Abin Design Studio creates latticed concrete and glass temple in India

Narayantala Thakurdalan by Indian practice Abin Design Studio is a concrete Hindu temple with a glazed corner that opens onto the street in Bansberia.

Precast concrete jalis, or lattices, are stacked to create a screen wall around part of the shrine.

Glass doors open at the sides

The column-free space allows for unobstructed access for worship, and during festivals, via a wide door on one side.

If all the glass doors are opened, the whole external corner can be opened up to turn the interior and the plinth into a larger gathering place.

Concrete screens are made of pre-cast blocks

Abin Design Studio was working on a residential project called Wall House next door on this busy intersection when it was asked to redesign the existing thakur dalan.

This covered courtyard is next to the house but open to the public and hosts local religious ceremonies.

A side door allows for everyday access

The architecture studio studied how people were using the space before presenting their proposal.

"Some people would offer their prayers twice a day while many visited only occasionally, how a few devotees spent considerable amounts of time offering obeisance while others simply bowed their heads from their cycles as they rode past," said Abin Design Studio.

"This place of worship played a different role in each person's daily life and this provided cues for the design of the space," added the studio.

A shrine sits inside the temple

The porous facade allows people to have a visual connection with the shrine even in passing while maintaining a dedicated space for daily worship at a slight remove from the bustling intersection.

On high days and holidays with the open doorway, the temple can accommodate a crowd.

"Although the existing structure held immense sentimental value to the people of Bansberia, they were quick to take on our suggestion to rebuild completely when they saw how the new proposal respected the same idea and sentiment of the place," it said.

The temple is used by the community throughout the year

Local craftspeople cast the concrete bocks according to specification.

Narayantala Thakurdalan took six months to construct, opening in time to host the annual Durga Puja, a 10-day-long festival honouring the goddess of protection.

The temple took just six months to build

While well-received by Bansberia, some local people took a while to acclimatise to the new temple.

"While the final outcome was well appreciated by the community, it must be noted that some feedback was received where it was felt that the previous structure, having had a long-term association with the members, seemed more 'at home' than the new one," said the studio.

Abin Design Studio was already working on a residential project next door

Abin Design Studio was founded by Abin Chaudhuri in 2005. The studio's recent project Wall House was longlisted for Dezeen Awards 2019.

More design for temples includes a stepped Hindu temple made from black limestone in Andhra Pradesh and a top-heavy concrete Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

Photography and video are by Edmund Sumner, music is by Craig Pruess.

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Project credits:

Architect: Abin Design Studio
Principal designer: Abin Chaudhuri
Team: Qurratul Ain Maryam, Debkishor Das

The post Abin Design Studio creates latticed concrete and glass temple in India appeared first on Dezeen.

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Abin Design Studio creates latticed concrete and glass temple in India

Narayantala Thakurdalan by Indian practice Abin Design Studio is a concrete Hindu temple with a glazed corner that opens onto the street in Bansberia.

Precast concrete jalis, or lattices, are stacked to create a screen wall around part of the shrine.

Glass doors open at the sides

The column-free space allows for unobstructed access for worship, and during festivals, via a wide door on one side.

If all the glass doors are opened, the whole external corner can be opened up to turn the interior and the plinth into a larger gathering place.

Concrete screens are made of pre-cast blocks

Abin Design Studio was working on a residential project called Wall House next door on this busy intersection when it was asked to redesign the existing thakur dalan.

This covered courtyard is next to the house but open to the public and hosts local religious ceremonies.

A side door allows for everyday access

The architecture studio studied how people were using the space before presenting their proposal.

"Some people would offer their prayers twice a day while many visited only occasionally, how a few devotees spent considerable amounts of time offering obeisance while others simply bowed their heads from their cycles as they rode past," said Abin Design Studio.

"This place of worship played a different role in each person's daily life and this provided cues for the design of the space," added the studio.

A shrine sits inside the temple

The porous facade allows people to have a visual connection with the shrine even in passing while maintaining a dedicated space for daily worship at a slight remove from the bustling intersection.

On high days and holidays with the open doorway, the temple can accommodate a crowd.

"Although the existing structure held immense sentimental value to the people of Bansberia, they were quick to take on our suggestion to rebuild completely when they saw how the new proposal respected the same idea and sentiment of the place," it said.

The temple is used by the community throughout the year

Local craftspeople cast the concrete bocks according to specification.

Narayantala Thakurdalan took six months to construct, opening in time to host the annual Durga Puja, a 10-day-long festival honouring the goddess of protection.

The temple took just six months to build

While well-received by Bansberia, some local people took a while to acclimatise to the new temple.

"While the final outcome was well appreciated by the community, it must be noted that some feedback was received where it was felt that the previous structure, having had a long-term association with the members, seemed more 'at home' than the new one," said the studio.

