Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

The translucent back wall of this pop-up headphone shop changes colour in response to the noise made by Christmas shoppers.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Urbanears have launched their first pop-up shop at Box Park, a temporary shopping centre where retail units are housed in shipping containers.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

The monochromatic background and limited material palette of the 40ft unit focuses visitors on the colourful headphones that Urbanears specialise in.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Silicon moulded ears attached to the wall display the in-ear headphones while over-ear headphones hang from hooks.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Boxpark is open for the Christmas period in Shoreditch, east London.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Read more about headphones by Urbanears in our story here.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Here’s some more text from Urbanears and 42 Architects:


URBANEARS BOXPARK by 42 ARCHITECTS

Urbanears has opened their first ever store, located at Boxpark in Shoreditch, London, and designed by emerging practice 42 architects. The store, fitted out within a 40ft ship- ping container, focuses on the contrast between the highly colourful products and a monochromatic, white interior.

Designed as the main feature of the shop, the inner wall of is made of a back-lit perspex frame, illuminated by an RGB Led light which responds to the sounds in the shop and shifts between the seasonal colour palettes of the Urbanears headphones. At night, the shop becomes a colourful beacon for the party-goers and visitors of Shoreditch and Brick Lane.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

The shop consists of a limited palette of materials. The walls are made of precision-cut Hanex sheets, chosen for its homogenous and smooth appearance. Combined with an epoxy surfaced floor and a white ceiling that hides all services, the shop works as a de- liberately non-textural backdrop for the products on display.

Bespoke and quirky product fittings adds a sense of playfulness to the space; the Medis in-ear headphones are fitted in silicon molded ears, embedded in the Hanex walls, and the Bagis headphone can be push into bespoke plastic plugs, which are also integrated with the walls.

42 is a young architecture and design studio based in London, UK, established by Johan Berglund in 2009. As a practice we are driven by the belief that architecture can enhance our society through excellence in design, coupled with contextual sensibility and a strong understanding of the social, cultural and environmental needs of our times.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

The architectural output is driven by inventive ideas and strong concepts. We have established a thorough research methodology within the office, which means that we are able to deal with most types of projects and contexts without a pre-determined style. We enjoy grand ideas and bold con- cepts, but we also value the small scale and the intricate, and put great emphasis on achieving high quality detailing, atmosphere and materiality, regardless of the size of project and budget. We are often part of projects from an early stage, where our competence and skills can be used to help define the scope and brief of the project, assist with locating suitable sites for the project, as well as help secure funding from public and corporate bodies.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

We undertake work in sectors such as Arts and Culture, Commercial, Sports & Leisure, Residential and Public projects. Our experience extends from one-off, carefully crafted interior fit-outs to large public buildings and landscape projects in Sweden, UK and the middle east.

Recently, 42 architects have received much attention for their inventive and playful retail environ- ments for Topshop and The Local Firm, as well as their design for a 6000m2 park area in Falun, Sweden, which is now under construction with expected completion in the spring of 2012.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Urbanears is excited to announce our first ever retail endeavor, located at Boxpark – the world’s first pop-up mall. Located next to Shoreditch High Street Station in London, U.K, Boxpark is an exciting new approach to retail, as the entire complex is made out of ship- ping containers. Much like the Urbanears philosophy of using unexpected materials in new and different ways, using shipping containers as modular retail units is what at- tracted Urbanears to the Boxpark concept.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

The Urbanears Boxpark store is designed by 42architects, and features a minimalist de- sign with white walls and a white floor, allowing the colorful headphones to really stand out. There is giant light instillation in the back of the store, which changes colors throughout the day.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Urbanears has many events planned for the Boxpark store throughout the coming year, for more information on these events please sign-up for the Urbanears newsletter, lo- cated at Urbanears.com. “With Urbanears, we like to get people thinking outside of the box. In this case, the box is a shipping container being used as a store. It’s a new and unexpected way of looking at retail.” Says Konrad Bergström, President of Zound Industries.

