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Friday, 7 January 2022

This week BMW revealed its colour-changing iX Flow vehicle

This week on Dezeen, car brand BMW released images of its updated electric iX SUV vehicle, which is wrapped in "digital paper" that can change colour.

Named iX Flow, the concept car is designed by BMW to change from black to white at the switch of a button to suit a driver's personal taste or changing weather.

According to the brand, by turning their car a reflective white in the sun or heat-absorbing black in the cold, drivers could help cut the electric vehicle's energy consumption and in turn increase its range.

In Venice, Santiago Calatrava's Ponte della Costituzione bridge was in the spotlight after the city announced its tempered-glass treads would be replaced to prevent "almost daily" falls.

In support of the plan, Calatrava's studio has offered to assist with the design and "work out a proposal pro bono".

Improving conditions for pedestrians was also a priority of the European Commission's Efficient and Green Mobility package, which proposes an overhaul of urban infrastructure across the EU to encourage more walking and cycling to help meet decarbonisation goals.

Aerial view of Datong Art Museum — Foster + Partners shelters subterranean art gallery with pyramidal roofscape

Foster + Partners has criticised a sustainability report by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) that is backed by nearly 250 built environment organisations, claiming it deviates from the Paris Agreement treaty on climate change.

The studio also hit the headlines this week after it completed the Datong Art Museum, a subterranean gallery in China with a pyramidal roof covered in weathering steel.

Interior of Beijing Sub-Center Library — Snøhetta designs library in Beijing to resemble a ginkgo-tree forest

To celebrate the new year, we looked ahead at twelve interesting architecture projects that are expected to complete in 2022. Among them is the Sydney Modern extension by SANAA, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts by Studio Gang and the long-awaited Taipei Performing Arts Center by OMA.

Snøhetta also gave readers something to look forward to as it revealed its designs for the Sub-Center Library in Beijing that is intended to emulate a ginkgo-tree forest.

Es Devlin portrait — Es Devlin awarded CBE in Queen's New Years honours

We reported that artist and stage designer Es Devlin was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen's 2022 New Year Honours list in recognition of her services to design.

Awards were also given to co-founder of Black Females in Architecture Selasi Awo Setufe, chairman of Grimshaw Architects Andrew David Whalley and AKT II co-founder Hanif Kara.

Max Fordham portrait — British engineer Max Fordham dies aged 88

It was announced that award-winning engineer Max Fordham had passed away this week at the age of 88.

Fordham, who worked on projects including the Alexandra Road Estate by Neave Brown and Tate St Ives by David Shalev and Eldred Evans, was hailed by his eponymous studio as "an acclaimed engineer and pioneer of sustainable building design".

Exterior of A House for Artists in London — Apparata designs affordable housing development A House for Artists in London

Projects that sparked readers' imaginations included affordable housing for artists in the UK, a cabin in France clad with scorched pine wood and a minimalist church altar by Max Lamb.

This week's lookbook celebrated bedrooms that make use of elegant wood panelling to create a cosy atmosphere.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

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Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents design exhibition on heritage, place and identity

Anava Projects and Ashlee Harrison have curated an exhibition by emerging artists from the US and Caribbean at New York's Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which includes sculptures woven from kelp and hand-carved furniture.

Called New Guard: Stories from the New World, the exhibition is part of the New Guard series by international gallery group Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which is based in London, Paris and New York.

Ceramic sculptures at Carpenters Workshop Gallery — Top: Tiarra Bell created an ebonised ash and gold-leaf LED light called Bondage. Above: Isabella Maroon's ceramic sculptures are made from fragments of earlier works

At the gallery's Manhattan location, Stories from the New World showcases pieces by seven emerging artist-designers hailing from the US and the Caribbean, which have been designed using materials ranging from wood and metal to concrete and kelp.

The works intend to unpack themes of heritage, place and identity and include pieces such as towering ceramic sculptures by Isabella Maroon that were created from smashed-up past projects.

Pirouette Lamp by Susannah Weaver is made from raw wool and concrete

The exhibition was curated by the gallery's director of Americas, Ashlee Harrison, in collaboration with guest curators Anna Carnick and Wava Carpenter, founders of creative collective Anava Projects.

"We conceived the title 'Stories from the New World' in response to the narrative-driven nature of these designers’ work – all of whom engage, in their own way, themes of identity, heritage, and place," Carnick and Carpenter told Dezeen.

"It’s also a reference to the historically Eurocentric lens of design discourse as well as the next generation of creative talents, who are bringing vital, multifaceted narratives into the global conversation."

Between Rise & Fall references the urban landscapes of Maryam Turkey's past

For example, artist Maryam Turkey presents Between Rise & Fall, an imagined cityscape crafted from paper pulp and supported by a plywood structure that represents both Baghdad and New York, the two places where she was respectively raised and then fled to with her family in 2009 as a refugee.

