Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio has reimagined the experience of shopping for sex toys, creating a store in New York modelled on a collegiate locker room.
The Contact Sports shop on Mercer Street in Soho is designed to feel very different to the typical spaces in which products for sex are purchased.
The store interior features walnut panelling and mosaic flooring
“In a survey conducted before launch, the majority of people reported feeling uncomfortable walking into a sex store,” said the studio. “Uninviting exteriors felt intimidating, the aisles were hard to navigate, and the shelves stocked hundreds of products that were hard to decipher.”
Working with Ringo Studio founder Madelynn Ringo – who has designed retail spaces for Glossier, Bala and Our Place – the brand devised a shopping experience based around sport, and used cues from this world to inform the interiors.
Merchandise is displayed on brass rails and shelving
The retail space includes an area at the front that sells long-stem roses in singles or bundles, including a 15-foot (4.5 metre) wall on which the fresh-cut red flowers are stored.
Beyond, dark walnut panelling, brass rails and shelves, and green cushions give the store a collegiate atmosphere, while mosaic floor tiles and baskets of towels evoke a locker room.
Walnut panelling forms locker-like cubby holes for displaying products
Vintage sporting ephemera like tennis rackets, boxing gloves and American football helmets are displayed on higher shelves.
Below, the selection of “entry-level gear and sensual gifts” from brands such as Kiki de Montparnasse, Lelo, Dame, Maude, Future Method and more are merchandised in locker-style cubbyholes.
“Contact Sports flips the traditional model on its head and takes a more curated approach, stocking only 70 products at launch,” the studio said.
“Their team spent more than a year vetting a category that includes tens of thousands to offer only the best of the best, with unexpected touches that enhance the full experience around the sport.”
The store features a Joe Chair shaped like a baseball glove
The space is illuminated from above by a light box behind a wooden lattice, while softer lighting is installed in the cubbies.
An iconic chair shaped like a giant baseball mitt by designers Jonathan de Pas, Donato D’urbino and Paolo Lomazzi sits next to the white counter, above which the brand’s cursive logo glows in neon.
Long-stem red roses are sold at the front of the store
The sex toy industry has grown significantly in recent years, as taboos have broken and social acceptance has widened. See some of the most unusual sex toys featured on Dezeen.
However, “the retail experience itself had yet to evolve,” said the Contacts Sports team, which hopes the store will change how shopping for sex gear should look and feel.
The UK chapter of Architects Declare has responded to a recent opinion piece published on Dezeen that argued the climate network has been a “failure”.
In a statement provided to Dezeen, which is published below in full, the steering group for UK Architects Declare stated that the opinion piece contained “numerous flaws”.
Written by Chris Hocknell, director of UK sustainability consultancy Eight Versa, the original article claimed that Architects Declare’s commitments were unrealistic and that many architecture studios which signed up to the initiative have failed to implement its aims.
“While bold and splashy commitments may make for impressive LinkedIn posts, failing to meet those targets undermines faith in the power of commitments and discourages others from taking the collective action required to effect real change,” Hocknell wrote.
“Surprisingly defeatist”
In its response, UK Architects Declare said: “In summary, on these key questions, we agree that we need to accelerate the pace of change and that there are too many firms continuing with business as usual or very close to it.”
“Where we disagree is in the implied assertion that the solution is to return to conventional approaches to sustainability,” it continued.
The group argued that “a target-setting and compliance approach would be mistaken”, suggesting that such mechanisms have proved ineffective in combating climate change.
It also claimed that Hocknell’s argument that many of the Architects Declare commitments are outside of architects’ control is “surprisingly defeatist”.
Commitments made in good faith “admirable in our view”
However, the statement said the steering group “partly agree” that some studios are not implementing Architects Declare’s commitments.
“We haven’t seen the level of change necessary to match what the science shows is required […] but it’s absurd to suggest that lack of full commitment invalidates the whole initiative,” it added.
Hocknell’s piece also argued that “no commitment is often better than a failed one” when it comes to climate-target setting.
“We fundamentally disagree,” the UK Architects Declare response said. “As long as the commitment is made in good faith and followed up earnestly, that is admirable in our view.”
“There is clearly a long way to go in little time”
Architects Declare was established in May 2019 by an initial group of 17 Stirling Prize-winning UK studios. It now has nearly 1,300 signatories, with thousands more across 28 different countries.
