Blog

Zarkon Group Real Estate Builders & Developers > Blog
Global Innovation Spotlight: Sweden - Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

Global Innovation Spotlight: Sweden – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,

Reflecting our global Springwise readership, we explore the innovation landscape and freshest thinking from a new country each week. This week we are heading to Sweden…

Sweden Innovation Profile

Global Innovation Index ranking: 3rd

Climate targets: Zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045

Sustainability issues

Baltic sea pollution – The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth. And a recent study has found that wastewater discharged from ships’ scrubbers (systems for treating exhaust gases) accounts for a significant proportion of carcinogenic chemical emissions. In response, the country is considering a ban of open loop scrubbers in its waters.

Impact of mining – In February 2022, the UN warned Swedish authorities not to issue a licence for an iron-ore mine in the country’s Gállok region. The organisation argued that the development would lead to large quantities of toxic waste that would impact eco-systems linked to the reindeer migration. The licence, which was ultimately granted, has also been criticised by the World Wildlife Fund.

Forestry practices – Sweden is the world’s third largest exporter of pulp, paper, and sawn wood products. The country is known for its sustainable forestry practices and its forests have actually doubled in size over the past 100 years. Nonetheless, many argue that Sweden’s model of replacing old-growth forests with monocultures is bad for biodiversity.

Sector specialisms

– Fintech

– Gaming

– Music Tech

Source: Startup Universal

Photo source Cling Systems

A SMART TRADING PLATFORM FOR WASTE EV BATTERIES

According to the IEA, the number of electric cars on the world’s roads by the end of 2021 was about 16.5 million, triple the amount in 2018. While this may seem like great news for the environment, it is not all positive. That is because the current recycling rate for electric vehicle (EV) batteries is extremely low, with some estimates putting it at just five per cent. For electric mobility to represent a truly sustainable solution, this needs to change, and Stockholm-based Cling Systems is one of the organisations working on a solution. The company has developed a platform that connects vehicle manufacturers and buyers of end-of-life batteries to vehicle scrap yards and dismantlers. Read more

Photo source Cellfion

BIO-BASED MEMBRANES FOR ENERGY STORAGE

While the transition to renewable energy is picking up pace all the time, there are still several technological challenges facing those looking to build a fully sustainable future. One of these is the need for a more efficient way to store energy. Many renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, are intermittent, and it is vital to find ways to store this energy when it is not needed. Redox flow batteries are among the most efficient energy storage technologies. Now, Swedish startup Cellfion is working to make redox flow batteries even more efficient with a unique, bio-based membrane. Read more

Photo source Steven Kamenar on Unsplash

CARBON INVESTMENTS BACKED BY AI AND SATELLITE DATA

A fintech platform Earthbanc helps farmers attract investment in carbon credits for regeneration projects. But one issue with regenerative land programmes is transparency – it is very difficult to verify that a scheme is actually sequestering a specified amount of carbon. Without having this information, it is impossible to effectively use carbon credits to contribute to land regeneration schemes. Earthbanc’s platform solves this problem by using artificial intelligence (AI), trained on satellite remote sensing data collected in collaboration with the European Space Agency, to automatically audit the carbon reduction impact of land regeneration projects and to verify carbon credits. Read more

Words: Matthew Hempstead

To keep up with the latest innovations, sign up to our free newsletters or email info@springwise.com to get in touch.

Reference

Jelle Seegers turns the crank on the Solar Metal Smelter
CategoriesSustainable News

Jelle Seegers uses giant magnifying glass to melt metal

By Zarkon Group,

As part of the Design Academy Eindhoven student show at Dutch Design Week, graduate Jelle Seegers has presented a smelting machine with an oversized magnifying glass that focuses the sun’s heat to melt metal more sustainably.

The Solar Metal Smelter features a large lens that is manually moved to follow the path of the sun and direct its heat into a crucible holding metal. Once liquid enough, the metal can be cast into a sand mould and made into a variety of products.

