Reconsidering farming with regenerative agriculture in the UK
CategoriesSustainable News

Reconsidering farming with regenerative agriculture in the UK

Spotted: Agriculture finds itself at a crucial intersection. It is one of the most vulnerable sectors to the impacts of climate change and yet it is one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Figures vary depending on the scope of the study, but in 2019, for example, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that the global food system was responsible for up to 37 per cent of GHGs. The world has a growing population to feed, and yet intensive farming degrades the quality of topsoil, which is where nutrients, water and carbon are stored.

There is a solution already being implemented. Well-integrated and diverse agroecological systems can promote greater carbon sequestration because the methods used actually increase soil health. They also bolster resilience in terms of livelihoods and natural ecosystems thanks to a more interconnected approach between plants, animals, humans, and the environment. This regenerative style of farming does away with the over-use of heavy machinery, eliminates the introduction of chemicals entirely, and considers more diverse ways of both generating revenue and contributing to the health of the surrounding landscape.

For example, George Young aka Farming George, the owner of a zero-tillage, zero-insecticide, arable and livestock farm in Fobbing in South East England, plants a wide range of crops that are harvested at different times. He has also introduced ‘leys’ – temporary grasslands – made up of diverse perennial species. Cattle graze these leys, converting plant carbon to dung, which in turn has a positive impact on soil fertility. Under 30 miles from London and barely 2 miles from the London Gateway commercial port, Fobbing Farm is home to traditional crops as well as approximately 7,000 trees, including fruit and nut trees, birch for sap, willow for tree mulch, and other woodland for felling.

Regenerative farming practices are key to ensuring future food production is sustainable. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted one company providing financial support to regenerative farmers, and another restoring the health of soils with pre and probiotics.

Written By: Angela Everitt

Video credit: RE:TV

Reference

© UTAA
CategoriesArchitecture

30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea

South Korea’s architectural language has developed over centuries, undergoing many evolutions and stylistic variations — many influenced by wavering politics. From the Japanese occupation to the devastating Korean War, South Korea’s urban fabric has endured many moments of unrest. The remains from times of political strife now stand alongside the nation’s contemporary architecture.

The nation’s pre-modern architecture is heavily influenced by Buddhism and Chinese design. South Korea’s mountainous landscape is home to traditional sloped-roof dwellings, temples and palaces attributed to past dynasties. Take the Changdeokgung Palace and the Haeinsa Temple, for example. These two relics are among South Korea’s 15 World Heritages Sites.

Alongside the tradition found in South Korean architecture is an astute interest in modern architecture and technology. Following the Korean War, the divide between North and South brought forth independent architectural styles. Once the dust from the wars settled and capital increased, Korean architecture flourished. A new sensibility was found — one that rejects pragmatism and encouraged experimentation and sophistication. South Korean architects began studying abroad and fusing their international perspectives with cultural tradition to breed a distinct Korean spirit. And Seoul, South Korea’s capital, has become an international stage for large-scale and impressive architectural feats.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in South Korea based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

  • The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2023)
  • The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2023)
  • The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2023)
  • The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2023)
  • The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2023)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of South Korea architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in South Korea:

30. UTAA

© UTAA

© UTAA

Managed by principal director Byungyong Choi and principal architect Changgyun Kim, UTAA is a Seoul-based architecture firm that has been  practicing since 2009. Their work is rooted in honesty, clarity and experimental organization.

Some of UTAA’s most prominent projects include:

  • Rest Hole in the University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
  • Black Box, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, South Korea
  • Boseong House, Boseong-gun, South Korea
  • Pinocchio, Pocheon-si, South Korea
  • Cinema House, Paju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped UTAA achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 5

29. Z_Lab

© KIM Jae Kyeong

© KIM Jae Kyeong

Z_Lab is a design group to create a place and space based communication with region and reflects the individual’s desire and will. We must achieve a balance of individual aspirations and regional universality in terms of the design and local identity. We create a new experience for staying out through space and personalized lifestyle brand.

We would like to contribute to give a new experience for many people beyond the geographic boundaries based on the place and space. So that our results can be created with a private transfer to local and sustainable value for the future to create a positive business model based on the person and region.

Some of Z_Lab ‘s most prominent projects include:

  • Zer0place, Seosan-si, South Korea
  • Creativehouse, Seoul, South Korea
  • Pyeongdae Panorama, Jeju-si, South Korea
  • Yuwolbyulchae, Jeju-si, South Korea
  • blindwhales, Jeju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Z_Lab achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 5

28. ANM

© ANM

© ANM

Founded in 2009 by Hee Jun Kim, ANM is a Seoul-based architecture firm that emphasizes diversity and distinction while creating realistic and honest architectural relationships.

Some of ANM’s most prominent projects include:

  • Monk’s Cabin (Zen Room for a Buddhist Monk), Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea
  • House in Jeju, Jeju-do, South Korea
  • D Church, Yeoju-gun, South Korea
  • Yangpyeong House, Yangpyeong-gun, South Korea
  • Coffee House_Dong am, Yangpyeong-gun, South Korea

The following statistics helped ANM achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 6

27. Oh jongsang

© Oh jongsang

© Oh jongsang

Based in South Korea, Oh jongsang is a architecture firm specializing in religious and residential architecture.

Some of Oh jongsang’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Oh jongsang achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 10

26. HyunjoonYoo Architects

© HyunjoonYoo Architects

© HyunjoonYoo Architects

Founded by Hyunjoon Yoo, HyunjoonYoo Architects is a Seoul-based architecture firm specializing in public and residential architecture of all scales.

Some of HyunjoonYoo Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped HyunjoonYoo Architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 6

25. DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE PLLC

© DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE PLLC

© DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE PLLC

DIOINNO Architecture PLLC is a Seoul and Buffalo-based firm founded by architects Jin Young Song, AIA.