Abin Design Studio was already working on a residential project next door

Abin Design Studio was founded by Abin Chaudhuri in 2005. The studio's recent project Wall House was longlisted for Dezeen Awards 2019.

More design for temples includes a stepped Hindu temple made from black limestone in Andhra Pradesh and a top-heavy concrete Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

Photography and video are by Edmund Sumner, music is by Craig Pruess.

---

Project credits:

Architect: Abin Design Studio
Principal designer: Abin Chaudhuri
Team: Qurratul Ain Maryam, Debkishor Das

The post Abin Design Studio creates latticed concrete and glass temple in India appeared first on Dezeen.

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Textured black brick props up "beak-like" windows in Dutchess County Studio

US studio GRT Architects has completed this black house with huge triangular windows in New York's Dutchess County with the layout of an open-plan studio.

The project in Dutchess County, which is just under two hours drive from New York City, was created for a couple thinking about permanently moving out of Manhattan.

Black brickwork walls prop up the triangular windows

While the move was not confirmed they tasked Brooklyn-based GRT Architects to create a bolthole on a 24-acre (9.7-hectare) plot to accommodate their children and grandchildren.

Dutchess County Studio is composed of three rectangular volumes arranged in a pinwheel to overlap one another. Textured black brickwork walls are slanted at the top to meet with triangular clerestory windows.

Cedar with copper trim covers the roof

"Each mass has an identical roof atop a beak-like clerestory window but asymmetry was introduced in response to the site," GRT Architects said.

The roof of the house is clad in natural cedar with copper trim, chosen to complement the brickwork.

Ceiling beams show the intersection of three volumes

"Outside, the studio is clad in textured black brick, a material that plays optical tricks depending on lighting, sometimes flattening the complex mass into a single plane," the studio explained. "The roof is clad in natural cedar shakes with copper trim intended to add a warmer aspect to the design."

Inside, three exposed black ceiling beams mark the meeting of the three volumes above the kitchen area – this forms the central space in the project, which is designed to have an open-plan layout like a studio apartment.

Pale wood topped with terrazzo forms kitchen cabinets

"The masses meet at a centre point, marked by the pinwheel intersection of three steel beams but the interior is conceived as three subtly implied rooms, each oriented each to a different view," it added.

Steps lead down to the third volume, which is intended to be occupied by a bedroom, and is located on a lower level due to the slope of the sight. This block has a huge window with views outside. The other two wings are occupied by the lounge – with a murphy bed for guests – and a small bathroom.

The house is warmed by a "clean-burning" stove

Because the residence has an open floor plan, the studio has used pale wood cabinets to divide the kitchen area from the sunken bedroom, and offer privacy. A simple material palette of white-painted walls, built-in pale wood furniture topped with custom terazzo made by Kaza Concrete, and concrete flooring runs throughout.

A large window offers views of the surroundings

According to the studio, the concrete slab is radiant and forms part of an environmentally friendly approach to heating and cooling the house without fossil fuels. Other facilities include the "clean burning" Flores 8 stove by Buntfires, which has reduced toxic emissions.

The lounge cabinets include a murphy bed for guests

The bathroom is the only space separated by walls. Pink-tinted Moroccan Tadelakt plaster covers the walls inside and is complemented by a reddish sink, golden details and warm woods.

Stone steps lead down from the house at the top of the slope to a swimming pool, which GRT Architects created as part of a masterplan for the site. The studio is also planning to complete a dock and workshop.

Pink plaster covers the walls in the bathroom

GRT Architects was founded by Tal Schori and Rustam-Marc Mehta in Brooklyn, New York in 2014. The studio's other projects in New York State include Manhattan's Bourke Street Bakery, the renovation of an Upstate mid-century house and an office with millennial-pink kitchen and dark "nap room".

Photography is by Ithai Schori.

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Project credits:

Architectural design: Rus Mehta, Tal Schori, Nathan Geller, Andrew Barkhouse
Structural Engineer: Ed Stanley Engineering
Millworker: Simon Hamui

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The Spanish Chair by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia

Dezeen Showroom: broad armrests designed to hold cups of coffee distinguish the mid-century Spanish Chair that Danish furniture designer Børge Mogensen created for Fredericia.

The Spanish Chair, which has been in production since 1958, was developed by Mogensen with Fredericia to offer users a timeless design in which form follows function.

As its name suggests, it takes its cues from an old Spanish chair he saw while on a trip to Andalucia that had a distinctive wide seat and armrests.

The Spanish Chair's wide armrests are designed to hold cups

Mogensen's design marries warm, vegetable-tanned leathers with bold white stitching and a geometric frame made from solid European oak.

Circular cutouts in the leather backrest frame the chair's distinctive armrests, which are unusually wide to allow users to rest their cups and glasses – negating the need for side tables.

The leather seats can be tightened oven time with buckles

"With The Spanish Chair, several details contribute to its striking aesthetic," Danish brand Fredericia said.