It is based around pledges to move towards designing buildings and cities that go beyond limiting carbon emissions to having a positive impact on the planet and biodiversity.
Among the 12 Architects Declare commitments are promises to “evaluate all new projects against the aspiration to contribute positively to mitigating climate breakdown”, “accelerate the shift to low embodied carbon materials in all our work” and “include life cycle costing, whole life carbon modelling and post occupancy evaluation as part of our basic scope of work”.
As part of its response to Hocknell’s piece, UK Architects Declare listed its achievements, including the publication of resources on implementing the pledges, a book on regenerative design co-authored by a steering-group member and attempts to influence Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats policies.
“There is clearly a long way to go in little time, but there is much greater action on regenerative design now than there was four years ago, and a greater understanding of the shortcomings of conventional sustainability,” the statement said.
“We think it’s fair for AD to be credited with some of that shift – and to be constructively challenged and supported in reaching further.”
Last year, the design industry followed architecture in establishing the Design Declares campaign, with eight founding signatories.
The full response from UK Architects Declare is below:
We would like to respond to the recent article that made a number of assertions about Architects Declare. Its numerous flaws could have been addressed had the author contacted us to shape a constructive piece on how architects can offer their skills, experience and commitment to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency. Nevertheless, we are keen to clarify where we agree or disagree with the piece and correct the record.
Firstly, we should point out that Architects Declare (AD) is an international movement with active groups in 28 countries and is part of the wider Built Environment Declares. The article focused on us in the UK without making that distinction – presumably, the author’s experience is with UK practices – and we hope that readers outside the UK will not feel that the criticism aimed at us (incorrectly, as we show) was an attack on them also. We are responding as the steering group for UK Architects Declare.
We welcome reasoned discussion. Indeed, effective dialogue has been one of AD’s aims from the start. AD has a well-developed theory of change, drawing on solid research in systems thinking and how best to move the current system – in this case, away from a failing assumption that improved sustainability will solve the emergency over time to one of regenerative design that addresses the emergency head on. We say more on that below, but it’s important to recognise that the original article spoke from within the current sustainability paradigm.
We address the article’s key assertions, which were:
1. That we should set “realistic, achievable and accountable” targets and have a means by which these are enforced
As a theory of change, this is almost identical to what’s been advocated for the last 30 years as sustainability and has not got us anywhere near to where we need to be. The latest IPCC report, AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023, is a stark reminder of the urgent need for action. Global greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase and we need to be doing much more, much faster, or we risk not being able to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius, let alone 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is why AD’s theory of change builds on Donella Meadows’ system thinking, which asserts that the most influential way to change a system is by intervening at the level of the paradigm or mindset that determines how it behaves. The second-most effective leverage point is to change the goals of the system. The transition we need is far more than some simple industrial shift focused almost exclusively on carbon. What’s required is a broader cultural shift that extends perspectives beyond carbon to much wider issues, including the whole web of life, and beyond a limited ambition of mitigating negatives towards optimising positives.
We believe a target-setting and compliance approach would be mistaken for AD. The system change required is difficult to achieve simply working at that level, even at scale. And to monitor 1,200-plus signatories would mean AD charging significant subscriptions and taking on a policing role. This would undoubtedly put off large numbers of would-be signatories which, in turn, would reduce our influence when making the case to government on the role that it needs to play.
2. That a number of the practices are not implementing AD’s declaration points
On this point we partly agree. We haven’t seen the level of change necessary to match what the science shows is required. We have seen a range of responses among AD signatories.
Some have adopted the spirit of the declaration, implementing new procedures throughout their companies, including new positions for heads of regenerative design. Some have signed and are now striving to catch up – and we’re working to assist them with a range of resources. Others have signed up and taken little or no action. While the latter category is disappointing, having more signatories signals the required direction of change and makes the collective voice more influential, and we hope that, in time, all signatories will be encouraged and enabled (internally by staff, externally by broader cultural and professional shifts) to engage more meaningfully.
Obviously we would prefer all practices to be in the first category but it’s absurd to suggest that lack of full commitment invalidates the whole initiative.
3. That some of the declaration points are outside an architect’s remit
This statement is surprisingly defeatist. Perceived limits to people’s agency are a major part of why there has been so little progress, and this includes architects as much as other professions and communities. Where we see that urgent change is necessary, but feel this to be outside our control, we need to find ways to extend our agency through broader industry collaboration and through pushing for higher-level systems change.
