Hasta La Ideas

Japanese architect Junya Ishigami has unveiled the one-kilometre-long Zaishui Art Museum on a lake in China, which features openings that let water flow over the museum floor.

Located on an artificial lake at the entrance of a new development zone in Rizhao in China’s Shandong Province, the 20,000-square-metre linear museum extends from one side of the lake to the other, almost covering the entire diameter of the lake.

Ishigami wanted the Zaishui Art Museum to feel like it is emerging from under the lake. Parallel columns rise from the bottom of the lake to support a thin concrete roof with a subtly undulating shape.

“Columns repeated at regular intervals define the new surface of the water, while the water’s edge created by that surface defines the new ground,” explained Ishigami. “A new exterior is born, in the structure’s interior.”

Glass panelling was inserted between the columns to give visitors views of the lake, with Ishigami intentionally leaving gaps where the building’s floor meets the surface of the lake.

This allows water to flow into the building, submerging parts of the floor. In winter, whilst the water surface will freeze, the water underneath remains liquid and will continue to flow into the interior.

“In this new natural environment created inside a piece of architecture, one senses a landscape in which the scene inside segues into that outside,” said Ishigami.

The Zaishui Art Museum’s undulating concrete roof hangs low in places to imitate the outline of the mountain range behind. In parts of the museum building, the roof opens up to the sky to introduce the surrounding nature into the building.

According to Ishigami, the aim of the project was to address how Chinese architecture is generally “closed off” from the environment.

“From the tiniest abode to the most monumental edifice, everything feels in some way defensive. There’s an air of resignation, of a forced severing from the environment, a compulsion to close off,” he said.

Instead, Ishigami believes the key is to view architecture as a “gentle giant” of the environment and search for a new relationship between the natural and the manmade.

“One discovers a natural environment inside the building, and through its characteristics – as a new outside that has sprung up within the building – forges an amiable connection with the surrounding nature,” he said.

Across from the museum, Ishigami designed a visitor centre concealed under an expansive grass-covered roof.

Like the Zaishui Art Museum, the visitor centre features a glass facade supported by columns, and has a wide opening on the side facing the museum.

Two walking paths on either side of the museum’s one-kilometre-long body connect it to the shore, where visitors can wander off to experience the nature around it.

A chocolate-themed art exhibition is currently on display at the museum. According to the studio, the building can be adapted to accommodate various types of exhibitions, as well as retail concepts, in the future.

Ishigami founded his eponymous studio Junya Ishigami + Associates in 2006 after four years working at the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning studio SANAA.

His other recent projects include a mud-covered Japanese house and restaurant below ground and a covered plaza with a sloping floor at a Japanese university.

The photography is by Arch-exist.

Project credits:

Design leads: Junya Ishigami, Zenan Li
Design team: Zhirui Lin, Sellua Di Ceglie, Rui Xu, Tong Zhang, Cing Lu, Yuxuan Zhou, Zhixuan Wei, Yunyi Zhang, Hanyang Zhou, Qinxuan Li, Jason Tan, Anping Song, Yichen Ji
Structure: XinY structural consultants, Xin Yuan
MEP: Environment-friendly solution to Building services Engineering, Xueqin Yin
Lighting adviser: Environment-friendly solution to Building services Engineering, Xueqin Yin
Stone material factory: Sichuan Yutong Stone Co., Ltd
Construction (Reinforced concrete part): Beijing Yihuida Architectural Concrete Engineering Co.,Ltd

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The world’s largest cantilever has reached completion in Dubai, projecting out from between two skyscrapers at the mixed-use One Za’abeel development by Japanese studio Nikken Sekkei.

Measuring 67.5 metres, the cantilever forms part of a longer horizontal structure called The Link, which is dramatically suspended 100 metres above a six-lane highway and topped by a giant infinity pool.

The Link is connected to the skyscrapers at two points. As the towers sit on either side of the highway, Nikken Sekkei designed it to function as a four-storey bridge between them.

Its 67.5-metre-long cantilever, which faces northwest towards the Arabian Gulf, overtakes the 66.5-metre-long observation deck at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore as the longest cantilever in the world.

Nikken Sekkei designed The Link as the centrepiece of One Za’abeel, which is a luxury mixed-use development that comprises apartments, hotels, offices, retail and restaurants. The project is intended as a visual gateway to the city centre.

