Zarkon Group, Author at Zarkon Group Real Estate Builders & Developers

Architecture

KPF approved for ‘tower 36’ in design district

By Zarkon Group,31/10/2023

a luxury office building to rise in miami

Miami, a rapidly growing city known lately for its diverse and innovative architecture, is about to welcome Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)‘s ‘Tower 36’ to its skyline. The luxury high-rise office building, developed by One Thousand Group together with architect of record ODP Architecture & Design, has just received unanimous approval to be realized in the heart of Miami’s Design District. This upcoming skyscraper will further redefine the city’s urban fabric and contribute to the area’s evolution into a mixed-use neighborhood. Rising 635 feet and covering 922,000-square-feet, it will become the tallest building in the neighborhood, promising sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

images © Atchain, courtesy KPF

the tapered tower by kohn pedersen fox (kpf)

One of the defining features of Miami’s Tower 36 is its glass facade, which the architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) design to gracefully reveal terraces on every office floor. This arrangement creates a visual sense of movement and activity across the building, inviting occupants to connect with their surroundings and enjoy enhanced views. Accentuated by light bronze soffit accents, these outdoor spaces will provide tenants with an elevated office experience that celebrates the natural beauty of Miami’s sunny, coastal landscape.

KPF Design Principal Robert Whitlock comments: ‘The architectural language of the tower utilizes an elegant, tapered form, sculpted to reveal outdoor terrace floors in a geometry that conveys a sense of activity and motion.’

as the tallest building in the neighborhood, Tower 36 will be a prominent addition to Miami’s evolving urban fabric

the urban garden at tower 36

Complementing the office floors above, the podium of KPF’s Tower 36 will host a curated selection of retail spaces. This podium will offer bicycle and car parking for tenants, and will be capped by a rooftop restaurant experience amidst carefully landscaped gardens. Moreover, the multi-story office amenity space boasts equally striking terraces that open up to breathtaking views of the bay and Downtown Miami. Unlike the strict, angular corners which define its neighbors, the podium of Tower 36 embraces gentle curves throughout its design. The northwest corner is intentionally truncated, revealing an arrival court with a naturally lit open-air oculus at the entrance to the office lobby.

a facade of aluminum panels and sculpted metal fins conveys a sense of motion

The podium’s facade, with its layered pattern of aluminum panels, suggests a sense of motion while naturally ventilating the parking garage within. The metal fins on the wall, a nod to Miami’s ubiquitous palm trees, feature a dual-toned design with a warm copper interior and a silver exterior. Geometric apertures thoughtfully inserted into the podium wall elevations at specific locations are designed to showcase the works of local and renowned artists, further enhancing the building’s connection with the artistic community of Miami Design District.

drivers arrive to the entrance lobby beneath a naturally lit, open-air oculus

‘New York-based KPF was the logical choice for design architect of our newest planned tower, creating for Miami a true New York-caliber, Class-A luxury office tower, which currently does not exist in the market,’ said Kevin Venger, Co-Founder of Miami-based One Thousand Group. ‘KPF is on the leading edge of high- rise office design in major business centers around the globe. In the past decade, Miami has grown to become one of these global cities and needs office product that keeps up with the latest market trends in order to be competitive in attracting companies to headquarter in Miami.

‘The project’s location at the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and 36th Street marks the northern entrance to Miami’s high-rise district. The building is positioned as a true gateway to the city and its Edgewater neighborhood immediately adjacent to Miami’s Design District. Tower 36 also defines the entrance to the Julia Tuttle Causeway (I-195), which serves as the main point of access from Miami’s mainland to the heart of Miami Beach.’

the tower’s massing is shaped by graceful curves, departing from the typical angular corners of its neighbors

Reference

Interior Design

Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns

By Zarkon Group,30/10/2023

Indian practice Studio Hinge has completed Forest of Knowledge, a library in Mumbai that sits beneath a tree-like canopy of latticed wood.

The library was designed for the Cricket Club of India, a member’s club dating back to the 1930s that is housed in an art deco building in southern Mumbai.

Adapting the third floor of this building, Studio Hinge looked to recreate the feeling of “sitting under a tree with a book” by reimagining the structure’s concrete columns as tree trunks.

Alongside, a former Zumba studio has been updated to be used as a flexible space for book clubs, film screenings and workshops.

