Table of contents for June 2019 in AZURE

“We are calling it low-tech, K-Pop minimalism,” interior designer Ryan Genesin says of the super-slick interior of Ban Ban, a new Korean fried chicken joint in downtown Adelaide, Australia. From the edge of the sidewalk outside, a field of baby blue tile glides up the facade and under the folding windows, then sprawls across the interior’s dividing walls, bartops, banquette seats and even the tables – not only covering the flat planes, but wrapping every curve and corner in smooth ceramic. Only the exterior walls and the existing concrete floors are left uncovered by gleaming blue tile. The use of DTile, a unique three-dimensional tiling system from the Netherlands, was an integral part of the design, says Genesin. “There is an entire series of pieces that curve: concave, convex, plus…

When is a public plaza not just a place to pause? When it’s also a water-filtration system, a noise-pollution buffer and a de facto green roof atop an underground parking garage. These days, it’s a given that civic spaces – be they public, private or a combination of both – need to be flexible, resilient and responsive to their surroundings, but First Avenue Water Plaza, recently completed by Scape Landscape Architecture on the East Side of Manhattan, sets a new adaptability standard for a project of its size. Located over a parking structure at the American Copper Buildings, a pair of riverside apartment towers designed by SHoP Architects, the 1,791-square-metre plaza not only creates a new connection to the East 34th Street Ferry Landing, but also mitigates traffic noise from…

There are certain tropes that would be easy to fall prey to when designing for a crystal company. Luminescent finishes, a faceted facade, a lot of bling. Maybe a few of those diamond-covered Damien Hirst skulls. The potential for banality is great. But you don’t turn to the architects at Snøhetta, as the Tyrolean crystal maker Swarovski recently did, if clichés are what you’re after. “We were able to resist those very obvious temptations,” says Patrick Lüth, managing director of Snøhetta’s studio in Innsbruck. The Swarovski Manufaktur – envisioned as an old-style design office, production facility and client centre all in one – is the latest addition to the company’s campus in Wattens, Austria. Slotted between two existing volumes with only six metres of cushion, the site that the architects…

What does happiness look like to you? How would you design a space to support it? What materials would you use? The picture might be clear when we’re talking about an intimate space like a home, where personal preferences and creature comforts such as soft surfaces, a warm fire and accommodations for pets, family and friends spring to mind. But the images start to blur once we venture into shared spaces such as schools, shopping centres, public parks and city streets. “Trying to understand happiness is, of course, an impossible task,” says Francesco Garutti, curator of Our Happy Life, the Canadian Centre for Architecture’s summer-long exhibition. Happiness and well-being, Garutti explains, are part of an emerging agenda in architecture – one that has been under increasing investigation over the past…

Vegan. Cruelty-free. Plant-based. Whatever label you stamp on it, there is no denying that veganism is more than just a food trend or dietary choice – it’s a lifestyle, a culture. And as such, its tenets are moving into fashion, design and even architecture, with major brands dipping a toe into the waters. Now that herbivorous restaurants are on the rise in every city, there’s a growing demand for vegan-friendly interiors – and the products and materials to fill them. With the increasing availability (and promotion) of these goods, other spaces are eschewing animal products as well. U.K. designers Bompas & Parr, for instance, recently collaborated with Hilton Hotels to launch a vegan hotel suite in London. Free of leather, wool and feathers, the suite boasts cotton carpets, pillows stuffed…

In 2014, the designers behind Swedish studio Form Us With Love co-founded Baux, a company specializing in sustainable building products – namely wood-wool acoustic panels in eye-catching shapes and shades. Their modular product paved the way for scalable sound-dampening interventions defined by vibrant colour and complex geometric patterns. Five years later, the brand is offering a new innovation, with a collection of biodegradable and emission-free panels composed of ingredients you’d find on a walk in the woods. “From the day we founded Baux, we set an ambition to be a real factor in bringing more sustainable materials to the table,” says CEO Fredrik Franzon, who notes the research process included investigations of moss, fungus, hemp and cork before the chemical–free Acoustic Pulp recipe was finalized. The material has actually been…

Meant to evoke the unique form of a desert rose in windblown crystallized gypsum, the facade of the National Museum of Qatar by Ateliers Jean Nouvel consists of some 130 concrete discs that interlock and bisect one another at almost every angle. Ranging in diameter from three to 10 metres, the discs were fabricated from a multitude of angular panels that accentuate the crystalline aesthetic. In all, there are over 96,800 individual panels, their combined surface area totalling 120,000 square metres. Astonishingly, though, their concrete skin can be as thin as 40 millimetres. Danish firm Contec Group was given the formidable task of manufacturing the panels to a tolerance of plus or minus one millimetre using ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). “The main difference, compared to traditional concrete or glass fibre–reinforced…

In the (Almost) Clear For a new kindergarten in a burgeoning district in the Czech city of Liberec, architect Petr Stolín wanted to deliver a building that provided a sense of security without feeling institutional – one where natural light could easily permeate the interior and where the children could play as they might on a jungle gym. To achieve this, Stolín devised a clever two-layer structure using simple materials: The building itself is clad in plaster, transparent fibreglass and Siberian larch lath; situated about 120 centimetres in front of that is a second facade made from sheets of corrugated transparent fibreglass mounted on an atypical steel structure that resembles scaffolding. In the space between is a pathway that completely encircles the school, giving the students multiple shortcuts throughout and…