"The exhibition frames objects as artefacts of the human experience," acknowledged Carnick and Carpenter.

Wood laminated furniture — Wood-laminated furniture by design studio Ibiyanε

Tania Doumbe Fines and Elodie Dérond of Martinique-based sculptural design studio Ibiyanε created Elombe, a series of hand-carved laminated furniture that takes cues from both Caribbean and Sub-Saharan woodwork and the late American sculptor Wendell Castle.

"Dérond and Fines draw inspiration from collective memories of family, using their hand-carved wooden pieces to honour their Caribbean and Cameroonian heritages," said Carnick and Carpenter.

Other projects featured in the exhibition include Between Salt and Water by Indian-born, New York-based artist Anubha Sood.

Informed by her investigation into the environmental consequences of the textile industry with a focus on India, Sood weaved a whimsical collection of sculptural objects from kelp, linen, cotton and rayon yarn, which are displayed on maroon-coloured plinths.

Kelp sculpture at Carpenters Workshop Gallery — Anubha Sood crafted sculptural objects from kelp

The pieces seek to raise awareness of the decline of kelp forests due to climate change, whilst also underlining the importance of making creative work as a personal practice.

"All of the work celebrates the storytelling power of design, emphasising design as autobiography," explained Carnick and Carpenter.

Sculpture by Isabella Maroon — A multicoloured sculpture by Isabella Maroon

Stories from the New World follows on from The Graduate(s), a 2017 exhibition by Carpenters Workshop Gallery's London location that was curated by trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort and showcased emerging European creatives.

Carnick and Carpenter explained what drew them to work on Stories from the New World.

"When we were approached to guest-curate the latest iteration, we were honoured, recognising that the project would be seen as a departure from the gallery’s esteemed, historically European-based programme," they said.

"We also understood that the show offered a rare, exciting opportunity for unique design voices on this side of the pond to tell design stories not often heard in broader, Eurocentric international conversations."

Steel table at Carpenters Workshop Gallery — Architect-designer Jerome Byron offered pieces including a patina steel finish dining table

New Guard is part of Carpenters Workshop Gallery's Next Gen project, an ongoing initiative led by Harrison that supports rising art and design talent.

Other past exhibitions by the gallery include the Slump collection by designer Paul Cocksedge, which comprised furniture made from glass pressed over rocks.

The photography is by Matt Harrington.

New Guard: Stories from the New World is on show at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in New York City from 20 October 2021 to 22 January 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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Naturalbuild redesigns Chinese marketplace to encourage "spontaneous modification"

Chinese studio Naturalbuild has completed the reconstruction of Xinfan Market in Huzhen Town, Zhejiang Province, with a design that aims to help restore the "publicity and sociality" of wet markets in the wake of coronavirus lockdowns.

A series of easily customisable steel booths were designed for the new market in order to encourage the random adjustments that the Beijing-based studio feels are key to the character and social role of these spaces.

Aerial image of the newly built Xinfan Market — The Xinfan Market in China was reconstructed by Naturalbuild

The decision to demolish and rebuild Xinfan Market after 20 years in operation had been made prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, due to declining structural and sanitary conditions.

Once the project was underway, however, the outbreak of Covid-19 attracted global attention to these spaces, with early accounts – since disputed – claiming a wet market in Wuhan as the original source of the virus. Wet markets are markets that sell fresh meat, fish and produce, as opposed to dry markets, which sell goods such as electronics and clothes.

The market is located along a bank — The structure was designed to accommodate the random adjustments typically made to markets

Naturalbuild's founder Yanfei Shui recognised the importance of improving these spaces, but was concerned about the impact the sudden closure or replacement of the markets would have the communities and farmers who rely on them.

"At the start of this project, we seriously doubted the necessity of full demolition and reconstruction," Shui told Dezeen.

"[Improving] hygiene conditions sounds like a good reason, but it also means the abandonment of a system...over 20 years of practice would disappear," he added.

Image of a domed roof structure — The original marketplace was demolished in order for it to be restored

During lockdown, the everyday ritual of visiting a market was overtaken by the practice of "community group buying", where a community leader purchases items in bulk to distribute directly to members of the community.

In the face of this change, Shui studied the existing marketplace for ideas on how to integrate some of the "chaos" and "randomness" that he felt was key to its character into the new market's design.

"Out of curiosity, we started our design process by keeping a record of how the old farmer's market operated in its seemingly chaotic sense," Shui told Dezeen.

"Individual retailers expanded the functions of their stalls beyond our imagination, random repairs reflect the simple and convenient pragmatism rooted in the lives of the people. It is this attitude that creates the worldliness of the farmer's market."

The walkways at the market are wide — The market comprises a number of different volumes

The new building occupies the same footprint as the old structure, with two concrete-framed market halls that are topped by arched roofs of corrugated steel.

