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Francis Kéré and SOM’s Mina Hasman featured on Time100 Climate list
CategoriesSustainable News

Francis Kéré and SOM’s Mina Hasman featured on Time100 Climate list

By Zarkon Group,

Several architects and designers have made it onto the inaugural Time100 Climate list, which recognises “true changemakers” who are making “measurable, scalable” progress in fighting climate change.

Compiled by Time magazine in collaboration with a panel of 10 prominent climate experts, the list includes business leaders across different industries ranging from singer Billie Eilish to Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Among the three highlighted architects are William McDonough, also known as the “father of the circular economy”, and Diébédo Francis Kéré, who was commended for his “innovative works that are deeply rooted in sustainability principles”.

Portrait of SOM's Mina Hasman from Time100 Climate list
Diébédo Francis Kéré (top) and Mina Hasman (above) feature on the Time100 Climate list. Top photo is by Astrid Eckert and above by Nick Guttridge

“Having worked on projects in resource-scarce regions like Burkina Faso, I’ve witnessed firsthand the necessity for immediate change,” Kéré told Time.

“What I believe is fundamental for all of us, regardless of our roles, is to cultivate a profound awareness that change is imperative, and it is required urgently,” he added. “The climate challenge is not a distant future scenario; it’s a present reality.”

SOM’s sustainability director Mina Hasman was lauded specifically for her recent work on the Whole Life Carbon Accounting system, which assesses a building’s performance not just in advance but also post-completition to see how it measures up to its sustainability targets.

Portrait of William McDonough
Architect and designer William McDonough also made it onto the list. Photo by Duhon Photography

In the world of design, fashion designer Stella McCartney was recognised for her ongoing work in funding, developing and trialling more sustainable textiles for the fashion industry, from mushroom leather to regenerated nylon.

And Jesper Brodin, CEO of IKEA franchisee Ingka Groups, was spotlighted as Time argues he has “consistently rolled out policies” to reduce the furniture giant’s carbon footprint such as this year’s move to start replacing fossil-derived glues with bio-based alternatives.

The Time100 Climate list also highlights several representatives of materials companies in their own right, in recognition of their contribution towards decarbonising our buildings and products.

Among them are Kidus Asfaw of Kubik, which is transforming plastic waste into low-carbon building materials, and Mark Herrema of Newlight Technologies, which uses marine microorganisms to make plastic packaging from captured industrial emissions.

Similarly, LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren was recognised for her company’s work in developing “the world’s first alternative aviation fuel derived from industrial waste gases”.

Time’s editors worked with in-house experts from the magazine’s climate action platform Time CO2 to compile a list of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business for 2023, based on nominations provided by a panel of sustainability leaders.

Among the judges were Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and architect of the landmark Paris climate agreement, and Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Image of ikea store
Jesper Brodin was recognised for his work in reducing IKEA’s carbon footprint. Photo by IKEA

Marcius Extavour, who is the chief climate solutions officer at Time CO2, said the team focused on highlighting people who have delivered “measurable, scalable achievements over commitments and announcements”.

“In the end, the inaugural Time100 Climate list produced no single perfect instance of complete climate action, but multitudes of individuals making significant progress in fighting climate change by creating business value,” he wrote.

The project is a spinoff of Time’s annual Time100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Customarily, at least one architect is included on this list, who is thereby deemed the most influential architect of that year, with previous winners including Kengo Kuma, Jeanne Gang, Elizabeth Diller and David Adjaye.

Reference

BC designs Francis Gallery LA to celebrate Korean art and culture
CategoriesInterior Design

BC designs Francis Gallery LA to celebrate Korean art and culture

By Zarkon Group,

Gallerist Rosa Park has opened a space in Los Angeles to showcase the work of Korean artists and designers, with interiors by local studio BC intended to reflect the country’s visual culture.

Francis Gallery LA is Park’s second location and is an expansion of her original gallery in Bath, UK – both presenting the work of emerging Korean artists.

Dark walls at Francis Gallery LA
Places of worship informed the interiors of the gallery on Melrose Avenue

Situated on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, the new space was designed with Lindsey Chan and Jerome Byron, founders of LA-based BC.

The duo preserved the building while transforming the inside with references to traditional Korean architecture and art.

Paintings hung on walls
The inaugural exhibition displays the work of six artists, including photography by Koo Bohnchang

These include a curved partition wall influenced by a moon jar and a contemporary re-interpretation of a hanok courtyard.

