i29 completes colourful revamp of Felix Meritis building in Amsterdam

Design studio i29 referenced the rich past of Amsterdam's Felix Meritis building for the overhaul of its interiors, which now feature vivid splashes of colour.

Felix Meritis is situated along the Dutch capital's Keizersgracht canal and was built back in 1788.

Although the building is now a cultural events venue, it originally served as a base for the Felix Meritis society which celebrated the ideals of the Enlightenment – an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated Europe between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Over time, the building has gone on to serve as offices for one of Amsterdam's leading printing companies and the HQ for the Communist Party of the Netherlands. In the 1960s it also became the Shaffy theatre, a popular haunt for avant-garde music enthusiasts.

This rich history became a key point of inspiration for i29, which was tasked with completely overhauling Felix Meritis' interiors.

The studio was keen for each space to boast hints of the past but also have its own "colourful character", much like when the building had been divided into distinctive music, commerce, literature, physics and drawing departments for the society members.

It marks the second time that the studio has worked with Felix Meritis – back in 2014 it also created a pop-up design store for the venue, which featured mirrored walls and display plinths.

"The biggest challenge was to bring this old monumental building to the 'now', not only in terms of technology, installations and acoustic facilities but also in appearance and experience," said i29, which worked closely alongside local practice Math Architecten.

In the reception area, there is a green-hued fabric wall covering which depicts an antique etching that was found in the building's drawing-room. Emerald-coloured seating poufs have also been dotted throughout.

Textile surfaces appear again in the restaurant, where walls feature swathes of blue and pink to emulate a "typical Dutch sky".

A clashing mix of blue ombre walls, cherry-red chairs and burnished-steel fixtures feature in the building's domed foyer, which is meant to reflect the building's past as a hotspot for unusual, avant-garde music.

One of the building's lounges has been fitted with sunshine-yellow seating booths, while marine-blue carpet and armchairs appear in the drawing-room.

Here, white acoustic panels have also been suspended from the ceiling. Together they're meant to resemble loose scrolls of paper, a subtle wink at the building's time spent as a printing office.

Surfaces in the grandiose concert hall have been painted more subdued tones that match the room's original colour scheme.

Around the periphery there are a series of acoustic wall cabinets, which can be open and closed to absorb or deflect sound.

The space is filled with black chairs that i29 developed in collaboration with Dutch furniture brand Lensvelt.

The chair model, which has been named Felix, is stackable and has a lightweight frame so that it can easily be moved around for use in the building's other rooms.

The attic has been left largely untouched but fitted with "almost invisible" lighting and sound systems so that it is capable of hosting future events.

Time-worn columns and wall panelling are also still visible in one of the building's event rooms.

i29 is based in the Dutch municipality of Ouder-Amstel and is led by Jeroen Dellensen and Jaspar Jansen.

The studio was named interior designer of the year at the inaugural Dezeen Awards, which took place in November 2018. Its roster of projects – which includes the revamp of a ceramics museum and a wood-lined art studio – was praised by judges for showing "all-round design excellence".

Photography is by Ewout Huibers.

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Project credits:

Client: Amerborgh / Amerpodia
Object: Cultuurhuis Felix Meritis Amsterdam
Interior/design: i29
Structural architect: Math Architecten
Restoration architect: Verlaan & Bouwstra
Tender and concept: Marcia Sookha
Management: B3 Bouwadviseurs
Contractor: Jurriens
Interior builder: Stooff
Textile design: i29 and Buro Belen
Installations: Huisman and Van Muijen, Easy Controls and Mega Elektra
Construction: SIDStudio
Acoustic consultant: Peuts / Level acoustics
Lighting consultant: Koen Smits
Restauration advisors: De Fabryck, Judith Bohan
Furniture: Lensvelt

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Stykka designs cardboard desk to help people work from home during self-isolation

Anyone in need of a temporary desk during the coronavirus crisis can build one themselves, using this design by Danish startup Stykka.

Stykka has developed a simple flat-pack workstation that can be easily assembled out of three pieces of folded cardboard.

The designers call it the #StayTheFuckHome Desk, in reference to a social media hashtag that has been used to promote self-isolation.

You can order one online, to be delivered to your door. Or, if you have access to cardboard and a laser cutter, you can download the template and print it out yourself, as the design is open source.

"We want the design to benefit as many people as possible, which is why we have made the production files open-source and freely available for download under the creative commons license," explained studio founder Jarl Vidnæs.

