Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2014: Dutch studio Bernotat & Co created 3D-printed woven fabric lamps that emulate microscopic organisms to show in the Ventura Lambrate district in Milan this week (+ slideshow).

Anke Bernotat and Jan Jacob Borstlap of Bernotat & Co have created Radiolaria, a collection of 11 lamps made from a 3D-printed polyester textile normally used in technical applications where the material is hidden.

Thanks to the 3D-printed structure, the soft lamps do not require additional reinforcement. “When sewn together, the fabric creates its own character and shape,” Borstlap told Dezeen. “We let the fabric do the design work in a way.”

Influenced by the drawings of German biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, the project is named Radiolaria after a type of microscopic biological organism that produces intricate mineral skeletons.

The designers created the patterns for the textile based on these organisms, whose skeletons are known for their natural geometric form and symmetry.

In a completely dark room, the lamps glow as the textile has been sown together with a glow in the dark material. “It creates a dreamy kind of atmosphere in your bedroom,” said the studio. “It also acts as a point of reference so you don’t bump into your bed.”

All lamps come with porcelain fittings and a silver-coloured cable and will be show from 8-13 April on via Ventura 6 in the Ventura Lambrate district in Milan.

Product photography is by Rogier Chang. All other photography is by Marleen Sleeuwits.

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American firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed this wooden lodge as the holiday home for a family at the Kicking Horse Mountain ski resort in Canada (+ slideshow).

Kicking Horse Residence, which was named as one of the ten recipients of the American Institute of Architects‘ 2014 Housing Awards earlier this week, was designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson as a weekend retreat that can accommodate the family and their guests, but can also be left unoccupied for long periods of time.

“The clients desired a weekend gathering place for their active family of five that would allow for flexibility to accommodate larger groups of family and friends, and provide a direct connection to the outdoors for seasonal recreation,” said the architect.

A forest of aspen and spruce trees surrounds the site, so timber was chosen as the primary building material. But unlike the typical wooden lodges of the region, the house features an angular structure intended to reflect the clients’ Scandinavian heritage.

“The Kicking Horse Residence is a family retreat that uses evocative forms to embrace the natural world,” said the architect.

The three-storey house is made up of two wings, connected by a central staircase. The largest of the two is an asymmetric volume accommodating the main living and sleeping spaces, while its rectilinear partner contains a family room offering views of the mountain peaks.

The building nestles into the slope of the site, creating entrances on both the lower and middle levels. The first functions as the main access and the second is a landing providing access to nearby ski and bicycle trails.

Bedrooms are scattered throughout the house. Three sleeping spaces are located in the loft, while two master bedrooms sit at opposite ends of the middle storey, creating a cantilever at the front of the building.

The base of the house is surrounded by concrete and contains a garage, a mudroom and a play space for the children.

Here’s a project description from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson:

Kicking Horse Residence

The clients desired a weekend gathering place for their active family of five that would allow for flexibility to accommodate larger groups of family and friends and provide a direct connection to the outdoors for seasonal recreation. They requested careful arrangement of the program to maintain privacy on the narrow lot between two neighbouring residences, while focusing on the views and providing direct access to nearby ski and bike trails.

While Kicking Horse Mountain resort is a relatively new ski destination, the majority of the custom homes in the area still take the form of traditional timber structures. The clients appreciated the intimate scale and warmth of traditional mountain lodges but wished to explore the possibility of creating a Modernist cabin more rooted in their Scandinavian heritage that connected directly to the landscape. The sloping site is adjacent to a ski trail and surrounded by a forest of aspen and spruce trees. Located between two neighbouring residences, the careful arrangement of program maintains privacy through the thoughtful composition of windows, while focusing on the views and providing access to the nearby ski and bike trails.

The house is composed of two primary elements: a dense bar along the northern edge of the site containing the sleeping and bath spaces, and an open shell with living and dining spaces oriented toward the extraordinary mountain views. A central stair volume links these two forms, with the main entrance at the lower level and an upper landing for ski access on the west side.

