Blog

Exterior of cast-iron building housing Canal Projects

Interior Design

Worrell Yeung renovates cast-iron New York building for Canal Projects

By Zarkon Group,10/04/2023

Architecture studio Worrell Yeung has renovated a historic cast-iron building in Soho for an arts organisation called Canal Projects, which hosts exhibitions “in an unmistakably New York City space”.

Sat between Soho and Tribeca, the five-storey landmark was built in 1900 as a manufacturing centre, featuring a decorative white facade, double-hung windows and an external fire escape all typical of the neighbourhood.

Its street and basement levels were renovated by Worrell Yeung to create a home for Canal Projects, a non-profit arts organisation that hosts exhibitions, talks, performances, readings and screenings for the community.

The studio was careful to retain as much of the building’s character as possible, highlighting the existing features like original masonry and steam radiators, and restoring them where necessary.

Patinated bronze panels line the entry threshold — Patinated bronze panels line the new entry threshold

Visitors arrive via a new entry threshold on Canal Street, where patinated bronze panels line the tall walls in a space intended to offer a moment of pause.

Up a short flight of steps is the main gallery space – a large, open and flexible room that can be programmed in accordance with the organisation’s needs.

The main gallery space is surrounded by windows and features historic details

“We designed the foundation to be a series of spaces that would compress and expand, collapse and unfold and move between dark and light,” said Worrell Yeung co-founder Jejon Yeung.

Surrounded by 14 large windows on two sides and boasting ceilings over 13 feet (four metres) tall, this room is light-filled and spacious.

A staircase leads down to more space at cellar level

New white oak floors complement the industrial details, including five cast iron columns and five wide flange steel columns that were exposed and restored.

“Similarly to providing artists with a distinctive platform, we wanted viewers to experience art in an unmistakably New York City space,” said Max Worrell, Worrell Yeung’s other co-founder.

Library space with pivoting shelves — A library area is formed by pivoting floor-to-ceiling shelves

“Passers-by will glimpse exhibitions from the street through the window walls along Canal and Wooster Streets, and visitors on the interior can see artwork with the city context visible in the background,” Worrell said.

Also on the ground-floor level are private offices for the curators and a bright orange public restroom.

The dark cellar space is used for film screenings

Next to a freestanding reception desk by artist Zachary Tuabe, a staircase leads down to the basement level, which has a much smaller occupiable footprint.

Darker and more enclosed, the cellar space features original brickwork, masonry and timber ceiling joists, and provides a very different exhibition space that is suitable for film screenings.

Orange kitchen — A bright orange kitchen is tucked into an alcove

Light from the steel sidewalk grates illuminates one end of the space, where a library area is created by floor-to-ceiling shelving that pivots as required.

A pantry area is hidden in an alcove behind a set of stable doors and is coloured entirely bright orange to match the upstairs restroom.

“We wanted artists to confront a venue that provides sufficient neutrality for their work, but that is also distinctly undivorceable from the Soho Cast Iron District,” said Yeung.

“This is a building typology unique to New York City, and a richly layered context within which to exhibit.”

Orange public bathroom — A public restroom on the upper level matches the kitchen

Canal Projects opened to the public in September 2022, with an exhibition titled Pray organised by artistic director and senior curator Summer Guthery.

The show featured works by Bangkok and New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, and American artist and filmmaker Alex Gvojic.

The Canal Projects building exterior at night — The building is located on the corner of Canal and Wooster Street, between Soho and Tribeca

Worrell Yeung was founded in 2015, and has worked on a variety of projects in and around New York.

The studio recently completed a timber-clad lake house with cantilevered roof planes in Connecticut, while past endeavours have included a Hamptons renovation, a Chelsea loft apartment, and the penthouse in the Dumbo Clocktower Building.

The photography is by Naho Kubota.

