Hasta La Ideas

This twisted residential tower clad in zinc-coated steel is part of a mixed use development proposal in Shoreditch, London by Amanda Levete Architects.

Proposed on a former industrial site opposite the new station, Huntingdon Estate would provide retail spaces at ground floor as well as a gallery, creative workshops and a covered market.

The project, which has been in development since 2009, has been submitted for planning.

More projects by Amanda Levete Architects on Dezeen »

Here are some more details from Amanda Levete Architects:

Huntingdon Estate 2009

AL_A has developed plans for a mixed-used site in the heart of London’s East End. Located between Bethnal Green Road and Redchurch Street, the scheme for the Huntingdon Industrial Estate proposes the radical transformation of a former industrial site into an innovative and energised commercial, cultural and residential centre. London is a city that continues to evolve and re-invent itself, and Shoreditch is an intrinsic part of this.

The density and diversity, and the innovative and creative spirit which defines this area is reflected in the mixed residential and business communities that inhabit it, and the varying scales of building that surround it. AL_A’s design for Huntingdon addresses this complex urban context, and draws on the site’s vibrancy and pivotal position on the City fringe.

The plinth and tower structure will compliment surroundings by responding to the duality inherent in the site. The plinth is modelled with the same small scale, fragmented grain of historic Shoreditch and uses materials, which echo the tough, light industrial character of the area. The different sized retail spaces found here have been designed specifically to attract local, small and independent businesses, supported by capped rent, which will continue to contribute to this expanding community. Plans to further preserve and enrich the neighbourhood’s cultural and creative life centre around the development of a gallery space, creative workshop atelier and a covered, pedestrianised market.

The slim residential tower, positioned immediately opposite the new Shoreditch station appears to rise from the plinth, twisting elegantly as it reaches upwards. A material palette of glass and zinc-coated steel of different scales, textures and finishes, enables a low density mass over the majority of the site, and creates an urban grain that integrates with the surroundings. The sophisticated dynamic form responds to solar conditions throughout the day enabling optimum daylight for new and existing homes, and minimising unwanted solar gain. A rich mix of apartment sizes, and a green landscaped roof, will offer a variety of environmentally friendly, energy-efficient homes in this sought after location, and will set a precedent for landmark quality apartments that do not currently exist in Tower Hamlets.

The Huntingdon Estate scheme is being developed by Londonewcastle and was submitted for planning in March following in depth consultations with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, GLA, CABE, EH and local residents and community groups.

Client: Londonewcastle
Programme: Mixed use residential building
Area: 16,220m²
Status: Submitted for planning March 2011 by Londonewcastle (Shoreditch Ltd)
Architect: AL_A
Principal: Amanda Levete
Project Director: Ho-Yin Ng
Project Team: Matthew Wilkinson, Alice Dietsch, Frederick Pittman, David Flynn, May Leung, Naoki Kotaka, YooJin Kim, Dessislava Lyutakova
Consultants: Planning DP9
Townscape and Conservation: Richard Coleman
Structural Engineer: AKT
M&E Engineer: Grontmij
Quantity Surveyor: EC Harris
Landscape: Gross Max
Rights of Light: GIA
EIA: Waterman Environmental
CDM: PFB Construction
Traffic: Savell Bird & Axon
Programming: Elizabeth Tweedale

See also:

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Subway Station by Amanda Levete & Anish Kapoor	10 Hills Place by Amanda Levete Architects	Central Embassy by Amanda Levete Architects

Architect David Chipperfield has released images of the completed seafront Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate composed of six identical volumes with an acid-etched glass skin.

The gallery, which Dezeen showed designs for back in October, is intended to withstand the corrosive effects of the seaside environment, including the occasional high wave.

The ground floor accommodates a reception area, event space and cafe while the exhibition spaces are on the first floor, benefitting from natural north light.

The gallery will have no permanent collection, but will feature temporary exhibitions combining historic and contemporary works, with a focus on the work of artist JMW Turner (1775-1851).

Photography is by Richard Bryant.

More projects by David Chipperfield on Dezeen »
More stories about galleries on Dezeen »

Here are some more details from the gallery:

Turner Contemporary opens 16 April 2011
Margate’s new Turner Contemporary gallery, one of the largest and most important spaces for art outside London, opens to the public on Saturday 16 April 2011.