Urbanears at Boxpark by 42 Architects

Urbanears makes headphones that fit your everyday life. Supplying the perfect listening device for anyone with a pocket full of music and a wish to make the most of it. Ur- banears models are designed to optimize sound and captivate self-aware customers by matching preferences in size, style, design, function and relation to music. Other compa- nies may try to emulate the brand, but Urbanears is the original in colorful headphones.

Dezeen Screen: Strelein Warehouse by Ian Moore

Strelein Warehouse by Ian Moore Architects

Dezeen Screen: in this next movie from our series of Dezeen Talks filmed at the Inside awards in Barcelona, Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs talks to Australian architect Ian Moore, whose monochrome conversion of a former grocery warehouse in Sydney won the residential category. Watch the movie »

Nanushka Beta Store

Nanushka Beta Store

Six architecture students have created a temporary fashion store in Budapest with a billowed canvas canopy and a sliced firewood floor.

Nanushka Beta Store

Daniel Balo, Zsofi Dobos, Dora Medveczky, Judit Emese Konopas and Noemi Varga hoisted 250 square metres of fabric into place around the walls and ceiling of the shop for clothing brand Nanushka.

Nanushka Beta Store

The firewood circles cover the whole floor of the store, while more sticks are fastened together to provide stands for accessories.

Nanushka Beta Store

Inflatable lights by Hungarian manufacturer Ballon are attached to the fabric ceiling and garments hang from rusted steel racks.

Nanushka Beta Store

Other popular fabric interiors we’ve featured include a hostel where guest sleep in fabric pods and a shop with hosiery stretched across the walls – see all the stories here.

Nanushka Beta Store

Photography is by Tamas Bujnovszky.

Here’s some more text from Daniel Balo:


Nanushka Beta Store

Located in the heart of Budapest and created for the 2011 autumn / winter season, the new Nanushka retail space aims to emphasis the brand’s core values and contrast the sometimes overwhelming racket of the urban experience.

Nanushka Beta Store

The young Hungarian fashion designer Sandra Sandor handpicked a team of enthusiastic graduates after posting an ad in several design schools. The selected architecture students, namely Daniel Balo, Zsofia Dobos, Dora Medveczky, Judit Emese Konopas and Noemi Varga, arrived to the team from separate universities and different classes. Working together for the first time, they had no more than three short weeks to finish the project.

Nanushka Beta Store

Quick and creative solutions had to be found to complete the task within the short deadline. However, they faced other constraints: they had to come up with a design that would leave the interior unharmed (only minor drilling was permitted) and also had to work with a relatively low budget. Also, the retail space in question had an unusually elongated shape. These were the circumstances under which they would attempt to create a natural, warm interior that would be in harmony with the values of the Nanushka brand.

Nanushka Beta Store

As inspiration for their design they used the wilderness and elements from classical wedding tents and barn weddings. Accordingly, they gathered together raw materials such as cotton, linen, firewood and rusted steel for the design.

First they created a rigging system for the 250 square meter canvas that would drape the interior by pulling cable wires below the ceiling. Running from front to back they were able to hoist the canvas into the air and let it fall and flow in a way that basically wrapped the entire retail space from the inside.

Nanushka Beta Store

They then sliced firewood into little circles and laid them out to create flooring. Small display stands were built from logs of wood that sprouted from the ground. Linen poufs and Ballon Lamps sharing the same cylinder shape strengthened the organic flow of the space, while the strict, geometric forms of the counter and fitting rooms, as well as the rusted steel racks created a firm counterpoint and a calm balance. Contrasts were also created with the choice of materials through the combination of rusty, rough, smooth and soft surfaces, all soothing variations of tranquil, clean, quiet white.

The use of these elements and materials was highly eco-friendly as their recycling was actually the basis of the entire design concept.

