Creates Archives

Pihlmann Architects creates ÅBEN brewery in former slaughterhouse

Bulbous steel tanks hang from where carcasses used to be suspended at the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen, which local studio Pihlmann Architects transformed from a slaughterhouse into a restaurant and bar.

Located in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District, the brewery is housed in a 1932 butchery that has been used for various commercial activities since the early 1990s.

Blue-rimmed doors at ÅBEN brewery designed by Pihlmann Architects — Visitors enter ÅBEN through the building’s original blue-rimmed doors

Pihlmann Architects maintained and restored many of the slaughterhouse’s original features as part of the renovation for Danish beer company ÅBEN.

“Turning the space back into a food production facility, with all the pragmatic measures we had to keep in mind, generated our ideas from the very beginning,” studio founder Søren Pihlmann told Dezeen. “Bringing back the authentic character of the space was key.”

Conical steel fermentation tanks within ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen — Conical steel fermentation vessels were suspended where carcasses used to hang

Arranged across one open-plan level, the brewery features the original gridded rail system from which 980 carcasses used to hang when the space was a slaughterhouse.

Pihlmann Architects replaced the carcasses with conical fermentation tanks that are reached via a low-hanging galvanised steel walkway – also suspended from the listed building’s original sawtooth roof.

White tiles lining the walls of ÅBEN brewery in a former slaughterhouse — Pihlmann Architects was led by the building’s industrial history

Geometric clusters of white wall tiles that have been preserved since the 1930s were also kept in place, echoing the brewery’s original purpose.

“Bringing the key elements back to a worthy condition was more of a task than deciding on which [elements] to keep,” noted Pihlmann.

Semitransparent curtains within brewery designed by Pihlmann Architects — Semitransparent curtains divide spaces and control acoustics

Spaces are delineated by slaughterhouse-style semitransparent curtains, which cloak various dining areas that are positioned around the restaurant’s central open kitchen where visitors can experience the brewing process up close.

Furniture was kept simple and “unfussy” in order to emphasise the restaurant’s industrial elements, including angular chairs and bar stools finished in aluminium and wood.

“The [material and colour] palettes are true to function on the one hand and [true to] history on the other,” said Pihlmann.

Crimson red flooring runs throughout the brewery, which was in place when the building was purchased. It was maintained to add warmth to the otherwise clinical interiors.

At night, the restaurant’s electric light absorbs this colour and reflects from the fermentation tanks, creating a more intimate environment.

Central open kitchen within ÅBEN brewery — A central open kitchen is flanked by bar stools

Making the food production processes visible was at the core of the design concept, according to the architecture studio.

“It’s not only about the preparation of the food, it’s more about the brewing taking place,” continued Pihlmann.

“The space which produces thousands of litres every day is open for everyone to step into, and actually see how and where the product they consume is produced.”

“Today, we are so detached from what we consume, we just go to the supermarket and pick it up from the cold counter having no clue where it’s coming from,” he added.

“I’m not that naive to think that ÅBEN alone will change anything, but I’m convinced that it’s important to change this detachment.”

Steel fermentation tank within brewery in Copenhagen — The slaughterhouse’s original white tiles were preserved

Pihlmann described his favourite aspect of the project as “how the elements we’ve added both submit to and utilise the existing space, not just visually but also through their structural function”.

“The building is built to carry a huge load,” he reflected. “Back then, it was tonnes of dead meat. Today, it’s enormous serving tanks from the ceiling.”

Founded in 2021, Pihlmann Architects was included in our list of 15 up-and-coming Copenhagen architecture studios compiled to mark the city being named UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2023.

Previous slaughterhouse conversions include a training school for chefs in Spain that was once used to butcher meat and a cultural centre in Portugal that is currently being developed by Kengo Kuma and OODA.

The photography is by Hampus Berndtson.

Reference

Sustainable News

Finnish Design Shop creates forest-set logistics centre

By Zarkon Group,05/02/2023

Avanto Architects and Joanna Laajisto have designed a logistics centre for retailer Finnish Design Shop that features warm timber, a foraged-food restaurant for staff and visitors, and views of the surrounding forest.

