Hasta La Ideas

Architecture studio Worrell Yeung has renovated a historic cast-iron building in Soho for an arts organisation called Canal Projects, which hosts exhibitions “in an unmistakably New York City space”.

Sat between Soho and Tribeca, the five-storey landmark was built in 1900 as a manufacturing centre, featuring a decorative white facade, double-hung windows and an external fire escape all typical of the neighbourhood.

Its street and basement levels were renovated by Worrell Yeung to create a home for Canal Projects, a non-profit arts organisation that hosts exhibitions, talks, performances, readings and screenings for the community.

The studio was careful to retain as much of the building’s character as possible, highlighting the existing features like original masonry and steam radiators, and restoring them where necessary.

Visitors arrive via a new entry threshold on Canal Street, where patinated bronze panels line the tall walls in a space intended to offer a moment of pause.

Up a short flight of steps is the main gallery space – a large, open and flexible room that can be programmed in accordance with the organisation’s needs.

“We designed the foundation to be a series of spaces that would compress and expand, collapse and unfold and move between dark and light,” said Worrell Yeung co-founder Jejon Yeung.

Surrounded by 14 large windows on two sides and boasting ceilings over 13 feet (four metres) tall, this room is light-filled and spacious.

New white oak floors complement the industrial details, including five cast iron columns and five wide flange steel columns that were exposed and restored.

“Similarly to providing artists with a distinctive platform, we wanted viewers to experience art in an unmistakably New York City space,” said Max Worrell, Worrell Yeung’s other co-founder.

“Passers-by will glimpse exhibitions from the street through the window walls along Canal and Wooster Streets, and visitors on the interior can see artwork with the city context visible in the background,” Worrell said.

Also on the ground-floor level are private offices for the curators and a bright orange public restroom.

Next to a freestanding reception desk by artist Zachary Tuabe, a staircase leads down to the basement level, which has a much smaller occupiable footprint.

Darker and more enclosed, the cellar space features original brickwork, masonry and timber ceiling joists, and provides a very different exhibition space that is suitable for film screenings.

Light from the steel sidewalk grates illuminates one end of the space, where a library area is created by floor-to-ceiling shelving that pivots as required.

A pantry area is hidden in an alcove behind a set of stable doors and is coloured entirely bright orange to match the upstairs restroom.

“We wanted artists to confront a venue that provides sufficient neutrality for their work, but that is also distinctly undivorceable from the Soho Cast Iron District,” said Yeung.

“This is a building typology unique to New York City, and a richly layered context within which to exhibit.”

Canal Projects opened to the public in September 2022, with an exhibition titled Pray organised by artistic director and senior curator Summer Guthery.

The show featured works by Bangkok and New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, and American artist and filmmaker Alex Gvojic.

Worrell Yeung was founded in 2015, and has worked on a variety of projects in and around New York.

The studio recently completed a timber-clad lake house with cantilevered roof planes in Connecticut, while past endeavours have included a Hamptons renovation, a Chelsea loft apartment, and the penthouse in the Dumbo Clocktower Building.

The photography is by Naho Kubota.

Project credits:

Architecture and interior design: Worrell Yeung
Worrell Yeung project team: Max Worrell, founder and principal; Jejon Yeung, founder and principal; Beatriz de Uña Bóveda, project manager; Yunchao Le, project designer
Structural engineer: Silman (Geoff Smith, Nick Lancellotti)
Lighting designer: Lighting Workshop (Doug Russell, Steven Espinoza)
MEP engineer: Jack Green Associates (Larry Green)
Expediter/code consultant: Anzalone Architecture (James Anzalone)
Contractor: Hugo Construction (Hugo Cheng, Kong Leong)

The post Worrell Yeung renovates cast-iron New York building for arts organisation appeared first on Dezeen.

