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

Travelling design gallery in Berlin by Vanessa Heepen

Interior Design

Forma is a nomadic design gallery popping up around Berlin

By Zarkon Group,08/08/2023

Contemporary German furniture designs are displayed alongside vintage pieces at this travelling gallery that multidisciplinary designer Vanessa Heepen has launched in Berlin.

Rather than having a permanent home, Forma will take over different locations across the German capital.

The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, titled The Room I Walk the Line, was recently on show on the ground floor of a mixed-use building in Friedrichshain, nestled in between fragments of the Berlin Wall on the banks of the river Spree.

“To be honest, the area is not where I would typically choose to open a gallery,” Heepen told Dezeen. “But when I first saw a picture of it on a real estate website, I was deeply touched by its huge windows, red columns and by the water, of course.”

Two stools in a concrete room — It featured German designers including Nazara Lázaro (left) and Studio Kuhlmann (top right)

A trained interior designer, Heepen largely left the space in its found state but worked with her team to create a simple mahogany bar counter and storage unit for the gallery.

She also asked “soft architecture” studio Curetain to create a white latex screen for the corner of the gallery.

As part of the exhibition, this served as the backdrop for a tall white spectator shelf by Stuttgart-based Freia Achenbach, along with a graphic white stool by local designer Nazara Lázaro.

Other pieces in the exhibition included a pigmented concrete chair by Carsten in der Elst and hanging metallic stars by Studio Kuhlmann, both from Cologne, as well as a translucent shelf by Berlin’s Lotto Studio.

Forma also sourced a number of vintage pieces from Moho – a 20th-century furniture showroom in Prenzlauer Berg – among them an embossed metal cabinet and a wriggly coat stand.

One of Heepen’s main motivations for founding the gallery was to carve out a space for showcasing design-led furnishings in Berlin, which she says is something of a rarity in the German capital.

“It is a discursive topic, and people have always been unsure about the success of it,” she explained. “After Forma’s first edition, I am glad to say it was hugely successful”.

Chair and transluscent shelf in Forma gallery — Contemporary design pieces included a translucent shelf by Lotto Studio

The designer is currently on the hunt for Forma’s next location and will let the new setting inform her selection of furnishings.

“I’m always open to something new that occurs within the process,” she said. “I hold on to my vision, but I am also open to taking a detour.”

Elsewhere in Berlin, Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron is currently constructing a major new museum for modern art.

The building’s design came under fire at the end of last year, when it was discovered its complex air conditioning system would result in the venue using four times as much energy as a nearby museum from the 1800s.

The photography is by Matthias Leidinger.

The Room I Walk the Line was on show at Mühlenstrasse 63 in Berlin from 15 June to 15 July 2023. For more exhibitions, events and talk in architecture and design, visit Dezeen Events Guide.

Reference

Sustainable News

Turning organic waste into planet-friendly plastic

By Zarkon Group,08/08/2023

Spotted: Petroleum-based plastics are everywhere in our daily lives, from our clothes and cosmetic products to food packaging and deliveries. Though plastic is highly useful, it’s carbon-intensive to manufacture and often isn’t recycled. In fact, of the seven billion tonnes of plastic that have been produced so far, only around 10 per cent has been recycled.

One way scientists have been tackling the impact of plastic is by replacing it with bio-based alternatives. One of these innovators is Canadian startup Genecis, which creates pollution-free, totally biodegradable PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) – a naturally occurring polymer produced by bacteria when they are fed organic waste like leftover food.

At the end of its usable life, a PHA product will break down safely in the environment without leaving behind microplastics or leaching toxic chemicals. To become even more sustainable in future, the company hopes to use old PHA products as the feedstock for new Genecis bioplastic, creating an entirely closed-loop system and reducing the need for additional resources.

Mirroring the versatility of traditional plastic, Genecis’ alternative PHA can be used in car interiors, clothing, and packaging. And because the material is natural, it is also safe to use in tools for medical procedures.

