Hasta La Ideas

Italian studio LDA.iMdA Architects converted this former warehouse in northern Italy into a design showroom and then concealed it behind gauzy black curtains.

Located in the town of San Miniato, the single-storey building for timber furniture brand Artwood now houses exhibition areas, offices and a reception.

Only the black-framed entrance punctures the dark curtain exterior, as there are no windows.

Inside, chunky timber light-boxes bear down over exhibition stands, while an assortment of different wood finishes covers the walls and floor.

Another showroom we’ve featured in recent months was completed by Zaha Hadid for a bathroom brand – see it here.

Here’s some more text from the architects:

ARTWOOD showroom (LDA.iMdA architects)

An abandoned warehouse and the need of bringing inside a new contemporary world are the reasons for a new reinterpretaion of the unused space.

“Second life” is a philosofical (but not only) reinterpretation that allows the use and the improvement of the neglected buildings inventing their new life, therefore giving them a second chance.

This concept is the starting point for the Artwood exhibition space (wood artistic life), where the product is the protagonist, to be mainly “lived”, rather than sold.

The space is designed as a camping in the wood, which is providing the woodworks meant as e return to the origins claimed by the logo, done in the same circumstance, showing the house shaped by the nature.

The wish to cancel the presence of the generator box, keeping the existing structure, leads to the use of the black as a non-colour for the ceilings and the walls, dematerializing the borders, merging into the dark air of a summer night. The curtain black veil solves in a technological way the architecture functionality as well, by the principle of the maximum performance with the minimum of energy spent, and it is designed as an edge the allows to enjoy a different internal place.

Crossing the only entrance through the voluptuous curtain, you can reach a sensorial parallel world. The space is defined by deformed volumes voluntarily spread around under a starry sky (the starry black sky), whose location allows the user to move within a wide open space.

Along the back wall you can see the backlighted picture of a vivid wood, to feel the natural authencity you can breath in the products.

Artwood is designed as an open space where you can follow the stories of the furnitures, where the container is contained and the structure becomes an exhibitor, inverting the common idea of space/ exhibition, so far.

The wish of making spaces with variable relatiosnhips, creates a different use/ relationship between visitor and exhibition space; you can stop in resting spaces and followunusual and unexpected paths, as well.

Inside every volume, showrooms, offices, reception desk and services are located.
Walking, stopping and living inside this building help to loose the feeling of being in a commercial space, and make the visit as a real experience.

Danish architects BIG seem to have a thing for skiing on rooftops and have designed some more buildings that double up as ski slopes, this time for a resort in Lapland.

Visitors to the Koutalaki Ski Village in Levi will be able take an elevator up to the rooftops of the four accommodation blocks and ski back down.

The competition-winning buildings will surround and shelter a public square that can be used for ice skating and music performances.

Cafes and bars will occupy the lower floors of the buildings, while the top floor of one block will offer panoramic views of the surrounding snow-covered landscape.

You can also read about BIG’s earlier proposals for a combined power plant and ski slope here, or see more stories about skating, skiing and sledging in our recent feature.

Here’s some more information from BIG:

BIG Unveils A Ski Resort In Lapland

BIG wins an invited competition for a 47.000 m2 ski resort and recreational area in Levi.

The future Ski Village will transform the existing Levi ski resort into a world class destination, offering top quality accommodation and leisure services for skiers of all levels and demands. The proximity to the Kittilä airport ensures easy access to the resort attracting international visitors to Levi village and the whole Lapland region.

The Finland-based developer Kassiopeia Finland Oy is investing in its local region as it currently owns and operates Hotel Levi Panorama, Levi Summit Congress Center and Hotel K5 Levi and above and beyond has interests in developing the exquisite Koutalaki area.

“BIG’s visionary approach of combining unique types of accommodation and amenities along with the leisure activities offered at the resort, left the jury in awe.

BIG’s ambitious plan challenges traditional thinking and we believe that the collaboration between Kassiopeia Finland and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group will rise to the occasion.” Jury, Kassiopeia Finland Oy.

Located on a gentle slope, the existing Levi ski center provides the framework for the future Koutalaki Ski Village which is conceived as an extension of the summit and the existing cluster of buildings in Koutalaki.

BIG proposes to create a series of buildings that radiate out from a central square and whose ends touch the ground to create four freestanding buildings that each provide access to the roof and allow the skiers to descend from the resort’s rooftop downhill in any direction.

The soft curves of the undulating roofs of the four buildings create a visual continuity of the natural land­scape while lending the whole village the unique character of a skislope skyline that creates an inhabited mountain top.

“The Koutalaki Ski Village is conceived as an extension of both the summit and the resort. Grown from the natural topography rather than dropped from the sky – the ar­chitecture extends the organic forms of natural landscape creating an inhabitable as well as skiable manmade mountain.