Living in a sustainable, conscious, and smart manner has become not only a necessity but our moral obligation and duty toward the planet. Our homes should seamlessly integrate with, and nourish the planet, not drain her resources and reduce her lifespan. Being at one with Planet Earth, while taking rigorous care of her has never been more of a priority. In an effort to encourage an eco-friendly way of life, sustainable architecture has been gaining immense popularity among architects. They have been designing sustainable homes. These homes aim to harmoniously merge with nature, co-existing with it in peace, and allowing us to live in equilibrium with the environment. They reduce their carbon footprint and encourage a sustainable and clean lifestyle. And, not to mention they’re aesthetically and visually pleasing as well! From a tiny sustainable home that only measures 3×3 meters to a hostel in Shanghai built using recycled red bricks, natural clay, and reed bundles – these amazing designs will convert you into a sustainable architecture advocate!

1. The Coodo

A couple of years ago, German entrepreneur Mark Dare Schmiedel got pretty fed up with the chaos of Berlin and decided to move to the countryside, building his own quaint loft along the banks of the River Spree. The peace, calm, and zen that followed, got him wondering whether it would be possible to create a similar, but a mobile form of home, that could provide the same sanctuary to others. In his quest for such a retreat, he came across a mobile home concept designed by a group of Slovenian architects called ‘Coodo’. Schmiedel went on to procure the design rights of the concept, through his company LTG (Lofts to Go) and kickstarted the production of the units. The modular homes aim to bring you closer to nature, to a space away from the crowds, where you can truly enjoy the beauty of a moment.

Why is it noteworthy?

It features a curved, minimal steel frame with rounded edges and stunning floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The beautiful glass walls allow a generous stream of sunlight to enter the home. Whether on rooftops in the city, on beaches, on mountains, or alongside a river, the Coodo can be easily installed almost anywhere.

What we like

• Integrated utilization of smart home technology.
• Adherence to Passive House standards.

What we dislike

• With its focus on natural settings, we wish there was a way to enclose the open patio space to close up when away from the home

2. The Octothorpe House

Called the Octothorpe House, this impressive home in the Oregon high desert area near Bend was commissioned by a couple Mike and Katherine to Mork-Ulnes Architects. They wanted a home that would harmoniously merge with the desert landscape, and be environmentally friendly as well.

Why is it noteworthy?

To meet the client’s desire for a sustainable home, Mork-Ulnes Architects decided to use ‘cross-laminated timber’ in the construction of the home. What makes this timber sustainable is the fact that it has a strength-to-weight ratio that’s similar to concrete, but it is five times lighter as compared to it. CLT is pre-cut off site, which also reduces construction waste immensely.

What we like

• The architects utilized CLT to build the interiors and the exterior of the Octothorpe House, this prevented them from releasing almost 15 metric tons of greenhouse gases into the air

What we dislike

• The central courtyard has an open design, which we hope has a retractable roof

3. 3×3 Retreat

Tucked away in the rainforest landscape near Southern Chile’s La Unión city is a tiny cabin called the 3×3 retreat. Designed by Estudio Diagonal Architects, the tiny home was designed to create a sense of cohesion between the ‘radical geometry’ of the structure, and the natural and organic essence of the site.

Why is it noteworthy?

The cabin aims to function as a comfortable, cozy, and functional dwelling in the raw rainforest, without disturbing or causing harm to the forest in the least. It is placed on a slope, that subtly overlooks the Radimadi River. This was a genius move since it allows the cabin to provide its residents with stunning views of nature.

What we like

• The entire cabin was constructed by using common and economical building materials, such as standard pre-dimensional pine wood
• Local construction techniques were utilized

What we dislike

• The small footprint may not be suitable for everyone. Some people may find it too tiny

4. SOM LAND

Chinese design studio RooMoo transformed a pre-existing building into a hostel on the Chongming Island of Shanghai. Called the ‘SOM LAND’, the hostel is named after the traditional Chinese color of warm green, which makes a reference to the gaps found in between tree shadows and is a tribute to a slow-paced life.

