Robert Hutchison Architecture creates Chapel for Luis Barragán on roof of Mexican architect's home

Seattle-based Robert Hutchison Architecture has built a "ghost-like" pavilion on the roof of Luis Barragán's house in Mexico City as part of his Memory Houses exhibition at the architect's former residence.

The installation, which was placed on top of Casa Luis Barragán during August and September in 2019, was a half-scale reinterpretation of an unbuilt memorial chapel Robert Hutchison Architecture founder Robert Hutchison designed in 1994.

"The chapel installation itself is a memory of something that never was," he told Dezeen. "Here, memory takes on physical form, with the chapel 'remembering forward' to create new connections to the site."

The structure was designed to be a homage to the late architect, who is celebrated as one of Mexico's most important, while allowing visitors to reinvestigate the house's rooftop and the surrounding cityscape.

"Chapel for Luis Barragán 'remembers forward' to serve as a homage to Luis Barragán and his lifelong interests in solitude and spirituality, just as it provides a new vantage point for understanding this hallowed site and its neighboring urban context," explained Hutchison.

"The ethereal enclosure creates a space on the rooftop where you can experience both the immediate context of the roof with Alberto Kalach's planters of trees and grasses, just as it frames the more distant skyline of Mexico City rooftops."

The chapel formed part of an exhibition of nine speculative works of architecture by the studio that each "investigate how memories can become a source for architecture".

"It originated as one of the nine allegorical buildings that make up my Memory Houses project, which was being exhibited in drawings and models inside Barragán's studio below," explained Hutchison.

"It continues the questions which begin in the Memory Houses exhibit below, putting viewers in a place of questioning the relationship between architectural representation and actuality."

While the original chapel was designed to be built with a concrete structure topped with a wooden roof covered with a combination of wood and glass shingles, the memory chapel was stripped back to a frame.

For the built structure, hundreds of plastic monofilament lines – similar to fishing line – were stretched across a dark-stained timber frame.

"The installation's minimal wood frame combined with the monofilament fishing line challenges people to reconsider the qualifiers of 'architecture'," continued Hutchison.

"How much can you pare down a form and still call it 'architecture'? The inhabitable installation is undeniably ghost-like, walking the line between presence and absence, form and frame, space and void."

Hutchison placed the structure on the house's roof to take advantage of an underutilised space, which in turn determined the final size and form of the installation.

"Originally, we weren't sure where the chapel installation would be placed, but quickly realized the rooftop was the place to put it," said Hutchison.

"Once we decided on that location, the chapel literally clicked into place – it lined up perfectly with the geometry of the rooftop that Barragán designed."

"Barragán had a very strong connection to his faith, so when we were planning the installation with Catalina Corcuera Cabezut, the director of Casa Luis Barragán, she became excited about the relationship between the memorial chapel, the chapel installation, and the site," he continued.

"In this way, the installation is as much about process as form – we posed an idea, and then let the site conditions shape the final outcome."

Seattle-based Robert Hutchison Architecture is led by Hutchison. The studio has previously designed a blackened-wood house in a forest on the outskirts of Seattle and a cantilevered house with Panoramic views of Seattle's harbour.

Photography is by Cesar Bejar.

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The Nest at Sossus guesthouse in Namibia features a thatched facade

South African designer Porky Hefer took cues from the amorphous shape of bird nests to create this off-grid guesthouse on a wildlife reserve in Namibia.

The Nest at Sossus guesthouse is situated on the Namib Tsaris Conservancy, a 24,000-hectare reserve nestled between the Nubib and Zaris Mountains in Namibia's Namib desert.

It's been designed by Porky Hefer to emulate the habitat of sociable weavers – a species of bird found in southern Africa known for building huge, bulging nests that are able to accommodate hundreds of birds at a time.

The four-room guesthouse is an evolution of the nest-like seating nooks that Hefer has created in the past by weaving plant stalks across metal skeletons.

"I was convinced that my smaller nests were bigger than a chair or a design piece," said Hefer.

"I designed these camps with nests all over them and then I tried the idea for three years, changing forms and materials according to the locations I was pitching them," he continued.

"People didn't really get it and preferred four walls and a roof...but I kept on trucking."

When Hefer's unusual accommodation concept was ultimately accepted by the owner of Namib Tsaris Conservancy, Swen Bachran, the designer did a series of hand-drawn sketches to consolidate what The Nest at Sossus would look like.