The gallery will be opened by one of Margate’s most famous residents, Tracey Emin, with the musician Jools Holland and a group of local schoolchildren.

Designed by internationally acclaimed architect, David Chipperfield, winner of 2007 RIBA Stirling Prize and RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, the opening of the new gallery is one of the most anticipated cultural events of 2011.

Victoria Pomery, Director, Turner Contemporary said:
“I am thrilled to be opening the gallery on 16 April. It will be a momentous day for both Turner Contemporary and Margate and the moment we open the doors and see visitors entering this fantastic new building will be very special.”

Taking inspiration from Britain’s best-known painter, JMW Turner who was a regular visitor to Margate throughout his life, the gallery is situated on the sea front on the site of a guesthouse frequented by the artist. To mark this connection there will always be works by Turner on display in the gallery.

John Kampfner, Chair, Turner Contemporary said: “The opening of Turner Contemporary marks the start of an extraordinary opportunity for Margate and Thanet to become one of the UK’s most compelling culture and tourism destinations. I would like to pay tribute to Kent County Council and our other partners for delivering this outstanding building on time and on budget.”

Turner Contemporary’s exhibitions programme shows a unique combination of contemporary art alongside historical work, demonstrating a particular focus on the art, thought and the legacy of JMW Turner.

The opening show Revealed: Turner Contemporary Opens explores the themes of imagination, discovery, wonder and the creative spirit. Centred on JMW Turner’s extraordinary but little-known painting The Eruption of the Souffrier Mountains, in the Island of St Vincent, at Midnight, on the 30th of April, 1812, from a Sketch Taken at the Time by Hugh P. Keane, Esqre 1815, on loan from Victoria Gallery and Museum, University of Liverpool, the exhibition will feature new commissions by Daniel Buren, Russell Crotty, Ellen Harvey and Conrad Shawcross, together with selected works by Teresita Fernández and Douglas Gordon.

The opening exhibition will be followed by:

• Nothing in the World but Youth (17 Sep 2011 – 8 Jan 2012)
  An exhibition exploring how youth experience has been reflected in art, culture and the media from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
• Hamish Fulton: Walk (17 Jan – 6 May 2012)
  Hamish Fulton’s first one-person show in the UK since 2002, will include new work made as the result of the group walks in Kent that we commissioned in the lead up to the opening of Turner Contemporary.
• Turner and the Elements (28 Jan – 13 May 2012)
  The gallery’s first major exhibition of works by JMW Turner a collaboration with Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg and National Museum, Cracow, exploring the important role that the depiction of the elements played in Turner’s landscapes, watercolours and late paintings.

Mike Hill, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: ”I have been involved since the very beginning and I am immensely proud of the hard work of so many people who have worked tirelessly to reach the opening day.

It is a magnificent building which will provide many different opportunities for local people and visitors from far and wide, to come and enjoy what is on offer and help build the local economy of Margate and East Kent.”

Sally Abbott, Regional Director, South East, Arts Council England, said: “We’re proud to support Turner Contemporary, and we’re looking forward to the year ahead with its programme of high quality international contemporary art. Turner Contemporary will be integral to local life and vital to regeneration, with long lasting benefits for the community. Great art enriches lives, and this gallery will help more people experience and be inspired by the arts.”

Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of the South East England Development Agency and Chair of the Margate Renewal Partnership, said: ”The opening of Turner Contemporary is a huge step into the future for Margate. As an international venue, it will bring an exciting buzz to the town and create new opportunities for the people of Margate and the local economy. With the recent letting of the former M&S building in the town centre and the plans for Dreamland, it is a landmark in our work to regenerate and revitalise Margate. The project has been a great example of collaboration and we hope it will demonstrate how the arts and culture can stimulate regeneration, and we are proud our £4m investment has supported the creation of this world class Gallery.”