Why is it noteworthy?

The construction of the hostel involved the utilization of local customs and handicrafts and caused minimum damage to the surrounding land. In fact, it incorporated the surrounding environment into the architectural scheme.

What we like

• To incorporate sustainability into the structure, it was built using recycled old wood boards, wasted red bricks, tree branches, reed bundles found on the site, and bamboo and other locally sourced and discarded materials

What we dislike

• Despite being renovated, the aesthetics of the hostel are old-school and can be considered out of style

5. LILELO

Nestled away in the center of Piedmont, Italy, surrounded by vineyards and woodlands is LILELO (Little Leisure Lodges). It includes a group of four adorable wooden cabins.

Why is it noteworthy?

The cabins are inspired by traditional haystacks, creating a triangular silhouette, which is supported by a trunk-like base. The cabins have been elevated off the ground, ensuring they don’t touch it, in an attempt to adopt a sustainable approach. This approach lays an emphasis on energy efficiency and eco-compatibility materiality.

What we like

• The elevated cabins ensure that there is minimal impact on the ground, while also beautifully complementing the sloping topography
• The eco-cabins artfully merge with their surrounding, creating the impression that is it at one with nature around it

What we dislike

• There’s only one door in the entire cabin, which can lead to a lack of privacy

6. Koto Design x Adobu’s Prefab Home

Based in the English seaside village of Westward Ho!, the architecture studio Koto Design captures the mellow vibe of a day spent at the seashore and translates it into a home space. Inspired by Scandinavian simplicity and Japanese minimalism, the result comes through breezy, open floor layouts and organic building materials.

Why is it noteworthy?

The architecture studio is known for its extensive catalog of sustainable, prefabricated tiny homes that can be transported to locations across the globe. In a recent collaboration with the USA-based, backyard home-building company Adobu, the two studios worked together to construct a tiny, prefabricated home that marries Scandinavian design with a Californian twist.

What we like

• Provides a semi-outdoor lifestyle
• Is carbon-neutral, and provides off-grid capabilities

What we dislike

• With its sloped roof, it will be difficult to grow the space vertically

7. The Folding Dream House

Michael Jantzen, a multidisciplinary artist based in New Mexico, is one artist who seems endlessly inspired by geometry. Merging sustainability, architecture, and technology, Jantzen developed an adaptable modern home called The Folding Dream House that expands from an enclosed, cubic structure into a multi-layered, dream home.

Why is it noteworthy?

From its initial conception, the Folding Dream House was designed as a place to sleep. Amounting to the size of a conventional hotel room, the Folding Dream House consists of two prefabricated, portable modules. Each rectangular module is envisioned mounted atop an elevated, triangular foundation that connects the home’s expandable support beams to its frame. On each facade of the Folding Dream House, Jantzen envisioned triangular overhangs and partitions as foldable panels that expand from the home’s frame.

What we like

• The panels can be folded open or closed in many different ways around the modules in order to accommodate various functional and/or aesthetic requirements

What we dislike

• It’s still in the conceptual phase, which means that there could be fundamental changes as the material restrictions come in the production phase

8. Common Knowledge x Tigín Tiny Homes

Irish social enterprise Common Knowledge has collaborated with Tigín Tiny Homes to create low-carbon micro homes that are meant to provide sustainable and economical housing solutions to people struggling to buy their own homes. Currently, property prices in Ireland are increasing by 11 percent every year, and this project hopes to tackle this ongoing housing crisis, and “empower people to take action on the housing and climate crises.”

Why is it noteworthy?

Besides building these sustainable and affordable dwellings, they are also providing training schemes to teach residents how to build and repair their own homes! The founder of Common Knowledge, Fionn Kidney said, “Ultimately, the plan of our Tigín project is not just to build these Tiny Homes, but to teach more than two hundred people with the skills to build these or any other projects themselves, whilst creating and releasing a free-to-use blueprint at the end of this year.”