As a result, our design for the Koutalaki Ski Village creates a new hybrid integrating distinct identities such as village and resort, shelter and openness, cozy intimacy and natural maj­esty, unique character and careful continuity – or simply – architecture and landscape.” Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Partner, BIG.

The four build­ings arc around a central square to create a new bustling village plaza at the heart of the resort, which is sheltered from the wind yet open and inviting to the surrounding landscape.

The plaza allows ice skating and music events and is connected to a bowl like yard with cafés and bars created by the lower interior heights of the new buildings. The intimate atmosphere of the spaces created here contrasts the open views from the summit.

The whole resort area is connected through a network of paths that prioritizes skiers and pedestrians. Access to the roofs happens through central elevator cores allowing skiing down either towards the courtyard or the piste. An elevator located centrally in the hotel provides access to the roof top restaurant with a 360 degree panorama views of the landscape and plaza.

”When first visiting the future Koutalaki village site you realize the proximity to the ski slopes but at the same time the importance of creating a connection for skiers as well. The gentle slope away from the main ski system seems to offer the solution for a unified proposal that creates maximum connectivity for skiers and pedestrians.” Jakob Lange, Partner-in-Charge, BIG.

All accommodation units offered at the new resort enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding nature, including the eight private villas which are situated at different elevations to provide an undisturbed panorama, while the elevated private gardens serve as an extension of the landscape. The villas embrace the snowy landscape and allow the snow in all its forms become a part of the architecture itself.

“Instead of creating design solutions that aim at dealing with snow by shoveling or moving it, we want to create a village that utilizes the full potential of snow. When it is caught on the façade the window frames become a living part of the landscape, adapting to changes in the weather. The light granite façade enhances the intimate relation with the nature.” Hanna Johansson, Project Leader, BIG.

While the four buildings simulate real ski slopes during winter time, combining the essence of a ski resort – skiing, relaxation, rec­reation and dwelling, the roofscape of the buildings during summer will be just as attractive serving as a green continuum of the surrounding natural landscape for hiking and pic­nics.

Name: Koutalaki Ski Village
Size: 47.000m2
Client: Kassiopeia Finland Oy
Location: Levi, Finland

Partners in Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Jakob Lange
Project Leader: Hanna Johansson
Team: David Tao, Erik de Haan, Jeff Mikolajewski, Jesper Victor Henriksson, Lucian Racovitan, Maren Allen

Waves of stone ripple around the corners of a Hong Kong shopping centre that was recently renovated by British designer Thomas Heatherwick.

Pacific Place was originally constructed in the 1980s and is located at the base of four towers, which house offices, hotels and luxury apartments.

Flat skylights replace the previous pyramid-shaped ones to maintain natural daylight inside the building whilst allowing the roof to be converted into a public terrace.

A new restaurant has been constructed on this level, featuring a swirling ceiling of folded steel.

Heatherwick has also installed a new signage system around the building, helping visitors find their way around.

Thomas Heatherwick also recently completed furniture for an English abbey – see our earlier story here.

Photography is by Iwan Bann.

Here’s a little more text from the client, developer Swire Pacific:

About Pacific Place

Pacific Place is a large scale, high quality, mixed-use development encompassing floor space of approximately 5.19 million sq ft by gross floor area in the central business district of Hong Kong. It is linked to Admiralty MTR station, with connections to other modes of transport.

Since its inception in 1988, Pacific Place now houses nearly 130 shops and boutiques and two major department stores, collectively offering an array of contemporary fashion and international luxury brands.

The mastermind behind the Pacific Place contemporisation project, Thomas Heatherwick, took an organic approach to the new design, using natural forms and materials to bring a sense of fluidity to Pacific Place.

Materials such as natural stone and textured Tektura wallpaper were used to add a sense of depth to otherwise flat surfaces, whilst wood was manipulated to eliminate angular edges and create a more natural flowing sensation within the complex.

Over 1.6 million man-hours have been spent on the contemporisation project since it was initiated in 2007.

Materials used in the renovation include over 3,600 sqm of Limestone and Bedonia stone were also featured in the new design, with 72 variations of plant species employed for the landscaping of the level 4 area.

Besides the warmer ambience and softer design of the mall, visitors can also enjoy a new selection of high-end brands and stores at Pacific Place, including luxury department store, Harvey Nichols, British fragrance brand, Jo Malone, and travel accessory company, Tumi. Journeys through the mall are more enjoyable with a new music system continuously playing music tracks interwoven with natural sounds, whilst new escalators to the carpark levels and redesigned bubble lifts make access easier. The washroom facilities have also experienced an upgrade, with a new design which affords visitors the luxury of space in a modern setting. In total, the interior, exterior, and architectural refinements to Pacific Place have cost approximately HK$2 billion.

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The substantial completion of the Pacific Place contemporisation project marks a new era for Pacific Place, reinforcing its reputation as a premier shopping destination in Hong Kong.

Tread-like indents in the concrete facade of this rock-climbing centre might encourage visitors to scale the walls (photos by Julien Lanoo).

