Hasta La Ideas

World Architecture Festival 2013: we’re reporting on the World Architecture Festival in Singapore this week. Category winners from the first day include a whirlpool-shaped aquarium and a sports college perforated with the shapes of athletes.

Winners in today’s categories will compete with the second batch of laureates, which we’ll publish tomorrow, for the World Building of the Year prize to be announced on Friday. Last year the award went to Wilkinson Eyre Architects’ Gardens by the Bay project in Singapore.

The annual World Architecture Festival (WAF) is taking place at the Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands hotel and conference centre until 4 October and Dezeen is media partner for the event. The Inside Festival is running alongside WAF and we revealed the day one category winners of the Inside Awards earlier today.

Read on for the list of today’s WAF category winners:

House category winner: The Left-Over-Space House, Australia, by Cox Rayner Architects, Casey and Rebekah Vallance

A three-metre-wide caretaker’s cottage has been recycled and extended into a private family house for parents and two children by Cox Rayner Architects. “There’s a realness and authenticity to the spirit of the house that reflects the owners,” said this year’s panel of judges.

Housing category winner: 28th Street Apartments, USA, by Koning Eizenberg Architecture

Koning Eizenberg Architecture restored a former YMCA building in Los Angeles and added 25 new residential units in a thin five-storey stucco-clad building beside it. “This project demonstrates architecture as an agent for social transformation,”  the judges commented. “The architect was able to knit together historical continuity and something very new, something of high architectural value.”

Office category winner: Statoil Regional and International Offices, Norway, by a-lab

Five aluminium-clad volumes are stacked up like a pile of horizontal skyscrapers at this office complex outside Oslo by Norwegian studio A-Lab – read more about the project in our previous story. The judges said the building is “a comprehensive and integrated project that merges modular construction and cost effectiveness in a modern Scandanavian way, demonstrating a deep understanding of democratic and social values in the new working environment.”

Higher education category winner: University of Exeter: Forum Project, UK, by Wilkinson Eyre Architects

World Building of the Year 2012 recipients Wilkinson Eyre have made the shortlist for this year’s award, with an undulating canopy bridging the spaces between rectangular buildings at the University of Exeter in England. The judges said: “The project creates hugely uplifting spaces for the students with a delightfully detailed timber gridshell roof.”

Display category winner: The Blue Planet, Denmark, by 3XN

Shaped like a whirlpool, this aquarium in Copenhagen by Danish architects 3XN is covered in shimmering aluminium shingles similar to fish scales – read more about the project in our previous story. “It deals successfully with the site and finds opportunity where there is little context. It overcomes significant engineering and technical challenges,” were the judges comments.

Religion category winner: Sancaklar Mosque, Turkey, by Emre Arolat Architects

This mosque in an Istanbul suburb sits in a quiet park cut off from the surrounding area by high walls. “The project captured the spiritual essence of a mosque without being referential,” said the judges.

Schools category winner: Fontys Sports College, Netherlands, by Mecanoo Architecten

This sports college in Eindhoven by Dutch firm Mecanoo features a black brick exterior with perforations in the shape of athletes – read more about the project in our previous story.

Shopping category winner: Emporia, Sweden, by Wingårdh Arkitektkontor

Also triumphing in the Shopping Centres category at the Inside Awards, Swedish studio Wingårdh‘s Malmö emporium has a gaping golden chasm over its entrance – read more about the project in our previous story. “Malls are generally massive; this one, despite its size, does not impose on its surroundings,” the judges concluded.

Future Projects winners

» Health: New Sulaibikhat Medical Center, Kuwait, by AGi Architects
» House: Meditation House, Lebanon, by MZ Architects
» Culture: National Maritime Museum of China, China, by Cox Rayner Architects
» Commercial mixed-use: New Office in Central London, UK, by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
» Leisure led: Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore, by Arup Associates, DP Architects
» Office: Selcuk Ecza Headquarters, Turkey, by Tabanlioglu Architects
» Masterplanning: Earls Court Masterplan, UK, by Farrells
» Infrastructure: Brisbane Ferry Terminals Post-Flood Recovery, Australia, by Cox Rayner Architects

Keep an eye out for movies from Singapore we’re filming for the latest leg of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour.

The post World Architecture Festival 2013
day one winners announced appeared first on Dezeen.

Inside Festival 2013: Dezeen is in Singapore for this year’s Inside Festival, where category winners of the awards programme from the first day include a shopping centre with colour-coded atriums and a lift scaling the fortified city walls of Valletta.

The winners were selected from a shortlist of 59 projects by a jury headed by designer Nigel Coates and featuring designers Jason Bruges, Lyndon Neri of Neri & Hu and Sadie Morgan of dRMM. Dezeen is media partner for the biennial Inside Festival 2013 and we’ll be announcing winners from day two tomorrow.

