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Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns
CategoriesInterior Design

Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns

By Zarkon Group,

Indian practice Studio Hinge has completed Forest of Knowledge, a library in Mumbai that sits beneath a tree-like canopy of latticed wood.

The library was designed for the Cricket Club of India, a member’s club dating back to the 1930s that is housed in an art deco building in southern Mumbai.

Forest pf Knowledge library
Columns were created to resemble tree trunks

Adapting the third floor of this building, Studio Hinge looked to recreate the feeling of “sitting under a tree with a book” by reimagining the structure’s concrete columns as tree trunks.

Alongside, a former Zumba studio has been updated to be used as a flexible space for book clubs, film screenings and workshops.

Library interior in India
Circular bookshelves sit underneath the “canopy”

“India experienced one of the harshest and most sudden covid lockdowns in the world, and a lot of the design of the library was developed during this time, during which it was clear that people were yearning to meet and share ideas in person again,” explained the studio.

“On a conceptual level, the design draws from nature, in particular the notion of sitting under a tree with a book, and also borrows from the beautiful canopy formed by the ficus and gulmohar trees to be found in the adjacent street,” it continued.

Wooden shelving in Forest of Knowledge
The shelves are connected by plank-covered steel frames

A steel frame covered with small wooden planks lines each of the concrete columns.

This integrates shelving and extends upwards to create arched forms across the ceiling that are then connected in areas with a wooden lattice.

Curving bookshelves have been organised in a circle at the base of each column, with seating areas at the edges of the floor plate creating a variety of different conditions and atmospheres for visitors.

On the library’s floor, custom terrazzo tiles feature a pattern of green “leaves” with a circle of wooden flooring used at the base of each column.

Visitor at library in Mumbai
The floor was decorated with a leaf pattern

“Care has been taken to ensure no bookshelf in the open space is taller than 1.2m,” explained Studio Hinge.

“This allows maximum natural light to permeate deep into the plan and for most adults to have an unobstructed view whilst standing, while creating sheltered semi-private nooks to sit and read in,” it added.

“It also provides a very different perception of the library for children, from whose vantage the space between the circular bookshelves is playful, almost labyrinthine in nature.”

Multipurpose room in Forest of Knowledge library
A ceiling of timber planks adds interest to the multipurpose room

In the multipurpose room, the ceiling has been finished with an undulating pattern of timber planks and the walls lined with cabinets to maximise storage.

Forest of Knowledge was recently longlisted in the workplace interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Elsewhere in Mumbai, The Act of Quad recently converted a former library into its own interior design studio, with a see-through facade of perforated, white metal sheets and Malik Architecture transformed an ice factory into an events space.

The photography is by Suryan + Dang.

Project credits:

Design team: Interior Architecture – Studio Hinge, Pravir Sethi, Chintan Zalavadiya
Lighting design: Studio Trace, Tripti Sahni
MEP: ARKK Consultants

Reference

Balenciaga opens smoked-glass couture store beneath historic atelier in Paris
CategoriesInterior Design

Balenciaga opens smoked-glass couture store beneath historic atelier in Paris

By Zarkon Group,

Fashion house Balenciaga has opened a couture store with smoked-glass-panelled walls in the same building as its original couture salon in Paris.

The store is located beneath Balenciaga‘s historic atelier at 10 Avenue George V, which was recently renovated to exactly replicate the interior of the original couture salon that was first opened in 1937.

Interior image of Balenciaga's Couture Store in Paris
The interior of the store was clad in tinted glass

“The newly renovated space at 10 Avenue George V is dedicated to preserving Balenciaga’s heritage in its original couture location, first opened in 1937, as well as creating a couture for today,” said the brand.

The design of the store beneath the couture salon was created by long-time Balenciaga collaborator Sub, a Berlin-based architecture studio that was founded by Niklas Bildstein Zaar and Andrea Faraguna.

Interior image of a smoked-glass changing room at Balenciaga's Couture Store
The store is located in the same building as Balenciaga’s original couture salon

The boutique’s exterior is marked by oversized serif Balenciaga signage, a nod to Balenciaga’s 20th-century branding that also forms a distinction from the narrow, sans serif typeface that currently identifies the brand.

Beneath the signage, four arched openings frame swooping curtains that are given a golden hue by the brown-tinted glazing.

Interior image of a grey-hued fitting room at the Balenciaga Couture Store
Grey curtains zone spaces throughout the store

The interior of the couture store echoes Balenciaga’s raw architecture concept, which was applied internationally across the interior of its stores, but this edition has been clad in panels of tinted glass instead of concrete.

Between the unfinished but glass-clad walls, ash-hued curtains conceal carpeted areas while wrinkled-leather ottomans were placed throughout the two-storey store.

Wrought iron balustrades and a curving marble staircase, with glass panelling slotted around it, hint at the building’s history and the former decor and interior scheme of the atelier above.

“The concept of the couture store is a gateway to couture, which remains a very closed universe, especially for new generations,” said Balenciaga CEO Cédric Charbit.

Interior image of the first floor of the Balenciaga Couture Store
Remnants of the store’s history were incorporated into the design

“In this new store, products, made-to-measure services and retail excellence are a reinvention of the Balenciaga client experience,” said Charbit.

“It is exciting to be able to present this level of craft, creativity and made-in-France savoir-faire in our historical address.”

Image of the interior with mirrors surrounding the store's columns and supports
Balenciaga’s couture atelier is located above the store

Metal shelving was decorated with couture items, ranging from artisanal to technological, from the brand’s most recent Autumn Winter 2022 couture show.

Items on display include its speaker bag, which was created in collaboration with Danish audio brand, Bang & Olufsen.

Earlier in 2022, Balenciaga wrapped its Mount Street store in London in a bright pink faux fur to celebrate its Le Cagole bag.

Photography is courtesy of Balenciaga.

Reference