Located on the outskirts of Turku, west of Helsinki, the logistics centre is the hub for storage, management and dispatch of products from the Finnish Design Shop, which says it is the world’s largest online store for Nordic design.

The company needed a new logistics centre after a period of high growth, but founder and CEO Teemu Kiiski also aimed for it to be a meaningful place for employees and visitors.

Photo of the exterior of the Finnish Design Shop logistics centre in Turku by Avanto Architects — The Finnish Design Shop logistics centre is located in the Pomponrahka nature reserve in Turku. Photo is by Kuvio

Employees of the logistics centre can enjoy plenty of light and forest views as well as warm timber environments and a restaurant run by Sami Tallberg, an award-winning chef who specialises in foraging.

The Finnish Design Shop had first explored whether it could convert an existing building in the Turku area, but, finding nothing suitable, chose to build on a site in the Pomponrahka nature reserve, where the surrounding forest would provide a calming work environment and reflect the appreciation for wood in Nordic design.

To undertake construction there responsibly, the Finnish Design Shop says the builders saved as many trees as possible and landscaped the area with natural forest undergrowth and stones excavated from the site.

Photo of the entrance interior to the Finnish Design Shop hub with light pouring through glass curtain walls and chairs displayed in shelves that reach high up the glazing — The entrance features glass curtain walls that connect the interior and exterior. Photo by Kuvio

Avanto Architects designed the 12,000-square-metre building to blend into the forest as much as possible — a challenge given its massing, a product of the warehouse layout.

The layout was created beforehand by specialist consultants to maximise the efficiency of operations, which are carried out by robots in an automated system.

Photo of a showroom featuring furniture by Nordic designers in pale woods and natural colours — The centre includes a showroom. Photo by Mikko Ryhänen

The architects opted for a dark facade with a vertical relief pattern that becomes visible on approach and echoes the tree trunks in the surrounding woodlands.

“The pattern forms a more human scale to the large facade surfaces,” Avanto Architects co-founder Anu Puustinen told Dezeen. “We also used warm wooden accents in the main entrance vestibule, balcony and windows.”

Photo of the wild food restaurant at the Finnish Design Shop hub in Turku — There is also a restaurant that specialises in foraged food. Photo by Mikko Ryhänen

The architects gave the office spaces large windows so the employees could enjoy frequent views of the forest and lots of light, and included a balcony for access to the outdoors on the first floor.

The entrance to the centre is through the showroom, which features glass curtain walls that showcase the use of the building and a long, straight staircase made from two massive glulam beams.

Photo showing views of a warehouse floor through large windows in an office corridor — The first-floor offices have a view of the warehouse floor. Photo by Kuvio

The interior was designed by Laajisto and her studio, who aimed to make the space feel well-proportioned and comfortable despite its size and to create a good acoustic environment by liberally applying sound-absorbing materials.

She kept the colour and material palette neutral and natural, with lots of solid pine and ash wood to continue the forest connection, but used furniture from the Finnish Design Shop in bright colours to punctuate the space.

“The aim was that every aspect in the interior should be done well and beautifully,” Laajisto told Dezeen. “Attention to detail was embraced in things that typically are overlooked, such as doors, plumbing fixtures and electrical hardware selections and applications, acoustic ceiling panels and ceramic tiles.”

The project is the first logistics building in Finland to be certified BREEAM Excellent, the second highest level.

Photo of an open office area with slatted pale wood room dividers and soft furnishings in neutral colours and turquoise — Special attention has been paid to creating a good acoustic environment with sound-dampening materials. Photo by Mikko Ryhänen

Kiiski, who positions the company as the opposite of multinational e-commerce players such as Amazon, aimed for the new centre to be the most socially and environmentally sustainable online store.

“The values that life in the Nordic countries is based on include transparency, equality and respect for nature,” said Kiiski. “It would have been impossible to create this company and our new logistics centre without unwavering respect for these values.”

Wood-panelled kitchen corner — Wood is featured throughout the interior

He believes that global online shopping can be socially and environmentally sustainable when issues in supply chains, logistics and operations are addressed.