A covered walkway between the two halls better connects the parallel streets to the north and south of the site, creating an important link between the town and the riverbank.

"The interior galleria, which connects the river bank and villa street from east to west, reorganises the surrounding commercial interface and improves the accessibility of the market," said the practice.

Image of the steel interior of the markets — The market has arched roofs constructed using corrugated steel

Informed by the study of the existing market, a "booth catalogue" of several welded steel structures was created, designed in a loose way to allow for easy customisation with lighting, signage, displays and storage.

The market's exterior is clad in blocks of local stone from Jinyun County, chosen to create a strong contrast with the industrial-feeling concrete structure and steel interior.

Shui hopes that the renovation will be an example of how marketplaces can "embrace future challenges" and remain a vital part of rural infrastructure.

"Nowadays, our discussions on the transformation of farmers markets are often superficial," Shui told Dezeen.

"In this context, we have to ask ourselves whether we can give up our aesthetic ambitions and really pay attention to restoring the system."

Previous projects by Naturalbuild include the transformation of a Shanghai warehouse that was once owned by a notorious 1930s underworld figure into an office and events space.

Elsewhere, Rui Mendes Ribeiro covered a Portuguese marketplace with a perforated canopy.

Photography is by Hao Chen.

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Hedi Slimane uses "French elegance" to define Celine store in London

Furniture is displayed like art at Celine New Bond Street store

Celine creative director Hedi Slimane has opened a flagship store in London for the French fashion house, which balances historic Edwardian features and a gallery-style aesthetic.

Located within a Grade II-listed Edwardian building on New Bond Street – a luxury shopping destination in the city's West End – the new flagship store has a floor area of 466 square metres dedicated to men's and women's accessories, ready-to-wear and fragrance collections.

Interior image of the shop floor at Celine New Bond Street — The Celine store is located within a Grade II-listed Edwardian building on New Bond Street

The ground floor houses women's ready-to-wear, accessories, fragrances and homeware collections, and is enswathed in metres of marble and stone.

"The ground floor is devoted to women and articulated around the idea of French elegance and vintage sensibilities," said the team at Celine.

Folding mirrored screens reflect the Celine New Bond Street store — It was designed by creative director Hedi Slimane

Folding mirrored screens, glass display cases and vintage furniture are organised throughout the store in a highly symmetrical arrangement.

Cabinetry and shelving rigidly line the walls along its length, mirroring the classical symmetry of the original Edwardian arches, columns and mouldings.

Image of the fragrance area at the Celine store — The store highlights the original Edwardian features

Art pieces by Leilah Babirye and Nika Neelova are suspended from the ceiling, placed between mirrored screens and positioned at the feet of cabinetry. These artworks gently break the store's rule of symmetry while adding natural and earthy hues, textures and forms against the largely grayscale interior.

A salon-style octagonal space at the rear of the ground floor houses Celine fragrances and homeware, surrounded by walls adorned with golden baroque-style panels that echo the decorated jewellery boxes.

Hexagonal-shaped room at the Celine New Bond Street store — Fragrances are displayed within an octagonal room

"It is an intimate space, somewhere between a 'cabinet de curiosités' and a jewellery box," said Celine.

Antique marble covers the floor, providing a depth of contrast in the colour and tone. The shelves, racks, fitting rooms and other elements unhook from the existing moulded walls and float in space."

Another pill-shaped room used as a shoe hall is similarly filled with folding mirrored screens. These endlessly reflect slivers of marble, oak, steel and granite, as well as sculptural art pieces by Anne Libby and Lukas Geronimas.

The basement plays host to the men's ready-to-wear and accessories collections, and contrasts the classical language of the upper floor – a nod to Slimane's introduction of a men's line to the 77-year-old women's fashion brand.

Image of the basement floor at Celine New Bond Street — The men's floor in the basement has a gallery-like design

This space boasts a white cube gallery-style look, and is populated with mismatched furniture and sculptural artworks atop a vast concrete floor.

Pieces by artists Davina Semo and Mel Kendrick are suspended above the furniture, while large square mirrors are set into the walls between rows of floating shelves. Decor includes piles of books by famed architects, artists and designers.

Image of the fitting room with classical oil painting — Fitting rooms are concealed behind wooden library doors

A large wooden screen conceals a library that doubles as the basement's fitting rooms. In one of the two rooms, between stacks of books, a 17th-century classical oil portrait hangs on the wall.

Overall, the store's modernist yet classical aesthetic speaks to the neo-bourgeois vocabulary that Slimane has developed for Celine since replacing Phoebe Philo as creative director in 2018.

Furniture was organised in clusters throughout the Celine store — Clusters of sculptural furniture were placed throughout

After Slimane's appointment, the former head of Saint Laurent and Dior Homme dropped the accent from Celine's 'E' to evoke a more simplified and balanced proportion to its logo, and also speak to the Celine collections of the 1960s.