Jelle Seegers turns the crank on the Solar Metal Smelter
Jelle Seegers presented his Solar Metal Smelter at Dutch Design Week. Photo is by Iris Rijskamp

Seegers is a self-described maker, who uses the smelter in his own workshop and proposes it as a solution for metal casting companies looking to save the emissions and spiralling energy costs associated with powering industrial furnaces.

“By making this thing manual, it really changes the casting craft from one where you just have endless energy coming into your workshop to one where you personally cooperate with the sun in order to melt the metal,” he told Dezeen.

Seegers was moved to create the project, his final-year bachelor’s work, after undertaking an internship at a casting company and realising what an “enormous” amount of energy is used there.

Jelle Seegers removes a metal object from a sand mould
The smelter melts metal so it can be cast into sand moulds

He arrived at the concept of the Solar Metal Smelter after he remembered using a magnifying glass to make fire as a child. Compared to all the other methods of heating something, this seemed to him the most efficient.

“Electrical solar panels, they never have an efficiency of more than about 20 per cent,” Seegers said. “Only 20 per cent of the sunlight gets converted into electricity. So we need a huge amount of solar panels to create a huge amount of electrical energy.”

“But if you just take the sun’s heat, and you only bend it and direct it, you don’t need to do this complex conversion to electricity. And for that reason, you can achieve an efficiency of about 95 per cent.”

Photo of the lens on the Solar Metal Smelter
Seegers made its lens himself by cutting facets into a sheet of polycarbonate

The lens of the Solar Metal Smelter, which measures approximately five square metres, is attached to a machine to enable it to be moved directly underneath the sun throughout the day. It takes a small turn of a hand crank every five to ten minutes to move the lens along a track to its ideal position.

Seegers integrates this action into his wider process, usually working on an adjacent table to make his sand moulds and stopping periodically to turn the crank.

While this movement might be automated in future, the designer values the manual approach as a way of rethinking our relationship with energy.

“We’re now in this energy transition,” said Seegers. “We’re going more towards wind power, solar power, all these things but we’re not changing our mentality on how we use energy.”

“I really advocate for using energy when it’s there and in the shape that we get it,” he added. “For example the sun’s heat, we can use it as heat and as light during the day.”

Seegers made the lens himself from a sheet of polycarbonate, using a machine he constructed himself to cut ultra-precise circular facets in the material. The rest of the machine he made from durable stainless steel he found at scrapyards or obtained secondhand.

Process photo of a machine cutting circular facets into a sheet of polycarbonate
Seegers also fashioned a machine to cut the facets for the lens

The Solar Metal Smelter produces about four kilowatts of energy at a temperature of about 800 to 1,000 degrees Celsius and can melt a maximum of 20 kilograms of zinc or five kilograms of aluminium at one time.

The largest object Seegers has produced using this process to date is a flywheel for one of his other machines. But he plans to make a bigger version of the smelter that could potentially be sold to casting companies.

He also wants to continue to develop his own practice, eventually having a manufacturing process for his workshop that runs completely on solar, wind and human power.

Jelle Seegers operates the Human-Powered Tool Grinder
Seeger’s previous projects include the Human-Powered Tool Grinder. Photo is by Iris Rijskamp

In addition to the Solar Metal Smelter, he has already produced the Human-Powered Tool Grinder – a foot-powered machine also made of scrap materials, which keeps the hand tools in his workshop sharp enough so they can be viable alternatives to electric ones.

At the Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show, the Solar Metal Smelter was awarded the school’s Melkweg Award, which is given to “the most striking and outspoken talent with a bachelor’s project full of potential and originality”.

Another recent project that advocated working creatively with the limitations of solar energy is the Solar Protocol, a solar-powered network for accessing the internet.

Photos are courtesy of Jelle Seegers unless otherwise stated.

The Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show was on show from 22 to 30 October as part of Dutch Design Week 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Reference

Exterior image of Lipno Lakeside Cabin surrounded by forest
CategoriesArchitecture

Les Archinautes and 3AE create Lipno Lakeside Cabin in Czech Republic

By Zarkon Group,

Timber interiors and larch cladding reference the surrounding Bohemian Forest at this pared-back cabin in the Czech Republic, designed by French practice Les Archinautes in collaboration with local practice 3AE.

