Azure-2013-11-12

VARASMUS countertop ® is virtually indestructible. Recessed seamless sink with sloped area. Induction cooktop fush installed. Countertop including gables are one single, seamless piece, manufactured with gauge 12 (~3mm) stainless steel. Anchored to the base (not glued). Can take extreme heat and cold. It is virtually indestructible. Cutting board is contained. Faucet installed outside the recessed area. The most hygienic and durable countertop. Can also be made out of corian. Designed and made in Ottawa. www.varasmus.com Ottawa Toronto Europe 2450 Don Reid Drive 232 King St. East Weinheimer Str. 64b ® Walkley / Heron King / Sherbourne Mannheim, Germany VARASMUS - Kitchens 613-247-9373 647-444-0019 [email protected]

SLICE OF LIFE For a bakery and storefront in Toronto, Giannone Petricone serves up a palette of wholesome textures By Karen von Hahn Photography by Naomi Finlay The architects played with material contrasts, from the mosaic flooring right up to the clay-trimmed light fixtures, by Hand & Eye Studio of London, U.K. Wooden shelves fitted with red oak dowels display bread fresh from the oven.  NOV⁄DEC  AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

In ToronTo’s Queen WesT neIghbourhood, one of the city’s hottest districts, restaurants – local architecture frm Giannone Petricone has delivered a it’s still difcult to get your hands on a fresh loaf of bread. Enter Sud Forno, cozy interior crafted with meticulous detail. a narrow, 230-square-metre bakery with a textured facade: toasted Beyond the entrance, Sud Forno’s walls are horizontally panelled in rolled terra cotta tile cladding in a herringbone pattern, streetside open windows steel. “We wanted it to feel like you are literally walking inside an oven, to framed in blackened steel, and an old school sign above the door. In the get that psychic feeling we associate with bread, of warmth,” says principal Mussolini-era font of old pasticcerie and classic Italian packaging, this Ralph Giannone. The panels’ C-channelled grooves serve another, more graphic makes a clever nod to what’s inside. Here, the whif of industrial practical function, holding up wooden shelves and rows of projecting heritage gives way to warm sustenance. In creating a street-friendly red oak dowels upon which giant loaves of fresh bread rest. “They allow retail space from a tight Victorian storefront, two doors down from the any excess four to slip of onto the foor,” says Giannone’s partner, Pina Terroni fagship – and one that serves as the forno (oven) for the chain’s Petricone, who recalls Sunday visits as a girl to her neighbourhood bakery, nov ⁄ dec 2013 53

where the foor was liberally dusted with four. For further inspiration, the frm drew on its relationship with the Terroni Group; it has conceptualized the interiors for the southern Italian eatery’s three main locations and three spinofs (La Bettola, Bar Centrale and Osteria Ciceri e Tria) in Toronto, as well as two Los Angeles outposts. “We have a palette for Terroni: always real stone, ceramics, steel and wood,” says Giannone. “But this time we thought, let’s create a dark backdrop for the bread that has a real charred quality.” The design tends toward a blend of modern and classic Italian fnishes. This rhythmic mix of the spare with the earthily ornamental is rendered in surprising detail for such a tight foor space (the front of shop measures a mere 45 square metres). On the mosaic foor, designed by Andrew DiRosa, the brains behind all of Terroni’s graphics, and handcrafted by Igor Marziali for Ciot, the words acqua, farina, olio d’oliva – the key ingredients for the staf of life – are spelled out in tiny tiles. In contrast, the Carrara marble and glass display case for sandwiches and pastries is a minimal block, warmed up by a row of teardrop pendant fxtures edged in half-baked clay. The cash, which sits at a lift-up counter of doily-like perforated Corten, abuts another island, constructed of end-grain banded wood that resembles a butcher’s block, for cutting and serving the pizza al taglio (by the slice). Steel stairs lead to a second-foor seating area with a vast communal table of Spanish cedar surrounded by industrial stools, from which you can view the bus- tling street beyond the double- height window wall framed in toasted oak. Peering down beyond the glass balustrade, you can spy the store’s window seating below. ↑↑ Steel-framed ↑ Handcrafted ↗ The pizza island, “It’s a subconscious thing we’re after,” says Giannone of the frm’s windows open up onto tesserae spell out made of end-grain approach to retail interiors, which eschews attention-seeking design in the street, and rolled Italian ingredients, banded wood, favour of romancing the central concept. “You want people to feel it rather steel wall panels such as olio d’oliva fronts the kitchen, than see it” — certainly, in these authenticity-hungry times, a design idea support shelving. and farina 00. or labora torio. worth sinking one’s teeth into. gpaia.com 54 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

↑ The view from the glass balustrade on the second floor down to the first level’s window seating. ← Andrew di Rosa’s Sud Forno sign in blackened steel – along with the terracotta tile facade by manufac- turer Sannani, sourced through Ciot – establish the variegated palette. → On the second floor, Jonah Takagi’s Bluffcity lights, by Roll & Hill, are suspended above a custom communal table furnished with stools from Toronto retailer Elte. is ante non volutpat. is ante non volutpat. Donec magna elit, Donec magna elit, semper id eros sed, semper id eros sed, id vulputate. id vulputate. nov ⁄ dec 2013 55

An old sawmill turned digital culture lab gets an injection of brilliance from Langarita Navarro Arquitectos of Madrid By Rafael Gómez-Moriana SPANISH ANISH SP ST STEPSEPS  NOV⁄DEC  AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

← “The Thing,” inserted within the original s building, is suspended by I-beams and Macalloy cable s.  Five flights of steel stairs are covered in a pattern of rhomboid canvas panels embedded with LEDs. NOV⁄DEC

↓ The red-brick court- → Visitors can access yard faces onto a busy the central stair via street, and offers stairways within the an inviting spot to just adjacent buildings. hang out. one thing becomes immediately apparent when approaching MediaLab- Prado. There is no confusing old with new. The architectural contrast of La Serrería Belga (the Belgian Sawmill) – among the frst buildings in Madrid constructed from reinforced concrete – and “the Thing,” which is how architects María Langarita and Víctor Navarro refer to their intervention, is stark indeed: aged, cast-in-place concrete versus a neon-hued stair tower embedded with colour-changing LEDs. The two extremes seem like character foils in an action movie (the Thing was actually inspired by the video game Street Fighter ). “To modernize the serrería, we wanted to complement the existing structure with something radically diferent, something lightweight as opposed to heavy, and dismountable as opposed to permanent,” said Navarro during a recent tour of the building, which opened to the public in April. Besides the luminous stairwell, the Thing contains other, albeit more understated, insertions throughout the U-shaped complex. Vertical birch planks, for instance, cover some of the mechanical and electrical upgrades and the various facilities. Entryways sport boxy wooden frames around glass doors, to give them more defnition and so visitors can experience a grander sense of entering the space. The stairwell, though, is what grabs the eye, resembling a living creature cocooned in a concrete shell. Local frm Langarita Navarro Arquitectos is well known for bringing a particular kind of playful drama to its projects. A recent design for the Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid – with soundproof studios built out of sandbags, and wild gardens surrounding wooden A-frame spaces – earned a special mention last year from the Mies van der Rohe Awards, which are handed out biannually in Barcelona. At 4,500 square metres, MediaLab- Prado is the eight-year-old frm’s largest, most complex project to date. Funded by the city, the lab is intended to spark creative interactions through a mixed bag of workshops, residencies and multimedia experimen- An explosion diagram of the Thing. tation in the digital feld. Visitors, in turn, are encouraged to participate Along with the stairwell, the firm actively. In that regard, MediaLab-Prado serves as a foil to the cultural added a projection screen to one institutions that surround it, such as the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen of the exterior walls. museums. By comparison, admission here is free, and the central courtyard 58 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

