Hasta La Ideas

Israeli architect Ranaan Stern has adapted a 15-square metre room inside an artist’s Tel Aviv apartment to create a studio with two desks, 36 drawers, modular storage compartments, pegboard display walls and even a folding bed (+ slideshow).

The unusual set up was designed to accommodate living and working spaces, as well as display areas for a collection of specific objects dating from the 1940s to the present day.

“The artist creates and collects different kinds of art pieces, most are 2D but also some small sculptures, books and old materials,” explained Ranaan Stern. “We needed different kinds of storage units, different sizes and different ways of keeping the new and old pieces.”

The apartment is located inside a concrete block from the 1950s and two of the room’s four walls are windows, so expanding the space was not an option.

The team spent four weeks measuring each object and organising them into four separate categories. These categories were then further divided into groups, dependent on how much a piece was needed for everyday use or for display.

“We also needed storage for materials and tools for the artist’s daily work. During measuring we gave each category a colour, which is exposed only when one opens a drawer or any other unit,” said Stern.

The result is a layout that would appear random to an outsider, but has a coherence that is instantly familiar to the artist.

“The smaller sections can be removed from the larger frame units and placed on the table during work.” Stern continued. “Removable sliding doors are actually pallets that pieces can be placed on for presentation or that can be used as modular easels.”

Most of the cells, cupboards and drawers have been constructed from lightweight birch and treated with a clear coating that emphasises the wood’s natural grain. Birch has also been used for the flooring.

“We also designed the storage by two rules: the easiest way to physically open and use, but always making sure everyday stuff and more needed pieces will be more accessible. Some pieces can be place on the pegboard which is also a painting stand for different sizes of boards,” added the architect.

The windows were fitted with blinds to help give the artist control over the atmosphere and natural light. The addition of a folding bed that can be neatly stored away allows the space to also be used as a guest room.

Photography is by Gidon Levin.

Here’s some more information about the project:

Artist’s Studio

In the artist’s central Tel Aviv apartment, architects Ranaan Stern and Shany Tal from Raanan Stern’s Studio designed a versatile 15 sqm studio workspace. The proportions of the room in the 60 year old concrete building allow the maximum amount of light to enter through the window. The window was carefully divided and blinds were hung with the aim of giving the artist control over the atmosphere and natural light.

The artist’s varied family and personal collection includes 2d pieces dating from the 1940’s to the present. For this purpose: every piece that will be stored was measured: they were organised and ordered according to groups, sizes and artistic connections. After the organisational and calculation stage, four separate proportions were discovered that receive expression as each section is opened. Every cell, cupboard or drawer was designed internally according to the required proportions, only when the drawer is opened the colourful mosaic of the storage section is revealed.

In addition, different sections were planned and built for displaying and storing work, tools and materials. The smaller sections can be removed from the larger frame units and placed on the table during work. Removable sliding doors are actually pallets that pieces can be placed on for presentation or that can be used as modular easels. All the hidden mechanisms of the units and drawers such as the sizes and divisions were fitted to the proportions of the artist. The order of the space allows minimum movement outside of the work area and table and maximum accessibility to works tools according to their importance in the studio.

The closets and units are made of white birch as well as the flooring which is covered in bright birch tiles. The wood was coated lightly in order to give a light and delicate feeling, but still retaining the slightly wizened look of natural wood in the work space. The Artist uses the space to host colleagues and behind the sliding doors there is also a folding bed for the dual functionality of the room.

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for an artist by Raanan Stern appeared first on Dezeen.

A white spectacles showroom contrasts with black examination areas at this opticians near Montreal by Canadian studio La SHED Architecture (+ slideshow).

To create a distinction between the commercial and medical areas of L’Aire Visuelle eye clinic, La SHED Architecture installed a white element that runs through the 284-square-metre space in Laval, northwest of Montreal.

In the shop, wooden slats are randomly interspersed with strip lighting above glass display counters and linear tiles are laid in the same direction on the ground.

“The commercial space was designed as an atelier-boutique, characterised by low display tables in the open area, avoiding any visual obstruction,” said the architects.

These ceiling and floor materials continue beyond a wooden reception desk into the treatment and storage spaces behind.

In contrast, circulation spaces situated either side of the feature element have black carpets and surfaces.

These lead to dark examination rooms on one side and the staff room on the other. The waiting area is also situated on the black carpet, next to the entrance and beside the display units.