Overlooking Lipno lake close to the Czech Republic’s border with Germany and Austria, the cross-laminated timber (CLT) cabin was designed to provide a rest stop for people who come to ski and hike in the nearby mountain ranges.

Exterior image of Lipno Lakeside Cabin surrounded by forest
Lipno Lakeside Cabin is a cabin in the Czech Republic

Informed by a wooden dwelling that once stood on the site, the cabin’s simple design drew from the architecture typical to the area, which Lyon-based Les Archinautes describes as “wooden, compact and cozy.”

“The morphology of the house stands on several principles of Bohemian Forest architecture: rectangular floor plan, compact shape, orientation along the contour line, creation of a covered porch and more pronounced articulation of the gable,” said the practice.

Exterior image of the facade of Lipno Lakeside Cabin with views of the interior
It has been clad in larch planks

Clad in thin larch planks, the cabin is raised on a low wooden platform, which extends to create a terrace along two sides of the home sheltered by the oversized eaves of the roof.

Seeking to bring the surrounding forest into the cabin as a “material, smell, and colour,” the CLT structure has been left exposed throughout the interiors, which are organised to capture views of the landscape.

The focal point of the cabin is the ground floor living and dining space, where a large table, kitchen counters and concrete fireplace sit underneath wooden beams and overlook the lake through a large square window.

Alongside this space, the main ground-floor bedroom and two smaller first-floor bedrooms tucked beneath the roof capture glimpses of the forest and mountains through skylights and small, round windows in each gable end.

Interior image of the timber-lined dining area at Lipno Lakeside Cabin and its lakeside views
The interior of the cabin was similarly clad in timber

“The view of Lipno lake, with two major peaks in the background, becomes the main point of the project, centred around the dominant gabled square window facing toward the lake,” said the practice.

“Wooden walls in the interior create a pleasant and warm atmosphere. The exposed wood is painted with hard wax oil, white pigment and a UV filter, ensuring the wood retains its fresh colour for decades to come,” it continued.

Interior image of the upper level of the wooden cabin
It was designed by Les Archinautes in collaboration with 3AE

Complementing the exposed CLT walls and ceilings, the minimal interiors are finished with oak flooring, simple light fittings and white tilework in the bathrooms.

Elsewhere in the Czech Republic, architecture studio Atelier SAD and interior designer Iveta Zachariášová recently completed a cork-clad home set in a rural landscape and local studio KLAR created a V-shaped timber house in the Czech countryside.

Photography is by Petr Polak.

Reference

Curtained interior of Open Hearts Lisboa
CategoriesInterior Design

White leather curtains enclose Lisbon wellness centre by AB+AC Architects

By Zarkon Group,

Portuguese practice AB+AC Architects has designed a multifunctional wellness centre in Lisbon that doubles up as an artists’ residence.

The Open Hearts wellness centre is arranged around one large room, which AB+AC Architects refers to as the shala. This Sanskrit term refers to the idea of home but also, in the context of yoga, a place where people can learn and practise together.

Curtained interior of Open Hearts Lisboa
The Open Hearts centre is orientated around a curtained room known as the shala

As well as yoga classes, this adaptable space will host everything from breathwork classes and sound baths to meditation sessions, film screenings, dining experiences and creative writing workshops.

Running around the periphery of the shala are floor-to-ceiling curtains crafted from white vegan leather, which can be drawn to keep the room out of view from the bustling street outdoors.

At the front of the room, a wall of gold-tinted mirrors conceals a series of storage compartments. When an event is being held, the room can also be temporarily dressed with floor cushions and long birchwood tables.

Interior of Open Hearts Lisboa
Behind the shala is the artists’ residence

“Normally, when a design is very flexible, there is a risk of ending up with a very generic or sterile space, as if the only way to address adaptability is through non-specific design,” explained AB+AC Architects.

