Hasta La Ideas

News: the David Adjaye-designed Wakefield Market Hall in Yorkshire, England, is facing demolition just six years after opening, following news the local council wants to sell the building to a developer and replace it with a cinema.

The 4000-square-metre market hall was the first public project by high-profile London architect David Adjaye, but since opening in 2008 it has struggled to attract enough visitors and has been heavily subsidised by the council.

Property firm Sovereign Land, owner of the nearby Trinity Walk shopping centre, has now put in a bid to redevelop the site and create a new multi-screen cinema complex including restaurants and cafes.

A report recommending the proposals will be voted on by council members early next week. If approved, £100,000 will be set aside to relocate market traders to a new site in the city centre.

“We have to accept that the market hall has not worked as well as we would have liked,” said councillor Denise Jeffery, the cabinet member for regeneration and economic growth. “But we now have an exciting opportunity to inject something new into our city centre, which we believe will boost the night-time as well as the daytime economy, bringing more jobs and investment into the district.”

She continued: “This also gives us the chance to deliver our market offer in a different way and we want to work with traders to help relocate their businesses to other premises should they so wish. The proposed relocation of the outdoor market to the precinct will enhance it, make sure it is sustainable and create a vibrant link between the Ridings and Trinity Walk.”

Adjaye designed the hall to replace a run-down indoor market from the 1960s, but it struggled to attract the same footfall, losing out to rival markets in nearby Pontefract and Castleford.

Just a year after opening, a council committee was hired solve “design flaws” that included substandard paving and inadequate drainage in the food hall. Committee member Janice Haigh criticised the layout and said “a crane with one of those demolition balls” would be the best solution.

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faces demolition appeared first on Dezeen.

Our annual A-Zdvent calendar is back! In the days leading up to Christmas we’ll be highlighting an architect for each letter of the alphabet. To start off with, A is for Adjaye. His projects include the Dirty House in east London (pictured) the Moscow School of Management and two libraries in Washington DC.

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David Adjaye appeared first on Dezeen.

Product news: architect David Adjaye has unveiled his first furniture collection, designed for American retailer Knoll, which includes two cantilevered side chairs and a limited edition coffee table.

David Adjaye developed the Washington Collection alongside his design for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC, which is currently under construction.

“This project has been an exhilarating and collaborative experience – an unexpected balancing act between the design and engineering processes,” said Adjaye. “My original idea of what this furniture should be was continuously refined and transformed throughout.”

The Washington Collection, which also includes a club chair, ottoman and side table, will be launched by Knoll in October.

The Washington Corona coffee table is made from four cast bronze panels referencing the bronze lattice that wraps around the museum in Washington and will be available in a limited edition of 75 pieces, marking Knoll’s 75th anniversary.

The Washington Skeleton and Washington Skin chairs balance on a cantilevered stand and are suitable for outdoor use.

The lattice design of the Skeleton chair is constructed from die-cast aluminium, while the Skin version is made from injection-moulded nylon.

David Adjaye won the design competition for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture museum back in 2009 and construction began in February 2012.

Adjaye recently designed an observatory and education centre with spiralling stone walls to be built on an island in the English Channel, and a silk-weaving facility in India.

At Design Indaba earlier this year, David Adjaye told us about his relationship with Africa and why he believes the continent provides a great opportunity for architects. See more stories about David Adjaye.

Architect Rem Koolhaas also launched a furniture collection with Knoll at the Milan Furniture Fair this year, which journalist Justin McGuirk told Dezeen was the most interesting thing he saw during the event. See more stories about Knoll furniture.

Here are some more details from Knoll:

The Washington Collection for Knoll, David Adjaye’s first collection of furniture, transforms his architectural and sculptural vision into accessible objects for the home and office. The collection consists of two cantilevered side chairs, a club chair, an ottoman, a side table and a monumental coffee table.

David Adjaye said, “Knoll approaches furniture as making connections between people and how they work and live their daily lives. This project has been an exhilarating and collaborative experience – an unexpected balancing act between the design and engineering processes. My original idea of what this furniture should be was continuously refined and transformed throughout.”

