Dezeen School Shows: research that spotlights the benefits of mycelium and a hotel in a former jail are included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at Atlantic Technological University Sligo in Ireland.

Also included is an adaptive reuse project that sees a derelict industrial building converted into a hotel that features natural materials, and a dual-use co-working and community centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Atlantic Technological University Sligo

Institution: Atlantic Technological University Sligo
School: Yeats Academy of Art, Design and Architecture
Courses: BA Architecture and BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Masa Ruane Bratusa, Elaine Regan, Rowan Watson, Claire Lorusso, Grainne McGarty, Fiona Harte, Cliona Rooney, Bernadette Donohoe, Michael Roulston, Dr Cliona Brady, Peter Scanlon, Mary Byrne, Deirdre Greaney, Dara Burke, JP Feeney, Mark Stephens, Angela Rolfe, Dr John Bruen, Ray McNally, Dr Susan Galavan, Michael Mescal, Eoin Casserly and James Hamilton

School statement:

“ATU Sligo Architecture and Interior Architecture and Design programmes are part of the Yeats Academy of Art, Design and Architecture.

“Situated on the northwest coast of Ireland – the Atlantic edge of Europe – and immersed in the evocative landscape of ever-changing light and glacially sculpted topography, our school draws upon the spirit of a place that has inspired creativity through the ages, notably in the works of the Yeats family.

“The Interior Architecture and Design programme in ATU Sligo focuses on taking an environmentally-conscious approach to re-use, re-imagination and innovative re-invention of the existing built  environment.

“We challenge students to create imaginative responses to spatial problems, which cut across architectural aspects of place, cultural and built heritage and recognise the design-related needs and identity of clients.

“Through interactions with live clients, sites and diverse design projects, our students learn to create coherent spatial and sociological narratives.

“The Bachelor of Architecture at ATU Sligo is Ireland’s newest architecture programme.

“Seeking new territories of experimentation with place, and endeavouring to engage with the transformative role of architecture, our aim is to stimulate social engagement and dialogue around the identity of the region.

“Building on this legacy and acknowledging the energy specific to this place, our architecture school aims to make a significant contribution to the cultural legacy of Sligo and its distinctive wealth of creative history.

“The challenges of the present demand a radical response to a future which demonstrates concern for both people and planet.”

WERKhub CoWorking and Community Centre by Carmen Chok

“This centre is located in the old town of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The site emphasises the importance of social integration with spaces for communities and artistic activities.

“The project creates a co-working and community centre where people can meet, connect and collaborate.

“It aims to revive the historic core of the city by allowing both residents and visitors to engage with a new public realm, as well as facilitating access to additional services and commercial activity.

Student: Carmen Chok
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Elaine Regan and Rowan Watson
Email: carmenchok3621[at]gmail.com

A Sublime Transcendence by Karen Keaney

“A derelict industrial building in Sligo is reimagined as both a destination and a point of departure.

“It is a ‘voyage back in time’ that embraces travel, movement, memories and adventure as so many have done in years gone by.

“From the moment you cross the threshold and stroll down the monochromatic passageway, all your senses are heightened and there is a sense of anticipation.

“The space aims to foster memories and inspire new adventures.”

Student: Karen Keaney
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Masa Ruane Bratusa and Fiona Harte
Email: kkeaney10[at]gmail.com

House of Self-worship by David Carroll

“The proposed hotel within the Finisklin industrial estate aims to create a unique experience of splendour and spiritual wellbeing for those who stay.

“Visitors are encouraged to melt away stress and outside distraction, and allow themselves to indulge in their own company.

“Inserted elements appear as stretches of melted gold, curving and rounding within the fabric of the batchelor’s warehouse to create a ambience of luxury and relaxation.

“They highlight the intricacy of the existing Hennebique system – a unique pattern of steel reinforced concrete that creates an intricate latticework of columns and beams.

“A large void spanning from the main lobby to the sky creates a vertical cloister, connecting all rooms to a central, brightly lit space.”

Student: David Carroll
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Masa Ruane Bratusa and Fiona Harte
Email: dplcarroll[at]hotmail.com

Al Faisaliyah Center Co-Working, Social and Event Centre by Ibtisam Dhafer

“Al Faisaliyah Centre is a quiet work and study space in the middle of the crowded city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“The space aims to encourage workers, freelancers and students to be more creative and productive by providing the services, space and resources needed to network with others.