“We knew that creating a neutral mood that could accommodate a variety of programs would not be stimulating, so we decided that the centre had to be able to evoke different emotions based on the function occurring at that given moment.”

Wooden kitchen inside Open Heart Lisboa's artist residence
This includes a dining room and bespoke kitchen

A grand limestone archway to the side of the shala grants access to the artists’ residence, which is entered via a narrow lounge area.

The room is topped with a light-up ceiling that measures eight metres long and, when the artist is hosting an exhibition, washes their work in a complementary glow.

Next up is a small dining area and a custom-made kitchen suite featuring wooden cabinetry and a terrazzo-style countertop.

Surfaces in the adjacent bedroom are painted a crisp shade of white while the corner dedicated to the bathroom – complete with a freestanding tub – is clad in distinctive terracotta tiles.

The same gold-tinged mirrors from the shala are used here to help disguise the toilet.

Tiled bathroom inside Open Heart Lisboa's artist residence
A terracotta-tiled bathroom contrasts with the white walls of the bedroom

Should the resident artist want some fresh air, they can head outside to the small private patio.

Here, a concrete planter that winds around the edge of the space is overspilling with leafy tropical plants, while volcanic stone pebbles are scattered over the floor.

Outdoor patio of Open Heart Lisboa's artist residence
Foliage lines the private outdoor patio of the artists’ residence

Open Hearts Lisbon has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.

Other projects in the running include a cow shed-turned-library, a historic cinema in Berlin and the world’s first multi-storey skatepark.

The photography is by Ricardo Oliveira Alves.

Reference

Sustainable insulation made from recycled mineral waste
CategoriesSustainable News

Sustainable insulation made from recycled mineral waste

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Insulation is important. In the UK, it’s estimated that 80 per cent of all the houses that will be in use in the year 2050, have already been built – but just 20 per cent will have been built to net zero standard. This means that 26 million UK homes will need to be retrofitted with improved insulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And the situation is similar in other countries. In Switzerland, for instance, more than 1 million houses have no or insufficient insulation.

One of the key challenges when it comes to insulating homes is the trade-off builders need to make when choosing insulating material. Today, those installing insulation must compromise on either environmental impact, cost, or flammability. Now, however, Swiss startup FenX AG claims to have found a way to avoid this compromise.

The startup’s solution is to create insulating foams from abundant mineral waste. Sourcing materials locally from a wide range of industrial waste streams and low-value natural resources, FenX uses its unique foaming technology to create insulating panels, bricks, and customised 3D-printed parts.

The composition of materials used as feedstock for this process meets all the necessary safety requirements for use in the building industry, and the finished foams are recyclable, non-flammable, 3D-printable, and high-performance. What is more, the manufacturing process for the materials results in very low carbon dioxide emissions.

In addition to its core insulation offering, FenX has partnered with ETH Zurich on a project that explores how foam 3D-printing can be used in conjunction with concrete casting to reduce concrete waste.

Springwise has spotted other recent innovations that reduce the environmental impact of buildings. These include building walls that can store carbon, a wood-based cooling foam that improves energy efficiency, and a startup that converts existing buildings to net zero using an innovative process.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Reference

How Gen Z Designers Are Smashing Conventions With “Creative Self-Exploration”
CategoriesArchitecture

How Gen Z Designers Are Smashing Conventions With “Creative Self-Exploration”

By Zarkon Group,

The next report in Material ConneXion’s insightful series on material trends focuses on the ultra-contemporary phenomena of expressionism among new generations of creators. Following on from their Eunomia report — which revealed insights into designers’ renewed passion for nature as a primary source of inspiration —  their next release is entitled “Creative Self-Exploration”, and covers the rising trend for fluidity and dynamism with regards to everything from identity and aesthetics to occupation and innovation.

Learn More and Access the Full Report

Illustrated with vibrant examples of creative individualism, the new trends “reflect  a  growing  aspiration,  especially  among GEN Z and Alpha, to explore all the components that make up ‘the self’, from physical appearance to existential depth and emotions, overlooking established norms.” They also point towards a new wave of entrepreneurship, with young people breaking free from conventional occupations. Instead, they are harnessing the maturing landscape of social media to create their own opportunities, as well as emerging realms such as the metaverse.