The linear form of the sleeping spaces cantilevers over a board-formed concrete base containing the garage, mudroom, and playroom. A standing seam metal roof folds over the peak to become an articulated wall with operable vents, bringing light and air into the loft spaces. These lofts contain bunk beds that allow flexible sleeping arrangements for children or guests.

Anchored by a tall concrete fireplace, the geometric form containing the living and dining spaces floats above the forest floor, allowing natural drainage patterns to flow uninterrupted through the site. Plywood-clad walls and ceiling planes extend to the exterior, framing alpine views and sheltering an outdoor deck.

Given its function as a weekend retreat, the house was designed to perform for extended periods without occupancy. The design inherently reduces exposure to natural drainage patterns by limiting the building footprint, and we worked directly with the contractor to detail the below grade drainage system to perform most efficiently for the soils on site. Electrical, heating, and security systems are monitored and controlled remotely so the client is made immediately aware of any issues, and an emergency generator was supplied in case of power outage.

The evocative forms of the house are oriented to capture daylight and views to the stunning mountain peaks above, but also act to effectively shed snow from the massive storms that move through the area. The client chose a local general contractor, native to the Golden, BC area, with a long history of building in remote areas. They enjoy both the craft involved in building intricate wooden structures from locally sourced timbers and also heading outdoors after a day of hard work.

Wood is a primary natural resource in this region. The local Louisiana Pacific Mill is a lifeline for the town of Golden, and a project goal was to express the natural diversity of wood in the architecture.

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News: architect Daniel Libeskind has hit back at his critics, comparing his own work to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and saying that he doesn’t try to be liked, at the launch of an exhibition in Milan this week.

Speaking to Dezeen at the launch of Where Architects Live, a major installation of pavilions, photographs and films about the homes of starchitects, Libeskind said that it takes time for the public to appreciate greatness.

“When things are first shown they are difficult,” Libeskind told Dezeen. “If you read the reviews of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, it was a failure, a horrible piece of music.”

“You have to give it time. Architecture is not just for the moment, it is not just for the next fashion magazine. It’s for the twenty, thirty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred years if it’s good; that’s sustainability.”

Asked if he was bothered by the high levels of criticism his recent work has received, Libeskind replied that he never reads his critics and said that he doesn’t try to be liked.

“It’s a democratic world, they can say whatever they want,” he said. “How can I read them? I have more important things to read.”

He also made reference to a passage from the Bible, adding “look at 6:26. “Woe be to the man who is liked by everyone”. So if you read the New Testament, don’t try to be liked by everyone and do what you believe in.”

Libeskind cemented his reputation as a major name with the Jewish Museum in Berlin, which opened in 2001, but in recent years has come under attack from critics of his angular style.

Speaking about Libeskind’s plans for the World Trade Centre rebuilding project in 2008, LA Times critic Christopher Hawthorne said: “anyone looking for signs that Daniel Libeskind’s work might deepen profoundly over time, or shift in some surprising direction, has mostly been doing so in vain.”

British philosopher Roger Scruton accused Libeskind of being one of a group of architects who “have equipped themselves with a store of pretentious gobbledegook with which to explain their genius to those who are otherwise unable to perceive it,” in an article in the UK’s Times newspaper in 2011.

In 2012, novelist Will Self accused Libeskind of putting money before art in an outspoken attack on high profile architects reported in British architecture magazine BD.

And last year architecture critic Owen Hatherley said that Libeskind’s students’ union for London Metropolitan University “was one of the first instances where it became crystal clear that Libeskind’s formal repertoire of Caspar David Friedrich crashing and banging was not, actually, about war or the Holocaust.”

“All of its vaulting, aggressive gestures were designed to “put London Met on the map”, and to give an image of fearless modernity with, however, little of consequence to actually do,” wrote Hatherley in BD.

Libeskind added that critics will become less relevant as we enter a new era of change where “everyone can compose Beethoven’s Fifth”.