See also:

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Museum Folkwang by David Chipperfield	Nottingham Contemporary by Caruso St John Architects	Galeria Adriana Varejão by Rodrigo Cerviño Lopez

Beefeater’s master distiller shares his gin secrets in our latest video

by Michael Tyburski

In this video, Beefeater Master Distiller Desmond Payne lets us in on some of his more unusual approaches to finding inspiration, and helps fill in the backstory of how the gin’s 2010 launch, 24, came to be. Stay tuned for our video on Payne’s former employer and sister brand, Plymouth.

London designer Tomás Alonso used ceramic tiles to create optical illusions in this store he designed for Spanish shoe brand Camper in London.

The interior is lined with a grid of white 10 by 10cm tiles, but this pattern is broken in places by coloured geometric tiles to create the illusion of recesses or volumes looming out from the walls.

The space is furnished with benches and counters made of oak and bent steel tubes in Alonso’s studio, plus ceramic lamps he designed specially for the project.

Called Camper Together, the shop is the brand’s fifth in London and is located in Covent Garden.

See all our stories about Camper »

The information that follows is from Camper:

CAMPER
TOMÁS ALONSO
LONDON

Camper opens a new shop in the city of London, on the corner of Shelton Street and Neal Street.

The store’s image was conceived by Tomás Alonso, a young Spanish designer of Galician origin now based in London, who practises “slow design” and has a knack for working with simple gestures.

With this new venue, the British capital now boasts a total of five Camper Together shops.

Since the great masters of the Modernist movement, no designer has been noted for his ability to bend a steel tube. This apparently simple feat is actually quite difficult to perform with a natural flair, as Tomás Alonso does.

Tubes, wood and colour were all he needed to craft the furnishings for this new Camper store. Another simple flourish in the tile pattern creates an illusory three-dimensional effect on the walls.

“All of the furniture was designed and built specifically for the shop as part of a personal project I’ve been working on for some time now, which is based on the formal and structural language that two materials as dissimilar as lacquer tubing and natural wood – in this case, white oak – can create together.

This language also extends to the stairs and the cash desk unit. The pieces were handcrafted at my studio in London. Perhaps the most striking element is the large table with its accompanying chairs and benches, which take up most of the space. The ceramic lamps are also original designs.

The wall cladding is a simple twist on the standard 10 x 10 cm square tile. If it is combined with three additional shapes, you can create all kinds of geometric patterns and designs in isometric perspective.” TOMÁS ALONSO

Tomás Alonso (Vigo, 1974) is the prototypical young nomadic designer who, like so many others, roams the earth searching for ideas to make his work more original. He is not in any hurry; he practises his own version of “slow design”, which consists in doing things leisurely and carefully so that no detail is overlooked.

He wandered through the USA, Italy and Australia before moving to London to study at the Royal College of Art. Alonso graduated in 2006 and teamed up with five classmates of different nationalities to found OKAYstudio.

He currently combines his research work with commercial design commissions. His personal creations have been exhibited at galleries such as NextLevel (where he presented the show Variations on a Tube in 2009), Whitechapel and Aram, whose doors are always open to up-and-coming talent.

Tomás is a rising star, and this is his first interior design project. The concept—which, like every Together shop, is a limited edition—made its first appearance in Genoa, and the London store will soon be followed by another in Glasgow.

See also:

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Camper store in Malmö by TAF	Camper store in London by Tokujin Yoshioka	Camper store in Tokyo by Jaime Hayón

An extended collection of brilliantly designed tote bags compiled by artist Jitesh Patel

UK based designer Jitesh Patel started a blog based on his interest in tote bag artwork that has become a forum for the showcased artists. From there he turned the site into paperback form—his book “The Tote Bag” highlights striking and inventive designs including his own illustrations on the cover and the free canvas tote that accompanies the book.

In recent years the tote bag has become more widely used by the environmentally conscious as a simple way to cut down on the use of disposable bags. The question always asked is, “paper or plastic” but since the birth of the canvas tote bag, people can say neither and opt for their own bag. Besides cutting down your carbon footprint it’s a fun way to express your style.

Patel opened his Shoreditch, London studio in 2007 to be a base for his artistic talents. He is a brilliant illustrator and lends his talents in advertising, brand design and art direction. Patel’s interest in tote bags drew the attention of designers from all over who contributed their work to his book.

The Tote Bag book is available from various retailers for £19.