Some of DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE PLLC’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE PLLC achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 2
Featured Projects 1
Total Projects 25

24. D.LIM Architects

© D.LIM Architects

© D.LIM Architects

D·LIM is an architectural group led by its two principals, Yeonghwan Lim and Sunhyun Kim. The Seoul-based firm was founded in 2007 and specializes in private, public and corporate architecture.

Some of D.LIM Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall, Seoul, South Korea
  • H&M Seoul Hongdae Store, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Stardom Entertainment Office, Seoul, South Korea
  • Coconut house, Seongnam-si, South Korea
  • CJ Nine Bridges “The Forum”, Seogwipo-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped D.LIM Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 5

23. YounghanChung Architects

© YounghanChung Architects

© YounghanChung Architects

Younghan Chung architects is an architectural studio based in Seoul. The firm seeks for new typology of living in the dense and uniform picture of the city and studies experimental and creative design processes through the relationship of various phenomena of the city.

Some of YounghanChung Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped YounghanChung Architects achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 5

22. Architecture Studio YEIN

© Architecture Studio YEIN

© Architecture Studio YEIN

Based in Gangneung-si, South Korea, Architecture Studio YEIN in a boutique firm specializing in residential architecture. The firm was founded by Yesun Choi in 2003.

Some of Architecture Studio YEIN’s most prominent projects include:

  • Sushi-Hu, Noam-dong, Gangneung-si, South Korea
  • BomBom Boutique Hotel, Gangneung-si, South Korea
  • Haemutje House, South Korea
  • Dried Persimmon House, Yeondang-gil, Gangneung-si, South Korea
  • The Pencil, Hongje-dong, Gangneung-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Architecture Studio YEIN achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 14

21. Lee Eunseok+KOMA

Atelier KOMA is an architecture practice in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The firm was founded by Lee Eun Seok and specializes in residential, commercial, cultural and religious architecture.

Some of Lee Eunseok+KOMA’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Lee Eunseok+KOMA achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 4

20. WISE Architecture

© WISE Architecture

© WISE Architecture

WISE Architecture was established in 2008 by Young Jang and Sook Hee Chun. The specializes in small but meaningful projects that focus on the materiality of everydayness in Seoul.

Some of WISE Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

  • BOX MOBILE GALLERY, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • ABC Building, Seoul, South Korea
  • Dialogue in the Dark Bukchon, Seoul, South Korea
  • Red Mirror Strips, Seoul, South Korea
  • Mu;M Building, Korea

The following statistics helped WISE Architecture achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 6

19. JMY architects

© JMY architects

© JMY architects

‘Architecturing’ has two main meanings. First, it refers to the basic posture and method of constructing in a present progressive sense rather than the resultant object of an architecture. Second, it also describes the object of design as ‘a work of organizing a space’ rather than the external form. There is no end if architecture is confronted with difficulty.

Occasionally, the numerous theories and results of architectures and cities deceive our mind and disturb the liberal thoughts of our brain. Since our knowledge and experiences are limited, an attitude of learning something new and emptying our mind everyday is required. Pure intellectual curiosity, positive thinking, and attitude that can stand up to the challenges we face will broaden our knowledge and deepen our thought. It is architecturing of JMY architects to enjoy learning and doing so.

Some of JMY architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • Woljam-Ri House, South Korea
  • [5X17] Daecheong-dong Small House, Busan, South Korea
  • [Sky ground] Sinsa-dong Office Complex, Seoul, South Korea
  • [Cheonggye-ri House] Where mountains, lakes and sky meet, apparatus at the boundary and gap, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
  • [EARNEST CAPE] The Hill where the sky and the sea take a break, Ulsan, South Korea

The following statistics helped JMY architects achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 7

18. ON Architecture INC.

© Yoon Joon-hwan

© Yoon Joon-hwan

Based in Ulsan, ON Architecture INC. is an architecture firm that explores the function of architecture within the social and cultural phonema.

Some of ON Architecture INC.’s most prominent projects include:

  • Y-HOUSE, Ulsan, South Korea
  • Tower House, Gimhae-si, South Korea
  • Min Hwi Jeong, Ulsan, South Korea
  • Project Floor Area Ratio Game, Ulsan, South Korea
  • Double house, Ulsan, South Korea

The following statistics helped ON Architecture INC. achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 5

17. aoa architects

© Hyosook Chin

© Hyosook Chin

Architecture is nothing. However, architecture is more significant than any others like air in our life. Architecture is not a hero. Architecture is just a stage of our living. We do not want architecture to say a lot of showing language to come forward from the surroundings. As people live healthier within clean air, we want architecture to be a clean, pure and honest artifact that holds human life silently. We do not believe architecture will change the world and we do not work in order to change the world through architecture. For now, we, aoa architects, are about to construct the architecture with architecture itself without a metadiscourse beyond architecture.

Some of aoa architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • ㄷHouse (digeut-jip), Eumseong-gun, South Korea
  • Chubby Cat House, Seoul, South Korea
  • villa mangwon – stacked house, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Malefemale House, Seoul, South Korea
  • villa Jeju, Seogwipo-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped aoa architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 6

16. Archium

© Archium

© Archium

Archium Architects has been practicing architecture in the Seoul region since 1986. The firm specializes in commercial, residential and cultural design.

