Hasta La Ideas

Product news: Tel Aviv designer Nir Meiri has created a set of table lamps with metal shades hanging from thin stalks.

The Spot table lamp by Nir Meiri comes in two versions: one with a metal base and the other with a concrete base.

The shades are attached to the stems by flexible cables. Inside the shade are LED bulbs.

We previously featured a set of standing lights made from desert sand by the same designer.

Other concrete lamps we’ve featured include a lamp shaped like a military listening device and a wood and concrete desk lamp by Benjamin Hubert – see all our stories about lamps.

See all our stories about lighting »
See all our stories about concrete »
See all our stories about design in Israel »

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by Nir Meiri appeared first on Dezeen.

Travellers visting the Mexican town of Tepoztlan can spend a few nights, months or even years at this three-armed concrete guesthouse by architects Cadaval & Sola-Morales (+ slideshow).

Cadaval & Sola-Morales designed the pavilion as the first in a series of new holiday homes in the town, which sits on the outskirts of Mexico City on the edge of the Tepoztlan mountain.

The building has three concave elevations that shape the boundaries of two patios at the back and an egg-shaped swimming pool at the front.

Walls slide back across each elevation, opening the building’s central room out to the garden. ”The lounge is set to be a central communal space for leisure in nature,” explain the architects.

This concept is emphasised by the presence of two trees growing up through the floor and roof, which the architects planned the structure around.

Rooms are contained at the three corners of the building, so that a living room is at one end, a children’s playroom is at another and a kitchen and two washrooms are in the third.

There are no beds in the building, only hammocks suspended across the lounge.

See more recent projects in Mexico, including a bone-like tower of concrete and a weekend house with a perforated facade.

Photography is by Sandra Pereznieto, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s a project description from Cadaval & Sola-Morales:

Tepoztlan Lounge

Tepoztlan, is a small town nestled between rocky cliffs located to the south of Mexico City, 50 kilometers away from the vibrant metropolis. With its well preserved historic center and wild countryside, Tepoztlan is a town of legends and deep cultural roots that has been appreciated by writers, poets, artists and musicians over many decades, turning it into their hometown or weekend retreat. Located in this incredible context and surrounded by an astonishing landscape, the Tepoztlan Lounge is the first building completed of a larger project that also includes a series of bungalows of different sizes and designs, which can be rented by years, months or days.

The lounge is set to be a central communal space for leisure in nature, and is located in the perimeter of an incredible lawn; the idiosyncrasy of the project relies on enabling the experience of the carefully manicured lawn while promoting the experience of the wild nature existing in the boundaries of this central space. The project is a negotiation between interior and exterior, a construction of an in-between condition, an inhabitable threshold, which becomes the main space of the project; the limits between the open and the content space merge to produce a single architectural entity.

The design establishes three separate living quarters designed in accordance to the 3 activities planned; each of them is a set space defined by its use, but also by a very clear and simple architectural container: the first holds an open bar with a kitchenette, together with a couple of restrooms and dressing rooms; the second is a play area for children that can also be used as a reading room when temperatures drop at night; and finally the largest container is the living area, an enclosed, tempered and comfortable space for conversation, TV, etcetera. But it is the desire to give continuity between these three separate areas where the project is empowered and becomes meaningful; a continuous space, in full contact with the nature but protected from its inclemency is set up not only to expand the enclosed uses, but also to allow new activities to arise.

And it is through the definition of this central space, through the definition of its shape, that the contiguous courtyards are defined; those are as essential to the project as it is the built architecture, and allows constructing as a whole, single spatial experience. At the same time that the three built containers give continuity to the central space by mans of their use and space, the adjacent patios qualify it, while providing diversity and idiosyncrasy to open space. The design of the swimming pool is part of this same intervention, and responds to the desire to characterize the spaces; its formalization necessarily resonates the layout of the lounge, while incorporating to its nature the possibility of a multiplicity of ways of using water, and plunging on it.

The building is located as a plinth valuing the views of the mountains. The building wants to be respectful to the existing context, and understands that the vegetation and life at open air are the real protagonist. Two impressive trees that are in place are incorporated within the layout of the lounge, as if they were part of the program itself. The Tepoztlan Lounge is constructed in concrete not just for being a inexpensive and labor intensive material in Mexico and to minimize its maintenance, but also to expose its structural simplicity and neutrality towards the astonishing nature.