Each category winner will be put forward for the title World Interior of the Year, to be announced at the festival on Friday.

The event continues at the Marina Bay Sands hotel and conference centre in Singapore until 4 October, coinciding with the World Architecture Festival. Look out for day one winners from WAF 2013, which we’ll publish later on today.

Here are the details of today’s six winning interior projects:

Creative Re-use category: Dardanel Administration Building by Alatas Architecture & Consulting

Turkish firm Alatas Architecture & Consulting redesigned the interior of this wooden waterside mansion in Istanbul to include steel reinforcement to improve earthquake resistance, plus a transparent staircase and elevator.

Culture category winner: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, FJMT + Archimedia (Architects in Association)

Tree-like canopies with wooden patterns cover the entry forecourt, atrium and gallery areas of the Auckland Art Gallery by Australian firm FJMT and New Zealand studio Archimedia. Large transparent walls allow views from the galleries to the city’s Albert Park.

Health category winner: Knowledge Centre, St. Olavs Hospital by Nordic Office of Architecture

The new laboratories, auditoriums and catering facilities at this hospital in Trondheim, Norway, by Nordic Office of Architecture have exposed lattices of wooden ceiling beams that contrast with raw concrete stairwells.

Office category winner: Clemenger BBDO by Hassell

Advertising and marketing agency Clemenger BBDO’s Sydney office was designed by architects Hassell to be a workshop-like space with an informal layout and open offices.

Shops category winner: Tashya by Charged Void

Ornately patterned wood screens are used a copper and steel elements to create a contemporary take on traditional Indian interiors at this fashion and jewellery boutique by design studio Charged Voids.

Shopping Centres category winner: Emporia by Wingårdh arkitektkontor

Swedish architects Wingårdh colour coded the glass atriums in this shopping centre in Malmö to help shoppers navigate the huge complex, which has a giant golden chasm at its entrance – read more about the project in our previous story.

Transport category winner: Barrakka Lift by Architecture Project

As part of the regeneration of Valletta, this 20-storey-high public lift from the recently restored harbour to the top of the Maltese capital’s fortified walls has an aluminium mesh skin and glazed lift carriages to offer views out to the sea – read more about the project in our previous story.

Also highly recommended by the judges were Google Japan by Klein Dytham Architects in the offices category and Sydney Cruise Terminal by Johnson Pilton Walker Architects in the transport category.

Stay tuned for movies from Singapore we’re filming for the latest leg of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour.

The post Inside Awards 2013 day one
winners announced appeared first on Dezeen.

News: car brand Bentley has become the latest luxury brand to develop its own furniture line with the launch of the Bentley Home range of sofas, chairs and tables.

British auto brand Bentley’s collection of luxury designs for the home and office will be produced by Italian furniture brand Club House Italia, which also distributes the home ranges by fashion houses Fendi and Kenzo.

The Bentley Home collection includes a range of seating, tables in various sizes, a pair of cabinets and a bed, which are all designed in neutral colours with wood finishes.

Quilted diamond patterns on the leather interiors of Bentley cars have been adapted for upholstery and the same veneers used for panelling in the vehicles are also used.

The brand will display the products at the Maison & Objet Paris trade fair in January.

Another luxury brand dabbling in furniture and product design is Italian fashion label Fendi. The company collaborated with New York studio Aranda\Laschon to install a collection of seating made up of foam pyramids at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale and put its name to an installation of stripy leather furniture at Design Miami last year.

Also in Miami, French fashion house Louis Vuitton showed a collection of portable objects inspired by the brand’s signature luggage and travel accessories by designers including Fernando and Humberto Campana.

Sam Jacob shared his thoughts about luxury design in his Opinion column earlier this year – read it here.

Here’s the information sent to us by Bentley:

New furniture range from Bentley Homes

» Unique quilted diamond pattern inspired by interiors of Bentley models
» Sophisticated seating options include sofas and chairs
» Colours palette features ivory and taupe

The new Bentley Home collection is inspired by the renowned craftsmanship and exquisite materials that characterise the interiors of all Bentley models. Designed to furnish luxury homes and offices, the collection combines Bentley’s inherent qualities of craftsmanship, heritage and tradition, exclusivity and style, with the exacting design of one of Europe’s leading furniture makers.

This exclusive collection blends the finest elements of traditional and modern design, an exercise in subtlety rather than showmanship, incorporating functional performance with comfort and luxurious, sensuous quality. It captures the elan of the Bentley driver, through items that mirror the impeccable quality and attention to detail which is a landmark of the Bentley brand.

