Hasta La Ideas

Here’s a full set of photographs of Zaha Hadid’s new extension to the Serpentine Gallery, which features a glazed restaurant with an undulating fabric roof (+ slideshow).

Located five minutes walk from the main gallery building in London’s Kensington Gardens, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery opened earlier this week. Exhibition spaces occupy a renovated nineteenth century munitions store, while the restaurant is housed in a new structure that curves out from one side.

“The idea here was to use a new material – a tensile structure – and to look at domes and a shell structure to achieve a lightweight contemporary project,” said Zaha Hadid at the launch.

Built from a glass-fibre textile, the new tensile structure forms a free-flowing white canopy that is supported by five tapered steel columns and outlined by a frameless glass wall.

Describing the contrast between the new and old structures, she said: “We don’t look forward by looking backwards. It is necessary sometimes to to be able to match and be adjacent to historic buildings. The idea here was to really prove that you can have these two worlds, which are the new and the old, and then the garden and the park together in a seamless way.”

“This structure is meant to be a very contemporary light touch that leaves the existing structure autonomous,” added senior designer Patrick Schumacher. “I think we have achieved the acuity of space and structure, of sculptural elegance, lightness and transparency.”

Dezeen published the first photos of the gallery and restaurant from the press preview earlier this week.

This year’s Serpentine Gallery pavilion by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto is also still on show nearby and features a cloud-like grid of steel poles. See more stories about the Serpentine Gallery »

Other recently completed projects by Zaha Hadid include a building at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Heydar Aliyev Centre cultural centre in Azerbaijan. See more architecture by Zaha Hadid »

Photography is by Luke Hayes.

Here’s a statement from the architects:

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery, Zaha Hadid Architects

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery consists of two distinct parts, namely the conversion of a classical 19th century brick structure – The Magazine – and a 21st century tensile structure. The Serpentine Sackler Gallery is thus – after MAXXI in Rome – the second art space where Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher have created a synthesis of old and new.

The Magazine was designed as a Gunpowder Store in 1805. It comprises two raw-brick barrel-vaulted spaces (where the gunpowder was stored) and a lower square-shaped surrounding structure with a frontal colonnade. The building continued to be in military use until 1963. Since then The Royal Parks used the building for storage. The Magazine thus remained underutilised until now. Over time, much amendment and alteration hasoccurred inside the historic building and its surroundings.

Instrumental to the transformation into a public art gallery was the decision to reinstate the historic arrangement of The Magazine building as a free standing pavilion within an enclosure, whereby the former courtyards would be covered and become internal exhibition spaces.

In order to reveal the original central spaces, all non-historic partition walls within the former gunpowder stores were removed. The flat gauged arches over the entrances were reinstated whilst the historic timber gantry crane was maintained. Necessary services and lighting were discreetly integrated as tonot interfere with the ‘as found’ quality of the spaces. These vaults are now part of the sequence of gallery spaces. The surrounding structure has been clarified and rationalised to become a continuous, open sequence of exhibition spaces looping around the two central powder rooms, thus following the simplicity and clarity of Leo von Klenze’s Glyptothek as an early model for a purpose-built gallery.

What was a courtyard before, became an interior top-lit gallery space. Longitudinal roof lights deliver natural daylight into the whole gallery sequence surrounding the central vaults and witha fixed louver system they create perfectly lit exhibition spaces. Retractable blinds allow for a complete black-out of the galleries. The continuous sky-light makes the vertical protrusion of the central core of the building (containing the two vaults) legible on the inside. These reconstructions and conversions were designed in collaboration with heritage specialist Liam O’Connor and in consultation with English Heritage and Westminster City Council. In addition to the exhibition spaces the restored and converted Magazine also houses the gallery shop and offices for the Serpentine’s curatorial team.

The extension contains a generous, open social space that we expect to enliven the Serpentine Sackler Gallery as a new cultural and culinary destination. The extension has been designed to complement the calm and solid classical building with a light, transparent, dynamic and distinctly contemporary space of the 21st century. The synthesis of old and new is thus a synthesis of contrasts. The new extension feels ephemeral, like a temporary structure, although it is a fully functional permanent building.

It is our first permanent tensile structure and realisation of our current research into curvelinear structural surfaces. The tailored, glass-fibre woven textile membrane is an integral part of the building’s loadbearing structure. It stretches between and connects a perimeter ring beam and a set of five interior columns that articulate the roof’s highpoints. Instead of using perimeter columns, the edge beam – a twisted ladder truss supported on three points – dips down to the supporting ground in front, in the back, and on the free west side. On the east side this edge beam (and thus the roof of the extension) swings above the parapet of The Magazine. A linear strip of glazing gives the appearance that the roof is hovering above The Magazine without touching. The Magazine’s western exterior brick wall thus becomes an interior wall within the new extension without losing its original function and beauty. This detail is coherent with the overall character of the extension as a ‘light touch’ intervention. The envelope is completed by a curved, frameless glass wall that cantilevers from the ground to reach the edge beam and fabric roof.