The company was recently awarded money from the Female Founder Initiative as part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to help support female innovators. The online retail giant is “currently evaluating ways to use Genecis’ technology”, potentially in packaging for grocery and pharmacy items delivered by Amazon. As well as Amazon, Genecis is currently working with several corporate clients to help design sustainable bioplastic products for their specific use cases.

In the archive, Springwise has spotted a huge variety of other innovators also working to make more sustainable plastic alternatives, including one made from cellulose, and the world’s first biodegradable water bottle.

Written By: Matilda Cox

Reference

Architecture

Chat GPT for Architects and Designers: Prompt Formula and Working Examples

By Zarkon Group,08/08/2023

For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in our Tech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers.

We recently published our first Chat GPT Cheat Sheet for Architects, a handy guide for exploring the potential of using the tool to enhance your daily workflow. While the sheet is a helpful reference point, nothing beats seeing a real example of how Chat GPT can be used in action.

To this end, the following example demonstrates how one prompt can produce a variety of starting points for further exploration at the beginning of a project, either as part of a feasibility study or the conceptual design phase. But before we dive in, here’s a quick introduction to Chat GPT itself.

Midjourney image prompt: A mystical image of a female architectural designer sitting at a drawing board using Chat GPT, architectural ideas and models floating above –ar 16:9 –v 5.2

What is Chat GPT?

Chat GPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is the remarkable creation of OpenAI. A large language model-based chatbot, this AI-powered tool was launched in November 2022 and became the fastest-growing consumer software application in history earlier in 2023. Why? Because this easy-to-use tool brings unprecedented capabilities to the world of conversation.

With ChatGPT, users hold the reins, steering discussions precisely where they desire. It is possible to tailor every aspect of the conversation to your liking — from length and format to style, level of detail, and even the language used. It’s like having a conversation partner who adapts perfectly to your preferences.

The secret to ChatGPT’s brilliance lies in prompt engineering. At every step of the interaction, it deftly analyzes successive prompts and replies, leveraging this contextual understanding to craft responses that align with the ongoing dialogue.

For architects and designers, Chat GPT can unlock a whole new avenue of research, exploration and ideation. For more information on the application and to start experimenting with your own prompts, click here.

Chat GPT Prompt for Architects

Here’s a simple Chat GPT prompt formula, a slight variation on the one shown in our cheat sheet, which can be specifically tailored for architects and designers:

“[Introduction or context] + [Specific question or instruction] + [Optional additional details or constraints]”

Let’s break it down:

1. Introduction or Context

Start by providing some context or background information to set the stage for your question or instruction. It helps guide the AI’s understanding of the topic and focus its response on the relevant aspects.

Example: “As an architect working on a residential project, I need assistance with…”

2. Specific Question or Instruction

State your question or instruction clearly and concisely, focusing on the specific aspect or topic you want to explore. Be as specific as possible to receive targeted and relevant responses.

Example: “…optimizing natural lighting and ventilation. What are some effective design strategies to achieve this?”

3. Optional Additional Details or Constraints

If necessary, you can include additional details or constraints to guide the AI’s response. This helps provide more context and narrow down the focus of the answer.

Example: “…for a compact urban site with limited access to direct sunlight.”

Putting that all together, here’s an example of a complete Chat GPT prompt for architects, using our formula:

“As an architect working on a residential project, I need assistance with optimizing natural lighting and ventilation. What are some effective design strategies to achieve this? The site I’m working with is a compact urban area with limited access to direct sunlight.”

By following this prompt formula, you can effectively guide Chat GPT to provide targeted and insightful responses. You can adapt or add to the formula to produce more in-depth or nuanced information.

