Hasta La Ideas

Architect Julien De Smedt has launched Makers With Agendas, a new design brand with products ranging from solutions to natural disasters and humanitarian crises to coat hooks and tea sets (+ slideshow + interview).

Makers With Agendas, co-founded by De Smedt and William Ravn of JDS Architects, launches tomorrow at Maison & Objet in Paris. The first collection includes a folding wooden trestle, coloured tea set, a wooden easel for displaying paintings and a butterfly-shaped coat hook that can also be used to hold keys or small accessories.

Future projects will address bigger issues, De Smedt told Dezeen. “We’re looking at displacement situations around the globe from either natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes or political conditions leading to civil wars or genocides – and will use our research to create a product addressing it,” De Smedt said.

Makers With Agendas will also be exhibited at Design September in Brussels and later in the year at the Makers With Agendas store in Copenhagen and the New Museum Store in New York.

Prior to founding JDS Architects, De Smedt worked with OMA/Rem Koolhaas and co-founded Copenhagen architecture firm PLOT with Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.

Other stories about Julien De Smedt include a stacked shelving system and a harbour-side housing development that looks like a cluster of icebergs. See all our features about JDS Architects »

See more homeware »
See more product design »

Photography is by Nikolaj Møller.

Here’s a transcript of the interview with Julien De Smedt:

Marcus Fairs: Why have you decided to launch Makers With Agendas?

Julien De Smedt: Makers’ comes for me at the confluence of three flows of needs and desires – to have a recipient for experiments, to address societal issues and to realise things exactly as I want them to be, rather than being a necessary compromise, however successful this compromise might be.

Marcus Fairs: What does the name mean?

Julien De Smedt: We’re a capacity. We’re designers, thinkers and producers. And since ultimately what matters is the result of our ideas, we put the emphasis on the act, the making. But it is not a random action, it’s intentional. We have agendas. Each of our projects tackles issues, provide answers and creates new meaning.

Marcus Fairs: What products you are launching and why? What’s different about them?

Julien De Smedt: We’re launching six products and have another six in the pipeline. Our first set is focusing on issues of transport, compactness and domestic needs. It sets the tone: even in casual settings we bring a different approach.

Our trestle, Accordion, folds into a single stick making it the most compact of its kind. T.4.2 is a tea set for two people where the cups embrace the teapot. It is our homage to conversation. Stilt gives people a new, nomadic, relationship to their interiors: with it you can move your paintings around the house. No nails are necessary to hang artworks. Butterfly is a coat hook that doubles as key and wallet holder. Who hasn’t run around the house trying to find his or her keys? Swing is a serving tray that allows you to carry full glasses, single handed and without spilling – even if you swing it over your head!

Finally, SMLXL is our first venture in fashion accessories: as one can expect from its name it is four different sized bags in a single design. From a woman stylish purse to a shoulder bag, a backpack and even a big shopper. This last design was also brought into the launch to make a statement and to show that we’re not confined to product design. We’re also working with other designers such as fashion designer Prisca Vilsbøl who was commissioned for this project.

Marcus Fairs: What else is different about the company, apart from the products?

Julien De Smedt: We’re organising ourselves and deciding our designs from another angle: we first take topics that we find relevant, interesting or urgent and we analyse them. From this analysis we extract objects. We’re now looking at displacement situations around the globe from either natural disasters (tsunamis, earthquakes, .etc) or political conditions (leading to civil wars, genocides etc) and will use our research to create a product addressing it.

We’re also working to create awareness of the different aspects of society where design plays a role, whether good or bad. In our poster campaign ‘Design Is…’ we’re discussing issues such as the relationship of the use of Coltan in mobile phones and the biggest death count since World War II, currently occurring in Congo. In a very similar way as Benetton did with [Oliviero] Toscani in the 1980s, we are working with a photographer, Nikolaj Møller, on the concept, message and its physical presence. We’re actually also the only retailer stocking COLORS magazine in our first store in Copenhagen.

Marcus Fairs: Who are your partners in the brand?

Julien De Smedt: We’re two founders: William Ravn and myself. William comes from a more business angle. At age 22 he has already been running multiple successful businesses. He interned at JDS when he was 15! Wouter Dons is the third partner. He has been working for JDS for over 6 years on all my product designs. It felt natural and necessary to have him on the Makers’ team.

