Dutch Design Week 2013: Dutch designer Elisa van Joolen has taken left over sample shoes from sports brand Nike and turned them inside-out to create new footwear (+ slideshow).
Elisa van Joolen contacted Nike and acquired its sample stock from previous seasons that would have been disposed of otherwise.
She then recycles the sneakers and creates new designs by cutting off the bottoms, turning the material inside out and stitching on bases of cheap sandals.
“I emphasise the potential of the depreciated samples and give them a new life,” said Van Joolen.
Inverting the shoes removes any branding across the design, plus reveals different colours and graphics from the internal parts.
Elastic straps that hold the tongue in place create stripes down the sides of the shoes and the “sample not for resale” text printed on the inner forms graphics toward the back.
Van Joolen uses the soles cut from the shoes to make flip-flops, punching holes in them and threading laces through so they act like straps.
“Van Joolen gives a new meaning to recycling,” said the jury. “With this collection she kicks in the shins of international footwear brands and shows them that recycling can go hand in hand with a nice product. It is not often that such a good story is converted to an interesting result.”
Untreated timber cladding and angular dormer windows feature at this small housing development in Amsterdam by Dutch studio M3H Architecten (+ slideshow).
Comprising two narrow houses and a three-storey apartment block, the small development slots into a row of residential buildings in Bellamy, a neighbourhood west of the city centre that has seen a number of renovations and demolitions over the last ten years.
M3H Architecten designed the buildings to fit in with the “unique, diverse and small-scale character” of the suburb, where plot sizes vary and houses are interspersed with commercial buildings.
“The street’s architectural characteristics are defined by its staggered facades, irregular plot sizes and the varying heights of its buildings,” said the architects.
Timber clads the walls and rooftops of the structures, contrasting with the brick facades of neighbouring buildings. Each facade comprise two layers of wooden slats, plus a water-retaining layer of bitumen that helps the buildings dry quickly when wet.
Photograph by Allard van der Hoek
“The slats are double-layered to help with ventilation,” explained the architects. “What is essential when using untreated wood in the Dutch climate is that the wood on the facades be well ventilated so that it can dry quickly after being rained upon.”
Photograph by Allard van der Hoek
The designers used a Brazilian timber that will gradually fade to grey over time, and concealed gutters and roof drains behind the facade’s outer layer.
Both houses are identical in plan, each with two storeys that open out to rear gardens and first-floor balconies. The apartments also come with private patios, including a large roof terrace that belongs to the top-floor residence.
“Even though these are very small homes, their generous amount of daylight, wide views and large outdoor spaces give each a unique quality and one never has a feeling of being confined,” added the architects.
Photography is by Tobias Bader, apart from where otherwise stated.
Here’s a project description from the architects:
Wooden Houses
For the past decade, Wenslauer Street in the Bellamy neighbourhood of Amsterdam has been undergoing a metamorphosis. In collaboration with the city council, the Stadgenoot housing corporation and various individuals, architects and small developers, a dozen dwellings have been renovated, and more than ten old houses have been demolished and replaced by new buildings.
The Bellamy neighbourhood is a neighbourhood where living and working have always been mixed, leading to a wide variety of buildings in the area. In 2011, M3H restored a house and built a new ‘steel’ house. Since then, five M3H-designed dwellings have been built: an ensemble of two houses with gardens and three small apartments.
The development plan for Wenslauer Street and its existing buildings was moulded and altered to suit Bellamy’s unique, diverse and small-scale character. In this way, the highly valued historical aspect of the neighbourhood was preserved: because the properties were run-down, they were not eligible for ‘protected face’, or historical protection status. The street’s architectural characteristics are defined by its staggered façades, irregular plot sizes and the varying heights of its buildings. Business lots alternate with smaller and larger residential plots.
The front yards and trees that lined Wenslauer Street at the beginning of the 20th century have disappeared, unlike the adjacent Bellamy Street, where these have been largely preserved. The street’s architectural characteristics follow from the irregular plot sizes, which often are determined by commercial or residential zoning. The varying heights of the buildings in the area find their roots in the neighbourhood’s village-like character, but Amsterdam contractors and carpenters have also built larger housing blocks next to the original polder development.
In order to make the houses more economically viable for residents, and to encourage home improvement, it’s possible to build extensions on the houses. This was recommended in a spatial study created in 2005 by Marina Roosebeek. Using the study as a model, zoning exemptions can be requested for extensions on existing spaces. The spatial study is founded on an analysis of insolation (sunlight) on Wenslauer Street, which is narrow, and also addresses the maintenance of the existing variety and irregular subdivisions of the street, as well as the visual impact of the staggered heights of the buildings.