Midjourney image prompt: A mystical image of an architectural designer using Chat GPT, ideas floating above –ar 16:9 –v 5.2

Chat GPT Prompt for Architects: The Output

We plugged the above prompt into the basic, free version of Chat GPT (version 3.5); here is the response it produced:

“When working on a residential project in a compact urban area with limited access to direct sunlight, optimizing natural lighting and ventilation becomes crucial. Here are some effective design strategies to achieve this:

Incorporate Light Wells and Skylights: Introduce light wells or courtyards within the building to bring in natural light from above. Install skylights strategically to maximize daylight penetration into interior spaces.
Use Reflective Surfaces: Incorporate light-colored or reflective surfaces, such as white walls or glossy finishes, to bounce natural light deeper into the space and create a brighter ambiance.
Implement Clerestory Windows: Install high-level windows, known as clerestory windows, near the top of the walls to allow natural light to enter while maintaining privacy. This helps bring light deeper into the space and improves overall illumination.
Design Open Floor Plans: Create an open layout to enable better light distribution throughout the living areas. Minimize the use of interior partitions or walls that could block natural light flow.
Utilize Light Tubes: Light tubes, also known as solar tubes or sun tunnels, are tubular devices that capture sunlight from the roof and transport it into interior spaces. They can be an effective way to bring natural light into areas with limited access to windows.
Optimize Window Placement: Strategically position windows to maximize daylight penetration. Consider the orientation of the site and place windows on the south-facing side to capture the most sunlight throughout the day.
Use Light Diffusing Materials: Employ materials, such as frosted glass or translucent screens, that diffuse natural light to reduce glare while still allowing light to pass through. This helps create a softer and more even distribution of light.
Implement Natural Ventilation Strategies: Incorporate operable windows and vents to facilitate cross-ventilation and promote natural airflow throughout the space. This helps improve indoor air quality and thermal comfort.
Consider Light-Controlling Elements: Integrate shading devices, such as louvers, blinds, or adjustable curtains, to manage direct sunlight and prevent overheating during peak daylight hours. This allows occupants to control the amount of light entering the space.
Incorporate Greenery and Vertical Gardens: Introduce indoor plants and vertical gardens to create a connection with nature and enhance the perception of natural light. Plants can also help improve air quality and contribute to a healthy indoor environment.

Remember to adapt these strategies to suit the specific requirements and constraints of your residential project in the compact urban area. Implementing these design strategies will help optimize natural lighting and ventilation, creating a comfortable and inviting living space.”

Midjourney image prompt: A mystical image of a black female architectural designer sitting at a drawing board using Chat GPT, architectural ideas and models floating above –ar 16:9 –v 5.2

Conclusion and Further Explorations

The above example shows how text-based AI tools can be harnessed by designers in a simple yet effective way, and demonstrates its utility in terms of information recall and automated curation. Most architects will be aware of the possible design solutions listed above, and could use ‘traditional’ internet research to surface them as well, but they could easily overlook one of these strategies while addressing the many nuances of a complex site and design brief.

In effect, Chat GPT’s response to the prompt acts as a reciprocal prompt for the designer, acting as a reminder of concepts that may be worth considering as a project develops. When viewed from this perspective, AI can be seen to augment an architect’s workflow, helping them to research and ideate more efficiently than ever before. As the technology develops, this augmentation will surely only continue to grow within the profession.

How are you using Chat GPT and other AI tools in your architectural workflow? We’d love to hear from you: Follow Paul Keskeys and Architizer on LinkedIn to join the discussion!

For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in our Tech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers.

Reference

Interior Design

Dorothée Meilichzon blends nautical and art deco inside Biarritz hotel

By Zarkon Group,07/08/2023

French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has renovated a Belle Epoque-era hotel in Biarritz, France, blending maritime and art deco motifs to add contemporary flair to the historic building.

The Regina Experimental sits on a clifftop overlooking the Bay of Biscay in the French seaside city, which was once a royal getaway and is now a popular surfing destination.

Constructed in 1907 by architect and landscape designer Henry Martinet, the grand building features a 15-metre-high atrium, large bay windows, a glass roof, and hints of art deco throughout.

The majority of its spaces were well preserved, so Meilichzon‘s input involved modernising the furnishings and decor – adding colour and pattern to enliven the spaces while playing on the hotel’s coastal location.

Atrium of Regina Experimental hotel — Totemic sculptures were used in the hotel’s atrium

In the light-filled atrium, dark red and green sofas were arranged to create intimate seating areas within the expansive room.

Totemic wicker sculptures form a line down the centre of the room, and cylindrical paper lanterns by designers Ingo Maurer and Anthony Dickens hang from the columns on either side.