Nanushka Beta Store

Project information:
Project: Nanushka Beta Store
Location: Fashion Street, Budapest, Hungary
Client: Sandra Sandor – Nanushka
Design: Daniel Balo, Zsofi Dobos, Dora Medveczky, Judit Emese Konopas, Noemi Varga
Construction: Tamas Lindwurm – Honti Kft.
Lamps: Ballon Lamp Hungary
Photo: Tamas Bujnovszky
The project in numbers:
Gross area: 80 m2
Design and construction period: 3 weeks Lasting: November 2011 – February 2012 Canvas for the tent installation: 250 m2 Fire wood: 5 m3
Budget: 2000 €

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Charred timber lines this Thai bistro in Kuwait City by architect Rashed Alfoudari.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Pendant lamps with copper insides hang from the ceiling of the Ubon restaurant above rows of black and white furniture.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

A kitchen at the rear of the restaurant is concealed behind a mirrored wall.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

We’ve only published a handful of stories from Kuwait on Dezeen, but you can see them all here, including a house that emits mist and a jewellery shop.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Photography is by AOK.

Here’s some additional text from Alfoudari:


Ubon

Ubon is a Thai bistro located in the core of kuwait city.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

It overlooks Fahad Al salim street, a street well respected for it’s commerce back in the days.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

The space program of this bistro requires an efficient design for all of the kitchen, storage, and toilet areas; allowing for a spacious dining area.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

For this to be executed, the interior works where to be integrated with the existing structural elements in a harmonious manner.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

The Burnt wood panels, infused with the golden copper elements surround the dining area portraying the asian influence of this bistro.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Pendant lights were added to soothe the dining area with their organic shape.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Adding to their relevance is the inner golden color they diffuse, a color that had great impact on thai cultural ornamentation.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Giving a visual continuity to the dining area where the wooden grains imprinted on the restroom’s concrete walls.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

The contrast in color and material here is then unified by texture.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

To continue the vertical pattern, the restroom was fitted with a suspended ceiling faucet along with an off-white standalone basin.

Ubon by Rashed Alfoudari

Architect: Rashed Alfoudari
Location: Salhiya, Kuwait City
Project Area: 60 sqm
Project Year: 2011

Dezeen archive: pop-up shops

Dezeen archive: following this month’s opening of our pop-up Christmas shop The Temporium (bottom left), here’s a look back at all the pop-up stores we’ve featured on Dezeen. See all the stories »

See all our archive stories »

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

This curvy timber deck belongs to a dorm for restaurant staff completed by Japanese designer Koichi Futatsumata of Case-Real in an abandoned house.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

Located on Teshima Island, Japan, White Dormitory provides accommodation for three employees of nearby restaurant Il Vento.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

The building wraps around the decked courtyard, where glass doors lead into a shared lounge and kitchen with a pale wooden floor.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

A strip of skylights brings natural light into this room, while rustic wooden beams brace the walls.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

The three bedrooms are arranged along one side of the building and each have their own kitchen area.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

We’ve featured a few interesting interiors by Case-Real in the past, including an office and showroom in a wooden hut and a boutique with two façades – see all the projects here.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

Photography is by Hiroshi Mizusaki.

Here’s some more text from Koichi Futatsumata:


White Dormitory for Il Vento

A renovation project to convert an old vacant house into a dormitory in a village on Teshima, an island lying in the Seto Inland Sea. A dormitory for restaurant staff of Il Vento which was created as artwork of Tobias Rehberger for Setouchi International Art Festival 2010. The main focus for this project is how we make most of the vacant houses increasing by depopulation.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

To insert new elements without disturbing the surrounding landscape of the village which remains unchanged from the old days, the existing exterior wall facing the lane was left untouched. Though deteriorated traditional Japanese style roof was replaced, the basic form and color of the original was adopted to the new one only using different materials, you hardly notice the change from the outside.

White Dormitory for Il Vento by Case-Real

On the other hand, all the furnishings and functional features of dormitory as well as a courtyard are reconstructed using various white materials such as woods, stones, and plasters with different expressions and tones. In Japan, white is not only a symbol of new beginning, but the sacred color representing purity, innocence, and peace.

White Dormitory Il Vento by Case-Real

Interior space is comprised of three private rooms and a lounge, and a small courtyard set in the middle. The huge white terrace linked by lounge realizes the open space with sense of relief and freedom.

White Dormitory Il Vento by Case-Real

Contrasts between the inside and outside of the building, that is new and old, proposes to expand the possibilities of the existing architecture on the island and island itself.