The mesh of LEDs in each panel can be programmed with a computer. “It’s designed for artistic intervention,” says architect Víctor Navarro. ↑ The architects played up → Smaller elements and the contrast of old and new insertions within the by only using lightweight, building, like this encased removable materials. entryway, visually unify the project. nov ⁄ dec 2013 59

provides an inviting, tranquil pathway through an otherwise densely built embedded with a programmable mesh of LEDs that gently transition city block. The grounds, defned by red brick pavers laid in a herringbone between shades of green and blue to warm pinks and reds. pattern, are just one of many features that make the place welcoming and Within the adjoining buildings, Langarita and Navarro added accent accessible. The café has a kitchen island anyone can use, and one of the features to visually link the lab’s raw open spaces back to the central stair. basement areas contains 3‑D printing equipment, available for public use. Utility chase ways sport bright green electrical wiring and fre engine red However, the biggest sign that the space is designed for innovative sprinkler pipes, and industrial metal steps are painted in matching phospho‑ thinking is the stair tower suspended within the old sawmill’s central gabled rescent yellow. In the attic of one building, three furnished apartments building. To create the insertion, the architects stripped the three‑storey are in use by artists‑in‑residence. structure down to the beams and columns and installed two criss‑crossed The rest of the building remains minimally restored, to reveal the original I‑beams at the roofine, with Macalloy cables to hold the stair frame in concrete construction. “It is merely a layer we’ve added,” says Navarro of place. The steps rise fve levels, and are clad inside and out with a dramatic the Thing. “The intention is for this space to accept more layers and trans‑ pattern of rhomboid panels made from stretched canvas. These are formations in the future.” langarita-navarro.com 60 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

is ante non volutpat. Donec magna elit, semper id eros sed, id vulputate. LO-RES ↑ Red-painted sprinkler pipes and open ventilation systems visually link back to the central stair. ↗ Most of the building was stripped to its original surfaces, with new mechanical additions and stairways clad in birch. → One of the lab’s various multi-purpose rooms, fur nished with rudimentary worktables and benches. nov ⁄ dec 2013 61

HOOT CAM P Vancouver design fi rm SSDG walks WHEN HOOTSUITE FOUNDER AND CEO RYAN HOLMES realized that his start-up into the wild with a cabin chic interior was morphing into a social media empire worth $200million, he decided to relocate to a more spacious environment, though his choice of buildings for leading tech fi rm HootSuite seemed unusual at fi rst glance. The site of the new Vancouver head o ce, By Hadani Ditmars where some 300 employees now work, was once occupied by CSIS and later by the city police department. Photography by Ema Peter To anyone walking by, the boxy two-storey building doesn’t reveal itself as the hub for one of Canada’s most successful tech companies. Launched in 2008, HootSuite now has over seven million subscribers using its dash- board, which integrates all forms of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, into a single screen interface. But Holmes, 38, saw potential in the fortress-like structure and brought local fi rm SSDG Interiors on board to overhaul the 3,066-square-metre interior, transform- ing it into an o ce with benefi ts. “Designing for millennials,” says Stephanie Gust, who worked with Kenna Manley on the fast-tracked project over fi ve months, “is totally di erent than designing for boomers.” The setting had to match the younger genera- tion’s quick-fi re, multi-tasking work style. In response, the fi rm, which is headed up by principal Susan Steeves, opted for a sparse industrial aesthetic with exposed workaday materials, using locally sourced cedar logs as a key  NOV⁄DEC  AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

HOOT CAM P ↑ Hand-painted murals, this one by Sandy and Steve Pell, riff on HootSuite’s West Coast setting and the company’s owl mascot.  A .-metre-high wall at the entrance is covered in end cuts to create the look of a massive woodpile.  Khaki tents have been pitched for casual private meetings. → The reception area. CEO Ryan Holmes grew up off the grid and has a strong affinity for nature. This is Vancouver, after all. NOV⁄DEC

← The cabin-like elements ↑ A common area with were inserted within the tiered steps along one wall. original building’s raw shell. The added levels accom- The contrast gives the modate group gatherings office a stage set feel. and presentations. visual efect, and bare flament bulbs in protective cages for illumination. Part laboratory and part construction zone, the ofce displays an outdoor scrappiness that suits the needs of a company started by a CEO who grew up living of the grid and who is now overseeing its uncharted growth. Holmes says he is currently hiring up to 10 new employees and contact workers each week. The new digs are more like a modernist kibbutz for those rooted in the fighty realm of interconnectivity. The company’s name is, like Twitter, a play on the aviary that is social media – along with a homophonic take on tout de suite. The new ofce space ofers employees a 24/7 workout room, a nap room, and a kitchen with draft beer on tap, while a blurring of spatial and formal identities under lies the entire foor plan. The main foor’s Great Room blends social, recreational and work functions, with rows of picnic benches of the open kitchen and Ping-Pong and foosball tables nearby. The former warren of ofces and interrogation rooms is now barrier free, with clusters of workstations surrounding the common areas. To give the envi- ronment a sense of continuity, muralists from the staf, plus local design studios Chairman Ting, Company Policy and Ola Volo, were invited to rif on the company’s nocturnal mascot with white, black and copper graphics that defne the walls in the common areas and at reception. Everywhere, space is maximized for spontaneous exchange. A transit area next to a core wall, for instance, is lined with a whiteboard, where software designers can pause for some visual brainstorming. Elsewhere, wall-free zones are bufered by a row of pitched khaki wall tents that pro- vide an invigorating take on the old cubicle model. At the end of a workday, employees may be reluctant to leave this hospitable space, and when they do their brains will be buzzing with possibilities. ssdg.com 64 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

A.D. Graph.x Venezia Murano glass design M. Thun and a. Rodriguez water at its best Vancouver Québec Fantini USA Cantu Bathrooms Céramique Décor A&D BUILDING 604.688.1252 418.627.0123 150 East 58 St. 8th Floor New York, NY 10155 Montreal Toronto Ph. 212 308 8833 Ramacieri Soligo Ginger’s [email protected] 514.270.9192 416.787.1787 www.fantiniusa.com

+ neri hu Partners in both marriage and practice, Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu nurture a whole new sensibility for China that crosses cultures and boundaries By Clare Jacobson The new Camper store in Shanghai uses reclaimed wood and grey bricks, which are reminiscent of the city’s ancient alleyways. 66 nov ⁄ deC 2013 azuremagazine.Com

nov ⁄ dec 2013 67

The couple met while studying architecture at the university of california, Berkeley. They both worked for architect michael graves before moving to Shanghai. Lyndon neri and rossana Hu’s offices occupy a building called the Black Box. Located amid a row of white stucco residences in Shanghai’s former French Concession, its ink-hued facade is practically a billboard for the contemporary design produced inside. Large windows poke out of the fve-storey structure, capturing views of the rapidly changing city. Or maybe those windows are letting the people of Shanghai have a look inside one of the most dynamic architecture and design studios now working in China. The founding principals of Neri&Hu Design and Research Ofce have set up various businesses, everything from architecture and interior design to furniture design and retail venues. A branch of their Design Republic store occupies the ground level, while ofces for a staf of 90 fll the foors above. All of the detailing within the Black Box – including its warm wood entrance and rough-hewn ceilings, even the foam core models that fll a portion of a conference room – is care- fully coordinated toward a singular look that is distinctly Neri&Hu. Even the bicycles lined up on the sidewalk out front seem part of a signature style that marries spare yet tactile materials with complex spatial layers and warm shades of brown and grey. The patina look can be found in the numerous restaurants, hotels and residences the duo has designed since founding the studio in 2004. It can also be seen in their furniture designs for such international brands as Moooi, Classicon and Swarovski. “The way we look at material and form,” says Hu of their various projects, “it’s like everything is a little building.” Other architects may dabble in product design, but Neri&Hu is well known in both worlds. The studio’s ability to seamlessly transcend boundaries may stem from the couple’s own cross-continental upbringings. Neri grew up in the Philippines and Hu in Taiwan. Both are ethnically Chinese, and both moved to the United States in their early teens, went to high school in California, and studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, where they frst met. Eventually, they landed jobs at industrial designer Michael Graves’ studio in Princeton, New Jersey. ↖ camper shoes hang from steel rods, a gesture that references the old-world practice of hanging clothes between buildings to dry. ← The firm prefers a palette of natural tones and materials. red is one of the few colours it uses regularly. 68 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

↑→ design Republic is the retail arm of the multi- pronged business, with three locations in Shanghai selling international brands, along with the firm’s own product lines. nov ⁄ dec 2013 69