At 230 metres long, The Link is only five metres shorter than the smallest of the two skyscrapers. The second tower extends to 305 metres, cementing its place on Dubai’s growing list of supertalls – skyscrapers over 300 metres tall.

According to Nikken Sekkei, achieving a world record “was not the main aim” of the project.

Rather, the studio set out to create a deceptively simple structure with clean-cut glass facades, embodying its minimalist Japanese design approach and challenging Dubai’s tradition of more elaborate skyscrapers.

“Adding something new to the skyline of Dubai, that was a challenge for us,” reflected Fadi Jabri, the CEO of Nikken Sekkei’s Dubai office.

“We tried to come up with something which is very simple,” he told Dezeen.

“It was not the main aim to reach that goal [of world’s longest cantilever],” added project lead David Lehnort, while on a tour of the development.

“You want to stand out in a certain way,” he continued. “I think this is a more Japanese approach, to take a step back. The architecture is becoming the background for the scenery and all the drama that is going to happen here with all the luxury, sparkle and glamour.”

Inside, One Za’abeel encompasses 530,000 square metres, which includes 26,000 square metres of office space and 12,000 square metres of retail space.

In the shortest tower, which is named One Za’abeel The Residences, a total of 264 private homes are located across 59 storeys.

The 68-storey skyscraper, called One Za’abeel Tower, has a further 94 private homes and nine penthouses serviced by luxury accommodation brand One&Only. The brand also has 229 hotel rooms and suites, which it describes as an “urban resort”, in the building.

One Za’abeel Tower also contains Siro – a fitness and wellness hotel that contains 132 rooms – in addition to conferencing and event spaces, a spa, and 11 restaurants. Both the One&Only and Siro facilities are overseen by hotel operator Kerzner.

The Link itself contains three storeys of restaurants and bars, all with column-free interiors thanks to an external diagrid structure. The area at the furthest end of the cantilever has a glass floor, providing views down to the road below.

On its roof is another record-breaking feature – the world’s longest suspended infinity pool and the UAE’s longest rooftop infinity pool, which is intended to resemble “a beach in the sky”.

“[This project] gave us the opportunity to think about what an urban resort stands for,” Kerzner CEO Philippe Zuber told Dezeen.

“Our view was to say, since we don’t have a beach, let’s create The Link. This is an elevated pool bar, this is a beach in the sky. This is something that is super special.”

One Za’abeel is complete with 14 basement levels evenly split across the towers, and a series of retail and leisure facilities in The Podium – a three-storey structure that links the towers from ground level.

On the roof of The Podium is an “urban park” with gardens and a pool, intended to emulate Balinese landscapes.

The project has met the Gold standard requirements of the LEED green building certification, which has been achieved through various energy-saving technologies.

According to Nikken Sekkei, this includes automated electrical, lighting, and ventilation systems, and an energy-efficient glass facade system.

The Link was lifted over the six-line highway in two parts during 2020. The first section, weighing 8,500 tonnes, was lifted over 12 days before the 900-tonne cantilever was secured in place over four days.

Its position, which is approximately a third of the way up the towers, was chosen for visual reasons but also for how it functions programmatically between the private and public spaces. According to the studio, it also helps mitigate the sway of the towers in the wind.

One Za’abeel is not the first record-breaking building in Dubai, as the city is also home to the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa. Measuring 828 metres in height, it was designed by architect Adrian Smith while working at architecture studio SOM.

Another building with a record-breaking cantilever is the Busan Cinema Center in South Korea. The structure features a column-free roof that measures 85 metres, making it the world’s longest cantilever roof.

The photography is by Hufton + Crow.

Project credits:

Lead consultant: Nikken Sekkei
Contractor: Alec Engineering And Contracting
Design Partners: WSP Middle East, Inhabit, Limah, MCTS, Cracknell, Barr And Wray, RWDI, LPA, ESD, Nortech, LW Design Group, Denniston, Rockwell Group, DWP, HBA Social, Stufish, DPA, Wellness, Brimaxx, Farmboy, Capsule Arts Crowd Dynamics, Brash

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Designer Haneul Kim has joined forces with CGV, South Korea’s largest cinema chain, to form a series of table lamps from the company’s discarded screens.