The building space for M3H’s ensemble was determined by the boundaries set forth in the spatial study. For houses 65 and 67, that meant a single-story building on the street side, with a sloped roof. Two single-family dwellings with gardens were built in that space. The sloped roof permits a great deal of sun to fall on the narrow street. A window in the ridge of the roof lets sun into the north-facing kitchen and bedroom.
Wenslauer Street 69 is next to a four-storey building, and was permitted to be three storeys high. It consists of three small apartments, each having its own spatial quality and outdoor space. The residence on the ground floor has a south-facing patio with access to both the living room and bedroom. From the patio a long sightline through the entire residence is visible, from front to back. The apartment on the first floor has a south-facing roof terrace, and the apartment on the second floor has the option for a terrace on its roof.
On the front side of this apartment there is a special corner window that provides a wide view of the whole street. On the rear side, both upper residences have another corner window with views over houses 65 and 67’s patios and enclosed yards. Even though these are very small homes, their generous amount of daylight, wide views and large outdoor spaces give each a unique quality, and one never has a feeling of being confined.
The façades, dormer windows and sloping roof surfaces were all constructed with the same material. This serves to create a sculptural dimension with a unique look that suits the diversity of homes on Wenslauer Street. The sculptural quality is strengthened through simple and abstract detailing. The type of wood used is untreated FSC certified Sucupira Amarela, which will, within two years, become uniformly grey.
What is essential when using untreated wood in the Dutch climate is that the wood on the façades be well ventilated so that it can dry quickly after being rained upon. For this, a double layer of slats is placed within the timber framing of the houses, and has a water-retaining layer of bitumen. The slats are double-layered to help with ventilation. The gutters and roof drains are thus easy to hide behind the wooden façade. This also compliments the sculptural aspect of the construction.
The ensemble was built as a hybrid construction. The structural shell was made in a way common in The Netherlands: with sand lime brick walls and wide slab concrete flooring. The façades, dormer windows and sloping roofs were timber-framed. Despite a limited budget, M3H tried to include wood in as many elements as possible. The Wenslauer Street houses demonstrate a shift in the application of wood for construction and components of the façade not often seen in The Netherlands. In the brick city of Amsterdam, it’s uncommon to use wood. In fitting wood into our plan for this project, we hope to contribute to a wider acceptance of wooden buildings made by commissioning parties, contractors and residents.
News: German studio HENN has won a competition to design a 280-metre skyscraper in Taiyuan, China (+ slideshow).
HENN designed the office and hotel building, named Cenke Tower, for a site in the centre of the Chinese city, which is located in Shanxi Province.
The front and rear facades will feature smooth profiles that curve gently outwards, while the narrow sides are designed with convex curvatures. Each of these elevations will be glazed, exposing the aluminium cross-bracing supporting the structure.
The majority of the building will accommodate offices, while the hotel will be located on the uppermost floors and a shopping centre will be housed in the basement.
An entrance on the western side of the tower will provide access from the adjacent boulevard, plus a sunken courtyard on the opposite side of the building will lead visitors through to the shops inside.
The new tower for the Cenke Group is located on the north-south axis in the centre of the Chinese metropolis of Taiyuan. As well as office space, the building also contains a hotel on its upper floors and a retail area at the basement level. The longer sides of the 280 metre-high building take the form of convex shells with vertically accented facades constructed from opaque aluminium elements and glass of various degrees of transparency.
The trapezoid-like shape reduces successively with the building height in the upper levels and determines the amount of direct sunlight admitted to suit the planned use of the space within. While the offices receive optimum solar shading and maximum interior daylight, the hotel guests can enjoy the widest possible views over the city.
The narrower sides of the tower with their concave curvatures and smooth transparent glass facades strike a counterpoint to the solid, powerful overall appearance of the building. They allow views into the building’s interior and show off the elegant, diagonally braced structure.
The entrance area is located on the western side of the building along the lively boulevard. A planted sunken courtyard south of the building merges seamlessly into the basement.
Scandinavian architects Guise designed this retail space in Stockholm as a blank canvas for any fashion brand to display their garments against (+ slideshow).
Guise designed the white interior of the D&V Multibrand Store to provide a neutral background for different retailers.