"The wide armrests are a signature detail, allowing you to casually place a cup of coffee and more. The sturdy wooden construction involves expertly treated solid oak crafted with geometrical precision."

Cut-outs in the leather frame the oversized armrests

The leather is available in three shades, while the frame can be finished in four colours ranging from black lacquered oak to a Scandinavian soap-treated whitewash oak.

To ensure the chair's longevity, the seat and backrest can be tightened over time using adjustable straps and brass buckles hidden at the back and below the chair.

Product: Spanish Chair
Designer: Børge Mogensen
Brand: Fredericia
Contact: press@fredericia.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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Paritzki & Liani Architects mixes architecture and geology in Grifo210 boutique

Paritzki & Liani Architects has created a minimal interior for a boutique on the Italian island of Ischia, filled with references to local architecture and volcanic geology.

Located off the coast of Naples, Ischia sits over an ancient volcanic crater, which gives it an abundant landscape of verdant greenery, thermal spas and natural springs.

The shop references the island of Ischia in terms of both architecture and geology

It also boasts many notable buildings, including an 18th century palace, circular and quadrangular watch towers, and numerous historic stone houses.

Tel Aviv-based Paritzki & Liani Architects referenced both the island's landscape and architecture in the redesign of Grifo210, a fashion boutique on its most prominent shopping street, Corso Vittoria Colonna.

Curved architectural forms are mimicked by arched openings and white curtains

The design uses local lava stone, tropical plants and a geology-inspired colour palette. It is also filled with arches, an architectural motif that can be spotted all over the island.

"The groundwork of the imagery in the project for Grifo210 comes from the ramified and rich local Ischia architectural literature and the theme of the Mediterranean essence," said studio cofounder Paola Liani.

The floor is a terrazzo made from local lava stone

"Ischia, despite the frequent aggregations of buildings, maintains a unique landscape unity in the Mediterranean Sea, among the lush green, the tuff mountain and the crystal-clear sea," she explained.

"These concepts were absorbed, lived in and interpreted over time on the island."

Vaulted ceilings and arched doorways divide the space

Grifo210's interior is divided up into three bays, framed by the arched doorway and ceilings. This creates the feeling of a vaulted chamber in what was previously a very simple space.

To add more curves to the space, semi-transparent curtains are installed around the perimeter. With their folded forms, these curtains give a suggestion of tactility.

Exotic plants line the windows

"The curtains create cozy exedras in the first two rooms; a recall of those intermediate and welcoming spaces, located between the outer gardens and the covered entrance halls, which can be found in the palaces of Ischia Ponte of the 18th century," said Liani.

The flooring is a monochrome terrazzo, created by hand-placing fragments of locally sourced lava stone, while the display hangers and checkout counter are a bronze-toned metal.

Coloured display stands are created from pigmented concrete

There are only a few splashes of colour. Exotic plants line the windows, referencing the 1950s La Mortella gardens, while pigmented concrete display stands come in shades of cobalt blue, lemon yellow and turquoise.

"Here too, we recalled the chromatic palette of this volcanic land, made by warm and matt colours," said Liani.

The exterior is as minimal as the interior

Paola Liani and partner Itai Paritzki founded their studio in 2001. Other projects they've completed include a house with a bare cliff face visible inside and an office with a billowing "sky-ceiling".

Photography is by Simone Bossi.

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Post Collection by Cecilie Manz for Fredericia

Dezeen Showroom: industrial designer Cecilie Manz has created a range of wooden chairs and tables for Danish brand Fredericia's Post Collection.

The Post Collection comprises the Post Chair and Post Table, which are both available in two versions and made with solid-wood frames to reflect Fredericia's "heritage of wood craftsmanship".

Its name is a nod to the brand's flagship showroom in Copenhagen, which was once home to the Royal Mail House.

The Post Chair and Post Table by Cecilie Manz for Fredericia's Post Collection

According to Fredericia, Danish designer Manz's goal for the Post Collection was for it to be as simple as possible. As such, each form "emerges from the function".

"The Post Collection is an example of eliminating anything extra in order to solely focus on the essential," Fredericia explained.

"For designer Cecilie Manz, creating is about examining the purpose of a piece of furniture. Stripping the concept down to only what's necessary, the form emerges from the function in an expression that's pure and purposeful."

A Post Chair with a plywood seat

The Post Chair is distinguished by its upright stance and cylindrical legs, intended to suit a range of spaces such as restaurants, hotels, homes or offices. It is available with a wide seat made from plywood or upholstered with leather or coloured fabric.

Post Table is made with similar cylindrical legs as the chairs, with a tabletop available in two lengths. Like the chairs, its minimalist design makes it suited for use in residential, office and hospitality settings.

Product: Post Chair and Post Table
Designer: Cecilie Manz
Brand: Fredericia
Contact: press@fredericia.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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