Project credits:

Architecture and interior design: Worrell Yeung
Worrell Yeung project team: Max Worrell, founder and principal; Jejon Yeung, founder and principal; Beatriz de Uña Bóveda, project manager; Yunchao Le, project designer
Structural engineer: Silman (Geoff Smith, Nick Lancellotti)
Lighting designer: Lighting Workshop (Doug Russell, Steven Espinoza)
MEP engineer: Jack Green Associates (Larry Green)
Expediter/code consultant: Anzalone Architecture (James Anzalone)
Contractor: Hugo Construction (Hugo Cheng, Kong Leong)

Reference

Sustainable News

Embedding climate action in company culture

By Zarkon Group,09/04/2023

Spotted: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s synthesis report contains a final warning to the world of the dangers of not keeping climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius or below. With temperatures already 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, there is a very slim window of time to push carbon emissions to a peak before they must rapidly decline. And Canadian startup Carbon Neutral Club has spotted a gap between corporate intentions and results that is slowing down progress.

More than 70 per cent of companies are setting sustainability goals, yet very few are achieving them, something that researchers say comes down to a lack of agreement on what to do and how to take action. Carbon Neutral Club helps reduce that uncertainty by turning employees into the driver of a company’s climate change work. The Club’s Sustainable Behaviours Platform supports workforce Climate Culture through personal carbon footprint measurements, Scope 3 measurements, team action goals, carbon offsets, and sustainable rewards.

Scope 3 measurements help employees choose the most sustainable travel and food options while providing detailed company-wide emissions reports. Carbon offsets support science-backed, third-party verified carbon emission reduction projects, and the Club provides a database of sustainable brands that give participants discounts on products. Carbon Neutral Club is available to individuals as well as companies of all sizes, and although currently available only in North America, the company plans to expand globally as quickly as possible. A recent $1.4 million CAD funding round will be used to support that expansion.

Timely, quality data is crucial in the fight to stop irreparable climate damage. Springwise has spotted innovations like an energy-tracking platform and supply chain decarbonisation support that are helping companies make sense of the volume of information and then translate that data into effective change.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

airhouse's wooden home floats above a steep slope in the japanese forest

Architecture

wooden house in yagota by airhouse floats in the japanese forest

By Zarkon Group,09/04/2023

airhouse unveils hovering house in yagoto

In a hilly residential area in Nagoya City, Japan, Airhouse has nestled a small Aichi Prefecture, residence into a slope engulfed in greenery. The House in Yagoto perches above a steep incline, surrounded by a thick curtain of trees and a forest to its northern edge. Resolving this challenging typology while minimizing cost and impact to the environment, the architects’ design solution conceives a construction foundation of only four steel columns, reducing the building’s ground contact area with a cantilevering reinforced concrete floor atop which a dark cedar-clad home appears to delicately float.

all images by Toshiyuki Yano

a serene mountain villa emerges in the japanese forest

The cantilevered floor serves as the foundation for the House in Yagoto which emerges as a seemingly hovering volume emerging above the landscape and steep slope. Its dark form sits in stark contrast to its context as its outer walls clad in cedar create the appearance of a serene mountain villa. With minimal impact on the natural surroundings, the team at Airhouse was able to economically construct the structure without cutting a confined, flat base in the ground and large retaining walls. ‘As a result, by thinking about the foundation of the building, we were able to build a house economically even on a sloping land, and we believe that we were able to create a rich living environment that floats in the forest,’ notes the Japanese architecture office.

Stepping inside the home, residents are greeted with a serene living experience immersed in nature. Airhouse has devised an airy interior completed with natural materials and open spaces that engages in continual dialogue with its natural context. From the cedar exterior to the carefully calculated height of the platform and structure and large opening in the direction of the forest, the concept seeks to weave views of the outdoors inside for an uplifting getaway.

Airhouse’s House in Yagoto emerges from a hillside in Japan

the home perches atop a reinforced concrete platform

the cedar-clad exterior creates the appearance of a serene mountain villa

a lofty, airy interior with industrial and natural finishes

large windows bring views of the adjacent forest inside

Reference

Budge Over Dover house in Sydney designed by YSG

Interior Design

Eight earthy kitchens where terracotta tiles add warmth and tactility

By Zarkon Group,09/04/2023

For this lookbook, we’ve collated eight kitchens from Dezeen’s archive that use terracotta tiling to bring a sense of warmth into the functional space.

Terracotta – meaning baked earth in Italian – technically refers to any object made from fired clay. But most commonly, the term is used to describe pottery made from a porous type of earthenware clay that is high in iron oxides, giving it a rusty reddish brown colour.

Unlike ceramic stoneware or porcelain, terracotta is fired at lower temperatures so it does not vitrify – meaning the clay retains a coarse, organic texture and isn’t waterproof unless it is glazed.