Retail consultation spaces sit inside a wooden cube, which also displays frames in the side facing the store.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

L’Aire Visuelle

Working from high contrast and simple natural materials, the firm la SHED architecture have designed a unique optometrist and optician clinic redefining the customer’s experience. The commercial space was designed as an atelier-boutique, characterised by low display tables in the open area, avoiding any visual obstruction. Looking for frames becomes the opportunity of a friendly exchange, underneath the bright ceiling, composed of wooden slats installed randomly.

With the goal of giving their enterprise a breath of fresh air, the associates of L’Aire Visuelle sought to create a new corporate image based on the state-of-the-art products and techniques that they offer, as well as the quality and expertise of the services they provide. The first objective was to redefine customer experience in the clinic. Their previous office became too narrow over time as a result of company expansion; the client therefore required an organized, spacious and open space where emphasis was placed on the sales area and their selection of eyeglass frames.

Creating a hierarchy of movements between patients and employees was an essential part of optimising displacements and creating a functional environment. The project mandate consisted of planning and developing an optometry clinic and its eyeglass store at the ground level of an existing two floor commercial building. With windows on three facades, the 3060-square-foot office accessible from a common hall had an irregular shape – a portion of which had a misaligned angle in relation to the main structural frame.

A space with double the height opening onto the second floor dental clinic offered an abundant amount of natural light. The client’s budget was limited to a maximum of $450,000 for the entirety of project work involved including mechanical work, furniture and professional fees.

The space was designed in such a way to position the sales area at the front of the building, in the section that contained the most windows and was closest to the entrance. People walking into the clinic could therefore instantly see all available products. Visible from the reception, the waiting area was placed beneath the office’s area of double height and is apart from the consultation rooms while being open to the sales area.

The two main axis of circulation are on either side of the reception area – one being meant for clients heading for consultation and examination rooms, and the other for clinic personnel heading to the employee common room, apart from the client zone. The design hierarchy was therefore established, with busier areas at the front near the entrance, and areas requiring quiet and privacy located at the rear of the office.

The concept, geared towards the creation of a workshop-boutique, opted for presentation tables in order to keep the display area clear of all obstacles limiting vision or obstructing lighting. As a result, the eyeglass frame shopping area turns into a far more friendly area, where artificial light is articulated within a randomly organised ceiling of lath wood. The ceiling, by its dynamic and rhythmic design, creates an illusion of movement within the adjacent space.

In the spirit of architectural continuity, a wall of vertical lattice creates a space for attaching eyeglass frame presentation modules while enveloping the sales area. The long and narrow ceramic tile flooring is a harmonious continuation of the lath wood ceiling, therefore completing the envelopment of the sales area.

The immaculate white band that is the showroom is a start contrast to the wooden monolithic cube immediately adjacent to it, covering the private consultation areas. Behind the sales floor, a black satin volume containing the exam rooms seems to have slipped under the ceiling lath, creating an attractive backdrop to the reception area. Detached from adjacent surfaces by recessed lighting, this volume, fragmented by full height openings, seems to float gingerly between the floor and ceiling.

The highly contrasted colours provide the area with a theatrical character featuring the eyeglass showroom with its bright white presentation modules, whereas the mechanical and unaesthetic elements of the open ceiling disappear in black. A sober, neutral and classical colour palette ensures a total coherence between different elements of the clinic.

A black carpet covers the floor in circulation and consultation areas, absorbing sound and light emitted by the sales area. Fluorescent tubes randomly built into the lattice ceiling frame animate the sales area by producing bright and stimulating lighting in stark contrast to the other more private spaces. Black cylindrical tubes hidden throughout the mechanics and structure provide rich and soft lighting in the circulation, waiting and consultation areas as opposed to the abundant lighting of the showroom.

The contrast of porosity, colours and textures within the project elegantly reflect the different character of each space, and contribute to a simple and clear understanding of the planning of the office. Refined finishing details such as doors with hidden frames, and recessed plinths contribute to the clean appearance of the various spaces, underscoring the strong architectural ideas implemented to make L’Aire Visuelle a contemporary and elegant optometry clinic.

The post La SHED Architecture separates eye clinic
into light and dark zones appeared first on Dezeen.

Boston engineering firm Spike Aerospace is building a windowless supersonic jet that will be able to fly from London to New York in under four hours, and will offer passengers digital views of their surroundings (+ slideshow).

The S-512 eschews the small porthole style windows typically found on planes in favour of full-length curved digital screens that run the length of the fuselage. An array of cameras installed on the outside of the cabin will feed images through to the displays, which will then be stitched together to create panoramic views.

