Milan 2014: London design duo Glithero will present a range of textiles that have been woven using organ punch cards in Milan next week (+ slideshow).
Commissioned by the Zuiderzee Museum and the Textiel Museum in the Netherlands, Glithero‘s Woven Song project creates fabric using punch cards that would normally feed music through a mechanical organ.
“The music is on a punch card called an organ music book,” the studio told Dezeen. “A Jacquard loom is also fed information using a punch card so the music code from the organ music book is directly translated onto a punch card compatible with a Jacquard Loom. This new punch card is then used to weave the fabric.”
The book music is made from sheets of perforated thick cardboard lengths, which usually specify the notes to be played on the organ. Air passing through these holes determines the notes generated from the organ pipes.
When the sheets are fed in to the mechanical loom, hooks drop through the holes to change the direction of the threads and create a pattern that is determined by the song.
The studio worked with weaver Wil van den Broek and master organ maker Leon van Leeuwen to produce the fabrics. The hues and type of yarn were chosen by Glithero and the colours reference the craftsmen’s workshops.
Glithero will present the fabrics and a film installation of the weaving process in an exhibition entitled Made to Measure in Milan next week, situated at Via Privata Cletto Arrighi 19 in the Ventura Lambrate design district.
This wooden pavilion with a protruding canopy was designed by Ramser Schmid Architekten to offer a sheltered outdoor seating area for visitors to the city library in Zug, Switzerland (+ slideshow).
Swiss studio Ramser Schmid Architekten worked with landscape firm Planetage Landscape Architects to create the public pavilion for a new city park occupying the derelict space between the library’s two buildings, located within a historic arsenal.
The space was already home to a basement car park, which extends out from the edge of the landscape. Rather than burying this under more landscaping, the team chose to encase it behind a slatted timber screen and build a mushroom-like pavilion on top.
“The pavilion with its widely projecting roof creates a new sense of identity for the old Zeughaus site,” architect David Dick explains in his project description.
The structure is made from timber blocks, which are arranged in a pattern that resembles brickwork. Regular spaces create a rhythm of openings, revealing the supporting beams behind.
“In analogy to the retaining wall’s veil of wood, a transparent shell of horizontal wooden slats around the pedestal was designed in order to embellish the poor quality of the existing buildings rather than to hide them,” said Dick.
Planetage Landscape Architects surrounded the structure with shrub beds and low hedges, which line the edges of footpaths connecting the two library buildings with the city’s pedestrian pathways.
Photography is by Ralph Feiner.
Here’s a project description from Ramser Schmid Architekten:
City Park Zug
The area to be newly designed consisted mainly of the space between two locations of the local library: the main building in the south and the ancient arsenal, in which additional rooms had been installed into in 2011. The clients, the city and the canton of Zug asked for a public city park that was to be linked to the historic city’s pedestrian walks. The main goal of the park was to connect both sites of the library.
One of the main challenges was the fact that an underground car park from the 1970s partly juts out of the tilted terrain and its driveway divide the area into two sections.
The commonly accomplished competition entry by Planetage Landscape Architects and Ramser Schmid Architects was the winner of the 2010 competition. The jury report mentions the “surprising and yet persuading configuration of the terrain edge”. Instead of hiding away the underground car park’s volume by banks of earth, the planners accepted the presence of the building and decided to additionally expose it, extend it and to strengthen it by a wooden wall cladding. The car park now appears as a retaining wall, which separates the upper level with the old arsenal and its terrace from the lower part.
The lower level serves as public traffic area for the underground car park on the one hand. An array of shrub beds bordered by low hedges has been provided, which accompanies the footpaths towards the site and which can be seen as a spatial analogy to the existing Old Town’s gardens in Zug.
The staircases to the upper level pass by the retaining wall that is covered with vertical wooden slats. The cladding serves several purposes: besides being a fall protection, it highlights the built structures and facilitates orientation onsite. Protruding elements of the old underground car park, like for example an emergency exit, are masked. Visible transitions between new and 40-year old concrete surfaces are obscured with the new supplements, without hiding away the massive presence of the building.
The upper level located in front of the newly installed research library in the old arsenal is designed as a wide and open park. Generous and versatile lawns, a water basin, flexible seating configurations provide for a relaxed atmosphere.
