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TOP 10 READER SUBMISSIONS OF 2016 PRODUCT DESIGN

from the chair you’re currently sitting on, to the car you drive and the screen you’re using to read this article, product design has probably had some influence on their development. designers not only impact the form and function of our world but also have the power to innovate and generate solutions. this year we received several thousand submissions from our readers, with designers, artists and architects from across the globe sending through a diverse range of works that we have shared with our audience over the last 12 months.

we believe that maintaining an open dialogue with creatives is extremely important, and we are happy to showcase the high level of original projects of our readership. from a diverse selection of chairs to portable tents, we highlight 10 product design projects from our reader submissions of 2016.

ANTI-CHAIR BY CLARK BARDSLEY

image courtesy of clark bardsley

chairs proliferate the portfolios of designers the world over. ‘arm’ chair is not another chair, it is an anti-chair. it celebrates nonsense, and gleefully breaks the chair design rule book. it is not comfortable; in fact, it cannot be sat on. it is the outline or symbol of a chair, produced in fine american oak. created by clark bardsley design, a practice based in auckland that produces process driven projects that emphasize on material quality and expression, the project began as an investigation of the constraints of wood bending, a process that is closely associated with the history of chair design.

read more about the project on designboom here.

BABU BY TORU

image courtesy of babu

barcelona-based design studio toru designed two unique chairs which were presented during dubai design week 2016. ‘babu’ and ‘clop’ both use a local leather from igualada, providing a distinct high-quality finish, which points towards the cultural roots of the city. ‘babu’ uses a 6mm leather section which folds back on itself to create the backrest and bottom. the chair which is positioned on the ground is supported by small brass feet that hold the structure together.

read more about the project on designboom here.

7M CHAIR BY ARA LEVON THOROSE

image by matthew tait

influenced by 3D interplays and post-industrialism, detroit/los angeles-based artist and designer ara levon thorose created the 7M chair as part of his model series ‘tubular group 01’. the collection, composed of three distinct sculptural pieces, evokes a three-dimensional line drawing of a chair — created with a number of different movements. in fact, the project takes its particular name from the seven movements that created the design.

read more about the project on designboom here.

ULURU CONCRETE MODULAR BENCHES BY SHIRO STUDIO 

image by shiro studio 

designed by london-based shiro studio for italian brand metalco, the ‘uluru’ collection was conceived as a modular and sculptural family of seating elements made of UHPC—ultra-high-performance concrete. the set was created to offer a playful experience in public spaces where each component is modular so when connected to each other they form a continuous, sculptural micro-landscape that can vary in size and configuration.

read more about the project on designboom here.

DE-DIMENSIONS BY JONGHA CHOI 

images by jongha choi / gif by designboom

eindhoven-based designer jongha choi created a collection of benches and stools called ‘de-dimension’ that can transform from a flat, two-dimensional view, to a three-dimension functional object. the project itself inquiries on the history of images and how this one has been aligned with the history of human race, having the later one being understood and depicted in various forms. unlike the past, we are not only seeing the image as a means of reproducing objects but also giving essential identity to the image itself. 

read more about the project on designboom here.

ROOMS BY GILLES BELLEY

image by colombe clier

french designer gilles belley designed ‘ROOMS’, a furniture system that reconsiders the relationship between household appliances and the built environment — making living spaces out of furniture. the collection is composed of three different pieces: AREA, BLOCK, and WALL. each furniture system has a way to program space, either condensing it, splitting it, or delimiting it, and consists of a module assembly, adjustable to the constraints of the spatial organization of the habitat.

read more about the project on designboom here.

CLASSIC SHAVING RAZOR REDESIGN BY PATRICK SCHUUR

image by 3D hubs

dutch industrial designer patrick schuur put dieter ram’s ten principles of good design into context when he set out to redesign the classic men’s razor for a client who wanted to create a no-nonsense wet shaving system that merges rituals of the past with the comforts provided by today’s manufacturing capabilities. starting with four main requirements for the finished product – comfort, sustainability, beauty and value – from RZR founders marco vermeer and remco smit, schuur dove head-first into bringing the next-generation razor concept to life with modern design and rapid prototyping processes.

read more about the project on designboom here.

TRANSLUCENT HIVEBOARD BY MANUEL CHICHORRO

image courtesy of manuel chichorro

after an extensive research looking at alternative solutions for the construction of surfboards, manuel chichorro worked alongside koroyd — a product engineering company that introduced a plastic extruded material with high resistance to compression and great flexibility. thehiveboard is a durable product made out of a non soaking polymer that allows the user to fix the board when broken, with no damage to its core. in other words, the surfboard can easily be drained and glassed again.

read more about the project on designboom here.

UNIDENTIFIED FLOATING OBJECT BY JET CAPSULE

image courtesy of jet capsule

in 2016, italian water transportation company jet capsule unveiled the ‘UFO’, their latest seafaring concept. standing for unidentified floating object, the saucer-like unit is an energy autonomous vessel capable of estimated speeds of up to three knots (3.5mph). ‘UFO’ measures 12.5 meters in diameter, and uses various systems to take advantage of all natural elements. the floating object includes two habitable areas — other than the outer deck. a main level area houses the kitchen, and a floor access point connects to a sub-level bathroom and underwater viewing area. 

read more about the project on designboom here.

DANCER BUS BY JSC ‘VĖJO PROJEKTAI’

image courtesy of dancer bus / © eglė ščerbinskaitė 

‘dancer bus’ is a project by JSC ‘vėjo projektai’ that aims to create a new generation of city buses. it is a visionary approach to the automotive industry that seeks to integrate into the public transportation sphere the original concepts used in bus design with new technological materials and wind power usage. ‘dancer’s’ intention is to make public transportation an integral part of lithuanian cities. with this proposal, the creators mix technology, art, industry and society in order to improve the urban environment.

read more about the project on designboom here.

The post TOP 10 reader submissions of 2016 – product design appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 VIDEOS OF 2016

over the course of the year, designboom has covered numerous projects in the fields of architecture, art, design and technology, presented through the format of moving image. from a drone’s-eye-view of herzog and de meuron’s elbphilharmonie, to a piano performance in the middle of the arctic ocean, the short movies take the audience in-depth to the project’s visual core, offering a stimulating and dynamic look at creative work through animated, documentary and digital formats. designboom’s TOP 10 looks back at the most memorable videos we watched in 2016.

WILDLY DANCING AVATARS AND BEAD-CLAD BODIES BOOGIE DOWN

while these vibrantly animated characters appear to be costumed dancers at first glance, it soon becomes apparent that their anatomies are carefully crafted digital forms. method design, a motion & direction studio based in new york, was commissioned by production company RSA to create this year’s sponsor reel for the association of independent commercial producers. motion capture, procedural animation and dynamic simulations combine to create a tableau of pop dance moves that explode with colorful confetti, fur, feathers, and string.  colorful, marshmallow-like creatures breakdance, leafy figures gyrate, and bead-clad bodies boogie down before dissolving, disintegrating, and deforming throughout the course of the film. 

read more about the video on designboom here.

DRONES CAPTURE EMPTY ELBPHILHARMONIE BY HERZOG & DE MEURON

herzog and de meuron’s elbphilharmonie released an interactive video captured by two drones — called ‘rock’ and ‘roll’ — that flew around the empty concert hall in hamburg. created by jung von matt agency in collaboration with gestalt communications, the film gives viewers access to the stunning architecture of the landmark nicknamed ‘elphi’. the authors of the movie combined the different views of the two drones into a single clip. slow or fast, the final version allows users to set the pace of the moving image — by clicking the space bar to speed it up — and releasing the bar to see it again in its original mode.

read more about the video on designboom here.