“Passengers will be able to dim the screens to catch some sleep or change it to one of the many scenic images stored in the system,” Spike Aerospace said in a press release.

Unlike standard commercial airliners, which fly at approximately 567 mph, the S-512 will achieve speeds of between 1,060-1,200mph thanks to advanced airframe and engine technology, and the absence of windows.

“It has long been known that the windows cause significant challenges in designing and constructing an aircraft fuselage. They require additional structural support, add to the parts count and add weight to the aircraft,” said the company.

The reduced weight and lack of drag caused by removing the windows will also mean the S-512 will use considerably less fuel compared to other private jets. Spike projects that this means the plane could carry 18 passengers at up to 1370 mph.

The result is a plane that will shave flight times in half, meaning traveling from Los Angeles to Tokyo would take eight instead of 16 hours.

The S-512 is still in development, but Spike Aerospace hopes to begin shipping in December 2018, with a price tag of £48million.

“We expect the first customers for the jet will be businesses and their management teams that need to manage global operations more efficiently. They will be able to reach destinations faster, evaluate more opportunities and have a bigger impact on their enterprises,” said the company.

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windows with live-streaming screens appeared first on Dezeen.

Semi-translucent polycarbonate panels and wooden shelving systems create partitions in this office renovation for a television station in Hangzhou, China, by Daipu Architects (+ slideshow).

Chinese studio Daipu Architects renovated the two-storey open-plan office to bring more light to the interior and inserted a system of shelving, cabinets and partitions to break up the different spaces.

Architect Dai Pu said he designed the interior layout to be similar to that of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, also using influence from the three-dimensional works of Italian artist Giorgio Morandi.

“No regular partition walls (plaster wall or brick wall) have been built,” Pu said. “The new partition is composed of very light cabinet and one centimetre semi-transparent polycarbonate panel, while the furniture, stairs, handrails and bar counter all come up to constitute the partition system.”

The simple interior features polished white floors with wooden desks, chairs and shelving.

A cafe, kitchen and a mixture of office spaces and meeting rooms make up the lower floor, with extra space for leisure activities including a ping pong and a football table.

In the lobby, a curved plaster-clad staircase with wooden treads leads up to the first floor.

Two rooftop terraces used as interview spaces sit on either side of a large meeting room. The rest of the first floor is occupied with more desks, a corner reading room and another small room with beds for staff members to rest.

Photography is by Xia zhi.

Here’s a project description from Daipu Architects:

Office Renovation of CCTV Zhejiang Reporter Station

This office renovation is located in west of Ba Gua field, Hangzhou, China. The site possesses excellent landscape; however, it was dark and gloomy in the old building. The existing structure had a floor-height of 3.3 m for the ground floor, and the clear height below the beam is only 2.6m, which is comparatively depressing for open office. The height of the second floor was ok, however it did not have enough connection with the ground floor. The old structure layout could hardly exhibit advantage of a double-deck.

So the first consideration was to build up a connection between 2 floors, the connection not only on physical space aspect, but also on psychological perception of people who will work here. People who will be working downstairs or upstairs could feel the existence of the other part of colleagues, thus to create an ambient of teamwork.

A lot of attempts have been made. Finally the Barcelona Pavilion of Mies and the painting works of Morandi give a breakthrough. The work of Mies only offered the idea for the 2-dimensional design, whilst the approaches of Morandi were good examples for seeking the 3-dimensional solutions. In Morandi’s late works, the relations between the main object and the background and their colour relations were becoming assimilated and simplified; it can see that the boundaries of many objects merged into the background in many of his works.

The approach is, if we take the furniture as the object, while taking the structural components like the walls and stairs as the canvas, then to make the object (furniture) merged into the canvas (structure), it can easily pass the perception of flowing to the people as the furniture is the very thing which most connected to the people. The space upstairs now is connected to the space downstairs due to this assimilated effect happened between the building structure and the furniture. In order to imply the space concept and work with the atmosphere, a few works of the Morandi’s paintings have been redrawn and placed in some particular corners.

There is not any regular partition wall (plaster wall or brick wall) has been built. The new partition is composed of very light cabinet and 1cm semi-transparent polycarbonate panel. The furniture, stairs, handrails and bar counter all comes up to constitute the partition system.