Some of Archium’s most prominent projects include:

  • Persona, Seoul, South Korea
  • Bauzium Sculpture Gallery, Gangwon-do, South Korea
  • Gilmosery, Seoul, South Korea
  • Khmeresque, Battambang, Cambodia
  • Himalesque, Jomsom, Nepal

The following statistics helped Archium achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 7

15. HAEAHN Architecture

© Namsun Lee

© Namsun Lee

HAEAHN Architecture has been continuously striving to design valuable urban environmental projects based on creativity and innovation since its establishment in 1990. HAEAHN has been in alliance with H Architecture, New York, USA since 2011 and established several overseas offices which have greatly contributed to its extensive growth in becoming a world standard architectural design firm.

Some of HAEAHN Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped HAEAHN Architecture achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 23

14. ArchiWorkshop

© ArchiWorkshop

© ArchiWorkshop

We are Architects, who think, create, enjoy and share everyday Architecture. The title ‘ArchiWorkshop’ has two meanings. One is ‘workshop of artisans’, and the other is the meaning of ‘attacking and defending to each other through discussion’. From a result perspective of view, architecture is a visual work. But at the same time, its origin accompanies philosophy and rational thinking. For that reason, we discuss and converse as much as sketching and this approach allows us for more influential operations and results. We, ArchiWorkshop, think, create, enjoy and share everyday architecture. Our ‘Everyday architecture’ has meaning of high level of architecture, namely, architecture with healthy environment and expansion of this architecture culture to more people to share.

Some of ArchiWorkshop’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped ArchiWorkshop achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 11

13. SsD

© SsD

© SsD

SsD is an architecture firm that approaches design as a convergent, interdisciplinary venture. Minimum form takes maximum effect with the goal to bridge the utopian and the pragmatic. Instead of separating aspects of architecture, landscape, history, social systems, and codes into their constituent disciplines, these agendas are simultaneously explored so that each discipline symbiotically gains from the other.  In this way sustainability emerges as an integrated rather than additive result.

Some of SsD’s most prominent projects include:

  • Simgok, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, South Korea
  • Songpa Micro-Housing, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Oasis Place
  • Big Dig House, Lexington, MA, United States
  • Braver House, Newton, MA, United States

The following statistics helped SsD achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Finalist 3
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 10

12. Yong Ju Lee Architecture

© Yong Ju Lee Architecture

© Yong Ju Lee Architecture

Yong Ju Lee, AIA is the principal of Seoul-based Yong Ju Lee Architecture. He has been working for stimulating design for everyday life in multiple scales and media.

Some of Yong Ju Lee Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

  • Myeonmok Fire Station, Seoul, South Korea
  • Root Bench, Seoul, South Korea
  • Hoehyeon Community, Seoul, South Korea
  • Dispersion, Suwon, South Korea
  • Wing Tower, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped Yong Ju Lee Architecture achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 9

11. OBBA

© OBBA

© OBBA

Office for Beyond Boundaries Architecture (OBBA) was founded in 2012 by Sojung Lee and Sangjun Kwak to look at various issues that arise in the rapidly changing contemporary society and the gaps between them from an integrated perspective rather than an individual perception and to pursue multiple options and mixed solutions. All projects undertaken by OBBA start with a critical view of people, architecture, and all the everyday things that interact with them. This means starting by addressing real-world problems that we are facing, rather than simply pursuing a utopian ideal.

OBBA is interested in the boundaries of each field and the boundaries between them, noticing new relationships that are not yet realized, developing expertise in various fields, speaking languages, and being a Boundary Crosser, freely crossing the boundaries of each field and trying to break away from conventional thinking. In addition, OBBA does not limit itself to one field, architecture, but crosses a wide range of scales and explores various topics to discover new possibilities.

Some of OBBA’s most prominent projects include:

  • The Vault House, Hadong-gun, South Korea
  • Beyond the Screen, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
  • The Floating Island, Bruges, Belgium
  • The Oasis, Yongin-si, South Korea
  • The Illusion, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped OBBA achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 7

10. L’EAU design Co.,Ltd.

© Kyungsub Shin

© Kyungsub Shin

L’EAU Design is a group seeking after such environment as falling under comprehensive sense and attempt the relationship with architectural design. ‘Environment’ includes meanings of social and cultural conditions that influence in human lifestyle as well as ecological and build environment.

L’EAU Design, since its establishment in 2000, has been pursuing a total design focused on architecture and urbanism, renovation and interior design, enviroment design in order to architecturally design diverse concerns amid the better ‘human environment’, which is based on our research about social and cultural background of human.

Some of L’EAU design Co.,Ltd.’s most prominent projects include:

  • Matryoshka, South Korea
  • Tropism of wild flower, Seoul, South Korea
  • Song-chu Bending Band, Yangju-si, South Korea
  • Jeju BAYHILL POOL & VILLA _ EGOISTIC CROPPING, Yeraehaean-ro, Seogwipo-si, South Korea
  • Cosmos Intime, Gwangju, South Korea

The following statistics helped L’EAU design Co.,Ltd. achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 9
Total Projects 22

9. stpmj

© stpmj

© stpmj

stpmj is an award winning design practice based in new york and seoul. The office is founded by seung teak lee and mi jung lim with the agenda, “provocative realism”. It is a series of synergetic explorations that occur on the boundary between the ideal and the real. it is based on simplicity of form and detail, clarity of structure, excellence in environmental function, use of new materials, and rational management of budget. To these we add ideas generated from curiosity in everyday life as we pursue a methodology for dramatically exploiting the limitations of reality. From new perspectives, our work is nuanced yet bold and represents a reaction against architectural clichés.

