Sommaire pour May - June 2017 de Frame

In 1997, we published the first issue of Frame. It was just the two of us, and we had a vision. Well-designed spaces make for better living. They contribute to our happiness and in all probability to healthier minds and bodies. Underlining those ideas was our mission to raise interior design to a higher level. Twenty years later, it’s clear that the profession has undergone an enormous evolution. If architects create spaces, then interior designers mediate between a space and its occupants, enabling us to use interiors for working, learning, shopping, relaxing, living. The designer uses a broad spectrum of tools, methods and approaches – including objects, light, colour and technology – to obtain the desired result. So what’s new? The most important change that’s taken place can be captured…

01 STYRENE Paul Cocksedge 2002 Cocksedge’s RCA graduation project shows how a designer can boost the value of an ordinary inexpensive product. He breathed new life into polystyrene coffee cups by using them to make a poetic lamp, an object that marked the debut of a studio that constantly pushes the limits of technology, materials and manufacturing processes. 02 TIDE Stuart Haygarth 2005 Long before sustainability began making a serious impact on the industrial agenda, Haygarth recognized the need for recycling. He gathered plastic debris from UK beaches to fabricate a playful chandelier. Currently, even the likes of Adidas and G-Star Raw incorporate ocean plastics into their collections. 03 LITTLE SUN Olafur Eliasson and Frederik Ottesen 2012 A do-good design that aims to light up the lives of the 1.1…

IT’S A QUIRK OF THE DIGITAL AGE that as daily life disappears deeper into our screens, our attachment to physical experiences only grows stronger. Rather than dissolving into the ether, it seems that humans are delving even further into the tangible and the tactile. Far from being a Luddite rejection of technological progress, however, many new physical experiences are augmented by seamless digital technology. Spaces become responsive, and the digital becomes embodied. We no longer need a screen to connect with the virtual world: we can just reach out and touch it. ‘Screens can often feel like barriers to interaction,’ says Matt Pyke, founder and director of Universal Everything, an art and design collective with a reputation born of its boundary-busting digital installations. ‘Watching people using their phones in public…

THERE MUST BE A REASON why Schemata Architects, the Japanese studio established by Jo Nagasaka, keeps cropping up among the pages of Frame. What exactly makes us come back for more? Apart from Nagasaka’s undeniable way with materials – for Cabane de Zucca, he was an early adopter of the oil-slick look, which imbued materials with a rainbow-like finish and soon became ubiquitous – he often takes a straightforward design element and crafts an entire concept around it. It’s simple, clever stuff. Take, for instance, the recent Mintdesigns boutique in Aoyama, Tokyo. Faced with an aperture-rich interior of a modest size, Schemata Architects opted for an adjustable hanger system based on simple 3D-printed joints. Rails can be connected in myriad ways, facilitating frequent window-display updates. ‘Before the digital age, even…

JUDY CHEUNG AND CHRISTOPH VOGL of HongKong-based firm Cheungvogl take ‘social relevance’ as a guiding principle in their design of physical space. Their approach is the product of a sensitivity to dialectical materialism and technological futurism. For physical spaces to retain their relevance in a world where the functions they host are increasingly supplanted by digital media, design must be viewed as a means of actively communicating with its users rather than as a static container or scaffolding. It must become more fluid in its adaptability to different contexts. Cheung and Vogl elaborate on these ideas in a conversation about how they see future projects and the field as a whole. Your recent retail projects are great examples of what retailers are doing to keep physical retail spaces relevant in…

SHANGHAI – In February WeWork opened its Chinese headquarters in a monument-listed building – originally an opium factory – near the northern edge of the former French Concession, an upmarket area of Shanghai. Now refurbished, the building chosen for WeWork’s Chinese flagship is an impressive example of how to mix history with contemporary design to create a space with the dignity and grandeur of an opera-house lobby. The honours go to local studio Linehouse, which employed a colourful symphony of balusters to strengthen visual interaction among the various tenants. Dominating the ‘lobby’ is a staircase of green-painted steel that connects all three levels of the building. The winding balustrade’s oak-clad interior walls contrast with the exterior surfaces, which display gradations of blue and golden beige. As the country’s financial centre,…

