Interior Interior Mar/May 2017

It is fair to say that humour and whimsy are not the most relied upon emotions in the interior professional’s toolbox. It is more common to relegate any blatant playfulness into very defined spaces: wherever children might roam, workplaces with Silicon Valley aspirations, themed hospitality spots and, from time to time, corporate restrooms. Sure, when the project manager gets involved, that spreadsheet line for ‘fibreglass mule and rabbit for ceiling décor’ (see p.26) is most likely the first to be stuffed into the cost-cutting guillotine. Yet, as we see in this issue, that is not necessarily the most sensible beheading. Projects like Seashore Cabaret (p.26), Whoa! Studios (p.36), the pun-tastic Watt Tower foyer (p.74) and the every-growing servings from the QT Hotel chain (p.71), show that bouts of interior irreverence…

AARON PATERSON Architect Aaron is a director at PAC – Paterson Architecture Collective. He traveled to Melbourne to check out QT Hotel, page 71. WHAT WAS QT MELBOURNE’S DESIGN HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU? Hotel rooms have always fascinated me, they are mini domestic worlds, compressed. The QT guest rooms are so delightfully crafted. There is always something to be amazed at with the fine-grain details and fascinating art filling the room. WHAT KEEPS YOU BUSY LATELY? At PAC, we are doing a few multi-unit housing schemes that have been made possible with the introduction of the unitary plan. We believe clever densification is the future of our cities and it is vital architects apply their spatial intelligence to this problem. WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING NEW INTERIOR IN AUCKLAND AT THE…

The salon inhabits an elongated, two-storeyed, brick-clad building leading from a modestly sized frontage to a small back garden. To maximize these natural light sources, the designer Katie Lockhart used Aalto Context on interior walls and punctuated the space with sculptural cutting stations. “I just had fun with it, obviously within the practicalities of what was required,” Lockhart says, while adding that to keep the space cohesive, “I decided that I wanted to work with only one material: brass.” The bespoke pieces were designed collaboratively by Lockhart, Helmut’s owner Carlos Elias and metal fabricators Powersurge. Andrea Harradine from Powersurge explains the difficulty of working with such precise curvature on thin sheets of brass, especially when the material was not to be treated. “We often brush and lacquer brass so that…

A temporary installation by Auckland-based design company, Alt Group, was recently awarded the prestigious Pinnacle Award in spatial design – as well as a Judges Choice Award – at the AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) Design Awards 2016 for their POP Marble Run project. The installation was originally designed as part of Auckland Council’s POP initiative, which aims to integrate art into the everyday lives of Aucklanders through a series of temporary artworks. Alt Group’s Marble Run is an eight metre long double-sided steel wall featuring a toolkit of magnetic parts that can be used to build custom marble runs by participants. Furthermore, the wall is programmed with a spectrum of unique sounds – created in collaboration with local musician SJD (Sean James Donnelly), known for his mix of electronica,…

According to the World Economic Forum, how we work will have to change dramatically in order to keep up with the technological advances of the next three years. So how do we keep up? In order to answer this question, CoreNet has gathered together industry leaders and innovative thinkers from around the world to speak at this year’s symposium, which is entitled Humanity and the Machine. “Whether the technology excites or scares you, one thing that is clear is it is here,” says CoreNet Chapter Chair Rod Aitken. “The World Economic Forum claims within three-five years there will be significant changes in the way we do things. They have said that one third of all skill sets will be replaced by new ones by 2020, which seems awfully close. The…

In a period of huge change and growth in our cities, the NZ Green Building Council’s Green Property Summit brings together key speakers from around the world to talk about how we can ride this growth without causing further damage to the planet. One of the international speakers presenting at the summit is Katie Swenson, Vice President of Design at Enterprise Community Partners in the Uniteed States. She spoke to us prior to the event about her background. Enterprise is a non-profit organisation that has been around for 30 years, and in that time, has created over 350,000 affordable homes. Trained as an architect, Swenson came to Enterprise ten years ago on a student fellowship, and from there, has set out on a mission to ensure affordable housing is designed…