Used as a backsplash or flooring, this can bring some much-needed colour and texture into the kitchen while helping to create a connection to the outdoors.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

Budge Over Dover, Australia, by YSG

Australian studio YSG used narrow terracotta tiles to “draw the outside in” to this house in Sydney, spilling from the floor of the garden patio onto the adjacent kitchen and dining area, which can be opened up to the exterior using sliding glass doors.

The rough clay is paired with shiny aubergine-coloured plaster and travertine in the sunken living room beyond, creating a contrast between raw and polished surfaces.

Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›

Dining area in Farley Farmhouse by Emil Eve Architects — Photo by Mariell Lind Hansen

Farley Farmhouse, UK, by Emil Eve Architects

When Emil Eve Architects added a gabled kitchen to a farmhouse in Wiltshire, the British studio set out to mirror the material palette of the existing home by adding arrowhead terracotta tiles to the extension’s exterior.

Inside, matching rectangular tiles were laid in a herringbone pattern on the floor while a row of clay pendant lights hang from the wooden roof beams.

Find out more about Farley Farmhouse ›

Hygge Studio by Melina Romano — Photo by Denilson Machado

Hygge Studio, Brazil, by Melina Romano

Terracotta flooring and tan brick walls lend a “rustic charm” to this São Paulo apartment, designed by Brazilian designer Melina Romano.

The tiles spill out across the entire home including the bedroom and lounge, which is framed by a screen made of decorative perforated cobogó blocks.

Find out more about Hygge Studio ›

Las 3 Marías, Spain, by Bajet Giramé and Nicolas Burckhardt

All-over terracotta flooring was one of the ways that Spanish studio Bajet Giramé found to connect the kitchen of this 1960s holiday home to its generous backyard, alongside the addition of generous arched openings and perforated steel doors.

“We ended up working on the whole plot, treating both house and garden as a playful matrix of varied interconnected rooms,” the studio told Dezeen.

Find out more about Las 3 Marías ›

Interiors of La Odette apartment by Crü — Photo by Adrià Goula

La Odette, Spain, CRÜ

To create a bright, open floor plan inside this apartment in a Barcelona housing block that dates back to 1877, Spanish studio CRÜ tore down most of the internal petition walls

Instead, the kitchen is now delineated by a statement wall clad in terracotta tiles – left over from the flooring and turned back-to-front to reveal their ribbed underside.

Find out more about La Odette ›

Kitchen of West Bend House in Melbourne, designed by Brave New Eco

West Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco

Three kinds of tiling provide textural interest inside the kitchen of this “forever home” in Melbourne, with sections of rustic terracotta contrasted against a backsplash of teal-glazed ceramics.

Corrugated tiles were also folded around the pendant light above the island that illuminates the work area, courtesy of Australian lighting brand Southdrawn.

Como Taperia by Ste Marie — Photo by Conrad Brown

Conde Duque apartment by Sierra + De La Higuera — Photo by Conrad Brown

Reference

Sustainable News

An online marketplace for scrap metal

By Zarkon Group,08/04/2023

Spotted: Metals such as steel, copper and nickel are vital components of global infrastructure and consumer goods. While the production of primary metals is very carbon and energy-intensive, metals can be recycled essentially forever without any loss in quality. Although around 70 per cent of US and 55 per cent of European steel production is based on recycled steel, other metals are not recycled as assiduously. Startup Metcycle is working to improve this by digitally facilitating international scrap metal trading.

Metcycle directly connects verified buyers and sellers of scrap metal, allowing both to benefit from direct negotiation, with better prices, better margins, and time savings. The startup verifies each company involved using external providers. They also work with an external financial service provider that facilitates each payment and holds the funds secure in an individual escrow account until the goods have been delivered, adding additional security.

By providing a one-stop-shop for scrap metal buying and selling, Metcycle’s platform eliminates the time and cost involved in steps such as obtaining letters of credit. In addition, both parties in the transaction have full transparency on the status of each transaction and can directly communicate with each other. Metcycle makes its money by charging a 4 per cent commission on the transaction value (reduced to 2 per cent during the launch phase. The cost of the commission is split 50/50 between buyer and seller.