“The space will combine different cultures of Saudi Arabia in one place.

“By utilising traditional motifs from different regions and incorporating materials that are used in heritage buildings, tradition is brought to the modern, contemporary world.”

Student: Ibtisam Dhafer
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Elaine Regan and Masa Ruane Bratusa
Email: ibtisamdahfer[at]gmail.com

Growing Materiality – Is Mycelium the Material of the Future? by Rebecca Peacock

“This study aims to understand mycelium’s potential and encourage a dialogue on how nature and humanity can co-exist to create a more sustainable future in design – fundamentally rethinking our relationship with nature.

“At present, materials used in the construction of buildings adversely affect the environment.

“Mycelium, on the other hand, flourishes on waste materials and only requires room temperature to grow, and is a product of some of the most fascinating organisms in the biosphere.

“This research investigates what mycelium is, its role within the ecosystem and its current uses within the creative industry, focusing primarily on mycelium as a material resource.”

Student: Rebecca Peacock
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Masa Ruane Bratusa and Claire Lorusso
Email: rebeccapeacock1990[at]gmail.com

Liquid – Solid – Void: Architecture of Mutable Landscapes by Daniel Tansey

“Liquid-Solid-Void: Architecture of Mutable Landscapes is a housing project that consists of 39 housing units designed as alternative accommodation to people currently served by the direct provision system, offering an inclusive means of settlement.

“The apartment block, located in Sligo’s urban core, was designed to encourage interaction within the town to help combat the alienation sometimes felt by asylum seekers, aided by the permeability of structures within the block.

“The project also aims to enliven the historic ‘Greenfort Precinct’ of the city centre, as well as form a strong edge to the urban block, enclosing the public realm within.”

Student: Daniel Tansey
Course: BA Architecture
Tutors: Mary Byrne, Dara Burke, Mark Stephens and Bernadette Donohoe
Email: danieltansey[at]icloud.com

Liquid | Solid | Void: Architecture of Mutable Landscapes by Abigail Higson

“The focus of my intention for the whole block are people – creating moments of connectivity and pauses in the lives of the public who utilise the community project, and the residents who previously might have felt invisible within society under the direct provision system.

“My intention was to create a sense of community through the use of the project’s circulation space and to provide a strong visual connection to the surroundings by having large, external and internal stairways reflecting the landscape of Sligo and creating opportunities for social interactions.

Student: Abigail Higson
Course: BA Architecture
Tutors: Mary Byrne, Dara Burke, Mark Stephens and Bernadette Donohoe
Email: abigailhigson[at]yahoo.ie

Armada Interpretive Centre by Eoin Denver

“The Armada International Interpretive Centre will communicate the story of the wrecking of the Armada on Streedagh Beach.

“It will be a key tourist destination on the Wild Atlantic Way, providing an opportunity to focus on ‘place’  – geo-morphological, mythological, social, historical and cultural – and inspiring visitors to explore further the landscape that bore witness to the tragic event of 1588.

“The project has a contemporary design that expresses regional, national and international identity.

“The Interpretive Centre’s vision is to facilitate national and international access to found artefacts and potential research.”

Student: Eoin Denver
Course: BA Architecture
Tutors: Dr Cliona Brady, Bernadette Donohoe and Michael Roulston

A Hymn to Freedom and Rebellion – Re-use of an Abandoned Jail Building ‘Sligo Gaol’ as a Hotel by Jasmine Lee

“A Hymn to Freedom and Rebellion is a celebration of enjoyment of life without hinderance or restraint.

“The design proposal is based on the enhancement of the structural elements left behind.

“Taking inspiration form the remnants of history, myths and ancient architecture, through the study of the abandoned jail building and its context, this project re-examines the operating structures of hotels.

“The metaphorical use of juxtaposed spaces ambiences and fragmentary conditions transforms the building into an immersive garden, where people can swim through the ruins of the past, redefining the hotel typology and subverting our perception of interior architecture.”