LUDOVICO EINAUDI ORCHESTRATES FLOATING PERFORMANCE IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN

italian pianist and composer ludovico einaudi performed a historic concert, set on a floating platform in the arctic ocean. against the icy backdrop of the wahlenbergbreen glacier in svalbard, norway, einaudi has played one of his own compositions ‘elegy for the arctic’ for the first time. a monumental early retreat of sea ice as a result of climate change allowed for the construction of an artificial iceberg made from more than 300 triangles of wood, on which a grand piano sits. created in collaboration with greenpeace, einaudi adds his voice to those of eight million people from across the world demanding protection for the arctic, from threats like oil drilling and destructive fishing.

read more about the video on designboom here.

SONY BRAVIA ADVERT FILLS DERELICT CASINO WITH 4000 GLITTER BALLOONS

the sony BRAVIA advert brings a romanian casino to life by installing thousands of glitter balloons within the interior of the derelict building. shot in 4K, the ad made by american director andre stringer, together with DDB berlin, used over 4000 balloons and 1500 kilograms of glitter in the visually enchanting setting. the film starts with a single white balloon entering the empty building — the casino then gradually fills with balloons capturing the attention of onlookers before they burst in an explosion of color.

read more about the video on designboom here.

TOM FORD’S TADAO ANDO-DESIGNED RANCH

fashion designer tom ford put his tadao ando-designed santa fe ranch on the market for a reported price of $75 million USD. a dramatic video was released spotlighting the cerro pelon ranch, personally sited by ando, which encompasses 20,662 acres (or 32 square miles) of land in new mexico. the site’s main residence hovers above a reflecting pool, and directly adjoins a horse barn with eight individual stalls. the circular spaces of the indoor and outdoor riding arenas complement the residence’s more linear architecture. 

read more about the video on designboom here.

DO HO SUH’S FULL-SCALE RUBBING OF HIS FORMER NYC HOME

art21 — a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting audiences to the artistic process — shared an exclusive film of korean creative do ho suh’s latest work. the video documents the artist as he engages in his most recent project — a full-scale colored-pencil-on-paper rubbing of his former new york city home. this apartment, which suh lived in for eighteen years, has become the subject of numerous installations and artworks that consider themes of identity, memory, and displacement. the process begins by wrapping each and every surface with white paper, covering the walls, ceiling, cabinets and even house keys. suh continues by rubbing colored pencil across the paper sheets, saturating them in a variety of vibrant colors. 

read more about the video on designboom here.

INSIDE FUKSAS’ NEW ROME EUR CONVENTION CENTER AND HOTEL IN ITALY

fuksas has completed the ‘new rome-EUR convention center and hotel’ in the italian capital, which forms the city’s largest building in more than half a century. a video by elisa fuksas spotlights the character of the major complex, which has been named ‘the cloud’ — a moniker that references an independent cocoon-like structure situated at its heart. the complex hosts auditoriums, exhibition spaces, and a hotel, and is expected to generate between €300-400 million each year. two squares flank the building, providing venues for various leisure and outdoor activities and offering an area for public congregation. 

read more about the video on designboom here.

PETA SHOCKS SHOPPERS WITH BEATING HEARTS IN ‘LUXURY LEATHER’ ACCESSORIES

visitors to ‘the leather work’ pop-up shop in one of bangkok’s hippest shopping malls were given a grisly surprise as they surveyed the store’s inventory. courtesy of PETA asia and ogilvy & mather bangkok, shoppers were shocked to find beating hearts and intestines inside bags, jackets and belts. customers trying on shoes or gloves soon realized that their hands and feet had been smeared with fake blood. although the fleshy elements have been artistically reproduced, their hyperrealistic characteristics convey the jarring message of animal cruelty clearly and emphatically. the campaign — ‘behind the leather’ — duped customers looking for animal-hide goods with a display of seemingly ordinary products that symbolically reveal the suffering behind exotic-skin accessories. 

read more about the video on designboom here.

EDEN PROJECT VIDEO BY GRIMSHAW: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST GREENHOUSE

in a film series documenting some of grimshaw’s most significant work, designboom took an exclusive look at one of the UK’s most popular visitor attractions — the eden project. located in cornwall, the design comprises a sequence of eight inter-linked geodesic domes, covering 2.2 hectares and encapsulating humid tropic and warm temperate regions. ‘designing the biomes was an exercise in efficiency, both of space and material,’ explains grimshaw in the video. ‘structurally, each dome is a hex-tri-hex space frame reliant on two layers. the efficiency of the frame relies on the components of the geometric shapes: steel tubes and joints that are light, relatively small and easily transportable.’

read more about the video on designboom here.

ALASKAN ATTORNEY BUILDS 185 FOOT STACKED LOG CABIN TOWER

video network great big story completed a short documentary about a tower that started as a 40×40 foot log cabin and has grown into an extraordinary architectural marvel. phillip weidner, an attorney in anchorage, alaska, has been building his ‘goose creek tower’ in the mountainous landscape of talkeetna for years. the eccentric MIT alumni and self-described ‘frustrated architect’ has constructed this private home as a series of stacked houses amassed one on top of the other, gradually becoming smaller as they stretch towards the sky. seemingly teetering and haphazardly placed, these individual dwellings have been piled into what appears to be an impossible structural feat, with small staircases and ladders inside leading from floor to floor. 

read more about the video on designboom here.

The post TOP 10 videos of 2016 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 READER SUBMISSIONS OF 2016 – ART INSTALLATIONS

designed for specific sites, art installations makes experience the focus, inviting the spectators to immerse themselves in a setup environment that provides intense sensations. this year we received several thousand submissions from our readers, with designers, artists, and architects from across the globe sending through a diverse range of works that we have shared with our audience over the last 12 months.

we believe that maintaining an open dialogue with creatives is extremely important and we are happy to showcase the high level of original projects of our readership. from suspended large-scale rotating rings to interactive clubs in brazil, we highlight 10 art installations from our reader submissions of 2016.

SENSE OF FIELD BY HITOMI SATO

image courtesy of hitomi sato

tokyo-based artist hitomi sato has created an installation called ‘sense of field’ where she aims to recreate the shimmers of light, achieving not only a visual experience but also a sense of touch and an aesthetically pleasing encounter. thousands of transparent film hands extrude from two parallel walls, leaving a space in the middle for the spectator to move along. this movement makes the little bristles shake from side to side, resulting in a beautiful dance that thanks to the light creates reflective flashes.

read more about the project on designboom here.

SQUARE BY TBM STUDIO

image by tbm studio

this video project by tbm studio offers an insight into how the natural environment can experiment with animated, geometric forms. it first appears to be layered on top of an evening seascape before the waves reveal that the ‘square’ is very much inside this composition. it then offers a restricted view through pine trees in the fog. melodrama is provided when it finds its way into a thunder and lightening storm, before being transported to the tranquility of a rocky mountainscape. the video concludes with the ‘square’ sat among chopped pieces of timber that are stood tall, before, they unexpectedly fly towards the viewer in the eeriest of fashions.

read more about the project on designboom here.

WAYNE WHITE’S PROMOTIONAL EXHIBITION VIDEO BY DRESS CODE

image courtesy of dress code

new york production company dress code has filmed a new promotional video to celebrate the opening of artist wayne white’s second major solo art exhibition atjoshua liner gallery. in the video, dress code strap LA-based artist wayne white into a wooden chair fixed to the back of a flatbed truck, slowly driving him up avenue A whilst he plays a little number on the banjo. it’s a suitably charismatic video for a famously charismatic artist, who croons liltingly about his current predicament, and the more or less complete lack of reaction from the new york populace.

read more about the project on designboom here.

BOREAL HALO BY VINCENT LEROY

image courtesy of vincent leroy

vincent leroy has introduced an intriguing contrast between the white boreal halo and the darkness of the exhibition venue with a massive and slowly rotating large-scale ring that appears to be floating above the ground as if being motioned by gravity.  this surreal setting is also accompanied by a special synchronized soundtrack that moves at constant speed around the space— with lots of bass frequencies. combining the slow rotation of the installation with those sounds, visitors feel as though time has stopped —introducing them to a contemplative state, detached from the real world.

read more about the project on designboom here.