What we like

• The twenty-square-foot homes feature a facade of corrugated hemp panels, cork insulation, and natural rubber flooring
• The homes are spread out across two levels, giving them a spacious feel, although they are compactly sized

What we dislike

• Not the most aesthetically pleasing homes

9. Buster

Buster is located in Matamata, just a couple of hours away from Auckland, New Zealand. You will be able to hear the sound of spring river water flowing around you as you’re surrounded by trees, stones, valleys, and basically the joys of nature. It’s located below the Kaimai Range “amongst ancient native bush and farmland”. It is a tiny home perfect for one person or a couple who wants to temporarily or even permanently live in such an area and to have something that is built sustainably and with the environment and your comfort in mind.

Why is it noteworthy?

Instead of being made from timber, it uses black corrugate as it will last longer and can survive all the different kinds of weather that the area experiences. They also used plywood to bring “a sense of warmth” to the house and is in fact what is also used in the traditional kiwi trampers huts, giving you even more of a local feel but with modern conveniences. It’s a pretty good combination, having a more natural lodging but using sustainable technology and devices to give you comfort and function.

What we like

• Buster is powered by GridFree solar panels
• The house is oriented to the north so that it will be able to maximize the light during the summer and even during the winter

What we dislike

• The solar energy is only enough to power a small fridge, and lights, and to charge your smartphones

10. Wattle Bank Home

Situated on a plot of land on Amy’s parents’ farm, the couple’s Wattle Bank home was designed and built by the modular home building company, Modhouse, founded by Amy’s parents Mark and Melissa Plank. Each 20-foot shipping container that comprises the tiny home connects to one another via integrated passageways. These hallways also help make the most of the available living space by hosting utility rooms, like the laundry and entryways. Throughout the home, floor-to-ceiling entryways and windows give the feeling of indoor-outdoor living, adding some extra space to the interior as well.

Why is it noteworthy?

Hoping to make their dream of a downsized, sustainable lifestyle a new reality, Plank and Vaughan found the freedom they hoped for in shipping container architecture. Merging three shipping containers together to form a 530-square-foot tiny home, Plank’s and Vaughan’s Wattle Bank home fits the bill.

What we like

• Provides a feeling of indoor-outdoor living
• Built using eco-friendly materials

What we dislike

• Not much to distinguish it from other shipping container-based architecture out there

The post Top 10 sustainable architecture designed to be an environmentalist’s dream home first appeared on Yanko Design.

For this lookbook, we’ve collated eight kitchens from Dezeen’s archive that use terracotta tiling to bring a sense of warmth into the functional space.

Terracotta – meaning baked earth in Italian – technically refers to any object made from fired clay. But most commonly, the term is used to describe pottery made from a porous type of earthenware clay that is high in iron oxides, giving it a rusty reddish brown colour.

Unlike ceramic stoneware or porcelain, terracotta is fired at lower temperatures so it does not vitrify – meaning the clay retains a coarse, organic texture and isn’t waterproof unless it is glazed.

Used as a backsplash or flooring, this can bring some much-needed colour and texture into the kitchen while helping to create a connection to the outdoors.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

Budge Over Dover, Australia, by YSG

Australian studio YSG used narrow terracotta tiles to “draw the outside in” to this house in Sydney, spilling from the floor of the garden patio onto the adjacent kitchen and dining area, which can be opened up to the exterior using sliding glass doors.

The rough clay is paired with shiny aubergine-coloured plaster and travertine in the sunken living room beyond, creating a contrast between raw and polished surfaces.

Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›

Farley Farmhouse, UK, by Emil Eve Architects

When Emil Eve Architects added a gabled kitchen to a farmhouse in Wiltshire, the British studio set out to mirror the material palette of the existing home by adding arrowhead terracotta tiles to the extension’s exterior.

Inside, matching rectangular tiles were laid in a herringbone pattern on the floor while a row of clay pendant lights hang from the wooden roof beams.