Powder-coated steel pillars have perforated corners to accommodate a flexible steel shelving system and also allow clothes to be hung directly from the holes.
The pillars are arranged in staggered lines and spread throughout the store, grouped for garments designed by different clothing labels.
Central display units are made of asymmetrical stacks of angled boxes, which each flare outward from their bases to create more surface area on top for folded items.
“We used a floor area of 40 by 40 centimetres, equivalent to one folded shirt,” said the designers. “This area was designed to grow into a table with a surface for seven shirts. This was repeated until the table offered an area for 20 shirts.”
Oak-clad storage boxes line the edges of the shop and the cash register covered with toughened glass. All pieces of furniture were custom made for the store.
Here is some more information from the architects:
We used a floor area of 40×40 cm, equivalent to one folded shirt, this area were designed to grow to a table for 7 shirts. This logical course of action was repeated until the table offered an area for 20 shirts. The final shape is a result of this commercial rationality, making a 20 times profit in display area.
Being asked not to have any specific garments or brand in mind the space was designed as a neutral space similar to a warehouse. White and with no branded features, hence the empty photos.
Display unit concept diagram
We designed a L-shaped beam with a perforation along the corner. Shelves were custom designed to fit the perforated pillars. The beams were distributed asymmetrical around the store, like a forest of pillars where clothes can hung or be placed according to every new items needs.
A hotel under construction on a South Pacific island is depicted as a collection of architectural ruins in this series of images by Australian photographer Peter Bennetts (+ slideshow).
Designed by Australian architect Kristin Green, la Plage du Pacifique Hotel is under construction along the beach of an island in Vanuatu – an archipelago over a thousand miles east of northern Australia.
Concrete has been used for the structures of each building in the complex, which includes 18 guest villas, a restaurant with a roof garden and sun lounge, and a swimming pool and spa facility.
Peter Bennetts joined Green on a site visit to capture the structures in pictures. Although almost complete, the buildings contain few traces of life, which the photographer says created the impression of “a ruin”.
“Like pods of little whales, the off-form concrete villas swim together, entwining with native pandanus and rosewood trees in the face of trade winds and frequent cyclones,” he said.
Comparing one structure to both an ancient monument and an iconic Italian villa, he added: “As in an Aztec temple, or Casa Malaparte, a stair leads to a deck on top of a form I’d describe as the architect’s dance shoe. In the unflinchingly bright tropical sun the stair casts a shadow that Escher could’ve dreamed of.”
Each structure is designed to be cyclone resistant, with cross-ventilation that will reduce the need for air-conditioning. The architect has also added a series of concrete walls that will offer shade from intense sunlight.
The swimming pool is modelled on the ancient Roman baths at Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli, creating another reference to architectural monuments.
“The Colosseum has invaded these new lands, not a new notion for Western man,” writes Green. “Here she protects from violent storms; patrons are offered a chance at romance, to dance, dream and escape.”
Here are some more details from Kristin Green:
La Plage D’hôtel du Pacifique
Sounds of crashing waves and wind through the palm trees, the Hotel du Pacifique complex offers a protected paradise, set to take the world by cyclone. The buildings are designed to allow wind to pass through with little or no need for air-conditioning. Modern forms take on an ancient roman bath providing escape from the demands of the city. Areas are separated by dancing concrete limbs intertwined casting shadows to relieve one from the tropical sun.
D’hôtel du Pacifique: Restaurant Building
With this building we explored cinematic experience, coupled with the ideas of leisure, romance & dreaming. The ambience of 1950’s movies where casual bathing attire is worn by day yet one likes to dress up in the evening for dinner. The building is organised around zones: » À la carte restaurant and bar with reception for arrivals, » Open air roof garden for dining, cocktails and sun bathing, » Casual grill bar for patrons relaxing around the pool & outdoor facilities including; Pétanque, beach tennis, swimming, handball &/or board games.
D’hôtel du Pacifique: Villas Stage 1
The first 18 beach front villas are near completion. All components of the villas are custom made; complete in-situ concrete board marked walls, floor & roof, concrete benches, day beds, cast-in-place basins and handmade light fittings, in-built furniture, sunken baths along with timber herringbone windows which are hand carved from local timbers by local craftsman and hand-cut stone floors. Kristin is regularly on site coordinating fabrication techniques and ensuring consistency of local construction methods.
Each villa is conceived as a robust, cyclone ready building, the result of a series of key relationship studies between man, building & the tropical landscape. The nature of the body disrobing, exposure, privacy & the personalised experience offers a certain romance and seclusion for its patrons.