4. That making no commitments on climate is better than making a commitment and failing to meet it
We fundamentally disagree. The changes necessary to address the planetary emergency are currently well beyond even the most progressive practices, and there is no built-environment company we’re aware of that could be described as fully regenerative. To suggest that making no commitment is better than failing to meet a stretching one is a counsel of despair. Anyone who advised a business not to bother if they couldn’t see a way to make progress would be doing a very poor job.
Many of the practices that signed the declaration did not at that time know how they would address its challenges, but making a commitment to try is the important first step. As long as the commitment is made in good faith and followed up earnestly, that is admirable in our view. Sharing knowledge of our successes and failures on that journey is part of the process and key to improvement.
In summary, on these key questions, we agree that we need to accelerate the pace of change and that there are too many firms continuing with business as usual or very close to it. Where we disagree is in the implied assertion that the solution is to return to conventional approaches to sustainability. We would welcome an informed critique of our theory of change and can provide the key sources for anyone wishing to do that.
The article also made some confused comments about AD’s interaction with government, which overlook the role governments could and should play in accelerating the shifts we need. Developers operate within an economic system and if that system is leading to collapse then it’s right that governments should be expected to change it. There are inspiring examples like doughnut economics that AD has advocated, and there are examples of governmental bodies are already getting on board with that shift.
Have we achieved what we set out to do? Even a brief account of what AD has done and continues to do (which the article fails to even attempt) will suggest the progress we are making and the direction we are moving in.
Many signatory architects described our first event, at which Kate Raworth and Jeremy Lent spoke, as a turning point in their careers
And many people – steering group members and other volunteers from signatory practices – worked hard to produce AD’s extensive and well-received Practice Guide and a comprehensive series of Action Practice Masterclasses based on that: all specifically structured to help practices progress with their commitment to the declaration. We are collaborating again to include regenerative design guidance
One of our steering group members has co-authored a book exploring the philosophical shifts and practical steps involved in moving from “sustainable” to “regenerative”
We’ve organised many events with high-profile speakers on topics such as new economics, long-term thinking, company transformation, climate justice and regenerative materials
We work with others to ensure the best reach of our efforts and expertise – not least with the RIBA to launch our joint Built for the Environment report and summit ahead of the COP26 summit held in the UK
And we challenge others, not just government, where they can help change the goals of the system: for example, making the case to the RIBA that the strategic mission of the profession needs to be updated and seeking to engage the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats on a transformative new mission
There is more work underway, both to help our signatories meet the challenges of the declaration while improving their businesses, and to make strong calls on those who can do what architects cannot do alone: change the system that perpetuates the planetary emergency to one that addresses it. And we share progress and problems with other declare groups here in the UK and around the world, with regular international gatherings on Zoom.
All of this gives us, our partners and our signatories strength in pushing ahead. There is clearly a long way to go in little time, but there is much greater action on regenerative design now than there was four years ago, and a greater understanding of the shortcomings of conventional sustainability. We think it’s fair for AD to be credited with some of that shift – and to be constructively challenged and supported in reaching further.
Importantly, our declaration draws attention, front and centre, to what is needed across the built environment and its stakeholders. What is needed is not merely a continuation of conventional sustainability but striving to change the mindset and the goals of the system.
From the steering group for UK Architects Declare: Duncan Baker-Brown, Julia Barfield, Alasdair Ben Dixon, Mandy Franz, Tara Gbolade, Tom Greenall, Kevin Logan, Anna Lisa McSweeney, Ken Okonkwo, Anna Pamphilon, Michael Pawlyn, Craig Robertson, Zoe Watson, Andrew Waugh and Anna Woodeson.
Some of the AD Steering Group with speakers at our November 2022 ‘Building Justice: Crisis Solutions’ event.”
The photo, showing members of the Architects Declare steering group together with speakers at a November 2022 Architects Declare event, is courtesy of UK Architects Declare.
Spotted: Every year, approximately three million metric tonnes of microplastics enter the environment worldwide, and they are found everywhere within agriculture, food, and cosmetics. Now, Germany-based Bioweg has created bio-based ingredients to be used as alternatives to plastic-based additives and polymers.