“Many studies show that online shopping can have a lower carbon footprint as compared to in-store shopping,” said Kiiski. “This is due to the more efficient logistics in e-commerce and the fact that in-store shopping usually involves private transport.”

“We want to push the whole industry towards a more sustainable future,” he continued.

Photo of a timber-framed glass office door with warm light and a beige beanbag with throw rug in one corner — The hub is meant to offer employees a healthy and humane working environment. Photo by Mikko Ryhänen

Past work by Avanto Architects includes the Löyly waterfront sauna in Helsinki, which has a multifaceted exterior that visitors can climb, and the Villa Lumi, a house with a sculptural white staircase.

Laajisto’s previous projects include office interiors for service design company Fjord and the Airisto furniture collection for Made by Choice, which was inspired by Scandinavian holiday culture.

Reference

Interior Design

Golem creates “pleasure-driven” pink interior for Superzoom gallery

By Zarkon Group,02/02/2023

Bubblegum-pink walls, floors and furniture create unconventional spaces for displaying art at this gallery in Paris designed by local studio Golem.

Headed by architect and artist Ariel Claudet, the practice was invited to design the interior for the Superzoom art gallery, which is located in the historic Le Marais district.

Superzoom gallery in Paris with all-pink interiors — Superzoom gallery in Paris features bubblegum-pink interiors

The gallery comprises three spaces arranged in an unusual order, with the gallery director’s office at the entrance, a white-cube gallery space in the centre and an accessible storage space at the rear.

“We flipped upside-down the classic and elitist sequence of an art gallery, offering visitors a new pleasure-driven experience and the gallery managers three spatial tools for a large range of curatorial approaches,” explained Claudet.

All-pink walls and floors in Superzoom gallery in Paris — Pink is Superzoom’s signature colour

Superzoom’s signature colour pink was used as the basis for the design, reflecting the vibrancy of the local nightlife and techno scene where the gallery mingles with artists and collectors, according to Claudet.

An integrated sound system hooked up to a vinyl record player provides a soundtrack of electronic music to enhance this connection.

The “pink den” contains a built-in bench for visitors and a synthetic grass

By placing the director’s bright-pink office at the front, Golem aimed to create an entrance that is warmer and more inviting than a typical white gallery space.

The “pink den” contains a built-in bench for visitors and a fake grass carpet that contributes to the warm, tonal aesthetic.

Record player within art gallery by Golem — The integrated sound system is hooked up to a record player

Visitors can continue through into a large and versatile white-walled gallery. This display area remains connected to the main spatial concept thanks to the pink openings on either side.

The final space within the gallery is a storage area with walls painted the same shade of lively pink. In a conventional gallery setting, this space would be hidden away. But here, it is open and accessible to visitors.

Each of the spaces in Superzoom’s gallery can be used for exhibiting work, either independently or together.

For example, Golem suggested the white cube could be used for a solo show while other artists’ work is presented in the director’s office and storage space.

White-walled gallery with overhead lighting by Golem — A white-walled gallery provides more space for exhibiting art

All of the furniture and the pink wall separating the white cube from the director’s office are mobile and can be removed to create a larger space for exhibitions or parties.

Golem designed the baby pink table featured in the director’s office as an emblem of the gallery that can be taken to art fairs or used for client dinners.

Pink interiors at Superzoom gallery — The pink office table can be removed and brought to art fairs

Claudet founded Golem in 2021 after working as an architect for practices including Rem Koolhaas’s Rotterdam-based firm OMA.

Other all-pink interiors published on Dezeen include a fur-covered Balenciaga store in London and the Minimal Fantasy holiday apartment in Madrid.

The photography is by Cyrille Lallement.

Reference

Sustainable News

FCBS creates Passivhaus student accommodation crescents in Cambridge

By Zarkon Group,01/02/2023

Architecture practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has created a series of crescent-shaped student housing blocks with a CLT structure for King’s College at the University of Cambridge.

Called Stephen Taylor Court, the blocks contain 84 homes for King’s College’s graduate students and fellows that were designed to Passivhaus standards and to have as low a carbon impact as possible.