Find out more about Farley Farmhouse ›

Hygge Studio, Brazil, by Melina Romano

Terracotta flooring and tan brick walls lend a “rustic charm” to this São Paulo apartment, designed by Brazilian designer Melina Romano.

The tiles spill out across the entire home including the bedroom and lounge, which is framed by a screen made of decorative perforated cobogó blocks.

Find out more about Hygge Studio ›

Las 3 Marías, Spain, by Bajet Giramé and Nicolas Burckhardt

All-over terracotta flooring was one of the ways that Spanish studio Bajet Giramé found to connect the kitchen of this 1960s holiday home to its generous backyard, alongside the addition of generous arched openings and perforated steel doors.

“We ended up working on the whole plot, treating both house and garden as a playful matrix of varied interconnected rooms,” the studio told Dezeen.

Find out more about Las 3 Marías ›

La Odette, Spain, CRÜ

To create a bright, open floor plan inside this apartment in a Barcelona housing block that dates back to 1877, Spanish studio CRÜ tore down most of the internal petition walls

Instead, the kitchen is now delineated by a statement wall clad in terracotta tiles – left over from the flooring and turned back-to-front to reveal their ribbed underside.

Find out more about La Odette ›

West Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco

Three kinds of tiling provide textural interest inside the kitchen of this “forever home” in Melbourne, with sections of rustic terracotta contrasted against a backsplash of teal-glazed ceramics.

Corrugated tiles were also folded around the pendant light above the island that illuminates the work area, courtesy of Australian lighting brand Southdrawn.

Find out more about West Bend House ›

Como Taperia, Canada, by Ste Marie

Both the seating area and the open kitchen of this Spanish tapas bar in Vancouver were lined with terracotta, in a nod to the brick chimneys of Barcelona’s industrial Poble Sec power station.

Other Catalan references can be found in the restaurant’s cobalt blue accents – informed by the paintings of Joan Miró – and various abstract details that nod to the work of architect Antoni Gaudí.

Find out more about Como Taperia ›

Conde Duque apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera

Different spaces in this open-plan apartment in Madrid were defined by traditional Moroccan zellige tiles, with glossy yellow and green glazes and organic handcrafted surfaces.

To balance out these flashier surfaces, terracotta was used to ground the kitchen and dining area, paired with plain white walls and custom timber joinery.

Find out more about Conde Duque apartment ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

The post Eight earthy kitchens where terracotta tiles add warmth and tactility appeared first on Dezeen.

Modern homes are slowly but surely becoming smart homes, adding Internet-connected devices around the house to make our lives safer and more convenient. These can range from smart bulbs to smart ovens, and there’s a wide variety of brands to choose from. Unfortunately, that also means that some of these brands speak different languages, depending on whether they decide to support Apple, Google, Amazon, or something completely different. That, unfortunately, means that some of these smart home products can’t work together, making your smart home feel a little less smart. Fortunately, these companies themselves have wised up, and you can now enjoy the fruits of their collaboration with the new SwitchBot Hub 2 that now comes with Matter support.

Designer: SwitchBot

Click Here to Buy Now: $59.50 $69.99 (15% off with coupon code “YankoHub2“). Hurry, deal ends on April 12th.

A Better Foundation for your Smart Home – SwitchBot Hub 2 supports old infrared appliances and can help make them smarter.

The promise of a smart home quickly loses its appeal when you suddenly realize you will need different apps or different hubs for different sets of smart devices. That will hopefully become a thing of the past now that the new Matter standard is on the scene, supported by most of the major manufacturers and smart home platforms. Of course, that still requires that these devices or at least their hubs support Matter, which is where the SwitchBot Hub 2 comes in.

