarello is a moving celebration of the 30th anniversary of the iconic pop star’s seminal book. Housed in a metallic, open-air cube on the sands of Miami Beach, the exhibition displays the book’s original photography by Steven Meisel. A testament to their lasting power, the images not only feel relevant but forward-thinking. Free and open to the public for anyone over 18, the exhibit forbids photography, but Saint Lauren Rive Droite’s limited edition reissue of the book is available.

100 Years Presented by Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch

Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch have collaborated on another Miami Art Week pop-up presentation, this time within the Design District’s Buick Building—and as with previous iterations, it’s one of the most compelling artistic immersions on view across the city. Entitled 100 Years, the group exhibit probes the passage of time—from atrocities to absurdities, across periods of widespread cultural change. Works by Theaster Gates, Homa Delvaray, Urs Fischer, Carsten Höller, Madeline Hollander, Refik Anadol and many more engage guests and encourage continued contemplation.

“Starchild” by FriendsWithYou

A bright orange beacon of optimism, the 50-foot “Starchild” sculpture by FriendsWithYou was commissioned by the City of Miami Beach and rises at 41st Street and Pine Tree Drive. More than a large-scale public piece, “Starchild” marks a new chapter for the collaborative artist duo (aka Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III) as the character will begin to appear in various manifestations throughout a long-form conceptual project.

Andrea Marie Breiling’s Ribbons at Night Gallery

Constructed in 1926 as the only Cuban consulate in the US, Little Haiti’s French neo-classical Villa Paula recently underwent renovations and now hosts Night Gallery‘s Miami Art Week pop-up exhibition, a solo show by American contemporary abstract painter Andrea Marie Breiling entitled Ribbons. Breiling’s transportive pieces—composed of unspooling ribbons of feathered color—uniquely accent the extraordinary venue.

Leandro Erlich’s Liminal at Pérez Art Museum Miami

Within the exemplary Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Liminal arranges 16 pioneering works by Argentinian conceptual artist Leandro Erlich in an experiential arc. Curated by Dan Cameron, it’s the first monongraph survey exhibition of the artist’s contributions in North American—and it’s a resounding experience that lingers long after a viewing.

The Floral Impulse at David Castillo Gallery

An exemplary exploration of the floral still life that traverses aesthetics and allegories, The Floral Impulse presented by acclaimed Miami gallery David Castillo is a group exhibit that unites the work of 25 artists. With collaborative curation by Xaviera Simmons, the represented mediums include painting and sculpture, video, photography and more. Simmons’ own work is joined by contributions from Jillian Mayer, Amber Cowan, Austin Lee, Yesiyu Zhao and more.

Kristian Kragelund’s Artefacts at the Avenue Road Villa

Open by appointment only, Avenue Road founder Stephan Weishaupt’s 5oz. Miami Villa shows the mesmerizing works of Danish mixed-media artist Kristian Kragelund. Entitled Artefacts, it’s Kragelund’s first solo exhibition in North America and each piece—composed of upcycled tech-industry materials like silicon and fiber glass—comes to life alongside works by Avenue Road and David Hockney inside, and Yabu Pushelberg for Tribù outside.

Hero image of Ugo Rondinone’s “Miami Mountain,” courtesy of The Bass Museum/Zach Balber

Remember that elaborate Ixi Ruixin Pro knife-sharpening rig?

In contrast, look at how simple and elegant the design of this Tumbler Diamond Rolling Knife Sharpener is:

The magnetic block offers a 15-degree angle on one side, and a 20-degree on the other.

The rolling sharpener is also dual-sided: The continuous surface is diamond-plated, meant to do the initial sharpening. The spiral surface is stainless steel and meant for the final honing.

These go for $98—when they come back into stock. Due to high demand, Tumbler says, new orders won’t ship until December 16th.

Dismantable buildings form the core of Zaha Hadid Architecture‘s proposed masterplan for Odesa’s world expo bid, which would offer participating nations a kit of parts to build their own pavilions.

Zaha Hadid Architects‘ masterplan for Ukraine’s World Expo 2030 bid is focused on four large central pavilions, which would provide 80,000 square meters of exhibition space for the event.

Once the expo is over, these would be used to hold trade fairs and events alongside a new conference centre on the site of the expo – the Khadzhibey estuary, located 20 minutes away from Odesa’s historic old town.

Zaha Hadid Architects’ design for the site would see the studio create modular national pavilions made from a choice of kit-of-parts, which the studio said would allow each country to “individually reinterpret the over-arching theme of Expo 2030 via their country’s unique cultural expression”.

Each of the modular components would make up around 25 per cent of a pavilion’s standard 1,600 square-metre site and could be combined with various other modular elements. Countries would be able to choose the modules and design their pavilions using a digital configurator tool.

Facades would be designed from a variety of options with “the lowest possible carbon impact”, said Zaha Hadid Architects.

The expo site itself would have a main boulevard that would connect all expo areas, as well as a series of plazas. National pavilions would be located south of the boulevard while a coastal “eco-park” would sit on the Khadzhibey estuary to the north.

Either end of the main boulevard would hold services, accommodation and logistics for visitors, staff and participants.

Odesa Expo 2030 was designed “with legacy in mind” and would be the first world expo to be hosted in eastern Europe. Afterwards, the national pavilions would be dismantled and could be used as civic buildings throughout Ukraine or brought back home by the participating countries.

The modules were specifically designed to be able to fit onto the shipping barges that are used for transportation on the nearby Black Sea, Azov Sea and Dnipro River.

The site surrounding the remaining buildings – the conference centre and central pavilions – would be “returned to nature” through the re-establishment of wetlands.

Though the ongoing war in Ukraine was not mentioned by the architecture studio, it said that the masterplan aims to minimise the use of concrete by using “recycled materials from damaged and demolished structures throughout southern Ukraine”.

Photovoltaics would be added to all roofs and the Expo 2030 micro-grid would be connected to wind turbines, which would supply the energy needed for the expo itself but also create renewable energy for the local community.

“In a city that has always been multinational and multicultural, a city of diversity with ancient connections throughout the world, when you visit Ukraine and our Odesa in 2030, you will feel the power and culture of not just one country and one city… you will feel the potential of all humanity,” said president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Odesa is one of four cities competing for the Expo 2030, with Busan in South Korea, Rome in Italy and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, also having submitted bids to host the event.

A decision as to which city wins will be announced in November 2023.

Ukraine has been badly affected by the war, which began when Russia invaded the country on 24 February. Since then, Russian shelling has destroyed and damaged a number of culturally significant buildings and the crisis has displaced millions of people.

The country’s postal service recently released a stamp celebrating the “titanic efforts of its armed forces”, while a studio whose Kyiv office was damaged in a Russian missile attack has vowed to rebuild it.

The latest world expo to take place was the Expo 2020 Dubai, which was held in 2021 after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event featured a number of pavilions designed by well-known architects, including a Sustainability Pavilion by Grimshaw Architects that was criticised for its “unnecessary emissions.”

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