Student: Jasmine Lee
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Masa Ruane Bratusa and Rowan Watson
Email: leejasminelee[at]hotmail.com

Voyeur by Niamh McGeoghegan

“The re-design of batchelor’s building, an abandoned industrial building, into a hotel is an invitation for visitors to be immersed in an experience, where one is welcomed by raw materials and connections to water.

“Our experience as humans – and inhabitants of the natural world – is referenced through the journey of the space as the cave-like expanse is experienced.

“The art of observing without being seen, in the niches found in the space, is a playful way for visitors to explore their own position in the world.”

Student: Niamh McGeoghegan
Course: BA Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Masa Ruane Bratusa and Fiona Harte
Email: nmcg2002[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Atlantic Technological University Sligo. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Dezeen Showroom: British brand Shelved has added features to its modular shelving systems, giving customers the option to customise the steel framework with new materials and details.

Designed by the brand’s creative director Jonathan Clark, the Shelved range includes TV units, shelving, sideboards, home office solutions, cabinets, vinyl and hallway storage, all of which can be customised in Shelved’s online configurator.

The configurator can also be used to design pieces from a blank slate.

With the new features customers now have the option to add glass shelves, height extensions or knurled connection pins.

The glass shelves help to minimise light disruption and emphasise the slimness of the framework, while the extension helps to maximise floor space for spaces with high ceilings, allowing the shelving to reach a height of 285 centimetres.

The new connection pins, which are ridged around the edges and available in black or brass, offer a design detail that Shelved says draws attention to the beauty of engineering and simplicity of assembly.

“The addition of the new features further elevates the aesthetic of the product and offers customers even more scope to make their product truly one-of-a-kind,” said Shelved.

Product: Shelved modular shelving
Designer: Jonathan Clark
Brand: Shelved
Contact: hello@shelved.co.uk

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

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Insight from the furniture maker and the Copenhagen-based studio’s Chief Brand Officer, Marie Kristine Schmidt

Amid the chaos and congestion of Milan Design Week 2023, Copenhagen-based furniture brand GUBI—known for releasing classic pieces by famous designers and for a roster of emerging talent—brought attendees to a poolside installation at Bagni Misterosi. It was at this refreshing oasis of design that we caught a glimpse of the MR01 Initial Outdoor Lounge Chair, crafted from iroko wood. Following the design of the original MR01, a meditation chair (in oak or walnut) imagined by Danish designer Mathias Steen Rasmussen, the outdoor lounger employs the same sweeping lines and low center of gravity. The MR01 has been a favorite of ours since its debut, and we spoke to Rasmussen, along with GUBI’s Chief Brand Officer, Marie Kristine Schmidt, to learn about its creation and what we can expect for the future.

“It actually started with me writing to Jacob [Olsen],” Rasmussen says of the brand’s founder. “I wrote to him because back then he was also the creative director. If you had a design proposal, he was the person to get in contact with. I had done this chair, almost as it is now, as a school project when I was studying to become a wood machinist—like becoming a cabinetmaker but for the machining processes of building furniture—and I felt like it had potential beyond me.”

Rasmussen approached a lot of people but Olsen was quick to respond. “He asked me if it what I sent was a render or if I had something I could bring to him in Copenhagen,” Rasmussen continues. “I said ‘I can come by tomorrow. I have two prototypes.’ I brought them on a bike. We had a quick chat, maybe 15 minutes. He walked around the chair in silence. He touched it and he sat in it. And then he set me up with his product developers. From that moment on it was straightforward.”

“For GUBI, this was a little bit of a different approach,” Marie Kristine Schmidt adds. “The thing is that a lot of other designers may have materials that they prefer but Mathias is actually a cabinetmaker. He does the work on the product himself. He’s a very esteemed furniture maker for other private clients and some of the most luxurious brands in the world.” From a design development standpoint, the challenge became translating a product that Rasmussen had made by hand into something that could be produced by a carefully industrialized process—without a loss of quality.

“This chair is very thought-through. It was artisanal and craft-based but on the other side it’s quite technical,” Schmidt continues. “There are very few pieces to be put together. It’s a very optimized process from a manufacturing point of view.” One of Rasmussen’s own prototypes was used to develop the production system. He says he’s satisfied with the results and he doesn’t believe any spirit was lost. “Of course I’m an artist, but an artist can also get machines to do the work,” he says. “Often, they can do a better job and they can do the same thing every time.”