La Plage D’hôtel du Pacifique: Pool Area & Landscape
The pool/massage/spa component of the resort offers a place for the leisure, relaxation and sensual decadence that one would expect from a quality 5-star experience in the Pacifique. A concrete slide, colonnade and capital recall the Ancient Roman baths, a direct homage to Emperor Hadrian (the pool is literally measured from & at Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli, outside Rome); ‘only here can one truly dream of being lost in time’.
The pool and sun lounge area wraps around the building, white sand, the ocean, a sensuous entanglement. Memories of roman villas bedecked with capitals, pediments and statues offer a delight to the pool area; a shady concrete capital creates a weighty ambience and shade relief.
Irregular clusters of Pandanus & palm trees, a simple landscape of grass and white sand ground surface make bare feet is a must. The tree roots emerge from the ground like something of a child’s dream, creating gentle barriers and shadows. Sandy walking paths wander through resort facilities, offering the odd secluded stopping point for new or renewed romance, a cocktail in hand, the soft floating fabric of colourful transparent sarongs and the opportunity to stroll into their villa.
Undulating mounds caress the landscape. Vines trace the board marked surface of the concrete walls, delighting patrons with their patterns. The birds sing amidst the trees and promises of the sea turtle sanctuary are desired to continue nature’s course in the region.
Narrative
Bridget is perched behind Athena’s shield, a relief from the hallowing winds that are so frequent to the Pacifique region. The Coliseum has invaded these new lands; not a new notion for western man. Here she protects from violent storms…. patrons are offered a chance at romance, to dance, dream and escape; rekindling their love, offering hope for the future & their wellbeing.
Dutch studio Marc Koehler Architects has extended a former primary school in rural Belgium to create a community centre with a folded roof (+ slideshow).
Marc Koehler Architects designed the building for the Flemish government in the small village of Loker. It is one of eight government-funded projects across the province of West Flanders, which will see existing community facilities upgraded as part of a bid to attract new residents.
A steel framework creates the faceted roof of the new structure, which is clad externally with corrugated fibre-cement panels and lined internally with timber.
The walls of the building are glazed and surround a large hall that can be used for different community events, from performances and exhibitions to parties and sporting activities.
Curtains enable the space to be subdivided, allowing different activities to take place simultaneously.
A canteen, meeting rooms, bathrooms and storage space are located within the old school building.
“By re-using the existing 1960s building we create a layered reading of the history of the place,” the architects said. “Our task was creating an innovative, multifunctional building in a sensitive, historical environment.”
The corrugated roof material is intended to match the rooftops of nearby barns, while the angled forms were designed to be reminiscent of the folds of the surrounding landscape.
The roof also cantilevers beyond the glazed facade, helping to shade the building from direct sunlight.
The building is located in Loker, a small village (600 inhabitants) in the east of Flanders. The project is the result of our winning entry for the Open Call competition, organised by the Flemish government. Our project is the first of eight projects to be completed in the eight sub-districts of the municipality of Heuvelland. As such it can be seen as an impulse for social change, of Flemish villages modernising and upgrading their facilities to attract a potential suburban dweller, returning to the rural landscape. So our task was creating an innovative, multifunctional building in a sensitive historic environment.
The building consists of a reused part of the existing structure of a primary school build in the 60’s, covered by a large folding roof with a glazed façade. The changing shade, created by the various angles of the roof parts reminds of the surrounding patch-work landscape, while the corrugated roofing-material is similar to that used in neighbouring barns.
The glazed façade provides a generous view over the surroundings, with an emphasis on the Sint-Petrus church, and the sloping landscape of the Kemmelberg. With reusing the existing 60’s building, we create a layered reading of the history of that place.
The reused school-building houses the more intimate spaces, like the canteen, storage, sanitary spaces and meeting rooms. The polyvalent, open space can be used for a large variety of activities, like performances, gatherings, exhibitions, sports or parties. The smaller rooms can be opened up towards the polyvalent space, extending their potential, but the large space can also be divided by curtains so that several programs can coexist simultaneously.
The competition prescribed the demolition of the whole existing building, but proposed to preserve the asbestos-free part of the structure, works out in our favour. We created a financial advantage not having to construct new specific spaces, allowing for the polyvalent space to become larger then requested.