Library interior in India — Circular bookshelves sit underneath the “canopy”

“India experienced one of the harshest and most sudden covid lockdowns in the world, and a lot of the design of the library was developed during this time, during which it was clear that people were yearning to meet and share ideas in person again,” explained the studio.

“On a conceptual level, the design draws from nature, in particular the notion of sitting under a tree with a book, and also borrows from the beautiful canopy formed by the ficus and gulmohar trees to be found in the adjacent street,” it continued.

Wooden shelving in Forest of Knowledge — The shelves are connected by plank-covered steel frames

A steel frame covered with small wooden planks lines each of the concrete columns.

This integrates shelving and extends upwards to create arched forms across the ceiling that are then connected in areas with a wooden lattice.

Curving bookshelves have been organised in a circle at the base of each column, with seating areas at the edges of the floor plate creating a variety of different conditions and atmospheres for visitors.

On the library’s floor, custom terrazzo tiles feature a pattern of green “leaves” with a circle of wooden flooring used at the base of each column.

Visitor at library in Mumbai — The floor was decorated with a leaf pattern

“Care has been taken to ensure no bookshelf in the open space is taller than 1.2m,” explained Studio Hinge.

“This allows maximum natural light to permeate deep into the plan and for most adults to have an unobstructed view whilst standing, while creating sheltered semi-private nooks to sit and read in,” it added.

“It also provides a very different perception of the library for children, from whose vantage the space between the circular bookshelves is playful, almost labyrinthine in nature.”

Multipurpose room in Forest of Knowledge library — A ceiling of timber planks adds interest to the multipurpose room

In the multipurpose room, the ceiling has been finished with an undulating pattern of timber planks and the walls lined with cabinets to maximise storage.

Forest of Knowledge was recently longlisted in the workplace interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Elsewhere in Mumbai, The Act of Quad recently converted a former library into its own interior design studio, with a see-through facade of perforated, white metal sheets and Malik Architecture transformed an ice factory into an events space.

The photography is by Suryan + Dang.

Project credits:

Design team: Interior Architecture – Studio Hinge, Pravir Sethi, Chintan Zalavadiya
Lighting design: Studio Trace, Tripti Sahni
MEP: ARKK Consultants

Reference

Sustainable News

Sustainable water wear for women

By Zarkon Group,30/10/2023

Spotted: Neoprene – used widely in waterwear – was invented in 1930 out of petroleum-based chemicals. However, an alternative made without petroleum products was actually developed in the 1960s. This uses calcium carbonate from limestone and has become common in most high-end wetsuits as a sustainable and high-performance option. However, limestone neoprene is often lined with nylon – a fabric also derived from petroleum.

Now, Dutch ‘water fashion’ brand Wallien is taking sustainability one step further by replacing all virgin petroleum-based materials in its wetsuits. The company’s suits originally all used a Lycra that consisted largely of recycled materials derived from pre- and post-industrial waste, such as discarded fishing nets and carpets.

However, Wallien’s newest wetsuit range, the Horizonia range, is made from Yulex, a natural latex rubber that is ‘tapped’ (like maple syrup) from the rubber tree Hevea Brasiliensis. Because the rubber trees Yulex is derived from absorb CO2, the wetsuits made using this material are actually more sustainable than those made from limestone neoprene. The trees are all grown on sustainably managed plantations certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

The company goes even further, packaging all its wetsuits in recyclable cardboard and bio-plastic bags made from corn. Wallien also aims to limit transport pollution by working with manufacturers close to its distribution warehouse in Amsterdam. And all of this commitment to sustainability pays off. The company has annual revenues of around $5 million (around €4.7 million) and an impressive following of professional surfers.

There is no shortage of innovations replacing petroleum-derived products with more sustainable alternatives. Some recent ones spotted by Springwise include sustainable packaging options and a polystyrene foam replacement made from agri-waste.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Henning Larsen mass-timber logistics centre

Architecture

Henning Larsen unveils design for world’s largest timber logistics centre

By Zarkon Group,30/10/2023

Danish architecture studio Henning Larsen has revealed plans for a mass-timber logistics hub on Flevopolder island, the Netherlands, that will be the largest of its kind in the world.

Designed by Henning Larsen, the 155,000-square-metre hub will contain offices, shuttle storage and pallet shuttle, as well as a restaurant and roof garden.