The interior of the new extension is a bright, open space with light pouring in from all sides and through the five steel columns that open up as light scoops. The anticlastic curvature of the roof animates the space with its sculptural, organic fluidity. The only fixed elements within the space are the kitchen island and a long smooth bar counter that flows along The Magazine’s brick wall. The tables, banquets and chairs are designed as a continuous Voronoi pattern, reminiscent of organic cell structures.

Our aim is to create an intense aesthetic experience, an atmosphere that seems to oscillate between being an extension of the delightful beauty of the surrounding nature and of being an alluring invitation into the enigma of contemporary art.

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photographed by Luke Hayes appeared first on Dezeen.

London Design Festival 2013: this four-tier shelving unit with bulging leather shelves by Belgium designer Damien Gernay is on display at London’s Mint Shop this month (+ slideshow).

The Bloated Shelf by Damien Gernay comprises an ash wood frame and four shelves made from sheets of leather filled with expanded foam. One side of the leather is glued to a wooden board to create the flat surface.

“The idea originates from the image of a prominent belly, constrained by a belt,” said Gernay. “The leather inflates in a natural way, making each piece unique,” he added.

The unit stands at 175 centimetres tall and is 85 centimetres wide.

The shelf forms part of the designer’s range of furniture using leather and foam, which includes a stool with a black leather seat. Gernay said the collection intends to “create a dialogue between a rigid structure and a flexible skin.”

The Bloated Shelf and Bloated Stool are on display at the Cabinets of Curiosity exhibition at Mint shop, 2 North Terrace, Alexander Square, London, SW3 2BA until 30 September 2013.

Other shelving featured on Dezeen recently includes wooden shelves that look like scaffolding and shelves that only stay up thanks to concrete blocks, bricks and magazine file boxes propping up one end.

See more shelving »
See more furniture »
See all our stories about London Design Festival 2013 »

Photography is by Maxime Champion, unless otherwise stated.

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News: Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has unveiled his design for a mixed-use retail building as part of the developing Miami Design District.

Fujimoto‘s proposal features a facade covered with glass fins, which references the tropical rain that falls in the city during the summer.

Arcades on two levels will be enveloped by the glazed structure, which links the storefronts with a pedestrianised courtyard in the southern part of the Miami Design District.

“We believe the proposal will create an emblematical environment for the area surrounding Palm Court. The daily experience of our harmonised facade-corridor will enrich the city experience,” said Sou Fujimoto.

The building is already under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2014.

Sou Fujimoto designed this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and provoked a debate about the validity of unpaid internships by telling Dezeen they were seen as a “nice opportunity” in Japan.

Also in Miami, Zaha Hadid has designed a sixty-storey residential skyscraper with a concrete “exoskeleton” structure, Herzog & de Meuron has created a tower with a parallelogram-shaped plan, and OMA has been awarded the commission to renovate the Miami Beach Convention Center.

See more Sou Fujimoto »
See more Miami »

Here’s some more information from the Miami Design District:

Miami Design District Unveils Plans for Building by Sou Fujimoto

The Miami Design District is proud to announce the commission of a new mixed-use retail building located in the neighborhood’s Palm Court. The latest development’s building façade is designed by award winning Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. The project, one of the cornerstones of the pedestrian-centric area is scheduled for completion in 2014.

Inspired by the flowing movement of waterfalls and Miami’s tempestuous rain squalls, the building’s two-floor structure will feature an elongated series of glass fins extending from the rooftop down to the open courtyard creating a dynamic visual spectacle and alluding to the prevalent aquatic nature of the city. Spanning approximately 17,000 square-feet, the building’s façade encompasses first and second floor arcades creating a unique pedestrian experience under the structural waterfall. The retail housed within this project is part of Palm Court – the District’s southern pedestrian promenade. The addition of Fujimoto’s building furthers the Miami Design District’s dedication to create vibrant public spaces where art, commerce and community harmoniously coexist.

“We called on Fujimoto, one of the most exciting architects working today, to design the building and contribute his vision to the overall aesthetic of Palm Court. We are firmly committed to distinctive architecture and design as a way to realize our vision of enhancing and ultimately transforming the neighborhood. Creating engaging mixed retail and public spaces is integral to a thriving community. Fujimoto’s building will contribute well to the unity of design, fashion, art and architecture within the Design District,” said Craig Robins, President of Dacra.