A natural climate compartmentalisation of use and energy management is automatically created by the two main components of the building. The cantilevering roof acts as passive sun shading, blocking direct sunlight from entering the building in the summer, but allowing sunlight to heat the building in the winter. Another effort is made with the selection of building materials. Carbon neutral fibre cement panels are used for roofing, but also for interior cladding.
Belgian studio Pascal François Architects has completed a two-storey house in rural Belgium that slots beneath the roof of an old stable block (+ slideshow).
Pascal François Architects designed the residence to take the place of another house that had been demolished in Lokeren, northern Belgium. It occupies the exact footprint of the old home and its end intersects with the single-storey stable alongside.
A glazed kitchen sits at the point where the two buildings overlap, but is not joined to the existing structure of the stable.
The architect had to demonstrate to planning authorities that the two buildings weren’t connected in order to gain permission to build.
“The reason for positioning the extension under the existing roof was in search of morning light into the kitchen,” François told Dezeen.
“It caused difficulties because we could not build a volume exceeding 1000 cubic metres, and they [the authorities] were counting the barn and the house together because they are touching,” he added.
The rectilinear house sits perpendicular to the barn. Ceramic panels clad the top half of the structure, while the lower section is covered with vertical strips of wood that are interspersed with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The entrance to the house is also covered in similar wooden strips, allowing it to blend in with the walls.
Once inside, residents are faced with a large window, which looks out to a long water feature that extends outwards from the opposite wall.
This space leads through to a monochrome living and dining area with a wooden deck off to one side, while an office is positioned at the opposite end.
Three bedrooms and a pair of bathrooms are located upstairs, and the old barn is still used for keeping horses.
For a number of years, the Flemish government have allowed un-zoned buildings to be renovated or even to be rebuilt.
The rules, however, are extremely stringent. With this project, we have tried to respond to this reality in a contemporary manner.
As the line of what is possible is so very thin, obtaining the building permit alone has taken two and a half years.
The new habitable volume is built on the compulsory “footprint zone” of the old house, but extends towards the barn without actually touching it construction-wise.
The purpose was to catch the light in the east. The result is an exciting symbiosis between old and new.
The barn determines the character of the site and of the building. Hidden behind a wooden “ribbon”, a number of openings needed to be added.
Further on, the ribbon is draped around the new house and finally becomes a usable terrace.
The upper floor of the house is covered with ceramic panels, the colour and the material referring to the existing barn’s roof.
The remarkably sober and closed façade on the street side hides a very light and spacious interior, which derives its energy from a series of patios.
This house by Portuguese architect Miguel Marcelino rests on top of an old warehouse in Torres Novas, central Portugal (+ slideshow).
Miguel Marcelino extended the existing building upwards to create the single-storey residence, which overlooks a valley planted with olive groves.
The warehouse was first built in the 1980s and was originally planned as a two-storey structure, although it has taken 30 years for the second phase of construction to take place.
Marcelino used brickwork for the exterior of the extension, then added white paint to unite the two floors.
A protruding concrete slab divides the two storeys and creates a balcony around two sides of the building, while a similar-sized roof slab forms a canopy overhead.
A bridge with a steel balustrade leads to the house’s entrance from the adjacent hillside and is positioned alongside a large olive tree.
The entrance hall opens out into a living and dining area, featuring a sliced-off south-east corner that increases the size of the surrounding balcony.
Three bedrooms are positioned along the east side of the house, while the kitchen and bathroom sit on the opposite side.
Concrete walls and ceilings are exposed in each room and timber panels covers the floor.
The briefing was to build a three-bedroom house on top of a warehouse built in the 80’s, where part of the roof was made with a flat slab and a small balcony, precisely with that idea of later building the house.
Given the constraints of the existing warehouse, the house shape turns out to be automatically set: a box that rests on the existing structure.
The rooms are placed to the east, the toilets to the west, as well as the kitchen, looking to a centennial olive tree.
The existing balcony will be maintained and “duplicated” as a shading element.
The living room is placed south where its south/east corner is diagonally cut in a way that the balcony could enlarge and offer an outdoor area protected from the sun and rain, overlooking the valley.
New Orleans firm Trahan Architects used over a thousand cast stone panels to create the undulating interior of this museum in Natchitoches, Louisiana (+ slideshow).
The Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame brings together two previously independent collections to create a combined exhibition for regional history and sport in the centre of the city.
Rather than separating the exhibitions over two distinct floors, Trahan Architects designed a series of curving structural volumes that allow the three galleries to gently flow into one another.
“While sports and regional history may appeal to different audiences, the exhibits and configuration explore interconnections between the two,” explained the architects.