The pavilion with its widely projecting roof creates a new sense of identity for the old Zeughaus (arsenal) site. The placement of the pavilion on the very top follows the inner logic of the complex: the mushroom-like pavilion is built on the lift shaft and the ventilation station of the 10-storey underground car park below. The technical section that protrudes the car park’s roof is amplified and used as a pedestal for the cantilevered roof construction. In analogy to the retaining wall’s veil of wood, a transparent shell of horizontal wooden slats around the pedestal was designed in order to embellish the poor quality of the existing buildings rather than to hide them. The cladding depicts the vertical subconstruction as well as the roof’s radially arranged laminated beams and reveals, solely by its geometry, the constructive design of the supporting structure.
Landscape architecture: Planetage Landschaftsarchitekten Team: Marceline Hauri, Christine Sima, Ramon Iten, Helge Wiedemeyer, Thomas Volprecht Modification of the car park and pavilion: Ramser Schmid Architekten Team: Christoph Ramser, Raphael Schmid, David Dick, Isabel Amat, Lena Bertozzi, Elena Castellote, Patrick Schneider Technical Planners: Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure, d-lite Lichtdesign Site Manager: Kolb Landschaftsarchitektur
Jaime Hayon designed the Analog to highlight the importance of tables as a central meeting point in the home and office.
“The table is an underrated piece of furniture,” said Hayon. “In my eyes, the table is the heart of the home, the heart of the office, the heart of the restaurant.”
The designer teamed up with Republic of Fritz Hansen to create a piece of furniture that can easily fit in any of those spaces.
“At the table, we share our greatest joys and sorrows, and at the end of the day, some of the greatest things in life happens at the table.”
The result is a desk that doesn’t conform to any one stereotype in table design.
“It’s neither square, round nor oval but something in between, which supports dialogue and intimacy,” said Hayon.
The Analog’s elongated shape features four wooden legs arranged at diagonals to allow more people to fit around the desk at the same time. The table top meets the legs vertically, connecting the table with its support.
“I have worked a lot with the shape of the table and the way in which it is simultaneously heavy and light, so that it exudes quality,” said Hayon.
The Analog comes as either a six or eight person table. There are five different table top and leg colours and finishes, including oak and walnut veneer.
New York firm Studio Link-Arc and a team from Tsinghua University have revealed their competition-winning design for a pavilion with an undulating roof to represent China at the World Expo 2015 in Milan.
Studio Link-Arc, which is led by Chinese architects Yichen Lu and Qinwen Cai, and Virginia native Kenneth Namkung, collaborated with researchers from Tsinghua University to develop its vision for “a cloud hovering over a land of hope”. This includes a field of crops and a wave-like roof overhead.
The designers plan to use large bamboo panels to create a series of shingles across the roof, reminiscent of the terracotta tiles used in traditional Chinese constructions. These will be fixed onto arching wooden frames, giving the building its distinctive profile.
“The pavilion’s floating roof is designed as a timber structure that references the ‘raised-beam’ system found in traditional Chinese architecture, but is adapted to accommodate modern construction technology,” said the architects.
Beneath the roof, a field of wheat designed to reference China’s agrarian past will merge into a interactive installation where LED lights are hooked up to electronic stalks.
This will lead to a series of exhibitions and cultural programs dotted around a sheltered plaza. A staircase will allow visitors to access rooftop viewing platforms, offering aerial views of both the field and the pavilion’s surroundings.
“The pavilion’s full exhibition and cultural offerings are experienced as a sequence of spaces, beginning with an exterior waiting area in the landscape, leading to a themed exhibition space with interactive installations and cultural offerings from 40 Chinese provinces,” explained the designers.
Here’s a project description from the design team:
China Pavilion, Expo Milano 2015
Tsinghua University, along with New York-based Studio Link-Arc, has been announced as the winner of a competition to design the China Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo. Rejecting the typical notion of a pavilion as an object in a plaza, the China Pavilion is instead conceived as a field of spaces. Designed as a cloud hovering over a “land of hope”, the pavilion is experienced as a sheltered public plaza beneath a floating roof that incorporates the building’s cultural and exhibition programs. The roof’s distinctive profile creates an iconic image for the project and will foster a unique presence within the Expo grounds.
The China Pavilion is themed “The Land of Hope”. The project embodies this theme through an undulating roof form, which is derived by merging the profile of a city skyline on the building’s north side with the profile of a landscape on the southern side, expressing the idea that “hope” can be realised when nature and the city exist in harmony. The pavilion’s floating roof is designed as a timber structure that references the “raised-beam” system found in traditional Chinese architecture, but is adapted to accommodate modern construction technology. The roof is clad in shingled panels that reference traditional Chinese terracotta roof construction, but are reinterpreted as large bamboo panels that reduce structural weight, create a shaded public space below, and further enhance the Pavilion’s unique silhouette.