“Due to the considered material choice, prioritising low-embodied carbon materials, reuse of existing materials, local sourcing and targeting recycled content, and accounting for carbon sequestered in the cross-laminated timber, the project has negative embodied carbon on completion as more carbon has been sequestered in its production than emitted,” Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios partner Hugo Marrack told Dezeen.

Stephen Taylor Court by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios — The project is made up of three crescent-shaped buildings

The architecture practice used its own carbon tool named FCBS Carbon at early design stages to help estimate and limit the whole-life carbon emissions of the scheme.

FCBS Carbon is a spreadsheet that is free to use by other architects and considers all the CO2 produced by a building, including the building material, construction and demolition.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios used Stephen Taylor Court as a “test case” for its tool and calculated its net carbon performance – both operational and embodied – to be less than zero for the first 10 to 15 years of the project’s life.

According to Marrack, the carbon calculations for the project did not consider furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) or mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP).

Located within a conservation area in Cambridge, the apartments have a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure clad in water-struck gault bricks that are similar in appearance to traditional Cambridge bricks.

The CLT structure was chosen for its lightweight property, airtightness of the structural envelope and the material’s low embodied carbon.

“The lightweight CLT structure of the buildings reduces foundation loads, allowing the use of a thin reinforced concrete raft foundation ‘floating’ on rigid insulation,” explained Smith and Wallwork structural engineer Tristan Wallwork.

“This not only reduces the amount of concrete used in the substructure but also provides a perfect Passivhaus foundation solution.”

“Detailing of any inherent thermal bridges, such as facade restraint ties, is also drastically simplified due to the robust and solid CLT structural envelope – providing complete flexibility on location of any fixings required,” continued Wallwork.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios plans to continue to work with the college in the future to help maintain net-zero carbon beyond the first 10 to 15 years after completion, by implementing renewable energy options such as photovoltaic panels.

The 4,300-square-metre scheme is located within a conservation area known for its arts and crafts houses, which influenced Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios’ design.

The housing at Stephen Taylor Court is made up of three brick crescents surrounding a garden courtyard with an adjacent red brick villa.

“The central triptych of three crescents creates an open and informal court which provides depth and breadth to views from the streetscape to the leafy context beyond,” said Hugo Marrack.

Steep-pitched roofs, dormer windows that punctuate the roofline and oriel windows on the gable ends of the apartments reference the arts and crafts buildings in the area.

“The sympathy with the arts and crafts approach is in celebrating the joy in each of these building details and the material’s properties, rather than ironing them out, as one might with a more minimal approach,” Marrack explained.

“This being said, the results aim towards a leaner, contemporary expression of its time, rather than forms of reproduction. In some respects, the outcomes are almost brutalist,” he continued.

Along with the newly built housing, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios refurbished and extended an existing Victorian-era villa on the site to accommodate a common room, library and laundry room.

Stephen Taylor Court is the second graduate accommodation at the college to be built in recent years after the development at Cramner Road by British firm Allies and Morrison, which was also built to Passivhaus standards and was longlisted in the 2021 Dezeen Awards.

The photography is by James Newton.

Project credits:

Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Landscape architect: Robert Myers Associates
Planning consultant: Turley
Structural engineer: Smith and Wallwork
MEP and sustainability engineer, acoustic engineer and Passivhaus consultant: Max Fordham
Principal designer, project manager and quantity surveyor: Faithful and Gould
Fire engineer: The Fire Surgery
Main contractor: Gilbert Ash

Reference

Interior Design

Keiji Ashizawa creates Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Kobe department store

By Zarkon Group,12/01/2023

Japanese studio Keiji Ashizawa Design has created the interior of the Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Kobe’s Hankyu department store, taking advantage of its display windows to connect the cafe with the street outside.

The 173-square-metre cafe, which shares the department store’s ground floor with a number of apparel brands, has five large display windows.

To open the coffee shop up towards the street, designer Keiji Ashizawa turned one of the windows into a take-out counter.