Bedroom with art deco influenced headboard — Guest rooms feature geometric, art deco-influenced headboards and striped upholstery

Guests in this space are served cocktails from a bar top shaped like an ocean liner, designed as an homage to modernist architect Eileen Gray, while listening to live piano music.

While the bar top nods to Gray’s designs, the sofas in the room play on the shapes of the Itsasoan footbridge in nearby Guétary.

Reflection of a bed in a rope-wrapped mirror — Mirrors wrapped in rope continue the maritime theme in the rooms

Carpet patterns vary between the different areas of the hotel – in the corridors, they carry a nautical motif, while the markings are reminiscent of fish scales in the guest rooms.

The hotel’s restaurant, Frenchie, offers Basque-inspired cuisine within a bright room that features more nautical references, such as rope-hung shelves and shell-shaped sconces.

Dining room of Regina Experimental — Shell-shaped sconces decorate the dining room

Highly patterned tiled floors and furniture contrast the restaurant’s neutral plaster walls and ceiling, which are punctuated by arched niches and curved plywood panels.

The dining area spills onto an outdoor terrace, populated by red cafe tables and chairs lined up against pale blue banquettes, around the corner from a swimming pool.

The hotel’s 72 guest rooms are accessible from corridors that wrap around the atrium, and face either the ocean or the Golf de Biarritz Le Phare golf course.

Shades of blue and green dominate the art deco-influenced bedrooms, which feature glossy geometric headboards and marine-striped upholstery.

Bathroom with teal-coloured tiles — A cool palette of greens and blues is used in the bathrooms

Small lamps extend from rope frames that wrap around the mirrors, and red accents on smaller furniture pieces pop against the cooler hues.

“Bedrooms are awash with Japanese straw and rope combined with marine stripes and plaster frescoes with aquatic motifs,” said the hotel. “Evocative of an ocean liner, each bedroom incorporates curved forms and long horizontal lines.”

Hotel perched on a cliff overlooking the sea — Built in 1907, the hotel overlooks the Bay of Biscay from a clifftop

Meilichzon, founder of Paris-based design agency Chzon, is a frequent collaborator of the Experimental Group, and has designed the interiors for several of its properties.

Earlier this year, she gave a bohemian refresh to Ibiza’s first hotel, now called the Montesol Experimental, and previously completed the Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental in Venice.

The photography is by Mr Tripper.

Reference

Sustainable News

Keeping food fresh naturally – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,07/08/2023

Every step of the food production process generates greenhouse gas emissions; but not many of us are aware of how much damage food waste does to the environment, causing up to 10 per cent of our global emissions.

One-third of the food we produce globally is never eaten, with the financial cost of this wastage estimated $2.6 trillion per year. The environmental impact may be even higher over the long-term. Food that ends up in landfill generates methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas, while reducing food waste has the potential to draw 87 gigatonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

In India, the issue of wasted food is particularly acute, largely due to the need to transport and store food at ambient temperatures because, unlike in developed countries, cold storage is not widely available. India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world behind China, but 40 per cent of its produce is lost before it even reaches consumers. This incurs significant costs for the Indian economy, contributes significantly to global emissions, and does nothing to improve the lives of the 14 per cent of people in the country who are undernourished.

The founders of GreenPod Labs, an agri-biotech company based in Chennai, south-east India, believe this is a preventable problem and have come up with a solution that can increase the shelf life of produce by up to 60 per cent. It produces sachets made of non-woven, gas-permeable membranes that are packed alongside the fresh produce during transportation and storage. The sachets contain 8-12 bioactive ingredients – specific to the particular crop – in powder form. These activate the built-in defence mechanisms in the fruits and vegetables, a bit like the way the human immune system responds to outside stresses. The process slows down the ripening rate and minimises microbial growth that contributes to rot.