The three-storey guesthouse is completely off-grid and operates off its own supply of water and electricity. Like the nest of a sociable weaver, it swells at different points to form bulbous protrusions.

Most of the facade is thatched with strands of reed harvested from northern Namibia, supported underneath by a hand-bent steel framework.

Some walls have been built using rough chunks of granite that have been carefully arranged to emulate the bark of camelthorn trees, which populate the surrounding landscape.

Walls inside the guesthouse are also thatched, but in some rooms have been set slightly apart from the external shell to allow for the insulation required during the colder months.

Flooring and joinery throughout are crafted from Rhodesian teak wood.

Hefer worked alongside his wife, Yelda Bayraktar, and creative consultant Maybe Corpaci to decorate the interiors.

The trio opted to have the majority of the furniture built-in, much like components are in a nest, and relied on a handful of striking pieces to "bring in the modernism" – for example, the living area is anchored by a sunken Chesterfield-style sofa upholstered in oxblood-coloured leather.

Outside, a swimming pool for guests has been created in the same space where there was once a dust bath for zebras.

"The zebras have been known to join guests at the house's outdoor movie theatre to enjoy the odd movie," added Hefer, "and surprisingly the local troop of baboons have resorted to observing with interest rather than destroying out of curiosity."

Porky Hefer's self-titled studio has been established since 2011. Prior to that he was running his own creative consultancy,  named Animal Farm. The Nest at Sossus is the designer's first architectural project, and joins a growing number of design-focused spots to stay at in Namibia.

Others include Shipwreck Lodge by Nina Maritz Architects, which comprises 10 rooms that are each meant to resemble ruined boats strewn along the sands of Namibia's Skeleton Coast.

Photography is by Katinka Bester.

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Pinch pairs classic materials with minimal shapes for latest bedroom furniture

London design studio Pinch has added three new products to its bedroom furniture collection, which it hopes will be passed down through multiple generations.

The newly added products include two single beds and a chaise lounge, while two existing products in the Pinch bedroom range have been updated in smaller sizes.

Each piece has been designed to offer "the perfect sleeping space", and is characterised by its application of simple yet striking shapes with quality materiality and finish.

"As has always been the case, when we design, we think about how we want to live, and what we want to surround ourselves with," said founders Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon.

"We are always obsessed by space and our intent is to keep our pieces light and effortless but with layers of interest and subtle detail to add dimensionality and richness."

The Moreau single bed features an upholstered bedhead and frame with a soft undulating form, available in solid European oak with white oil finish legs or solid black American walnut with clear oil finish legs.

The Christo single bed, on the other hand, leaves its wooden structure exposed, boasting a peaked curved headboard made from a choice of solid oak or walnut with a clear oil finish.

The third addition to the bedroom furniture series is the Merrell chaise, described by the studio as "a piece for generous bedroom spaces that many of us can only dream of though some are lucky enough to have."

The sculptural day bed is supported by wooden legs of oak or walnut and can be upholstered in a variety of Pinch fabrics.

As Pinch and Bannon explain, the bedroom collection appears simple on first look, but in fact has been designed and made with "considered proportions and architectural rigour" that required acute attention – or "obsession" – to curate.

"We are not interested in creating a need to continually replace and update furniture – furniture is an investment and a commitment," said the duo.

"Furniture should last and at this level of making it should be passed down multiple generations, and be desired by multiple generations, so the pieces need to speak of being made beautifully rather than reference a fashionable fad or feeling."

Other products, including the Joyce chest of drawers and the Lana dressing table II, have been updated and resized "in constant pursuit of perfection".

The chest of drawers has been refined from four to three timber-lined drawers that each boast traditional dovetail joints. Available in oak or walnut, the exterior can be finished in a choice of house lacquers or can be matched to a customer paint reference.

Pinch has additionally updated its Lana dressing table to have "a more modest footprint". It features a lockable drawer with an internal divider and is topped with a tilting cheval mirror, finished with bronzed rivets.

The new or updated designs join Pinch's existing bedroom furniture collection, which includes the Frey armoire, the Moreau double bed and bench, the Christo four poster bed, double bed and the Clyde side table.

Last year, the London studio launched six furniture and lighting pieces as part of its 15th anniversary, from a dining table and stacking stool to a sofa and a four-poster bed.