Window counter of Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Kobe — One display window was turned into a take-out counter

The remaining window niches were filled with blue built-in seating, creating a splash of colour among the wooden furniture.

Inside the cafe, square-shaped and rectangular furniture nods to the graphic look of the facade and is contrasted by round tables and large circular ceiling lights.

“The furniture is mainly made of domestic wood in collaboration with the Japanese furniture manufacturer Karimoku, who specializes in working with oak wood,” Ashizawa told Dezeen.

Interior of Hankyu Blue Bottle Coffee shop — Wooden furniture and terrazzo tabletops were used for the interior

The studio also mixed in terrazzo amongst the wooden furniture to give the cafe a welcoming feel.

“By placing a large terrazzo tabletop with fine textures created by mixing grounded glass into the material, it adds to the soft and welcoming atmosphere that identifies Blue Bottle Coffee and their hospitality,” Ashizawa said.

“It is also used for the low coffee table surrounded by the sofas, creating a sense of harmony and elegance throughout the space of the cafe,” he added.

While the studio was unable to change the material of the existing rough concrete floor, the department store allowed it to create a discrete demarcation by polishing the floor underneath the central tables.

Terrazzo table inside Blue Bottle Coffee shop — Circular pendant lights were made from raw aluminium

Large disc-shaped pendant lights add a sense of drama to the coffee shop’s pared-back design.

“With the idea of creating a high ceiling within the space, the pendant lights were made from raw aluminum to complement the industrial structures,” Ashizawa said.

“Six pendant lights are placed in the central space at equal distances in three zones, creating a sense of rhythm and spatial balance.”

Polished concrete floor in Blue Bottle Coffee shop — The concrete floor was polished in part of the cafe

The wooden furniture inside the Blue Bottle Coffe Hankyu cafe has mainly been kept in its natural colour, but Ashizawa added bright colour to some of the wood.

“In the space with concrete structures, the yellow color was added to balance the combination of wood and concrete, and the blue color was placed as a contrast,” he said.

“We also designed the space to fit in with the apparel brands that share the ground floor.”

Colourful shelving in Kobe cafe — Shelves were painted a bright yellow

Ashizawa has previously created a number of cafes for the Blue Bottle Coffee company, including a Shanghai store decorated with traditional Chinese roof tiles and a Tokyo outpost with a volcanic-ash counter.

The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.

Project credits:

Architect: Keiji Ashizawa Design
Project architect: Keiji Ashizawa, Tomohiko Fujishita, Masaru Kiotya
Construction: Tank
Design supervision: Miyachi Office/Kunihiko Miyachi
Lighting design: Aurora/Yoshiki Ichikawa
Furniture: Karimoku Case Study/Ichinomaki Laboratory by Karimoku
Metal works: Super Robot

Reference

Interior Design

Studio Tate creates “textural earthiness” for Relinque wellness spa

By Zarkon Group,24/11/2022

Melbourne-based Studio Tate has used raw and tactile materials to create “a soothing urban oasis” for the Relinque spa in Melbourne.

Located in north east Melbourne, the 800 square-metre space includes a day-spa, spinal clinic, pilates and yoga studios.

Reception Relinque — The interiors are informed by local parks and waterways

Local practice Studio Tate was informed by nearby parklands and waterways to create “a soothing urban oasis”.

“It was important to create a textural earthiness that evokes the senses, while striking a balance between sophistication and approachability,” explained Studio Tate senior associate Emily Addison.

Treatment room Relinque — A deep rust tone in the treatment rooms was selected to be gender neutral

The treatments rooms were located on either side of a central reception area, with the spa and yoga studio located on one side and the spinal clinic and pilates studio on the other.

Studio Tate used green marble, honed granite and hand-glazed Japanese tiles in the reception area, where visitors are encouraged to relax and browse the retail products before stepping into treatments.

Corridor Relinque — Curved corridors encourage visitors to explore the space

The yoga studio was intentionally positioned close to the entrance facing the street, which allows plenty of natural light. A timber floor and ceiling were desigend to create a sense of warmth in the room.

Moving further into the spa area, the tones get darker to provide privacy. Spaces were arranged in a circular configuration, which “encourages a continuous experience of the venue”.