Schmidt says Rasmussen’s success behind the design is due to his clear intention. Before Rasmussen had children, he would meditate an hour in the morning and half-an-hour after work. This informed the chair. “I still get it done,” he says of meditation. “I still close my eyes and draw myself into my heart and I still get drawn to my chair when I do that.”

As for the division of GUBI that acts as a platform for emerging designers, Schmidt says, “We do some of our most successful work in collaboration. We mature together with designers. What we do as a design company and as a design brand, we have the archives that we work with and we have the living designers. It’s our responsibility to tell untold stories, to be part of the pathway where we establish and push ourselves as a brand and also create a platform for new designers to shine.” She notes that their archives aren’t just full of iconic silhouettes but also unknown, lost and forgotten designers.

“Our idea is to have some designers who become integrated into our narrative and we become part of their story. That’s what we dream about with Mathias, that we have a common path into the future,” she adds. Concurrently, Rasmussen’s career is developing. “I have my own studio now,” he says. “I have desk for the first time in my life where I go to answer emails or draw. I have my own woodwork shop with machines that I share with my good friend. I’m building this foundation.”

Schmidt returns to the idea of intent when considering future collaborations with Rasmussen. “You always have an idea about what your intent is for what you are drawing or presenting,” she says. “It’s never just to do a chair. It’s never just to do another table. It’s never just a piece of furniture. You have a clear idea—and for us as a brand, it’s important to make sure that there’s intent behind everything we build. Things have character. What makes us unique is our ability to tell a story. We are a soulful business. And hopefully, we can make people feel something.”

As for the Milan Design Week lounge debut, Schmidt notes that it was based on request. “We needed to evolve the platform of the chair,” she says. “We have a huge outdoor market. Since we introduced the MR01 chair, one of the biggest questions from architects and designers was how could this chair go outside. They wanted that. It was meant to be.”

Images courtesy of GUBI

On the 30th anniversary of Droog‘s first show in Milan, founding member Richard Hutten has curated an exhibition celebrating the Dutch design movement and its lasting influence.

Titled Droog30 – Design or Non-design, the exhibition was originally launched at this year’s Milan design week and is now opening at Rotterdam’s Nieuwe Instituut today.

Rather than a retrospective, the exhibition was designed as a homage to Droog – presenting some of the collective’s key designs while exploring the gaps between Droog and the contemporary world.

When Droog made its international debut at Milan design week in 1993 with works like Tejo Remy’s assemblage of salvaged drawers and Hutten’s cerebral Table Chair, it was in a world with no internet, no mobile phones and limited ways of communicating internationally.

This allowed a way of working that Hutten says is now foreign to think about.

“If I design something today, I put it on Instagram tomorrow and the day after it goes viral and the day after that it already gets copied and then you can never make a movement,” he told Dezeen.

“But the fact that there was no internet and we worked relatively in isolation [meant] we could make this big bang in ’93 in Milan,” he continued.

Back then, the most high-tech tool Hutten had in his studio was a fax machine. And while he knew what his contemporaries in the Netherlands were doing, those in other countries did not.

“The world was a totally different place,” he said. “And that’s why I think Droog is the last movement in design. In the ’80s, we had Memphis. In the ’90s, we had Droog. And since then, there has not been any big movement in design, or in art or in architecture.”

A loose collective of members, Droog was started only a few months before the Milan show in 1993 by Dutch designer Gijs Bakker and curator Renny Ramakers.

Hutten was in the early days of his design career and got the landline call to participate from Bakker – his former teacher at the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE), from which he had graduated two years earlier.

The aim was to present a snapshot of what was exciting them about design in the Netherlands, where they were building on each other’s ideas to reappropriate found objects, subvert ideas of form and function, and explore concepts over products.

Their intervention changed design, Hutten says.

“The big achievement of Droog was that we were adding topics to design, which were not there at that time,” he explained. “Design was basically about form, style, luxury.”

“All of a sudden, we added topics like sustainability, imperfection, archetypes,” Hutten continued. “We widened what design was.”

Droog, meaning “dry” in Dutch, went on to feature the work of renowned designers including Hella Jongerius, Marcel Wanders, Maarten Baas, Joris Laarman and Jurgen Bey before dispersing around a decade ago.

