Angular "boulders" form Amanali house in Mexico by Rojkind Arquitectos

Mexico City's Rojkind Arquitectos has designed a weekend home near a lakeside town in Mexico to comprise five prismatic volumes covered in dark stone.

The property called Amanali is located in a residential development near the town of Tepeji del Rio, which translates as boulders on the river. With mild weather and access to water sports, it is a popular weekend retreat for those living in Mexico City and the state Querétaro.

Rojkind Arquitectos designed the recently photographed house, which was completed in 2013, to draw on the site's climate. The functions are separated into five blocks, described by the firm as "boulders" that are connected by walkways, steps and bridges outside.

"The house was conceived as weekend retreat for outdoor living with no clear boundaries between inside and outside," said the firm, which was founded by architect Michel Rojkind.

"Rather than stepping out of the home to the garden, the garden becomes part of the house and vice versa."

The ground-level pathways step down the site to connect the higher level street down towards to a swimming pool. "The house is gradually discovered as one descends from street level through the intimate alley that gives the complex a medieval hill-town feel," the firm added.

Dark porous stone sourced locally covers the bodies of the five volumes, which have dramatic shapes composed of irregular floor plans and sloped tops. Each has a concrete band that wraps around the top to outlines different rooftop areas, like terraces and gardens.

The stone and concrete boost the thermal mass of the house so it traps heat in the day and releases it at night when it is cooler. Each volume is also punctured with windows and other openings to aid ventilation as part of the strategy to naturally heat and cool the house.

Rojkind Arquitectos chose a mix of materials for the interiors that help to create continuity between the indoor and outdoor areas. Inside, exposed concrete walls and ceilings are paired with floors covered in a mix of dark wood and pale gravel stones.

The living area, a kitchen and dining area, master bedroom suite and another bedroom are split across the five volumes.

A standout is the two-storey living area, which has a lounge on the lower floor and a video room above. A zig-zagging black staircase leads to the upper floor where a net is used to form a suspended play area.

Founded in Mexico City in 2002, Rojkind Arquitectos has completed a number of large-scale projects across Mexico including Boca del Rio Philharmonic Orchestra, Nestlé Chocolate Museum and the renovation of Mexico's National Film Archive and Film Institute.

Photography is by Jaime Navarro.

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Project credits:

Rojkind Arquitectos: Michel Rojkind, Gerardo Salinas
Team: Alfredo Hernández, Gad Peralta, Herminio González, Victoria Grossi, Bárbara Trujillo, Adrián Aguilar, Scarlet Baron de Grote, Adrián Krezlik, Beatriz Zavala, Daniel Gaytán, Andrea León, Rosalba Rojas, Lorena García Cordero Sasía.
Structural engineer: Juan Felipe, Heredia Mellado
MEP: GESA Arquitectura
Landscape Consultant: Entorno Taller de Paisaje
Lighting Consultant: Ditto Iluminación

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Cut Your Own Vinyl with this DIY Record Engraver and Player Designed by Yuri Suzuki

All images © Yuri Suzuki

Making mixtapes and burning CDs might be a forgotten pastime, but the days of simple, homemade vinyl are just arriving thanks to Yuri Suzuki. The London-based designer, who is also a partner at Pentagram, has created the Easy Record Maker, a small device that makes audio recording straightforward and accessible to the general public.

By plugging in an auxiliary cable or USB and playing audio through a phone or other digital device, the cutting arm receives the sound vibrations and engraves the blank plastic three to four times within a single millimeter. Each side of the 5-inch record takes about four minutes to complete. When ready to play, the machine’s cutting piece should be swapped for the tone arm, which is large enough to accommodate traditional 7-inch EPs.

In an interview with It’s Nice That, Suzuki said that creating a DIY-record engraver has been one of his goals since his teenage days as part of a ska-punk band when he didn’t have the financial resources to use professional recording equipment. While that difficulty persists today, the designer said he also hoped this audio project would encourage users to focus and have fun. “Sound has a strong impact on our emotions and the way we behave, and I always try to create an experience with sound that as many people as possible can relate to,” he said.

The Easy Record Maker is currently available from Gakken in Japan and will be released to U.S. and U.K. audiences in the coming months. For a live demo, head to Suzuki’s Instagram this Friday to check out what he shares on IGTV.

 

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Los Angeles church transformed into The Ruby Street co-working and event space

Stained glass windows feature alongside contemporary furniture in this multipurpose space in Los Angeles designed by Francesca de la Fuente and Working Holiday Studio.

The Ruby Street venue occupies an Arts and Crafts-style building that was constructed in the late 19th century in LA's Highland Park neighbourhood. The building has a storied past, having served as a civil rights meeting place and the home of a progressive church.

The property was purchased by creative couple Lourdes Hernandez and Zach Leigh, who set out to transform the former church into a venue for co-working and events such as dinner parties, performances, photoshoots and weddings.

"Both musicians, Zack and Lourdes dreamt of owning a space where their fellow local creatives could come together to celebrate love, art and LA," the team said.

The couple turned to interior designer Francesca de la Fuente and Working Holiday Studio – both based in LA – to freshen up the space. They also collaborated with graphic designer Daniel Barreto.

Roughly rectangular in plan, the building is one storey plus a basement and totals 4,000 square feet (372 square metres). The interior consists of two large, open rooms – referred to as the Reception Hall and Worship Hall – and two small spaces dubbed The Gallery and The Suite.