Some of stpmj’s most prominent projects include:

  • Invisible Barn, Truckee, CA, United States
  • Shear House, Yecheon-gun, South Korea
  • Stratum House, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
  • The Surface, Gwacheon-si, South Korea
  • Dissolving Arch, Jeju-do, South Korea

The following statistics helped stpmj achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 10
Total Projects 10

8. JOHO Architecture

© JOHO Architecture

© JOHO Architecture

JOHO Architecture is a Seoul-based architecture firm ran by principal Jeong Hoon Lee. Interpreting architecture as a part of the humanities, JOHO Architectrue bases their philosophy on creating new identity and discourse in contemporary cities. In addition, architectural materials are set as a unit of ‘geo-metry’ and designs are developed through the grouping, addition and subtraction of these units. This ‘material_metry’ refers to the reinterpretation of a material’s meaning within the context of a site.

Some of JOHO Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

  • Namhae Cheo-ma House
  • The Curving House, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
  • Casa Geometrica, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Time Stacking House, Seoul, South Korea
  • Platform-L Contemporary Art Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped JOHO Architecture achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 9
Total Projects 12

7. BCHO Architects Associates

© BCHO Architects Associates

© BCHO Architects Associates

Founded in Seoul, Korea in 1994, BCHO Architects started as a design build office with a focus on simple structures and strong regard for nature. Since 1998 the practice focus is  architecture and furniture,   however we work very closely with contractors and multiple fabrication specialists in various disciplines; including stone masons, product designers, wood workers, potters, lighting engineers, furniture and graphic designers and artists. We also have multiple professional collaborators in Montana, Massachussetts, California, Hawaii and Peru. BCHO Architects believe that buildings, furniture and art are made, not created. Each architectural project, encompassing various scales and programs, explores the phenomenon of light and space, fabrication and construction methods , recycling and reusing, and a broad sense of sustainability (social/cultural/physical) which uses our collective creative energy to reduce our buildings demand for grid energy.

Some of BCHO Architects Associates’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped BCHO Architects Associates achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 10
Total Projects 11

6. Suh Architects

© Suh Architects

© Suh Architects

With every project, Suh Architects is defined by the marriage of function and verve. It does not adhere to a predetermined style, and expects its architecture to outlast current trends. Buildings must not only make sense spatially and in an intangible way, but also keep the rain out, heat in, and stay within budget. The firm is well-aware that this sort of harmony is only made possible by maintaining consistent standards and fully understanding its clients’ needs.

Its founder, Eulho Suh, is directly involved in the design and execution of each project from its initial conception, through planning, construction, and completion. With every project, spatial clarity and human scale are foremost; subsequent details are held to the highest standard of execution.

Some of Suh Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • HYUNDAI SONGPA, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS FC CLUBHOUSE, Bongdong-eup, Wanju-gun, South Korea
  • GENESIS SUJI, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, South Korea
  • GENESIS STUDIO, Hanam-si, South Korea
  • HYUNDAI MOTORSTUDIO, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped Suh Architects achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Winner 4
A+Awards Finalist 3
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 8

5. UNITEDLAB Associates

© Pace Studio

© Pace Studio

Founded in 2015 by Sang Dae Lee, UNITEDLAB (UL) is multi-disciplinary design studio providing a comprehensive suite of architecture, landscape, and urbanism services. UL has locations in New York City and Seoul. Our multi-disciplined approach reflects our belief that diverse perspectives enable a broader view that guides the design process and enriches creative insight. UL is passionate about understanding how the rich interplay of society and ideology has shaped the built environment, and in turn, how the shaped environment affects its inhabitants. We call it SCAPE.

SCAPE views the interactions between social landscapes and urban patterns as a living system that is comprised of the built environment and people. Beyond a careful observation of the physical domain, factors such as societal influences, ideologies, economics, and metaphysical idiosyncrasies inform our design work and research. Additionally, UL analyzes, researches, designs, and envisions scenarios for future cities. By bridging the boundaries between theory and practice, UL is challenging the notion of traditional typologies.

Some of UNITEDLAB Associates’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped UNITEDLAB Associates achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Winner 5
A+Awards Finalist 2
Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 4

4. Mass Studies

Photography (C) Yong-Kwan Kim - © Mass Studies

Photography (C) Yong-Kwan Kim – © Mass Studies

Mass Studies was founded in 2003 by Minsuk Cho in Seoul, Korea, as a critical investigation of architecture in the context of mass production, intensely over-populated urban conditions, and other emergent cultural niches that define contemporary society. Amid the many frictions defining spatial conditions in the twenty-first century, namely past vs. future, local vs. global, utopia vs. reality, and individual vs. collective, Mass Studies focuses on the operative complexity of these multiple conditions instead of striving for a singular, unified perspective. For each architectural project, which exist across a wide range of scales, Mass Studies explores issues such as spatial systems/matrixes, building materials/techniques, and typological divergences to foster a vision that allows the discovery of new socio/cultural potential.

Some of Mass Studies’s most prominent projects include:

  • Daum Space.1
  • Southcape Owner’s Club – Clubhouse, Yeosu, South Korea
  • Bundle Matrix: S-Trenue, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Missing Matrix Building: Boutique Monaco, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Ann Demeulemeester Shop, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped Mass Studies achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 9
Total Projects 9

3. Moon Hoon

© Namgoong Sun

© Namgoong Sun

Moon Hoon is a Korean architect based in Seoul. Moon Hoon is known for his playful and artistic architecture that often experiments with color and geometry.

Some of Moon Hoon’s most prominent projects include:

  • Two Moon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
  • Vi-sang House, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
  • Busan Times, Busan, South Korea
  • Simple House, Jeju-si, South Korea
  • Wind House, Jeju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Moon Hoon achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 16
Total Projects 12

2. IROJE KHM Architects

© IROJE KHM Architects

© IROJE KHM Architects

IROJE KHM Architects is an award-winning architect’s office in Seoul, Korea. Kim Hyo Man, the principal of IROJE KHM Architects is architect, concurrent professor of graduate school of architecture and editorial adviser of an architectural magazine.