“The space was conceived to pay homage to Korean art and design in subtle ways – whether it was in the curve of a partition wall, the colour palette of the interior paints, or the profile of a low bench in the courtyard,” said Park.

Corner view with window
BC designed the gallery to be pared-back yet warm

Places of worship like chapels and monasteries were also referenced in the design. These were accentuated by the use of “humble materials” and pared-back forms.

Although minimal, the intention was to ensure the gallery still felt warm and inviting, as well as provide an appropriate setting for the pieces on show.

Resin stools
Rahee Yoon’s translucent acrylic blocks are among the works on show

“I think this emotional connection to a space, to a work, is central to what I’m doing with Francis,” Park said.

“It was of great importance to me that the space acted as the ideal framework to house works that I hope will move people.”

The inaugural exhibition at Francis Gallery LA is titled Morning Calm, on view until 7 January 2023, and features the work of six artists of Korean descent.

Bo Kim, John Zabawa, Koo Bohn Chang, Nancy Kwon, Rahee Yoon and Song Jaeho are all at different stages in their careers.

Stones VI by John Zabawa
An abstract painting by John Zabawa hangs on a dark wall

Their painting, photography, sculpture and ceramics all explore Korean identity in an international context and offer insights into the artists’ cultural heritage.

“With Los Angeles being home to the largest Korean community in the United States and Park having roots in both Seoul and LA, the debut show seeks to explore the nuanced connections between the two places,” said a statement from the gallery.

Courtyard with low bench
References to Korean architecture at the gallery include a contemporary interpretation of a traditional hanok courtyard

LA’s art scene has grown exponentially over the past decade, and the city is now home to many new galleries and exhibition spaces.

Well-known names that have opened their own locations there include Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect, while others like Marta are using modernist buildings like Neutra’s VDL II House to exhibit.

The photography is by Rich Stapleton.

Reference

Diébédo Francis Kéré Makes History as the 2022 Pritzker Prize Winner
CategoriesArchitecture

Diébédo Francis Kéré Makes History as the 2022 Pritzker Prize Winner

By Zarkon Group,

Have your say in which architects will take home Architizer’s prestigious A+Awards: Public Voting opens this spring. Interested in next year’s program? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.  

Burkina Faso-born architect, educator and social activist Diébédo Francis Kéré has made history after being named the 2022 Pritzker Prize laureate. Known as Francis Kéré, the founder of Kéré Architecture is recognized for his “commitment to social justice and engagement, and intelligent use of local materials to connect and respond to the natural climate, he works in marginalized countries laden with constraints and adversity, where architecture and infrastructure are absent.” He is the first African and the first Black architect to win the prize since it began being awarded in 1979.

Trained first as a carpenter and later as an architect, his deep knowledge and concern for materiality is visible in his work. Though based in Berlin, his practice often gravitates towards works throughout the continent of Africa. From contemporary school institutions to health facilities, and professional housing to civic buildings and public spaces, his designs steer clear of simple categorizations: global vs. local, aesthetic vs. social, and so on.

As the Pritzker jury succinctly put it, “Francis Kéré’s entire body of work shows us the power of materiality rooted in place. His buildings, for and with communities, are directly of those communities – in their making, their materials, their programs and their unique characters. They are tied to the ground on which they sit and to the people who sit within them. They have presence without pretense and an impact shaped by grace.”

Though many architectural enthusiasts around the world may only now be acquainting themselves with his larger body of work, they are likely already familiar with his design for the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion — a timber structure accented with indigo blue that ingeniously connected different times and spaces and reinterpreted form of the massive tree at the heart of his home town.

His signature architectural vocabulary of double roofs, thermal mass, wind towers, indirect lighting, cross ventilation and shade chambers (replacing conventional windows, doors and columns), confounds attempts to separate practicality from poetry in design. Yet, while Kéré’s architectural reputation is strongly tied to the work’s built realization, yet, his working images and visualizations are also remarkable in their own right.

“Francis Kéré’s work also reminds us of the necessary struggle to change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, as we strive to provide adequate buildings and infrastructure for billions in need,” the Jury noted. “He raises fundamental questions of the meaning of permanence and durability of construction in a context of constant technological changes and of use and re-use of structures. At the same time his development of a contemporary humanism merges a deep respect for history, tradition, precision, written and unwritten rules.”

Have your say in which architects will take home Architizer’s prestigious A+Awards: Public Voting opens this spring. Interested in next year’s program? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.  



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