Expected to be completed by 2026, the Logistics Center West will be built largely from glued laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (CLT) along with other biogenic materials.

Internally, the timber structure will have oversized columns and exposed beams complimented by light-coloured floors and furniture. Externally, the facade will be divided by rhythmic timber fins and regular openings.

Timber warehouse — Timber interiors flooded by natural daylight

The building will be surrounded by a wetland habitat and forest with a 30,000-square-metre meadow placed on its roof to increase the site biodiversity.

Planting beds, fruit trees and bushes on the building’s rooftop will provide a green outdoor space for the employees, as well as attract local species.

Regular timber fins on facade — Regular timber fins decorate the facade

A boardwalk will serve as a scenic route across the wetland, while also providing educational tools for the employees, reinforcing the integration of nature into the workplace.

With just over 40 per cent of the site to be dedicated to greenery, access to certain areas of the site will be restricted to reduce human impact and promote wildlife growth.

According to the studio, the project’s biodiversity will work to absorb CO2, filter air pollutants and mitigate heat absorption to create “a more comfortable and sustainable environment”.

Rainwater from the rooftop will be collected and stored for sustainable reuse around the building.

Logistics centre in wetland — The mass-timber proposal will feature a constructed wetland

According to the studio the project will be the world’s largest timber logistics centre. The design will aim to create an atmosphere that prioritises employee well-being through the integration of nature into the workplace. Natural light, green spaces and clean air will work to “invigorate the space and enhance focus”.

Henning Larsen is an international studio for architecture, landscape, and urbanism. Other projects set to be completed by the studio include a ferry terminal in Faroe Islands that draws on traditional Viking boats and a wooden Ørestad church with trapezoidal roofs.

The renders are by Henning Larsen

Project Credits:

Client: Bestseller
Architect: Henning Larsen (services: architecture, interior design)
Landscape architect: Henning Larsen
Engineers: Ramboll, Denc and Pelecon

Reference

Monteverdi Tuscany boutique hotel by Michael Cioffi and Ilaria Miani

Interior Design

Ten rustic Italian interiors that evoke the historic Mediterranean

By Zarkon Group,29/10/2023

This lookbook collects 10 interiors in Italy with a distinctly rustic feel, including homes and hotels replete with wooden beams, cool stone and other rich textures.

As well as being known for its contemporary furniture and lighting design, Italy is home to some of Europe’s oldest buildings and has numerous historic cities and villages.

From a 17th-century house in Puglia to a hotel in a 1,000-year-old castle, below are 10 examples of projects that pay homage to the Mediterranean country’s history while catering to modern tastes.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring chequerboard floors, lime plaster walls and Mediterranean-style interiors.

Monteverdi Hotel, Tuscany, by Ilaria Miani

Restoration specialist and interior designer Ilaria Miani helped transform several crumbling buildings in Val d’Orcia into a boutique hotel that aims to balance the history of the area with contemporary design influences from Milan and Rome.

In the bedroom suites, chunky exposed beams made from salvaged wood are complemented by natural colours and textures, while nearly all the furniture is handmade by local artisans.

Find out more about Monteverdi Hotel ›

Cascina by Jonathan Tuckey Design — Photo by Francesca Iovene

Cascina, Piemonte, by Jonathan Tuckey Design

London-based Jonathan Tuckey Design was tasked with returning this 19th-century farmhouse in northern Italy to its original state following a heavy 1980s renovation.

Stone walls and wooden beams now feature prominently, with a cool chalky palette offset by brass lamps and chestnut panelling and furniture.

Find out more about Cascina ›

Casa Soleto living room — Photo by Salva López

Casa Soleto, Puglia, by Studio Andrew Trotter and Marcelo Martínez

Parts of Casa Soleto in Puglia are more than 400 years old. Architecture firm Studio Andrew Trotter and its studio manager Marcelo Martínez renovated the building without making any structural changes, leaving the irregular walls in place.

To give the interiors an authentic, natural feel, the designers used lime plaster for the walls, linen fabrics for the sofas and curtains, jute rugs, terracotta ceramics and antique furniture.

Find out more about Casa Soleto ›

Monastero Arx Vivendi, Trentino-Alto Adige, by Network of Architecture

Network of Architecture applied rippled antique-effect plaster to the walls of this 17th-century ex-monastery near Lake Garda, which is now a hotel.