One of today’s most forward thinking international architects, Sou Fujimoto is known for delicate, light structures and permeable enclosures. Inspired by organic eco-systems, such as forests, nests and the caves, Fujimoto’s signature creations exhibit a vibrant interplay between nature and architecture, blending the internal and external. Among Fujimoto’s projects in Japan are the Final Wooden House, T House and House N – in which one almost transparent volume is nested inside another – the Musashino Art Museum and the Library at Musashino Art University. In 2013, Fujimoto was selected to design the Serpentine Gallery pavilion in London, one of the world’s most ambitious architectural commissions.

“We believe the proposal will create an emblematical environment for the area surrounding Palm Court. The daily experience of our harmonized facade-corridor will enrich the city experience.” said Sou Fujimoto, about his design.

The Miami Design District is a unique, 18 square-block neighborhood just north of downtown Miami comprised of creative experiences and is committed to the unity of design, fashion, art and architecture. The development is owned by Miami Design District Associates, a partnership between Craig Robins’ company Dacra, and L Real Estate, a global real estate development fund focused on luxury retail driven mixed-use projects in which LVMH is a minority investor.

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News: the number of people riding the Wilkinson Eyre-designed Emirates Air Line has dropped by half since last year, fuelling criticism that the project is not fulfilling its intended role as a key part of London’s transportation infrastructure.

According to Transport for London, passenger numbers on the Emirates Air Line for the week ending 21 September 2013 were 25,046, compared with 47,604 for the week ending 22 September 2012.

The figures are the first to give an accurate indication of the cable car’s popularity one year on from its launch, discounting the inflated numbers that resulted from last summer’s London Olympics when weekly passengers reached over 180,000.

The cable car, which links the O2 arena at Greenwich Peninsula with the ExCeL centre at the Royal Docks, was described before its launch in June 2010 as “a unique and exciting new addition to London’s transport network,” by Transport for London commissioner Sir Peter Hendy.

However, the ridership statistics suggest that it has not been embraced by commuters and remains well short of its capacity to transport 2,500 people an hour in each direction. Critics of the £60 million project have pointed out that the cable car’s current route can be made using London Underground’s Jubilee line in two minutes for half the price.

Sir Peter Hendy has admitted he is unhappy with the numbers, pointing out that “passenger journeys for periods 3, 4 and 5 were 4 per cent down against budget.”

Commenting on the possible future of the cable car, leader of the Liberal Democrats at the London Assembly Caroline Pidgeon said: “If the cable car is to have any success in the long term it should either be run and operated as a privately run tourist attraction, or instead operated as an integral form of public transport, where people with a travelcard or a relevant pass can use it for free.”

Measures are being taken to address the poor ridership, including selling advance tickets online and partnering with the O2 arena to offer combination tickets that include different attractions.

Other projects by Wilkinson Eyre Architects on Dezeen include an elliptical timber-clad museum for a Tudor warship on England’s south coast, and last year’s World Building of the Year – Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. See more Wilkinson Eyre Architects »

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Opinion: Justin McGuirk‘s inaugural Opinion column for Dezeen is in two parts – in this first instalment he examines what cheap tablet computers developed for emerging markets like India will mean for high-end tech giants like Apple and Samsung. Tomorrow he’ll ask why design critics are writing about technology in the first place.

Apple’s launch of a cut-price iPhone last week – complete with blanket media coverage and the requisite 5am queuing by obsessives – was a reminder of what an insular world the tech industry is. With a starting price of £469, even the budget version of the iPhone is well beyond the means of most people on the planet. This fact hit home a few days later when I went to hear Indian entrepreneur Suneet Singh Tuli speak at the Victoria & Albert museum in London. Tuli is the man behind the Aakash tablet computer. The Aakash 4 launches soon and, though it has greater processing power than an iPad, it is ten times cheaper with a price tag of just £40.

Given Silicon Valley’s self-professed faith in the socially transformative power of technology, why does it show so little interest in trying to reach those who are most socially disadvantaged? The obvious answer is because the socially disadvantaged have no money. Yet, if you imagine reaching a market of a billion people who may be able to muster £40 for a tablet that will connect them to the internet – “the most powerful medium society has ever seen,” as Tuli puts it – you’d think there would be enough of a financial, let alone social, incentive.

Tuli, the Punjab-born and Canadian-educated CEO of Datawind, headquartered in London’s North Acton, can see the potential. He has his sights on the three billion people who have cell phones but no access to the internet. The barrier to entry, as he sees it, is not network coverage but price. Smartphones and tablet computers are out of their league. And yet, even in the US, personal computers only became commonplace once their price had dropped to roughly one week’s salary, which happened in the 1990s. That fact made Tuli realise that in order to reach the billion people living on less than £150 a month, he would need to create a tablet that retailed for about £30.

The way Datawind approached that goal was by embracing the concept of making something “good enough”. “Inexpensive and good beats expensive and great,” says Tuli. If that sounds like he’s damning his own product with faint praise, let’s remind ourselves of just how much we have all bought into the concept of “good enough”. We abandoned CDs for MP3 files, we watch pixellated videos on YouTube, we snap away with our phones even though we have digital cameras and we arrange Skype meetings knowing full well that the phrase “I’ve lost you” will feature prominently. In short, we favour convenience and instant gratification over high fidelity.

