Oscar Niemeyer apartment building in Berlin captured by Pedro Vannucchi

These photographs by Brazilian architect Pedro Vannucchi capture an experimental apartment building Oscar Niemeyer completed in Berlin, Germany in the 1950s.

Oscar Niemeyer Haus was completed in 1957 for Interbau, a social housing initiative launched after the second world war.

Niemeyer was among 48 architects including Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier and Sep Ruf tasked to design projects for the scheme in Berlin's Hansaviertel district. He was the only non-European architect invited to design for the programme.

Vannucchi said Oscar Niemeyer Haus reminded him of residences in Brasília, which Niemeyer masterplanned in 1958 with modernist architect Lucio Costa. In particular, it is similar to the structures that made up the superquadras, or super blocks.

"It is more similar to some residential blocks in the superquadras in Brasília, possibly because both are located in planned green areas, and perhaps because he was working on them in the same period," Vannucchi said.

Oscar Niemeyer Haus is elevated on chunky V-shaped pillars to create a shaded walkway underneath the building.

"The open and fluid ground floor is a typical modernist solution, and the V-shaped pillars are part of this vocabulary," Vannucchi said. "All of this is very well done, with perfect proportions, including the elegant solution of the slightly elevated ground floor."

The apartments in the building are fronted with terraces and glass patio doors.

Each unit has a deck with mesh and metal railings, and retractable orange awnings. For Vannucchi, the umbrellas set up on the outdoor patios evoke Brazilian charm and flair.

"The awnings and the sun umbrellas might not be acceptable by the extreme purists, but they give this wonderful building a sense of life and a touch of Brazilian 'bossa'," the architect said.

Rectangular structures clad in red and blue tiles are tucked underneath the main building. Staircases are housed inside the large tiled blocks and provide access to all the floors.

On the back exterior, two volumes extend from a prism-like elevator tower to the two floors of the main building that have lift access.

Interbau was completed as part of the International Building Exhibition in Berlin. Vannucchi described his visit to the planned neighbourhood like touring an "open-air museum of modern architecture".

"As an architect and photographer, the experience of visiting Hansaviertel, a neighbourhood built in Berlin in the late fifties, is like being inside an open-air museum of modern architecture," Vannucchi said.

"Scattered buildings within a green area with public access, low population density and much tranquillity."

Oscar Niemeyer was a Pritzker-prize winning Brazilian architect who died in 2012.

Since his passing other photographers have shared images of his work, including New York photographer Andrew Prokos who photographed the architect's Brasília buildings. Brazilian photographer Pedro Kok has captured a number of his key projects in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte.

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Studio Love is Enough designs Japanese restaurant inside MINI creative hub A/D/O

Velvet green seating is coupled with wood latticework in this Japanese restaurant located inside Brooklyn creative hub A/D/O.

Rule of Thirds occupies the rear of the 23,000-square-foot (915-square-metre) MINI-backed space in Greenpoint, which was designed by local studio nArchitects in 2016.

Design team Studio Love is Enough developed the Japanese eatery for restaurateur Sunday Hospitality. It replaces Scandinavian restaurant Norman that had previously occupied the space.

Panels of douglas fir wood wrap the walls of Rule of Thirds and low banquettes constructed from the same wood lines the perimeter of the space. The booth-like seating is upholstered with velvet jade green backrests and brown leather pads.

Elsewhere in the restaurant, layered walnut tables and square tables provide additional accommodation for guests.

A number of elements of the design are intended to take cues from a number of Japanese aesthetics.

"​The Japanese influence is also subtly echoed in the restaurant's design, where an attention to detail creates an environment that applies custom decor elements, such as flexible wooden furniture, hand-thrown ceramic tableware, and a bespoke sake cabinet – all of which enhance the experience of the cuisine," said A/D/O.

Panels that resemble Shoji screens extend the length of the kitchen. Like the traditional dividers, the sheets are transparent and set against a lattice frame so guests are able to watch as their meals are prepared.