The plaster is complemented by pale wooden floors, black iron furniture and earth-toned fabrics, while the original doors have been retained and restored.

Find out more about Monastero Arx Vivendi ›

Interior of Casolare Scarani in Puglia by Studio Andrew Trotter — Photo by Salva López

Casolare Scarani, Puglia, by Studio Andrew Potter

Casolare Scarani is a home created from the renovation of a long-abandoned girls’ school built in the style of a traditional Puglian villa – but still modest in size.

The vaulted ceilings were kept intact and covered in lime plaster, while the rooms were finished with earthy tones and traditional stone flooring.

Find out more about Casolare Scarani ›

Hotel Castello di Reschio, Umbria, by Count Benedikt Bolza

Hotel Castello di Reschio occupies a 1,000-year-old castle in the Umbrian hills that was transformed by count Benedikt Bolza and his family.

Rooms have been decorated with terracotta-brick or wooden floors, hand-stitched linen curtains, Italian fabrics and locally crafted marble and brass vanities alongside portraits sourced from nearby antique markets in a reference to the building’s rich history.

Find out more about Hotel Castello di Reschio ›

Appartamento Brolettuono by Archiplanstudio — Photo by Davide Galli Atelier

Brolettouno Apartment, Lombardy, by Archiplan

Located in a building in Mantua that dates back to the 15th century, this apartment was overhauled on a budget by local design studio Archiplan.

The studio decided to honour the interior’s timeworn aesthetic by retaining the distressed floor tiles and faded frescos, combining these features with functional light-hued wooden furniture.

Find out more about Brolettouno Apartment ›

Interior of Casa Maiora by Studio Andrew Trotter in Puglia — Photo by Salva López

Casa Maiora, Puglia, by Studio Andrew Trotter

Another project from Studio Andrew Trotter, this villa is in fact a newly built project – but carries heavy rustic influences from traditional homes in the area.

Flagstone floors, lime-washed walls and locally sourced antiques combine to create a soothing, timeless feel.

Find out more about Casa Maiora ›

G-Rough hotel Rome — Photo by Serena Eller

G-Rough, Lazio, by Gabriele Salini

Features showcasing the building’s 400-year-old history were juxtaposed with contemporary art and mid-century furnishings at this boutique hotel in Rome, Italy’s capital.

The imperfections of age, particularly on the patina walls, combine with furniture inspired by modernist Italian designers like Ico Parisi, Giò Ponti and Piero Fornasetti for a rough-yet-refined aesthetic.

Find out more about G-Rough ›

Bedroom at the Vipp pop-up hotel — Photo by Irina Boersma César Machado

Palazzo Monti hotel, Lombardy, by Julie Cloos Mølsgaard and Vipp

A collaboration with Danish homeware brand Vipp saw interior designer Julie Cloos Mølsgaard create a pop-up hotel in a 13-century palazzo in Brescia.

To keep the focus on the building’s many historic features, Mølsgaard took a minimalist approach to the furnishings, with mattresses sitting directly on the floor and artwork propped up against the walls.

Find out more about the Palazzo Monti hotel ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Making eyewear from ghost fishing gear

By Zarkon Group,29/10/2023

Spotted: Discarded or ‘ghost’ fishing nets are the deadliest form of ocean plastic. Made from long-lasting materials, they continue catching marine life for over 500 years after they enter the ocean according to social enterprise Waterhaul. And a recent study calculated that around two per cent of all fishing gear is lost to the ocean, amounting to 218 square kilometres of trawl nets, 2,963 square kilometres of gillnets, and 75,049 square kilometres of purse seine nets each year.

Waterhaul is tackling this problem by collecting ghost gear and converting it into eyewear. Discarded equipment is collected from rocky and remote coastlines – in Cornwall and elsewhere in England and Wales – that accumulate a lot of plastic and debris. The organisation is also putting in place arrangements to collect used gear in-port, preventing it from entering the sea in the first place.

After the waste material is collected, it is put through a mechanical recycling process to make an injection-mould-ready material that is used in the frames of sunglasses and optical glasses. Different types of net have different properties, and this can be used to Waterhaul’s advantage when designing the products, which are finished with mineral glass, rather than cheap plastic, lenses.