Marcus Fairs: What do you plan to do in the future with the brand?

Julien De Smedt: Makers’ is a recipient for ideas for change. We’re not sure where it will go because we thought of it as a capacity rather than a company with a single business plan. For us, we see Makers With Agendas as the platform we use to discuss matters that interest us. So if we stay curious and creative it can go anywhere.

Marcus Fairs: What can architects bring to the design of furniture, tableware etc that can’t already be done by other designers?

Julien De Smedt: I don’t think being an architect grants you anymore skills to do anything better than a designer can. There are good and bad architects just like there are good and bad designers. The difference is in the impact of the crime committed. Architecture is somewhat local only and even if the impact is long lasting, the location is unique. With design the damages go further. It spreads like a virus.

I can only speak for ourselves, as Makers With Agendas: our design orientation is one of ingenuity over beauty, of content rather than looks. Which is why our style is in fact very minimal. We’d like the focus to be on the function and its idea rather than a taste judgment. I function in a very similar way with my architecture. Which is why I often call it ‘performative architecture’. Maker’ projects follow that mantra.

Marcus Fairs: What do you think about the current state of furniture/lighting/homeware design?

Julien De Smedt: I’m not really aware of what is around and do not focus on that. At least not too much. Maybe that’s already a sign of the state of things. That said, I like a lot of products I see but not always for substantial reasons. I just like them.

Marcus Fairs: Your Stacked shelving for MUUTO has been extremely successful. How did that design come about?

Julien De Smedt: I was asked by MUUTO to make a modular shelving system. I have a wall of stacked shelves I collected here and there and from my family in my apartment. It became an immediate inspiration for Stacked. In a way it was a no-brainer: three interchangeable modules of varying capacity, linked together by a simple clip. I think the success comes from the fact that the design isn’t imposed – it’s understated and leaves space for people’s appropriation.

Marcus Fairs: How do you feel about the way Stacked has been so widely imitated?

Julien De Smedt: It’s kind of insane. Sometimes it’s really an issue we can address, but most times there’s nothing we can do. It’s also the risk one takes when one makes understated design: can you really claim to have invented a box? Of course the clip is a different story. That is really our idea.

Marcus Fairs: What architecture projects are you working on at the moment?

Julien De Smedt: I’ve just delivered a large tower project in Mexico City and an entire neighbourhood design in Istanbul, where we’re also building a 100,000 m2 development. Apart from that we’re building our first projects in Asia, in Seoul and Hangzhou.

We’re also under construction of a public project for the city of Lille, a large cultural incubator in Brussels and of course we just delivered the Iceberg in Aarhus and the Kalvebod Waves in the centre of Copenhagen.

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Julien De Smedt and William Ravn appeared first on Dezeen.

News: the world’s vainest skyscrapers have been revealed in the latest report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which reveals the unnecessary “vanity space” added to the top of the world’s tallest buildings.

Of the top ten tallest buildings in the world at present (pictured), at least 27 percent of each structure is superfluous, according the report.

Without its 244-metre spire, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa – currently the tallest building on earth – would drop to a substantially smaller 585-metre height without any reduction in usable space. As the report states, the spire “could be a skyscraper on its own”.

“We noticed in Journal 2013 Issue I’s case study on Kingdom Tower, Jeddah, [currently under construction] that a fair amount of the top of the building seemed to be an unoccupied spire,” reads the report. “This prompted us to explore the notion of ‘vanity height’ in supertall buildings, i.e. the distance between a skyscraper’s highest occupiable floor and its architectural top, as determined by CTBUH Height Criteria.”

The Ukraina Hotel in Moscow, Russia, is revealed as the world’s vainest skyscraper, with 42 percent of the building’s 206-metre height identified as useless space. Meanwhile the vainest “supertall” building – a term given to structures over 300 metres – is identified as the 321-metre Burj Al-Arab in Dubai, whose curving spire makes up 39 percent of the overall height.

The report identifies the United Arab Emirates as the nation with the highest number of vain skyscrapers, with an average of 19 percent useless height across all of its tallest buildings. However it also contains the world’s humblest skyscraper, as the 328-metre Index in Dubai has a vanity space of just four metres.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is the world’s leading authority on the skyscrapers. Recent reports by the organisation have predicted the 20 tallest buildings in the world by the year 2020 and revealed the number of skyscrapers completed last year.

