Ingenhoven Architects wraps Düsseldorf office with five miles of hedges to create Europe's largest green facade

Ingenhoven Architects has covered the Kö-Bogen II office block in Düsseldorf, Germany, with 30,000 plants to form hedges that would stretch five miles laid end to end.

Located on the Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz in the Hofgarten district of the city, the office five-storey office occupies a prominent position alongside the 1950s Dreischeibenhaus tower and opposite the 1960s Schauspielhau theatre.

"Kö-Bogen II was developed in response to the existing urban situation," said Christoph Ingenhoven, founder of Ingenhoven Architects.

"The sloping facades form a dynamic entrance to Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz and open up an unobstructed view to the icons of post-war modernism – the Dreischeibenhaus and the Schauspielhaus – and behind them the public Hofgarten with its magnolia trees," he told Dezeen.

"The composition of the green facade is inspired by Land art and enables Kö-Bogen II to oscillate in a deliberate indeterminacy between city and park – to enter into a dialogue with the Hofgarten."

The two facades of the trapeze-shaped building that face towards the square and garden are entirely covered in hornbeam hedges that, according to the studio's research, provide an ecological benefit equivalent to 80 fully grown deciduous trees.

Ingenhoven Architects believes that the five miles, or eight kilometres, of hedges make this Europe's largest green facade.

The studio determined that hornbeam hedges were the most appropriate way of integrating a large amount of greenery in the office development as the plant's grow locally and are comparatively easy to maintain.

"Integrating greenery beyond conventional 'balcony plants' into an architectural design requires a comprehensive phytotechnological concept, which is based on a precise site analysis," explained Ingenhoven.

"Hornbeam hedges are common in Düsseldorf," he continued. "The plants we selected keep their leaves in winter. They thrive with a north and west orientation, withstand strong wind speeds, are unlikely to be infected by vermin and only require two to three trims per year. And in winter months, no heating is required."

Although growing the required amount of hedges was a challenge Ingenhoven Architects found that convincing the locals that the building would look as it envisioned was just as difficult.

"Raising them, selecting them, caring, watering, trimming, guaranteeing their performance for 99 years and overcoming the public debate, that it would never look like in our drawings [were the major challenges]," said Ingenhoven. "Happily, it was possible to prove our thoughts and illustrations to be right."

Alongside the 41,370 square-metre office block, a smaller triangular building topped with a publicly accessible lawn contains restaurants and shops.

These two buildings and the studio's refurbishment of the Schauspielhaus, which is also due to complete this year, fulfil Ingenhoven's long-term plans to redesign this area of Düsseldorf.

"In Düsseldorf's new city centre, three different architectural positions converge to shape the urban fabric: the clear austerity of the Dreischeibenhaus, the buoyant lightness of the Schauspielhaus, and the entirely green, dynamic facades of Kö-Bogen II," said Ingenhoven.

"Each representative of its time, none in competition with the others. The completion of Kö-Bogen II and Schauspielhaus marks the final stage of this twenty-seven-year-project of reshaping the heart of the city and represents a milestone in the studio's work for greener cities."

Düsseldorf-based Ingenhoven Architects was founded by Ingenhoven in 1985, and aims to develop sustainable architecture. Ingenhoven hopes that this project will serve as an example to others.

"We need courage and dedication to transform our cities into a more climate-friendly future," he said.

"We hope to be able to contribute further to the most important and urgent topics of life on the planet – our projects for Düsseldorf are a further step on our way to building sustainable public places and reacting in an extracurricular way to our clients' brief."

Other major plant-covered buildings under development include Heatherwick Studio's 1,000 Trees housing in Shanghai and Morphosis 15-storey Viper Room tower in Los Angeles.

Photography courtesy of Ingenhoven Architects / HGEsch.

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Project credits:

Client: Düsseldorf Schadowstraße 50/52, CENTRUM Projektentwicklung and B&L Group
Architect: Ingenhoven Architects
Team: Christoph Ingenhoven, Peter Jan van Ouwerkerk, Cem Uzman, Mehmet Congara, Ben Dieckmann, Patrick Esser, Vanessa Garcia Carnicero, Yulia Grantovskikh, Tomoko Goi, Olga Hartmann, Jakob Hense, Melike Islek, Fabrice-Noel Köhler, Christian Monning, Daniel Pehl, Andres Pena Gomez, Peter Pistorius, Lukas Reichel, Jürgen Schreyer, Susana Somoza Parada, Jonas Unger, Nicolas Witsch
Structural planning: Schüßler-Plan Ingenieurgesellschaft
Facade planning – green facades and green roofs: Ingenhoven Architects
Phytotechnology – building greenery: Karl-Heinz Strauch, Beuth University of Applied Sciences, Berlin

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Architect Bruno Stevens designs slate-covered studio for his ceramist mother

Architect Bruno Stevens has added a sunken slate-clad ceramics studio to a house on a sloping site in Belgium.