The prefabricated partition system saved the cost of on-site work, and it also avoided wet operation meanwhile it saved the time. The partition system, as the most important part of the construction had been put into furniture factory which has advanced equipments; this is also a solution to improve the perfection of construction here.

Location: Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Design Architect: Daipu Architects
Design Director: Dai Pu
Design Team: Dai pu, Luo yaqin, Wang tiantian
No. of floors: 2
Area: 640 sqm indoor, 147 sqm outdoor
Program: office, dubbing, duty, outdoor interview, leisure, storage
Client: China Central Television
Furniture manufacture: Hangzhou Runzhu Science & Technology Co. Ltd
Contractor: Zhejiang Sunshine Decoration Engineering Co. Ltd
Design: 2012.06 – 2012.09
Construction: 2012.09 – 2013.09

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and wood partitions by Daipu Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Paris studio Atelier Zündel Cristea has added a glass-walled extension that projects from the rear of this hundred-year-old house in the Vincennes suburb (+ slideshow).

Atelier Zündel Cristea was asked to reorder and optimise the interior of the early-twentieth-century property and began the renovation by removing existing annexes and interior walls that were reducing the usable living space.

“The distribution of spaces was very awkward, and any rapport between the house and the garden was nonexistent,” said the architects, who claimed that the original layout had restricted the potential 120 square metres of useable floor space to just 90 square metres.

Adding the extension and opening up new spaces including the attic and basement increased the home’s total occupied area to 220 square metres.

Annexed rooms at the rear of the house were replaced with the glass-walled addition that projects out towards the garden and incorporates full-height doors that can be slid open to connect the open-plan living area with the outdoors.

A roof terrace on top of the new extension can be accessed through doors from the master bedroom and incorporates two skylights that provide additional daylight to the dining room and kitchen.

The en suite bathroom of the master bedroom also opens onto the roof terrace so the occupants can look out at the garden from the bathtub.

A corridor leads from the front door past the living room and staircase to the dining area, with its glazed doors providing views of the trees in the garden from the entry.

A staircase connecting the entrance corridor on the ground floor with bedrooms on the first and second floors features curving walls and banisters, and is naturally lit by dormer windows at the top of the house.

The wood-panelled living area at the front of the house features a corner sofa and a fireplace built into the fitted cabinetry that continues along one wall into the kitchen.

Stairs leading from the living area to the garden continue down to a basement that houses an office with a window squeezed in under the extension.

A geothermal heat pump was installed in the basement at the front of the house to extract warmth from the ground for heating, while a double air flow ventilation system helps control air circulation and provides additional energy savings.

The house’s dilapidated front facade was updated and painted white, with additions including a second dormer window, new ironwork on the windows and a canopy above the door completing the new look.

Photography is by Sergio Grazia.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

MAISON A VINCENNES

The object of our renovation work is a house located in Vincennes, within the radius which surrounds the Château de Vincennes, a radius monitored by architects of historical monuments.

The building seems to have remained largely in its original state since the beginning of the 20th century, and has not been renovated at all for at least thirty years. The distribution of spaces was very awkward, and any rapport between the house and the garden was nonexistent. In regards to an energy plan there was no insulation (neither within the walls nor within the attic spaces), and only single, non-waterproofed windows. The means of heating the house being individual gas burners. Almost a caricature.

In brief, the project consisted of:
– the demolition of annexes damaged beyond repair
– the completion in their place of an RDC extension around the preserved area of the house, which will open entirely upon the garden by means of a large bay window
– the general overhaul of the house with restoration of the cellar and attic spaces

If the successful execution of a high-efficiency project, one that sought low emission levels, was in clear evidence of being pursued, we never forgot the primary aim of an architect that is to conceive of a beautiful structure with quality spaces in which people feel good. There is also the fact that a project seeking high-efficiency is not something readily apparent, that all the elements contributing to such efficiency are almost invisible, yet remain perceptible.

According to set buying and selling property regulations the house originally consisted of an inhabitable 120m², but in fact only 90m² were liveable. After the completion of work, thanks to attic spaces, a semi-recessed basement, and an extension, there will be approximately 220m² in which to live.

The heating is geothermal, with the installation of a heat pump. Interior comfort is ensured by double air flow ventilation. On the roof we envisioned solar panels as a means to produce clean, hot water.

Built: 2010
Client: private
Architects: AZC
Consultants: Choulet
Construction cost: 0.3 M€ (ex VAT)
Gross area: 220 m²
Mission: Conception + construction
Project: House

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features glass-walled extension appeared first on Dezeen.