Commenter says BIG's Marsk Watchtower in Denmark is "asking for trouble"

In this week's comments update, readers are concerned about BIG's recently opened Marsk Watchtower in Denmark and discussing other top stories.

Photos of the BIG-designed Marsk Watchtower in Denmark are attracting attention from readers.

The 25-metre-high viewing tower was built at Marsk Camp to draw tourists to the area, which is surrounded by UNESCO World Heritage-listed marshland.

"This wouldn't be allowed in the UK"

Readers aren't sold. "Hmmm," said Andy. "This seems to be asking for trouble after what has been happening in NYC with Heatherwick's not dissimilar structure."

"The risk here is lower as it's quite rural," replied Christopher. "Putting this near a busy city center would be dangerous."

"This wouldn't be allowed in the UK," continued Sam. "A landing would be required every 10 steps to provide an area to rest but also an area to break a fall if someone was to trip and tumble down."

Mads Kjaedegaard had different grievances: "So, in a landscape where the main attraction is that it is flat land and where the existing architecture takes its cue from local materials, someone thought it was a good idea to build a top-heavy, ill-proportioned metallic structure from which you can see exactly the same as you can from the ground? Also, keep to the railing and hope it's not a wet day."

Do commenters have a point? Join the discussion ›

Low-lying pavilions form expansive California Meadow House by Olson Kundig

Reader says "you could train for a marathon in that hallway"

Commenters are blown away by the scale of a house in northern California. The residence was designed by Olson Kundig and features an underground bar, vineyard and reflecting pools.

"You could train for a marathon in that hallway," said Salamoon. "It's the biggest space in this house for sure."

"Sublime," added BillH11103. "But who really needs four dining spaces yet only one living space? And, no cinema room? Hmm..."

Design Junkie was less keen: "Dull... no quirks, colours, or any visual interest other than being a high-quality build. Might as well be a high-end treatment centre for wealthy children to escape the city. Expensive boredom."

What do you think of California Meadow House? Join the discussion ›

Jonathan Tuckey Design adds modern extension to traditional Cornish house

Commenter calls renovation "sensitive and elegant"

Readers are discussing Jonathan Tuckey Design's renovation of a historic house in Cornwall, England. The studio added a stone-clad extension that contrasts with the original lime-rendered building.

"Congratulations to the architect for twisting quaint charm into cynical abstraction," said JB.

Ken M Steffes disagreed: "Beautiful use of material and I understand the cantilevered addition. It has purpose and makes sense when you look at the overall property access."

"A pretty fabulous addition," concluded Chris. "I imagine if people could have cantilevered 400 years ago, they would have cantilevered 400 years ago."

Are you impressed? Join the discussion ›

Marble Arch Mound attraction reopens and made "free for everyone to climb" in August

Reader says Marble Arch Mound is a "national embarrassment" 

Marble Arch Mound in London continues to attract comments – last week because Westminster City Council apologised for opening the £2 million attraction before it was ready and this week because it has been reopened for free to visitors during the month of August.

"No thanks," said Kevin.

"People will go to Oxford Street and Hyde Park because they want to visit Oxford Street and Hyde Park," added DVE. "They aren't going to go to see a pile of scaffolding and turf."

Alfred Hitchcock agreed: "Why don't they just admit that they made a terrible error of judgement and take the stupid thing down? It's a national embarrassment."

Are readers being harsh? Join the discussion ›

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Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page.

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Ten interior design projects by Florence Institute of Design International students

A skylit kindergarten and a nursing home with a lush internal courtyard are among the varied interior design projects in our latest school show, curated by Florence Institute of Design International.

The 10 featured projects were completed by students in their final year of the interior design programme taught by Alejandro Amador and Giovanni Pierantoni at the Italian design school.

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Florence Institute of Design International

School: Florence Institute of Design International (FIDI)
Courses: Design Research Project and Building Systems, Interior Design
Degree: BA (Hons) Design
Tutors: Alejandro Amador and Giovanni Pierantoni
Final review jury: Federico Grazzini, Silvia Scarponi, Chiara Sabatini and Leonardo Rossano

School statement:

"FIDI is an international design school located in the centre of Florence, Italy. The Design Research Project and Building Systems courses are held during the final year of the three-year Interior Design programme.