See more reports from the CTBUH »
See more stories about skyscrapers »

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revealed appeared first on Dezeen.

Models at a Norwegian fashion event walked along this looping wooden catwalk designed by Oslo studio Gartnerfuglen Architects (+ slideshow).

Gartnerfuglen Architects an a group of volunteers built the wooden structure for Up [øpp], a non-profit biannual fashion show promoting young Norwegian fashion designers.

Located in a nineteenth-century mechanical workshop, the studio designed the three-dimensional runway to make use of the generous space and create an evocative setting without detracting from the clothes.

“The concept was a three-dimensional walkway making use of both the loftiness and area of the room, creating a poetic and ambient fashion show, with organic motion, gradual transitions and spectacular photo opportunities without stealing focus from the outfits shown on the catwalk,” said the architects.

The models walked up the curving plywood ramp before circling down and underneath the structure in an almost figure-of-eight movement.

Two-by-two lumber sections created a frame with vertical elements that extended above the walkway and cross-bracing between them beneath. Thin rope cordoned the edges higher up for safety.

The length and shape of the catwalk allowed many outfits to be shown at once and gave the audience an unobstructed view wherever they were positioned.

Previously we’ve featured catwalk designs for Neil Barrett, which featured an angular tunnel that extended to form the backdrop, and scenography for Viktor & Rolf’s Autumn Winter 2013 collection by Studio Job.

See more design installations »
See more set design »
See more architecture and design in Oslo »

Gartnerfuglen Architects send us the information below:

Up Catwalk, Fall 2013

The second Up fashion show was held in a 19th century mechanical workshop, currently used by a car dealership. Inspired by the spectacular catwalks and extravaganza of the biggest fashion companies, the ambition/challenge was to create the same X-factor at a non-profit event based on volunteer work.

Given the large volume of the space, it was necessary to take on the entire floor area to achieve the spectacularity wanted. We wanted to create a “perfect object”, focusing on construction and materiality.

The concept was a three-dimensional walkway making use of both the loftiness and area of the room, creating a poetic and ambient fashion show, with organic motion, gradual transitions and spectacular photo opportunities without stealing focus from the outfits shown on the catwalk.

Based on a simple, yet sturdy, sequence of frames made from 2×2 lumber, organised in crossing circles, the rigidness of the boards was softened by its organic composition and repetition.

Assisted by a hard working group of volunteers, this self-built centrepiece structure was finished after a three day workshop. The result was a visually striking object.

The catwalk’s gliding movement in three dimensions, its height and length, give the outfits good exposure. Several models can appear on the catwalk at the same time, with the different overlapping presentations creating an interesting dynamism.

In addition to the aesthetic, the catwalk’s stretch provided the entire audience with front row seats. The models were also given enough time to show the designs, without making the show monotonous

Spectators were allowed both inside and outside the catwalk circles. It also facilitated logistics to make a seamless event.

The post Catwalk for Up [øpp] by
Gartnerfuglen Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

A combined bookshelf and staircase creates a small library with interchangeable shelving at this apartment in the Ukraine by architect Alex Bykov (+ slideshow).

Architect Alex Bykov renovated the Kiev apartment’s interior around the owner’s request for a library, raising it on a small podium in one corner of the living room to maximise storage space.

The apartment only has two doors separating rooms, as each space flows into the next in a looping arrangement.

“The concept of movement appears through the spatial design areas such as the bedroom, the lounge, the library and the bathroom surrounding the kitchen – the historical symbol of the family’s heart,” said architect Alex Bykov.

“You can move from one room to another in an interrupted circle, since the spaces flow smoothly into each other,” he added.

Bykov shifted the doorways back to their original positions, after discovering they had been previously blocked, and retained the existing brickwork.

The exposed pastel-coloured bricks line the interior walls, and are joined by decorative lamps by fellow Ukrainian designers Anna Poppvych and Vasyliy Butenko and low-hung ceiling lamps by Artemide.

Polished timber floorboards are laid throughout the flat, while new partitions and the library are built from chunky chipboard panels. All the furniture is designed and built by the architect.

A skylight is positioned above the bathroom and is screened by wooden louvres that filter light into the room.