LES MARCHES FLOATING DEVICES BY SMARIN

image courtesy of smarin

designed in collaboration by french artist céleste boursier-mougenot and smarin — a french creation house founded in 2003 by renowned designer stéphanie marin – ‘les marches’ is a modular and hybrid set of floating devices. their appearance resembles that of a common raw concrete block, but once touched, they are surprisingly soft to the body. innovative in their design, they are 100% recyclable, fabricated with non-toxic materials, and can be applied to both indoor and outdoor situations. this year we saw them on canne’s beaches where they were freely installed resulting in the promotion of chats, relaxation, work, and social meetings.

read more about the project on designboom here.

WALL PEILINGS IN PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP BY PEJAC

image courtesy of pejac

in 2016, spanish street artist pejac completed a series of works in al-hussein — a palestinian refugee camp in amman, jordan. the body of works aim to bring attention to what this camp — established in 1948 as a result of the arab-israeli war — represents in terms of the loss of both home and means of livelihood by palestinians. the peelings tell stories about the camp while evocating landscapes and transmitting pride to the inhabitants of the walls.

read more about the project on designboom here.

THE PEOPLE’S CANOPY BY PEOPLE’S ARCHITECTURE OFFICE

image courtesy of people’s architecture office (pao), icp, bernie blackburn, tony worrall, neon creative studios

designed by beijing-based people’s architecture office, the ‘people’s canopy’ is thought as architecture for events and architecture as an event in itself. the two-story high expandable roof structure is set on bicycle wheels so that it can be cycled by citizens, paraded around the city, and stretched to the length of entire streets, linking disconnected public spaces. the canopy can collapse to the size of a double-decker bus so that it can be pedaled from one location to another. when parked, it can be opened like an accordion to 12-meters in length at a span of ten meters, thus turning unused areas into ones for pedestrians and events.

read more about the project on designboom here.

PUT HEAD INTO GALLERY BY TESI GABUNIA

image courtesy of tesi gabunia

georgian artist tezi gabunia has based his practice on a ‘falsification’ methodology where he creates a reflection of the basic features of the contemporary world. ‘put your head into gallery’ emphasizes the artist’s notion of the art world by triggering a dialogue about hyper-realistic issues in art. the interactive project consists in exact miniature copies of famous art exhibition spaces like the saatchi gallery, the tate modern, the louvre and the gagosian gallery, aiming to bring these art spaces to the visitors and not the other way around.

read more about the project on designboom here.

METAMORFOSE BY FAHR 0213

image courtesy of FAHR 021.3

surrounded by the architectural diversity of one of the most representative areas in porto, ‘metamorfose’ is an installation by local-based creative team FAHR 021.3. the impact of the green metal mesh filling the void by one of the city’s gateway is undeniable. the result of this intimate dialogue with the city is about bringing together all the elements that make up the area around the são bento train station.

read more about the project on designboom here.

THE YEAR CLUB BY ESTUDIO GUTO REQUENA

image courtesy of estudio guto requena

located in vila nova leopoldina and designed by estudio guto requena, ‘the year’ is a club that complements the urban transformation of the sao paulo industrial zone, an area used recently for film productions and the creative industry. the club has two dance floors with an area for shows, three bars, a VIP area, dressing room, restrooms, kitchen, manager office, and cashiers that control entries and exits.

read more about the project on designboom here.

The post TOP 10 reader submissions of 2016 – art installations appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 RESTAURANT INTERIORS OF 2016

the influence of interior design on the realm of story and context is more important now than ever. as well as the culinary experience, a picture worthy interior to post on social media is one of the appealing factors that draw food-enthusiasts to eat and dine at a restaurant. throughout this year, a host of diverse establishments have opened across the world marrying food and design. from a gluten-free café to tattooed japanese restaurant, we’ve compiled a list of the most interesting restaurant settings that caught our eye in 2016.

THE DUCHESS, W HOTEL AMSTERDAM BY BARANOWITZ KRONENBERG

image © W amsterdam

located within the renovated five-star W amsterdam hotel, the duchess restaurant is a baroque-style, viennese café-restaurant, which stands in the central hall of the former KAS bank building. baranowitz kronenberg was in charge of the transformation of the historical building which was formerly a telephone exchange building. meanwhile the restaurant capitalizes on the high ceilings by lowering the chandeliers to a modest height — a feature that creates a comfortable atmosphere among guests. the striking room provides visitors with a sweeping view of the upper floor and the menu itself is influenced by light flavors from southern france and italy.

read more about the project and our interview with the architects on designboom here.

POTATO HEAD BY SOU FUJIMOTO

image © potato head hong kong

potato head is a restaurant in hong kong designed by japanese architect sou fujimoto. the multi-purpose venue for the indonesian chain which comprises a retail area, a restaurant, and a coffee shop. an inviting atmosphere is created, where locals are able to get coffee and shop for artisanal homeware while executives work in the lounge, and families dine at the restaurant. fujimoto’s stainless steel planters are suspended from the ceiling, establishing a ‘floating forest’ above an area of relaxed seating. here, indonesian furniture is mixed with mid-century and antique pieces, including marcel breur leather armchairs.

read more about the project on designboom here.

PHARMACY 2 AT NEWPORT STREET GALLERY BY DAMIEN HIRST

image © 2h restaurant ltd.

 
damien hirst teamed up with english chef mark hix on ‘pharmacy 2′, an art-themed restaurant at hirst’s newport street gallery in vauxhall, london which won this year’s RIBA stirling prize. the restaurant features work from the artist’s most iconic series, including the ‘medicine cabinets’ and ‘butterfly kaleidoscope’ paintings, alongside etched glass windows depicting DNA strands, marble inlaid flooring and a bar that incorporates a stainless steel and glass vitrine. colorful pill graphics are embedded into the marble floor and embroidered onto leather banquettes.

read more about the project on designboom here.

CHAIMIDUO FARMER’S MARKET AND RESTAURANT BY ZHAOYANG ARCHITECTS

image © pengfei wang

zhaoyang architects transformed an abandoned office complex into a farm-to-table restaurant and gallery in southwestern china. housed within timber structure, a bungalow made of brick and concrete, and a 200 square meter courtyard, the design team sought to redefine the courtyard’s four edges using different strategies. inside, there is a restaurant, a farmer’s market, a gallery for local craftspeople, and space for a weekly bazaar. most distinctively, the pavilion that has been wrapped in bamboo, emphazing its volume and filters sunlight internally.

see more about the project on designboom here.

PROTI PROUDU BISTRO BY MIMOSA ARCHITEKTI

image © boysplaynice

the clean interiors of the ‘proti proudu bistro‘ in prague was developed using the themes ‘current and connection’. designed by by mimosa architekti, the eatery is located in the karlín district, were part of the concept drew influence from the local, well known electrical engineer – františek křižík. the main bar wall, made of white perforated plywood, creates a grid, which all the electrical components on the wall connect to – from the sliding targets of wires to the paper roll with a daily menu. a network of wires, all exposed, stretch from the switches to behind the counter to the lights above the tables, automatically turning on and off as guests come and go

read more about the project on designboom here.

NACRÉE RESTAURANT  BY KENGO KUMA

image © masao nishikawa

in myagi, tokyo, the nacrée restaurant features a whimsical interior design conceived by kengo kuma. the french restaurant is ran by a japanese chef who previously worked at a 3-star michelin restarant in france and the characteristic feature is the unconventional and transparent tubes that wraps and curves around the floorplan. these acrylic cylinders suspend from the ceiling to create a transparent curtain and partitioning between different zones of the restaurant; their light opacity allow the decorative stems of flowers fixed in-between to be the focus, while diffusing artificial light.

see the full project on designboom here.

KOÏ BY VINCENT COSTE

image © florent joliot

named koï, the japanese restaurant by vincent coste is wrapped with large monochromatic illustrations that is influenced by yakuza tattoos, displaying the fish of the same name. the graphics, designed by claire leina, envelop the floor, walls, and ceiling of specified areas of the restaurant. the theme is extended throughout the remainder of the scheme, and is even applied to branded crockery.

read more about the project on designboom here.