BARCELONA – Occupying a street corner in Barcelona’s vibrant Gothic Quarter, the MAM Originals flagship raises the value of a bricks-and-mortar establishment by offering something money can’t buy: the art of individuality. The brainchild of Barcelona-based designers Guillermo Santomà and Diego Ramos, the shop looks like anything but. Marrying art with retail, MAM Originals breaks conventions to bring the unexpected to the table. ‘The idea was to create something that stands outside traditional notions of what a shop should be,’ says Santomà. ‘It’s more of an installation than a retail space.’ Comprising a few simple elements, the accessories store offers little in the way of furniture and materials. ‘It’s very simplistic,’ says Santomà. ‘We designed the whole thing in a day.’ The flagship took a mere 60 days to complete.…

VISION Nº 1 In the world of tomorrow, both products and materials will be seen as SERVICES OBJECTS – ‘We need to look at ownership in a different way. It shouldn’t be about using but about reusing.’ Products available in today’s society have an inherently limited life expectancy, says Thomas Rau, architect, visionary and the driving force behind his company, Turntoo, known for ground-breaking innovations such as the materials passport, the materials depot and the Rights of the Material, a declaration to be presented to the United Nations at the end of 2018. ‘Now, products are designed to fail, designed to be outdated and designed to be out-fashioned.’ The rapidly accepted notion of ‘product as service’ – think Airbnb, Uber, Spotify and so forth – is just a first step,…

‘Every so often we take a look at the entire company. What is our vision, and what are our values? There’s nothing wrong with the old tagline, “An Unexpected Welcome”, but why not simply change for change’s sake? While “An Unexpected Welcome” was about a first encounter, about design, “A Life Extraordinary” is about you. It has less to do with one object; the whole experience is extraordinary. It’s holistic. We’re more of a brand than we were three or four years ago. We used to be a company with designs; now we’re a company with collections. As things evolve, the overarching concept is to be extraordinary and surprising. That doesn’t mean that every moment you open your eyes you’re going to be astonished. And that’s a good thing.’ ‘If…

What do you see as the key factor in the future of your company’s products? MARCO OUWERKERK: Individualization is the way our industry is going to survive – and the way to satisfy retail customers. Customization has become a necessity for setting the ‘shopping experience’ standard. To distinguish yourself from others, you need to set a different standard. That’s what makes it worthwhile for your customers to make the effort to visit your physical store and to live your brand. How is Hans Boodt Mannequins putting customization into action? Currently, 80 per cent of Hans Boodt’s business involves the creation of one-off, custom-designed mannequins, which we make from scratch. Using 3D-modelling and 3D-printing techniques, we’re able to manufacture unique mannequins both rapidly and cost effectively. At the moment, our customers’…

50+ represents the number of countries in which Frame is available for purchase 2 men founded Frame in 1997. Now 16 females and 9 males work in-house 4,160 foosball games have been played within the walls of our office since the table arrived in 2008 1 pink room sits at the centre of the Frame Publishers office 3 office moves have occurred over the past 20 years 7 nationalities currently work on magazines, books, digital content, consultancy and events 96 pages were included in the first issue. This one has 240…

‘Ippo was extremely insightful and articulate; I am always astonished by the scope of work undertaken by AMO, its simultaneous breadth and depth’ GILI MERIN GILI MERIN is an architect, photographer and journalist based in London. She studied architecture at the UdK Berlin, Waseda University in Tokyo, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and is currently completing her dissertation at the department of History and Critical Thinking of the Architectural Association (AA) in London. Her varied professional training took place at COBE Berlin, the Venice Architecture Biennale, ArchDaily in Santiago, Chile as well as OMA/AMO Rotterdam. She interviewed the firm’s youngest partner, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, for our list of 20 ‘reinventors’ in this issue’s Portraits section. With a degree in interior architecture from Northumbria University, LAUREN TEAGUE…