We’ve featured a few apartments on Dezeen recently with combined bookshelves and staircases. Others include an old laundry space in Barcelona, a loft conversion in north London and a house with a wooden slide slotted into a staircase and bookshelf in South Korea.

See more combined bookshelves and staircases »
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Here’s a description from the architect:

Usually they say that the successful interior is a beneficial combination of environmentally friendly contemporary decorative materials, design furniture, sanitary equipment and home appliances. Nevertheless, the interior of an apartment located in the heart of Kiev’s historical district has a much more valuable treasure – an idea.

A young creative couple had been looking for an architect, when their designer friend recommended them Alex Bykov. The couple was preparing for a wedding and decided to spend their honeymoon in the renewed apartment.

After a fruitful discussion of suggestions and proposals the concept of “constant motion” was born. Furthermore the concept became the main vector of planning design and stylistic solutions of the interior.

The concept of movement appears through spacial design areas such as the bedroom, the lounge, the library and the bathroom surrounding the kitchen, the historical symbol of the “family’s heart”. So you can move from one room to another in an uninterrupted circle, since the spaces flow smoothly into each other.

The windows face to the south-east side ,which is why the living room and the bedroom are filled with an early morning’s golden shine. The interior has a cosy warm colouring due to the pastel brick walls, the natural texture of wood and soft furniture.

During the process of dismantling it was discovered that the doorways had previously been blocked . Alex decided to shift the doorways by using the original bricks with an authentic early 20th century mark. The brick was bought from junkmen and carefully laid into the living room wall.

The built-in library – a primary wish of the couple, was designed to house the family library. The library has a podium, which was designed to provide more space for storage. It was decided to make two types of shelves for the library; thus this flexible solution gives an opportunity to change the geometric pattern of shelves in the future.

Alex also designed all the furniture and prepared individual work drawings. The woodwork was made from low cost materials. Artificial lighting is dim, warm and comfortable.

Decorative lamps are by Ukrainian designers Anna Popovych and Vasyliy Butenko; the ceiling lamps, which were presented to the newly-weds by close friends as a wedding gift, are by ‘Artemide’.

Bespoke wrought-iron products also immediately grab attention: the legs for the coffee and dining tables, a mirror in the bedroom, a sleeve for the kitchen hood and a window.

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by Alex Bykov appeared first on Dezeen.

Australian studio Edwards Moore has revamped a small brick house in Melbourne by adding a new storey and a translucent roof (+ slideshow).

Architects Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore were tasked with increasing the size of the single-storey terraced house, as well as improving the quality of space and light inside each of its rooms.

A new storey was added over the existing structure, with a translucent roof that diffuses light through the entire upper level. Unlike the lower walls, which are made from brick and feature peeling paintwork, the extension comes with a clean black facade created by standing-seam cladding.

The new level accommodates a living room on one side and a kitchen/dining room on the other, freeing up space on the ground floor for a reception room and two generous bedrooms.

“[We] considered the addition of the second floor not simply as the addition of horizontal plane perched atop the existing structure, but equally as a vertical room that creates a great sense of volume and unity within the dwelling as a whole,” said Edwards.

A layer of perforated metal sits above exposed wooden rafters to give a see-through floor to the living room, allowing light and views down to the spaces below.

“The translucent skin floods the spaces with natural light, and strategically placed openings create a central internal landscape,” added the architect.

Cantilevered wooden treads provide a floating staircase between the two floors, resonating with the rhythm of the exposed rafters above.

Edwards Moore also recently renovated another house in Melbourne, leaving peeling plasterwork to expose sections of brick walls.

Other residential projects by the studio include a house with a combined kitchen counter and staircase, plus an apartment with chunky chipboard lining its walls.

See more architecture by Edwards Moore »
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Photography is by Fraser Marsden.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Lightbox House

A small single-storey terrace house, dwarfed by the surrounding urban fabric. The aim, to increase the quality and scale of the living spaces within, improve the sense of aspect/outlook and access to natural light, whilst maintaining a private and comforting oasis.

By considering the addition of the second floor not simply as the addition of horizontal plane perched atop the existing structure, but equally as a vertical room which, through its connectivity between ‘branches’, creates a great sense of volume and unity within the dwelling as a whole. The translucent skin floods the spaces with natural light, and strategically placed openings create a central internal landscape.

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Edwards Moore appeared first on Dezeen.