Commenting on Adjaye’s work, Knoll design director Benjamin Pardo said, “David is doing really innovative and important architectural projects, and what really interested us was to see that work on an entirely new scale.”

Adjaye’s limited edition cast bronze coffee table reflects this cross-over. The sculptural table with a clear glass top is constructed from four cast bronze panels, and four connecting plates. The roughhewn exterior contrasts the highly reflective, hand polished interior surface. To mark our 75th anniversary the bronze coffee table is limited to an edition of 75.

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by David Adjaye for Knoll appeared first on Dezeen.

News: architect David Adjaye has unveiled his design for a facility to house master silk weavers in Varanasi, India.

The building will provide a hub for training artisans in silk weaving, as well as offering classes in business development. Facilities will include clean water, green energy and communal areas to help improve the quality of life for residents of the world’s oldest living city.

The project was commissioned by luxury clothing and accessories brand Maiyet, who asked David Adjaye “to respect the integrity of the location and partnership” in his design.

“This project is an amazing combination of context, place and tradition. It represents the reinvigoration of an extraordinary craft that is knitted to the heritage of Varanasi: its diverse culture, religion and architecture,” said Adjaye, adding on his website: “The building aims to engage with this legacy – while offering a new contemporary typology for an artisanal workshop that will provide a much needed space for a wider community.”

We spoke to David Adjaye earlier this year during our Dezeen and MINI World Tour visit to Design Indaba in South Africa, where he told us about the opportunities available to architects in Africa.

Adjaye has also designed an exhibition of work by Indian architect Charles Correa that is currently on show at the RIBA in London – see all architecture by David Adjaye.

Here’s a statement released by Maiyet:

Maiyet announces Varanasi project

Maiyet launches a limited edition capsule collection with Barneys New York, featuring the exclusive collaboration between Maiyet, Nest and master silk weavers from Varanasi, India

May 9th, 2013- Maiyet is deeply committed to forging partnerships with artisans to promote sustainable business growth in challenging global economies. The brand who pioneers new luxury by celebrating rare skills from unexpected places found in Varanasi, India, the perfect place to launch a strategic partnership with Nest – an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to training and developing artisan businesses. “During our first trip to India, we recognized the amazing potential of the hand woven silks of Varanasi as true artisanal luxury, with the help of Nest, we are now capable of partnering with an inspiring group of artisans to consistently create unique, modern and beautiful materials.” said Kristy Caylor Creative Director and President of Maiyet.

Varanasi, India is the oldest living city on earth with the incredible historic tradition of ancient hand-woven silk. In order to keep this rare skill alive Maiyet and Nest have worked together with the Varanasi weavers to rethink, redesign and redefine their craft production in a way that is revolutionary. As part of the strategic partnership program, Maiyet and Nest develop training programs, business and leadership development. The implementation of a weaving facility in Varanasi will create the first hub to centralize the program.

Paul van Zyl, Co-founder and CEO of Maiyet believes “this silk weaving facility will help preserve a cultural treasure and allow a community to earn sufficient resources to lead a life of dignity.” The facility will improve the capacity and the ability of the weavers as well as be a place to train the next generation of artisans. The facility will also be a community center providing clean water, green energy, training and communal spaces for meetings and events. This is a full circle moment for the young luxury brand and the group of weavers who have been working together since Maiyet’s first debut collection in October 2011.

Maiyet has commissioned renowned architect David Adjaye to design the facility – challenging him to respect the integrity of the location and partnership. “This project is an amazing combination of context, place and tradition. It represents the reinvigoration of an extraordinary craft that is knitted to the heritage of Varanasi: its diverse culture, religion and architecture,” said Adjaye. Adjaye has won a number of prestigious commissions; he was recently selected in a competition to design the $500 million national Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Some of his past work includes the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo and the private home of Alexander McQueen.

Maiyet’s limited edition capsule collection of ready-to-wear pieces and accessories are available exclusively at Barneys New York.

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a silk-weaving facility in India appeared first on Dezeen.