"We want to encourage people to work from home instead going to the office and risking spreading the virus."

Vidnæs and his colleagues came up with the idea for the cardboard desk after Denmark announced a national lock-down, similar to those experienced in China, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Some of the team didn't have sufficient desk space to work from home. They imagined many others were suffering the same problem, so developed a solution they could share.

It took them less than 24 hours to turn the idea into a real product they could sell online.

“Since March 12th, when Denmark almost closed down, we have all been working from home," said Vidnæs.

"Some had to share a workstation with their partner, while others had to use the dining table. We figured that others might experience the same problem and we decided to turn this idea into reality."

Because the design is made from cardboard, it should be completely recyclable once the pandemic is over. Stykka is sourcing its cardboard from a Danish facility that uses over 80 per cent recycled fibres, to further reduce the carbon footprint.

The completed desk measures 1,200 centimetres wide, 620 centimetres deep and 820 centimetres high. It can be assembled in minutes and is held together using cable ties.

Vidnæs hopes that people will be inspired to hack the design and customise it to their own needs.

"So if you didn't manage to set-up your home office before IKEA closed down, there’s still hope," he told Dezeen.

Stykka is selling the cardboard desk for £75 plus shipping fees, for delivery to the UK, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Finland, Spain and the Netherlands.

Alternatively, the production files are available to download from the Stykka website.

Many designers are coming up with solutions to problems posed by the coronavirus emergency.

Architects Carlo Ratti and Italo Rota have design an intensive care unit pod that can be built in a shipping container for hospitals that need beds. Architectural designers Ivo Tedbury and Freddie Hong have created a 3D-printed handle that lets people open a door without touching it with their hands, reducing the risk of passing on the virus.

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Four exciting positions for interior designers includes vacancies at NC Design & Architecture and Tom Dixon

We've selected four of the top roles for interior designers on Dezeen Jobs this week, including opportunities at Hong Kong firm NC Design & Architecture and British studio Tom Dixon.

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Interior design intern at NC Design & Architecture

NC Design & Architecture has an opening for an interior design intern to join its growing team in Hong Kong, China. The studio completed an apartment in Hong Kong, designing its interiors in accordance with the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi.

Find out more about this role ›

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Mid-weight interior designer at Tom Dixon

British studio Tom Dixon has created a collection of tableware made from Indian green marble, including candle holders and serving platters. The company is seeking a mid-weight interior designer to become part of its team in London.

Find out more about this role ›

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Senior interior designer at Joyce Wang

Joyce Wang Studio has an opportunity for an experienced senior interior designer with proficiency in AutoCAD to join its office in Hong Kong. The practice designed Flint, a limited-edition collection of nine terrazzo objects featuring furniture and homeware pieces.

Find out more about this role ›

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Interior designer at MAD

MAD is looking for an interior designer with at least three years' experience to become part of its Beijing team in China. The international architecture studio worked with Biecher Architectes to design a 13-storey residential building in Paris, France.

Find out more about this role ›

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs ›

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Foster + Partners shelters Dolunay Villa in Turkey under giant undulating roof

A rippling timber roof cantilevers from the Dolunay Villa in Muğla, Turkey, designed by Foster + Partners to complement its rugged coastal setting.

Positioned on the coast of the Aegean Sea, it is the first private family house designed by Foster + Partners since completing Leedon Park House in Singapore in 2006.

Dolunay Villa's giant undulating timber roof is designed to appear like an extension of its rocky, beachside setting.

Its terraces are sheltered by the home's overhanging roof, which has a 7.5-metre-wide cantilever. It relies on solid structural oak beams that rest on steel columns and was designed in collaboration with Blumer Lehmann.

"We were fascinated by the local landscape and wanted it to flow through the interior spaces and effectively disguise the building," said Foster + Partners' head of studio David Summerfield.

"Even though it gets incredibly hot in the summer, we wanted the building to be able to breathe naturally," he added.

"The landscaped open courtyards within the house allow the prevailing sea breeze to gently move through the villa. These are simple ideas that have come together in an elegant way."

Huge areas of glazing on the south side of the home  open out to the sea and invite in the coastal breeze.

Dolunay Villa comprises two storeys divided into private and shared spaces, surrounded by landscaped gardens. These gardens feature fragrant plants such as thyme and lavender, chosen to create a "multi-sensory experience".

The home is accessed from a meandering approach on its north side, where it is disguised as a closed-off, low-rise dwelling.