"Each design proposal is approximately 3,000 square metres and is developed individually by each student in relation to societal and cultural developments, with an emphasis on sustainable solutions. Renderings, plans and sections are accompanied by extensive studies of building system design, lighting acoustics and casework details.

"The three-year programme offers intensive curriculum teaching on various aspects of interior design to acquire advanced skills and knowledge, and develop professional practitioners within the international design community. The course results in a validated bachelor degree, BA (Hons) Design, issued in collaboration with the University of Chester."

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Cultural Centre – When culture and nature meet by Daniela Kovacicova

"Daniela Kovacicova looks at nature as a part of the culture and the cultural heritage. Her project restores and transforms the ruins of the historical San Galgano Abbey in Siena into a functional and mobile object. The centre is designed as being divided into modules and could be packed, transported to exist elsewhere.

"The focus of this research project was to facilitate the experience of nature, a deep connection with it and to validate its importance in today's world through detailed and sustainable product, furniture, architecture and interior design."

Student: Daniela Kovacicova
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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DIA Palestinian art and culture centre by Zeina Yaghmour

"DIA is a museum dedicated to Palestine's history, art and culture. For her project, Yaghmour investigated the role artistic expression has in asserting national identity.

"She aimed to design a centre that incorporates traditional Palestinian architectural elements in the layout and structure of the building, as well as in the choice of materials used. The site, with workshop, study, screening and exhibition areas, features a unique history tunnel and a library ramp which spreads vertically across many levels."

Student: Zeina Yaghmour
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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BFM LGBTQ+ Centre by Clementine Lumia

"This site is an inclusive LGBTQ+ centre designed for the BFM building, located on Rhone river in Geneva, Switzerland. Through interaction with architecture, shape and colour psychology, the centre provides spaces for gathering, integration and grounding.

"All architectural details of the building, including construction details, materials, lighting and acoustics are covered in the student's presentation."

Student: Clementine Lumia
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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Umani by Mohamed Zaky

"Umani is a secular community centre designed to welcome everyone and anyone who has been ostracised and who is interested in growing spiritually and developing as a human being. Inspired by traces of human activity on marble and stone quarries and by the implementation of light to evoke experiences of wonder, Zaky's approach was to create a space in which the human is considered an extension of nature.

"Portraying human nature and relationships in the architecture and interior design of Umani, the centre offers an auditorium, housing rooms and a recording studio, as well as spaces for workshops and contemplation."

Student: Mohamed Zaky
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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Eden by Elisabeth Mayr

"Eden is a nursing care community centre designed to facilitate a supportive environment for the elderly. Mayr based her design on the research on neuroarchitecture, biophilia and the impact of space on wellbeing.

"Incorporating four buildings, each dedicated to a different pillar of life – family, body and soul, individuality and community – the facility is set within an internal courtyard with luscious greenery.

"Mayr designed meticulously the details of each element – stairs, acoustics, lights, separate items – to answer to specific needs of elderly residents and create a safe space to experience community and care."

Student: Elisabeth Mayr
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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The Children's Circle by Sofia Echalie Nieto

"The Children's Circle is a kindergarten created by Sofia Echalie Nieto based on her research on pre-school growth and learning. Nieto took into account various needs when designing a space that facilitates cognitive, emotional and social development of young children.

"Having decided to make changes to the building's structure, opening a skylight and demolishing walls for an open-plan ground floor, she increased the availability of natural light, which is known to improve wellbeing and academic performance.

"Colours are used intentionally for orientation and as means to stimulate cognitive processes. All furniture and spaces were designed according to safety guidelines for young children."

Student: Sofia Echalie Nieto
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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L'Officina Dell'Arte by Vanessa Lortal

"L'Officina Dell'Arte is a centre for Venetian community and youth designed to welcome members of the community who are interested in participating in and exploring creative pursuits. A therapy room, art studio, workshop spaces and lecture hall provide facilities to learn new skills and create stronger bonds through the production of art.

"In her design, Lortal combines elements that are historically significant to Venice, here reimagined in a contemporary style."