← The Waterhouse boutique hotel in Shanghai was a land- mark project for neri&Hu, defining its sensibility for merging old with new. → The firm designs furniture for various brands, but it also has its own line, which includes the mu chair. In 2001, the interior renovation of a concession-era building Graves was working on in Shanghai led the couple and their three children back to China. “People often ask me, when are you going back home,” says Neri, “but home is where Rossana and the kids are, and where we are contributing to the society. For now, that’s Shanghai.” After the project fnished, they began focusing on products. Venturing into product design was a welcome next step, and after collaborating with Graves they found that it came natu- rally. “We were tired from working on a brutal architectural project,” says Neri of the Graves job, “so we were looking for something that could be done quickly and that was immedi- ately tangible.” In 2006, they released Zisha Tea Project, a tea service made of zisha (purple sand) from Jiangsu Province, outside Shanghai. It embodied many qualities that now defne all of their work, a merging of old techniques and textures within a contemporary milieu. “We were interested in natural materials that were customarily used in the Ming and Qing dynasties,” says Neri. “We’re trying to bring all of that back in a modern way.” Eventually, they opened their own retail shop, Design Republic, to sell their products and to bring furnishings, lighting and accessories by such high-end manufacturers as Moooi and Classicon to China. The original store is now gone, but three other branches have opened in Shanghai, and each has sprouted auxiliary components, such as lectures, exhibitions and a magazine entitled Manifesto, making the venues more like hubs for contemporary culture. The fagship store was not their frst architectural project, though. Y+ Yoga and Wellness Center in Shanghai and ↑ inside the hotel, the restaurants in Bangkok and Beijing predated it. But the store surfaces are left raw, established a house style that also appeared in the Waterhouse, reflecting the building’s a boutique hotel they designed in 2010, which became a tipping former role as a military point for more international commissions. The hotel is housed base for the occupying in a 1930s former headquarters for the Japanese army during Japanese army during World War II. “We saw a remnant of Shanghai that we did World War ii. not want to get rid of,” says Neri of the site’s notoriety. The architects maintained many of its features, including the raw ← Solo Table is part of concrete exterior and interior surfaces, and they added weath- a larger family of wood ered steel to the outside and flled the sparse interior with furnishings including refned furnishings. It is topped of with a roof deck that ofers chairs and sofa, now views of the Huangpu River and Shanghai’s skyscrapers. manufactured by de The Waterhouse gained attention locally and internation- La espada. ally for efectively merging the sensibilities of East and West. “We are conscious of getting projects abroad,” says Hu of striving to keep their work relevant in both worlds. “We need 70 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

The Westin Hotel in Xi’an, the city renowned for its Terracotta Warriors. To reflect that ancient history neri&Hu drew from the region’s vernacular, with bold red detailing and gently sloping rooflines. ← The hotel’s re cep tion ↑ The 329-room hotel’s area echoes traditional exterior heaviness chinese courtyards is countered inside by in the atrium, which is canopies of wooden flooded with natural light. slats and wall screens that filter light through the interior. nov ⁄ dec 2013 71

← ↙For a recent renovation ↑ ↓a bamboo rattan pendant of a 1930s townhouse in based on bird cages, and a series Shanghai, the back wall was of red stools that reference the removed and replaced with ubiquitous seat-of-choice in glass on all three floors. china, are both new for moooi. to be able to infuence outside of China as well as inside.” To do so, the frm regularly employs foreign designers to bolster global discussions. “An international think tank is important in creating a new Chinese voice,” says Hu. Neri adds that other ofces in China are contributing to this idea: “We don’t want to be doing it just ourselves. Hopefully, a group of people will come together and make a diference.” As for the day-to-day running of the business, they say there are no strict divisions of labour. It’s their complementary personalities that help get things done. He is spontaneous; she is more structured. He’s emotional; she’s logical; he expresses himself in drawings, while she prefers concepts. “We think very diferently,” observes Hu, “and that has really helped us to balance our work.” Neri adds, “If a project was led only by me, I think it would go crazy. If a project was entirely led by her, it would be completely monastic.” Their working partnership, now nine years old, is taking on new directions. Last year, the frm completed its largest architectural project yet, a 100,000-square-metre Westin Hotel in Xi’an, the cradle of Chinese civilization. It has also broken ground on a residential and hospitality complex in Suzhou with 51 free-standing villas. Two smaller ofces have just opened in London and New York to manage projects in both cities. And with new work in Brazil and Mexico, the global presence of Neri&Hu seems to have no bounds. “We want to maintain a healthy mix,” say Neri. “We’re consciously doing big projects, but we’re just as interested in small ones.” neriandhu.com 72 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

© 2013 Shaw, A Berkshire Hathaway Company BEIJING • CHICAGO • GUADALAJARA • HONG KONG • LONDON • LOS ANGELES • MELBOURNE • MEXICO CITY • MIAMI • MONTERREY • NANTONG • NEW YORK • SAN FRANCISCO • SHANGHAI • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY Fold in color. Activate the edge. These origami-inspired designs transform space, adding architectural form and lush dimension in 18x36 format. WWW.SHAWCONTRACTGROUP.COM Design is dimensional

A LIGHT PICKMEUP Earlier this year, La Panacée, a centre for contemporary culture, opened in Montpellier, France, with the aim of bringing spectators and art together in a boundary- smashing creative dialogue. True to French form, the café features prominently. Its defining element is a tunnel-like canopy designed by Stéphanie Grimard and EASY known for constructing massive Architecture, a Paris tech studio interactive light installations. The  arches are made from weathered steel scaffolding and neon tubes. Windows flood GRIND The latest espresso machines take the room with light by day, and at night the arches modulate from breathy pulsations to rapid the guesswork out of brewing, flickering, depending on the event and the desired mood. and bring coffee culture to any space architecture.net By David Dick-Agnew FOR THE COUNTERTOP THE FASTEST BREW THE JAVA CUSTOMIZERHE JAVA CUSTOMIZERHE JAVA CUSTOMIZER THE SPACE SAVER T T E E By fine-tuning the cutting angle of the Impressa F’s Everyone has their ideal morning mix, which veryone has their ideal morning mix, which veryone has their ideal morning mix, which To keep prep compact, Nespresso has launched makes Xelsis Evo a great option when many coffee es Xelsis Evo a great option when many coffee es Xelsis Evo a great option when many coffee grinding cone, Swiss manufacturer Jura managed wiss manufacturer Jura managed grinding cone, S mak UMilk with an integrated milk frother and a unit mak drink to cut grinding time by half. A high- efficiency drinkers are waiting in the queue. Up to six users ers are waiting in the queue. Up to six users that uses single-serving capsules of pre-ground can program nine drinks each, everything from a ogram nine drinks each, everything from a water heater further shortens the wait, making the can pr beans. The water tank and the milk canister also machine one of the fastest in its category. An bracing ristretto to a foamy cappuccino. On start-acing ristretto to a foamy cappuccino. On start- swivel from the sides to the back, conserving br adjustable spout accommodates cups of different up, clean water flushes through the coffee circuit. water flushes through the coffee circuit. valuable countertop real estate. up, clean sizes with nary a splash. $,, jura.com $,, saeco.philips.com $, nespresso.com  NOV⁄DEC  AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

CUP DIARIES For New York artist Gwyneth Leech, painting is as much of a daily ritual as her morning cup of coffee. The two are more than casually related: paper cups are her canvas. Just as her medium feels familiar, so do her exhibition spaces, where the rendered cups are installed by the hundreds in storefront windows. The most recent event, a cascade of  cups covered with intricate swirls and dimin- utive portraits depicting daily scenes of urban life, filled an Anthropologie window on Regent Street during the London Design Festival in September. The store now carries eight of her designs in porcelain . gwynethleech.com BUILTINS THE ONETOUCH THE QUIET BREW THE MINIMALIST Behind the brushed metallic face of this German- TopBrewer by Scanomat of Denmark is just starting With its snow white front and chrome-plated milk engineered beauty sits a conical grinding unit to hit the North American market, and it will likely container, Miele’s built-in virtually disappears into capable of achieving the finest powder, delivered take off with minimalist seekers. The bulk of the any contemporary kitchen. The machine churns with a single touch. An aroma whirl system gyrates machine stows below the countertop, which frees out one-touch cappuccinos and macchiatos for the grounds during brewing to release the beans’ up space and reduces grinding noise. Brew orders up to nine pre-programmed user profiles. To keep subtle flavours. The CM ’s sporty sleekness are made via smart phone – a feature that allows things friendly, it offers dual dispensing spouts coordinates with other members of the Gaggenau cafés to also integrate cashless payments and when brewing for two. $,, miele.com appliance family. $,, gaggenau.com loyalty programs. $,, scanomat.com NOV⁄DEC

RETURN TO WEST COAST MOD A steep hill and a narrow lot: Splyce Design takes on this double-barrelled challenge and builds a family home without disrupting nature By Tanya Southcott Photography by Ivan Hunter  NOV⁄DEC  AZUREMAGAZINE.COM

On the floors throughout the three-storey house, the designer chose an understated palette of stained oak and polished concrete. Three About a Stool bar stools by Hay line up along the kitchen counter. nOv ⁄ dec 2013 77