Some of IROJE KHM Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • Ga On Jai, Kwangmyŏng, South Korea
  • HWA HUN, South Korea
  • Kyeong Dok Jai, Goyang-si, South Korea
  • Tetris Nursery, Dobong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • STELLA FIORE, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, South Korea

Top image: Flying House by IROJE KHM Architects, Incheon, South Korea 

The following statistics helped IROJE KHM Architects achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 16
Total Projects 20

1. Studio Gaon

© Studio Gaon

© Studio Gaon

studio_GAON is a Seoul-based architecture practice founded by architects Lim Hyoungnam + Roh Eunjoo Architect. The firm specializes in residential, cultural and commercial design.

Some of Studio Gaon’s most prominent projects include:

  • Jetavana Buddhist Temple, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon-si, South Korea
  • Casa Gaia, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, South Korea
  • House of January, House on the Demarcation, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, South Korea
  • House of San-jo, Buk-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
  • Lucia’s earth, Kongju, Korea, Republic of

The following statistics helped Studio Gaon achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

Featured Projects 28
Total Projects 41

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “”+”” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

  • Project completed within the last 3 years
  • A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
  • Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
  • High quality, in focus photographs
  • At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
  • Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
  • Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 


 

We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

Reference

Interiors of Casa Villalba de los Barros, designed by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight guesthouse interiors designed for peace and escapism

A one-room hotel kitted out with a miniature nightclub and twin dwellings with labyrinthine staircases informed by MC Escher are among the guesthouses featured in our latest lookbook.

Guesthouses are accommodations for travellers, including cabins, rental cottages and private rooms, sometimes located in close proximity to permanent structures such as homes or offices.

Despite their temporary nature, guesthouses can feature distinctive designs created to be remembered for longer than just during their occupants’ stay.

From a bird nest-style retreat in Namibia to a micro dwelling in South Korea, here are eight guesthouses with impactful interiors from across the globe.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring gardens with swimming pools, cave-like interiors and striking accent walls.


Interiors of Casa Villalba de los Barros, designed by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
Top image: Trunk House in Tokyo features a miniature nightclub. Above: Photo by José Hevia

La Hermandad de Villalba, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil

Spanish studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil sought to honour the original architecture of this eighteenth-century building, which was renovated to feature decorative doorways and original arched ceilings.

Nestled in a wine-growing town in Spain’s Extremadura region, the guesthouse takes visual cues from its site, with hues of deep red and pale green that nod to the town’s natural terrain and surrounding vineyards.

Find out more about La Hermandad de Villalba ›


A-frame Cabin Kit by Den Outdoors
Photo is courtesy of Den Outdoors

Den Cabin Kit, USA, by Den Outdoors

Prefabricated in New York, Den Cabin Kit is a flat-packed kit-of-parts for a steeply pitched cabin that is designed to be assembled in a few days.

Cabin-design company Den Outdoors created the structure to cater to a guesthouse, study or yoga studio. Slanted wooden walls and a single triangular window create a cosy atmosphere inside.

Find out more about Den Cabin Kit ›


The Nest at Sossus guest house in Namibia designed by Porky Hefer
Photo is by Katinka Bester

The Nest at Sossus, Namibia, by Porky Hefer

The Nest at Sossus is an off-grid guesthouse in Namibia with a thatched facade informed by the amorphous shape of bird nests.

Thatching also features on the interior, which South African designer Porky Hefer created with bulbous protrusions and built-in furniture to mimic the stacked components of a nest.

Pieces include a sunken Chesterfield-style sofa upholstered in oxblood-coloured leather.

Find out more about The Nest at Sossus ›


Studio 10 designs M.C. Escher-inspired guesthouse in China
Photo is by Chao Zhang

Dream and Maze, China, by Studio 10

Shenzhen-based Studio 10 designed a pair of guest rooms in Guilin, China, which take cues from the optical illusions of the seminal Dutch graphic artist MC Escher.

Called Dream and Maze, the rooms feature colour-coded arched doorways and disorientating anti-gravitational staircases built within a seven-metre-high structure with a pitched roof.

“The challenge was in keeping the balance between the practical need of a hotel suite and the illusionary, spatial effect we wanted to achieve,” the studio told Dezeen.

Find out more about Dream and Maze ›


Alfondac guest apartment by Aixopluc
Photo is by José Hevia

Alfondac, Spain, by Aixopluc 

Catalan studio Aixopluc filled a guest apartment above its offices with modular furniture that can be assembled using DIY techniques.

Named after an Arabic word describing a place for both guests and for storing goods, Alfondac features various exposed appliances and living areas amalgamated into one space.

“This iteration is an exploration of the potential benefits of having different activities and their smells – shit, lavender soap, pee, escudella [a type of Catalan stew], incense, linen sheets after sex, hyacinth flowers, baby’s poo and half-full glasses of Priorat wines – coexist rather than being segregated,” said Aixopluc.

Find out more about this apartment ›


Nuwa guesthouse by Z_Lab
Photo is by Texture on Texture

Nuwa, Korea, by Z_Lab 

Nuwa is a tiny guesthouse in northern Seoul that measures under 30 square metres. Local studio Z_Lab renovated a traditional Korean home, known as a hanok, to create the apartment out of a single room.

A porthole window inserted next to the bed provides views of the surrounding garden, while a sunken bath and walnut and stone accents define the rest of the space.

Find out more about Nuwa ›


Trunk House designed by Trunk Atelier and Tripster
Photo is by Tomooki Kengaku

Trunk House, Japan, by Trunk and Tripster

Hailed by its designers as containing Tokyo’s smallest disco, this one-room hotel in the city’s Kagurazaka neighbourhood features a miniature nightclub with a bright red interior, a curved bar and an illuminated dance floor.