Above: photograph is by Diego Berruecos

Name of the project: Tepoztlán Lounge.
Name of the Office: Cadaval & Solà-Morales.
Project: Eduardo Cadaval & Clara Solà-Morales.
Collaborators: Eugenio Eraña Lagos, Tomas Clara, Manuel Tojal.
Structural Engineering: Ricardo Camacho de la fuente.
Location: Tepoztlán, Morelos, México.
Área: 250sqm.
Date: Project: 2009. Construction 2012

Above: site plan – click above for larger image

Above: floor plan – click above for larger image

Above: front elevation – click above for larger image

Above: east elevation – click above for larger image

Above: rear elevation – click above for larger image

Above: west elevation – click above for larger image

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Cadaval & Sola-Morales appeared first on Dezeen.

This bone-like tower of concrete by Swiss studio Christ & Gantenbein is one of nine architectural interventions along La Ruta del Peregrino, a 72-mile pilgrimage through the mountain landscape of Jalisco, Mexico (+ slideshow).

La Ruta del Peregrino has been popular since the 17th Century and each year around two million pilgrims embark on the journey from the city of Ameco, across the Cerro del Obispo mountain and along to the town of Talpa de Allende.

The new structures were designed to provide landmarks and shelters along the route, and Christ & Gantenbein has constructed one near the peak of the mountain.

“The pilgrims’ column sets a mark that is visible from afar,” said architect Emanuel Christ. “It also creates an exciting, almost transcendental space for those that have already reached it.

A simple doorway invites visitors inside, where an open ceiling encourages them to look up towards the sky. “The simple yet striking room inside the column, shaped by the contorted wall, is nothing more than the view to the sky, manifested in architecture,” said the architect.

Despite being a religious pilgrimage towards the shrine of the Virgin of Talpa, the architect also explains how they avoided religious iconography and symbolism. “It was important for us to allow a spiritual experience that is directly connected with an immediate physical and spatial perception,” he said.

Above: site plan

The Cerro del Obispo is the fifth structure we’ve featured from the route, following a precariously balanced viewing platform by Elemental, a stone pier by Ai Weiwei, a ring of concrete and a spiralling pavilion.

Above: floor plan

See all our stories about La Ruta del Peregrino »

Photography is by Iwan Baan.

Here’s a project description from Christ & Gantenbein:

Cerro del Obispo Lookout Point Ruta del Peregrino, Mexico, 2012 Pilgrim’s Column

Each year around two millions of people set out on their pilgrimage through the Mexican county of Jalisco, along the 117 kilometres of the Ruta del Peregrino. The route of their pilgrimage leads them from the city of Ameca, over the mountain Cerro del Obispo until the point of the Espinazo del Diablo and finally into the destination town of Talpa de Allende with the shrine of the Holy Virgin of Talpa.

Above: section

In 2008 the tourism office of Jalisco resolved upon a master plan in order to create a better infrastructure for the pilgrims and at the same time draw visitors from around the world to Western Mexico. The Mexican architects Tatiana Bilbao, Derek Dellekamp and Rozana Montiel have invited selected architects and designers to grapple in their designs with the history of the pilgrims’ route as well as with the craggy mountain landscape in the West of Mexico. Nine land-marks are the outcome of this process, among these places to rest and places of contemplation, designed by Dellekamp Arquitectos, Rozana Montiel (Periférica), Alejandro Aravena (Elemental), HHF architects, Luis Aldrete, Tatiana Bilbao, Ai Weiwei (Fake Design), Godoylab and Christ & Gantenbein.

Above: elevation

The column on the peak of the Cerro del Obispo, a mountain with almost 2,000 metres height, protrudes like a huge bone out of the woody landscape above the valley of Ameca. A detached, organically shaped monolithic concrete wall composes the tower of 26.55 metres that can be acceded from one side through a small entrance. Inside a unique view into the sky awaits the visitor – and the sunlight, that comes in through the opening, reflected from the light concrete walls, gathering on the floor.

Above: route diagram

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Lookout Point by Christ & Gantenbein appeared first on Dezeen.

Interieur: French designer Matali Crasset has created a collection of concrete furniture, including a lamp shaped like an interwar military listening device.

Crasset recently became the artistic director of French concrete specialist Concrete by LCDA, and the Concrete collection is a result of this collaboration.

The lamp references concrete acoustic mirrors, also known as “listening ears”, which were developed in Britain between the wars to concentrate sound waves and detect airborne invasions.

The bookshelf is designed to be a “backbone of knowledge” with shelves like vertebrae protruding from a central spine.