The bodies of the new Richmond pieces are created with an embracing double shell and can be covered in either leather or a fine veneer of burr walnut. The same wide selection of veneers which is available for Bentley car customers is also available for most pieces in the collection. The wood is then carefully matched to a padded structure covered in a sophisticated light cashmere. The seating reflects the level of comfort and luxury found in the Crewe-based marque, which makes it unique in its class.

The colour palette is composed of varying neutral tones of ivory and taupe matched with shades of beige and cream. Intricate details such as the leather braid around the contours highlight the soft and sinuous lines. The iconic quilted diamond pattern embossed in the leather interiors of a Bentley has also been interpreted into the unique designs of the furniture.

The new collection consists of the following new pieces:

Richmond

An elegant and sophisticated line of seating which includes sofas, chaise longues and armchairs. The enveloping external structure can have a veneer finish or leather cover. In contrast, the inner structure is covered in leather or linen or in fine cashmere velvet. The profile is embellished by a leather braid.

Madeley & Kendal

A large oval or round meeting table with refined Kendal chairs embellished with leather and the Bentley logo which can be embroidered on the back, on request. A trapezoidal structured table made of curved wood panels with edges embellished in hand-made leather coating. The feet are made of steel with a gun-metal finish.

Sherbourne & Kingsbridge

Tall and short leather-coated cabinets with veneered fronts; these are also available in smooth or quilted leather. Tone-on-tone lacquered interiors with external coatings and shelves of crystal represent the luxury and quality of both Bentley and Club House Italia, part of the Luxury Living Group. The handles and feet are also made from steel with a complementing gun-metal grey finish.

Harlow

A modern coffee table with metal steel structure and a complimentary gun-metal grey finish. The surface is made from onyx or leather coated.

Canterbury

The bed is characterised by an imposing headboard, embracing coated structure available in leather or fabric. The shapes are soft and convoluted, working in harmony with the contemporary and informal line. An innovative duvet cover, Fibra di Legno, is a high-quality fabric made from wood pulp that gives the yarn softness and smoothness, adding to the luxurious feel of this piece.

The post Bentley launches
furniture range appeared first on Dezeen.

This house in Saitama, Japan, by Naf Architect & Design looks like it’s been chopped in half and split open.

Architect Akio Nakasa of Naf Architect & Design designed the three-storey House Snapped for a couple and created two sections to separate the pair’s shared activities, such as dining and relaxing, from private ones, such as dressing and working.

“The composition of this residence was inspired by a phrase of the client couple, ‘stranger hours’,” said Nakasa. “This is a witty phrase describing the relationship of the couple, which is not always stereotypically close but sometimes distant like strangers.”

The smaller side of the building is intended to accommodate the “stranger hours” and contains bedroom and bathroom spaces, while the “shared hours” are assigned to living and dining rooms in the largest side of the house.

A round wooden column is positioned at the junction between the two sides, emphasising the appearance of a hinge.

Each room inside the house has a different floor surface, chosen to suit the activities taking place inside. A wool carpet was selected for the bedroom for its sound-absorbing qualities, while the kitchen and dining room has a mosaic floor that will reflect sound and one of the studies is covered with soft cork tiles.

“The height of the ceiling and flooring materials are chosen according to the nature of the space in order to increase the quality of the time the couple spends together,” added Nakasa.

The exterior of the house is clad with timber boards, painted in a vivid shade of blue, while the hinged middle features a contrasting white-rendered surface. A triangular lawn occupies the space in between.

Naf Architect & Design also recently completed a house with a climbing wall and ladders between floors. Other residential projects include a renovated house with a wooden box at its centre.

See more architecture by Naf Architect & Design »
See more houses in Japan »

Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.

Here’s a full project description from Akio Nakasa:

House Snapped

Two buildings, large and small, stand on L-shape plot adjoining at the corner. The form of the two buildings comes is as if one building snapped in two, and they are placed along the shape of the site.

A column stands at the adjoining corner of the two buildings, and four zones, yard, entrance, small and large buildings, are placed radially. Four zones can be shared or partitioned using sliding doors.

The composition of this residence was inspired by a phrase of the client couple, “stranger hours”. This is a witty phrase describing the relationship of the couple, which is not always stereotypically close but sometimes distant like strangers.

The antonym of “stranger hours” may be “shared hours”. The large building incorporates living room, dining room, and kitchen where the couple spend “shared hours” and the small building in the back of the plot incorporates bedroom, bathroom, and toilet where the couple spend “stranger hours”.

The height of the ceiling and flooring materials are chosen according to the nature of the space in order to increase the quality of the time the couple spends together, whether it is “shared hours” or “stranger hours”. For example, the living room has vaulted ceiling and flooring with high reflectance material for the voices to reach one another. The bedroom has low ceiling and flooring with sound absorption material to keep tranquility.