Hotel brand Trunk collaborated with design studio Tripster to create the interiors within a traditional 70-year-old geisha house. Living spaces are characterised by muted palettes, including a tearoom with tatami mats arranged around a sunken fireplace.

Find out more about Trunk House ›


The Olive Houses in Mallorca designed by Mar Plus Ask
Photo is by Piet Albert Goethals

The Olive Houses, Mallorca, by Mar Plus Ask

Architecture studio Mar Plus Ask designed a pair of guesthouses in the Mallorcan mountains to celebrate the craggy boulders that jut through their walls.

The Olive Houses are off-grid dwellings created for solo creatives as a silent refuge. Sloping cave-like walls were rendered exclusively in blush-pink stucco to complement the pale green shade found on the underside of an olive tree leaf.

“To us, the [boulders] became a piece of art – suddenly the house was more about sculpting its backdrop and being its lightbox,” explained the studio.

Find out more about The Olive Houses ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring gardens with swimming pools, cave-like interiors and striking accent walls.

Reference

Addressing poverty-related diseases from all angles
CategoriesSustainable News

Addressing poverty-related diseases from all angles

Spotted: Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death and puts huge pressure on strained health systems – in some countries with a high malaria burden, it can account for up to 40 per cent of public health expenditure. One of the organisations working to fight malaria is Landcent Group, which has developed a novel programme to identify new insecticides.

Landcent’s Active Ingredient Discovery Platform investigates natural and indigenous knowledge bases to identify active ingredients for development into biopesticides. Using this platform, the company has screened more than 200,000 natural compounds in just ​two years.

Already, the company has developed new bio-insecticides that it has incorporated into the yarn used to make mosquito nets; a chewable format for malaria prophylaxis, which is easier for children to take; and a micro-encapsulation technique for anti-malarial sprays. Landcent is also developing new, non-toxic vector controls, including those made using bacteria.

Since its founding in 2011, Landcent has secured more than €10.21 million in funding, including grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and investments from Shan Xiangshuang, of Hone Capital — one of Silicon Valley’s biggest funds.

In 2021, malaria caused an estimated 247 million clinical episodes, and 619,000 deaths. Innovators have responded with various advances. In the archive, Springwise has spotted the use of a smartphone to diagnose the disease and drones that map mosquito breeding grounds.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
CategoriesArchitecture

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct dynamic volumes

The House in Jurmala by Chado responds to the natural context

 

Nestled amidst a grove of ancient pines, The House in Jurmala by architectural studio Chado effortlessly responds to the surrounding landscape and Latvian climate. Facing southward, its facade embraces the views, while the rugged texture of concrete walls forms a unique composition. The formation of a planted patio cuts through the structure separating the private sleeping zones from the common living spaces. The building unfolds two volumes, each boasting a distinct height and purpose. The lower part hosts the children’s and guests’ rooms, while the upper volume reveals a large living room, dining area, kitchen, and master bedroom.

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
all images by Alvis Rozenbergs

 

 

design composes an interplay of concrete forms and volumes

 

Within the heart of the house, the central public area exudes an intriguing contrast to the monumental volumes of the private spaces. Here, the console roofing boldly extends, creating dynamic cantilevers. As an elegant focal point, a vertical fireplace tube provides the area with a sense of verticality and warmth. The design team at Chado composes an interplay of forms and volumes developing a harmonious design narrative, where the concrete embraces the landscape responding to the natural context.

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
the structure is nestled amidst a grove of ancient pines in Jurmala

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
the architecture effortlessly responds to the surrounding landscape

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
the rugged texture of concrete walls forms a unique composition

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
the formation of a planted patio cuts through the concrete structure

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
the concrete embraces the landscape responding to the natural context

concrete residence in latvia unfolds two distinct volumes with dynamic cantilevers
the glazed atrium separates the private sleeping zones from the common living spaces

Reference

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five
CategoriesInterior Design

Isern Serra turns renderings into reality to form pink Moco Concept Store

Design studio Isern Serra has transformed a computer-generated image by digital artist Six N Five into a rose-coloured retail space for the Moco Museum in Barcelona.

Situated in Barcelona’s El Born neighbourhood, the Moco Museum exclusively exhibits the work of modern artists such as Damien Hirst, Kaws, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons.

The institution’s eponymous concept store has a similarly contemporary offering, selling a mix of design, fashion and lifestyle goods.

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five
The store’s interior is completely covered in pink micro-cement

Its surreal pink interior started out as a computer-generated image by Six N Five, a digital artist known for envisioning other-worldly dreamscapes in pastel hues.

Barcelona-based design studio Isern Serra then brought the image to life, using pink micro-cement to achieve the same uniform, ultra-smooth surfaces seen in the drawing.

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five
Products are displayed inside huge circular display niches

“The Moco Concept Store represented an interesting challenge, as I had to combine the purpose of the store with actual architecture remaining true to our original dreamy world I had built in CGI,” explained Six N Five, whose real name is Ezequiel Pini.

“But these concepts were able to go one level further, both in decisions and execution, thanks to Isern Serra who brought its extraordinary talent and experience.”

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five
Arched and square niches have also been punctured into the walls

The store’s rosy interior can be seen through two large openings in its facade – one of them is rectangular, while the other is slightly curved and contains the entrance door.

A series of chunky columns run through the middle of the space. Surrounding walls have been punctured with arched, square and circular display niches, some of which are dramatically backlit.

Rows of shelves and a frame for a tv screen have also been made to project from the wall.

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five
A faux skylight sits directly above pink display plinths

The store’s largely open floor plan is only interrupted by a few pink cylindrical plinths used to showcase products, and a bespoke pink cashier desk with an integrated computer system.

Custom spotlights have been installed on the ceiling, along with a faux skylight.