“We don’t live in the era of the old fashioned idea of masterpieces done by the masters,” he said. “Everybody isn’t powered to be creative and in a democratic society – it is freedom that creates the beauty, it’s not authorities. I think that is the era of change.”

Photograph is by Davide Pizzigoni.

Below is an edited transcript from our conversation with Libeskind at the opening of Where Architects Live:

Journalist: Why did you decide to show your house in this exhibition?

Daniel Libeskind: It’s very simple, I decided to show my house because a house is not really private. I have no secrets, so all the secrets are shown and of course my house is not just about just furniture and light.

You know the house is the most important space because that’s where people live. That’s where they go to sleep, that’s where they meet, that’s where they have their intimate moments. So there can be nothing more important than the domestic environment. The domestic environment is no longer seen as some mechanical functionalistic machine to live in, in my view, and it is something that has to do with the global memory with where we are, where we are coming from and where we are going.

Journalist: How is this changing?

Daniel Libeskind: First of all, the house changes with every look of a person, with every glance, with every shift of the eye, with every face, with every piece of light that comes through the house. The house doesn’t just change, the house is actually heavy. It’s difficult to change the physical but today with objects, with furniture, with interiors, with internet, with the world-wide-web, we can live actually elsewhere to where we are. We can be in New York and be living in Tokyo, we can be in Africa and live in Milano. So we are interconnected and this is the connection which created completely a new social idea of the what the world is, what the genius loci is and where we are located.

Marcus Fairs: Daniel, your work sometimes gets a lot of criticism. Do you pay any attention to the critics?

Daniel Libeskind: You know, if you read the New Testament, look at 6:26. “Woe be to the man who is liked by everyone”. So if you read the New Testament, there is a warning, don’t try to be liked by everyone and do what you believe in. And of course, when things are first shown they are difficult. You know, if you read the review of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, it was a failure, they thought it a horrible piece of music. You have to give it time. Architecture is not just for the moment, it is not just for the next fashion magazine. It’s for the next twenty, thirty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred years if it’s good; that’s sustainability. Sustainability is not just clever technologies. Having a house becomes part of something important.

Marcus Fairs: So do you compare your work to Beethoven’s Fifth then if people don’t understand how your buildings might be perceived in the future?

Daniel Libeskind: Hey, you know something? Today everyone can compose Beethoven’s Fifth. We don’t live in the era of the old fashioned idea of masterpieces done by the masters, everybody isn’t powered to be creative and in a democratic society, it is freedom that creates the beauty, it’s not authorities. I think that is the era of change. Everybody has the impetus to be an artist, to create their own house environment. To do something which is beautiful that is desirable by them and not just put to them through the market, through the power of systems, through ideology. I think we’re in a great Renaissance era of rediscovery and that human beings are at the centre, not technology.

Marcus Fairs: So you’re not bothered by your critics then?

Daniel Libeskind: Look I never read them. It’s a democratic world, people can say whatever they want.

Marcus Fairs: You never read them, did you say?

Daniel Libeskind: How can I read them? I have more important things to read.

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in their eyes too, says Daniel Libeskind appeared first on Dezeen.

This house in London by local studio De Matos Ryan sits within a sunken courtyard, surrounded by a secret flower garden (+ slideshow).

De Matos Ryan designed The Garden House for a pair of newlyweds who wanted extra living space for their seven children.

Situated in the garden of their Victorian house in Battersea, the new two-storey building was originally planned as an annex for the eldest children, but was redesigned to be more flexible following the arrival of a new baby.

“Given its location, we wanted the house to be distinctly different from the original house, bringing an element of surprise and delight when you discover it at the end of the garden,” architect Angus Morrogh-Ryan told Dezeen.

“The house is set within a sunken modernist courtyard garden, which allows its owners to escape the dramas of London and relax in a serene and calm setting,” Morrogh-Ryan explained.

Flowerbeds border the house and a canopy of trees offers privacy from the neighbouring properties. A secret raised garden also lies beyond the courtyard and features a hot tub at its centre.