RESTAURANT 108 BY SPACE COPENHAGEN

image © joachim wichmann

occupying a former industrial warehouse, ‘restaurant 108′ is a high-end eatery in the danish capital for chef rené redzepi. SPACE copenhagen‘s design combines the building’s existing structural elements with bespoke furniture pieces that offer a distinct scandinavian style. a sense of vibrancy is achieved through splashes of color. seafoam green and midnight blue contrast and complement the use of red, referencing the façades, bricks and roofs seen across copenhagen.

read more about the project on designboom here.

NOGLU BY MATHIEU LEHANNEUR 

image © michel giesbrecht

mathieu lehanneur‘s the interiors of NOGLU offers local residents and visiting tourist the opportunity to discover gluten-free dishes and pastries within a welcoming environment that blends contemporary style with comfort and coziness. the boutique restaurant chain with a ‘gourmet gluten-free’ ethos is located in the 7th arrondissement of paris and  to create a sense of indulgence, soft tactile furnishings with pale, gray velvet cushions were used. the terrazzo-topped tables and bar aim to make visitors feel relaxed and at home.

read more about the project on designboom here.

VYTA SANTA MARGHERITA BY COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO

image © COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO

designed by COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO, ‘VyTA santa margherita’ is located in florence, inside a former first class waiting room of the santa maria novella train station. the defining features of the project are the antique materials and the fine finish that characterize the original purpose of the space. ine materials such as copper, glass, and marble, interface with the existing historic features giving life to a luxurious bakery.

read more about the project on designboom here.

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The post TOP 10 restaurant interiors of 2016 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 POPULAR PRODUCTS FROM THE DESIGNBOOM SHOP

on the designboom shop we have an e-commerce space offering an array of exclusive products, collector’s items sold by designers and brands internationally. our shop has provided an easy-to-navigate platform that allows different creatives to showcase and sell their own product and for design enthusiasts to shop from the comfort of their home. as our catalog of products continue to grow; from indoor swings, kaleidoscope vases, and bookmarks that light-up, we have rounded up a top 10 list of the most popular items which are available to buy directly from our curated commerce space. even though we operate on an invite-only basis, we encourage designers, manufacturers and creatives from around the world to discover the opportunity to sell on the designboom shop!

QEEBOO RABBIT CHAIR BY STEFANO GIOVANNONI  

stefano giovannoni’s ‘rabbit’ chair is part of a family of products that takes its form from the animal after which it is named, offering a playful place to rest. taking the rabbit’s ears and sculpting them in a way so that they become the back of the chair, the body functions as the seat itself. the design comes in two versions for both adults and kids, making it a sweet and auspicious object that brings good fortune and good wishes to all.

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

GELA AND GORO BY INTERNOITALIANO

internoitaliano’s glass carafe set is a project dedicated to water, its use and its importance. the surface of the glass seems to have been rounded off and smoothed by the movement of the sea, weathering it to a frosted finish. 

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

TOOL PEN BY MININCH

the ‘mininch tool pen’ is the world’s first ‘pop-a-point’ screwdriver. the multiple head types and sizes are stored conveniently in the body of the pen making it easy to swap between them for any job. the multi-use object features a magnetic head and construction, and can be carried round everywhere ready for when you need to jot some notes down or make a small repair job. 

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

OVO BY MONITILLO MARMI

‘ovo’ by monitillo marmi is a passive amplifier constructed from marble for iphones. it embodies a tension between tradition vs innovation, digital vs analogic, artisanal expertise vs technology. the shape of this speaker is accomplished by slowly carving material from a single block of carrara marble. the speaker element doesn’t include any electric parts and works exclusively by mechanic sound diffusion, employing geometry to optimize performance, creating a pleasant and immersive listening experience.

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

BOOKMARK LIGHT BY KOUICHI OKAMOTO

the ‘bookmark light’ by kouichi okamoto uses a conductive ink that transmits electricity through the help of a lithium coin battery. the grid utilizes ink with nano-size silver particles between a layer of film that forms the liquid crystal. created in collaboration with business venture agic inc. of the university of tokyo – the interactive design can be used as page tab or as an illuminative source, allowing one to carry on reading without disturbing a sleeping partner. 

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

WOODEN CIRCLE SWING BY IWONA KOSICKA

no time for morning exercises? jump on this rounded furniture piece and get your swing on while no one is watching. displaying a simple curved shape, this charming swing chair easily adapts to a variety of contemporary decors. 

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

BOTANICAL HANGER BY THE DESIGN LABO

the design labo offers a series of iron hangers where one can physically hang any house plant. unlike traditional displays in planters or pots, the botanical hanger allows for a more ‘raw’ design where the roots are completely exposed. this approach indeed portrays flowers or any other ornamental plant in its pure natural state  — instead of being contained — which offers greater soothing effects.

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

QEEBOO DAISY LAMP BY NIKA ZUPANC

planted one day by a flirtatious fairy, nika zupanc’s ‘daisy’ lamp features adjustable petals that allow you to control the intensity and direction of its light. available in six different glossy, pastel shades, it could become the object of your affection.

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

BRUM BRUM BALANCE BIKE

the ‘brum brum balance bike’ for kids uses a high-quality U-shaped plywood frame which provides a natural suspension for the child when seated. the bike grows with the youngster, through the adjustable custom made thumbscrews which change the height in seconds.

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

OP-VASE BY BILGE NUR SALTIKE

‘OP-vase’ is a series of vessels conceived by turkish designer bilge nur saltik, presented at ventura lambrate during milan design week 2015. the capsules seek to create the impression of a bouquet with only a single flower through visual distortions, multiplying colorful petals throughout the spherical space. the glass shield’s kaleidoscopic properties have a magnifying effect, creating the impression of numerous abstracted botanicals. 

see more of this product on the designboom shop here.

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TOP 10 BODY MANIPULATION ART PROJECTS OF 2016

whether they be painstakingly sculpted, digitally designed, or robotically etched, 2016 saw a number of international artists using their own limbs, hair and skin in their creative projects. these atypical mediums have been the starting points for artists such as patricia piccinini — who created a digital ‘person’ designed to survive today’s high-impact road traumas, and anahell — who used visual trickery to transform her friends into a collection of curious creatures. as we continue our annual round-ups, take a look below at designboom’s TOP 10 body art projects of 2016.

GROTESQUE ‘GRAHAM’: THE ONLY PERSON DESIGNED TO SURVIVE A CAR CRASH

image courtesy of TACVictoria

this bizarre and bafflingly deformed figure is the physical embodiment of an inconceivable idea: he is the only ‘person’ designed to survive today’s high-impact road traumas. in an effort to highlight the susceptibly of the human body to the forces of a car crash, australia’s transport accident commission collaborated with a leading trauma surgeon, a crash investigation expert and artist patricia piccinini to realize ‘graham’. this interactive, lifelike sculpture demonstrates our vulnerability to collisions, and aims to reduce deaths and injuries on the road.

read more about the project on designboom here.

REAL-LIFE LEGO: THE CREEPY CHILDHOOD TOY YOU DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH

image courtesy of tested

this real life LEGO may forever ruin your merry memories of building blocks. ‘creepyfig’ — a play on the word ‘minifigure’ used to describe LEGO’s tiny toy people — is a human-scale plastic figurine in the form of a wearable mask. bearing a yellow-tinted skin-like texture, giant claw-shaped hands, and black beady eyes, the uncannily sculpted hybrid-human was created to match the dimensions and facial features of the original toy — with a hauntingly lifelike twist. in collaboration with frank ippolito, an artist who specializes in makeup for film and TV, video network ‘tested’ used pounds of clay to sculpt around a human-scale form, where malleable material adds volume to a cylindrical head. 

read more about the project on designboom here.