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five
The store’s custom furnishings, like the cashier desk, are also rendered in pink

An increasing number of creatives are making their virtual designs a reality.

Last year, digital artist Andres Reisinger collaborated with furniture brand Moooi to produce a physical version of his Instagram-famous Hortensia chair, which was initially a rendering.

The piece is covered with 20,000 pink fabric petals, emulating the almost fluffy appearance of a hydrangea flower.

In Sweden, designer Christoffer Jansson passed off a virtual apartment as an Instagram home renovation project.

The photography is by Salva Lopez.


Project credits:

Authors: Six N Five and Isern Serra
Builder: Tegola Rosso SL

Reference

Using fairy tales to teach about climate change
CategoriesSustainable News

Using fairy tales to teach about climate change

Spotted: Climate change may appear simple on the surface, but it is a rather complicated topic to teach. And schools could be doing a better job. Data collected by UNESCO from 100 countries shows that only 53 per cent of the world’s national education curricula reference climate change, and 40 per cent included only a minimal level of content. To help individuals better understand the climate crisis, a team led by Lancaster University – which also included researchers from the Universities of Strathclyde and Manchester – has focused on developing accessible and memorable ways of communicating sustainability-related topics – using fairy tales. 

Fairy tales are not only for children, and the team is using them to respond to the various challenges of climate change, including electricity generation, low-carbon transport, and plastic pollution. The team has presented three “telling tales” on these topics, using the characters of mermaids, vampires, and witches as metaphors to communicate the typically complicated arguments more engagingly.  

The mermaids, or sirens, highlight the potentially dangerous allure of renewable energy sources in the UK, which can cause us to ignore wider issues like excessive energy consumption. Vampires serve as embodiments for cars, sucking the wellbeing out of the environment and communities, while the witches are a metaphor for the broader ‘witch hunt’ against plastics, which puts a narrow focus on the material itself, rather than spotlighting the unsustainable and ineffective systems that can make plastic so harmful. The team worked with illustrator Véronique Heijnsbroek to create corresponding images for the stories. 

The team hopes this concept will inspire the science community to communicate energy-based social science research in more digestible formats to engage with those outside of academia. This August, the team is planning to conduct a virtual workshop with other researchers and illustrators to further develop and broaden their collection of characters. 

Climate education is essential, and Springwise has spotted many innovations in the archive helping to make the topic more teachable. These include wooden blocks that teach children about energy and using Minecraft to demonstrate the impact of climate change.

Written By: Anam Alam

Reference

Wooden soffit and curved roof with snow drifts
CategoriesArchitecture

Stephane Gaulin-Brown places curved roof on Quebec chalet

Montreal architect Stephane Gaulin-Brown has placed a single-slope roof with a curved soffit on top of a ski chalet to open it up to the forests of Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

Completed in 2023, the house – entitled Élément Tremblant – is a 1,400-square foot (130-square metre) retreat that recalls the glitz of the region’s classic ski culture with a contemporary twist.

Wooden soffit and curved roof with snow drifts
Stephane Gaulin-Brown created a chalet in Quebec

“The suave adventurous spirit of the early pioneers like Stan Ferguson and Hans Falkner, as well as 1940’s après-ski paintings…served as inspiration for the design.” Stephane Gaulin-Brown said. “The design also grew out of the natural context: the ferns, the birch trees, the deer, and the large glacial boulders strewn across the forest floor.”

The primary feature is a long shed roof with an ochre-coloured wooden soffit that curves from the exterior wall up to the edge of the cantilever. The roof references a traditional Quebecois roof form with up-curved ends and gives a sense of lightness to the chalet “like it was rising up in the air”.

Wooden roof with windows to an interior sauna
Wooden beams wrap the exterior

The tongue-and-groove wood of the soffit turns down the wall to form the upper portion of the facade. Below it, black board and batten siding clads the exterior walls between large, black-framed windows.

The house is organized in a simple double-loaded bar. The entry, secondary bedrooms and bathrooms are aligned facing down the sloped site, while the primary bedroom and open-plan kitchen, dining room and living area form a band that looks up the slope to the forest vista dotted with glacial boulders.

Curved roof with snow drifts
The roof slopes up to let in light and views

On the southeast corner, the windows peak and wrap around a spa. Meanwhile, the northeast corner is subtracted with a small porch off the primary bedroom.

The interiors centre the open living space, which is wrapped in warm stain-resistant Russian plywood and copper-toned metal panels that bounce light from thin, suspended fixtures.

Wooden interior of a sloped living room with steel fireplace
The living areas include plywood and a powder-coated steel fireplace

The sloped roof forms a trapezoidal space that peaks at 12 feet, but the wall of windows is capped just above the average height of a person.

Poured concrete forms a solid base for the powder-coated steel fireplace – a high-efficiency model manufactured locally by Stûv – and flat storage cabinet that rounds the corner to the primary suite.

“Recessed uplit LED lighting along the length of the main living space adds drama, ultimately making the living room into a kind of film set ready for après-ski hangouts,” Gaulin-Brown said.

In the kitchen, thin black hardware and square tile accent the warm wood cabinetry and white countertops.

Glass windows with views of snow in the kitchen
Large glass windows frame the kitchen

“Historical images, sourced with permission from the National Library of Québec, are framed around the house to make the sense of history visceral,” Gaulin-Brown explained. “In the master bedroom, a historical photo of the original Mont Tremblant steam train is printed on a large scale across the whole wall.”

The exposed concrete floor conceals a radiant heating system that warms the house and serves as a heat sink in the winter.

Bathroom with white walls and concrete floors
The house has a radiant heating system in the flooring

In a similar black and warm wood palette, YH2’s Quebec ski chalet also draws in light with an upward-sloping roof, but the Laurentian mountain house employs a V-shaped profile, lifting the roof on both sides like wings.