← Architect Nigel Parish kept the inte- rior light and focused on details, such as the floating stairs and custom metal handrail. The step trusses are crafted out of metal and wrapped in wood. ← White custom cabinetry ↑ The living room on the in the kitchen is contrasted main level overlooks the pool, with a bank of white oak a hot tub, and a patio gener- cupboards and a black honed ous enough to accommodate granite countertop. a full-size dining table. West Coast Modernist arChiteCts Were faMous for drawing inspiration ensure any lost habitat was replaced post-construction. As well, the steep from the dramatic geography that surrounded them. Rather than mow grade to the south and a riparian setback to the west left only a 13.5-metre- down nature, they integrated their designs to co-exist with it, and wide sliver of land for building, roughly half that of a typical site. Despite they continually sought out ways to blur the line between indoors and out. there already being an existing house, the narrow lot restricted the place- Nigel Parish of Splyce Design pays homage to this local tradition with a ment for a new, larger home, pushing it closer to the one next door. To three-storey home in West Vancouver, a residential enclave known for its appease neighbours concerned about losing their views, Parish produced dramatically sloping sites and pristine views to the Pacifc Ocean. Named sketches of what a developer would likely do, given the chance. Russet Place Residence, the family house and its adjoining infnity pool Walking through Russet Place now, it is hard to imagine that it resulted appear to cascade down the mountainside like a stack of books. from overcoming so many limitations. From the entry, the main level “The design grew out of the hardships of the site,” explains Parish, steps gracefully downward, following the site’s topography and leading refecting on the numerous obstacles that made building such a challenge. to the kitchen and the living area beyond. Sliding glass doors open to He required an environmental consultant to initially survey the lot, to a deck that overlooks the pool, a hot tub, and a terraced patio generous 78 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

The glazed dining room canti levers beyond the foundation walls by 4.6 metres and is surrounded by a cedar grove. London table by E15. nov ⁄ dec 2013 79

↑ A wall of sliding glass ↗ The lower-level bath- doors on the upper level, room features a Vero where the master suite toilet and a Bacino sink, is located, leads to an both by Duravit. Faucets expansive deck. by Riobel. 20 loweR leVel 1 2 13 14 15 1 Wine cellar 4 2 media room 21 4 3 Bedroom 3 4 Bathroom 16 5 rec room 22 6 Bathroom / change room 7 Terrace 3 17 18 8 outdoor kitchen 5 3 9 Fire pit 10 deck 3 3 11 Pool 12 Hot tub 6 19 15 7 10 MAIN leVel 13 office 8 14 main entry 10 15 Storage 16 Playroom 9 MAIN leVel uppeR leVel 17 dining room 18 Kitchen 10 11 19 Living room uppeR leVel 12 20 driveway 21 garage loweR leVel 22 mudroom enough to accommodate a dining area. The solid metal guardrail appears to foat above each step as it zigzags its The upper level, which contains three bedrooms, including the master way upward. In the living room, custom white oak panelling slides into suite, has direct access to another expansive deck. A fight of willowy stair place to conceal the large-screen TV. treads of steel wrapped in wood, cantilevered from the concrete entry wall, One of the biggest goals, however, was maintaining a connection to the connects the foors and accentuates the openness of the entire design. landscape on all three levels. Working in sections, Parish used the site to One of Parish’s most impressive gestures is the dining room, contained liberate the design from conventional spatial planning, focusing instead on within a glass volume that projects 4.6 metres beyond the foundation walls. a careful choreography of views and exterior spaces. Each foor sits on top “The cantilever was an elegant solution to a practical problem,” he says of of the next, and from a distant perspective the entire structure resembles the frameless glass box nestled into the surrounding cedar grove. While the an inverted Jenga tower. retaining walls defne the building’s footprint, the projection adds valuable Born and raised in West Vancouver himself, Parish is well versed in the foor area without disturbing the environment. mantra of the West Coast Modernists that states architecture, especially To break from the traditional coastal Modernist sensibility, Parish left residential projects, should connect people to the landscape, by bringing the interior concrete walls raw and used smooth white surfaces as fnishes. materials and views from the outside in. “Designing someone’s home is an The minimalism means attention shifts toward the details, and the central intimate experience,” notes Parish. “It’s based on a trust that is earned by staircase reveals how far Parish drilled down to get a clean, precise look. working closely together over time.” splyce.ca 80 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

Getting the kitchen of your dreams has never been easier. We have the ideal + = 36” or larger Cooktop and receive an Emerald Series Dishwasher FREE*. It’s one combination for every chef. For example, you can buy a Double Wall Oven and a ® of the many great kitchen combinations we have in our One. Two. Free promotion. Each Thermador appliance offers you the very best in technological advances and makes the ultimate addition to your kitchen. So what are you waiting for? VISIT OUR TORONTO SHOWROOM MAKE YOUR DREAM A REALITY AND SAVE UP TO $6,647.* SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT MORE OR VISIT WWW.THERMADOR.CA CALL 1-888-966-5893 TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT Promotion valid only on select Thermador models. To be eligible for the free appliances offered in this promotion, all other appliances must be purchased at their regular price, in one order, and at the same time. Products must be purchased during the promotion period of July 1 through December 31, 2013. No substitutions will be allowed. Please see sales associate for complete details. *While supplies last. Dealer may substitute model to equal or greater value with L’ATELIER MONTREAL 514·353·3232 the free dishwasher. TCAN041-14-107661-2

Q+a: Shigeru Ban architectS WOOD craft sHigeru Ban Having explored material in every format – from his cardboard tube emergency shelters to his Centre Pompidou-Metz, with its glulam timber roof – the Tokyo architect and his frm now turns their attention to miyadaiku and sukiya-daiku, the Japanese carpentry techniques of tea houses and temples, which use no nails, screws or other hardware. This sophisticated joinery is the main feature of the 10,120-square-metre Zurich head quarters of Tamedia, a major publisher of newspapers, magazines and online media. Azure contributor Mimi Zeiger spoke with Ban about what makes this style of wood construction both innovative and sustainable. What was your inspiration for working with Wood is a beautiful material; it gives of a timber joinery on the Tamedia building? warm feeling. With Tamedia, we used spruce. It’s There was no inspiration, just a culmination of not a hard timber. It’s economical and easy to my experience in construction. I have been work with. And it’s very popular in Switzerland, designing diferent timber structures for a while. probably the most common timber material My frst experiment was a building in Northern in the region. Japan – Tazawako Station in Akita Prefecture. But if you use steel joints, you don’t take You are known for innovative building materials. advantage of the timber itself. I like any material – Have you experimented with timber construction concrete, steel, paper — but wood has its own at this scale before? limitations. With steel, you can do anything. It depends on what you call scale. The roof over You can weld it and make it into any shape. But the Centre Pompidou art museum in Metz, it is interesting to take advantage of limitations. France, is bigger. The scale is not so important. Wood is a natural material, so you have to Even if this were a two-storey building, it is no understand its nature. It is weaker than steel. diferent than a seven-storey building. Because You have to take advantage of the weakness. this is a type of invention, the scale is less 82 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

SuStainable moveS While the building’s timber frame cuts down on its carbon dioxide emissions (at 47 per cent less than all-concrete structures and 68 per cent less than all-steel ones), the very layout mitigates heat gain. A corridor along the east side acts as a thermal screen. On all seven floors, the eastern facade is composed of operable windows, a recur- ring theme in Ban’s work, so employees can take in some fresh air while loun ging on the Le Corbusier chairs in these informal meeting areas. nov ⁄ dec 2013 83

important. I can make a much bigger building and Germany. Switzerland is not as strict as need the advanced 3-D milling. The technology is with the same system. With Tamedia, the scale Germany, and the construction team was more nothing special, just a 2-D CNC cutting machine. came from the site and the client. If the site precise versus working in France. The budget was quite limited, so I had to do were diferent, the structure could be bigger or Everything is designed according to Swiss something very simple. Timber joinery is very smaller, but the joinery would be the same. building conventions. I didn’t have to convince economical. The facade is just a skin over the any authorities of anything. However, when I structural frame. This is your first building in Switzerland. Does designed Metz we had to do a full-scale mock-up, working in Zurich differ from working in Tokyo and we tested it in Biel, Switzerland. How does this timber construction lend itself or other places around the world? Did the Swiss to being sustainable and carbon neutral? authorities ever question your detailing? The Tamedia building combines traditional Carbon dioxide is an issue but not the main With the exception of Japan, I fnd that it is dif- timber construction with cutting-edge technol- one. Even when I make a building out of paper, cult to get a high level of construction technique. ogies. Did you have doubts that the two could it is not about sustainability. It’s because it Only two countries have the technology to readily come together? is beautiful. undertake this kind of timber construction: With Metz, we used a CNC machine to cut the Switzerland and Germany. The building in Zurich laminated timber beams in 3-D, but for Tamedia Did you collaborate with a structural engineer? went smoothly, as compared to those in France the structure is only two-dimensional. We didn’t It’s always essential for my design to start as a 84 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