GreenPod Labs has completed products for three crops, with two more in the pipeline. It hopes to scale its business to include Africa and other countries in Asia, a welcome solution in regions where food security is already an issue, and climate change increasingly disrupts supply chains.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Video credit: RE:TV

Reference

Architecture

“Architects Are Bad at Business:” Here’s Why and What We Can Do About It

By Zarkon Group,07/08/2023

Evelyn Lee is the Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, founder of Practice of Architecture, and co-host of the podcast, Practice Disrupted. She will serve as the 101st President of the AIA in 2025.

Every architecture and design firm is a business first. It’s easy to forget while celebrating our design awards and the stories of our contributions to the communities where we live, work and play. But to pursue the work that brings us so much joy, it is, first and foremost, essential to have a profitable and agile business that continues to adapt to the changing nature of the economy.

Architects aren’t necessarily known for being good at business or even enjoying having conversations on business operations. We would rather spend our time talking about the projects, the impact of the design, the materials that went into them, and the changes made within the project delivery process to make it so successful.

But the phrase, “Architects are bad at business,” has become a crutch, if not an excuse, to continue to be bad at business and avoid the conversation altogether.

So why are we this way?

OrfiSera by YERCE ARCHITECTURE

Architects are often more focused on the creative aspects of their work rather than business ones.

The problem with focusing only on creativity often means losing focus on things like project management. This means we spend so much time focused on only one aspect of the business, but businesses are systems, and every aspect of the system needs attention to be successful.

Architects are not trained in business practices.

Anyone who went through an accredited degree program could tell you that the one-hour seminar on professional practice taught students more about avoiding lawsuits while practicing than it did about running a business effectively. And even if it was the class was more broadly focused, there’s too much to learn in a single class to be effective.

What’s more, the ongoing education of individuals, once in practice, is often more focused on project work and does not extend beyond that.

Architects are often reluctant to change.

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, it is more important than ever for businesses to be agile. Agility is the ability to adapt quickly to change, and it is essential for businesses that want to stay ahead of the competition (especially the growing competition coming from outside the profession). However, architects, no matter how innovative we are with our projects, are otherwise stuck in our ways and resistant to change.

Good business operations require continuous improvement, and it not only takes a change mindset but a commitment of resources, both time and money, to examine what is and isn’t working.

OrfiSera by YERCE ARCHITECTURE

Architects are not good at selling their services.

How often have you heard an architect say, “The work speaks for itself.” Sure, there was a time when architects were discouraged from advertising their services (from the late 1800s to the early 1960s), but even with advertising being off the table, there are many different ways to sell services that most architects are not using.

Architects don’t like to ask for help.

While it’s easy for us to be good at what we are good at, it’s often harder for us to realize what we are not good at and, more importantly, to not stand in the way of letting other experts do their thing. I don’t know how often I’ve heard an architect say about a business operations consultant, “They just don’t understand what we do and how we do it.”

In many ways, we make ourselves out to be so unique that we get it in our heads that no one else can understand what it is we do and how we do it. We then put it on ourselves to do everything, and in essence, nothing more gets accomplished.

OrfiSera by YERCE ARCHITECTURE

So what can better business operations do for our architecture and design firms? There are many benefits, including:

Better communication and collaboration: Well-designed business operations can improve communication and collaboration within an architecture or design firm. This can lead to faster decision-making, better problem-solving and more efficient use of resources.
Streamlined processes: By streamlining processes, firms can reduce the amount of time and effort it takes to complete tasks. This can lead to increased efficiency and productivity.
Automated tasks: By automating tasks, firms can free up their staff to focus on more strategic and creative work. This can lead to increased efficiency and profitability.
Better use of technology: By using technology effectively, firms can improve their efficiency and productivity. This can include using project management software, cloud-based collaboration tools, and other technology solutions.
A focus on continuous improvement: By focusing on continuous improvement, firms can identify and implement changes that will make their business more efficient. This can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage.

In addition to the benefits above, better business operations can also help architecture and design firms to:

Attract and retain top talent
Increase customer satisfaction
Improve profitability
Expand into new markets

OrfiSera by YERCE ARCHITECTURE

Design thinking has taken hold in many different areas, and architects often share their desire to own the space. I think there’s an opportunity to raise our value there, but to showcase what we can do, we first have to start with what we can do within our firms.