In addition to producing the eyewear, which is marketed both B2B and through a direct-to-consumer model, Waterhaul also makes litter pickers and clean-up kits from discarded nets. These are sent to communities who can use them to conduct their own ocean clean-up projects.

Discarded fishing gear is a major issue, and at Springwise we have previously spotted innovations such as chairs and clothing from discarded nets.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Reference

llLab weaves a 'bamboo cloud' design pavilion to float over lower manhattan

Architecture

llLab weaves ‘bamboo cloud’ pavilion to float over lower manhattan

By Zarkon Group,29/10/2023

design pavilion 2023: reviving traditional craft

This year’s Design Pavilion for NYCxDESIGN included an experimental installation dubbed Bamboo Cloud, designed and crafted by Shanghai-based architecture studio llLab. The lightweight structure appeared to float over Gansevoort Plaza in New York‘s Meatpacking District from October 12th through 18th during Archtober 2023. Bamboo, a versatile and sustainable material, has been an integral part of architectural history for centuries. Primarily embraced in Asian and African regions, this resilient resource has been employed for a boundless number of architectural applications. From woven mats and panels to split strips for shingles and siding, to entire bamboo culms used for structural elements like columns, beams, and rafters. This rich tradition of bamboo architecture serves as the foundation for the Bamboo Cloud, which arrived this month in New York City.

images © Xi Chen + Chris King

lllab weaves lightweight ‘clouds’ from bamboo

With Bamboo Cloud, the architects at llLab have taken the material to new heights, exploring an application that pushes the boundaries of what it can achieve. Bamboo’s strength and lightweight properties make it ideal for sustainable design innovations. The Design Pavilion for NYCxDesign exemplifies this potential in architecture. Composed of two amorphous ‘clouds’ constructed entirely from bamboo and supported by structural columns, the bamboo is intricately woven to form a porous surface that shelters a light and ethereal environment, ideal for relaxing and gathering in the city.

Bamboo Cloud is softly illuminated from within, as well as from below — thanks to a collaboration with architectural lighting design firm L’Observatoire International and lighting suppliers Nanometer Lighting Color Kinetics.

the Bamboo Cloud pavilion exemplifies the material’s versatility in New York City

from guilin to new york

The Shanghai-based team at llLab has been challenging the traditional applications of bamboo long before this Bamboo Cloud arrived in New York. The team had explored the material’s potential with a similar installation which, in 2020, occupied the dramatic, forested landscape of Guilin, China. see designboom’s coverage here!

‘Bamboo is still relatively ambiguously defined, though bamboo has been applied in various aspects in the field of architecture. In terms of structural calculation and material properties, it can still only be compared with wood in the role of ‘engineered bamboo,’ for imperfect construction implementation,’ said Hanxaio Liu, Founding Partner of llLab. ‘However, the Bamboo Cloud intends to unify original bamboo and engineered bamboo in terms of materials and applications, as well as their properties and physical presentation.’

two bamboo ‘clouds’ shelter an open-air space for relaxing in the city

Hanxaio Liu continues: ‘Bamboo Cloud focuses on the relationships between inherent material properties and their potential applications beyond convention. Bamboo has been mainly applied on the scale of handcraft, followed by the recent popularization of its utilization in sustainable buildings. However, the advantage of utilizing bamboo has not been thoroughly understood, so most applications have remained superficial.’

bamboo’s renewable nature makes it an environmentally responsible choice
the Design Pavilion represents a vision for a fresh, sustainable future in architecture

Reference

Interior Design

Eight quiet luxury interiors from Biarritz to Stockholm

By Zarkon Group,28/10/2023

Our latest lookbook focuses on quiet luxury and features projects including a French hotel and a Swedish Grace apartment that exemplify the trend for discrete, yet sumptuous interiors.

Classic, hardwearing materials and simple, neutral colour palettes characterise these eight quiet luxury interiors, which convey an elegant feeling without being over-the-top.

Gleaming marble decorates bathrooms and hallways, while polished wood and soft, tactile textiles add an exquisite touch to bedrooms and living rooms.

To create these quiet luxury interiors, designers have focused on the contrast and texture of different materials and added details such as sprigs of flowers and timeless designer furniture pieces.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring airy loft conversions, kitchen islands with waterfall countertops and art-filled living rooms.

Clermont residence, India, by FADD Studio

This multi-generational home in Bangalore, India, is a prime example of how the right material choice can make an apartment feel sophisticated without needing to splurge on many additional features.