A GLOBAL FIRM like OMA hardly needs an introduction. Over four decades since its establishment by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and with numerous formal and typological experimentations to its name, the firm has begun to increase the level of autonomous responsibilities among its nine current partners, based in Rotterdam and in six international outposts. This gradual devolution hands much of the office’s European investigations and commissions to its youngest partner: Sicilian Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli. At 36, ‘Ippo’ operates within AMO, OMA’s mirror agency, leading projects that constantly expand the architectural profession into intellectual realms, embodied in countless exhibitions and books that engage in topical technological, geopolitical and climatic concerns. On his atypical commute between Rotterdam and Milan, we discuss the political implications of preservations, the subtlety of successful retail, the…

Drawing on an exceptional feel for MATERIALS – intuitive and very ‘of the moment’ – Sabine Marcelis has elevated materials research to a worthy, industry-inspiring place in the discipline of design. Through collaborations with established brands and firms, her SPECIALLY TREATED SURFACES have found their way into some of today’s most celebrated interiors. Marcelis’s projects transform space with their SHEER PRESENCE. No poetic description needed. – FK sabinemarcelis.com…

DESIGN HAS A REPUTATION for being quieter, politer and more cerebral than its creative counterparts. Contemporary art has its enfants terribles, architecture its starchitects, fashion its divas. Design, however, has traditionally been defined by functionality. Chairs are the stars and the people behind them the supporting act. Change is in the air. We’re seeing a new breed of designer whose reputation often eclipses that of the brand they design for. Positioned somewhere between designer and art director, they take pride in their prolific yet idiosyncratic portfolios. They are masters of translating the heritage of hallowed design houses into fresh and relevant products that carry the maker’s unique signature. Patricia Urquiola is the epitome of this new generation. Hailing from Spain and educated in Milan, Urquiola launched her own studio in…

‘ARCHITECTURE IS REALLY ABOUT PEOPLE and not about architecture,’ says Kjetil Thorsen, cofounder of Norwegian practice Snøhetta. ‘But you know that, don’t you?’ Deep down, virtually everyone knows that architecture is about people, but today – as we consume culture almost entirely through images – Thorsen’s rhetorical question serves as a healthy reminder that architecture is neither an image nor an instrument for the self-fulfilment of architects. It exists for the benefit of people. The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, which swept Snøhetta’s name beyond the bounds of publications like Frame, is a temple funded by taxpayers, most of whom have never bought tickets to the performances it hosts. But the building is more than a container for entertainment. It’s a public space warmly embraced by the people of Oslo.…

Artist Olafur Eliasson has an impressive breadth of work, spanning palm-size objects to grand architectural interventions. Part of Eliasson’s appeal is his DEEP CONNECTION WITH NATURE as well as his discernible social conscience. The Weather Project in 2003 solidified his strength in the ‘people and nature’ category; it’s hard to forget a giant sun in the middle of Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. Eliasson’s gone from a big sun to Little Sun, solar-powered lamps for parts of the world without electricity. Something you’d expect more from an industrial designer than an artist, the project is still a work of art, according to Eliasson. In 2016, Green Light touched on the REFUGEE CRISIS. Alongside language courses and seminars, the ‘artistic workshop’ – still travelling around the world – guided participants through the…

MUNICH – UNStudio had two distinct advantages when tackling Mitsubishi Plastics’ Alpolic stand for BAU 2017: not only had the architecture firm designed the brand’s BAU 2015 pavilion, but even more significantly, it had worked with Alpolic materials many times before in ‘real’ building projects. The combination of hands-on experience and technical expertise enabled UNStudio to, ahem, build on its previous success. ‘In 2015 we were able to make a very dynamic stand, based on a three-dimensional wall surface constructed with the material itself,’ says Ben van Berkel, director of UNStudio. ‘This time we wanted to take three-dimensionality even further. We used the strength of the material – normally seen as flat façade cladding – to create a spatial structure that required no additional structural components.’ In other words, he…