Each of the pieces are designed to demonstrate the studio's minimal style through strong shapes and skilled craftsmanship.

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A Massive Compendium of Tarot Cards Explores 600 Years of the Divine Decks

By Mina Mond, Wild Men Tarot, 2014, France. All images © Taschen, shared with permission

Compiling more than 500 cards, a new book sequences an incredibly diverse array of metaphysical decks from medieval to modern times. Tarot is arranged in order from the Major to the Minor Arcana and examines the meaning behind the varied illustrations, considering who created them and when. From a whimsical, black-and-white rendering of The Lovers by Madison Ross to French occultist Jean-Baptise Alliette’s pastel series, the compendium explores the collaborations between mystics and artists that have been happening for centuries. Many of the pieces included in the 520-page book are being shown outside their respective decks for the first time.

Tarot, which you can purchase on Tashcen’s site, is the debut tome in the publisher’s ongoing Library of Esoterica series. You also might enjoy paging through Salvador Dalí’s surreal deck.

 

Madison Ross, The Lovers, 2019, Canada

From Visconti-Sforza, Yale Deck, mid-15th century, Italy

Elisabetta Trevisan, Crystal Tarot, 1994, Italy

By Jean-Baptise Alliette, France

By Olivia M. Healy, The Fool, 2019, England

By Jean-Baptise Alliette, Etteilla, France

By Minka Sicklinger, Bryn McKay, Eve Bradford, Strength, United States

From Visconti-Sforza, Yale Deck, mid-15th century, Italy

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Perforated black blocks screen Cobogós House in Brazil by MF+ Arquitetos

Brazilian Cobogó bricks, slatted woodwork and stone form the volumes that make up this house in Franca, São Paulo designed by Brazilian studio MF+ Arquitetos.

MF+ Arquitetos, which is also based in Franca – a municipality of São Paulo state – fragmented Cobogós House into a series of blocks covered in different materials.

"The project is distinguished mainly by the visual impact of the proposed volumes, which cooperates functionally with details of comfort and efficiency of the house," said MF+ Arquitetos.

Dark Cobogó – a  hollow block typically used across South America to allow ventilation and lighting to filter into buildings – fronts a double-height structure giving the house its name. Behind the screen is an entryway with steps that lead into the double-height living space with a mezzanine inside.

A pale-brick block housing the studio links the Cobogó structure to a black-rendered volume, which is occupied by a garage, laundry room and kitchen.

Placed on top of these two volumes is a fourth block covered with slatted wood, containing two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a suite with a closet and bathroom and a lounge.

MF+ Arquitetos designed the 520-square-metre house so the ground floor opens up to a rear garden with a swimming pool, with the same materiality used throughout the interior and exterior.

Slatted woodwork also lines the interior wall of the dining room – located in-between the double-height lounge and the kitchen – which has glazed doors that open onto a long veranda.

The same wood clads the wall of a block housing a second kitchen and dining room, whose roof has a wooden deck mirroring the veranda on the ground.

The pool is on one side of this volume, while a small spa and outdoor patio is set on the other. Black-rendered walls fronted with planting wrap around the entire outdoor area, referencing the dark walls in the living room.

"The lap pool happens in the background in the entire length of the ground allowing this connection with all spaces," said the studio.

"The darker shades of colours, such as the graffiti covering the walls of the entire living room, are present inside and outside, making volumetry and materials to define and reinforce the use and function of each space."

Carrying the palette throughout the interior decor is stone and wood flooring, wooden and leather furnishings from Brazilian designers, and pale textiles.

"The furniture with pieces of great national designs reinforces the purity of the straight lines present in the architecture," the studio explained.

Cobogós House is among a number of residential projects that have made used of the traditional Cobogó bricks. Others include a house in São Paulo designed by architecture studio YTA featuring a "lace-like" screen and an apartment renovation by Brazilian architect Alan Chu.

Fernando and Humberto Campana also chose the bricks for an Aesop store in the city, while Frida Escobedo worked with the blocks for a Mexico gallery.

Photography is by Felipe Araujo

Perfil.

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Project credits:

Architects in charge:Filipi Oliveira / Mariana Oliveira
Project team: Filipi Oliveira, Mariana Oliveira, Lucas Gonçalves
Landscaping: Monica Costa
Engineering: Cenafer

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