Co-founder Sebastian Brenner recently explained the benefit of using a broker like Metcycle, “For suppliers, Metycle takes the pain of negotiating, monitoring payment and logistics flows. For buyers, we give access to prime quality material, payment options in local currency, and at payment terms.”

Production of primary metals is incredibly energy intensive. This means that decarbonising the metal manufacturing industry is vital to achieving net zero. Luckily, there are an increasing number of innovations that are helping with this. These include the use of AI to improve efficiency and a new process that can reduce the carbon emissions from steel furnaces by 90 percent.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Entrance to the concrete Enclosure house by Design Ni Dukan with concrete canopy and grass lawn

Architecture

Design Ni Dukaan builds “citadel-like” concrete house in India

By Zarkon Group,08/04/2023

Multidisciplinary studio Design ni Dukaan has completed a house in Gujarat, India, with a board-formed concrete exterior walls that wrap the home and define courtyard spaces.

Located on a remote site in the municipality of Himmatnagar, the studio designed the undulating enclosing walls as a “second skin” informed by the spaces within.

“Situated on a mound, the citadel-like compound is bound by peripheral walls comprising two curved and two straight surfaces that are disjointed at their intersections to create points of entry or subtle exits into the adjacent landscape,” said Design ni Dukaan.

“In the absence of a strong context, we relied on the client’s brief to inspire the design, but his complete disinterest in how the house would look from the outside prompted us to question the very basis of built forms,” it continued. “This caused a shift in our perception that resulted in an inside-out approach to the design, wherein the experience of space from within took precedence over the external form.”

Wide shot of the exterior of the Enclosure concrete house complex by Design Ni Dukaan — The enclosing wall curves towards the main entrance

Two concrete walls curve towards a main entrance that is covered by a concrete canopy and leads to a central courtyard space.

The kitchen, formal living and dining room, secondary kitchen and dining room, two main bedroom suites and three additional bedroom suites are arranged around this central open space.

Set back from the courtyard are two additional bedroom suites, a gym and a lounge room next to an outdoor swimming pool.

Covered concrete walkway with a swing seat in front of an opening the the wall that overlooks a courtyard — A covered walkway separates interior spaces from the outdoor courtyard

A covered walkway creates a buffer between the outdoor courtyard and indoor spaces, protecting the interior from the harsh tropical sun and hot winds while letting in natural light and ventilation.

Design ni Dukaan added “frames” throughout the home, including a swing seat placed by a large opening that overlooks the courtyard.

At three points in the home, volumes rise above the height of the enclosing wall to second-floor level and accommodate an artist’s loft, attic room for the family’s grandson and a water tank.

“We imagined them as three sentinels in conversation, floating above a seamless sea of green once the vegetation had reclaimed the concrete,” said Design ni Dukaan.

A grass lawn and trees surrounded by a concrete home — Greenery was added to complement the concrete

The studio merged indoor and outdoor spaces using a material palette of textured concrete, white-plastered walls, Kota stone and greenery.

“When the vegetation eventually grows over this backdrop of grey, the boundaries between inside and outside will further dissolve and diminish any notion of form,” said Design ni Dukaan.

Double-height living space with concrete walls, wooden-framed windows and and opening leading to a courtyard lawn — The central courtyard lets natural light into the home

The texture of the concrete walls was created by unbolted wooden formwork and the imperfections in its finish informed material choices elsewhere in the house.

“The unpredictable but beautiful texture caused by the shifting and warping of unbolted wooden formwork was fascinating,” said the studio.

“We decided to embrace these ‘anticipated imperfections’ as part of the construction process, even extending this choice to the use of other materials such as the flooring in the corridors, which utilises strips of leftover stone from the interiors to mimic the pattern of the concrete walls.”

A living room with polished concrete floors, wood-panelled walls and a grey L-shaped sofa — The home was designed to entertain guests

The neutral colours of the concrete, stone and white walls are punctuated by terracotta-coloured accents, including swimming pool tiles, seating and sculptural objects.

More playful colours were used in some of the bathrooms, which have monochrome green, blue or golden finishes.

Swimming pool with red pool tiles and timber decking in front of a white house — The studio added terracotta-coloured accents

The home was designed for the residents to entertain guests, with a formal lounge opening onto a lawn and a movie theatre in the basement. The house also has a mandir with a depiction of the deity Shreenathji engraved in black granite.