“If you use steel joints, you don’t take advantage of the timber itself.” ← Structural integrity ↓ the ultimate joint ↓↓ lantern effect Every interior, including this The components fit into one At night, the simple metal hallway furnished in Ban’s another like a puzzle, thanks and glass curtain wall, by cardboard-tube Carta collec- to Ban’s inventive joinery. Aepli of Gossau, Switz erland, tion for Cappellini, is animated Oval holes were cut into the emphasizes the building’s by the wood framing. The columns, measuring 44 centi- spruce bones, while track structure is composed of metres thick, just below each lighting integrated between 2,000 cubic metres of lami- storey, and matching holes the beams heightens the lan- nated spruce. CNC machines were milled into the double tern quality. Situated along precisely milled every beam, floor beams, which sandwich the river Sihl, the Tamedia column and joist, so each the columns. To hold the headquarters incorporates prefabricated piece could structure together, dog bone– the two uppermost floors be installed on site with no shaped beams thread through added to the roof of a neigh- additional hardware. the openings, elegantly bouring building, so that locking everything in place. its facade extends like a bridge at the top. collaboration with an engineer. I have worked with Hermann Blumer of Création Holz on all of my timber structures. He knows what I like to do and how to do it. It is rare to fnd a timber engineer who shares the same ethos. Without his collaboration, I would not have been able to realize this project. What is the future of wood construction? It is difcult for me to look into the future. I don’t have a dream. Whenever I have a project, that’s when I start thinking about what material it should be. I’m not pushing timber on all proj- ects. The project comes frst, and then I design with a material that is the most appropriate. shigerubanarchitects.com NOv ⁄ dEC 2013 85

field trip Longuich, germany A hut of For a winery in Germany’s Moselle Valley, Matteo Thun designed simple yet one’s own sophisticated visitor cabins that are tuned in to their surroundings By Brendan cormier ↑ at the Longen Schlöder Winery, like most villAges in the moselle valley, Longuich it all started seven years ago, when owners the 20 guest houses, by italian is dotted with signposts directing you to guest markus and Sabine Longen came across a feature architect matteo Thun, are houses and wine taverns. This is wine country, about Thun in a german magazine and felt a surrounded by fruit trees. each german style, and the region is a popular getaway connection. When it came time for them to expand house features a small wooden for stressed-out northern europeans looking for their vineyard-restaurant to include a small hotel, deck and a private garden. peaceful walks along romantic paths, accompa- he was their first choice. Thun responded enthusi- nied, of course, by a glass or two of the region’s astically to the small commission, eager to work signature riesling. While traditional kitsch is the in a region steeped in history and craftsmanship. standard for new buildings here – think fake timber His big idea was not to construct one building frames and gabled roofs – one new development but several small ones. He argued that a single bravely stands out. Last spring, italian designer volume wouldn’t be special enough for the area’s matteo Thun completed 20 impeccably refined highly competitive hospitality market. instead, stone huts for the Longen Schlöder Winery, he proposed turning each hotel room into its own offering tourists a fundamentally different kind of little hut. vineyard experience. These mini-homes ( häuschen ), as markus 86 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

←← Local stone covers the houses’ facades. Recessed mortar braced with steel gives the effect of dry-laid stone. ← Twenty guest houses, a re cently extended restaurant and the main house are situated on the winery’s estate, surrounded by vineyards.  Visitors can choose their own gardens – from shade garden to herb garden or even fragrant rose garden. ↓ Among the many pleasures is the winery’s signature Riesling. Longen calls them, epitomize crafted luxury and for a space where his guests could decelerate from objects enlarged to an architectural size. The huts refined detail. Inspired by the vintners’ cabins their fast-paced lives. In response, Thun’s compact could even be viewed as scaled-up miniatures scattered throughout the hills, they reflect Thun’s -square-metre rooms contain little to distract plucked from a child’s model train set. The bed appreciation for this pastoral landscape through the eye. The walls and the pitched ceiling form frame, the desk and the bathroom sink were all the choice of two local materials: slate for the a continuous expanse of creamy white plaster, designed by Thun, and he even sketched the label outer walls and the roof, and oak for the massive and the minimal oak furnishings – a bed, a desk, for Longen’s signature Riesling. exterior doors and the interior floors and most a chair and a ladder – create a contemplative, Marc-Antoine Laugier’s seminal “Essay on Archi- of the furniture. These materials are used with harmonious still life. tecture,” penned in , extolled the virtues of the great care and ingenuity; the recessed mortar of Aside from his career as an architect, Thun primitive hut, calling for a return to simpli city and the stone facade is braced with steel, giving the has an illustrious reputation for product design, modesty in architecture. At the Longen Schlöder exterior the effect of dry-laid stone. As for the a member of the legendary Memphis Group in Winery, Matteo Thun takes Laugier’s words to oak, Thun employed expert local woodworkers to Milan back in  with founder Ettore Sottsass, another level, creating an architecture that in its fashion precise door frames, ensuring that the and later acting as art director for Swatch. It is sophistication is far from primitive, but which stone and the oak met perfectly flush. no surprise that much of his architecture reflects nonetheless offers a welcome return to nature. For the interiors, Longen emphasized the need this history, resembling beautifully sculpted NOV⁄DEC

field trip LonguIch, germany ↑ The interiors of the 20-square- metre cabins were kept deliber- ately simple in favour of a low-key, de-stressing environment. cove lighting adds a warm glow to the creamy white walls and ceiling. ←← The red chair represents the project’s single accent colour, used effectively in the outdoor furniture and the cabin numbers. ← matteo Thun designed all the furniture in the cabins – beds, tables, chairs – down to the bathroom sink. If you go how To geT There you into the city’s main shopping street. of course, the wine is the focal point here, Longuich is located about 15 minutes from Trier, a continuous path along the moselle river with a large list of the vineyard’s own vintages with easy train connections to Frankfurt, cologne leads past several neighbouring villages, and featured, including riesling, Pinot noir, and other major cities. it is also about a half-hour through valleys flanked by steep hillsides and rows chardonnay, cabernet Sauvignon and merlot. drive from Luxembourg. of grapevines. Just outside mehring, five kilome- Four o’clock is the traditional coffee and tres from Longuich, a hike through the forest and cake break in germany. café Laurentius ThIngs To do up the hill to the highest point, the Fünf-Seen-Blick, (maximinstrasse 17), just down the street from Trier is possibly the oldest city in germany, settled offers a breathtaking view of the entire wine- Longen’s, offers an assortment of classic by the romans in the first century B.c., and ruins making region. german cakes to accompany your coffee, which can be found scattered throughout the region. on is served under a beautiful grapevine pergola. the outskirts of Longuich is the römische villa where To eaT urbana. in the centre of Trier, Porta nigra, the best- The Longen Schlöder Winery’s restaurant serves → From $125 per night for double preserved roman gate north of the alps, ushers generous portions of traditional german cuisine. accommodation. longen‑schloeder.de 88 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

Engineered to the Finest Detail. Performance Like Nothing Else. Tall and austere. A simple form presents from the wall behind it while enhancing the sense of space by drawing the eye to the wall color. Rated for interior and exterior applications. I am LED www.modernforms.com AZURE-FORQ-SEPT-2013.indd 1 9/23/13 6:59 AM