Relinque spa — The design aimed to have “textural earthines”

A curved corridor finished in polished plaster leads visitors to the spa area. Five individually-contained treatment rooms feature a deep rust tone, steam showers with sage green tiles and a granite shower bench.

Above the treatment bench, a backlit ceiling creates a halo around a circular acoustic fabric panel. The gently diffused light helps calm the mind throughout treatments.

The rounded steam room is lined with mosaic tiles, facing directly onto an ice room centred around an ice well covered in Japanese ceramic tiles.

“Luxurious accents are balanced with raw and tactile materials, ensuring the space feels welcoming to all,”added Addison.

Shower Relinque — Steam showers are lined with sage green tiles and a granite shower bench

A palette of greens, greys, burgundy and earth tones were used throughout the space in response to the nature-themed design narrative, according to Addison.

Studio Tate is led by interior designer Alex Hopkins and Carley Nicholls. The studios previous work includes an open office design for Burnet Institute and a day-spa with calming interiors in Melbourne.

The Photography is by Lillie Thompson.

Reference

Architecture

Llabb creates The Hermitage cabin overlooking Italian mountains

By Zarkon Group,20/11/2022

Italian architecture studio Llabb has perched an off-grid wooden cabin for “contemplation and introspection” on the edge of a hill overlooking the Trebbia valley near Genoa.

Surrounded by the dramatic landscape of the Apennine Mountains, The Hermitage is just 12 square metres in size and contains a single space designed to be anything from a secluded studio to a yoga retreat.

Wooden cabin in the Trebbia valley — Llabb has created The Hermitage cabin near Genoa

Llabb‘s design for the off-grid structure is informed by Scandinavian cabins and Japanese teahouses.

Sitting atop four wood and steel supports resting on sandstone beds, it has a modular wooden structure crafted from Okoume marine plywood in Llabb’s own carpentry workshop.

Person looking out from The Hermitage cabin — The Hermitage overlooks Trebbia valley

According to the studio, this structure ensures a minimal impact on the landscape and is “easily scalable and adaptable into different compositions”.

“The basicness of construction, the minimal impact on the land and the use of natural materials that can be easily sourced locally enable a respectful installation in natural contexts,” explained Llabb co-founder Luca Scardulla.

“These Hermitages put human beings back in touch with nature by lightening the anthropization load that marks all building activities.”

Underside of The Hermitage cabin by Llabb — It has a wooden structure

The Hermitage cabin extends over the edge of the hill with a full-height glazed end, where a sliding door leads onto a small wooden terrace sheltered by a retractable fabric awning.

Designed to be completely off-grid, it features photovoltaic panels on its roof, as well as a composting toilet and water canisters in the bathroom.

Inside, a long countertop runs the entire length of the wall on the right of the plywood-lined space. Located beneath a letterbox window that frames the tree canopy, it is designed to be used as either a seat or desk containing storage space.

Opposite the countertop is a small seating area and a fold-out bed that provides space to rest, next to a small bathroom at the back of the cabin.

yoga studio in mountains near Genoa — It can be used as a yoga studio

“Minimal and flexible, with the expansive glass wall facing the terrace, the space feels light and contemplative,” said Llabb co-founder Federico Robbiano.

“The interplay between different levels offers the possibility to better manage storage spaces and technical compartments, while contributing to the definition of a graceful atmosphere,” added Robbiano.

Plywood-lined interior of The Hermitage cabin — A desk lines one side

Scardulla and Robbiano founded Llabb in 2013, originally as a carpentry workshop before expanding into architecture.

Prior to creating The Hermitage, the studio combined two apartments in Genoa to create bright, open interiors that subtly reference the area’s maritime heritage.

The photography is by Studio Campo.

Reference

Sustainable News

AI quickly creates decarbonisation plans for real estate portfolios

By Zarkon Group,17/11/2022

Spotted: Reducing emissions is a top priority in every industry, and doing so as fast as possible is essential. Now, innovators everywhere are grappling with how to turn great ideas into working concepts, and then industrial-scale solutions. Canadian property technology experts at Audette have built an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that does in a few hours what it would ordinarily take humans years to do – analyse a full portfolio of commercial real estate for decarbonisation opportunities and build a plan to retrofit every building in the most cost-efficient manner.