Stay tuned for our upcoming articles offering specific guidance and steps to design and implement better business operations.

In the meantime, we encourage you to download Practice of Architect’s Agile Practice Resource. This free living resource is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to bring more agility to your practice.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

Reference

Tiled worktops of Fruit Box, UK, by Nimtim Architects

Interior Design

Eight kitchens with tiled worktops that are practical but pretty

By Zarkon Group,06/08/2023

A kitchen with a statement oxblood-colour island and another with curved child-friendly counters feature in our latest lookbook, which spotlights eight worktops that are covered in tiles.

Tiled worktops can be a functional yet attractive addition to a kitchen, able to withstand hot pots and food stains while also creating an opportunity for decoration.

The examples in this lookbook range from tiled worktops designed as focal points to more utilitarian counters that blend in with surrounding walls, illustrating the potential of tiles in a kitchen and proving they are not limited to just splashbacks and flooring.

This is the latest in Dezeen’s lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from our archive. Other recent editions showcase wine storage solutions, bedrooms with desk spaces and interiors that draw on Mediterranean living.

Fruit Box, UK, by Nimtim Architects

London studio Nimtim Architects opted for bright white tiles to cover the worktops of this kitchen and teamed them with plywood cupboards, shelves and drawers for a deliberately simple look.

Some tiles have curved edges, helping to create seamless transitions between the counters and splashback while also eradicating sharp corners so the space is safer for the client’s children.

Find out more about Fruit Box ›

East Village Apartment kitchen, USA, by GRT Architects — Photo by Nicole Franzen

East Village Apartment, USA, by GRT Architects

The focal point of this kitchen in an East Village apartment is an island covered in oxblood-coloured tiles, which stand out against a backdrop of white-oak cabinetry with oversized handles.

This rich, jewel-toned finish was complemented by chequerboard mosaic tiling across the floor and shiny brass legs for the end kitchen counters.

Find out more about East Village Apartment ›

West Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco

Duck-egg blue tiles adorn the surfaces of this galley kitchen, which studio Brave New Eco created in West Bend House in Melbourne.

This includes an island running through its centre, where square tiles are used on the worktop and the sides are lined with long, slender versions. They are teamed with wooden joinery and slender bar stools.

Find out more about West Bend House ›

Kitchen interior of De Sijs co-housing by Officeu Architects — Photo by Stijn Bollaert

De Sijs, Belgium, by Officeu Architects

Officeu Architects combined a mix of pastel-hued square tiles to decorate the worktops in this kitchen, which features in the De Sijs co-housing project in Leuven.

The dusky colours of the surfaces are complemented by a mix of fern-green and wooden cabinets and help draw attention to playful furnishings and fixtures, including hanging lights and bright red pots.

Find out more about De Sijs ›

Bright pink and green kitchen island in Palma Hideaway by Mariana de Delás — Photo by José Hevia

Palma Hideaway, Spain, by Mariana de Delás

Green tiles are used to create focal points throughout this lofty apartment, which architect Mariana de Delás has hidden in a former motorcycle workshop in Palma de Mallorca.

This includes the kitchen, where the tiles crown a statement island supported by chunky pink legs. This watermelon-like colour combination pops against a concrete floor and wooden cabinets.

Find out more about Palma Hideaway ›

Interior of Screen House by Ben Allen — Photo by Henrietta Williams

Screen House, UK, by Studio Ben Allen

This pared-back kitchen features inside Screen House, a north London flat that was modernised and reconfigured by Studio Ben Allen.

To align with a strict budget, the kitchen features utilitarian fixtures and combines simple wooden joinery with white-tiled surfaces. The end tiles are curved to form a smooth edge to the counter.

Find out more about Screen House ›

Tiled worktop in Dawnridge House kitchen, USA, by Field Architecture — Photo by Joe Fletcher

Dawnridge House, USA, by Field Architecture

Large grey tiles are used across the countertops of this wooden kitchen, which Field Architecture designed within a house in California.

They form part of the natural-looking material palette used throughout the home, for which the studio drew on the surrounding Los Altos Hills landscape that includes a creek and large oak trees.