Designer FADD Studio clad the bathroom in veiny marble for a striking effect, underlined by the contrast with the dark wood floor of one of the six bedrooms.

Find out more about Clermont residence ›

Dining room interior of Republique apartment by Hauvette & Madani — Photo is by Yannick Labrousse

Republique apartment, France, by Hauvette & Madani

While this Paris apartment has a striking wine-red kitchen, the rest of the colour palette was kept neutral, but clever material use has given it a decidedly upmarket feel.

In the dining room, chromed cantilevered dining chairs have been combined with a marble table. A lustrous herringbone parquet floor adds a natural feel, while a playful modern chandelier in smoke-coloured glass completes the interior.

Find out more about Republique apartment ›

Bathroom in Biarritz hotel — Photo is by Mr Tripper

Regina Experimental, France, by Dorothée Meilichzon

Located in a Belle Epoque-era hotel in the French seaside town of Biarritz, the Regina Experimental hotel has a number of luxurious touches.

In this bathroom, combining the colour of the doorframe and shelving with tiles in the same hue creates a coherent, stylish interior.

Fluted panelling at the top of the walls, classic porcelain sinks and shell-shaped soap holders add a nautical vibe.

Find out more about Regina Experimental ›

Interior of Stockholm apartment — Photo is courtesy of Note Design Studio

Habitat 100, Sweden, by Note Design Studio

A calm hallway with patterned marble floors welcomes visitors into Habitat 100 in Stockholm, which was designed to resemble the original interior of the 1920s apartment.

Note Design Studio also used greyed wood and stained oak to create a quietly luxurious feel inside the flat, which is located in a building built during the Swedish Grace era, a romantic, refined style movement.

Find out more about Habitat 100 ›

Wooden walls in Mayfair residence — Photo is by Felix Speller and Child Studio

Mayfair residence, UK, by Child Studio

The interior of this Mayfair house was informed by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s home and features a number of custom-made pieces.

These are combined with mid-century modern furniture, including a glassware cabinet and coffee table in dark, glossy wood. A marble side table and a brass wall sconce add more interesting material contrasts.

Find out more about Mayfair residence ›

Bedroom in Twentieth house by Woods and Dangaran — Photo is by Joe Fletcher

Twentieth House, US, by Woods + Dangaran

Twentieth House, a three-storey home in California, features a bedroom with a material mix that conveys a sense of restrained elegance.

Soft brown velvet seating along with a rug colour match the panelled wooden wall, creating a cohesive and relaxing interior. A modern chandelier adds a frivolous touch.

Find out more about Twentieth House ›

Dumbo loft with mezzanine — Photo is by Seth Caplan

Dumbo loft, US, by Crystal Sinclair Designs

Interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs renovated this loft apartment in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood (above and main image) to retain its industrial look while adding some “European flair”.

The result is a home that feels both cosy and elegant, with a practical mezzanine floor and stylish details, including a rough-hewn vase and a classic mushroom-shaped Artemide Nessino table lamp.

Find out more about Dumbo loft ›

Interiors of Fisherman's cottage — Photo is by Gavin Green

Fisherman’s Cottage, Australia, by Studio Prineas

This former fisherman’s cottage in Sydney was extended with a concrete tower. Inside the home, a mirrored bathroom feels both industrial and upmarket at the same time.

Veined green marble was used for the deep bath, while minimalist white sinks and chrome taps add a modernist touch.

Find out more about Fisherman’s Cottage ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Smart threads for product traceability

By Zarkon Group,28/10/2023

Spotted: Most people are familiar with RFID tags – a type of tracking system that uses smart barcodes in order to identify items. RFID stands for “radio frequency identification,” and the tags use radio waves to transmit data from the tag to a reader. RFID tags have uses as disparate as tracking items in retail stores and warehouses, supply chain management, and tracking the movement of vehicles, pets, and even patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, Circlolink has developed RFID Threads, which it claims are the world’s first washable radio frequency digital ID that stays with the product. The radio transmitter is housed in a single smart thread that can be integrated into products, connecting them to a dedicated cloud platform. The RFID yarn can be inserted into products during manufacture and then all of the details of an item’s manufacture, sourcing, fibre types, and more can be easily tracked across its lifetime. The threads can be used in everything from clothing and mattresses to shoes and homeware, with Circlolink also testing thicker threads for incorporation into tyres.