Beneath this roof, the building’s ground plane is defined by a landscape of wheat (the “field of hope”) that references China’s agrarian past and transitions seamlessly into a multimedia installation in the centre. This installation, formed from a matrix of LED “stalks” that mimic the form of the wheat, forms the centrepiece of the building’s exhibition program.
The Pavilion’s full exhibition and cultural offerings are experienced as a sequence of spaces, beginning with an exterior waiting area in the landscape, leading to a themed exhibition space with interactive installations and cultural offerings from forty Chinese provinces. After this, visitors are guided up a gently sloped public stair to a panoramic viewing platform above the LED matrix installation, after which they are guided into a multimedia space, which will feature a short film focused on returning home for the Spring Festival. This sequence concludes with visitors stepping outside onto a platform above the bamboo roof that enjoys expansive views of the Expo grounds.
Project Name: China Pavilion for Expo Milano 2015 Award: First Prize Client: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Organizer: Expo Milano 2015
Design Director: Dan Su, Yue Zhang Chief Designer: Yi Du Exhibition Design: Yanyang Zhou, Danqing Shi Landscape Design: Xiaosheng Cui Interior Design: Jiansong Wang Installation Design: Danqing Shi, Feng Xian Light Design: Yi Du Visual Identity Design: Xin Gu
Glass panels sit at right angles to each other to form two desks, two benches and shelf in this range by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec called the Diapositive collection.
“Diapositive consists of an assembly system of simple glass panels in which the edges are protected with pieces of wood, which distract from the impression of fragility,” said the designers.
One of the desks also includes an ash counter for writing, while the tops and legs are edged in the same wood.
The glass bench features a thin layer of dark coloured felt that forms a cushion on top of the seat.
The pieces are available in dark and light grey, pink, orange, transparent or mixed.
The collection will be presented at the Glas Italia stand at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile fair in Milan from 8 to 13 April.
Black panels of corrugated iron clad the exterior of this lakeside wooden cabin in rural Victoria, Australia, by local firm Branch Studio Architects (+ slideshow).
Branch Studio Architects originally designed the Pump House to give the clients space for storing a water pump and other equipment needed to maintain their farmland property, but the compact shed also doubles as a quiet lakeside retreat.
“The original brief was for a temporary shed-like space to house the water pump and other farm equipment as well as to provide the owners with somewhere sheltered to have a cup of tea when they came to hang out with George, their horse, on the weekends,” said architect Nicholas Russo.
“Although the project eventually developed into something slightly more extravagant, the modesty of the original ambition is still evident in the ‘no-frills’ detailing and rugged materiality of the finished building,” Russo added.
Sections of corrugated Colorbond iron clad the asymmetric roof and two side walls, which feature narrow horizontal windows.
The front and rear walls are entirely glazed, so the owners can open the interior to a deck overlooking the lake.
The main space in the building is an open-plan living room and kitchen featuring a wood-burning stove. A central bathroom divides this space from a studio and bedroom at the rear, which offers views out into the countryside.
The interior is lined with unfinished low-grade plywood and rough-sawn timber boards. “The timber was used to create a soft, warm, cocoon-like interior which is a direct contrast to the robust external shell,” Russo told Dezeen.
The cabin is entirely self-sustaining. Along with wood fired heating, it features solar panels and tanks for collecting and recycling rainwater.
Here’s a project description from architect Nicholas Russo:
Pump House
Typically an architectural outcome is the product of a lengthy design, documentation & construction process where the ‘vision’ is communicated to both client and builder predominantly through detailed drawings and a paper-trail of addendums, RFI’s & variations.
The Pump House was different. Constructed and largely conceptualised by the owner on free weekends and rainy Mondays, the compact, re-locatable structure is more a product of rigorous discussion than that of resolved drawings… that’s not to downplay the careful consideration that was applied to the details of the house, it’s just that the way this project evolved meant that things could, more often than not, be resolved through a conversation on site and detail etched into the clay with a rusty nail.
The nature in which this project was realised meant that our involvement was quite informal as we were consulted with on an ad-hoc basis during the design & construction solely in regards to architectural detailing and the overall architectural outcome. It was exciting to be involved in a project where we could focus purely on the aesthetic and architectural outcomes of a building.