Find out more about Dawnridge House ›

Industrial kitchen inside Bismarck House by Andrew Burges Architects in Bondi, Sydney — Photo by Peter Bennetts

Bismarck House, Australia, by Andrew Burges Architects

At Bismarck House in Bondi, Andrew Burges Architects used a palette of what it described as “outdoor materials” across the ground floor.

Alongside exposed brick, concrete and steel elements, this utilitarian palette includes tiled kitchen worktops and is intended to blur the boundary between the inside and robust exterior of the home.

Find out more about Bismarck House ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Helping entreprenurial African women access financial services

By Zarkon Group,06/08/2023

Spotted: In Nigeria, it is estimated that women’s earned income is 65 per cent of men’s, due to fewer work hours and the fact that women dominate the lower-paid, informal job sector. This means they have fewer opportunities for networking and fundraising than men. Now, an app called Herconomy, is helping to bridge that gap.

Herconomy began as an Instagram page, created by entrepreneur Ife Durosinmi-Etti, who showcased local and international opportunities like grants and fellowships available to entrepreneurs in Africa. The site soon became a hub for thousands of female entrepreneurs looking for information.

The page eventually became a Telegram group, but scaling was an issue, as the team behind it found it difficult to coordinate the large number of conversations on the site. So, the team has now launched a subscription app (which also has a free tier). The app gives members access to a community and opportunity board, grants, weekly capacity-building workshops, and discounts from over 60 brands.

In June this year, Herconomy announced that it was receiving backing from Google for Startups, as one of the recipients of Google’s Black Founders Fund, which will help the femtech startup accelerate its mission.

This is not the first bank Springwise has spotted targeting an underserved market. Other financial innovations in the archive include a banking platform for workers in Africa’s informal sector and nano-credit for low-income entrepreneurs.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

josé pedro lima converts butcher shop into skylit real estate space in portugal

Architecture

josé pedro lima turns butcher shop into skylit space in portugal

By Zarkon Group,06/08/2023

josé pedro lima gives new life to old butcher shop in portugal

Architect José Pedro Lima has recently converted the old Central Butcher Shop in Portugal‘s downtown Coimbra into a minimalist real estate space punctuated by neat white walls, wooden tones, and generous daylight. In addition to preserving the original butcher shop’s marble flooring, Lima took advantage of the interior compartments, making slight surgical alterations that fit into the new program photographed by Ivo Tavares. While the main room of the new retail space retained practically the previous configuration, the former meat cutting area has been transformed into a meeting room, and a small kitchen replaces the old refrigeration chamber.

restoring skylights amid a white and minimal backdrop

The Central Butcher Shop conversion by José Pedro Lima (see more here) also included the restoration of existing skylights, which were previously blocked off, and the coating of all walls in a white shade to minimize the use of artificial lighting, restoring natural illumination to the interior spaces. The different lighting configurations correspond to additional uses of the spaces — the meeting room and kitchen. Thanks to a transition in flooring and baseboards, as well as the centrality conferred by the conference table, the meeting room is perceived as a distinct space; here, the incidence of the corresponding skylight accentuates the desired solemn character of this space. ‘In summary, the aim was to retain and interpret the existing qualities of the butcher shop while also understanding the needs of the new program, with particular emphasis on proper natural lighting of the spaces,’ concludes the architect.

restoring the existing skylights

natural illumination flooding the converted space

chair/furniture by SPSS Design Studio

Reference

MA House by Timothee Mercier from Studio XM

Interior Design

Eight serene interiors with decorative lime plaster walls

By Zarkon Group,05/08/2023

For our latest lookbook, we have gathered eight examples of homes where tactile and practical lime plaster walls give the interiors a natural, calming feel.

Lime plaster is a traditional wall coating typically made from sand, water and lime. It is often used in heritage buildings, since it is a breathable material that can be a good choice for damp spaces.

It also has a natural look and feel that can help to create a more rustic and peaceful atmosphere in modern homes.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring clever wine storage solutions, space-efficient bedrooms and Mediterranean-style interiors.