Circlolink has partnered with e-textile company Adetex.CS, to provide the CIRCAA Cloud platform used to manage the data collected by the threads. The system also allows for the creation of digital product passports, unique QR Codes for customer engagement, and bulk scanning, and acts as a bridge to supply chain management systems.

The company recently launched its Digital Product Passport (DPP) Pilot Package wherein brands can trial the technology with 100 RFID threads, an RFID reader, and access to the CIRCAA app. In the longer term, Circlolink plans to begin distribution of the first 100 million threads over a two-year rollout period. The company points out that producing the threads in bulk will allow it to reduce the cost from $1.50 (around €1.42) per thread as part of the pilot scheme to just $0.11 (around €0.10) each, helping to make the technology as affordable and accessible as possible.

The new RFID threads join recent innovations seeking to improve circularity and traceability. These include a marketplace that connects fashion brands to deadstock materials and a circular marketplace for personal electronics.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Architecture

This week BIG completed The Spiral supertall skyscraper in New York

By Zarkon Group,28/10/2023

This week on Dezeen, we reported that BIG completed its first supertall skyscraper, a 66-storey commercial high-rise wrapped with a series of stepped terraces.

Located along New York’s High Line, The Spiral reaches 314 metres-high and its footprint reduces towards the top as the ascending terraces cut into the building.

Studio founder Bjarke Ingels described the building as combining “the classic ziggurat silhouette of the premodern skyscraper with the slender proportions and efficient layouts of the modern high-rise.”

Also in architecture news, the Pyramid of Tirana in Albania reopened as a cultural hub with a stepped roof and colourful boxes designed by Dutch architecture studio MVRDV and local studio IRI Architecture.

Originally built in the 1980s as a pyramid-shaped museum dedicated to Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, the building’s form was retained with sections of the sloping concrete roof kept as a slide.

Piss Soap project by Arthur Guilleminot at Het Nieuwe Instituut's New Store 1.0 pop-up at Dutch Design Week — Customers exchanged urine for soap at a pop-up shop during Dutch Design Week

Dutch Design Week was in full swing this week, with events and exhibitions taking place across Eindhoven including a pop-up shop where customers exchanged urine for soap in a bid to encourage more ethical consumption.

Elsewhere at the festival, design student Willem Zwiers showcased marbled furniture made from salvaged second-hand books and designer Emy Bensdorp exhibited her proposal to clean PFAS “forever chemicals” by firing contaminated soil into bricks.

Photo of engineer Jasper Mallinson wearing the Mecha-morphis device on one arm — Mecha-morphis is a wearable, portable CNC machine

In other design news, product design engineer Jasper Mallinson aimed to bridge the gap between man-made and robotic construction with a lightweight, wearable CNC machine named Mecha-morphis.

Mallinson hopes that in the future, the device will be used on worksites to help realise parametric designs with “superhuman precision”.

Amare in The Hague by NOAHH — Betsky wrote an opinion piece on how Dutch architecture has become “notably boring”

Also this week, American architecture critic Aaron Betsky wrote about his views on the lack of exciting architecture projects built in the Netherlands in recent years.

To Betsky, Dutch architecture has lost the sparkle it once had, comparing OMA’s 1987 Netherlands Dance Theater with the “box festooned with fluted columns” that replaced it (pictured above).

75.9 House by Omer Arbel — A home with fabric-formed concrete pillars turned readers’ heads this week

Popular projects this week included a home in British Columbia with fluted pillars made by pouring concrete into fabric formwork and a Mexican seaside resort with wooden guesthouses raised on stilts.

Our latest lookbooks featured dining rooms with built-in seating and bathrooms where subway tiles lined the walls and surfaces.

This week on Dezeen

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

Reference

KPF approved for ‘tower 36’ in design district

a luxury office building to rise in miami

the tapered tower by kohn pedersen fox (kpf)

the urban garden at tower 36

Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns

Sustainable water wear for women

Henning Larsen unveils design for world’s largest timber logistics centre

Ten rustic Italian interiors that evoke the historic Mediterranean

Making eyewear from ghost fishing gear

Eight quiet luxury interiors from Biarritz to Stockholm

Smart threads for product traceability

This week BIG completed The Spiral supertall skyscraper in New York

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