Tiktok Headquarters by Gensler, 9th Annual A+Awards Finalist in the Large Office Interiors category.

In terms of architecture and design, these trends are manifested in avant-garde projects that challenge traditional ideas pertaining to the function, program and typology of buildings. One example is the “Tiktok Beauty Hub”. As described in the report, “Tiktokers now have a creative hub in the heart of LA, hosted by Fenty Beauty, Rhianna’s brand. The concept behind this collaborative space is to help influencers on the platform by offering a fully stocked ‘Make-up Pantry’ in a camera-ready,  creative space as well as community building amongst participants.”

One of a number of innovation concepts in the report is named “Phygital Experiences”, highlighting new investments in “marvelous, magical worlds and bewitching inspirations that boost the imagination” and “immersive and multisensorial experiences that create the sensation of lucid dreaming.” This form of design, with its emphasis on interactivity, engagement and dynamic mediums is undoubtedly permeating architecture and design — one such example is the work of Turkish digital artist, Refik Anadol, whose installation “Quantum Memories” was a recent A+Awards Finalist in the Architecture +New Technology category.

Quantum Memories by Refik Anadol, 9th Annual A+Awards Finalist in the Architecture +New Technology category.

In the report’s ‘Design Ideations’ section, a series of multichromatic mood boards visualizes how the rise of creative self-exploration can be translated into real-world spaces, textures, materials, products and beyond. The bold range of colors, forms and finishes on display encapsulates the overriding takeaway from this report — that emerging creatives are not concerned in the slightest with the social or aesthetic “rules” of prior generations. In fact, they embrace the unconventional, and revel in its unlimited creative potential.

To see the full trend report and receive new material insights each month, become a member of Material ConneXion. Learn more >

Top image: 100 colors no.35 by emmanuelle moureaux architecture + design, 9th Annual A+Awards Finalist in the Architecture +Color category.

Reference

Passive Brooklyn Townhouse cedar facade
CategoriesInterior Design

Sarah Jefferys creates Passive House in Brooklyn with cedar screen

By Zarkon Group,

American studio Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors has renovated a slender townhouse in Brooklyn with airy rooms and a cedar screen on the facade to meet Passive House standards.

Located in the Park Slope neighbourhood, the Passive House project involved the overhaul of a brick-faced, three-storey townhouse built in 1921 and owned by a family of four.

Passive Brooklyn Townhouse cedar facade
Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors remodelled a Brooklyn townhouse into a passive house

New York-based Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors sought to create a tranquil living atmosphere with elements that pay homage to the family’s Indian and Danish roots.

Moreover, the team wanted the 3,000-square-foot (279-square-metre) building to align with Passive House standards for energy efficiency.

Brooklyn Passive House interior
High-quality windows were installed

To significantly reduce heating and cooling needs, the team installed triple-pane Zola windows, which are often used in passive houses. Walls were reconstructed to create an airtight envelope, which included the addition of cellulose insulation.

The team also added an electric heat pump and an energy recovery ventilator, which helps purify the air.

The front facade was kept intact and refurbished, while the rear wall was redesigned to add ample glazing. To provide privacy and to modulate incoming daylight, the team added an artful cedar screen that acts as both “a sculpture and a veil”.

Brooklyn Passive House with Dutch furniture
White oak was used to complement the bright colours

Within the slender home, the team incorporated pops of colour and pale materials such as white oak.

“We strategically used light hues and reflective materials, and created an airy environment to offset the narrow footprint of the townhouse,” the team said.

The ground level has an open plan and holds the communal spaces.

Brooklyn Passive House kitchen
Reflective and light materials helped the studio meet environmental standards

Up front is the living room, where one finds a blue Living Divani sofa, rattan chairs from Fritz Hansen and a Muuto table.

A wood-burning fireplace, an element not often found in passive homes, sits between the living and dining areas.