Design File heat slick Clean-burning fireplaces in novel shapes and finishes Flickers By Diane Chan 1 23 4 56 1 tube 3 Vertigo 4 B-Fire 35 6 Linnea by acquaefuoco by Safretti by tulp by Paloform The italian company’s laser-cut metal vertigo, by Porsche design Studio, These fireplaces appear to merge The concrete tiles that surround pipe contains a round steel bio-etha- stays balanced by leaning against seamlessly with the wall, thanks to this fireplace are individually hand nol burner, which produces a flame the wall. available in black, white or the undercover frame. While this cast at the company’s facility near that lasts up to three and a half hours. mirror finishes, it features a remote- model comes in a rectangular version, Toronto, so no two are alike. They acquaefuoco-mood.it controlled bio-ethanol burner. the company also makes round ones. come in six neutral shades, such as The glass screen lowers when the tulp.eu dove, nou gat and chai, as well as in 2 WS54 See thru fireplace is switched off, and is custom colours. paloform.com by town & Country Fireplaces equipped with an automatic emer- 5 Direct Vent 6 Ft gency stop. safretti.com by Spark This widescreen fireplace can be viewed from either side. it comes with This fireplace with a 1.8-metre-long a gas or propane burner, and clad ceramic glass window can be placed in reflective black, brown, copper or wherever it can vent to the outside, titanium porcelain panels. through a roof or an exterior wall. townandcountryfireplaces.net sparkfires.com 90 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

mad for Striking radiators that ramp up functionality with towel warmers rads and other modular components 1 2 4 3 5 6 1 Square 2 Flaps 4 Cut 6 Vertiga Dunes by Tubes Radiatori by Antrax by Caleido by Jaga The latest iteration of this modular The protruding plates of victor Alessandro canepa’s bold radiator, The organic lines of this rad, which design features an innovative heating vasi lev’s recyclable aluminum in 35 colours, is defined by the is clad in milled MdF with a matte system that reduces its already low radi ator, in two widths and heights rounded cuts in its steel body, which lacquer, take their cues from the water capacity and produces 20 per and over 200 colours, act as hooks allow you to hang towels and lend it shadow effect seen in the swirling cent higher heat output than its for bathrobes and towels. It also a softer feel. caleido.it sand of desert dunes. jaga-usa.com predecessor. tubesradiatori.com comes in an electric model. antrax.it 5 Bryce 3 Black Diamond by Vasco by Foursteel Inspired by the eroded chalk and This geometric wall rad, in hydraulic sandstone formations of Bryce and electric versions, measures canyon in Utah, this vertical rad’s 1.5 metres high and comes in black, optional skinny towel holders white, gold and brushed stainless enhance its minimal aesthetic. steel. foursteel.eu vasco.com nov ⁄ dec 2013 91

Design File heat stove Compact models for heating up smaller spaces with flair style 3 1 2 4 5 6 7 1 S4 3 twinfire Solo 5 elements 7 Product by Napoleon by Wittus by Skantherm by ecoSmart Fire This clean-lined, 2.25-cubic-foot This black steel wood burner radi- at its core, this latest collection The ultra-minimalist ghost is wood stove has a nine-hour burn ates high heat, yet consumes little from germany is a series of boxes, composed of toughened glass and time. it features a cast iron door, fuel and produces less ash than cus tom izable to fit rooms of any stainless steel, and fuelled by a pedestal base, and a sliding ash other Wittus stoves. wittus.com size. it doubles as a divider, or it can bio-ethanol, which burns cleanly drawer for easy cleaning. be used as a corner chimney stove, for up to eight hours. it suits napoleonproducts.com 4 Smokestack with or without an integrated bench. smaller spaces, both residential by Frederik Roijé skantherm.com and commercial. ecosmartfire.com 2 Max The dutch designer produces his by Stadler Form 6 Paloma corten steel Smokestack in metal and berry are the latest addi- the netherlands. inspired by the by heat & Glo tions to this line of tiny room heaters archetypal factory chimney, it This elegant, compact heater even from the Swiss manufacturer. stands two metres tall. roije.com operates during power outages, via stadlerform.ch the patented intelliFire auto-ignition system. heatnglo.com 92 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

Open house 24-28 JAN. 2014 AZUREMAGAZINE.COM PARIS NORD VILLEPINTE www.maison-objet.com International home design exhibition Trade only Promosalons Tel. +1 514 861 5668 [email protected] Garath Hacker. Bosa © Tiziano Rossi. preview, © Cyril Lagel, 123RF, Getty Images, Graphic Obsession. SCP © Soonsalon © Michiel Cornelissen. © Cinna. © Sentou. Organisation SAFI, filiale des Ateliers d’Art de France et de Reed Expositions France NOV⁄DEC

Material World raW Concrete slabs, composite veneers and ethical quarried stone for decorative, surface durable countertops and furnishings BY Paige MagarreY Project: PariSh ceNter – chUrch oF the holY MartYrS, UNqUera, SPaiN at the foot of a Mountain in Spain’s lush cantabria also defined the interior space.” outside, the encased in natural exposed concrete, which was region, the church of the Holy martyrs is at once concrete has been specially treated to demarcate processed in situ and left raw, with just a simple decidedly modern yet in harmony with the historical the sacred areas from the rest of the facilities. The waterproof satin finish on the exterior. For the third urban fabric of unquera. The horizontal volume, firm painted the four concrete walls that encase section, which holds the main nave and a smaller designed by local architecture firms Fernandez- the nave with a copper-red silicate pigment, which chapel with confessional, the natural concrete walls abascal & muruzabal and ortiz & Barrientos, is forms a boldly hued band that wraps around the and ceiling complement a skylight that runs along defined by its stark concrete finish. “The building’s chapel like a ribbon. the north axis, flooding the space with natural light. forms and spaces are characterized by the The 445-square-metre building ushers parish- Throughout, wood accents in oak and iroco material’s economy and the expressiveness,” says ioners through a glazed foyer with uninterrupted connect the religious building with its surroundings. architect eduardo Fernandez-abascal. “We wished views to the street and the mountains. The next to construct the church with one material that section, for service, houses offices and classrooms, aF aFrica aS aSia aU auSTralia eU europe Me middle eaST Na norTH america NZ neW zealand Sa SouTH america UK uniTed Kingdom WW WorldWide engineered stone heat resistant and durable, these non-porous slabs suit kitchen countertops and bacteria-resistant bathroom furnishings, tiles and walls. cambria’s countertops, in deep caesarstone recently added a DuPont’s zodiaq line of surfacing is okite Sustainably sourced and tones flecked with quartz, are made host of new colourways that feature greenguard certified, stain resistant fabricated within 500 miles of from raw material mined within the chic natural veins and bold hues and highly durable. available in a projects in north america, these north america. The company also of marble, but with the strength and wide variety of colours and styles, two- or three-centimetre-thick slabs recycles all of its water and uses its dura bility of quartz. including a line of speckled earth can be specified as large-scale units scrap by-product as road substrate WW caesarstone.ca tones made with 25 per cent for countertops, bathroom fixtures on local construction projects. cosentino’s Silestone quartz post- consumer recycled content. and partition walls. Na cambriacanada.com WW dupont.com Na okite.us counter tops integrate a silver ion system to prevent the spread of bacteria. The made-to-order panels come in large formats also suitable for walls and furniture. WW silestone.com 94 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

ConCrete High-performance, ultra-thin products with light-emitting features add a decorative flourish to everything from panels to furniture. G.tecz This German researcher → Hering Bau International’s three- develops such high-tech materials millimetre-thick Blingcrete panels as skinny.B concrete panels, which are embedded with glass beads that are highly durable despite measuring reflect natural and artificial light. a mere three millimetres thick. eu na blingcrete.com Available in fabric-like reliefs, they solid Poetry Inspired by the mark- can be affixed to walls with glue, hooks or screws. ings left by leaves on damp pave- ment, these panels and bricks – ideal ww gtecz-engineering.com for bathrooms, kitchens and patios – Lafarge’s ductal is reinforced by reveal their decorative patterns only organic or metallic fibre, which when wet. results in thinner, longer, more ornate eu solidpoetry.com spans for countertops, staircases Litracon’s light-transmitting and interior storage systems without concrete incorporates thousands of diminishing structural stability or minuscule optical glass fibres to durability. create luminous load-bearing interior ww ductal-lafarge.com walls, such as the one developed for the Budapest Music center by Art1st design Studio. ww litracon.hu Quarried These brands have developed eco-manufacturing methods for limestone, stone marble and granite. Camantra custom-carves sinks, → Ciot’s natural stone slabs for Coldspring decreases its eco- fireplaces, railings and water kitchen and bath countertops come footprint in producing granite features out of sandstone and in an exclusive line of granite, lime- and limestone by recycling 95 per limestone sourced from an ethical stone, marble, onyx, quartz, slate cent of the water it consumes, quarry in India. The material is and other semi- precious varieties. minimizing transport time and tested to ensure it can withstand na ciot.com reusing by- products for aggregate. canadian weather extremes. antolini The Italian manufacturer’s na coldspringusa.com na camantra.ca latest granite and stone offerings Polycor operates more than 25 include the Woodstone collection quarries throughout north America, of parquet-inspired strip patterns, so its granite, marble and limestone and the Texture+ line of rugged countertops take up less emission- natural finishes. heavy travel time. as eu Me na sa uk antoliniusa.com na polycor.com veneer Man-made veneers that combine stone aggregates and cement deliver look-alikes a lightweight, cost-effective alternative to quarried materials. Century architexture’s six- ← arriscraft manufactures a variety millimetre-thick panels are made of thin cladding in engineered sand- from sandblasted reclaimed brick, stone for interior walls and fireplaces. painted to replicate industrial Arris.stack units adhere directly to walls. The lightweight product is the wall-like tile, while Arris.clip units installed via a simple mesh matrix snap on to a pre-engineered grid and sealed with mortar. system. ww centuryarchitexture.com na arriscraft.com Giovanni Barbieri’s hand-carved stoneRox This three-centimetre- marble wall tiles include the sinu- thick manufactured stone veneer ↑ norstone’s selection of natural ously curved Boreal, the decorative weighs significantly less than the stone tile veneers includes the Marble Relief, and the geometric real thing. Made from aggregates, distinctive Basalt IL collection of exciton, which has a unique Portland cement, pigments and mat-mounted tiles made from trompe-l’oeil effect. admixtures, it’s ideal for interior walls, cooled lava rock. Available in three eu na giovannibarbieri.com fireplaces and backsplashes. interchangeable strip sizes. na stonerox.ca au eu na uk norstoneusa.com nov ⁄ dec 2013 95