The photography is by Stephane Gaulin-Brown and Valerie Lacroix.


Project credits:
Client: Alex Roy
Contractor: Daniel Brisson
Designer: Stephane Gaulin-Brown



Reference

Apple Battersea by Foster + Partners
CategoriesInterior Design

Apple reveals Battersea Power Station shop as latest “evolution of the store”

Technology company Apple has unveiled its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the recently revamped Battersea Power Station in London, which features updated fixtures and furniture.

Set to open later today, Apple Battersea is the brand’s 40th UK store and represents an evolution in its retail design thinking with more of an emphasis placed on accessibility and sustainability.

“We developed this material palette and this fixture set that is really trying to align with like Apple’s goals,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple.

“This material palette is new for us, it’s an evolution of the Apple Store,” he told Dezeen.

Apple Battersea by Foster + Partners
Apple Battersea opens today

Designed by UK studio Foster + Partners, the store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the 1930s Turbine Hall A at the former power station, where the studio also designed the technology brand’s offices.

The shop is arranged around four original brick piers and has steel roof supports exposed on the ceiling. On top of this base, Foster + Partners overlaid a revamped fixture set that Mirsky said “will become familiar over time”.

Apple Battersea is the second store – after the recently reopened Tysons Corner store in the USA, which replaced Apple’s first ever store – to feature the redesigned fixtures.

Apple Battersea by Foster + Partners
It features an updated fixture set

Around the edge of the store is an oak framework of shelving that was developed with Foster + Partners.  The timber structure also defines a space dedicated to watches, a pick-up area and a redesigned Genius Bar.

The Genius Bar has a counter for stand-up service along with a lowered area where people can be served sitting down. Along with its standard Parsons tables, which are made from sustainably harvested European oak, the store also has several lowered tables.

Updated Genius Bar
The redesigned Genius Bar has a lower counter

“We’ve thought about mobility issues across the whole fixture set,” explained Mirsky. “We have our traditional Parsons table with our standard height, but you notice that the tables in the back are varied and our new genius bar as well.”

“We have a standing height because the team really prefers to stand and it lets them work with more people and then they can stand at the tables, but customers who want to sit or need to sit can actually use these slightly modified tables,” he continued.

As part of the focus on mobility, Apple also increased the amount of circulation around the edge of the store.

Tables in London Apple store
There is more space around the edge of the store

Along with the timber framework, Apple aimed to replace other more carbon-intensive elements in the store with biomaterials.

The floor, which was first used in the Brompton Road store, was made from aggregates bound together with a bio-polymer, while the acoustic baffles in the ceiling were made from biogenic material.

The acoustic baffles and bright floor form part of a focus on improving visual and acoustic clarity in the store, with a dark band placed around the base of the walls to provide visual differentiation with the flooring.

“Something I want to point out that is really part and parcel of the material palette, but also goes to our universal design, is the contrast in the store,” said Mirsky.

“We wanted to make sure we have this really enhanced kind of navigation,” he continued. “So the floor is brightened – it helps us with our low energy – but it also makes it so that you can clearly see the table and the walls are defined.”

Pick up space in Apple Store
The store has a dedicated pick-up corner

The fixture set, flooring and ceiling baffles were also used at the Tysons Corner store and Mirsky believes the base can create a feeling of familiarity for Apple’s customers.

“Each store is really dealt with as a unique circumstance Battersea has this incredible, incredible existing architectural fabric to work in,” he said.

“We use the same fixture set at Tysons Corner in a mall setting in America which doesn’t have this sort of grand grandiose architecture, but the same fixture set can generate an environment that’s very familiar and welcoming no matter where you are.”

The store is the latest to open in London, following the Brompton Road store that opened last year, which was designed to be a “calm oasis”. Other recently completed Apple Stores include the band’s first shop in India and a store in Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre.

Reference

An algae-based material for use in personal care products and solar panels
CategoriesSustainable News

An algae-based material for use in personal care products and solar panels

Spotted: Biotechnology has been rapidly gaining momentum in recent years, with manufacturers increasingly turning to the natural world both for its unique qualities and sustainability. One of those manufacturers is Swedish Algae Factory, which uses diatoms – a type of unicellular microscopic algae – to produce its new advanced materials. 

The company’s first products are a skin cleanser called Algica and a protective coating for photovoltaic (PV) panels. The products are manufactured via a sustainable, circular process that uses wastewater from other local businesses as an energy source, with the cleaned water is returned to its partner organisations for reuse. According to the company, producing one kilogramme of Algica helps clean the atmosphere of at least eight kilogrammes of carbon dioxide and one kilogramme of nitrogen. 

The shells of algae diatoms contain silicon dioxide and are extremely efficient at absorbing light and carbon dioxide. By replacing some of the chemicals traditionally used in skincare products, Algica not only reduces the carbon emissions of production, it also makes the products themselves healthier and more effective. In a controlled, double-blind study, external assessors found Algica’s moisturising capability to be the same as hyaluronic acid.  

Because the algae grow in salt as well as wastewater, production processes are accessible to communities without a consistent supply of clean water. By eliminating the need for potable water to grow algae, areas can more easily and quickly engage with new opportunities for economic growth, particularly as Swedish Algae Factory continues to explore additional and improved uses of the plant.  

A recipient of an EU LIFE grant, Swedish Algae Factory also has a project called Life Sunalgae for large-scale industrial production of an algae-based silicon film that blocks UV light. When applied to PV panels, the film slows the degradation of materials while increasing the solar cells’ efficiency in converting light into power. 

Springwise has spotted the versatility of algae being used in a range of innovations in the archive, including in limestone and to power a microprocessor.

Written By: Keely Khoury

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