Other examples of concrete homes in India that use central courtyards to keep interior spaces cool in the hot summers include a house in Bharuch designed by Samira Rathod Design Atelier and a home in Chennai by Matharoo Associates.

The photography is by Ishita Sitwala, The Fishy Project.

Project credits:

Principal architect: Ar Veeram Shah
HVAC consultants: Anjaria associates
Structural consultants: Saunrachna Strucon Pvt
Contractor: Vastu Engineers

Reference

Crittal-style window inside Ghost House by BPN Architects

Interior Design

Eight living spaces with industrial Crittal-style windows

By Zarkon Group,08/04/2023

Industrial-looking living spaces with Crittal-style windows and doors are the focus of this lookbook, which includes an apartment in Israel and a rural Chinese house.

Crittal-style windows and doors are characterised by their gridded metal frames, traditionally made of steel with a bold black finish.

They are modelled on the iconic Crittal windows by ironmonger Francis Henry Crittall, which were developed in the late-19th century and became a feature in many art deco and modernist buildings.

Today they are seeing a resurgence in popularity, with their clean graphic lines bringing an industrial quality to contemporary homes around the world.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring striking accent walls, stylish bookshelves and tranquil sunken baths.

Ghost House, UK, by BPN Architects

This double-height Crittall-style window doubles as the wall to an open-plan living and dining room in an industrial concrete house in Warwickshire, England.

It is one of several steel-framed windows that enclose the home, which was designed by BPN Architects to have an “ethereal presence” – leading to it being named Ghost House.

Find out more about Ghost House ›

Interior of Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon — Photo is by 181

Tel Aviv apartment, Israel, by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

Interior designer Maayan Zusman and architect Amir Navon opted for gridded black window frames when renovating this apartment in Tel Aviv.

Complemented by other delicate black furnishings, the windows form part of a wider design strategy that centred on creating an interior that felt “airy yet framed”.

Find out more about the Tel Aviv apartment ›

Crittal-style windows inside the Returning Hut in China — Photo is by Wu Yong-Chang

Returning Hut, China, by Xu Fu-Min

The Returning Hut is a two-storey home just outside the city of Xiamen in China, designed by Xu Fu-Min to offer their client a peaceful retreat where they can connect with nature.

Among its key features is an open living room with a giant wall of glazing. Lined with gridded metal frames, it slides open to create a seamless connection to the garden.

Find out more about Returning Hut ›

Ditton Hill House by Surman Weston in Surbiton — Photo is by Johan Dehlin

Ditton Hill House, UK, by Surman Weston

Surman Weston honoured its “client’s love for all things industrial” when creating the Ditton Hill House, a London residence with an exposed steel frame that nods to mock-Tudor homes nearby.

This steel framework enabled the studio to create spacious, column-free interiors, such as this open-plan living area. Here, Crittal-style windows overlook the garden and are paired with exposed steel floor decks for a warehouse-like aesthetic.

Find out more about Ditton Hill House ›

Crittal-style windows inside Little Peek by Berman Horn Studio — Photo is by Greta Rybus

Little Peak, USA, by Berman Horn Studio

Black gridded windows and doors puncture the facade of Little Peak, a holiday home that the founders of Berman Horn Studio, Maria Berman and Brad Horn, built themselves on an island in Maine.

According to the duo, they were chosen for their industrial look and to help “bring focus onto the textures and colours of the stone, huckleberry, bay and lichen that surround the house”.

Find out more about Little Peak ›

Interior of Burnt House by Will Gamble Architects — Photo is by Ståle Eriksen

Burnt House, UK, by Will Gamble Architects

These Crittal-style windows and doors help to create a minimalist aesthetic for the Burnt House, a residential extension that Will Gamble Architects has modelled on a Japanese tea house.

They are intended to evoke a shoji screen and were complemented by a large window seat finished in blackened wood that sits up against the glazing.

Find out more about Burnt House ›

Interior of Binh Thuan House — Photo is by Trieu Chien

Binh Thuan House, Vietnam, by MIA Design Studio

MIA Design Studio used white gridded frames on the sliding doors at the Binh Thuan House in Vietnam.

The steel frames were complemented by its industrial all-white structure, which is modular and designed for easy modification or expansion in the future.