The startup’s technology combines fermentation, material science, and molecular simulation to develop biodegradable and sustainable bio-ingredients. All Bioweg’s ingredients are customisable, vegan, GMO-free, easily scalable, and sustainably produced without the need for harsh chemicals.
Bioweg has four products: MicBead and Rheweg are solutions to microplastics in cosmetics and personal care, AgriWeg replaces petroleum and acrylic-based coatings in fertilisers and seeds, while HydroWeg is a sustainably derived hydrocolloid for plant-based food. To make its ingredients sustainable, the company converts low-value by-products, residues, and waste from the food and agriculture industry – like molasses and vegetable peels – into high-value and circular products.
The company ferments these by-products to create microbial cellulose in a zero-waste process and Bioweg has identified high-yielding strains based on more than 10,000 lab-scale and factorial design-based experiments. And to further improve the yield, the company optimises the genetic makeup of the strains using classical and new genetic engineering techniques.
So that it may create ingredients that are perfect for end use, Bioweg performs molecular simulations, including structural and thermodynamic analysis. This allows the company to test various cellulose fibrils’ properties with different functionalisation levels. Then, using green chemistry principles, Bioweg can adapt the fibrils for various designs and purposes.
Microplastics have become a severe problem for the oceans, land, and humans, and Springwise has spotted many innovations looking to clear up and replace these harmful ingredients. One company has created dissolving make-up wipes that leave no microplastics or waste, and researchers are even looking into removing microplastics with sound.
Judging for the 11th A+Awards is now underway! While awaiting the Winners, learn more about Architizer’s Vision Awards. The Main Entry Deadline on June 9th is fast approaching. Start your entry today >
For the 2023 Vision Awards, Architizer has divided the Best Architectural Visualization category into three sub-categories: Photorealistic, Illustrative/Artistic, and A.I. generated. This last one has predictably raised eyebrows.
On Facebook, a reader named Milena Tos asked how someone could possibly win an award for an image created by an A.I. program. “What is going to be the criteria?” Tos asked. “Who picked the best image from 50 images that Midjourney created in a few minutes?”
Their comment ended with a provocation: “An architect who writes a prompt does exactly what clients do – give ‘prompts’ to architects. Is Edgar Kaufmann an author of Fallingwater?”
The implication was clear – and haunting. The specter of A.I. threatens to make architects irrelevant, as it does with so many other professions. Maybe not today… maybe not tomorrow… but still, the ax looms. Why make A.I.’s takeover easier by validating its visuals with awards?
Prompt: “Midjourney as it imagines itself.” Created by Midjourney v. 4. Chikorita, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Editor-in-Chief Paul Keskeys mused a thoughtful response to Tos’s questions, noting first that generating a great prompt is not as simple as it looks, and second that great A.I. images are often the result of “refinements” within the A.I. program. They’re not, in other words, just the first thing the program spits out. The winning A.I. visualization for the 2023 Vision Awards will likely be one created under the guidance of a person with a real sense for architecture.
Still, Keskeys conceded that A.I. has lowered the barrier to entry for architectural thinking. “I don’t think everyone is going to become ‘the architect’ of their own houses overnight,” he said, “but these tools do make ideation accessible to a far greater number of people, so it will be intriguing to see where that takes us…”
I agree with Keskeys that it will be intriguing to watch how architecture and other creative disciplines evolve now that A.I. programs like Midjourney exist alongside more familiar digital tools. I applaud Architizer for including A.I. generated images in the Vision Awards, as this type of work deserves critical scrutiny and analysis. It is nothing if not relevant and should not be ignored.
Nevertheless — and I cannot stress this point strongly enough — I loathe A.I. and wish that it did not exist. I also don’t think it’s actually “intelligent” for reasons that have been discussed widely by other writers. (By “A.I” here I mean these new neural network programs with the uncanny ability to mimic human creative labor. I’m not talking about Google Search or the calculator).
It is understandable that people want to avoid taking an old fashioned position and subsequently being swept into the dustbin of history. But this hang up is preventing us from thinking clearly right now. It must be abandoned for two reasons.
Prompt: “White castle with a magenta roof, two gardens in the front yard and a golden statue in the middle of the front yard, 4k, Renaissance.” via Midjourney v. 4 Mhatopzz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
First of all, an accurate reckoning with history must begin by acknowledging that the painters were correct. Painting today has nowhere near the commercial application that it did 150 years ago, and as a result fewer people are learning how to paint. A whole sphere of human creativity withered on the vine, just as predicted. Luckily, it was replaced by a new, equally rich creative medium. You or I might not lament the advent of photography, but it is easy to understand why people did so in the past. Technology really can transform how people live, think, and create.