Stevens and Belgium studio LAVA Architecten, where he was working at the time of the project, designed the unit in Sterrebeek for his mother, a ceramicist and jewellery designer. She needed the extra space to work on her craft and to host workshops.

The two-storey structure attaches to one side of the existing brick residence and sinks into the curve of the inclining site. The ground floor serves as a workshop room for hosting classes, while the upper level is a private studio and reception area.

"The pavilion slides into the natural slope," Stevens told Dezeen. "The deepened courtyard literally anchors the whole in the ground. As a result, the landscape develops a walk along the facades."

A black steel walkway and staircase is cut across the front of the concrete volume, which LAVA has covered with grey slate. The slant of its timber roof is visible from either side of the addition.

Green anodised aluminium frames outline the row of small windows built alongside the angle of the steel ramp. Larger windows also framed with the aluminium cladding detail the top floor of the building.

In the workshop space, concrete covers the floors and wood slabs run across the ceiling, peppered with rectangular, black lights.

Wood furniture pieces in the space, including the two desks on wheels and the shelving unit, were custom-built for the project. Leather pulls decorate the shelves that double as drying racks for the ceramic objects.

Other features of the space include a white tiled sink and wood vanity for cleaning brushes and tools and the spiralling black steel staircase that leads to the upper level.

On the top floor hardwood covers the ground and contrasts the white walls and pale wood used to form the ceiling truss structure and cabinetry. The light-coloured plywood also forms a long table and several square wood stools with geometric legs.

A series of sliding doors in the light-filled space open it up to the backyard and garden.

LAVA Architecten is a studio in Leuven, Belgium led by partners Pieter Meuwissen, Thomas Delauré and Tomas Liekens.

Other artist studio spaces in Belgium include a space designed for painter and sculptor Stief Desmet with white brick walls and two mirror and timber-clad shipping containers by TOOP Architectuur.

Photography is by Tim Van de Velde.

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Six bakeries and sweets shops with delectable interiors

We've rounded up six bakeries and shops for sweet treats that have been designed with cream interiors just as delicious as the goods for sale.

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BreadBlok by Commune, Santa Monica, California

Commune created BreadBlok bakery with warm materials like plaster walls, limestone slabs and terracotta tiles. The project fuses sandy tones that relate to its location in the coastal California city of Santa Monica and the owner's Southern France heritage.

Find out more about BreadBlok ›

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Chip by The New Design Project, New York City, New York

Chip is a New York chain for cookies and local studio The New Design Project designed its outpost in the city's West Village neighbourhood. The interiors are almost entirely white and have accent colours of "biscuit beiges and chocolate browns".

Find out more about Chip ›

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Masa by Studio Cadena, Bogotá, Colombia

Studio Cadena's sprawling Masa bakery and restaurant in Bogotá has exterior and interior walls featuring textured concrete. Wood-clad walls, cabinets and seating offset the rough material, along with muted terrazzo floors.

Find out more about Masa ›

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Flourist by Ste Marie, Vancouver, Canada

Flourist is a flour shop and bakery in Vancouver designed by local studio Ste Marie. It has pale walls, floors and cushions, and wood furniture modelled on the American Shaker movement.

Find out more about Flourist ›

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Gondodoce by Paulo Merlini, Gondomar, Portugal

This bakery on the outskirts of Porto has a wavy white ceiling that wraps the walls to create a bright space. Designed by Portuguese architect Paulo Merlini, the cafe is filled with dozens of white tables and chairs placed atop pale wooden floors.

Find out more about Gondodoce ›

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Juana Limón by Lucas y Hernández-Gil, Madrid, Spain

To design the interiors of this Madrid bakery, Lucas y Hernández-Gil referenced the colours of butter and flour – typical ingredients for making desserts. Yellow tiles and caramel-toned seating outfit the space.

Find out more about Juana Limón ›

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K Studio creates stone holiday home on Mykonos overlooking the Aegean Sea

Stone and whitewashed walls surround a holiday home on the Greek island of Mykonos designed by K Studio, which has a tree poking through its shady wooden pergolas.

Greek architecture practice K Studio built the six-bedroom Villa Marca for a young couple to entertain their family and friends during the summer.

Three simple volumes sit around a central courtyard space, furnished to accommodate outdoor dining with views of the pool and Aegean Sea.

"Inspired by the humble complexity of the traditional island vernacular, we reduced the architecture to two small traditionally whitewashed volumes and a third of stone dug from the site," said K Studio.

Villa Marca's outdoor spaces are shaded by a lattice of chestnut-wood that forms a pergola.

"To create a house that would allow guests to enjoy being outside throughout the day we needed to filter the overwhelming intensity of the climate by providing shade and protection from the elements," said K Studio.

By the front entrance, marked by a gap in the stone wall, the timber sunshade protrudes over a patio and is supported at the outer corner by a sturdy rock.

A square cut-out in the latticework allows the tree below to grow unimpeded by the architecture.