To curb emissions from the hearth, the architects added a triple-pane glass enclosure and an extraction fan with an insulated cap. Still, because of the fireplace, the home does not fully meet the PHIUS certification requirements, the architect said.

The all-white dining room is furnished with Ant chairs by Arne Jacobsen and a PH50 pendant by Poul Henningsen. Just beyond is the “showpiece kitchen”, which is framed with an LED light cove.

Brooklyn passive house white stairway
The staircase has a skylight above

“The light cove acts as a separation point – an outline – and provides an atmospheric glow throughout the kitchen,” the team said.

In addition to the special lighting, the kitchen features slatted wooden cabinetry, yellow pendants by Louis Poulsen, and an island topped with Glassos crystallized glass.

Part of the island consists of a live-sawn slab of white oak, which is lined with bar stools.

Brooklyn Passive house living room from above
The living room features a Muuto table

“The beautiful juxtaposition between Glassos and white oak exemplifies the nature of the kitchen as both a practical work area and a leisurely lounge space for entertaining,” the team said.

A sky-lit staircase leads to the upper levels. The first floor holds the main bedroom and bathroom, along with an office – all of which are arrayed along a corridor lined with frosted glass.

The main bedroom features a BoConcept bed, sconces by Robert Dudley Best for Bestlite and a graphic blanket by Pia Wallén for HAY. The bathroom is adorned with matte glass and penny-round tiles from Ann Sacks.

The office is infused with a “touch of nostalgia”. Pieces include a Hans Wegner armchair, a teak Danish dresser and a 1962 copper pendant by Jo Hammerborg.

Brooklyn Passive house bathroom
Bright colours were used throughout

The top level contains a den and two additional bedrooms. The house also has a cellar.

Other Brooklyn townhouses include a house by Space4Architecture that has a skylit staircase and minimalist decor, and the family home of architects Fanny and Matthew Mueller, which features floating steps and a wood-and-steel bridge.

The photography is by Morten Smidt.

Reference

Bio-based membranes for energy storage
CategoriesSustainable News

Bio-based membranes for energy storage

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: While the transition to renewable energy is picking up pace all the time, there are still several technological challenges facing those looking to build a fully sustainable future. One of these is the need for a more efficient way to store energy. Many renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, are intermittent, and it is vital to find ways to store this energy when it is not needed. Redox flow batteries are among the most efficient energy storage technologies. Now, Swedish startup Cellfion is working to make redox flow batteries even more efficient with a unique, bio-based membrane.

Redox flow batteries are a type of electrochemical cell where dissolved chemicals are pumped through the system on separate sides of a membrane, leading to ion transfer and the flow of electric current through an external circuit. Cellfion has developed a novel ion-selective membrane derived from cellulose. The cellulose fibres are extracted from wood and fabricated into membrane sheets that are then used as components in energy storage and conversion devices.

The bio-based membranes have several advantages over traditional membranes, which are often made from chemical polymers such as perfluorosulfonic acid. Cellfion’s cellulose membranes are non-toxic and decomposable but retain the high ion selectivity and conductivity typical of traditional membranes. In addition, at the end of their life, they can be incinerated without releasing any toxins into the environment, unlike traditional membranes.

According to Liam Hardey, Cellfion CEO, “To the best of our knowledge and extensive research, we are the first company working towards the commercialisation of bio-based membranes with no toxic substances at all”. He adds this is vital because, “If the clean energy industry is to become sustainable, we need to ensure that the materials we are using are also truly sustainable.”

More efficient battery storage is a key part of the transition to renewable energy. This is why Springwise is seeing an increase in new, more sustainable battery technologies. Innovations in this space include a green battery made from abundant and locally-sourced components and batteries that dissolve in water.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

7 Elegant Pools in the Great Outdoors
CategoriesArchitecture

7 Elegant Pools in the Great Outdoors

By Zarkon Group,

Browse the Architizer Jobs Board and apply for architecture and design positions at some of the world’s best firms. Click here to sign up for our Jobs Newsletter. 