media Shelf 3 1 2 1 aRthuR eRickson: 2 Lost RiveRs an aRchitect’s LiFe DocumentaRy FiLm by caRoLine bâcLe The case studies in this feature documentary from catbird book by DaviD stouck Productions examine the consequences of channelling urban There is a cinematic arc to this biography of arthur erickson, published by rivers into concrete tunnels, as in Toronto, where sewage over- douglas & mcintyre. From his beatnik journey through the aeolian islands to whelms the system during heavy rains, making rivers and lakes his late-’70s design for the new abu nawas cultural district in Baghdad, toxic to humans and wildlife. director caroline Bâcle depicts the stories are not entirely unfamiliar. But details enliven the prose, including the success of a decades-long campaign in Yonkers, new York, to portraits of pre-war vancouver when erickson and his friends would listen daylight Sawmill creek and transform a parking lot into a river to records in darkened salons, and a heady ’70s-era dialogue with then prime teeming with fish, without glossing over the toll on businesses minister Pierre Trudeau about the design for the robson Square courthouse. that have endured seemingly endless construction. although david Stouck makes the case for erickson as philosopher-architect, these rivers were buried to make city building easier, Lost Rivers cultural anthropologist and – despite a shared love-hate relationship with convincingly argues that until they are re integrat ed into the erickson’s hometown – the visionary of vancouverism, the idea of a car-free landscape, problems will continue to resurface. you may aLso downtown, green roofing and a unique west coast modernist take on Frank Like: Reverse Effect, a book by architect Jeanne gang and her Lloyd wright’s architecture. students that examines the damage caused by a canal connect- The result is a very canadian story about a nice boy from Point grey, ing the great Lakes and mississippi basins, and the ongoing enamoured of the natural world and enchanted by the east, who flew too effort to re-separate these watersheds. BY david dick‑agnew close to the sun, got burned by american excess, then returned to heal in west coast solitude: The Fountainhead meets On the Road, produced by the cBc. along the way, he had an amazing ride, from travels in the middle east, 3 mvRDv buiLDings Bali (where he was delighted to learn that architects are also priests) and book by anDReas anD iLka Ruby Japan, which deeply influenced his work, through to the successes of his in this hefty volume, published by nai 010 and filled with 38 pro- campus buildings for Simon Fraser university and the university of Lethbridge jects by the trail-blazing dutch firm mvrdv, the writers inter- in alberta, and the ensuing disappointments, including personal bankruptcy. view residents, employees and neighbours to tell each building’s Stouck presents erickson and his life (he died in 2009 at 84) as a study in story through a human-centred lens. at Silodam, a tiered contrasts, pinned between monastic tendencies and a desire to be “at the residential block moored to amsterdam’s river iJ, residents fight centre of things” – not unlike the tension between containment and expression to implement their own design changes. at mirador, a madrid that animated his best work. Through it all, erickson seems to float above residence that resembles an assortment of Tetris blocks, the his troubles, buoyed by an optimism born of a christian Science– heavy child- open communal space has been closed to the public, due to hood, a Buddhist calm and a passion for architecture as fine art. you may aLso drunken teens tossing bottles from the balustrade. This story- Like: michelangelo Sabatino’s forthcoming Arthur Erickson: Architecture into telling approach is an exception among monographs, all the Landscape (Princeton architectural Press), a look at erickson’s contributions more interesting because the architects embrace the various to architectural production during the ’60s and ’70s. BY hadani diTmarS reactions to their inventive buildings – and accept that the people who use them will always be the judges. you may aLso Like: Hadani Ditmars is the author of dancing in the no Fly zone: a woman’s The Vertical Village (nai Publishers), by mvrdv co-founder winy Jour ney Through iraq. She grew up on the SFU campus and has belly-danced maas and others. The book exam ines radical alternatives to in Erickson’s garden. the familiar high-rise model. BY eLizaBeTh PagLiacoLo 96 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

the show 4 Visitors to Ambiente experience the world. They visit opportunities. Possibilities. Inter - national trends. Presented by more than 4,700 exhibitors. In the Living area they visit a wealth of ideas for interior design, furnish- ing and decoration. They visit new horizons. The future. Kanada -GB When will you visit the show? Information and tickets at advance sale prices at ambiente.messefrankfurt.com [email protected] 5 Tel. 905-824-5017 DU: 20.09.2013 7 – 11. 2. 2014 4 Formica Forever book edited by abbott miller When one imagines a mid-century kitchen, it’s difficult not to picture a brightly coloured laminate table with matching chairs at its centre. To fete its 100th anniversary, Formica, the company that pioneered the material, has released a 408-page commem- orative picture book chronicling its history. designed by new york’s Pentagram, with perforated pages inspired by a 1960s swatch book, Formica Forever (Metropolis books) is bursting with vintage print ads and photographs of contemporary projects, interspersed with snippets of prose from authors, including Margaret atwood and John Updike, to illustrate the material’s cultural foothold. The result is a rich source of both nostalgic images and ideas for modern interiors. you may also like: 100 Masterpieces from the Vitra Design Museum Collection, a catalogue published by the 63-year-old swiss furniture company, detailing some of the iconic pieces on view at its museum in Weil am rhein, Germany. by diane cHan 5 interaction oF color app by the JoseF & anni albers Foundation abstract artist and teacher Josef albers’ seminal book 57918-013_AM_Living_theShow_Azure_105x292 • CD-Rom • ISO 39 • CMYK •tg: 02.10.2013 Inter action of Color first appeared in 1963 and remains a go-to source for distilling colour theory into lay people’s prose. it still turns up on curricula, so a re-release hardly seems like news. yet this app from yale University Press brings it into the 21st century with elegant panache. The idea is simple: publish the book in tablet form, and animate albers’ colour block studies, which illustrate how colours react to one another, and allow users to create their own. With a screen tap, a pinwheel swatch Partner country PHoTos by alessandro cancian is captivating, and the possibilities are endless. if albers were Ambiente 2014 appears and morphs into a family of a million hues. The interface around today, he would approve. you may also like: German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Theory of Colours (dover Fine art), which explores the human response to colour and predates albers’ book by 153 years. by caTHerine osborne nov ⁄ dec 2013 97