News: the work of Indian architect Charles Correa will be showcased in a forthcoming exhibition designed by David Adjaye at the RIBA’s headquarters in London.

Above: British Council, Delhi, India, with Howard Hodgkin mural
Top: Jawahar Kala Kendra arts centre, Jaipur, India

Curated by Dr Irena Murray, the exhibition will celebrate the gift of Correa’s archive of over 6000 drawings to the RIBA Library and showcase his influence on Indian architecture in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Above: Kanchanjunga apartments, Bombay, India

“[Correa’s] work is the physical manifestation of the idea of Indian nationhood, modernity and progress,” said Adjaye, whose own work includes an art gallery in east London and an under-construction museum of African-American history in Washington DC.

“He is someone who has that rare capacity to give physical form to something as intangible as culture or society.”

Above: Champalimaud Centre for the Study of the Uknown, Lisbon, Portugal (photograph by Rosa Reis)

As well as drawings and photographs of Correa’s best-known work, such as the British Council building in Delhi and the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Portugal, the exhibition will feature his designs for housing and cities, including his masterplan for the township of Navi Mumbai.

Above: Belapur housing, New Bombay, India

Born in 1930 and still working today, Correa received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 1984, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1988 and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale in 1994.

Charles Correa: India’s Greatest Architect opens on 14 May and runs until 4 September at the RIBA building, 66 Portland Place, London. Admission will be free.

Adjaye was recently commissioned to design a fashion hub in an area of east London badly affected by rioting in 2011, while earlier this month he was the headline speaker at the Design Indaba conference in Cape Town – see all architecture by David Adjaye.

Here’s more information from RIBA:

Charles Correa: India’s Greatest Architect

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) presents the first major UK exhibition showcasing the work of renowned Indian architect Charles Correa (born in 1930). Rooted both in modernism and the rich traditions of people, place and climate, Correa has played a pivotal role in the creation of an architecture and urbanism for post-war India. He has designed some of the most outstanding buildings in India and has received many of the world’s most important architecture awards including the RIBA Royal Gold Medal (1984), Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1988) and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale (1994), and is still working today.

The exhibition celebrates Correa’s gift of his archive of over 6000 drawings to the RIBA Library. This has offered a unique opportunity to access and display the drawings, plans, photographs, models and films behind his projects. International buildings showcased in the exhibition include the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Museum, India; the MIT Brain and Cognitive Science Centre, USA; the InterUniversity Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, India and the Champalimaud Centre for the Study of the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal. The exhibition also features Correa’s designs for housing and cities, looking closely at climate change, affordable housing and his projects to improve cityscapes, including his urban masterplan for Navi Mumbai (New Bombay).

David Adjaye, architect and designer of the exhibition says: “Charles Correa is a highly significant architect, globally and for India. His work is the physical manifestation of the idea of Indian nationhood, modernity and progress. His vision sits at the nexus defining the contemporary Indian sensibility and it articulates a new Indian identity with a language that has a global resonance. He is someone who has that rare capacity to give physical form to something as intangible as ‘culture’ or ‘society’ – and his work is therefore critical: aesthetically; sociologically; and culturally. This exhibition has presented us with an exciting opportunity to engage absolutely with his work and to think how the exhibition design can communicate the key messages. It has been an enriching experience that will feed into my own practice on many levels.”

Curator Dr Irena Murray says: “Correa is brilliantly inventive in his deployment of certain timeless themes in Indian culture and philosophy – journey, passage, void and the representation of the cosmos. He uses them as a means to creating ambitious new spaces and structures. His deep understanding of the implications of climate, demographics, transport and community life has a universal quality and has helped structure the thematic arrangement of the exhibition.”

Highlights from the Out of India season of talks and events include a public lecture by Charles Correa on 15 May, an in conversation event on art, architecture and metaphor with David Adjaye, Stephen Cox and Dr Irena Murray on 11 June and a special ‘Last Tuesday’ on Mumbai on 25 June.

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exhibition at RIBA appeared first on Dezeen.