A rectangular bar fronted with mint green tiles and a walnut countertop also faces the open kitchen.

Studio Benson designed sculptural metal light fixtures that take cues from Japanese water rituals for booth lighting. A chunky rectangular wood frame inset with strips of light is raised over the bar area.

Other decorative elements in the space include leafy potted plants that are dispersed throughout the restaurant and metal sake cabinets for storing the rice wine beverage.

The team worked with several local artists and designers to bring an authentic Japanese culture to the restaurant, including plants from Tula House and ceramic bowls and sake carafes from Soto Ceramics.

These details are intended to contrast the industrial elements nArchitects left during the original renovation, like exposed plumbing pipes, ceiling rafters and concrete floors.

"Accessed through the courtyard in the rear of the A/D/O space, Rule of Thirds' interior creates a cohesive and calming contrast to the industrial feel of the nArchitects-designed building," added A/D/O.

The arrangement of A/D/O has also changed as part of the redesign. Patrons now enter the restaurant through a back door of the brickwork warehouse building.

Its white exterior is painted with various words and symbols, including the restaurant's logo of a chef preparing food, several large orange semi-circles and the names of traditional Japanese food styles served.

A/D/O is a creative hub, restaurant and tech startup incubator in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, it recently hosted an installation of several light fixtures designed by Fernando Mastrangelo's platform for emerging artists In Good Company.

Photography is by Gary Landsman.

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Lack of support for UK freelance designers "causing worry and division" amid Covid-19 pandemic

The UK's creative sector has welcomed the huge financial package announced by the government yesterday aimed at helping companies protect jobs during the coronavirus crisis, but warned that freelancers and self-employed workers need greater support.

The temporary measures, worth an estimated £78 billion, include grants that will cover up to 80 per cent of salaries for workers that are kept in their jobs rather than laid off. The payments will be worth a maximum of £2,500 per month for each worker.

Other measures include the deferment of next upcoming VAT payments and self-assessment tax bills.

"We are encouraged by the financial measures announced this evening and hope they will provide much-needed support for practices to retain staff and manage cash flow," said Alan Vallance, CEO of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

"The RIBA is engaging with the Government on a daily basis and this latest package of support reflects proposals we put to the chancellor earlier this week," he added. "We will continue to ensure the concerns of our members are heard, understood and acted upon.”

The creative industries have a high proportion of small businesses, self-employed workers and freelancers, and there are widespread fears over how businesses and individuals will survive the crisis as the global economy seizes up.

Government has "failed to stand by freelancers and self-employed workers"

The UK's Creative Industries Federation welcomed the government's measures, which were announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday, but said more needed to be done to support workers without salaried jobs.

"We welcome the news that [the] government is standing by British businesses in this historic announcement but they have failed to stand by freelancers and self-employed workers – causing worry and division at this difficult time," said Caroline Norbury, CEO of the federation.

"The Chancellor's announcement tonight that the government will pay wages up to 80% for businesses will be very much welcomed by the UK's creative businesses, many of whom have had to shut their doors overnight.

"However, this creates a worrying inequity between those who now have their income secured and the UK's 5 million self-employed workers and freelancers who are left despondent."

Half of all freelancers have seen all work cancelled

According to the federation, freelancers make up one-third of the creative workforce. A Twitter poll conducted by the federation found that half of all freelancers have seen all their work cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The £94.25 per week offered in Universal Credit does not come anywhere near to compensating them for their income loss, nor is it close to the amount they can reasonably be expected to live off," said Norbury.

"We stand by all of the creative industries and, at this challenging time, it's vital the government stands by our self-employed and freelancers and mirrors the strong measures put in place for the UK's employed workforce."

Details of the government's support package for businesses can be found here. Follow Dezeen's coverage of the coronavirus crisis here.

Main image is by James Jones.

