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Wednesday 29 December 2021

Maison&Objet latest 2022 design event to be postponed

Organisers of the Maison&Objet design fair in Paris have announced that its January event will be postponed until March due to a surge in coronavirus cases across Europe.

The upcoming edition of the bi-annual trade show was due to take place 18 to 22 January 2022 but it will now be held 24 to 28 March 2022.

It is the second time that Maison&Objet has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, following the cancellation of its physical September 2020 event, which was replaced with an online edition.

Attendees "don't want their employees to take risks"

Organisers of Maison&Objet said the decision follows the "new wave of Covid, reinforced by the rapid expansion of the Omicron variant", which has seen a drop in registered attendees.

Additionally, new restrictions introduced by the French government to stem the transmission of the virus have limited numbers that can attend major indoor events.

"Impacted by this surge, many companies among the 1,700 companies that have confirmed they will attend, indicate that they don't want their employees to take risks and are now alerting to the disruptions they are experiencing in their operations," said a statement from Maison&Objet.

"Moreover, facing the peak of contamination, several countries are currently taking restrictive
measures regarding international travel," it continued.

"Measures which, we see, are now delaying or discouraging some visitors from confirming their attendance."

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair also delayed

Maison&Objet is the latest global architecture and design event set to take place in 2022 taht has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair has been moved from February to September 2022, while the IMM Cologne furniture fair has also been cancelled for the second year in a row, as its organisers said the pandemic made planning the event "almost impossible".

Organisers of Maison&Objet have said the new date offers a period of time in which they "hope to see an improvement in the situation".

"By postponing the fair until the end of Q1, we wish to bring together the best operational and healthy conditions to allow actors in the art of living, decoration, and design to be inspired, to accelerate their development and to forge new business relationships," the announcement concluded.

Maison&Objet's sister event, Maison&Objet In The City, will also be delayed until 23 to 28 March 2022.

All exhibitors who have registered for the January show will be able to attend the March event with the same exhibition locations. Visitor badges also remain valid.

The summer edition of the Maison&Objet fair remains scheduled for 8 to 12 September 2022, coinciding with the annual 10-day Paris Design Week.

Maison&Objet will run 24 to 28 March 2022 in Paris and 8 to 12 September 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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SANAA's courtyard-filled campus for Bocconi University is informed by Milanese palazzi

Bocconi Campus has a perforated metal facade

Curved forms clad in perforated metal wrap green courtyards at this campus for Bocconi University in Milan, designed by Japanese practice SANAA.

Occupying the site of a former milk processing plant next to the existing university, the campus provides a headquarters for the Bocconi School of Management alongside a sports centre.

Image of the mesh sheets from street level at Bocconi Campus — Bocconi Campus is a university campus in Milan that was designed by SANAA. Photo is by Filippo Fortis

Instead of filling the 350,000-square-metre site, SANAA broke the programme into a cluster of organic, transluscent white forms that surround a public park cut through by a winding, covered walkway.

Informed by historical Milanese palazzi, each of these buildings has its own courtyard, and integrates landscaped routes, porticos and balconies.

Image of the glass buildings at Bocconi Campus — Perforated metal sheets blanket the exterior of the university buildings

"Every floor has balconies along its perimeter, screened by an undulating metal mesh that creates a porous relationship with the city," said the studio.

"Each volume has an interior courtyard, typical in Milanese architecture, and each is designed to have its own distinct character while being part of a larger system," it continued.

"These are lined with porticos at the ground level offering peaceful environments for socialising, studying and gathering in the open air".

Interior image of a lecture space at Bocconi Campus — The mesh sheets aid to reduce solar gain

The business school occupies four interconnected buildings in the northeast of the site, with the sports centre to the south and residence hall – of which SANAA only designed the exterior – to the east.

To reduce the exposure and heat-gain of the primarily glass-walled buildings, each is wrapped in a metal screen with diamond-shaped perforations, giving a silvery-white finish during the day and a lantern-like effect at night that visually unifies the campus.

These mesh screens sit slightly raised above the ground level of the buildings, creating a strip of exposed glass at the base of each that visually connects them at the height of the covered walkway across the park.