So, having briefly handled an Aakash 4 – or an Ubislate as it’s known in western markets – I can tell you that its shell is not as finely wrought as an iPad’s and its interface not as graceful. It does, however, have a 1.5 GHz processor that is more powerful than the latest iPad’s. Tuli abandoned some common tablet features, like an HDMI port, “because my customers don’t need to be able to hook up to a big plasma screen, so there’s no point spending an extra 11 cents on that port,” he says. Big deal.

The question you’re probably asking yourself is, why does India’s largely rural population need of one of these things? Tuli’s answer is education. Of the 360 million children in India, only 219 million of them are in education. That’s twice the population of the UK not receiving any schooling, and many millions more are being taught to a substandard level. India has a shortage of qualified teachers and the qualified ones are not desperate to work in rural villages.

I’ll confess that I was sceptical at first. I do not believe that a tablet computer replaces a teacher. Connect a child to the internet and you offer her a wonderful support system, but who’s to say what that child is actually doing online? “We need to connect them to the power of the MOOC [massive open online course],” says Tuli, not altogether convincingly. However, when he pointed out that the Indian government can supply Aakash tablets for less than it costs to print the necessary schoolbooks, I started to get the message. Indeed, Tuli claims the government is working on plans to distribute 220 million tablets – one for every student in the country.

But is the Aakash just another false promise? Yves Behar’s One Laptop Per Child programme seemed to offer the same potential, was feted by a wide-eyed media and scooped up awards, but ultimately failed to live up to expectations. Part of the problem was that it never actually reached its targeted $100 price tag, but there were also frankly discouraging tales of Cambodian villagers using the OLPC as a lamp. “It turns out the killer app was light,” says Tuli, with no little schadenfreude. It turns out that he may well end up collaborating with OLPC on the educational programme, though.

So what makes the Aakash different? Is Tuli just another techno-determinist who’s imbibed too much of the Silicone Valley Kool-Aid? Worse, is the social agenda a convenient cover for what is ultimately an entrepreneurial venture? Now that I come to think of it, how does he make these tablets so cheap in the first place? The Kindle Fire sells at £129, which is £30 less than it costs to manufacture – money Amazon can afford to lose because what it’s really selling is not hardware but content. Yes, Tuli cut out the unnecessary ports and features, and he negotiated a good deal on the touchscreens (the most expensive part of any tablet) but the Aakash still seems to do most of what an iPad can do, so there is presumably some very cheap labour going on that he has failed to mention.

Let’s put that aside for now, along with any qualms about the environmental impact of a billion tablets, which Tuli calls “a necessary evil” in comparison to battling illiteracy and ignorance (which I think he may be right about). Looking at the big picture, we see a massive emerging market for devices that will connect people to the knowledge resource that is the internet. India, where 800 million people use cell phones but can’t go online, is such a market. In 2011 Indians bought 250,000 tablets (mainly Apple and Samsung). The following year it was more than 3 million (mainly Aakash). In fact, Datawind fell far short of being able to keep up with demand.

Apple and Samsung may not have time for this market but they should be worried by it, because Indians are not the only ones interested in a £40 tablet. In fact, Tuli was swamped after his lecture. It’s customary at these things for a few keen audience members to mill around with an extra-time question, but this was fully half the lecture theatre. People were crowding round for a glimpse of this gadget. It was not their social consciences that drove them forward but pure consumer instinct. The air was heavy with musk.

Soon, Canadians will be able to buy an Ubislate for 37 Canadian dollars. If it’s “good enough” for them, then companies like Apple and Samsung will have to change their game rather fast. It will also suggest that India is now the place to look for disruptive innovation. The warning signs are already here. Last week Microsoft bought back £24 billion of its own shares. Earlier this year, Apple bought back £62 billion of shares. Instead of investing their cash in research, they’re giving it away to their shareholders. That, according to business thinkers like Clay Christensen, is the beginning of the end. As he said on the BBC‘s Newsnight programme last week, “Nokia is essentially gone, Blackberry is essentially gone and now Apple is next.”

For once, those catering to the so-called “other 90%” stand to gain. “Three billion users should be a big enough market but the big companies don’t want to go near it,” says Tuli. “That’s why disruption happens.”

Justin McGuirk is a writer, critic and curator based in London. He is the director of Strelka Press, the publishing arm of the Strelka Institute in Moscow. He has been the design columnist for The Guardian, the editor of Icon magazine and the design consultant to Domus. In 2012 he was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture for an exhibition he curated with Urban Think Tank.

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to change their game” appeared first on Dezeen.