From renewable energy opportunities to carbon-negative materials and low-carbon technologies, Audette can build a carbon-transition plan for any building. The platform layers operational data with capital planning and a breakdown of costs and energy usage of each piece of equipment and location, as well as forecasts of emissions. This allows for effective, efficient retrofitting and long-term planning for a carbon-negative future.

Property managers can add data to the platform and test out various ideas themselves. The AI projects return on investment, helping teams identify the higher priority changes to make. The platform recognises and suggests methods for maximising efficiencies across an entire business, not just a single building. Audette also connects users to a building scientist to ensure that the AI-backed decisions make business sense.

Audette recently raised $9.5 million (approximately €9.14 million) to support the launch of its technology across 150 North American cities. The initial rollout is planned for 2023 and 2024.

Springwise has spotted other means of decarbonising buildings on a sizeable scale, including a platform that allows real estate investors to monitor and reduce waste and emissions across their properties, and smart technology that prevents excessive use of heating and lighting in office buildings.

Written By Keely Khoury

Reference

Interior Design

Norman Foster creates angular Foster Retreat in Martha’s Vineyard

By Zarkon Group,02/11/2022

Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Norman Foster has designed the Foster Retreat in Martha’s Vineyard as a holiday home for his friends and those of the Norman Foster Foundation, which features furniture designed by the architect for Karimoku.

Named the Foster Retreat, the mono-pitch roofed building in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, was built opposite Foster’s US home.

Wooden interior of Foster Retreat — The building draws on traditional wood structures

The home was formed from a series of angled steel beams that are connected by timber beams with smooth timber louvres enclosing an outdoor patio space.

According to Foster, the holiday home’s shape was informed by North American barn structures, with large amounts of timber chosen to reference Martha’s Vineyard’s traditional wood-boarded structures and its sustainability credentials.

A wood-clad interior in Martha's Vineyard house — Pale wood was used inside Foster Retreat

“The retreat takes inspiration from the generous wooden barn structures of North America and combines that tradition of timber construction with a small amount of steel in the form of skinny portal frames which touch the ground lightly,” said Foster, who is the founder of UK studio Foster + Partners.

“Wood was the obvious choice not only for reasons of sustainability but also as a direct reference to the traditional buildings that characterise the island.”

View out onto green grass from kitchen — The building has a visible grid

The site levels around Foster Retreat, which will be used as a private residence for friends of Foster’s family and of the Norman Foster Foundation, were contoured to hide the building from the roadside and situate it within the landscape.

The studio also added indigenous plants to the site, as well as a bank of solar panels that together with “a high level of insulation and shading” helps the building be more sustainable, according to Foster.

Wooden furniture with white seats — Norman Foster designed the NF Collection for Karimoku

Inside the building, the holiday home has white walls with pale wood panels and wooden floors.

To match the pared-back material palette of the house’s exterior and interior, Foster designed a wooden furniture collection named NF Collection together with Japanese furniture brand Karimoku.

The collection comprises a dining chair, two stools, a lounge chair, a sofa, and a dining table, all of which feature pale “skeletal” timber frames and padded upholstery.

“The wood-based furniture I designed for Karimoku is an extension of the philosophy behind the building,” Foster explained.

“lt has always seemed to me that there is a commonality between the American Shaker Movement and traditional Japanese furniture. Given my own admiration for the qualities of historic Japanese architecture, there are evident cultural links.”

White dining table with wooden chairs — The furniture has skeletal frames and white padding. Photo is by Chuck Choi

The collection was developed as Foster had trouble finding suitable furniture for the space.

“When we started to think about what type of furniture could best fit in the spaces created in the Foster Retreat, Martha’s Vineyard, we realised that there was no single specific collection in existence that could be used for the different uses of the building, so I decided to develop a bespoke family of furniture,” Foster explained.

“Timber was a natural choice to match the spirit of the building.”