"We wanted to make the building part of the park," said SANAA principal Kazuyo Sejima.

Interior image of a sunken teaching space at Bocconi Campus — Teaching spaces are sunken below ground. Photo is by Filippo Fortis

Facing inwards to the courtyards, these mesh screens have been swapped for alternating bands of glass and opaque-panelled sections, which extend outwards to create sun-shading eaves.

A cylindrical structure called the Pod forms the entrance to the business school's buildings, where the ground floors have been given over to large lobbies and a public cafe, restaurant and book shop lined with an undulating glass wall.

Interior image of the views out to Bocconi Campus — The campus was designed to become one with the park surroundings

Classrooms and sunken meeting spaces follow the geometry of the buildings, with curving desks and cloud-like arrangements of circular acoustic panels on the ceilings.

The large steel columns that support the concrete slabs of the structure define the edges of these spaces, and have been spaced to avoid disrupting lines of sight across the interiors.

Image of a curving wall at Bocconi Campus — Curved walls create interior courtyards

To the south, the three-storey sports centre contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool in its basement and an upper-level sports court, surrounded by a raised balcony for spectators accessed via spiral staircases.

SANAA's new campus is the latest high-profile architectural project for the University of Bocconi, which is already the site of the 2008 School of Economics building by fellow Pritzker Architecture-prize winning studio Grafton Architects.

The practice recently unveiled plans to reconstruct Moscow's Hexagon Pavilion for the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

Photography is by Philippe Ruault unless stated otherwise. The top image is courtesy of SANAA.

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Dezeen's top 10 installations of 2021

From a giant inflated bubble to a steel-wired mosque designed to challenge Islamaphobia, we take a look at 10 standout installations covered by Dezeen this year as part of our review of 2021.

Medusa, UK, by Sou Fujimoto

A vast gallery room in the V&A Museum was reserved for a virtual installation by architect Sou Fujimoto and mixed reality studio Tin Drum during London Design Festival this year.

Festival-goers could put on a pair of mixed-reality glasses and walk through the virtual blue structure as it changed shape in response to their movements. The installation was intended to encourage visitors to explore the potential of manipulating a perceived environment.

Find out more about Medusa ›

Crowds around L'Arc de Triomphe Wrapped — Photo is by Benjamin Loyseau

L'Arc de Triomphe Wrapped, France, by Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Nearly 60 years after artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude first planned L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, the much-anticipated installation opened to the public in Paris.

For 16 days, the world-famous arch on the Champs-Élysées was covered by 25,000 square metres of silvery fabric, secured by 3,000 metres of contrasting red rope. People were able to touch the architectural work as well as observe the installation from the Arc de Triomphe's terrace.

Find out more about L'Arc de Triomphe Wrapped ›

Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees, US, by Yayoi Kusama

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama covered trees at the New York Botanical Garden in her signature colourful polka dots as part of the park-wide 2021 exhibition Kusama: Cosmic Nature.

Other installations by the artist in the gardens included a lake filled with 1,400 mirrored steel balls and a large pumpkin sculpture made from bronze. Several installations were also playfully placed inside the buildings of the New York Botanical Garden.

Find out more about Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees ›

Paradise Has Many Gates, various locations, by Ajlan Gharem

Saudi Arabian artist Ajlan Gharem used chicken wire to create Paradise Has Many Gates, a 10-by-6.5-metre cage-like installation that can be used as a Muslim place of worship.

The artist wanted the award-winning installation to serve as a reminder of refugee detention centres and border walls while simultaneously demystifying the Mosque by making it literally transparent and open.

Find out more about Paradise Has Many Gates ›

Grow, the Netherlands, by Studio Roosegaarde

Studio Roosegaarde transformed a 20,000-square-metre plot of land into a light installation designed to highlight the beauty of agriculture.

After a trip to a farm, designer Daan Roosegaarde learned of the potential of photobiological lighting technology in promoting plant growth and resistance to pesticides. Inspired by the technology, he installed red, blue and ultraviolet high-density LEDs into a field to create Grow.