Student: Vanessa Lortal
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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Ariston Student Centre - A place for everyone by Eva Kolka

"Eva Kolka's project is a grand facility for students, inspired by the shape of a circle and its representation of continuity and wholesomeness. Evident in the way curves are used to define the flow of spaces and how people move inside of them, their function is practical and brings about the qualities of dynamism and activity.

"The centre offers a variety of spaces for students such as computer labs, nap rooms, group and private study areas, a library, cafe, tea room, yoga room and even a zen garden and a counselling office."

Student: Eva Kolka
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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Nord Museum of Memory and Environment by Hedda Klar

"The Nord Museum located in the Swedish town of Helsingborg was designed to make people realise that memory and culture is a reflection of the environment that surrounds them. The museum educates visitors on the unique environment of the Nordic countries through an interactive exhibition that evokes feelings of being out in nature.

"In the design, traditional materials, tar wood and original brick are blended with glass and steel. This creates an environment that is open and modern, while still rooted in the Nordic tradition."

Student: Heddar Klar
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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Il Cammino by Yifat Levy

"Il Cammino is an adult centre for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dedicated to optimising wellbeing and balance functionality with aesthetics, it was created with sensory sensitive design theory principles and a holistic approach to design in mind.

"The choice of materials, colours and lights, as well as the concept behind the space organisation are motivated by the need to offer comfort and quietness, whilst ensuring the safety and the visual consistency of the designed spaces. Il Cammino facilitates social experiences and serves to integrate community and spread awareness regarding ASD disorder."

Student: Yifat Levy
Degree: BA (Hons) Design

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Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and The Florence Institute of Design International. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Norman Foster Foundation presents free On Cities masterclasses

Dezeen promotion: the educational foundation set up by architect Norman Foster has released an online masterclass series focused on topics related to contemporary cities, with lectures given by experts including architects Sou Fujimoto, Francis Kéré and Deborah Berke.

Available to watch now, the On Cities series of 30-minute video classes explore the most pressing issues facing urban environments around the world today.

The Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro, photographed in 2010. Photo is by Chesiyuan

Following an introduction from Foster, the video series is presented by 20 experts who offer a range of knowledge and perspectives.

Architects Fujimoto, Kéré and Berke are joined on the speaker line-up by educators, economists, environmentalists and entrepreneurs who all discuss city-related ideas.

Skyscrapers flanking traffic on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Photo is by Andrea Cau

The mayors of Freetown, Sierra Leone and Milan, Italy also offer their insights on the day-to-day running of major metropoles and the wider challenges they face.

"While cities undoubtedly offer significant advantages in the realm of education, health care and social services, urbanisation is widely regarded as one of the fundamental challenges for public health, social equity and environmental sustainability," said the Norman Foster Foundation (NFF).

"In many parts of the world, urbanisation has made cities more spatially fragmented, less environmentally responsive and more socially divided," the foundation added.

"To meet these challenges, speakers will touch on key themes such as urban leadership, urban form and equity, urban informality, urban food systems, urban sustainability, urban materiality, urban mobility, working and well-being, urban economics and city behaviour, among other topics."

An art installation by climate activist Aakash Ranison on the banks of the Ganges river. Photo is by Aakash Ranison

On Cities is the first masterclass series offered by the Norman Foster Foundation as part of its education and research programme.

It will be shortly followed by a second series, On Archives, which considers the fundamentals of architectural archives and libraries around the world. A third series, titled Future Cities, is also planned for release.

Crowds traversing Tokyo's Shibuya crossing. Photo is by Ryoji Iwata

NFF was founded to "promote the importance of architecture, infrastructure and urbanism for the betterment of society" as its first mission.

Based in a heritage-listed Palace in Madrid and operating globally, the foundation holds the Norman Foster Archive and Library and organises fellowships and workshops through its research centre.

Find out more about NFF and the On Cities masterclasses by visiting the foundation's website.

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Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for the Norman Foster Foundation as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Shapes from Home furniture collection by Levi Christiansen

Dezeen Showroom: American designer Levi Christiansen journeyed into his childhood dreams to create the tables, seating and shelving in the Shapes from Home collection, which explores otherworldly imagery through woodwork.