The house is orientated to make the most of the views of the sun setting over the neighbouring island of Delos.

Facing the pool, the kitchen and living areas open out on to the courtyard, with the bedrooms in seperate buildings either side for more privacy.

K Studio chose natural stone and wood as a key part of Villa Marca's aesthetic palette.

The stone walls were built by hand using the material on hand. Some were left plain to blend with the landscape, and others are covered in traditional Greek whitewash, with rounded corners.

Wooden lintels stand over the wide doorways, and the same square stone tiles form the indoor floors and outdoor patios and pool areas.

More rough-hewn boulders are scattered in corridors and around the pool, forming stepping stones from one of the bedrooms through the shallow water to the main outdoor living area.

A long wooden dining table by Giorgos Kapraras sits along one side of the courtyard, under pendant lamps dangling from the rafters. This set up for communal dining is mirrored inside the kitchen.

Low wooden tables and chairs are set next to wide sofas upholstered in soft grey and scattered with monochrome cushions in a mix of textures.

Plants and ceramic sculptures decorate the house, adding to the relaxed and earthy atmosphere.

In the bedrooms, grey linen has been stretched taught between bronze rods to form headboard. Bedside tables are made of wooden cabinets resting on stone niches. In the bathrooms, oblong mirrors hang over floating marble counters with raised white basins.

K Studio was co-founded by Konstantinos and Dimitris Karampatakis and is based in Athens.

A similar palette of natural materials was used by Block722 Architects when they built this Greek hotel designed to blend into the rugged landscape of the Aegean coast.

Photography is by Claus Brechenmacher and Reiner Baumann.

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Project credits:

Architect: K Studio
K Studio team: Dimitris Karampatakis, Ileana Vlassopoulou, Alexandros Zomas, Antonella Theodorakatou, Christos Papachristodoulou, Christos Spetseris
Surveyor: Panagiotis Stathis
Planning consultant: Maria Mposgana - Matoula Kazakidou
Structural engineer: Chryssanthos Kaligeros
Mechanical engineer: Giorgos Kavoulakos
Lighting designer: Dimitris Kouvalis-HALO
Kitchen consultant: Davide Santiccioli
Main contractor: ECC - George Tsikouras
Metal works: Antonis Konstantonis
Wood works: George Kapraras
Window frames: Finestre
Marble cladding: Delta MARMARA - Dimitropoulos
Wall renders: ECC

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Paul Cocksedge designs social distancing picnic blanket for life after lockdown

London-based designer Paul Cocksedge's Here Comes the Sun blanket would allow people to "socialise safely and confidently" outdoors once Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have been lifted.

The open-source design comprises a looping section of material in the shape of an outline of a circle and four separate pieces of fabric cut into circles, which can be placed around the outline at six feet apart.

Called Here Comes the Sun, the blanket has been designed for a "post-lockdown future" to make sure people maintain the suggested two-metre distance while in social situations such as picnicking or sunbathing with friends.

The inspiration for the blanket came when Cocksedge was going on his "one walk a day" and felt the need to talk to and be close to people.

"It's strange that this instinct has been taken away from us and we've weirdly adapted to interacting in this new and unnatural way," he told Dezeen.

As Cocksedge explained, despite being a designer who works with sizes and measurements on a daily basis, he sometimes finds it hard to accurately interpret two meters – which is a "common problem" shared by many at the moment.

"This adds a level of worry to our future interactions," he said. "It's so easy to misjudge two metres, especially when we're out again socialising with friends and family. It will be hard to remember to keep a distance."

His Here Comes the Sun blanket is therefore a "playful answer" to this problem, reassuring people by allowing them to meet up while still socially distancing.

Described by Cocksedge as a "democratic piece of design", the blanket design is available to download for free and can be made by anyone.

The designer hopes this will encourage people to get into craft-making and pattern-cutting during lockdown to create their own versions.

"Lockdown has given rise to some amazing bursts of creativity, and I wanted to create something positive that looks towards the future," he added.

"People can craft it at home now, while they can't go out, and then use it when we're able to socialise again," he told Dezeen. "It's a way of giving you confidence to spend time with others in a safe way."

Cocksedge settled on using a circular design for the blanket as it is "an innately pleasing shape" that also acts as a reflection of the forms in which people naturally gather together.

The blanket's sun-like design allows it to be wrapped around a tree if the users want some shade.

While Cocksedge made his blanket from felt, as it is easy to cut and stitch and doesn't fray, he explains that the product can be made from any material the user desires.

"Because of the open source nature of this we're excited to see what else people experiment with," he said. "You could use an old bedsheet, or maybe collage together some leftover materials you've got, like a jacket or a pair of jeans."

Other designers have also created products and garments for life post-lockdown, when we will still have to maintain social distancing guidelines.

Carlo Ratti Associati designed a concept for a battery-powered wardrobe purifier that uses ozone to remove bacteria from people's clothes, while Production Club designed a personal protective suit for clubbing during a pandemic.

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