The second reason is more significant. This has to do with what these neural networks essentially are, that is, the specific processes by which they generate these uncannily humanlike texts and images. Indeed, the more one learns about how A.I. works, the more ominous it seems. If it changes us, it seems that this change could not possibly be for the good.
A.I. is nothing like the camera. It is nothing like the printing press, the Internet or any of the other “disruptive” technologies it is often compared to. Unlike these technologies, A.I. is philosophically insidious. It does not simply change the means by which people create, but undermines the very foundations of creativity itself.
To understand why, let’s begin with the camera. What is a camera? The camera is a tool for documenting objects in the world. A photograph does not, of course, provide a clear window onto reality but, like a painting, presents a necessarily limited, curated perspective, that of the artist or artists. In this, photography is the same as every other artistic medium; it is an imperfect tool for representing reality objectively that, through its imperfections, allows the subjectivity of the artist to shine through.
What is a Large Language Model like Chat GPT or an Image Model like Midjourney? These are machines that boil down a vast amount of data drawn from the Internet in order to perceive statistical patterns. They then use these patterns to predict likely outputs for user generated prompts. In essence, they show you what they think you want to see based on averages. As the artist Hito Steyerl writes in “Mean Images,” her brilliant essay for The New Left Review, “They represent the norm by signaling the mean. They replace likeness with likeliness.”
Prompt Unkown. City landscape generated by Midjourney v. 4. Artist: Kent Madsen. via Wikimedia Commons
Whose subjectivity is expressed in a work generated by A.I.? In one sense all of ours — a hive mind. Like a vampire, the machine feeds on the labor of millions of faceless artists, stripping away everything that is unique about their work. Even if one tweaks the prompts to create outputs that appear novel, they are still “mean images,” or statistical representations of some kind of common denominator. At best, they are emissaries from the collective unconscious. At worst, they are stereotypes, and indeed Steyerl draws a connection between the way A.I. image generation works and the composite portraits created by eugenicist Francis Galton.
In the 1880s, Galton created images of racial “types” by superimposing hundreds of faces on top of each other, blurring out the details and leaving only the common denominators, the features that members of these racial groups had in common. That is to say he created racist caricatures but gave them the imprimatur of science.
It is not simply Galton’s aim we should deplore, but his method as well. There is an intrinsic violence in the process of generalization, which is the process of flattening difference to conform with ideological presuppositions. And this is how these A.I. programs work — this is what they do, fundamentally and by definition.
In a photograph or drawing, the thing itself inevitably escapes, often to the chagrin of the artist. However, in an A.I. rendering, the thing itself is not even a relevant reference point. What you are looking at is not an interpretative view of an object or an idea, but a model of patterns in the data. An A.I. visualization of a building may look like a digital rendering created by an artist, but categorically it is a very different type of object.
A.I. is not creative and it is not intelligent; it is just the newest method for packaging human labor in the mystifying form of a commodity. As I see it, the most immediate danger with A.I. is not that it will take our jobs, although for many this is a risk. It is that we will become too used to using these programs and interacting with their outputs. Little by little, we will begin to think like them. Data will replace thought as our most familiar model of reality, our window onto the world.
To loop back to our starting point, Architzer is right to include A.I. images in its Vision Awards. This is a new species of image that we, as a society, are going to have to learn how to live with whether we like it or not. But readers are also right to have their suspicions. While it might be futile to try to stop technology in its tracks, it is foolish to pretend that the outcomes of technological progress are always benign. They aren’t, and this is one of the most philosophically troubling innovations yet.
Judging for the 11th A+Awards is now underway! While awaiting the Winners, learn more about Architizer’s Vision Awards. The Main Entry Deadline on June 9th is fast approaching. Start your entry today >
Cover image: Prompt: ” a low quality disposable camera fujifilm photo of a glowing female cyborg and glowing male cyborg standing motionless together staring into the camera dramatically in a 2000s nightclub, vintage rave lighting, motion blur” via Midjourney v4. Cameron Butler, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Danish artist Thomas Poulsen, also known as FOS, has revamped the flagship store of accessories brand Boyy in Milan, keeping time-worn surfaces left over from the site’s former fit-outs.