BENT-OVER FIGURES AS HYBRID-HUMAN CREATURES

image courtesy of anahell

photographer anahell’s series of ‘secret friends’ uses simple, visual trickery to transform friends and family members into a collection of curious creatures. figures bent in half are photographed with the skin on their backs exposed, where anahell illustrated elementary facial features like eyes, noses and mouths. the careful placement of clothing and wigs turns these upside-down subjects into distorted living things, which bear lifelike qualities but are undeniably inhuman at the same time. ‘secret friends are playmates, reflections, villains, strange and wonderful creatures from another world, the kind that children create when they’re alone,’ the artist says.

read more about the project on designboom here.

JOSÉ CARDOSO’S PLAY-DOH PEOPLE

image courtesy of josé cardoso

in homage to the gory visual effects found throughout artist chris cunningham and david cronenberg’s most famous films, graphic designer and illustrator josé cardoso has completed a collection of headshots that blends classic photography and basic sculpting. as a low budget tribute to old-school special effects from movies like ‘videodrome’ and ‘rubber johnny’, the porto-based artist mixed hand-sculpted play-doh with digital photographs to create strange and surreal portraits of himself, his family and his friends. these ‘faces’ bear warped and distored shapes crudely molded from malleable materials, seamlessly integrated into images of real human figures. while undeniably eerie and curiously bizarre, the images include strangely familiar facets of reality that are both recognizable and alien at the same time.

read more about the project on designboom here.

VACUUM SEALED COUPLES IN INTIMATE SPACES

image courtesy of photographer hal

tokyo-based artist photographer hal continued his collection of vacuum sealed couples with the series ‘flesh love returns’. pairs of people have been tightly wrapped in a thin layer of plastic and photographed in an extreme, yet ephemeral moment. expanding on the first iteration of the project — which featured couples photographed on sheets of brightly colored paper, the second series is shot in private, intimate spaces — such as the couples’ homes, workplaces, and favorite meeting places. ‘I make them choose a place for shooting,’ the artist says. ‘men and women are attracted to each other, and try to become one. this fundamental desire carries an energy that affects all matter in the world. I wonder: what is the reason we have to make such an effort to become one — possibly we were originally one? I intend to visualize this power of love by adhering and unifying couples.’

read more about the project on designboom here.

STEVEN BURTON DIGITALLY DELETES EX-GANG MEMBERS’ TATTOOS

image courtesy of steven burton

photographer steven burton developed a deeply personal, and profoundly poignant project that profiles former gang members, demonstrating two conflicting yet compelling visions of their identity. for the series ‘skin deep’, burton meticulously, digitally removed gang tattoos from each subject’s face and body, liberating them from the judgement cast by society based on their unfamiliar, and therefore intimidatory appearance. for the ex-gang members profiled, burton’s resulting images were emotionally charged.

read more about the project on designboom here.

FRÉDÉRIC DOAZAN’S COSMETICALLY CONCOCTED ‘SUPERVENUS’

gif courtesy of frédéric doazan

the story of ‘supervenus’ unfolds frame-by-frame in a hilarious and horrifying sequence of scenes. the darkly humorous short film by french experimental filmmaker and animator frédéric doazan puts the viewer in place of a deranged plastic surgeon who, in real time, cosmetically creates ‘the new goddess of beauty.’ rendered as if torn from the pages of a vintage medical book, the movie opens with a drawn female figure probed and poked at by human surgical hands looming above. needles enlarge her cheekbones and remove girth from her neck, while scalpels slenderize and dissect her bodily anatomy. leg lengthening, sun tanning, breast enhancing, hair transplanting and brain lobotomizing ensues, finally forming a cosmetically-concocted, make-up painted personality that could hardly be considered human — and it doesn’t end there…

read more about the project on designboom here.

FRENCH DESIGNERS REALIZE ROBOTIC TATTOO TECHNOLOGY

image courtesy of pierre emm and johan da silveira

french designers pierre emm and johan da silveira created ‘tatoué’ — an industrial robot arm that can autonomously draw intricate tattoos on humans. using 3D scanning technology, the body part is captured and uploaded to dynamo design software that converts the form into a geometric language the computer can understand.‘tatoué’ uses exactly the same needle and ink as traditional tattoo guns. the artists created their latest robotic arm during their four-month artist-in-residence program at san francisco-based software company autodesk. the program allows artists to own everything they create, but requires them to share their technology on an open source platform.

read more about the project on designboom here.

JASON BRIGGS’ GROTESQUE PORCELAIN OBJECTS

image courtesy of jason briggs

the art of jason briggs expresses strong sexual references, with hints of fetishism — at once abstract, but laced with figurative forms and life-like textures, bordering on being erotic and pornographic, with a sense of surrealism. invoking a sense of temptation and desire to grab, pinch, poke, push, squeeze and stroke their flesh-like surfaces, jason briggs‘ sculptures also question the often sterile experience of not being able to have physical contact with an artwork. briggs uses pure white high-fire porcelain to render each object. he starts with a loose idea of the forms he wishes to use—compact, concealed, deflated, elongated, full, pregnant, slender, squat—eventually assembling two or three of these together by pushing and wrapping them into one another to create an abstract shape. 

read more about the project on designboom here.

FLORA BORSI COMBINES HUMAN + ANIMAL FEATURES

image courtesy of flora borsi 

forming a likeness between the animal kingdom and the human form, hungarian artist flora borsi formed the series ‘animeyed’, which creates curious hybrid beings from two different species. the collection of self-portraits sees borsi situated side-by-side six separate creatures: a cat, dove, blowfish, goldfish, snake and hare. for each composition, borsi matched her own hairstyle, makeup, and eye color to match the characteristics of each animal, dying her hair orange to mimic the hue of a goldfish and painting her face snow white to match the texture of a dove. as the artist stares at the camera facing frontwards, one of the animals conceals part of her face, matching their own eye above where hers would be revealed. the effect forms hybrid entities that play with the perception of the viewer and cleverly display the physical similarities between the human and animal features.

read more about the project on designboom here.

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TOP 10 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION STORIES OF 2016

concerned with sustainability, confronting environmental challenges and generating faster ways to travel, 2016 was a year that saw innovative public transportation projects and visions. from elon musk’s hyperloop proposals by BIG in the UAE to self-driving buses and human-powered gym boats, we continue with our annual roundup with designboom’s TOP 10 stories of public transportation in 2016.

HYPERLOOP BY BIG, ARUP AND AECOM

image courtesy of BIG / hyperloop one

in november, bjarke ingels group revealed more details about its hyperloop transportation system, which would connect the UAE cities of dubai and abu dhabi in just 12 minutes. current connections between the two urban centers range from train travel, which takes over an hour, to a public bus that takes more than two hours. according to the design team, the scheme is based on a study of how an urban and inter-city transport network could and should integrate with existing infrastructure. the reveal coincides with the announcement of major deal between hyperloop one and dubai roads and transport authority.

the hyperloop is a conceptual high-speed transportation system proposed by entrepreneur elon musk, incorporating reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on an air cushion driven by linear induction motors and air compressors. hyperloop technology has been explicitly open-sourced by musk and spacex, and others have been encouraged to take the ideas and further develop them. to that end, several companies have been formed, and dozens of interdisciplinary student-led teams are working to advance the technology.

read more about the project on designboom here.

HYPERLOOP BY WESTON WILLIAMSON

image courtesy of weston williamson

weston williamson’s proposal takes advantage of australia’s specific development typology – large commercial urban centers with clear routes between them – and proposes a hyperloop scheme running between adelaide, melbourne, canberra, sydney and brisbane. potentially, the scheme would cut journey times from melbourne to brisbane from a train journey of a day and a half to just 90 minutes. the proposal aims to revolutionize commuter travel, boost the nation’s economy and significantly impact its climate change targets.

read more about the project on designboom here.