MA House, France, by Timothee Mercier

Architect Timothee Mercier turned a rural farmhouse building in southeast France into a home for his parents that aimed to respect both the site and the region’s architectural history.

Inside, he went for a pared-back, spartan interior, where some of the house’s stone exterior was left exposed. Walls were white-washed with chaux – a local lime plaster – to create a clean backdrop for the living room’s wooden furniture.

Find out more about MA House ›

Polysmith house, London — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

Cork House, UK, by Polysmiths

Cork-clad living spaces feature in this east London home, which architecture studio Polysmiths’ director Charles Wu designed for himself and his partner.

Wu used locally sourced timber and lime plaster for the house. A lime-plastered wall divides the main bedroom from its en-suite bathroom, which is lit by a corner lightwell.

Find out more about Cork House ›

Window seat in Herne Hill House extension by TYPE — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

Herne Hill House, UK, by TYPE

The Herne Hill House extension replaced an existing conservatory at a south London terrace house, creating a bigger kitchen and dining room.

A peaceful window nook gives views out of the garden from the open-plan kitchen, which features walls covered in lime plaster. Their pale beige hue contrasts the warm terracotta-coloured quarry-tile floor.

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Interior by Menard Dworkind — Photo by David Dworkind

Québec home, Canada, by Ménard Dworkind

This home in Montréal centres around a lime-plastered, curved central block that sweeps around a staircase and forms a mezzanine level that overlooks the living room.

Here, the rounded wall holds a terracotta fireplace. A geometric steel table adds a more modernist and industrial feel to the organic interior.

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Plywood kitchen inside Iceberg apartment by Laila Architecture — Photo by Mikaela Burstow

Iceberg apartment, Israel, by Laila Architecture

Natural lime plaster covers the walls in this Israeli apartment, which gets its name from a large birch plywood storage volume resembling an iceberg.

In the kitchen, the plaster walls were complemented with birch plywood cabinetry and sunny pastel-hued chairs.

Find out more about the Iceberg apartment ›

Kitchen inside Low Energy House designed by Architecture for London — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian Brailey

Low Energy House, UK, by Architecture for London

The minimalist interior of this energy-saving home in north London was designed using wood, stone and lime plaster by studio Architecture for London.

Designed as a home for its founder, Ben Ridley, it had some problems with dampness. To help solve this, walls were coated with lime plaster to form an airtight layer, mitigating any heat loss.

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Living room in Casa Soleto — Photo by Salva López

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

Studio Andrew Trotter and Marcelo Martínez renovated this 17th-century Puglia house, using natural materials and colours wherever possible.

Earth-coloured lime plaster decorates the walls, adding to the rustic feel of the space and matching the tactile and rough-hewn materials and furniture used for the interior.

Find out more about Casa Soleto ›

Church Street extension by Whittaker Parsons — Photo by Jim Stephenson

North London home, UK, by Whittaker Parsons

A home in London’s Stoke Newington was given an additional storey made from copper, larch and structural insulated panels, which houses a bedroom suite.

Architecture studio Whittaker Parsons chose lime plaster for the walls of the space, which was designed to have a serene feel.

“Lime render is a calming tactile material, characterful and soft,” said Whittaker Parsons. “It is a low-carbon alternative to gypsum plaster. It’s also a hygroscopic material, so it naturally moderates the moisture level in the bedroom.”

Find out more about this North London home ›

Reference

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Conclusion and Further Explorations

Dorothée Meilichzon blends nautical and art deco inside Biarritz hotel

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“Architects Are Bad at Business:” Here’s Why and What We Can Do About It

Architects are often more focused on the creative aspects of their work rather than business ones.

Architects are not trained in business practices.

Architects are often reluctant to change.

Architects are not good at selling their services.

Architects don’t like to ask for help.

Eight kitchens with tiled worktops that are practical but pretty

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josé pedro lima turns butcher shop into skylit space in portugal

josé pedro lima gives new life to old butcher shop in portugal

restoring skylights amid a white and minimal backdrop

Eight serene interiors with decorative lime plaster walls

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