This marks the third time that FOS has refreshed the space on Via Bagutta since 2021, as part of the artist’s plan to create a dynamic “evolving” store.
FOS has redesigned Boyy’s flagship in Milan
In its first incarnation, the Boyy flagship had funhouse-style mirrors, walls draped in faded pink fabric and cobalt-blue carpets emblazoned with everyday objects.
This colour scheme was inverted for the second iteration of the store featuring blue walls and bubblegum-pink carpet. Elements of both of these schemes now remain in the store’s third and final form, which was left purposefully unfinished.
Unpanelled sections of the wall reveal the store’s past fit-outs
“This space was an experiment in formulating a shared language for how Boyy could develop as a brand,” FOS explained.
“We started by creating an installation – the first rendition – then used that experience to create a second installation, and finally built upon the combined experience to create this final permanent space that we have now arrived at.”
“We always envisioned the third rendition as the final act,” added Boyy co-founder Jesse Dorsey.
Accessories are displayed inside illuminated glass vitrines
The Boyy flagship now has walls panelled with the same grey ceppo stone that clads the store’s facade.
Some areas were left without panelling, revealing the aged, fabric-lined walls left behind by a previous occupant – a 50-year-old antique shop that sold quaint Americana-style objects for the home.
Blue fabric can also be seen hanging in the rear corner, saved from FOS’s second overhaul of the space.
These swathes of time-worn fabric were enclosed inside aluminium window frames, as were some of the store’s display units.
Elsewhere, Boyy’s selection of shoes and handbags can be showcased in several illuminated glass vitrines or on the ledge that runs around the periphery of the store.
The store has been finished with terrazzo flooring
FOS also created a display shelf around a crumbling structural column that sits in the middle of the floor plan.
A couple of tiered, sea-green bench seats were dotted throughout the store as decoration, complementing the flecks of greens stone that are found in the terrazzo floor.
Curved benches provide seating throughout the store
Milan is home to an abundance of visually striking retail spaces.
Others include the Moschino flagship, which was designed to reference the history of ancient Italy, and the Off-White store, which is decked out with natural materials like Patagonia granite.
Spotted: The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) analysis of the solar photovoltaic industry found that “more than [a] threefold increase in annual capacity deployment [is needed] until 2030” in order to meet the global net-zero emissions goal for 2050. That is a huge increase in capacity and is a volume most agencies and governments struggle to meet. Solar farms in general require a significant amount of ground space, making it difficult to find locations that are large enough and close enough to the communities they serve to minimise transport costs.
France’s HelioRec is looking to coastal waters as a potential solution to this challenge. Many densely populated urban areas lack the land needed to build renewable energy sources at a usable scale. Many of those cities are, however, located on the coast. By looking to the surface of the nearby bodies of water as a potential foundation for a renewable energy plant, an entirely new space of opportunity is created.
HelioRec’s floating solar systems are customisable, made from recycled plastics, and designed to minimise maintenance costs and time. The floating solar farms use water for balance and stability, rather than costly and environmentally damaging concrete or metal. The company’s bespoke, flexible connectors make a range of configurations and sizes possible, with output ranging from 10 kilowatts (kW) of energy up to 100 megawatts (MW).
The company uses algorithms to help predict energy generation, making it easier for users to plan for a volume of power to sell and to project how much should be available for times of peak demand. The solar farms can also be used as a dock and charging station for electric boats.
Innovators are increasingly looking to the world’s waterways for solutions to global challenges. Recent developments spotted by Springwise include a nanogenerator that harnesses the energy of the ocean to power sensors and a floating platform for generating continuous electricity from rivers.
David Adjaye presents ‘The Kwaeε’ at Venice Architecture Biennale
At the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, acclaimed British architect David Adjaye has unveiled a striking triangular pavilion crafted exclusively from timber. Positioned just outside of the Arsenale Central Pavilion, the eye-catching structure is aptly titled ‘The Kwaeε,’ taking its name after the word ‘forest’ in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language spoken by millions of people in southern and central Ghana.