Having worked on a couple of challenging projects with the owner (a carpenter) previously, we often found ourselves deliberating over ideas revolving around establishing a methodology to design & build small scale structures that would achieve both a simplicity of construction as well as a successful architectural outcome. We regularly discussed the possibility of developing an architectural alternative to the conventional ‘off the shelf’ house and we were united in our refusal to concede that architectural detailing, simplicity of construction and affordability were mutually exclusive.
The Pump House was driven by the intersection of these three prerequisites – it had to be a considered response (architectural detailing), it had to be easy to build (simplicity of construction) & it had to be cost effective (affordability) – and in many ways is an architectural prototype that tests our responses to these age old dilemmas… it’s very much like a 1:1 concept model based on ideas which evolved through our discussions and previous experiences.
The Pump House is a celebration of the ordinary. Uncompromising in it’s simplicity, there is a rigid adherence to some very modest but key ideas about doing away with the unnecessary. Agricultural materials (Colorbond iron, low-grade plywood & rough sawn timber) are put together with carefully considered old-fashioned craftsmanship (custom made on-site windows, doors & joinery) to create something much more than the sum of their parts. In plan, the compact internal spaces arranged simply around a central service core provide only the very basic requirements of uncomplicated living, an idea that is reinforced by the uncomplicated nature of the architecture.
A semi-permanent structure, the Pump House sits softly on its site adjacent to a large dam and on the threshold between the open paddocks and the bush land surrounds. Large expanses of glazing along with a North/South orientation allow the sunlight and the wide-open green spaces to penetrate into, and seemingly pass through, the internal volume giving the condensed areas a sense of spaciousness. The formal gesture of the black box external shell creates a robust metal ‘cocoon’ within the landscape that is directly contrasted by the warmth of the timber lined internal spaces. A large horizontal window along the western facade provides the only penetration of the metal cocoon while also allowing afternoon light to filter through the dense treetop canopy and into the spaces.
The original brief was for a temporary shed-like space to house the water pump and other farm equipment as well as to provide the owners with somewhere sheltered to have a cup of tea when they came to hang out with George (their horse) on the weekends …and although the project eventually developed into something slightly more extravagant, the modesty of the original ambition is still evident in the ‘no-frills’ detailing and rugged materiality of the finished building.
This short movie by Danish animator Thallis Vestergaard traces the history of the bicycle from its invention in the eighteenth century up to the present day (+ movie).
The Boneshaker velocipede by Pierre Lallement
Produced by Visual Artwork, a studio based in Denmark, Evolution of the Bicycle is a brief look at the different variations the two-wheeler has gone through in its 200-year history. It highlights how the design of the bike changed through the innovations and whims of different inventors.
Velocifere by Comte Mede de Sivrac
The sequence starts in 1790 with the Velocifere by Frenchman Comte Mede de Sivrac. His invention featured two wheels, a piece of wood and a horse saddle, and is said to be the first instance of a bicycle, but had no steering.
Dandy Horse by Denis Johnson
Sivrac’s creation was improved upon by English inventor Denis Johnson, whose Dandy Horse, unveiled in 1818, attached a steering bar, increased the size of the wheels and made the bike lighter than Sivrac’s.
First pedal powered rear-wheel driven bicycle by Kirkpatrick MacMillan
In 1839, Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith inspired by steam locomotives, created the world’s first pedal powered rear-wheel driven bicycle.
Penny-Farthing by Eugene Meyer
Then in 1869, Frenchman Eugene Meyer created the Penny-Farthing, whose name was a reference to the oversized front wheel and disproportionately small rear one. He is also credited as the inventor of the wire-spoke tension wheel which is still used today.
American Star bicycle by G.W. Pressey
Designers continued to play with the idea of different sized wheels, including G.W. Pressey’s American Star bicycle. This version swapped the large front and small wheel round, making it easier to steer.
Rover Safety Bicycle by J.K. Starley
It wasn’t until 1885 that the public first saw what would become the standard shape for a bike. J.K. Starley’s Rover Safety Bicycle featured two identically sized wheels, a saddle perched between them, and peddles attached to a crank, which drove a chain to turn the back wheel.
Current day bicycle by C.D. Rice
The design was refined by C.D. Rice before the development of the racing handle bars and simple saddle attachment we know today, which feature in the final evolution of the animated bike before it cycles away.
Dezeen Guide: April sees the design world descend on Milan for the city’s annual festival of exhibitions, installations and parties. We also have five more events in our update this month.