“The spaces flow visually and physically together, configured to accommodate state-of-the-art exhibits, education and support functions,” they added.
Using the fluid geometries of the nearby Cane River as a guide, the architects centred the spaces around a generous foyer that curves through the heart of the building, dividing two galleries on the lower level and leading to a third above.
The white stone surfaces can be used as screens for film projection, plus there’s also a first-floor balcony overlooking the city square.
The museum’s exterior envelope is a simple rectilinear volume, clad on all sides by pleated copper panels that form louvres.
“The louvred skin controls light, views and ventilation, animates the facade and employs surface articulation previously achieved by architectural ornamentation,” said the architects.
Here’s a project description from Trahan Architects:
Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame
The Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame in historic Natchitoches, Louisiana merges two contrasting collections formerly housed in a university coliseum and a nineteenth century courthouse, elevating the visitor experience for both. Set in the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase on the banks of the Cane River Lake, the design mediates the dialogue between sports and history, past and future, container and contained.
Our exploration focuses on three questions. How does our design explore the client brief to exhibit sports and history simultaneously? How does it respond to the historic building fabric? How does it make a connection to context?
Our resolution is, first, to interpret athletics as a component of cultural history rather than as independent themes. While sports and regional history may appeal to different audiences, the exhibits and configuration explore interconnections between the two. The spaces flow visually and physically together, configured to accommodate state-of-the-art exhibits, education and support functions. Visitors however can experience both narratives either separately or simultaneously.
Second, historical pastiche is set aside in favour of a design language in response to the site. The internal organisation is an extension of the existing meandering urban circulation, while the design mediates the scale and character of the historic commercial core and adjacent residential neighbourhood. The “simple” exterior, clad with pleated copper panels, alluding to the shutters and clapboards of nearby plantations, contrasts with and complements the curvaceous interior within. The louvred skin controls light, views and ventilation, animates the facade, and employs surface articulation previously achieved by architectural ornamentation. The flowing interior emerges at the entrance, enticing visitors to leave the walking tour and into the evocative exhibit spaces within.
Third the design reflects the carving of the ancient river whose fluvial geomorphology inspired the dynamic interior form. The dynamic foyer is sculpted out of 1,100 cast stone panels, seamlessly integrating all systems and washed with natural light from above. The cool white stone references bousillage, the historic horse hair, earth and Spanish moss utilised by 17th Century settlers. The flowing surfaces reach into the galleries, serving as “screens” for film and display. At the climax of the upper level, the path arrives at a veranda overlooking the city square, sheltered by copper louvres, further connecting the interior to the public realm.
Designer Kacper Hamilton has created a port decanter set that encourages users to constantly share the drink around.
Hamilton‘s glassware is named after the British tale of the Bishop of Norwich, about a nineteenth-century gentleman who was notorious for forgetting to pass the port.
To ensure the drink is shared by users of this set, the bottoms of the decanter and glasses are pointed so they can’t be put down. This means they will be constantly sipped and drained, so the port is always passed from person to person.
The vessels only stand when returned to their individual brass bases. The bases hold six glasses and a decanter with a matching brass stopper, which are displayed in a row on a wooden tray.
Influenced by and named after the classic tale of the ‘Bishop of Norwich’, a nineteenth-century gentleman notorious for forgetting to pass the port. This set brings about the return of humble rituals from the past through a drink that has become quintessentially British.
With respect to the tradition, the ‘Bishop of Norwich’ has been specifically designed to encourage the user to drink their port and pass the decanter. Due to their elaborate design the port glasses and decanter cannot be put down on the table unless placed within their individual brass bases, hence the port is continuously passed, shared and quaffed.
An elongated wooden tray brings all the parts together, making the complete creation a grand central piece. The ebony finish creates a striking contrast with the brushed sheen of the brass and a distinctive sculptural form appears when all the elements are displayed alongside one another.
Each solid brass base is engraved with the KH Studio monogram. The large decanter base displays the edition number (Limited Edition of 12), date of production, and ‘Made in England’.
When Port wine is passed around at British meals, one tradition dictates that a diner passes the decanter to the left immediately after pouring a glass for his or her neighbour on the right; the decanter should not stop its clockwise progress around the table until it is finished. If someone is seen to have failed to follow tradition, the breach is brought to their attention by asking ‘Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?’; those aware of the tradition treat the question as a reminder, while those who do not are told ‘He is a terribly good chap, but he always forgets to pass the port!’
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