Designed by French architects Béal & Blanckaert, Le Polyèdre is situated outside Lille and houses a gym as well as a rock-climbing hall.

The roof the centre slopes upwards at one end to accommodate the faceted climbing wall, which has both white and bright orange surfaces.

Timber frames the building’s doors and windows, most of which are trapezium-shaped.

This is the third building we’ve published this month by Béal and Blanckaert, following a Corten-clad library and a nursery with a colourfully striped facade – see all our stories about the architects here.

Here’s some more text from Antoine Béal and Ludovic Blanckaert:

Salle d’escalade de Mons-en-Baroeul

Within a larger restructuring of the 70′s modernist city center by the urbanization office FX Mousquet, the city of Mons-en-Baroeul decided to create room for a rock climbing hall and a gym space.

The project finds it’s place on a topographical spot within the urban architecture.

The building unites the two functions (rock climbing & gym) in one hexagonal ground plan; a form dictated by the rock climbing wall and its surrounding function.

Rock climbing in the north of France remains artificial; so is the architecture of the project.

The materials chosen decompose the hilly landscape.

The concrete wall rises up as an artificial rock; this dividing structure embraces the functions of a sporting facility.

The vegetal roof, with both winter and summer vegetation, artificially reflects the alpine landscapes within the equally artificially constructed urbanism of Mons-en- Baroeul.

The interior has two well defined spaces. One space, the rock climbing hall, mimics a theatre atmosphere to maximally embellish the sport of rock climbing.

The second space encloses the gym quarters in an uncommon wooden atmosphere, a characteristic of the chosen OSB material.

Wooden window frames unite this uncommon architecture to the many different buildings and to the topographically interesting garden surrounding the building.

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Name of the project: le polyèdre
Address: Mons en Baroeul
Architectes: Antoine Béal et Ludovic Blanckaert
Collaborateurs: T .Foucray – J.Ramet
Client: Ville de Mons en Baroeul – France

A herb garden surrounds this glass-fronted spa in Santiago by Chilean studio LAND Arquitectos.

The single-storey building is named Spa Atrapa Árbol, which translates as Catch Tree Spa, because it wraps around a courtyard and tree.

A narrow skylight runs along the ceiling of a corridor connecting the sauna and hot tub rooms with a furnished living room.

The sauna is located on the glazed north side of the building and overlooks an outdoor terrace.

An exposed brick wall lines the rear of the building.

This isn’t the first building we’ve published that wraps around an existing tree – see our recent story about a house cranked around an oak tree.

Photography is by Sergio Pirrone.

Here’s some text in Spanish from LAND Arquitectos:

Spa Atrapa Árbol

Trabajamos el modelamiento del lugar en conjunto con el diseño del objeto arquitectónico, de manera de poder llevar el espacio exterior natural hacia el interior de la obra.

Este proyecto se genera desde el paisajismo, como un jardín aterrazado, se pliega desde el comienzo hacia el final del terreno, a través de jardineras escalonadas, escaleras y macetas, rematando en una maceta central, espacio donde existía un antiguo Damasco en el terreno, contenido entre los dos espacios principales del interior del proyecto.

El trabajo de la luz pretende lograr un espacio permeable entre exterior e interior que constate el paso del día, a través de lucarnas y piel vidriada a lo largo de casi la mitad del perímetro del proyecto.

El color del interior Blanco, y muebles en obra de espejo, aportan también reflejos y constatan sombras de la vegetación que rodea al proyecto.

Uno de los muros perimetrales de ladrillo, entra hacia el interior, a modo de conectarse visualmente con el exterior.

Espacialmente también se logra esto, en el espacio de estar, al poder abrirlo en dos de sus caras completamente.

Desde el programa, los dos espacios principales están separados físicamente, pero conectados visual y espacialmente, a través del patio central del Damasco. La lucarna principal atraviesa el proyecto aumentando la percepción del espacio exterior en el interior del proyecto.

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Estrategias sustentables pasivas aplicadas:

• El sauna orientado al norte para subir su temperatura interior.
• El jardín proyectado es para la recolección de especies y alimentos, con especies como la Alcaparra, Lavanda, Romero rastrero, Laurel de comer, hierbas, y un espacio para chacra. De esta manera, el paisaje es un “paisaje activo”, es decir que es un paisaje que cumple más funciones que existir solo para ser observado.

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Autores: LAND arquitectos (Cristóbal Valenzuela Haeussler + Angela Delorenzo Arancibia) Colaboradores: Juan Carlos Muños y Gonzalo Arteche
Ingeniero: Sanitario Hernán Morales
Paisajismo: LAND arquitectos
Calculo: Cargaz Ingeniería

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Arquitectura de Iluminación: LAND Arquitectos
Ingeniería Electricidad: TecHome
Construcción: Cúbica 3
Audio: Luis López

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Localización: Las Condes, Santiago,Chile
Superficie: 166 m²
Año del proyecto: 2010 Año