Living room with wooden furniture and white rug — Foster Retreat was designed as a private residence

Foster Retreat is Karimoku’s seventh case study project, which sees the studio work together with architects on bespoke furniture collections.

“I see the collaboration with NF as an important step for us as a brand – not only do we venture into a new area with the case at Martha’s Vineyard, but we also show how the brand can accomodate a more diverse furniture collection, showcasing the unique design languages of the individual studios, yet still maintaining a red thread throughout the collection in the use of materials, excellent craftsmanship and high quality,” Karimoku creative director Frederik Werner told Dezeen.

White sofa in front of fireplace — The collection marks Karimoku’s seventh case study. Photo is by Chuck Choi

The NF Collection will also be shown in an exhibition at Karimoku Commons in Tokyo, the brand’s retail and showroom space. Karimoku was one of a number of Japanese brands that showed at this year’s Salone del Mobile furniture fair as the focus on the European market grows.

One of the world’s best-known architects, Foster leads the UK’s largest studio Foster + Partners. The studio’s recent projects include 425 Park Avenue, which is the “first full-block office building” to be built on Park Avenue in over 50 years, and the tallest building in the EU, the Varso Tower in Warsaw.

The photography is by Marc Fairstein unless stated otherwise. All photography courtesy of the Norman Foster Foundation.

The Norman Foster x Karimoku exhibition is at Karimoku Commons from 21 October to 9 December. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Reference

Sustainable News

Myceen creates pendant lampshades made from mushroom mycelium

By Zarkon Group,01/11/2022

Tallinn-based materials company Myceen has released a series of pendant lampshades called B Wise made from mycelium, which were shown at Dutch Design Week.

Each of the bell-shaped pendant lamps were made from mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus – while more conventional plywood and aluminium form the frame.

A hanging lampshade made from biomaterials — B Wise lampshades are made from mushroom mycelium

To create the shades, which are 60 centimetres wide, waste organic material from the timber and agricultural industry including sawdust and straw was mixed with mycelium in Myceen’s Tallinn workshop.

Mycelium is the filament structure that fungi use to grow, much like the roots of a plant. The mixture was then poured into the lampshade mould and left to grow under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.

Here, the fungus starts to feed on the waste and expand to fit the shape of the lampshade mould. As mycelium acts as a natural binding component, no glue or additives were needed.

Once filled, the material is removed from the mould and dehydrated to prevent it from expanding further. According to Karro, the entire process takes around five weeks from start to finish.

A brown and white lampshade by Myceen — The biomaterial is developed in Myceen’s labs in Tallinn

“Inoculated material goes into the mould and after a few days, the material is strong enough to hold itself together,” Myceen cofounder Siim Karro told Dezeen.

“The fungi recognise its fellow specie companion and form a strong connection without any glue or artificial binders and the growth of the fungi is stopped completely by drying the material,” Karro added.

The rest of the shade is made from a plywood and aluminium frame and comes with a ceramic socket and traditional lighting cable. It is designed to resemble a floating mushroom and weighs just three kilograms.

“The lamp feels soft by touch and it’s lighter than one could think, weighing around three kilograms,” Karro said. “The surface could vary from harder brownish to soft and velvety white skin.

An aerial view of a pendant lampshade — It gives the lamps a soft and velvety white outer skin

Mycelium has been used in to create various products recently, including a bicycle helmet and a carbon-negative candle packaging.

The material has is becoming popular among fashion brands, with companies such as Stella McCartney, Adidas and Hermès investing in the biomaterial.

Thanks to its properties, Karro believes that mycelium could replace synthetic materials in a number of interior products and furnishings. Myceen also crafts acoustic panels and plinths from the material.

“Mycelium’s growth is exponential making it an intrinsic part of sustainable production since it’s basically infinitely reproducible.”

Other products on show at Dutch Design Week include a soap packaging made from waste artichoke leaves and peapods by industrial design student Alara Ertenü and an oversized magnifying glass that focuses the sun’s heat to melt metal more sustainably by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Jelle Seegers.

The photography is by Kristjan Mõru.

B Wise 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.

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