As a typology, outdoor pools are not necessarily exceptional. They sprinkle suburbs and cities throughout the world and are a statement of leisure almost as ubiquitous as well-groomed lawns. But in environments outside of the urban fabric of cities, where the absence of human infrastructure leaves us vulnerable to the unpredictability of the environment, pools become something greater: they are an assertion of human comfort, perhaps to remedy environmental extremes such as heat and humidity.

In such places, pools can become an artistic statement when they are freed from the physical constraints of the urban world. The seven designs below demonstrate how outdoor pools can interact with their adjacent home and surrounding landscape, acting as a reflection or as a contrast to that environment.

Desert Palisades

By WOODS + DANGARAN, Palm Springs, CA

10th Annual A+Awards, Jury Winner, Residential – Residential (>3000 sq ft) Interiors

Lightly perched above the floor of the La Quinta Valley, this home adopts a classic desert modernist aesthetic. The home’s exterior cladding of earth-toned plaster and textured concrete masonry puts it in harmony with the similarly brownish desert, but the structure’s simple and elegant rectangular compositions offer a balanced contrast with the valley’s rugged, uneven and hostile character. In similar fashion, the small outdoor pool, sheltered in one of the home’s two courtyards, pairs well in tone with the constant clear-blue sky, but provides instead a refreshing alternative to the arid climate.

Casa Malandra

By TAC, Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Private House (XS < 1000 sq ft)

This private home in the coastal town of Puerto Escondido uses vernacular materials to create a peaceful resort in line with the local architecture. But the concrete-cast pool which extends beyond the main room is undeniably modernist. It serves as its own micro-climate comfortably shielded by several canopies, both natural and man-made.

Casa Meztitla

By EDAA | Estrategias para el Desarrollo de Arquitectura, Tepoztlán, Mexico

Jury Winner, 2016 A+Awards, Architecture +Water

This rural home in Tepoztlán, Mexico is a tranquil abode flanked by the imposing rock mountains of El Tepozteco. The house brings together monolithic white volumes with vernacular rough stone sections, allowing nature to project itself onto the structure. Meanwhile, a lap pool nearby acts like the house’s miniature desert oasis; it crawls under trees’ dense foliage like an emerald-tinted river breaking through an arid landscape. The pool offers a peaceful place to enjoy the nature that surrounds and blankets over it.

Hale Lana

By Olson Kundig, Hawaii County, HI

Photos by Nic Lehoux

This family retreat overlooking the sea in Hale Lana, Hawaii is a small manicured oasis amid the island’s volcanic rock. The collection of low-lying pavilions are connected by elevated wooden lanais and provide extended generous canopy for outdoor activity. A long rectangular pool imitates the elongated pavilions in their style and simplicity, and like the rest of the resort, exists in explicit contradiction to the natural landscape. On one end, the pool even extends beyond the edge of the volcanic slope. It’s a clear statement that purity of form will not be compromised for to adapt to the topographical reality.

Villa AT

By Saunders Architecture, Kristiansand, Norway

Photos by Bent René Synnevåg and Saunders Architecture

This elegantly curving home overlooking a rocky coast in Kristiansand, Norway seems to echo the waves of the sea below by its free-flowing nature. The new pool that separates these two elements, however, presents a controlled contrast to the choppy water of the sea. It’s a peaceful, safe swimming area framed by weathered wood that satisfies the urge to bathe without the perils of unchecked nature.

XXXL’s House

By Brengues Le Pavec architects, France

Resting near the top of a hill in France, this new house takes advantage of the lot’s sloping angle to experiment with layering; from the house’s overlapping volumes to the stone walls guiding visitors down to it. As such, the house’s top floor acts like a belvedere overlooking the landscape further out. But right underneath it is the true surprise: a large tile-clad pool partly shaded by the diverse flora and from which visitors can continue enjoying the view in their bathing suits.

