It accompanies us through the day, gives us support, shows us the way and touches our senses. This may sound like the description of your perfect partner, but in this case, we are talking about the ground beneath our feet. Day after day, year after year, we come into daily contact with it, though it generally melts into the background, is taken for granted and overlooked. So it's time to give it some deserved attention. There is, after all, far more beneath its surface than meets the eye.
Spring is a time for rebirth, for the shedding of old skin and fresh beginnings. Anyone who has spent the last few months hopping across the globe for in-person fairs can testify to the fact that this seasonal renewal trend did not skip the architecture and design industry. Loaded with post-pandemic energy and a desire to catch up on all that's been missed due to Covid-19, organizers, attendees and exhibitors were adamant to mix things up in 2023.
Koelnmesse was no exception. Not only did the organizers of imm cologne defy expectations by pushing the fair to a spring slot from 4 to 7 June, they also saw an opportunity to finally implement format changes that they had been contemplating well before the world shut down for the larger part of three years.
Thoughtful, captivating and spectacular; today’s interior designers are boldly demonstrating how to create statements through conceptual interiors. Whether expressing reserved minimalism, flamboyant playfulness or organic naturalness, there tends to be a strong and elaborate idea behind the interior concepts being developed currently. Just take a look at the increase in and popularity of design hotels, as well as the number of distinctive and highly stylized restaurants. The impact that our physical surroundings have on us –the shapes, colors, materials and lighting– plays a central role when new hospitality and retail venues are being developed. Interior design delivers definitive experiences and so can be cleverly implemented to speak to our senses and therefore induce specific emotions and reactions.
GAD Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of an international architecture competition that calls on young architects from around the world to envision a new natural environment based on living in a scenic and magical landscape. Re-Imagining Cappadocia as an Eco-District competition seeks to extend design insight into architecture embedded and in harmony with the Cappadocian landscape as the focus of Eco-District design.
The Implementation Plan for the Construction of National Education System for Green Low-Carbon Development in China clearly states that green low-carbon development should be integrated into campus construction as a goal. New technology products of energy saving and emission reduction are given priority in campus construction to guide teachers and students in the education system to firmly establish the concept of green low-carbon development and lay a solid ideological and operational foundation for achieving the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
The immersive medium of film appeals to our imagination through a powerful combination of virtual and real worlds. In 2023, Minotti is launching its new film, titled The Grand Tour, which promises a timeless journey through the Minotti lifestyle – drawing out narratives that thread together the social spaces that humans inhabit.
The latest report from the UN’s climate panel states that the building industry accounts for 34% of global energy consumption and 37% of global CO2 emissions. As noted in the report: "The buildings and construction sector is not on track to achieve decarbonization by 2050." Dramatic numbers and rather depressing news. With this reality in mind, Danish window manufacturer VELUX recently set out to initiate a project to demonstrate that if the industry is willing to change, here and now, it’s possible. Together with their partners, Danish architect studio EFFEKT and engineer consultants Artelia, VELUX has built an experimental housing program called Living Places which exemplifies and proves that with current building technology and materials, a transition towards healthier and more sustainable living is already within reach.
In a world of fast-paced change, Minotti’s pursuit of timeless design as well as its honed technical expertise result in elegant pieces that stand ready to elevate any interior with sophistication and style. The 2023 Collection demonstrates this, finding a balance between classicism and contemporaneity, organic lines and solid volumes.
Coordinated by Rodolfo Dordoni with Minotti Studio, the new collection expresses a single language of stylistic coherence derived from international voices such as Marcio Kogan / studio mk27, Nendo, GamFratesi, Inoda+Sveje and Gordon Guillaumier. While embracing consistency with Minotti’s design vision, the 2023 Collection explores new horizons with the aim of responding to the ever-changing nature of contemporary living.
In 2013, home fashion label Buster + Punch emerged from a garage in East London, with a refreshing stance on everyday detailing and fittings that elevated them into desirable and trendy pieces.
The brand’s founder Massimo Buster Minale was renowned for his work as an architect by day and maker of custom motorcycles by night – the latter sold from the garage a few hundred yards from his London flat. His motorcycle clients began commissioning one-off interior pieces and detailing for their homes. Minale had always struggled to find premium hardware and fittings for his architecture projects for Richard Rogers and Foster & Partners and now saw a clear gap in the market.
Global office furniture brand Haworth's concept of inclusion stretches well beyond simply accommodating disabilities, rather it involves a far-reaching philosophy that puts the well-being of all users in primary focus.
From June 14 to 22, the Instituto Tomie Ohtake will host a series of activities aimed at exploring processes and sharing ideas related to the works featured in the 9th Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize exhibition. The Dialogues series program includes debates on projects and construction through conversations with the architects; visits to buildings in São Paulo that are part of the exhibition; a guided tour with the exhibition's curatorial team; and a roundtable discussion on the work of educational teams in cultural institutions and museums. The activities are open to the general public, with some requiring prior registration due to limited capacity. See the schedule below:
Tactile surfaces, rich materials and sculptural curves take center stage in the new SpringSummer23 collection from Danish furniture manufacturer BoConcept. Known for its simple Scandinavian design DNA, this season’s new range of furniture and accessories invite the senses to get involved, to carefully observe and touch these new pieces with their captivating materiality and rondure.
The Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BIAU) and the International Social Housing Festival 2023 (ISHF) invite you to the opening of the XII Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism exhibition, "Habitar al margen" (Living on the Margins), which will take place on June 7 at 11:00 AM in the lobby of the Barcelona International Convention Centre.
The Visiting School in Colima, Mexico poses a once in a lifetime opportunity to engage with an architectural masterpiece of 20th century modernism by the Mexican architect Luis Barragán. As a hidden and still unknown architectural jewel set amidst a paradisiac jungle on the Pacific coast, the ruins of the never completed building have sunk into oblivion, not unlike the ancient Mexican pyramids, and are currently in progressive decay. The workshop will not only ‘unearth’ the project and at last put it on the map of architectural discourse, but it might even have a larger impact by kickstarting a debate around the preservation of its ruins from disintegration.
This year, the theme for Chile's Heritage Day (Día de los Patrimonios) is "Memories for the Future." The goal is to build experiences and lived moments that will become memories for future generations, contributing to the construction of our collective memory.
In today’s challenging climate for business, companies with a long and distinguished heritage have an advantage over younger enterprises as they can draw on decades of experience in overcoming market fluctuations. In the design industry, knowledge passed down over generations can be vital, as companies are required to adapt to shifts in consumer behavior or the latest revolutionary technologies. These established businesses are often able to thrive during difficult times by developing products that balance innovation with tradition and transcend trends to instead deliver lasting success.
Next month ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan, New York’s concurrent design fairs that form the backbone of the NYCxDESIGN Festival, come together under the same leadership for the first time. Already under the same roof –that of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center– since 2021, ICFF, the long-standing platform for established American design and its international peers, and WantedDesign Manhattan, the platform for independent and emerging talent at home and abroad, are now co-ordinated by WantedDesign’s founders, Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat. Integrating agendas and taking the fairs in a new interactive direction, they are looking to unify the vision while retaining the essence and purpose of each.
With so many architecture and design trade shows taking place around the world each year, it can be challenging to identify which ones offer exhibitors and visitors a genuinely useful and valuable experience. In recent years there has been a trend towards more local events that provide opportunities for industry professionals to make meaningful connections with potential partners. Since it was established in 2019, The Architect Show has become an important forum for Greece’s architecture community, bringing together representatives from national and international brands that support the country’s vibrant real estate market.