Find out more about Grow ›

The Netherlands Pavilion skylight, Dubai, by Marjan van Aubel

This year's Dubai Expo saw a range of impressive pavilions including The Dutch Biotope, which has translucent solar panels on its roof. The designer, Marjan van Aubel, hoped that the colours and lights would demonstrate that solar panels could be beautiful while also powering the exhibition.

"At different points in the day the light, shadows and colours will change and so I hope it feels like a constantly changing immersive experience, similar to the light falling through a stained-glass window," van Aubel told Dezeen.

Find out more about The Netherlands Pavilion skylight ›

Alexander McQueen's Spring Summer 2022 installation, UK, by Smiljan Radić

Chilean architect Smiljan Radić topped a car park in Tobacco Dock, east London with an inflated bubble-like structure for Alexander McQueen's Spring Summer 2022 fashion show.

A panelled membrane was supported by a web of steel tensile cables, forming a transparent dome with views of the surrounding skies. A series of vents in the floor pumped air into the dome to ensure its bulging appearance was maintained throughout the show.

Find out more about Alexander McQueen' Spring Summer 2022 installation ›

Invocation for Hope, Austria, by Superflux

In a year that saw multiple designers use trees to highlight the impact of climate change, design studio Superflux transferred 415 dead black pine trees from Austria's Neunkirchen region to the country's capital for Invocation for Hope.

Living plants were then arranged around the trees and a reflective pool, creating a tranquil oasis in the middle of the Museum of Applied Arts. The designers wanted the installation to embody "a post-Anthropocene landscape where humans learn to live in harmony with nature".

Find out more about Invocation for Hope ›

Light installation in Chinese tea field — Photo is by Tian Fang Fang

Light, China, by Ma Yansong

Light is a steel structure wrapped in translucent fabric that shields a small copse of trees in a rural tea field in China.

MAD architecture studio-founder Ma Yansong was inspired by the surrounding nature when he created the sculptural artwork as part of the Art at Fuliang 2021 festival.

Find out more about Light ›

Bring London Together, UK, by Yinka Ilori

In an effort to unite Londoners and encourage them to explore the city's streets again after multiple coronavirus lockdowns, London-based designer Yinka Ilori transformed 18 pedestrian crossings at London Design Festival. Blue, orange, pink, purple and green paints replaced the traditional black and white.

"It's about trying to bring our community back out onto the streets to celebrate," explained the designer, who is known for his socially-conscious approach.

Find out more about Bring London Together ›

The post Dezeen's top 10 installations of 2021 appeared first on Dezeen.

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Backstage exhibition reveals "behind the facade" of Danish architecture

Backstage by Tinker Imagineers and Danish Architecture Center

Design agency Tinker Imagineers' Backstage exhibition, which was constructed to look like a series of theatrical stages, explores how Danish architecture is created.

Called Backstage, the exhibition was created in collaboration with the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen, where the show was located.

It was designed to give visitors an insight into what happens "backstage" when urban spaces and buildings are being designed.

"It looks at the forces that drive development, the mistakes architects inevitably make along the way, and how we can fix them," said Tinker Imagineers.

"Visitors literally go backstage to take a moment to reflect on and discuss some complex issues, to better understand what's really at stake behind the scenes."

Designed to look like theatre stages, the exhibition consists of five sets that each address different topics and can be viewed independently. Collectively, they give a depiction of architectural challenges distinctive to Danish design.

In Backstage, visitors learn the ways in which Danish architecture maximises natural light in homes and the effect this has on the user's well-being.

The exhibition also explores how architects design homes in Copenhagen, a city that continually ranks high in liveability.

"Denmark is known for its high liveability ranking, which each year gets them on lists of 'must-visit' places in influential media," said Tinker Imagineers. "But how do architects go about creating humanistic housing in big cities? What values go into this work?"

Tinker Imagineers focused on issues that affect cities worldwide, including affordable living and how cities can prepare for climate change.

They used a range of exhibition pieces, including architectural case studies, photographs, 1:1 scale installations, models and films, to illustrate to visitors the processes involved in creating the built environment.