Meditation Pavilion & Garden

By GMAA – GM Architectes Associés, Geneva, Switzerland

For this new pavilion in Geneva, GMAA – GM Architectes Associés had envisioned a wooden volume gently hovering above a water surface. Their final project achieves this vision with a subtly integrated pool — more closely akin to a pond — that turns into a perfect mirror on windless days. As opposed to the natural ponds on the pavilions’ grounds, this artificial one is kept spotless; a pure and perfect counterpart to the surrounding nature, reflecting and emphasizing the beauty around.

Browse the Architizer Jobs Board and apply for architecture and design positions at some of the world’s best firms. Click here to sign up for our Jobs Newsletter. 

Reference

Wood-clad courtyard and white bathroom
CategoriesInterior Design

Tom Dixon furnishes penthouses in One Park Drive skyscraper

By Zarkon Group,

British designer Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio has furnished the interiors for two duplex penthouses that Herzog & de Meuron has created within its cylindrical Canary Wharf skyscraper.

Architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron designed the seven penthouses in the residential One Park Drive skyscraper, which were the last part of the project to be completed, to contrast the commercial buildings that surround them.

“We had to think about what it means to live vertically and how to create a strong distinction between something that is commercial and something that is residential,” Herzog & de Meuron’s UK studio director John O’Mara said at the penthouses’ opening.

Wood-clad courtyard and white bathroom
The seven penthouses feature wood-clad courtyards

Located on the 56th and final floor of the 205-metre-tall One Park Drive building, the duplex penthouses feature balconies overlooking Canary Wharf. To give them a more residential feel, Herzog & de Meuron added an unusual detail – hidden internal courtyards.

The wood-clad courtyards open up towards the sky via D-shaped ceiling cut-outs and function as a “back garden,” the studio said.

Each of the penthouses, which range from 152 to 362 square metres, also feature a statement spiral staircase made from concrete poured in-situ. The staircases all have different designs.

Spiral concrete staircase inside One Park Drive penthouse
Spiral staircases were made from concrete poured in-situ

Design Research Studio furnished the interiors for two of the duplex penthouses in One Park Drive using a combination of furniture by Dixon’s studio and handpicked vintage furniture.

Among the vintage pieces used for the design were chairs by Danish designer Verner Panton and lamps by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Dixon also custom-made large artworks for the space.

White sofa in front of floor-to-ceiling windows
The penthouses are on the 56th floor

Dixon’s studio used the theme of Home of the Collector to imagine what the interiors of the penthouses should feel like.

“Each room has been meticulously curated – we wanted every single object to feel as if it has been made specifically for this space or that it has been carefully selected for it,” Dixon explained.

“It should feel personal, convincing, compelling and aspirational – we didn’t want to design a typical luxury apartment,” he added.

“The beautiful, fluid spaces feature high ceilings and large expanses of wall and windows and the artworks create the sense of a private gallery.”

Coming up with a concept for an imaginary homeowner was an enjoyable aspect of the job, Dixon added.

“It’s actually really good fun to try and invent a personality and try and work out what they would actually do,” he said, explaining that he had envisioned the apartments being filled with art pieces and furniture that had been picked up on travels.

Bathroom with tadelakt walls at One Park Drive penthouse
Bathrooms have sand-coloured Tadelakt walls

The apartments in One Park Drive are all designed by Herzog & de Meuron with a tactile material palette that helps to draw attention to the interiors.

Wood was used to create striking details for the interior architecture, including the wardrobe doors with leaf-shaped openings.

The studio used Tadelakt plaster to create sand-coloured bathrooms with globe-shaped lights and rounded mirrors, while floors are concrete or pale wood.

Sofa in living room of One Park Drive penthouse
The penthouses also have balconies overlooking Wood Wharf

The duplex penthouses are the last part of One Park Drive to be completed. The skyscraper, which contains 484 apartments in total, forms part of developer Canary Wharf Group‘s plan to add homes to the predominantly commercial Canary Wharf neighbourhood.

Other recent projects by Tom Dixon include a twentieth-anniversary exhibition that featured mycelium towers and Design Research Studio’s design for restaurant The Manzoni.

Reference