Find out more about Binh Thuan House ›

Harrison Residence by Jeffrey Dungan — Photo is by William Abranowicz

Harrison Residence, USA, by Jeffrey Dungan Architects

These black Crittal-style windows form the focal point of the living space at the Harrison Residence, a home in Florida designed by Jeffrey Dungan Architects.

Framing the surrounding tall trees, the windows help bring colour into the otherwise monochrome interior, which features black shelving and a coffee table, and white walls and sofas.

Find out more about Harrison Residence ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring striking stylish bookshelves and tranquil sunken baths.

Reference

Sustainable News

An automated system for carbon-negative concrete

By Zarkon Group,07/04/2023

Spotted: Most of us are aware of the environmental harm cause by the use of concrete – around 8 per cent of all global carbon emissions are due to the use of this common material. Given the ubiquity of its use, it’s clear that achieving net zero is going to involve somehow reducing the impact of concrete and its main component – cement. Finnish company Carbonaide is working to achieve this with a carbon-negative concrete.

Concrete is a mixture of aggregate (small stones), and a paste made from cement and water. Through a chemical reaction, the cement and water hardens and gains strength to form concrete. The problem is that creating cement requires heating limestone and other ingredients to a very high heat – which takes a lot of energy. Carbonaide’s solution involves the development of an efficient method to bind carbon dioxide into precast concrete using an automated system.

This method operates at atmospheric pressure and reduces the amount of cement required to produce concrete. The company claims its technology can halve the CO2 emissions of traditional Portland cement-based concrete. In addition, the precast concrete component can include industrial side streams, such as industry slags and bio-ash, further reducing the carbon footprint.

The company’s process can permanently store and remove CO2 from the carbon cycle – making it carbon negative. Tapio Vehmas, CEO of Carbonaide, explains that the company has, “demonstrated in the pilot unit that our technology is capable of reducing the CO2 emissions of conventional concrete by 45 per cent. Last autumn, we demonstrated lowering our products’ carbon footprint to -60 kg/m3 by replacing Portland cement with slag.”

At Springwise, we have seen a wide range of innovations that focus on reducing the environmental impact of concrete. These have included a concrete designed to be covered in moss, to provide cleaner air, and a carbon-negative cement that uses rocks instead of limestone.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Architecture

A Journey of Movement and Form: Inner Mongolia’s Sculpture Research Center

By Zarkon Group,07/04/2023

Inner Mongolia Normal University Sculpture Research Center – The project, which covers an area of 6,000 square meters, mainly functions as a sculpture workshop for research and development and production of various types of sculptures (stone, wood, copper, iron, plastic, leather, jade and pottery). It also has the functions of teaching, communication, exhibition and negotiation, and trading, etc. The creativity of the design is to establish the relationship between space and feeling.

Architizer chatted with Zhang Pengju at INNER MONGOLIAN GRAND ARCHITECTURE DESIGN CO., LTD. to learn more about this project.

Architizer: What inspired the initial concept for your design?

Zhang Pengju: The initial design concept came from the moving line of users entering the site, the organization structure guided by which established a series of overall orders in terms of form, space and structure, including: a movement line order that conforms to the relationship of the site, a form order that conforms to the functional needs, a structure order that conforms to the logic of construction, and a time order that conforms to the feeling of site. At the same time, it also further guides the selection of materials in line with the spatial temperament and the lighting strategy in line with the physical logic.

This project won in the 10th Annual A+Awards! What do you believe are the standout components that made your project win?

At the core are construction, materials, low cost, light, and their interrelation. In the design, light steel was selected as the main structure and recycled concrete blocks served as the wall enclosure space. As both the structure and finishing, the block material expresses the sense of authenticity, achieves durability, and at the same time costs less. The design introduces sky light into the interior, maximizing the expression of the rough and natural block material and the hard and frank steel structure, reinforcing the feeling of a constant and natural site.

What was the greatest design challenge you faced during the project, and how did you navigate it?

The greatest design challenge was to create an artistic and infectious spatial character. The design laid the foundation of the spatial character by means of spatial staging and enclosure, such as the staging of the space with axial guidance and dynamic variations; the enclosure was completed with the enclosing form of the entrance and the interior light environment; the design also strengthened this spatial character with the attributes of authenticity and purity, such as the authenticity of the materials and the construction. At the same time, the materials, construction, light and shadow also strive to express purity.