CHICAGO AERIAL CABLE CAR BY DAVIS BRODY BOND AND MARKS BARFIELD

image by F10 studios

initial plans for a network of cable cars connecting chicago’s city center were unveiled. designed by architecture firms davis brody bond and marks barfield, the ‘chicago skyline‘ forms an aerial tourist attraction linking navy pier, the chicago lakefront, and the riverwalk, with downtown chicago. the project is being backed by local business leaders laurence geller, chairman and CEO of geller capital partners, and lou raizin, founder of broadway in chicago. designed to showcase the city’s rich architectural heritage, the system would have stations positioned near to millennium park and michigan avenue, encouraging visitors to explore the city without the use of cars.

read more about the project on designboom here.

HUMAN-POWERED GYM BOAT BY CARLO RATTI

image courtesy of carlo ratti associati

carlo ratti associati revealed in november the paris navigating gym project, an exclusive human-powered boat that sails along the seine river in paris. developed as a collaborative initiative, the proposal responds to the locals’ demand concerning the urban and public infrastructure. the boat is a 20-meter long ‘fitness vessel’ that can easily accommodate 45 individuals and features a distinct series of ARTIS fitness equipments — provided by technogym — which harness the energy produced during workout sessions and ultimately power the cruising vehicle. in addition, fitness enthusiasts can keep track of their energy data and the outdoor conditions via an augmented reality screen that displays real-time information.

read more about the project on designboom here.

ROBOAT BY AMS INSTITUTE IN COLLABORATION WITH MIT

image courtesy of MIT

while the first prototypes of self-driving cars are taking to the road, amsterdam ushers in a new chapter in the international push for autonomous vehicles. roboat is the world’s first large-scale research that explores and tests the rich set of possibilities for autonomous systems on water.

‘imagine a fleet of autonomous boats for the transportation of goods and people,’ says carlo ratti, professor at MIT and principal investigator in the roboat-program, ‘but also think of dynamic and temporary floating infrastructure like on-demand bridges and stages, that can be assembled or disassembled in a matter of hours.’

read more about the project on designboom here.

SELF-DRIVING CITY BUS BY MERCEDES-BENZ

image courtesy of mercedes-benz

the mercedes-benz future bus with citypilot enhances the attractiveness of the city bus as a means of transport. this above all applies to passengers, but also to drivers and bus operators. all three groups benefit from a revolutionary design and trailblazing technology. the bus becomes one with its environment, both in terms of its exterior and interior design and of the technology employed as it moves along its dedicated line and communicates with its surroundings.

read more about the project on designboom here.

CHINA’S ELEVATED BUS BY TEB TECHNOLOGY

image courtesy of TEB / xinhua news agency

the world’s first elevated bus took in august its first test drive in china’s qinhuangdao, hebei province. the giant vehicle spans 22 meters long, nearly 8 meters wide, and reaches almost 5 meters above the tops of cars, soaring over traffic, decreasing gridlock, and speeding up ordinary vehicular travel. accommodating more than 300 passengers, the bus straddles the road, allowing personal vehicles to pass safely underneath.

UPDATE: sources have reported that the project is on hold. 

read more about the project on designboom here.

DANCER BUS BY JSC ‘VĖJO PROJEKTAI’

image courtesy of dancer bus / © eglė ščerbinskaitė 

‘dancer bus’ is a project by JSC ‘vėjo projektai’ that aims to create a new generation of city buses. it is a visionary approach to the automotive industry that seeks to integrate into the public transportation sphere the original concepts used in bus design with new technological materials and wind power usage. ‘dancer’s’ intention is to make public transportation an integral part of lithuanian cities. with this proposal, the creators mix technology, art, industry and society in order to improve the urban environment.

read more about the project on designboom here.

NICE TRAMWAY BY ORA ITO AND ALSTOM

image courtesy of alstom

designer ora ïto and alstom unveiled the tram layout that will fill the streets of nice, france as voted by its inhabitants. the collaboration resulted in an organic and rational tram for the next generation ofalstom ‘citadis X05’ citywide tramways. the shape is designed to slip through the historical town paving a new wave of contemporary urban infrastructure. to integrate the system seamlessly with the city, the tramway will charge through the ground to avoid prominent overhead contact lines and cables.

read more about the project on designboom here.

GLOW-IN-THE-DARK CYCLE LANE BY TPA Sp. z. o. o.

cycling has become a hugely popular activity in poland, thanks to the country’s recent investments in biking infrastructure. now, a recently unveiled bike path in the north of poland–near lidzbark warminski in the mazury region–that can light up at night and glow a luminous blue hue, is enhancing cyclists’ safety; comfort; and sustainability to the activity.  installed by polish construction company,TPA sp. z. o. o. and influenced by the similar dan roosegaarde solar powered ‘van gogh’ bike path in the netherlands, poland’s new bike path offers a completely solar-powered solution.

read more about the project on designboom here.

The post TOP 10 public transportation stories of 2016 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 children’s educational spaces of 2016

throughout 2016, designboom has covered a wide range of unusual, yet thoughtfully laid out educational establishments for children. these spaces form stimulating environments that play a vital role in jump-starting children’s learning, creativity, and engagement with others. from a colorfully striped school in singapore, to a monochromatic kindergarten in denmark, take a look at our TOP 10 children’s educational spaces featured over the past 12 months.

CLOVER HOUSE KINDERGARTEN BY MAD ARCHITECTS

image © fuji koji

MAD architects’ first project in japan is a sculptural space named the ‘clover house kindergarten’, designed for children in the small town of okazaki. the building was formerly a two-storey residence that had become too small to cater to the needs of its young users. the school’s setting presents views of the paddy fields and mountains beyond, elements characteristic of the aichi prefecture.

read more about the project on designboom here.

BUHL NURSERY BY DOMINIQUE COULON

image by david romero-uzeda

in the french region of alsace, dominique coulon & associés completed a vibrant nursery building described as a distorted ‘lego model of a castle’. appearing as a long volume in pink, red and purple tones, the nursery mimics the orthogonal geometry of the nearby fortified castle. the color palette continues to the interior spaces, where a combination of pinks and reds in matte and glossy finishes define different wall and floor surfaces.

read more about the project on designboom here.

KINDERGARTEN VALDAORA DI SOTTO BY FELD72 

image © hertha hurnaus

this wood-wrapped kindergarten by feld72 is located in valdaora di sotto, south tyrol. the building forms its own secure boundary, wrapping itself around a playground and communicating an interplay between tradition, contemporary life, and nature. the architectural intervention alludes to the theme of different boundary intensities and, in turn, provides security while allowing the children to run and play freely.

read more about the project on designboom here.

FREDERIKSVEJ KINDERGARTEN BY COBE

image © rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

conceived as small village setting, the COBE-designed scheme consists of house-shaped volumes with play spaces organized around two winter gardens. this enables a safe and stimulating environment to be created for over 180 young children. breaking away from the traditional, large scale institutional daycare environment, the scheme consists of 11 fragmented, yet connected volumes that ensure a wide range of spaces for the building’s occupants.

read more about the project on designboom here.

AITOKU KINDERGARTEN BY KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES

image © katsumasa tanaka

located in a quaint residential neighborhood in saitama city, ‘aitoku’ accommodates around 150 children with facilities that combine both a nursery school and kindergarten. designed by kengo kuma, the building derives from positioning small house-like volumes together to create one large two-storey building. the verticality of the façade is interrupted by the multiple pitched roofs set at different angles, while the interior features fabric lamps that establish a gentle and comfortable learning environment for children.

read more about the project on designboom here.

NANYANG PRIMARY SCHOOL BY STUDIO505

image by studio505

this colorful building in singapore forms a vibrant extension to an existing primary school. designed by australian architecture firm studio505 in collaboration with local practice LT&T architects, the scheme is articulated around a large internalized valley — open to the elements, but oriented away from the surrounding residential streets. in contrast to the colorful exterior, the interior is typically calm in appearance with white walls and ceilings.

read more about the project on designboom here.