LINZ – How to stand out in a crowd of 200 competitors? It was the challenge faced by X Architekten, an Austrian outfit commissioned by progressive ice-cream makers Eisdieler to design a store in Plus City, a large shopping centre in Linz. In this case, the answer was straightforward: build on the client’s heritage. ‘The autonomy of appearance and taste is the unique selling point of Eisdieler,’ says X Architekten’s Daniel Birgmann. ‘Ever since the first Eisdieler shop opened in the historic centre of Linz, our client’s entire corporate design has been black and white – from napkin to interior. We wanted to retain and intensify this element.’ Handed a pint-size 25-m2 space, the architects covered floor, walls, ceiing and everything else in a distinctive black-and-white motif reminiscent of the…

Novel materials, fresh approaches, new products, add-on services – invention is a necessityfor design companies in every area, from sanitary to switches. There’s more to innovation than meeting rapidly changing market needs, however. Drawing on their expertise and sectoral knowledge, design manufacturers see R&D as a chance to shape the future in their own likeness, influencing the way we live and creating bigger and better opportunities. Making wood work for the environment In John Pawson’s new London Design Museum, 2,700 m2 of DINESEN Oak planks add to the architectural experience – and to the building’s sustainability. The extraordinary floor and stairway are the latest result of a 25-year collaboration between the architect and the family-owned Danish company, and they feature planks used in a wide range of widths and lengths…

The creative force known as Random Studio consists of a team of visual artists, developers and designers. From their base in Amsterdam, they fuse spatial design with emerging technologies to conjure interactive experiences for brands around the world. Founder Daan Lucas comments on six statements that probe the possibilities – and dangers – of responsive space. DAAN LUCAS: Animated spaces can accommodate individual experiences. At Random Studio, we believe that physical spaces are places for generating wonder, and we set parameters within them to encourage people to interact, touch, feel, sense and engage. Although each space is ‘framed’ within a specific context, the individual user will shape an experience of their own. Programs like Unreal Engine – designed for game developers – allow us to use content in a modular…

INSIDE THE TALL Cisterna building at the Fondazione Prada Milan, artist Pamela Rosenkranz challenges the architecture’s verticality with an impressive mound of sand. Sight is one thing – smell, another. The sand contains the odour of synthetic cat pheromones. Humans, and other animals, infected with the common Toxoplasma gondii parasite (found in cat faeces, but also on some of your raw vegetables or lamb-chops), react to the pheromones with a sense of subconscious attraction – hence the theory that cats really are practicing mind-control over their owners. And so, perhaps, Rosenkranz’s art is practicing mind-control over those with whom it comes in contact. Second in the four-part exhibition series Slight Agitation (Frame 115, p. 139), the piece – called Infection – is bathed in RGB green light, projected from above.…

SOME ARCHITECTURE FIRMS distinguish themselves with a signature style, and others through the type of project that is their speciality. And then you have the architects’ architects, those who stretch the boundaries of the profession and investigate the theoretical possibilities of the territory still to be discovered. The practice run by Belgians Kersten Geers and David Van Severen – OFFICE KGDVS in short – has no obvious architectural style; designs objects, shops and houses; develops urban plans; and is firmly rooted in academic tradition. You might call their approach ‘architecture as you go’. Always probing and testing, armed with strong ideas and experimenting with unusual materials, Geers and Van Severen – son of Maarten, legendary furniture designer – arrive at buildings that are just as direct and exposed as they…

ESTABLISHED IN 2003, French architecture studio Ciguë made its mark on the world of interior design thanks to a portfolio filled with meticulously detailed fit-outs that juxtapose what the architects refer to as ‘intellectualism with craftsmanship’. Studio cofounder Hugo Haas believes that Ciguë’s distinctive vision of interior design stems from his – and his partners’ – training as architects, which has had an inevitable impact on their ‘perspective, approach and process’. Working with fashion and lifestyle brands, from Diane von Furstenberg and Julien David to A?sop, Ciguë hones in on the specific location of a project before injecting what Haas describes as ‘a sensory approach to materiality’, which is a recurring theme in the studio’s work. The architects are ‘fascinated by process’, a word that embraces, according to Haas, context…