Inner Mongolia Normal University Sculpture Research Center Gallery

Reference

Interior Design

Yabu Pushelberg references multi-faceted LA culture in conjoined hotels

By Zarkon Group,07/04/2023

Canadian design studio Yabu Pushelberg has created the Moxy and AC Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles to encapsulate a variety of references to the surrounding city.

The two hotels were placed side by side within a Gensler-designed building in central Los Angeles, with Yabu Pushelberg carrying out the design for both hotels.

The designers used a variety of LA-oriented references across both hotels, referencing local artist culture, streetlife, the desert, as well as the imagery of movies from Hollywood.

“Moving making and the California Dream are all mashed up together to create this atmosphere,” studio co-founder George Yabu told Dezeen.

“We also captured the grittiness,” added co-founder Glenn Pushelberg.

The hotels were designed to complement each other, providing various experiences for guests, who the team hopes can be staying in one while visiting the bars and restaurants of the others.

Moxy Hotel Los Angeles lobby — Yabu Pushelberg wanted to challenge guests with a sense of “grittiness”

According to the duo, the hotels are meant to be the day and nighttime versions of the same person or “like the same person in different movies”.

AC Hotel provides a more work-oriented vision and the Moxy representing a more dimly lit atmosphere.

Plush furniture in Moxy lounge — The Moxy includes lounge areas with plush furniture

Using desert themes and references to the 1969 film Easy Rider starring Peter Fonda, the Moxy has rammed earth walls, woven wall hangings and homages to motorcycle culture with a custom pouf designed with Harley Davidson in mind. It even has a motorcycle in the lobby lounge.

“If you look at the materialities and colors and textures, it is kind of off-off, which makes it on,” said Pushelberg.

AC hotel with custom Yabu Pushelberg rug and wall hanging — AC Hotel is more restrained

Also in the Moxy’s lobby is a snakeskin-like carpet with a graphic of a snake.

The hotel includes studio spaces above the lobby with neon lights and plush furniture; minimal rooms with tile and stone walls; and a bar inspired by the “roadside gas station” with mottled stone countertops, metal mesh liquor cabinets and “cocoon-like” chairs.

Black table in Hotel AC Los Angeles — The AC Hotel is meant to evoke the artist’s loft

The AC Hotel is more restrained. The lobby is on the 34th floor and was designed to evoke the “artist’s loft” with views of the city below. Materials were inspired by Spanish architecture – such as textured plaster and stucco.

These details continue throughout the bars, guestrooms and library lounge, with the addition of wooden sculptures and dark black tile.

Yabu Pushelberg designed the carpets in the guest rooms to “reflect the geometric pattern and color story found throughout the hotel” and contrast the birch wood flooring.

According to the team, the hotels together are meant to bring together a variety of local influences to attract people to the downtown core.

“It’s a perfect time for the hotels to be there because all these different types of people have never ever had a reason to go downtown,” said Pushelberg, who referenced the growing gallery scene in the area as an additional inspiration.

Hotel AC lobby overlooking Los Angeles — The AC’s lobby is on the 34th floor of the building

The design follows a slew of other hotels designed for LA’s downtown, including Hotel Per La designed by Jaqui Seerman, which occupies a 1920s bank building.

A division of Marriot, Moxy has dozens of hotels around the world, including a recent addition in New York’s Lower East Side designed by Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group.

Reference

Worrell Yeung renovates cast-iron New York building for Canal Projects

Embedding climate action in company culture

wooden house in yagota by airhouse floats in the japanese forest

airhouse unveils hovering house in yagoto

a serene mountain villa emerges in the japanese forest

Eight earthy kitchens where terracotta tiles add warmth and tactility

An online marketplace for scrap metal

Design Ni Dukaan builds “citadel-like” concrete house in India

Eight living spaces with industrial Crittal-style windows

An automated system for carbon-negative concrete

A Journey of Movement and Form: Inner Mongolia’s Sculpture Research Center

Inner Mongolia Normal University Sculpture Research Center Gallery

Yabu Pushelberg references multi-faceted LA culture in conjoined hotels

Get in touch

about us

Company info

Useful Links

Newsletter