SAITAMA KINDERGARTEN BY HIBINOSEKKEI + YOUJI NO SHIRO 

image © studio bauhaus, ryuji inoue

in saitama, japan, HIBINOSEKKEI + youji no shiro renovated this kindergarten using a series of stacked shipping containers. the building has been structurally reinforced to protect it against the threat of earthquakes. meanwhile, the architects arranged the kindergarten around a centrally positioned courtyard that contains a single tree. here, child care rooms open out onto a sheltered terrace that creates a pleasant outdoor area for recreation. internal spaces are lined with warm timber tones, establishing a comfortable and welcoming learning environment.

read more about the project on designboom here.

AMANENOMORI NURSERY BY AISAKA ARCHITECTS’ ATELIER 

image by shigeo ogawa

a man-made playground takes center stage in this kindergarten by aisaka architects’ atelier. the 1,000 square meter scheme facilitates 160 children in a secure and generous space. a vegetable garden on the roof and a glass-walled kitchen on the first floor, highlight the importance of incorporating dietary education into the children’s daily schedules to heighten their appreciation and interest towards food.

read more about the project on designboom here.

ANGLO COLOMBIANO SCHOOL BY AEI ARQUITECTURA 

image by AEI arquitectura e interiores

AEI arquitectura e interiores has colorized daniel bonilla arquitecto’s omega block building at the anglo colombiano school in bogotá, colombia. its concept is based on a simple premise: learning by doing. the design showcases a world thought for children where color and geometry set the pace of the space. the library and the extended learning areas of the building reflect the latest educational models and take into consideration new generations and their way of interacting with spaces.

read more about the project on designboom here.

YASUTAKA YOSHIMURA ARCHITECTS FUKUMASU BASE KINDERGARTEN

image courtesy of yasutaka yoshimura

appearing as a warehouse wrapped in a translucent envelope, ‘fukumasu base’ is a kindergarten that also seeks to be a community center for children and their families. realized by yasutaka yoshimura architects, the interior program accommodates children of all ages as well as their families. inside the airy volume, an irregularly shaped volume has been added that connects two floors without reaching the full height of the ceiling or touching the outer boundaries.

read more about the project on designboom here.

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The post TOP 10 children’s educational spaces of 2016 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 PRIVATE SPACES OF 2016

over the past 12 months, designboom has featured a wide range of architectural projects that offer their users a unique retreat from the outside world. despite being diverse in scale, material, and setting, our selected schemes all offer inventive solutions for small spaces that both that respond to, and engage with, their contexts. from a house with a transparent garage in japan, to a monolithic concrete dwelling in portugal, we continue our 2016 roundup with a look at residential dwellings and private spaces.

CASA DEL ACANTILADO BY GILBARTOLOMÉ ARCHITECTS

image © jesus granada

faced with a challenging site, gilbartolomé architects chose to embed the distinctive ‘casa del acantilado’ deep into a cliff overlooking the mediterranean sea. located in granada, spain, the complex scheme was the result of ambitious ideas from both the client and the architect. the brief called for a structure that would seamlessly integrate with the region’s landscape and contain interiors orientated towards the sea.

read more about the project on designboom here.

GARAGE TERRACE HOUSE BY YOSHIAKI YAMASHITA

image by eiji tomita

in kyoto, japanese architect yoshiaki yamashita completed a single-storey timber dwelling for a couple of car enthusiasts. the design places their vehicle at the center of the scheme, as part of a garage that can also serve as a sheltered terrace. a kitchen and dining area adjoin this primary living space, with a bedroom positioned at the other end of the home, linking to a private backyard. although the house measures only 173 square meters, double-height volumes and an abundance of natural light ensure that it feels much larger than its modest size.

read more about the project on designboom here.

A CHALET IN MADRID’S SKY BY I! ARQUITECTURA

image © imagen subliminal

presented with a 360 degree view of madrid’s urban landscape, i! arquitectura renovated a top floor apartment in the heart of the city. named ‘a chalet in madrid’s sky’, the residence is spread between two levels, with one terrace featuring a swimming pool reminiscent of those found in american motels. the approach to the project was to bring the countryside into a city setting.

read more about the project on designboom here.

CABIN KNAPPHULLET BY LUND HAGEM

image © kim müller

norwegian studio lund hagem designed a cabin in norway that replaced two previously existing structures. the building is accessible from a small path cutting through a heavily vegetated area from the main house, taking advantage of large boulders that form a naturally protected area. the scheme features a unique precast roof that extends from the side of the rock and angles down to meet the ground plane to double as a staircase leading to a rooftop deck. beneath the free-standing canopy two exterior storefront walls make the structure almost transparent across the landscape. the small footprint minimizes its impact on site, and instead enjoys three levels that contain a small living area, a suspended bed, and bathroom overlooking the sea.

read more about the project on designboom here.

TILT ROOF HOUSE BY BCHO ARCHITECTS

image © sergio pirrone

this reinforced concrete house has been embedded into a grassy slope amid the undisturbed mountains and rice fields just an hour east of seoul, south korea. designed by BCHO architects, ‘tilt roof house’ derives from the concept of ‘chi’, a traditional asian term meaning the universal energy that permeates and exists through everything. by taking advantage of the steep slope around the site, the house blends with the topography and minimizes the need for excavation. 

read more about the project on designboom here.

MRS. FAN’S PLUGIN HOUSE BY PEOPLE’S ARCHITECTURE OFFICE

image by people’s architecture office / gao tianxia

people’s architecture office (PAO) custom designed one of its ‘plugin’ houses for a resident of beijing’s central changchun jie neighborhood. the client, mrs. fan, was born and raised in the area and, rather than move out to the suburbs, wanted to continue living in the historic hutong community. in general, the price of real estate in central beijing makes owning a house nearly impossible. however, the plugin house costs 30 times less than a typical apartment.

read more about the project on designboom here.

WINTER CABIN BY OFIS ARCHITECTS

image © janez martincic 

OFIS architects shared its design of a winter cabin constructed on top of mount kanin in slovenia. the compact dwelling has the capacity to accommodate nine mountaineers, providing shelter from the region’s harsh and extreme weather conditions. OFIS worked closely with various structural engineers to develop the self-contained wooden shell with a cantilevered form. the site itself is accessible only by climbing or helicopter, meaning that the modules and loads are prepared according to the maximum weight and equilibrium limits.

read more about the project on designboom here.

THE DOVECOTE BY AZO SEQUEIRA ARQUITECTOS

image by nelson garrido

AZO sequeira arquitectos associados reinterpreted a former dovecote to house a completely new program. located near the northern portuguese city of braga, the project has been conceived as a ‘minimal concrete treehouse’, influenced by a spirit of childlike fantasy. the scheme comprises a gabled concrete volume that appears to float above the site’s existing stone walls. the new structure contains a child’s playhouse at its upper level with a bathing room below, serving the adjacent pool.

read more about the project on designboom here.

MEDITERRANEAN VILLA IN IBIZA BY METROAREA ARCHITETTI

image by fernando alda

italian architecture studio metroarea constructed a multi-storey residence on the spanish island of ibiza. the design of the remote dwelling is inspired by the mediterranean’s vernacular architecture, taking its cues from roman villas, as well as the expressionist works of italian architects luigi moretti and giovanni michelucci. ‘for us, designing a contemporary building in 2016 means establishing a dedicated dialogue with history and with nature,’ explained the design team.

read more about the project on designboom here.

RESIDENCE-ATELIER-FOUNDATION BY PHILIPPE BARRIERE

image courtesy of philippe barriere collective

conceived for a rural landscape populated with olive trees, the ‘residence-atelier-foundation’ is oriented to face the majestic white outline of morocco’s atlas mountains. designed by philippe barriere, the scheme comprises a private dwelling for the client, a pavilion for her three children and guest artists, and her personal atelier. in addition, the complex can also host art exhibitions as well as a foundation dedicated to the work of female moroccan artists.

read more about the project on designboom here.