The yard, where the couple and their neighbours exchange greetings, is covered with soft lawn. The entrance, which accepts all kinds of guests, has whisper concrete finishing which gives more formal impression.

Four zones placed around the column may be flexibly used according to the situation, allowing a compact and comfortable lifestyle.

Name of the project: House Snapped
Location: Saitama City, Saitama
Category: detached house
Structure: Wood construction
Number of storeys: 2 storeys above ground
Maximum height: 8.432 m
Maximum eave height: 6.411 m
Frontal road: 4.00m on the east
Site area: 108.49m2 Building area: 51.04m2
Total floor area: 81.41m2
Completion: April 22, 2012
Architect: Akio Nakasa (principal architect), Daisuke Aoki

The post House Snapped by
Naf Architect & Design appeared first on Dezeen.

The long narrow bodies of snakes inspired the shapes of this pair of matching woodland hideaways that stretch out between the trees of a park in northern Portugal (+ slideshow).

Designed by architects Luís Rebelo de Andrade and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade, the structures each offer accommodation for one or two inhabitants at the Pedras Salgadas Park, a rural holiday resort on the edge of a spa town.

The architects aimed to “recreate the fantasy of tree houses”, by designing spaces that sit amongst the tree branches. Rather than climbing upwards, the structures maintain a flat level, which gradually becomes more elevated as the ground slopes away underneath.

Both buildings are constructed from timber, but are externally clad with slate tiles that create the impression of rough scales.

“The characteristic design associated with the slates and the wood on the base suggests a snake gliding between the trees,” said the designers. “Like a wild animal in its natural habitat, the house suddenly appears in the visual field of the observer.”

Narrow columns anchor the structures to the ground and long narrow bridges lead from the hillside towards each entrance.

Inside, symmetrical interiors offer combined living and sleeping areas with a kitchen and washroom on one side and a toilet and closet on the other.

Sustainable technologies such as solar panels and water recycling allow the buildings to be self-sufficient, while low-energy lighting and well-insulated walls ensure that electricity and heating are used as efficiently as possible.

This isn’t the first project Luís Rebelo de Andrade has worked on at the Pedras Salgadas Park – last year he collaborated with young Portuguese architect Diogo Aguiar on a series of woodland cabins.

Other tree houses on Dezeen include a hotel room that looks like a bird’s nest and a treetop artists’ studio. See more tree houses »

Photography is by Ricardo Oliveira Alves.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Tree Snake Houses

Along with the project Pedras Salgadas Park by architects Luís Rebelo de Andrade and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade, came the challenge of creating an object that could recreate the fantasy of the tree houses.

The project for these houses was developed in partnership with the Modular System Company. The idea was to get an object that would be far away from the orthogonality and from pre-established concepts associated with the modular construction.

The characteristic design associated with the slates and the wood on the base suggests a snake gliding between the trees. Like a wild animal in its natural habitat, the house suddenly appears in the visual field of the observer.

The choice of materials gives an instant sense of connection with nature at the same time it establishes a coherent image of the proposal into a perfect symbiosis between the house and the Park.

The architects made use of new technology already tested in prototypes that allow a weightless easy-carrying construction. Native raw material, slate and wood used in the finishing also promote the integration at the same time it confers invisibility to the houses, not allowing these to take the chief role which belongs to the centennial Park itself.

Sustainability and ecology have always been one of the major concerns during the development of the project. The consistency and rationale for the intervention were attained by the layers and reinforced insulation, heating systems, water reuse, water solar panels, the low consumption lighting system using LED technology as well as the option of keeping the soil without any impermeable system, among other solutions. Each house comprises a studio with a bathroom and a kitchen.

Thus, the two Tree Snake Houses of Pedras Salgadas Park are objects that, using similar materials and technologies, point out to our imaginary: the primitive hut and the wild animal.

Developed by the architects Luís Rebelo De Andrade And Tiago Rebelo De Andrade in cooperation with Modular System the project also foresees multiple purposes, which can be adapted to different landscapes and climates.

More models of these houses like the Mountain Snake House, the River Snake House and the Sand Snake House, whose dimensions and materials are easily adapted to various climates and regions, are being developed and will soon be available to the public. It will then be possible to acquire one of these houses and to benefit from different situations such as coastal areas, riverbanks, mountain or urban environments.

Architects: Luís Rebelo de Andrade & Tiago Rebelo de Andrade
Collaborators: Madalena Rebelo de Andrade, Raquel Jorge, Pedro Baptista Dias
Project Area: 27,00 sqm
Client: UNICER
Constructor: Modular System

The post Tree Snake Houses by Luís and
Tiago Rebelo de Andrade appeared first on Dezeen.