boldface and the winners are… Tackling issues from climate change and infant mortality to Design exchange urban infrastructure, the winning concepts of the annual indeX: design to improve Life awards are raspberry Pi, 234 Bay St, toronto Dx.ORg an affordable microcomputer designed by a collective at the University of Cambridge in the u.K. that teaches young people about programming; a knapsack- sized kit, from Laerdal Global Health of norway, made up of three reusable devices for training birthing assistants in essential care; the city of copenhagen’s Climate Adaptation Plan, which calls for new green spaces and water boulevards; FreshPaper, by Kavita Shukla, a low-cost, compostable paper that keeps food fresher for longer; and Smart Highway, by dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure, a responsive surface (featured in Azure’s September 2013 issue) that visually communicates road conditions and generates electricity for its own street lights. See the winners at designtoimprovelife.dk. in September, the aga Khan awards for architecture were announced in Lisbon. The jury, which included 2012 Pritzker Prize laureate Wang Shu, as well as Toshiko mori and david adjaye, divided the $1-million prize among five projects: the revitalization of the Birzeit Historic centre in Palestine, by Riwaq; the rabat-Salé urban infrastructure Project in morocco, by Marc Mimran Architecture; the rehabilitation of Tabriz Bazaar in iran, by ICHTO East a collection oF the work S o F 100 DesigneRs fOR Azerbaijan Office; the Salam centre for cardiac Surgery great maSterS o F italian deSign in Khartoum, by Studio Tamassociati; and the islamic at dX, Following a SucceSSFul cemetery in altach, austria, by Bernardo Bader run at the muSeo della Scien- 100 new tOy caRs zae della tecnologia di milano, Architects. To view all of the winners, go to with new canadian creationS. nov 16 — FeB 9, 2014 akdn.org/architecture. also in September, 27 projects received u.K. restaurant and Bar design awards at a ceremony in London’s Farmiloe Building. Foster + Partners’ futuristic atrium champagne Bar, situated inside the me Hotel in London, took home the best bar award, and NORM Architects’ rough-hewn yet minimalist Höst in denmark won the best restaurant award. other honourees include the Feast Yan, an ethereal eatery in Shenzhen, china, by Neri&Hu (see Azure’s profile on the firm, page 66) Tony Hobba Architects’ Third Wave Kiosk, a public facility for a beach in Torquay, australia, clad in naturally weathered metal sheets; and Sandra Tarruella Interioristas’ whimsical interior for the rocambolesc gelateria in girona, Spain. To see of all the winners, visit restaurantandbardesignawards.com. The royal institute of British architects selected astley castle in Warwickshire, u.K., by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, for the 2013 Stirling Prize. The firm inserted a light-filled, contemporary interior into a 12th-century manor, while conserving the surrounding Tudor and Jacobean ruins. riBa also bestowed the royal gold medal for architecture on architectural historian Joseph Rykwert, who joins the ranks of Peter zumthor, david chipperfield and i. m. Pei. in other riBa news, the association announced 11 fellows for 2014: Alberto Campo Baeza, Fernando Márquez Cecilia, Richard Levene and Luis Fernandez Galliano of Spain; Herman Czech of austria; Marcel Meili and Markus Peter of Switzerland; Luigi Snozzi of italy; Max Risselada of the netherlands; and american architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. in october, green roofs for Healthy cities handed out the 2013 green roof and Wall awards of excellence. Symbios Eco-tecture was lauded for topping two california proj- ects – the ellis creek Water recycling Facility in Petaluma, and a private residence in Fairfax – with innovative plant systems. Diamond Schmitt Architects was recognized for installing the largest living wall on a u.S. university campus, that of the Papadakis integrated Science Building, at Philadelphia’s drexel university; and MKM 98 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com

LTD 078 Azure NovDec2013_LobbyStationaryStools 9/17/13 10:25 AM Page 1 Landscape Architecture won for the green terrace it The Lobby Stationary Stools added to The visionaire, a Leed Platinum condominium in new York. For all of the winners, visit greenroofs.org. Shaw contract Group announced the six winners of its eighth annual design Is… Award program. The initiative recognizes compelling commercial spaces that incorporate the manufacturer’s eco-friendly carpet tile collections. The winners are AECOM’s flexible headquarters for velti, a San Francisco mobile marketing and advertising company; ITOKI Corporation’s light-flooded complex for Tokyo’s SYnQA IToKI Innovation center; HDR Architecture’s fluid interior for the Bellevue Medical center, in nebraska; HGA Architects and Engineers’ warm, inviting Janet Wallace Fine Arts center for Macalester college, in St. Paul, Minnesota; HNTB Architecture’s crisp office building for the national nuclear Security Administration’s security campus in Kansas city, Missouri; and Avola-Llaber Arquitectos’ vibrant interior for Red Bull’s office in San Isidro, Argen tina. For more details, visit shawcontractgroup.com. Adam Laufer’s drop Pod is the 2013 James dyson Award national Winner for canada. A graduate of Toronto’s Humber college, Laufer designed the stand-alone pod to contain and treat human waste in disaster zones. Imagined in plastic, the contraption packs and ships easily, and needs no tools to assemble. Laufer wins $3,000 and will go on to compete for the $46,000 international prize. David Chipperfield has been named the architecture laureate in the 2013 Praemium Imperiale arts prizes, awarded in the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre and film. The other winners include sculptor Antony Gormley, director Francis Ford coppola, lisataylordesigns.com painter Michelangelo Pistoletto and tenor Plácido domingo. The chicago Athenaeum and the european centre for Architecture Art design and Urban Studies have jointly awarded the european Prize for Architecture to Finland’s Marco Casagrande, who has created such whimsical Finest selection of installations as the oystermen public art sculptures in Kinmen, Taiwan; and cicada, a cocoon-like woven pavilion contemporary in Taipei. European style Artist and architect Jimenez Lai, of chicago’s Bureau Spectacular, the firm behind the Little Monster shelving stoves and and seating system, has received the Lisbon Triennale fireplaces Millennium’s BcP début Award. The distinction recognizes an architect under 35 years old for developing original design thinking. Phenix Green BIG MOVES 0-clearance In September, Swiss furniture company vitra acquired Built-in Finland’s Artek from Proventus, a private investment company. Founded in 1935 by renowned architect Alvar Fireplace Aalto and his wife Aino, Artek has collaborated with such titans as eero Aarnio and naoto Fukasawa, and will continue to operate as a separate company. Glenn Adamson, former head of the research department at London’s victoria & Albert Museum, has been appointed director of the Museum of Arts and design. He replaces Holly Hotchner, who resigned at the end of April. In a bold move, architect david Rockwell has named Shawn Sullivan as the Rockwell Group’s first partner. Sullivan has been at the firm for more than 15 years and is now working on Andaz Maui, a hotel in Wailea, Hawaii; and the nobu Hotel for caesars Palace, in Las vegas. developer André Balazs has announced plans to transform eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at new York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport into a hotel and conference centre. neither a time frame nor an architect Wittus Inc. has been announced. 914.764.5679 www.wittus.com nov ⁄ dec 2013 99

adVeRTISeR INdex adVeRTISeR paGe adVeRTISeR paGe FOR adVeRTISING amala carpets 16 idS 12 antolini 6,7 innovia 26 INFORmaTION archinect 28 Keilhauer 4,5 pleaSe CONTaCT: audi 2,3 Knoll 49 Jeffrey Bakazias aya Kitchens 27 Lincoln 35 (416) 203-9674 x238 B&B italia 25 Lisa Taylor design 99 [email protected] Boston architectural college 30 Living divani 37 Buick 29 maison objet 93 Laura Levy caesarstone 103 messe Frankfurt 97 (416) 203-9674 x221 cascade coil 100 moncer Specialty Flooring 11 [email protected] ceragres 17 nienkämper 15 Dinah Quattrin designTrends 98 Prima Lighting 14 (416) 993-9636 designtex 20 rimadesio 39 [email protected] dx 98 Scavolini 13 eQ3 8 Shaw 73 european Flooring 19 SoFa 24 eventscape 23 Spark modern Fires 101 Fantini 41,65 varasmus 51 Foscarini 31 viking 43 gaggenau 81 Wac Lighting 89 global 104 WetStyle 9 Hansgrohe 10 Wittus 99 SUBSCRIBe TO AZURE TOday phONe: (416) 932-5082 aNd SaVe mORe ThaN 70%! e-maIl: [email protected] WeB: azuremagazine.com/subscribe deSIGN SOURCe COmING IN azURe: jan ⁄ FeB 2014 stunning HOMEs AROunD tHE WORLD CaSCade COIl dRapeRy Woven wire mesh offers many advantages over conventional drapery. Besides being durable, fireproof, and virtually maintenance-free, plUS our material diffuses and enhances lighting without blocking views or → SHoW HigHLigHTS From 100% deSign, ventilation. complement your project using cascade coil drapery cerSaie and iidex for space division, ceiling and wall coverings, lighting effects, retail → WaLLPaPerS and FaBricS THaT PuncH displays, energy saving window treatments and exterior shading, semi-security, and much more. (800) 999-2645 cascadecoil.com uP a room 100 nov ⁄ dec 2013 azuremagazine.com