The project was shortlisted for the 2021 Dezeen Awards in the exhibition design category alongside Lanza Atelier's design for the Re-Source exhibition, which features plywood display tables that are designed to be disassembled and distributed among visitors at the end of the show.

The Dezeen Award was ultimately won by Studio 10's Fashioned From Nature exhibition, displayed at the V&A's Shenzhen outpost.

Photography is by Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST.

Backstage was on show at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen 21 April to 3 October 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Tuesday 28 December 2021

Dezeen's top 10 live talks of 2021

Dezeen rounds up our top 10 live talks of the year as part of our review of 2021, featuring discussions with Neri Oxman, Es Devlin, Joseph Grima, Peter Saville and more.

Es Devlin for Dezeen 15

Es Devlin opened our Dezeen 15 festival this year, which celebrated Dezeen's 15th anniversary with a programme of cutting edge designers and architects presenting their manifestos for a better world.

Devlin joined us live from the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, where she had installed an indoor forest to serve as an events space. During the talk, Devlin presented her idea for a car-free future, and imagined looking back from 15 years in the future at the positive progress made since COP26.

Find out more about Es Devlin ›

Oliver Heath on biophilic design

Dezeen teamed up with CDUK for this live talk, hosted in Dezeen's new Studio Space in London. Biophilic designer Oliver Heath talked to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about how biophilic design principles can help improve health and wellbeing.

Find out more about biophilic design ›

Joseph Grima on non-extractive architecture

In April, Space Caviar co-founder Joseph Grima spoke to Dezeen about his manifesto for a new mode of architecture that conserves the Earth's resources.

During the talk, Grima discussed how young architects are rejecting "cookie-cutter modernism" in favour of approaches that prioritise conserving the earth's resources, and proposed an overhaul of our current industrial economies.

Find out more about Joseph Grima ›

Neri Oxman for Dezeen 15

Closing the Dezeen 15 festival was designer Neri Oxman, who called for a "radical realignment between grown and built environments".

During the talk, Oxman also announced the launch of her new studio, OXMAN. "We envision it as a kind of a Bell Labs of the 21st century," she said, comparing it to the legendary innovation department of US telecoms giant AT&T.

Find out more about Neri Oxman ›

Sumayya Vally on the Serpentine Pavillion 2021

To celebrate the unveiling of the 2021 Serpentine Pavillion, Dezeen broadcast an in-person interview between Serpentine Gallery artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist and architect Sumayya Vally.

Speaking from within Vally's pavilion, the pair discussed the influences and process behind her design for the annual commission.

Find out more about Sumayya Vally here ›

Gropius Bau and Hella Jongerius on weaving

In this talk, artist Hella Jongerius and Stephanie Rosenthal, director of the Gropius Ba u museum, discussed Jongerius' exhibition Woven Cosmos.

The speakers discussed the healing properties of weaving, and Jongerius' wider creative philosophy centred around design, sustainability and spiritualism.

Find out more about Hella Jongerius here ›

Rex Weyler on environmental activism and design

To celebrate Greenpeace's 50th anniversary, Dezeen hosted a panel discussion headed by ecologist and Greenpeace co-founder Rex Weyler, to discuss the role of designers in environmental activism.

Also joining the panel were Canadian architect Michael Green of Michael Green Architecture and Nina-Marie Lister, professor and graduate director of Urban & Regional Planning at Ryerson University.

Find out more about Greenpeace here ›

Peter Saville on his Technicolour collection for Kvadrat

Streamed live from 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, this talk featured designer Peter Saville introducing his new Technicolour collection for Danish textile company Kvadrat.

The talk also included Kvadrat's vice president of design, Stine Find Osther, and Dienke Dekker, design manager of the brand's rug division.

Find out more about Peter Saville here ›

How game engines are transforming architecture with Epic Games

As part of our Redesign the World competition in collaboration with Epic Games, Dezeen hosted a live talk exploring how game engines like Twinmotion are changing architecture.

The talk discussed the future of virtual architecture and the growing link between video games and architecture.

Find out more about Epic Games here ›