David Adjaye’s triangular pavilion stands just outside the Arsenale | image by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia (also head image)
‘The Kwaeε’ installation by David Adjaye (find more here) embodies the essence of its namesake through its form and materiality. Crafted entirely from wood, this triangular prism structure incorporates two oculi, creating an interesting visual composition. By seamlessly merging elements of doorways, platforms, assemblies, and windows, the installation forms a harmonious and unified entity. The deliberate distortion of the shape, thoughtfully angled and integrated with its surroundings, generates passages and openings that facilitate a continuous flow of movement and interaction. Moreover, the structure’s vertical black timber slabs produce a captivating interplay of light and shadow, enveloping the space with a serene forest-like atmosphere.
Located right outside of the historic Arsenale grounds at the Venice Biennale (find more here), the pavilion stands out as a captivating addition, showcasing the rich diversity of African and African diaspora practitioners. Its external triangular prism structure contrasts with an internally sculpted ovoid chamber reminiscent of a cave. This design allows visitors to gaze at the sky through the oculi while enjoying glimpses of the surrounding canal through the intricately crafted timber interstices. Not only does the installation provide a tranquil space for reflection and respite, but it also serves as a versatile venue for multiple events and gatherings, accommodating diverse needs and purposes.
the external triangular prism structure contrasts with an internally sculpted ovoid chamber | image by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia
crafted entirely from wood, the triangular prism structure incorporates two oculi | image by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia
From a plant-enclosed terrace in Mexico to a large rooftop garden set beneath a metal pergola in Tokyo, Dezeen’s latest lookbook highlights eight interiors with impressive balconies and terraces.
Each of these balconies and terraces is accessed via glazed walls or floor-to-ceiling glass and provides their homes with not only a physical but also a visual extension of the interior that merges the in- and outdoors.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, gallery interiors, and garden swimming pools.
Photo is by Alex Shoots Buildings
Terrace With a House by the Lake, Poland, by UGO
This summer holiday home was created by Poznań architecture studio UGO and is located near a lake in Wielkopolska, Poland.
From the home’s main living area, a large 120-metre-long wooden terrace is accessed via expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors and double-height glazed walls. The studio described the terrace as an additional room for the home.
Find out more about Terrace With a House by the Lake ›
Photo is by César Béjar
House in Xalap, Mexico, by Lopez Gonzalez
House in Xalap is a 528-square-metre residence that was built on a slight slope. The exterior of the home was rendered in cement which was painted black to mimic the look of a rock formation.
From a dining area, which was clad in black marble and wooden panels, maroon-framed glass doors lead out to a volcanic stone-tiled patio that is walled by lush and tropical planting and geometric sculptures.
Find out more about House in Xalap ›
Photo is by Masao Nishikawa
Espirit House, Japan, Apollo Architects & Associates
A large roof terrace tops Espirit House in Tokyo, which was designed by Apollo Architects & Associates. The terrace is covered by a metal pergola that transforms the open-air space into an additional room of the home.
The terrace is accessed on the third floor of the home from behind a fully glazed wall. A sectional sofa, dining table and large planters filled with local shrubbery decorate the terrace.
Find out more about Espirit House ›
Photo is by Niveditaa Gupta
Villa KD45, India, by Studio Symbiosis
This concrete home in Dehli was designed by Studio Symbiosis for a large family of eight. As a result of thinly framed floor-to-ceiling windows and the home’s exterior concrete floors carrying through to the interior, the boundaries of the indoors and outdoors are blurred.
Studio Symbiosis also nestled small terraces between both of the home’s floors. Decorative seating provides residents with relaxing outdoor areas that are shaded from the Indian sun.
Find out more about Villa KD45 ›
Photo is by Dapple Photography
Rescobie Pavilion, Scotland, by Kris Grant Architect
A cantilevered balcony wraps around the exterior of the two-storey Rescobie Pavilion in rural Scotland. The structure was created as a free-standing extension of a nearby home so that its residents could immerse themselves in the landscape.
The structure was topped with a mono-pitched roof that orients the interior to the landscape, and is enveloped in expanses of glass that provide the pavilion with unobstructed panoramic views of the hamlet.
Find out more about Rescobie Pavilion ›
Photo is by Rory Gardiner
835 High Street, Australia, by Carr
At 835 High Street, a residential apartment block in Melbourne, Australian architecture studio Carr looked to play with feelings of openness within the interior.
It added large wrap-around floor-to-ceiling windows that lead out to covered balconies, which aim to complement and juxtapose the relationship between the interior and exterior. The interiors feature a paired-back scheme and were decorated with designer furniture, including a Mario Bellini Camaleonda sofa.