A robust collection of porcelain stoneware for both exterior and interior use, Italgraniti’s Mega series includes patterns that mimic the look of sand, steel or stone. In four sizes ranging from 120 by 120 to 160 by 320 centimetres, the large-format slabs require minimal joints for near-seamless installation. At six millimetres thick, the versatile stoneware is highly flexible as well as frost-, chemical-and stain-resistant. Shown is Flax, one of six earthy tones from the Sands Experience series. italgranitigroup.com Referencing traditional building materials, Rieder has introduced Bricky (shown) and Timber to its Öko Skin portfolio of fibreC facade slats. Made from fibreglass-reinforced concrete, the designs offer the look of brick and wood respectively, but with higher durability and lower maintenance requirements than their conventional counterparts. Through-coloured with iron oxide and natural…

Modular Sofas 1 Heather With its extra-generous proportions and wrap-around armrest cushions, Heather offers visual impact along with comfort. Materials Maple, down, multiple upholstery options Dimensions From 81 H × 89 W × 114 D Manufacturer Montauk Sofa, montauksofa.com 2 Albert Vincent Van Duysen’s “islands” feature dual back cushions – one traditional fixed and one loose – to provide extra back support. Materials Fir, chipboard, polyurethane foam, polyester fibre, down, anodized aluminum, multiple upholstery options Dimensions From 74 H × 108 W × 108 D Manufacturer Molteni&C, molteni.it 3 Ypsilon Y-shaped freestanding backrests add to the versatility of this system by Stefano Cavazzana: They can be positioned either upright or relaxed. Materials Solid wood, chipboard, polyurethane foam, multiple upholstery options Dimensions From 40 H × 96 W × 96 D…

Fried Egg Chair As suited to a lazy Sunday morning as its namesake, the Fried Egg chair was so christened for its amorphous form – punctuated by a yolk-shaped seat cushion – when viewed from above. The asymmetrical seat is inviting and unusual in equal measure, with a flat, wide armrest that encourages users to get comfortable, legs thrown casually over the side. Originally known as Model 188, the chair was created in 1956 by Danish designer and architect Hans Olsen. Long out of production, the 188 was highly sought-after at auctions for years before Frantz Longhi launched this reproduction under his new brand Warm Nordic. Longhi’s company offers a counterpoint to the idea of “cool Nordic” style with a collection of comfortable, informal pieces, including contemporary works, as well…

In March, Snarkitecture invited the public to witness its creative process at Snark Park, a permanent exhibition space where the New York–based collective plans to test forms and preconceptions through temporary installations. But a gesture of education and goodwill this is not. Snark Park charges US$28 a pop for admission to its new gallery. The 557-square-metre design laboratory is part of Manhattan’s behemoth Hudson Yards project. It’s also a chip off the old block, as the US$25-billion development has monetized image at a grand scale. Vessel – the towering sculptural structure that Thomas Heatherwick conceived as Hudson Yards’ Instagrammable heart – siren-calls pedestrians to hop off the High Line and climb its interlacing stairways before moving on to the seven-storey shopping centre standing immediately to the east. Snark Park occupies…

For a new heat and power plant in the Elephant Park urban development in London’s Elephant and Castle district, Morris+Company created a veil made from 2,000 square metres of pleated and perforated steel. Working with fabricators Lakesmere and Spanwall, the architects developed the cladding as a way to conceal service doors and grilles and to play with light and shadow throughout the day. Folding the metal made it structurally sound and allowed for sheets to span three metres with minimal support brackets. morrisand.company To give a mountain-like look to the new Vancouver flagship of outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Arc’teryx, Unison Construction Management selected Rheinzink’s graphite grey zinc cladding. Its 186 square metres of customized panels were composed of maintenance-free and 100 per cent recyclable titanium zinc shingles and installed…

When London-based Dunhill, the British luxury menswear brand, moved its headquarters last fall from a red-brick Victorian structure in Marylebone to a 2,000-square-metre space across two storeys in nearby Mayfair, the transfer didn’t take staff very far physically, but it was significant in every other way. “In their previous office, teams were broken up by floor, and there was different furniture everywhere and lots of bits and props tucked away behind doors in small rooms,” says Dani Salamon, associate director at MoreySmith, the design and architecture studio behind the new HQ. “There was much less work across teams and people didn’t bump into each other, as the environment just didn’t encourage it.” Dunhill’s showrooms, previously housed on New Bond Street, are now on the same premises, as are its design…

Wood 1 Cool Nordic Danish brand Dinesen makes its hardwood Ash line from trees already marked for felling as a result of damage by the emerald ash borer. Sourced from German and French forests, Ash is available in three oil-finished looks – Classic, Natural and White – and planks up to 30 centimetres wide. dinesen.com 2 Calculated Look One of Paola Lenti’s recent collaborations with Listone Giordano, Perigal follows unique geometries based on a mathematical theorem involving the dissection of squares. The modular tiles can be arranged into diverse patterns and are finished in a transparent oil-based stain. listonegiordano.com 3 Updated Classic Timeless herringbone patterns are easy to achieve with Torlys’s Everest Twist hardwood. The Uniclic system is available in oak and walnut, and incorporates an integrated cork underlay that…