Christiansen was inspired to create the Shapes from Home collection after his mother had a chance encounter with an oracle, who brought up the vivid dreams he'd had as a child.

The Shapes from Home collection includes the marble-topped Plural coffee table

It prompted him to revisit the imagery of those dreams, in which he frequently visited a home he'd never seen in real life. The surreal forms in the Shapes from Home collection are derived from those dreams.

The Plural coffee table, for example, features oblong panels of walnut wood with green marble tops and legs shaped like triangular prisms, blending rounded and angled shapes.

Made with traditional woodworking techniques, the Rhoco chair contrasts a wedge-shaped backrest upholstered in wool and mohair boucle with a flat, tapered frame.

The Juntos shelf is made from solid walnut wood

The Juntos shelf has subtle divisions in its symmetry that emphasise the beauty of the cascading joinery while the Straddle side table has a sculptural presence, with two playfully tapered legs holding up a cantilevered top.

Finally, the There, There sofa is almost fully upholstered in ink-coloured leather, with a contrasting timber back and feet. All of the pieces are made with solid walnut wood.

"While Shapes From Home is inspired by an abstract idea, my design philosophy is rooted in creating balanced and beautiful furniture," said Christiansen.

Product: Shapes from Home
Designer: Levi Christiansen
Contact: studio@levichristiansen.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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Drew Mandel designs country home overlooking a woodland site in Canada

Contrasting finishes of concrete, brick, wood and aluminium fins form this country vacation home in Ballantrae in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Canada by Drew Mandel Architects.

Located among the protected woodlands of the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority, the different blocks that make up the Ballantrae Country House have been given full-height windows oriented towards different landscape views.

Full-height windows decorate the facade

"The winter snow, autumn leaves, summer greenery and spring blossoms all become part of the home," said the practice.

A concrete plinth grounds the home on its sloping site, giving the spaces a sense of being both sunken into and raised above their surroundings.

The house sits on a concrete plinth

"The natural sloping landscape allows the house to play with levels and float above the landscape as one approaches deeper into the house," explained the practice.

"Ground floor access at the front of the house becomes eye-level views of the tree canopies at the rear."

A driveway leads to a garage and the house entrance

Access to Ballantrae Country House is via a tree-lined driveway leading to a garage, which sits between two entrances in the northwest corner of the building.

These lead into a circulation corridor running along the southern edge of the home, connecting a small, intimate study to the west with a central, open-plan kitchen diner and double-height living room to the east, wrapping the edges of an external terrace.

An open-space kitchen diner has large windows and sits next to the living room

"Designed as a simple plan, one circulation corridor connects 'fingers' that reach out into the landscape," explained the practice.

The living room looks out towards the southeast through a fully glazed corner, creating a feeling of openness that is grounded by a monolithic concrete wall housing a fireplace and overlooked by a glass balcony on the first floor.

Large sliding doors lead out onto the terrace, which is shaded by the slight cantilever of the floor above and shielded from view by a high concrete wall alongside a staircase leading down the slope of the site.

At the opposite end of the home, the contrasting fumed ash cladding of the study was chosen to soften the building's elevations, in particular the approach from the road.

The living room features a monolithic concrete wall

"We didn't want the streetscape facade and garage view to read as too heavy or aloof, and the study presents a warm, wood-clad, human-scaled volume as an introduction to the house," Drew Mandel Architects said.

A staircase off the dining area leads to the first floor, where three bedrooms sit at the northern end of the home and connect via a glazed balcony overlooking the living room to the main bedroom, which cantilevers out to the south with a large window.

Upstairs the house holds a bathroom and bedrooms

Contrasting the bright, open ground-floor spaces, sections of the upper storey have been clad with aluminium fins, which act as brise-soleil to both offer privacy and moderate solar heat gain in the south-facing spaces.

The light interiors continue in these spaces, with a white-tiled bathroom, thin white curtains and pale oak fittings adding to the feeling of space created by the connections to the landscape throughout.

The kitchen diner opens out onto a terrace

Drew Mandel also recently completed an extension to a home in Toronto's Bracondale Hill neighbourhood, designing a shingle-clad form intended to mimic the massing of the original 1920s building.

Photography is by Doublespace Photography.

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