Adding Matter support with the SwitchBot Hub 2 is no small matter. SwitchBot made a name for itself with small robots that made regular appliances “smart” by pressing switches, turning locks, or even opening curtains, all controlled through the Internet. In addition to that same innovative versatility, the SwitchBot Hub 2 allows SwitchBot Bluetooth devices to be controlled using any Matter-compatible platform over Wi-Fi, which means you will be able to connect these SwitchBot products via Apple HomeKit. This also means that you can also use the third-party smart assistant of your choice, be it Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Siri.

Temperature, humidity, and light all directly through your device.

See clinical changes in your home environment via the app.

The SwitchBot Hub 2, however, is more than just a Matter-enabled smart home gateway. It’s actually a 4-in-1 smart home device, with the hub being just one of its many talents. The SwitchBot Hub 2 is the first Matter-enabled hub to feature a Thermo-Hygrometer sensor so that you can monitor temperature and humidity changes in real-time. This information is shown on an LED display that can intelligently change its brightness depending on ambient light. It also retains SwitchBot’s popular IR control function, taking the place of your old remote to more conveniently control older appliances that don’t support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. There is also Scene control that lets you create manual or automatic Scenes that can run multiple actions from one or more triggers, like turning lights on and opening the curtains in the morning.

Aside from the SwitchBot Hub 2 itself, you won’t even need to buy new SwitchBot Bluetooth products just to reap the benefits of Matter. The latest version of the Switchbot app on the App Store now supports the Hub 2 with Matter, and both SwitchBot Blind Tilt and Curtain are now Matter-comptabile, with other Switchbot Bluetooth products scheduled to follow one after the other. For just $59.49 $69.99 (Use Coupon Code “YANKOHUB2” to get 15% off) and available now on Amazon, the new SwitchBot Hub 2’s advanced features and future-proof Matter support give your home a long-overdue smart upgrade with an elegant minimalist aesthetic that will fit any interior or motif.

Click Here to Buy Now: $59.50 $69.99 (15% off with coupon code “YankoHub2“). Hurry, deal ends on April 12th.

The post SwitchBot Hub 2 keeps your smart home working in harmony with Matter support first appeared on Yanko Design.

As we transition towards a clean future with electric vehicles, luxury is not going to take a backseat by any stretch of the imagination. Hyundai is also homing in on the trend of futuristic concepts that don’t compromise luxury in any way, and the Hyundai NINE concept sedan is another perfect iteration.

The sleek design of concept cars we’ve seen by the South Korean automotive giant demonstrates the shift in branding, and this ultra-luxurious sedan by a duo of designers is yet another good example. This concept design is in no way associated with Hyundai and is a mere ideation that aims to catch the attention of automotive designers from around the globe for a vision of the future.

Designer: Jeesoo Kim and Yunsik Kim

Hyundai NINE concept premium sedan draws inspiration from the company’s flamboyant Grandeur concept from the 1980s. The vehicle is powered by a powerful electric drivetrain and has an aerodynamic design for optimized reduction in drag coefficient to extend the total range even further. Carrying the DNA of a station wagon and adopting the elements of a sports car, the NINE has wraparound headlights and taillights to amplify the futuristic appeal.

There are no visible hinges on the exterior for aerodynamic efficiency, even the side mirrors have been ditched for minimalist pop-out cameras. The front section gives up on the grille for a uber futuristic panel with the headlights hiding in design. Tail end of the concept sedan is topped by a transparent diffuser to further reduce air turbulence. While the EV seems to have a muted aero-kitted sports car aesthetic, everything is balanced well to not be overkill.

The designers imagine this luxury Hyundai sedan to ride on aero-inspired four-arm wheels. Those rear ones are covered by the bodywork thereby smoothing the airflow further. That said, the most noticeable feature of NINE is the boot section which hides a lounge seat for relaxing during long, grueling journeys. This section can be revealed with the push of the buttons as the wraparound LED taillights pivot around to give way to the space.

The post Hyundai NINE concept luxury sedan boasts lounge seating area in the boot first appeared on Yanko Design.