The venue also offers 4,000 square feet of outdoor space.

While updating the building for contemporary needs, the team sought to preserve original features such as exterior details and stained glass windows.

"The building's original windows and craftsman facade have been carefully preserved, along with the church's open-plan layout," the team said.

New oak flooring and skylights were added, and the interior colour palette was updated. To furnish the space, the team partnered with a range of brands, including BluDot, Another Human, Menu and Bend Goods. Most of the pieces are available for sale through the Ruby Street website.

"The team has partnered with brands and creators from Los Angeles and Europe whose work combines function with sculptural and artistic design," the team said.

The Reception Hall is fitted with long, custom wooden tables and sage- and rose-coloured chairs from Article. Suspended overhead are pendants by Ferm Living.

Just off the hall is a vestibule with a vintage, refinished sideboard and a large mirror surrounded by lush vegetation. The vertical planting system is from the Missouri company WallyGro.

In the Worship Hall, the team created several seating areas. One holds a curved, vintage sofa with orange upholstery and leather armchairs from Croft House. Hanging on the walls are light fixtures, mirrors and macrame.

Another seating area is adorned with a velvet green sofa from Urban Outfitters, pink chairs from Hightower, and a wood-and-tile coffee table by designer Nima Abili. Affixed to the wall is a lighting fixture from CB2, and stretching underfoot is a grey-and-cream rug with a geometric pattern.

One of the smaller rooms has a tan couch, pouffes and a BluDot light fixture made of rattan and steel wire. On the wall is an abstract mural by the local artist Dakota Solt of Form + Color.

The team also redesigned the outdoor spaces by integrating seating into a wide staircase that steps down to a lawn, where the owners plan to host film screenings and communal meals.

Los Angeles has seen the conversion of historic buildings into contemporary work and event spaces. In the downtown district, an early 1900s warehouse was converted into an outpost for Soho House, and a floor within the 1890s Bradbury Building is the latest location for NeueHouse.

In the city's Playa Vista district, ZGF Architects has transformed an aeroplane hangar into a Google office that features open workspaces, elevated walkways and exposed timber beams.

Photography is by Cándida Wohlgemuth.

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Project credits:

Design team: Lourdes Hernandez, Zach Leigh, Francesca de la Fuente and Working Holiday Studio
Select partner brands: Another Human, Argot Studio, Bend Goods, BluDot, Croft House, Entler, Hightower, Menu, Most Modest, Nima Abili, Owl
Visual identity: Daniel Barreto

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A Thick Braid Cascades Down a Marina Abramović-Inspired Porcelain Collection

All images © Aylin Bilgiç

Despite lacking any distinct facial features, porcelain figures by Istanbul-based ceramicist Aylin Bilgiç have one unmistakable, defining characteristic: The lengthy braid resting on their oversized bodies evokes performance artist Marina Abramović, who is known for donning similarly styled locks. In another of Bilgiç’s pieces, two heads are back-to-back with their hair wound together, resembling Abramović’s 1978 collaboration with Uwe Laysiepen.

The monochromatic collection was designed specifically for Akış / Flux, an exhibition surveying Abramović’s work and offering 15 live performances. It is now on hold because of the global coronavirus pandemic. If you’d like to purchase one of the figurative pieces or a square pin, they’ll only be available in Sakıp Sabancı Museum’s shop, although they aren’t online just yet. See more of Bilgiç’s work on Behance and Instagram.

 

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Daydreamers Design creates flame-coloured pavilion from recycled plastic bricks

Dezeen promotion: Hong Kong studio Daydreamers Design has reinterpreted a traditional Chinese burning tower as a spiralling pavilion made from recycled plastic around a geometric flame sculpture.

The six-metre-high Wishing Pavilion was created by Daydreamers Design for Hong Kong's annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, which took place in Victoria Park.

Constructed from red, coral and yellow bricks to create a flame effect, the pavilion pays homage to traditional, brick burning towers.

"Wishing Pavilion is inspired by the unique custom of the burning tower in southern China," said Daydreamers Design. "It is the reinterpretation of a burning tower transformed into a contemporary pavilion."

The studio used 5,000 coloured bricks wrapped around a metal frame to create the double helix structure of the pavilion.

Each of the bricks contains an LED lights so that the flame-like effect can be enhanced at night.

"With the flame-like colour tone, the pavilion is a celebration," explained the studio.

"At night, an LED light programmed with lighting effect is then installed into each plastic brick to complement the festive atmosphere of the occasion," it continued. "With the lighting, the pavilion presented a flame-like ambience."

Each of the blocks was made from a recycled-plastic material called High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

Coloured powder was added to the plastic pellets to give the material its vibrant hues. Yellow, coral, red and orange blocks are arranged in a staggering order and create a colour gradient across the spiralling structure.

According to the studio, the Wishing Pavilion marked Hong Kong's first large-scale architecture project to use recycled plastic bricks. "It is the first time to use upcycling plastic bricks for a large-scale architecture in Hong Kong," it said.

The brick walls enclosed a red geometric, flame-like sculpture covered with miniature yellow lanterns – a nod to the traditional Chinese practice of paper crafting.

Visitors were also invited to view the mid-autumn full moon from inside through a circular skylight topping the pavilion.

Mid-Autumn Festival takes place every year during the eighth month of the lunar calendar.

Wishing Pavilion was commissioned by Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for last year's event held in Hong Kong's Victoria Park from 13-27 September 2019.

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