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Japanese Chef Has Filled Notebooks with Delectable Illustrations of All of His Meals for 32 Years

All images ©  Kushino Terrace, shared with permission

Some meals leave an impression—you might remember the cherry pie your grandma always made or a multi-course dinner consisting of toast and caviar, a mound of shaved truffle topping pasta, and wagyu tartare. Rather than solely rely on his memory to envision the fare he’s enjoyed, though, Japanese chef Itsuo Kobayashi has been painting and describing in detail the dishes he’s eaten for the past 32 years in a series of notebooks and standalone works.

While an interesting look at Kobayashi’s nourishment, the detailed projects are also a growing collection of outsider art. N. Kushino, who runs Kushino Terrace gallery in Fukuyama, Japan, and represents Kobayashi, tells Colossal that the artist begins by writing detailed passages of what he eats before going back to create his appetizing illustrations.

What stands out is that all of these drawings feature an overhead perspective so that all of the ingredients of the food Kobayashi depicts can be seen. Furthermore, in the blank spaces in his compositions, the artist writes the names and prices of, and his opinions about the food and the ingredients he portrays. He adds positive descriptive words about his subjects, such as “delicious,” so that he may provoke good memories when he later looks at the drawings.

For many years, Kobayashi cooked at a soba restaurant and provided meals for schools until he was diagnosed with alcoholic neuritis, a debilitating condition that reduced his mobility. Now, the artist mostly works from home, ordering take-out often and continuing to detail his meals at length. Since he started the creative project at age 18, Kobayashi has produced more than 1,000 illustrations. “For him, painting and living have the same meaning. The disease (makes it) more and more difficult to walk, but he does not stop painting,” Kushino says. Most recently, Kobayashi has begun shaping pop-ups in his works featuring bowls of tempura seafood and piles of noodles.

Shared at the Outsider Art Fair in New York earlier this year, Kobayashi’s pieces sold for up to $3,000. To see a project in the same vein, check out James Deeds Jr.’s Ectlectric Pencil. (via ArtNet)

 

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Lorenzo Guzzini builds stone house with infinity pool overlooking Lake Como

Italian architect Lorenzo Guzzini has completed a villa overlooking Lake Como in Italy, with a facade of grey moraine stone and an infinity pool.

The house, called Villa Molli, is built into a gentle slope in the town of Sala Comacina.

Its two tower-like forms and stepped living spaces required minimal excavation.

Lorenzo Guzzini positioned these two taller volumes at either end of the home.

They house four bedrooms over two storeys, bookending a central living space topped by a terrace.

Thin stone slabs have been used to create ziggurat-like stepped rooflines for the tower elements.

In section, the central area of the home steps down across four levels, beginning with a solarium and kitchen in its uppermost area.

A dining area sits in the middle of the levels, next to a lower living area illuminated by a skylight.

"This choice has generated an ever-different perception of the lake," said Lorenzo Guzzini.

"from an aerial view from the kitchen step, in which the window shows only the water of the lake, to the discovery of the sky on the step of the living room."

Villa Morri ends in an external terrace and infinity pool.

"The pool in the villa is not a mere cliché, but it has an architectural and symbolic function, uniting visually to the wild 'aqua dulza' of the lake," said Guzzini.

The two taller volumes also play with different views.

One sits with its gable end facing outwards to the lake, while the other has been rotated to match the orientation of an adjacent stone building.

Here, smaller windows frame views out to the lake and across the upper terrace to the other tower, creating private spaces that contrast the exposed living areas.

"The idea to rotate the volumes 90 degrees to each other was given by a strong link with the place: on one side the tower recalls the traditional neighbouring house," said Guzzini.

"The other closes the system, facing towards the lake."

Inside, exposed concrete, dark wood and white-rendered walls create contrasts between light and dark.

Enclosed corridors lead to the dramatic reveals of views.

Previous projects by Lorenzo Guzzini Architecture include another home close to Lake Como that draws on the forms and landscaping of Japanese tea houses.

Photography is by Giorgio Marafioti.

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Project credits:

Architect: Lorenzo Guzzini
Engineer: Claudio Sosio De Rosa
Construction company: Curti

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