Over the past two years, CGV has had to remove or replace more than 70 of its cinema screens due to damage or theatre closures in the wake of the pandemic, resulting in a large volume of potential waste.

Each screen has a total area of over ten square metres and is made from a PVC-backed plastic that is extremely robust, flexible and fire retardant, which Kim says makes them suitable for various uses.

The material is also able to diffuse light due to its finely perforated surface, which allows sound from speakers located behind the cinema screen to reach the auditorium.

“Looking at these holes in the waste screen, I discovered a visual similarity with the aluminium perforated plate used in industrial materials,” the designer told Dezeen. “I imagined what it would be like to replace the sound emitted through the screen with light.”

The first lights Kim produced for CGV were small portable table lamps with a cylindrical body and larger cylindrical shade.

The designer makes the lamps himself by cutting the screens into strips that he wraps around simple shades made from wire and translucent PVC found in typical lampshades.

The first 100 of these lamps are now used in CGV’s premium movie theatres, providing ambient lighting when placed on table surfaces next to the auditorium’s comfortable lounge chairs.

As a homage to one of his favourite design icons, Kim also used the same process to create his interpretation of the Shogun table lamp developed by Italian architect Mario Botta for Artemide in 1985.

Botta’s original features a striped, painted base and a pair of overlapping diffusers made from perforated steel that can be adjusted to create a unique interplay of light and shadow.

Kim used narrow strips of the PVC screen to recreate the shades as well as the striped pattern on the base, alternating the white front of the screen and the silver backing, which is used for showing 3D films.

All of the lamps incorporate LED light sources with three colour settings and a memory dimmer control. They are rechargeable via USB-C and have a battery life of up to 16 hours, allowing them to be used for several screenings between four-hour charges.

Kim is based in Seoul and regularly works with waste materials, making furniture from discarded face masks and cardboard boxes.

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There might be jokes about being the golden brown fuel that runs the world, but coffee really has a special place in many people’s daily routines. Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone enjoys coffee in exactly the same way. There are people who are fine with quick instant coffee, much to the horror of connoisseurs, as long as they get their caffeine fix. Others, however, have developed very particular requirements to satisfy their taste buds as well. Different people also like different types of coffee, from espressos to drips to hot to cold, and sometimes even the same person likes different brews depending on their mood. It’s difficult to find one machine that can deliver all of those, especially for home use, but that’s exactly the kind of ground-breaking innovation that this revolutionary coffee machine offers, giving users full control over the brewing process so that they can have the coffee they want the way they want it.

Designer: Chris Chan

Click Here to Buy Now: $699 $1,399 ($700 off). Hurry, only 23/320 left! Raised over $500,000.

KUKU Maker uses centrifugal force to generate pressure, which makes it possible to maintain a stable extraction pressure throughout the extraction process, regardless of the state of other parameters.

Baristas make it look too easy, but there’s actually a science and an art to brewing the perfect cup of joe. It’s not just the grind size that affects the way coffee tastes but also variables like water temperature, extraction pressure, and more. Your run-of-the-mill coffee machine usually only has one or a few presets for these in order to simplify the process, but that also takes out much of the fun and the power away from true-blooded coffee lovers.

You have the flexibility to use ice water or room temperature water directly for extraction, or you can employ KUKU Maker to swiftly heat room temperature water to your desired temperature before initiating the extraction process.

Enter KUKU, a genius design that lets you have consistent traditional coffee when you need it as well as easy, customized brews when you want it, all thanks to a combination of cyclic extraction and centrifugal force. That flexibility comes from KUKU’s ability to let you be in control of those variables, namely extraction pressure, temperature, time, and, of course, grind size. And best of all, you don’t need to adjust all of those when you don’t want to. For example, you can preset temperature and pressure while only adjusting the grind size to anywhere between superfine to extra course. And if you happened to select the wrong grind size, you aren’t punished but are instead rewarded with a new flavor you might have never discovered on your own.

Room Temperature Espresso

The KUKU Maker is a multifunctional coffee device that can quickly make not only cold-brew coffee but also cold-brew espresso.