White Dormitory Il Vento by Case-Real

Design: Koichi Futatsumata / Case-Real
Direction: Tsuyoshi Matsuzawa

Location: Teshima Kagawa, Japan
Type of Project : the conversion of old private house
Use: Dormitory
Period: Jan 2011 – Jul 2011
Structure: wood frame
Scale: 1 story
Site area: 127.9m2
Building area: 94.2m2

Aesop at I.T Hysan One by Cheungvogl

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

Translucent boxes propped up on a forest of steel rods display products by skincare brand Aesop at a Hong Kong fashion store.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

Designed by architects Cheungvogl, the monochrome display at I.T Hysan One was inspired by a black and white photograph of floating lanterns.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

The supporting rods become taller towards the back, so the 800 resin boxes appear to be stacked into a tower.

Australian brand Aesop are renowned for creating unusual displays for their products – see more of their stores here.

Here’s some more information from Aesop:


Aesop I.T Installation, Hong Kong by cheungvogl

Aesop has created an installation in Hong Kong’s I.T HYSAN ONE flagship store that builds on our reputation for architecturally remarkable retail spaces.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

The installation also operates as a counter. Aesop consultants present selections from our range of exceptional skin, hair and body care.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

Cheungvogl architects, inspired by a black and white image of hundreds of floating lanterns, have imbued the I.T HYSAN ONE exhibition space with a similar delicate luminosity.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

Eight hundred resin boxes are arranged atop steel rods of varying lengths, creating the sense that each box is ascending at its own pace, as if being drawn upward by an invisible thread. Some boxes hold Aesop formulations while others are designed to reward visitors’ curiosity through unexpected sound, scent and touch.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

At the end of its two-week tenure the Aesop installation will be deconstructed and re-formed as a permanent counter on the first floor of I.T HYSAN ONE.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

Aesop and I.T share an acute sensibility; we are focused on the highest standards of quality and creativity. We also have a common desire to explore how our respective products function within the intelligent and restrained application of design.

Aesop at I.T HYSAN ONE by cheungvogl

This installation marks the beginning of what is certain to be a long, exciting and creatively inspiring collaboration.

Capanna by K-studio

Capanna by K-studio

Greek architects K-studio have completed a rustic pizzeria modelled on an Italian courtyard in the centre of Athens.

Capanna by K-studio

Patterned tiles decorate the floor and a wall in the dining room of Capanna, which is furnished with vintage tables and chairs.

Capanna by K-studio

Reclaimed wooden shutters wrap around a mezzanine first floor, which projects over a wood-burning pizza oven and bar.

Capanna by K-studio

Ballpoint pen murals drawn by artist Joanna Burtenshaw decorate the walls of the staircase leading upstairs, where the shutters conceal the kitchen, toilets and a storage closet.

Capanna by K-studio

Other pizzerias from the Dezeen archive include one where diners can play their own music inside booths and another where colourful wall graphics illustrate possible topping combinations.

Capanna by K-studio

Photography is by Yiorgos Kordakis.

Here’s some more text from K-studio:


We send you images of our recently completed restaurant project, Capanna, a pizzeria / trattoria in Kolonaki, an area in the center of Athens.

The restaurant sits on the corner of Ploutarchou and Haritos street, where Haritos becomes pedestrianised.

Capanna by K-studio

When the weather is warm enough, which in Athens happens more often than not, the floor to ceiling windows can slide upwards allowing the restaurant to spill out onto the pavement.

Capanna by K-studio

The experience of eating outside was the starting point for the design of Capanna.

Capanna by K-studio

The aim was to render the space with the atmosphere of an Italian courtyard.

Capanna by K-studio

A pallet made up of materials familiarly found in these spaces such as cement tiles, stucco plaster, travertine stone, blackened steel railings, and characteristic narrow wooden shutters, was used to clad the different spaces in the restaurant.

Capanna by K-studio

The wood burning oven and the pizza bar are enclosed within a travertine stone box that sits in the far corner of the space framing the Pizzaiolo.