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The post TOP 10 private spaces of 2016 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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TOP 10 ART INSTALLATIONS OF 2016

from a 100,000 square meter golden pier that wrapped a floating dock on an italian lake, to the monumental structures built for burning man in nevada’s black rock desert, 2016 saw a number of large scale installations completed around the globe. each of the projects — whether they be temporary, public, permanently fixed, interactive, or informative in nature — engages audiences with a memorable experience. continuing our annual review of the year’s BIG stories, we take a look at the TOP 10 art installations that caught our eye in 2016.

CHRISTO’S FLOATING PIERS IN LAKE ISEO, ITALY

photo by wolfgang volz © christo 

one of the most highly-anticipated projects of the year, christo’s ‘floating piers’ comprised 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric that wrapped a floating dock and connected various points on italy’s lake iseo. undulating with the movement of the waves, visitors experienced ‘the floating piers’ as they walked from sulzano to monte isola and on to the island of san paolo, which it completely encircled. the 3 kilometer-long walkway extended across the water, with surrounding mountains offering a bird’s-eye view of a golden network of passageways that lead in and around the town. the fabric continued along 1.5 kilometers of pedestrian streets in sulzano and peschiera maraglio.

read more about this installation on designboom here.

JR INSTALLS LARGER THAN LIFE SIZED ATHLETES IN RIO DE JANEIRO

image courtesy of JR

in celebration of the olympic games in rio de janeiro, artist JR created two new public artworks in the city. the installations build upon the french artist’s ongoing ‘inside out‘ project, but adopt a completely novel material in their realization: construction scaffolding. JR depicted two larger than life athletic figures on metal poles, placed in dramatic locations across the urban landscape of rio. the first sculpture is installed on the roof of a large residential complex, comprising a massive arrangement of scaffolding canvassed by the massive image of a high jumping athlete. JR explains on his instagram that the monochromatic figure represents mohamed younes idriss — a 27 year old from sudan who lives and trains in cologne, germany.

read more about this installation on designboom here.

UGO RONDINONE ERECTS SEVEN MAGIC MOUNTAINS IN THE NEVADA DESERT

photo by gianfranco gorgoni /courtesy of art production fund and nevada museum of art

in the desert south of las vegas, nevada, swiss artist ugo rondinone erected a monumental installation that rises from the rocky terrain. presented by art production fund and nevada museum of art, ‘seven magic mountains’ comprised a sequence of colorful colossal stone configurations that seemingly defy gravity with their formations. the stacked shapes, reminiscent of naturally-occurring hoodoos, seem simultaneously balanced between stability and collapse. nearly five years in the making, these mammoth cairns evoked the art of meditative rock balancing, as they negotiate the landscape between geological formations and abstract compositions.

read more about this installation on designboom here.

LUDOVICO EINAUDI ORCHESTRATES FLOATING PERFORMANCE IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN

image © pedro armestre / greenpeace

this year, world renowned italian pianist and composer ludovico einaudi performed a historic concert set on a floating installation in the arctic ocean. against the icy backdrop of the wahlenbergbreen glacier in svalbard, norway, einaudi played one of his own compositions ‘elegy for the arctic’ for the first time. a monumental early retreat of sea ice as a result of climate change allowed for the construction of an artificial iceberg installation made from more than 300 triangles of wood, on which a grand piano sits. through his performance, einaudi added his voice to those of eight million people from across the world demanding protection for the arctic, from threats like oil drilling and destructive fishing.

read more about this live installation on designboom here.

BURNING MAN ART INSTALLATIONS

 image © michael holden, @michael.holden.photographer

this year’s burning man — the temporary metropolis erected annually in nevada’s black rock desert — included mind-bending artworks installed across the desert landscape. these creative interventions have become an important aspect of burning man culture, with mutant vehicles, art cars, and the annually-built temple forming venues and visionary works for burners to experience and enjoy. this year’s art theme ‘da vinci’s workshop’ drew from the historic convergence of art, innovation and enlightened patronage that erupted in europe during the italian renaissance. featured projects endeavored to recreate this fusion of art, science and technology, making black rock city ‘the epicenter of a new renaissance’.

read more about the installations on designboom here.

AI WEIWEI WRAPS BERLIN’S KONZERTHAUS WITH 14,000 REFUGEE LIFE JACKETS

photo by oliver lang / courtesy of konzerthaus berlin

in an effort to draw attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, ai weiwei used refugee life jackets discarded and collected in lesvos to wrap the pillars of the landmark konzerthaus in berlin. the six columns that receive visitors to the concert hall were temporarily draped in 14,000 orange vests, each carefully attached to one another and affixed to the supporting colonnade. the sheer abundance of jackets used by the artist highlights the countless lives changed by the crisis, with every single vest reflecting the individual life of a man, woman or child whose landing at lesvos is just the beginning. 

read more about this installation on designboom here.

YAYOI KUSAMA DOTS PHILIP JOHNSON’S GLASS HOUSE IN A RED POLKA PATTERN

photo by matthew placek

yayoi kusama continued her engagement with philip johnson’s legendary glass house by creating the experience of an ‘infinity room’ using the architecture itself. covered in red polka dots, the glass house became a one-of-a-kind ‘infinity room’, signature to kusama’s oeuvre. ‘my desire is to measure and to make order of the infinite, unbounded universe from my own position within it, with polka dots. – in exploring this, the single dot is my own life, and i am a single particle amongst billions,’ kusama says. directly engaging with the architecture of site, large circular graphics wrapped the house’s windows, walls and doors, complementing its structure and aesthetics. in a parallel scenario where philip johnson built the glass house as his own private universe, kusama too constructed an individual and personal world through the repeated representation of the polka dot.

read more about this exhibition on designboom here.

KATHARINA GROSSE COLORIZES ABANDONED AQUATICS BUILDING IN NY

photo by pablo enriquez

german artist katharina grosse realized a site-specific installation at new york’s fort tilden — a vast former army installation on the rockaway peninsula in queens. grosse turned its decaying aquatics building into a monumental artwork, reflecting the bold and vibrant colors of sunset in the rockaways by spraying brightly colored paint directly onto the structure. her approach — which has seen her color the landscape one of philadelphia’s major transportation routes — highlights the potential of painting as a medium, and accentuates the character of this manmade structure and its natural surroundings. the installation also seeks to memorialize the building, which was rendered structurally unsound by hurricane sandy in 2012 and is set to be demolished in late 2016.

read more about this exhibition on designboom here.

EDOARDO TRESOLDI RESURRECTS ARCHEOLOGICAL REMAINS IN PUGLIA 

image © blind eye factory

in the southern italian region of puglia, the historic park of siponto is known as a site of great archaeological significance. alongside several artifacts emblematic of apulian-romanesque architecture, the land hosts the ancient remains of an early christian basilica, illustrating the town’s role as one of the most important dioceses in the region. on the site of this early church, italian artist edoardo tresoldi constructed a monumental wire mesh installation that simulates the ancient town’s architectural quality. the sculpture, titled ‘basilica di siponto’, occupied the vast space as a light and transparent volume, resurrecting the archaeological remains as a sculptural form for visitors to experience and explore. layers of mesh metal intersected and overlapped to form cavernous archways, soaring columns and a romanesque roof.  

read more about this exhibition on designboom here.

BIANCOSHOCK HIDES MINIATURE UNDERGROUND ROOMS INSIDE MANHOLES IN MILAN

images courtesy of biancoshock

in the lodi district of milan, italian artist biancoshock turned abandoned manholes into subterranean dwellings. the three underground rooms created for the series ‘borderlife’ have been situated inside vacant maintenance vaults and hidden beneath heavy metal doors. the spaces included a tiny kitchen, with hanging utensils and a wall clock; a minuscule bathroom, with an attached shower and towel; and a small, wallpapered hallway featuring a painting and hat. the interventions intend to reflect upon the living conditions of people who are forced to inhabit severely confined spaces — particularly those who occupy manholes. 

read more about this exhibition on designboom here.

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The post TOP 10 art installations of 2016 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.