Its full scale is revealed by following the gradient of the sloped site to the south side, where it switches into a two-storey structure, partially embedded it into the landscape.

The unexpected transition between the one and two-storey sides to the villa is reflected externally in the buildings material finishes.

Its windowless north side is lined with stone and timber slats, while the south sea-facing side is enveloped by large areas of glazing.

"There's a real split between the public forum and private," explained the architecture firm's partner Niall Dempsey.

"A sense of discovery and a richness of experience comes through in the way the spaces change as you walk through the site."

Inside, the main entrance guides visitors directly to the centre of the villa, which is flanked by the private quarters on its east side, and the public areas to the west.

Here there is a feature spiral staircase that is made from solid Portuguese limestone, and provides access to the lower ground floor.

Along Dolunay Villa's south-facing facade, the glazing slides open to provides access onto shaded terraces.

These terraces offer an connect the interior and exterior, and also help naturally ventilate the home.

This main outdoor terrace links to the shared living areas, and is connected to a linear swimming pool.

Throughout the home, the interiors are complete with a natural material palette dominated by stone, wood, leather and bronze.

Many of its finishing touches are bespoke, including hand-carved solid timber doors and ceramic tiles and basins in the bathrooms.

The home is complete with a "sunset pavilion" positioned closer to the coast.

This pavilion also features an earthy material palette of stone walls, wooden tables and a bamboo soffit.

Foster and Partners is an architecture studio with offices worldwide and headquarters in London. It was founded in 1967 by Norman Foster.

Other recent projects by the studio include a luxury residential tower in London, Philadelphia's tallest building and an Apple store in Miami with an undulating white concrete roof.

Photography is by Nigel Young/Foster + Partners.

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Grafton Architects unveils timber research centre for University of Arkansas

Dublin firm Grafton Architects has designed a timber research centre for the University of Arkansas' architecture school, which will mark its first project in the US when complete.

Grafton Architects, which is led by 2020 Pritzker Prize winners Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, and local firm Modus Studio have designed the building for the school's campus in Fayetteville.

The team was announced last week as the winners of a competition for the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation project, organised by the university's Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.

The design comprises a timber construction with a zig-zagging roofline that staggers down from approximately six stories at its highest height to one level in the rear.

A render shows the wood construction will be left exposed inside, with skylights bringing in daylight.

"The basic idea of this new Anthony Timberlands Center is that the building itself is a story book of timber," said Farrell. "We want people to experience the versatility of timber, both as the structural 'bones' and the enclosing 'skin' of this new building."

The university building will be used for timber and wood design initiatives within the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. It will serve as the home for a new graduate programme in timber and wood design, and house the school's design-build programme and fabrication technologies laboratories.

"The building itself is a teaching tool, displaying the strength, colour, grain, texture and beauty of the various timbers used," Farrel added.

Grafton Architects and Modus Studio's design was approved by the university's board of trustees after a committee and an external evaluation team selected the team ahead of six finalists.

The shortlist was chosen from 69 firms that entered the competition and included Copenhagen firm Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter and Tokyo firm Shigeru Ban Architects were among the shortlist.

"The selection of Grafton Architects, in partnership with Modus Studio, for the Anthony Timberlands Center project immediately magnifies the already immense significance of the Fay Jones School's current and future initiatives in the further development of timber and wood innovation for the state of Arkansas," said Peter MacKeith, dean of the architecture school.

"This building helps us think about the future optimistically, where the use of timber with all its possibilities, becomes real, useful and hopefully loved," Farrell and McNamara added.

Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation will be built along Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard in the south of Fayetteville. Once completed, it will be Grafton Architect's first building in the US.

Farrell and McNamara were announced as the 2020 laureates of the Pritzker Prize earlier this month. They are the fourth and fifth women to be named winners of the prestigious architecture award, following Zaha Hadid who was the winner in 2004; Kazuyo Sejima who won alongside Ryue Nishizawa in 2010, and Carme Pigem who won with Rafael Aranda and Ramón Vilalta in 2017.

MacKeith said the choice of the firm for the university building provides an important example of gender equality for students.

"As an accomplished, recognised women-led practice, Grafton Architects confirms for all our students that the design professions are equally theirs in which to find their identities and to realise their potentials," he said.

Other projects by Grafton Architects are a medical school at the University of Limerick and a facility for the Universita Luigi Bocconi, both of which are two of the key projects the studio highlighted in a Dezeen interview.

Images are by Grafton Architects.

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