Unlike other coffee machines, KUKU uses centrifugal force to generate pressure, and thanks to an inductive brushless motor and intelligent control algorithms, you can precisely define how that happens. Go from normal atmospheric pressure to high pressure or from 3000 to 7000 RPM speeds in a snap, controlling this variable to meet your preferred brew’s requirements. The temperature of the water used during extraction also has a significant impact not only on the taste of the coffee but also on the aroma, and KUKU gives you the freedom to use whatever kind of water you need. Pour crushed ice or ice water for your icy cold beverages or get room temperature water heated to your preferred levels. With electromagnetic induction heating, it takes less than a minute to heat 60ml of water for an espresso and 4 minutes for 300ml of water for an Americano.

With all these powerful features, it comes as a pleasant surprise that you don’t have to be a veteran barista to use KUKU. Your favorite type of coffee is just a single toggle switch away or, if you prefer the hands-free approach, a few taps on the KUKU mobile app. You can even download recipes from the app and try out different profiles made by coffee experts and champions. And at the end of the day, you don’t have to stress over the mess thanks to an easy cleaning process that will help keep your machine in tip-top shape with very little work. Whether your caffeine fix is a cold-brew espresso or you find joy in expertly crafted recipes, the innovative KUKU coffee machine gives you all the control you need for the perfect cup and the flexibility to experiment and discover a whole new world of flavor in every brew.

Click Here to Buy Now: $699 $1,399 ($700 off). Hurry, only 23/320 left! Raised over $500,000.

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In the dynamic realm of kitchen design, Gaggenau’s latest creation, the Essential Induction, masterfully merges cutting-edge technology with architectural elegance, redefining the very essence of kitchen aesthetics. This platform-breaking cooktop effortlessly fades into the background, offering a perfect union of functionality and minimalist design.

Designer: Gaggenau

Gaggenau’s longstanding commitment to innovation and visually pleasing aesthetics has consistently elevated its status in the world of kitchen appliances. The Essential Induction, part of the 400 series cooktops, presents a range of sizes from 38 cm to one meter, tailored for spacious kitchens, granting architects the freedom to express their creative vision. The solid stainless steel illuminated control knobs can be vertically mounted, and the flexible Vario options empower users to craft a bespoke cooktop that aligns with individual preferences.

At the core of the Essential Induction’s design philosophy lies the concept of quiet luxury. When not in use, the cooking zone seamlessly transforms into a multifunctional stone surface, maintaining a sleek and minimalist appearance. The absence of visible cooking zones or frames enables seamless integration into any living space, erasing the traditional boundaries between living areas and food preparation.

This induction marks a departure from conventional kitchen layouts, encouraging a more fluid and interactive cooking experience. Gaggenau’s design team observed a shift in user behavior, with individuals instinctively arranging ingredients and utensils around the pot, fostering a natural and enjoyable cooking process.

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the induction almost vanishes into a Dekton worktop when switched off, leaving only the front-mounted knobs in stainless steel or black as evidence of its presence. When in use, The knobs glow and a discreet LED dot guides users on where to place their pan for optimal heating, enhancing both safety and efficiency.

The seamless integration of Essential Induction into the Dekton worktop is made possible by the remarkable properties of Dekton, a durable material from Cosentino. Composed of ultra-compact mineral particles, Dekton offers resistance to heat, stains, and scratches, making it an ideal choice for architects designing kitchen countertops.

Beneath the Dekton surface, Gaggenau employs high-performance induction modules in two sizes, accommodating pots and pans up to 21 cm or 28 cm. The modules are activated through magnetic surface protectors, ensuring a secure grip on cookware while safeguarding the worktop from scratches and dampening sounds. The control knobs provide users with Gaggenau’s signature precision and speed, offering 12 power levels, a keep-warm function, and a boost for added convenience.

In the realm of kitchen appliances, Gaggenau’s Essential Induction stands as a testament to the philosophy that less is more. By seamlessly integrating into the living space, this cooktop not only enhances the aesthetics of the kitchen but also transforms the cooking experience into a joyous and liberating activity. Gaggenau’s Essential Induction is not just a kitchen appliance; it is a celebration of minimalism, innovation, and the pursuit of culinary perfection.

The post Gaggenau’s Essential Induction Cooktops Are Invisible And Integrate Seamlessly Into The Kitchen Platforms Believing In Quite Luxury first appeared on Yanko Design.