Capanna by K-studio

On top of it balances a rectangular volume, clad with reclaimed wooden shutters, enclosing the kitchen, storage and WC facilities.

Capanna by K-studio

The two shapes connect with a suspended steel staircase that penetrates them.

Capanna by K-studio

The floor is laid with grey cement tiles but in the double-height area of the restaurant geometrically patterned cement tiles create a carpet-like strip that continues onto the adjacent wall, emphasizing the height of the room.

Capanna by K-studio

The various vintage chairs add softness and a laid back feeling to the restaurant and the grey stucco plastered walls and ceiling help to enclose all of this in a textured, minimal envelope.

Capanna by K-studio

The combination of purposefully designed elements, reclaimed materials and vintage furniture, presents an architecture that sits comfortably between the bespoke and the sourced, creating an exciting and sociable atmosphere.

Capanna by K-studio

On the first floor mural artist Joanna Burtenshaw has illustrated the walls with biro drawings depicting the process of making fresh pasta, inspired by the traditional design of the restaurant’s tableware.

Inside awards: the Waterhouse at South Bund by Neri & Hu

Inside awards: the Waterhouse at South Bund by Neri & Hu

Dezeen Screen: as part of the series of Dezeen Talks filmed at the Inside awards in Barcelona, Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs talks to Lyndon Neri of Neri & Hu about the Waterhouse at South Bund, a hotel inside a former headquarters of the Japanese army, which won the overall award. Watch the movie »

Suspensions of space by htmn

Suspensions of space by htmn

A wooden plank extends through the walls of three rooms in this renovated Tokyo apartment by architects htmn.

Suspensions of space by htmn

Propped up by the thick walls, the long strip provides a desk that stretches from the living room, across a study and into a bedroom.

Suspensions of space by htmn

The architects added new walls and ceilings throughout the first floor residence, but left a gap so that no room is completely sealed.

Suspensions of space by htmn

We’ve featured a few interesting apartments recently – check out our earlier stories about one divided by sliding glass screens and another split by a bright yellow storage wall.

Suspensions of space by htmn

Photography is by Daici Ano.

Here’s some more text from htmn:


Suspensions of space / A house renovation in Takanodai

This project is renovation of a second-hand house that was made by the two by four method. We designed only second floor in which young couple wanted to live with daughter. Their original demand was living in large one-room without walls, but there was limit to remove walls because of structural restriction of the two by four method. 2×4 houses have been spread on account of speed and easiness of construction. However, it’s difficult to change plan in terms of house renovation.

Suspensions of space by htmn

We made not only wall but also the ceiling of the design target, and aimed to make the space that stiffened by the existing walls open. To be concrete, we remove the existing ceiling, and we built new ceilings (form like broach roof) crossing above the five rooms, and made gaps between walls and new ceilings. As a result, the connection between a room and a next room was made above the space. We determined the height and an incline of ceilings, after considering the diffusion of light and a scene to the next room.

Suspensions of space by htmn

Existing plan prior to renovation

We also made the opening on an inner wall, and installed there the long desk that pierces through three rooms, a living room, a study room and a bedroom. We had a loose sense of togetherness caused by long desk and kitchen counter crossed the border of each room. And, the installation method of the desk is easy to change. Although a long and slender study room is in the center of a house at present, when the type of usage changes, it functions also as a passage.

Suspensions of space by htmn

Renovation plan

The color of the room that was based on white change through a day because of reflection of shiny painted ceiling. We can see rooms that are colored warm color or chill color at the same time through the gap and the opening.

Suspensions of space by htmn

Ceiling plan

We tried to reconstruct space components, such as a wall and a ceiling. The gap and the connection make boundary of rooms blurred. A sense of a territory that rises to the surroundings of one is expanded and contracted on one’s consciousness. We call it suspensions of space.

Suspensions of space by htmn

Diagram

Architects: Hiroaki Takada + Masayuki Nakahata / htmn
Location of project: Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Client: private
Completion: 2010.8
Contractor: Minaduki Kousan Ltd.
Site area: 286.94 m²
Built area: 139.31 m²
Total floor area: 222.79 m²
Second floor area: 83.48 m²(A part of the renovation)