“This project combines fluidity and the desire to get away from the very common single-piece shapes when concrete furniture is concerned,” said the collaborators.

Other projects by Crasset we’ve featured recently include a set of vessels shaped like horns, speaker components and loudhailers and a woodland hotel room on legs.

We’ve been publishing some of the best projects from Interieur this year, including furniture that expands like popcorn and an arcade of light beams that appear to bend inwards – see all our stories about Interieur.

See all our stories about concrete »
See all our stories about Matali Crasset »

Photographs are by Simon Buisson.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

The international designer Matali Crasset is working with Concrete by LCDA as artistic director. This is a new stage in the development of Concrete by LCDA which, after putting its know-how into use to excel in interior design, from now on becomes a design and manufacturing company.

The international designer Matali Crasset is working with Concrete by LCDA as artistic director. This is a new stage in the development of Concrete by LCDA which, after putting its know-how into use to excel in interior design, from now on becomes a design and manufacturing company.

The aim is to tame concrete to so that it will be better incorporated into the heart of our daily life. The range of concrete products that Matali Crasset has designed for Concrete by LCDA invites concrete to be a fully-fledged player in our interiors, both for primary uses and more immaterial functions. So it is in this setting that the material and symbolic dimension of concrete is highlighted.

This initial collection of furniture and objects designed for concrete takes its strength from the beauty of the concrete material. By moulding the concrete, it becomes furniture and then enters into a dialogue with us in our life scenarios. In this way, Matali has designed a collection of timeless and sculptural objects, both obvious and essential, which combine a technical material and a know-how with a high level of craftsmanship with a sensitive approach.

The collection is comprised of three objects which suggest three functions and values: to meet, to store, to light.

Table

Concrete becomes the centre of the house with a very archetypal table which asserts its desire for continuity. The shape is meant to be simple to so that material’s sensitive aspect can be revealed: the texture of the wood’s grain will reveal more than the manufacturing mode, it locks the project into a long tradition of moulding. The concrete unobtrusively finds its place and becomes a key element in the apartment. Wooden frame is the most frequently used tool for framing concrete walls that are generally reinforced, a forming tool used since the 17th century made from pieces of wood. The concrete is both a very technical material – lightweight concrete – and a material which requires precise handwork; in this way, the mould leaves the trace of the wood and the handwork. This is an archetypal object, with a clean line which easily fits into any type of interior. A large table seating 6 to 10 persons in a spirit of conviviality and hospitality.

Technical description :
Table in ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced raw concrete and inner core, with a mat varnish surface.
Dimensions: 250 x 100 x 75 cm, also available in 220*100*75 cm.
Weight: 120 kgs
Top 80 kg, each base 20 kg.

Lamp

The lamp is more unexpected, it shows that concrete knows no borders. It refers to the listening ears in Folkestone in England. These objects deriving from technology exiting between the two wars have become obsolete with the arrival of radar beams. The function of these large objects in reinforced concrete was to listen to the sky. The flag changes scale to become a light diffuser. It is placed in various locations in the apartment, standing or suspended. Here the concrete is moulded with great finesse to so that the design can be seen.

Technical description :
Dimensions: 53 x 50 x 31.5 cm
Ultra high-performance raw concrete, LED 18W lamp.
PCB (printed circuit board) made up of 0.5W 36 leds powered by 24V direct current. The power obtained is 18W or about 1800 lumen for a colour of 4000°.
A diffuser made of a white light spectrum moulded acrylic sheet offers an excellent diffusion strength and an eco-efficient solution.
Weight: 18kg

Bookshelf

This is a bookshelf in the image of the backbone of knowledge. The material is known for its strength, this project combines fluidity and the desire to get away from the very common single-piece shapes when concrete furniture is concerned. The material seems to be set in its lightness, like a freeze-frame shot, it retains the momentum and the dynamism of growth. The table and the storage space are a homage to human building genius, to major structures in raw concrete which symbolise modernity.

Technical description :
Dimensions: 190 x 95 x 35 cm.
Smooth ultra-high-performance concrete, Ductal.
Weight: each element 70 kg

The post Concrete collection by Matali Crasset
for Concrete by LCDA appeared first on Dezeen.

As part of this year’s Maison et Objet design tradeshow during Paris Design Week, the exhibition “Now: Le Off!” served to showcase young, up-and-coming designers. We were drawn to the smartly conceived multipurpose pieces throughout the show. One particularly French item we spotted were Xiral’s Watertower Tables. Made from…

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