‘As designers, we need to create experiences that attract people into physical space instead of cyberspace’ WHEN SELECTING THE DESIGNERS and studios to feature in this section of the magazine, the editorial team quickly agreed on X+Living. It’s not often these days that project after project surprises by combining sheer originality with masterful execution. The Shanghai studio founded by Li Xiang in 2011 does exactly that. Topsy-turvy bookstores, a female-focused department store, a book-lined youth hostel – ideas abound. We meet with Xiang to discuss, among other things, her motto: ‘design to create value’. Can you tell us about your background – and about your career shift from architecture to interior and furniture design? LI XIANG: I left China in 2002 to attend high school in Malaysia. I earned a…

Where do you begin with a hospitality concept? NATALI CANAS DEL POZO: We start simple. We’re trying to create atmospheres that evoke, rather than mimic, an idea, so we avoid being too literal. Often this means changing the common use of certain materials. We also like to experiment with different materials – ceramics, wood, textiles, ropes, metal, glass – pushing them to the limits. They may be conventional, but we reimagine them in unexpected, conceptual ways. It’s about finding the right balance between technology, sophistication and craftsmanship. Many of your projects are in Spain and have a strong sense of place. Of course. We try to tell a story with our projects, and a lot of them speak about Barcelona and Spain. The sense of place expressed in our projects…

SHANGHAI – Far from the skyscrapers of Lujiazui and the beaux-arts buildings of the Bund, just west of the elevated highway that circles Shanghai’s inner city, a store called Xiao Chun Ri He stands apart from its neighbours. Surrounded by shops offering manicures and discounted sweaters, the Mur Mur Lab-designed space displays an array of imported goods. The moon-shaped entrance is an unfinished circle: a brush stroke starting at five o’clock swirls counterclockwise until it reaches the hour of seven. Inside the 30-m2 space, fluidity continue with a floor of chrome, representing a river, that connects crescent islands of wire-suspended shelving. According to Samoon, founder of Mur Mur Lab, the curves were inspired by the ‘romance’ of a client who gave up an IT job in America to open the…

What’s the role of innovation in your company? MARC VIARDOT: We consistently develop products that break new ground in terms of design, engineering, production processes and material experimentation. These innovations help Laufen to maintain its position as a trendsetter and key partner for the best contemporary architects and designers. As a Swiss manufacturer with a proud innovation heritage encompassing many breakthrough products and inventions, Laufen continues to foster a culture of invention. Investment in research and development is key. Collaborations with leading designers as well as with universities and institutes help to provide a consistent creative stimulus that drives innovation within the company. Tell us about an innovative new product. Innovation at Laufen extends to the development of new product typologies and applications for cutting-edge technologies. The recent launch of…

The image associated with Scandinavian design is that of minimalism, purity and simplicity. But at this year’s Stockholm Design Week we saw a shift to a more expressive language, from a stronger colour palette and less rigid silhouettes to a more varied range of not-always-natural materials. Reflect and Refract The result of Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken’s extensive study of natural light and shapes, Artek’s 124° series of mirrors is named for the 124° angle at which the mirrors are made. Punctuating the wall with its strong structural form and idiosyncratic fragments of refracted light, the twin mirrors reflect the convergence of technology and art inherent in Rybakken’s work. artek.fi Sine Silhouettes An antidote to the trend of harsh luminaires with naked light bulbs, Wästberg’s w171 Alma lamp – meaning ‘soul’…

Visitors to EuroShop this year could hardly miss the stand of Genesis Mannequins. Dominated by a lofty 4-m-high white tree, its branches reaching into every corner, the 700-m2 stand made a major statement on the power of creation – as did the German company’s launch of seven new product lines (out of the 12 Genesis collections displayed). The fresh ranges are the result of extensive market research, says Ute Filyo, managing director of Genesis Mannequins. ‘It’s the basis of our work,’ she says. ‘We regard ourselves as a partner and service provider when it comes to high-quality sales promotion tailored exactly to our clients’ needs. This means we have to understand a client’s message, as well as that of the end customer. Market research for us is a combination of…