Today, the Droog name continues as a design brand only. But Hutten sees its influence everywhere, including at the DAE’s recent graduation shows, where “literally everything was conceptual”.

“There were hardly any products,” he said. “It was all about installations and concepts and ideas. That would have never looked like it looked now without Droog.”

In the Droog30 exhibition, which Hutten co-curated together with Maria Cristina Didero, the movement’s history is presented within an installation of what Hutten calls “analogue social media”.

This consists of printed-out sheets of comments, crowdsourced from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, that line the floors and walls – combining a tool that didn’t exist in Droog’s day with a style and humour that is true to the group.

Hutten obtained the comments by asking questions of his social media followers, trying to elicit their opinions, reflections and memories of Droog.

The responses include thoughts from curator Paola Antonelli, design critic Alice Rawsthorn and Droog icons like Wanders alongside design studio Formafantasma, whose own later work for Droog also features in the show.

“Formafantasma said: that’s the reason why we went to Eindhoven to study design, because of Droog,” Hutten explained.

The exhibition also features a second analogue twist on modern technology. The works on display were chosen by an algorithm, but one that was applied manually by the curators rather than electronically by computers.

It is an algorithm in the original sense – a set of rules to be followed in a calculation.

Hutten won’t share the rules they used – “like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, our algorithm is secret” – but says it resulted in a surprising mix that shows the diversity of Droog rather than just the evergreen designs.

Their curatorial approach is meant to be a celebration of making in a digital world, Hutten said.

“Nowadays in design, you can make an NFT or render or you don’t even have to make things anymore,” said Hutten. “And Droog is definitely about the fun of making and the physical world.”

The photography is by Gianluca Di Ioia.

Droog30 – Design or Non-design? is open from 2 May to 27 August 2023 at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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Traditional Japanese materials and details are fused with contemporary finishes at C4L House in Tokyo, designed by local studio Cubo Design Architects.

Informed by traditional Japanese construction, the home was designed by Cubo Design Architects to celebrate “the warmth of things made by hand”.

It was created in collaboration with several local artisans working with carpentry, paper and lacquer, and references Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki’s 1933 essay In Praise of Shadows as well as the concept of wabi-sabi – the acceptance of imperfection.

“As Junichiro Tanizaki writes, there are materials and furnishings whose beauty and comfort can only be fully appreciated in the half-light of a traditional home,” said studio founder Hitoshi Saruta.

“We believe houses that are rooted in an understanding of Japan’s cultural context and a respect for the skills and innovations of our ancestors, which can nevertheless be passed onto future generations, are the kind of houses we should be building in Japan today,” he continued.

The entrance to C4L House leads past a shallow pool and into a ground-floor lounge. Here, both polished and natural stone walkways pass beds of rocks and plants, surrounded by textured plaster walls and delicately carved wooden screens.

On the first floor, the same palette of wood and stone has been used for the bedrooms but with a more contemporary approach. It is married with Japanese paper walls and a dark carpeted sleeping area with a bed screened by braided cords.

The bathroom areas include a sunken stone bath and curved timber sauna, while a tearoom has been finished using traditional Japanese carpentry techniques and tatami flooring.

Wood-framed sliding doors open out onto small balcony areas that overlook the ground-floor lounge, allowing for a visual juxtaposition between rough and smooth, light and dark.

“We paid close attention to the contrast between light and dark, creating both subdued areas that express the beauty of weak light and more dynamic areas filled with strong light,” explained Saruta.

“Traditional artisans transformed soil, trees and other natural materials into a wide range of architectural forms,” Saruta continued.

“Illuminated by beautiful light, these forms became spaces with great depth.”

At the top of C4L House on the second floor, a living, dining and kitchen area is set back to make space for a south-facing terrace, sheltered by the large, wood-lined overhang of the roof.

Cubo Design Architect is led by architect Saruta and is based in Tokyo. Previous projects by the studio include a concrete and blackened wood-clad home in Odawara, designed to create the feeling of being suspended in mid-air.

Elsewhere in Japan, Tan Yamanouchi & AWGL recently created a home and studio with a sweeping curved facade.

The photography is by Koji Fujii / TOREAL, Takashi Yasui.

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