Find out more about 835 High Street ›
Photo is by Pedro Vannucchi
Moenda House, Brazil, by Felipe Rodrigues
This split-level home in southeastern Brazil was designed by Brazilian architect Felipe Rodrigues and has undisrupted views of the Mantiqueria mountains.
The ground floor of the home contains shared living spaces, which have an open-plan design. The open-plan kitchen, living and dining room are surrounded by a cantilevered wrap-around balcony that is covered in grey tiles similar to those used throughout the interior.
Find out more about Moenda House ›
Photo is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud
Ying’nFlo, Hong Kong, by Linehouse
An angular balcony protrudes from the interior of the Ying’nFlo guesthouse in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The guesthouse was designed by Chinese interior design studio Linehouse, which looked to create the feeling of an inviting home.
One of the rooms at the guesthouse features a neutral palette and incorporates hand-rendered walls, timber panelling and linen cabinetry. From here, glass sliding doors lead out to a beige tiled balcony that was fitted with a built-in bench and an olive tree at its centre.
Find out more about Ying’nFlo ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, gallery interiors, and garden swimming pools.
Spotted: In the average European household, showers are responsible for over a third of water loss and around a quarter of energy usage. And with rising energy prices across Europe, one 10-minute shower could cost almost €3. To help save people money and energy, a Swiss-based company, Joulia, has created technology to recover heat energy from a warm shower.
The Joulia-Inline heat recycling technology uses a shower drain channel that is connected to cold water pipes. When someone takes a shower, the warm shower water runs over these pipes instead of going straight down the drain and preheats the incoming cold water. With the preheated cold water, the shower uses less hot water at the mixer valve. By reusing water heat, Joulia helps customers reduce their energy consumption, utility bill, and carbon footprint, while providing a comfortable shower experience.
The technology is completely hidden, with the heat exchanger directly integrated into the shower area to recover energy. The line is also available in many lengths and efficiencies.
With its durable technology, Joulia says customers can save 60 per cent of their energy usage and because installation is quick, users can start saving on their bills immediately.
Showers, while relaxing, can break the bank and waste a lot of water and energy, and Springwise has spotted many innovations to reduce these stressors. These include a brand that has introduced a recycling shower that reduces water usage by 75 per cent and a smart sensor that encourages users to save water in the shower.
Stables linked by steel bridges and a clubhouse with a cantilevered terrace feature at the Hípico Piedra Grande equestrian complex in rural Mexico, designed by Studio RC.
Located in Huixquilucan in the State of Mexico, the complex includes a rectilinear clubhouse and a block of stables surrounded by gravel roads and green areas and meandering riding trails.
Hípico Piedra Grande equestrian complex is located in rural Mexico
Mexican architecture office Studio RC arranged the building around a central patio and positioned it on the hillside to complement the natural surroundings.
The low-slung clubhouse was constructed from a skeleton of columns and steel beams, which are also exposed on the interior.
The clubhouse’s terrace cantilevers off the hillside
The building’s facade is defined by rugged stone walls and a timber roof – materials sourced from the area.
“The project seeks to alter the site as little as possible, looking for a contemporary language that in turn was appropriate for the context,” said the studio.
Steel bridges connect the stables
A gap was created between the clubhouse’s stone retaining walls and its interior spaces in order to create cross ventilation, while the building’s terrace gently cantilevers off the hillside.
Spread across three modules on two levels, the stables are positioned below the clubhouse and are connected by steel bridges, which create another open central patio used for walking horses.
One module is topped by a sawtooth roof
Dark grey concrete was used for the angular facade, while each module is characterised by sets of wooden shutters.
The stables’ uniform geometry is interrupted only by a sawtooth roof that tops one of the modules and takes advantage of natural light during the day and also captures rainwater for reuse.
Inside, Studio RC chose a recycled material for the stables’ flooring, which was designed to control the acoustics as well as provide suitable traction for walking horses.
The clubhouse interiors feature a similar simplicity. Board-formed concrete walls match pared-back neutral furniture while floor-to-ceiling glazing provides expansive views of the surrounding greenery.
The clubhouse features minimalist interiors
Elsewhere in Mexico, 1540 Arquitectura created stables from a series of triangular structures while Matias Zegers Architects inserted a skylight along the ridge of a stable near Santiago in Chile.