Created to highlight the best design in Australia, this series of events includes a cross-discipline conference, business presentations and educational programmes.
London studio Haptic references eroded granite rock formations commonly found around the Norwegian coastline with the curving form of this layered timber staircase, created for an office interior in Oslo.
Strategy and corporate finance firm Arkwright asked Haptic to design the interior of its new offices, which are located in a converted harbour warehouse in Oslo’s Aker Brygge area.
Upon entering the offices on the upper floor, staff and visitors are confronted with a monolithic reception desk made from stained black timber slats.
Behind the desk, the wooden strips become more spaced out, creating curving walls that surround a back office and transition into the wall behind the staircase.
“The design is inspired by svabergs – large granite stone formations that are typical for the area – rounded and polished by icebergs thousands of years ago,” the architects described.
The staircase descends to a lounge area and incorporates widened treads that offer spaces for casual seating.
Furniture scattered around this space includes tables with organically shaped surfaces and sofas with layered backrests that echo the form of the stairs.
Skylights and an original arched window overlooking the harbour fill the white-walled lounge with natural light.
Haptic created a variety of different environments for working and relaxing throughout the offices, including a James Bond-themed executive lounge.
Located in a windowless space in the middle of the lower level, the room features wood-panelled walls and leather furniture intended to create an intimate and sophisticated feel.
A bookcase built into one of the walls is also a secret door that pivots to connect the room with the corridor outside.
Televisions built into two of the walls can be viewed from the sofa in the lounge space or from a long conference table, while one of the other walls contains a bar and fridge.
Arkwright is a European consultancy that specialise in strategic advice. A new office space has been created for 40-50 employees, including workspaces, reception and back office, kitchen canteen, meeting rooms, breakout space and a “James Bond” room. The office is located in the prime harbour front location of Aker Brygge in Oslo, Norway, in an old converted warehouse building with a large arched window as its centrepiece.
The office is entered on the top floor. A new reception “sculpture” incorporates back offices, reception desk and a large stair/amphitheatre that straddles a double height space. The design is inspired by “svabergs”, large granite stone formations that are typical for the area, rounded and polished by icebergs thousands of years ago.
Special effort has been made to create a variety of spaces within the offices, incorporating green walls, double height spaces, and a special “James Bond” room.
The “James Bond” room is a windowless bunker-like space, sitting deep in the building – a difficult space to work with. This seemingly unpromising space has been transformed into an executive lounge for quiet contemplation, creating a private, intimate and calming atmosphere.
Project: Arkwright – Aker Brygge, Oslo Typology: Office Fit out Client: Arkwright/NPRO Year of Construction: 2013-2014 Architect: Haptic Architects Team: Nikki Butenschøn, Anthony Williams
Dezeen promotion: past winners of the New Design Britain awards will show a retrospective of their products at this year’s May Design Series in London.
New Design Britain celebrates young design talent in the UK and awards designers each year in a range of categories.
This image: Pendant lights by Daniel Schofield. Main image: Brunel furniture by Rob Scarlett
Previously held at the Interiors UK trade event in Birmingham, the New Design Britain initiative is relocating to London’s May Design Series from 2015.
To celebrate this move, previous alumni will exhibit their winning products along with new designs at a dedicated section of the fair.
Here’s some more details sent to us by the organisers:
Join us for the re-launch at May Design series 2014, and a celebration of young British design talent! New Design Britain is back with a revitalised ethos, bringing talented new designers to the forefront of the international design industry. Every year young designers enter with their newest and most inspiring products and eager ambition to display their unique take on the market – perfect for visitors looking to network and meet the freshest design talent in the industry.
Scarf by Jennifer Jones
The move to London has given New Design Britain the opportunity to become bigger and better than ever before, bringing with it the chance for an exciting new re-launch!
With the first new edition of New Design Britain planned for May 2015, we’ll be using this year’s show to re-launch the awards, and will be bringing with us a selection of New Design Britain alumni, each with their own success story to tell. Past New Design Britain award winners to see at the show will include James Harrison, Rob Scarlett, Daniel Schofield, Alex Macmaster, Limahl Asmall, Jason Heap, Jennifer Jones, and Henoc Maketo.
Rocker chair by James Harrison
Every winning product from these past winners will be at the show, as well as fresh new work from each designer – a real opportunity to see the positive effects New Design Britain has had on these young designers’ lives and careers.
Join the New Design Britain alumni on stand Monday 19 May find out more about the 2015 edition of the awards.
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