In 2019 Slimane developed a new visual identity for the stores of Celine, overhauling its New York, Paris, Tokyo and LA locations with marble, steel and mirrored interiors.

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Ten half-buried houses hidden from the outside world

Last month Dezeen featured Villa Aa, a concrete house in Norway made "invisible" by being nestled into a shallow hill. Here, we round up 10 other half-buried and underground homes partially hidden from the rest of the world.

Casa Aguacates, Mexico, by Francisco Pardo

Located on an avocado field sloping down to a forest in a rural lake town about two hours from Mexico City, this sunken home is accessed via an exterior staircase.

"The main idea was to have a view of the forest, but the client also wanted to leave the avocado field intact, which is how we arrived at the decision of burying the house," said architect Francisco Pardo.

Find out more about Casa Aguacates ›

NCaved, Greece, by Mold Architects

Greek studio Mold Architects embedded this house on the island of Serifos into a rocky hillside facing the sea, in an attempt to make the most of the views while sheltering the home from strong winds.

The building is wedge-shaped, with the living spaces entirely hidden below ground and provided with natural light by sheltered courtyards and terraces which punctuate the green roof.

Find out more about NCaved ›

Landaburu Borda by Jordi Hidalgo Tané — Photo is by Jose Hevia

Landaburu Borda, Spain, by Jordi Hidalgo Tané

A glass corridor leading to a subterranean concrete annex was added to this small stone building in rural Spain by architecture studio Jordi Hidalgo Tané.

The extension houses a large living, dining and kitchen area, but was hidden under the hillside to avoid disrupting the dramatic surrounding scenery of the Navarra mountains.

Find out more about Landaburu Borda ›

Sloped Villa by Studio Okami in Belgium — Photo is by Filip Dujardin

Sloped Villa, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten

This brick and concrete home was dug into a hill looking out over the valley landscape of Belgium's Mont-de-l'Enclus. This was done to escape having to conform with the area's strict building regulations, which would have required a pitched roof, local brick and prescribed window sizes.

While from sideways and down the slope the building displays bold brick elevations, the house is almost imperceptible on approach from the west.

Find out more about Sloped Villa ›

House in Monsaraz by Aires Mateus — Photo is by Joao Guimaraes

House in Monsaraz, Portugal, by Aires Mateus

House in Monsaraz is mostly underground, emerging from the hillside on a cantilever taking the form of a dramatic concrete curve.

Architecture studio Aires Mateus injected natural light into the subterranean rooms using circular patios that pierce the green roof.

Find out more about House in Monsaraz ›

House in the Landscape by Niko Architect — Photo is by Vasiliy Khurtin

House in the Landscape, Russia, by Niko Architect

Russian studio Niko Architect constructed an artificial hill under which to bury this house near Moscow.

The house, which features a green lawn roof, has a domed shape and white-rendered walls. On its north-facing side, glazed walls wrap around a courtyard that overlooks a pond.

Find out more about House in the Landscape ›

Tilt Roof House BCHO Architects — Photo is by Sergio Pirrone

Tilt Roof, South Korea, by BCHO Architects

Nestled in the mountainous terrain of South Korea's Gyeonggi Province, this half-buried house designed by BCHO Architects works hard to blend seamlessly into the landscape.

Its main feature is a broad roof terrace, which is slanted to follow the slope of the site, while the seating area is sunken to maintain the building's low profile.

Find out more about Tilt Roof ›

House on the cliff by Gilbartolome Architects in Granada, Spain — Photo is by Jesus Granada

House on the Cliff, Spain, by GilBartolomé Architects

With its wavy zinc-covered roof, this house cut into a steep cliff face in the Granada province has been compared by its designers to the work of famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.

Madrid-based GilBartolomé Architects chose to place much of the two-storey structure underground, in order to benefit from the cool and constant ground temperature.

Find out more about House on the Cliff ›

Outhouse; Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, by Loyn & Co — Photo is by Charles Hosea

Outhouse, UK, by Loyn & Co

Described by Loyn & Co as an "earth shelter", this home-cum-artists' studio in the Forest of Dean is made up of one large storey, with an expansive planted roof punctuated by glazed courtyards.

"The building is a sensitive albeit pure architectural form, barely visible between the hedgerows that line the entrance track and entice you toward the building," said the practice.

Find out more about Outhouse ›

Casa Patios by Rama Estudio — Photo is by JAG Studio

Casa Patios, Ecuador, by Rama Estudio

Quito-based Rama Estudio designed this house in a rural location in the province of Cotopaxi as two stone-walled main volumes with grassy roofs.

These two volumes are partially sunken into the landscape and adjoined by a third structure, which has walls made partly from soil from the building site itself using a traditional Ecuadorian technique.

Find out more about Casa Patios ›

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