The lower storey and courtyard are sunken below ground level, while a bridge connects the street to the main entrance above.

High-rise courtyard walls protect the property from risk of flooding by the nearby River Thames, framing an outdoor space where the family’s youngest children can play within sight of their parents.

On the ground floor, the outside wall continues into the property and glazed doors slide open to reveal an open-plan living and dining room.

A master bedroom faces the courtyard from this floor, while upstairs bedrooms are filled with natural light from skylights overhead.

“When designing for a family, the role of the architect is to create the right conditions; providing the best structuring of space with ventilation and light and to allow the family and their own personal preferences to flourish, bringing individual character and personality through use,” added Morrogh-Ryan.

Spotlights dotted around the courtyard light up the exterior at night.

Photography is by Hufton + Crow.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

The Garden House, London

De Matos Ryan has completed The Garden House, a new 179 sq m house at the far end of the rear garden of a Victorian house in Battersea, South West London.

A modern family conundrum was the unexpected catalyst for the creation of the new annex – the immediate need of a newly married couple bringing two families together and requiring additional space to accommodate seven children.

The practice was originally briefed to create a garden annex to replace a potting shed and greenhouse that the older children could move in to. The arrival of an eighth child midway through the design stages prompted a rethink of this arrangement and resulted in a change of plan; the calm and convenience of the new annex was deemed to be the ideal retreat for parents with a new baby and younger children whilst the main house would become the older children’s domain.

The design of The Garden House has been driven by three challenges including the clients’ ambitious requirement for increased space, the need to incorporate compulsory flood-proofing measures due to the site’s close proximity to the River Thames, as well as complying with planning restrictions to prevent the overlooking of neighbouring properties.

The new house comprises five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study and a kitchen/living room. The garden was excavated to create a high-sided watertight concrete courtyard, which increased the floor plate of the property without affecting the single storey appearance at garden level. The living areas are at courtyard level and benefit from full height glazing; the bedrooms are arranged at first floor level in clean white volumes that gently float above the glazing.

A bridge at garden level bisects the white box and marks the entrance to the property. Windows are discreetly located on the side and rear elevations to comply with planning restrictions and frame views out. A combination of internal lightwells and rooflights ensure that the bedrooms are flooded with natural daylight. Top lit hallways and bathrooms connect the volumes.

It is the sunken courtyard, characterised by white pigmented concrete walls and floor that defines The Garden House and lends the house an exotic sensibility. Sliding doors open up the corner of the house offering a seamless transition to a tranquil enclosed landscape.

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nestles in a secret garden appeared first on Dezeen.

Milan 2014: Dutch designer David Derksen is showing his collection of Moiré Jewellery at Ventura Lambrate in Milan this week (+ movie).

Each pendant is made from a piece of chemically etched brass, overlaid with a piece of etched stainless steel.

Moving either piece creates the Moiré effect. “If you have two layers of patterns, for example stripes or dots, and they rotate, you create a new pattern,” said Derksen.

There are five pendants in the collection. One features two discs, both perforated with circular dots.

When the front disc is rotated from the centre, a series of expanding and contracting rings appears. A similar design, when rotated from the top, creates a series of larger dots.

Two square discs pierced with square holes create a grid pattern. “When I started the project, I didn’t know what I wanted to make. I usually start my design process from a principle like gravity, or in this case the Moiré effect, and research it, and only afterwards do I think about how to apply it,” says Derksen.

“I had a couple of small samples on my desk and I was playing with them constantly. It was then that I thought, ‘We have to make something that you can play with.’ I decided that if we made a pendant, it would add something to your outfit, but you could also look at it and play with it yourself. We wanted to make playful objects.”

Moiré Jewellery is on show alongside Derksen’s Oscillation Plates and Table Architecture as part of the 010 – 020 Collective at the Prometeo Gallery, Via Ventura 3, 20134 Milan Tuesday 8 April – Saturday 12 April 2014.

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at Ventura Lambrate in Milan appeared first on Dezeen.