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DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
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/ WWW.DESIGNANDARCHITECTURE.COM / / ISSUE 110. 2019 • S$8 /
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HYLA ARCHITECTS
JEWEL CHANGI AIRPORT
SAFDIE ARCHITECTS
MANTAB WORKPLACE S/LAB 10
TOWER OF BRICKS INTERVAL ARCHITECTS
TECH IN THE BATHROOM
CATCH-UP ON THE LATEST ADVANCEMENTS
/ CONTENTS / ISSUE 110 2019
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/ MOOD BOARD
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14 ONE TO PINE FOR 17 REFRESHED AND UPDATED 18 GUIDING LINE 20 MORE THAN A GARAGE
/ FEATURE 24 PRIVACY, ENHANCED 30 AS YOU LIKE
/ REPORT 34 SALONE DEL MOBILE 2019
/ PROJECTS
68 NATURAL DIALOGUE 76 A SIAMESE TRIBUTE
40 HOMAGE TO HOFFMAN
84 HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
48 URBAN CENTRE IN THE EAST
92 REINVENTING THE CATALAN VAULT
56 LIVING LOUNGE
100 STAYING IN VOGUE
60 MIDAS TOUCH
106 MODERN NOSTALGIA
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/ ON THE COVER The true nature of grey face brick is deliberately kept exposed in Surprising Seclusion, a corner terrace by HYLA Architects, lending it a pleasing ruggedness.
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/ PEOPLE 112 THE WORKER 114 THE SEER
/ EVENT 120 ARCHITECTS ASSEMBLE
/ REGULARS 10 EDITOR’S NOTE 118 BEST PRACTICE 122 SUBSCRIPTION 123 CATALOGUE 128 AVANT-GARDE
/ MOOD BOARD /
/ WORDS LOW SHI PING /
GUIDING LINE A structure in this office hosts greenery and office supplies, while acting as an architectural datum.
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tudio SKLIM has just completed the renovation of Cairnhill Law in Singapore. The 135m2 office is distinctive for what it calls a “verdant spine”, which is a linear structure just inside the entrance foyer, and running the length of the space. Rounded on one end, it is made up of a meeting niche, open and closed storage spaces and a printing station. A profusion of plants is spread along it, in tune with the rest of the office design, which offers “a relaxed biophilic environment to a rather demanding profession”. “We envisaged the spine as a ‘landform’ with its own ‘forest canopy’,” says Kevin Lim, Principal of Studio SKLIM. “A sporadic placement of plants was
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also suggested by the client’s fengshui master and we took the opportunity to consolidate each of these positions into a contiguous volume, proliferating the
planting area such that it formed an elongated arching planter.” Bewilder came onboard as the botanical design consultant, using greenery such as Philodendron, Asplenium, Peperomia and Pyrrosia hybrids and cultivars. A selection of Aeschynanthus and Epipremnum cultivars were also used throughout. These were selected for their hardiness and ability to grow in low-light environments. There was also the desire to emulate a forest understory, and provide for enough contrast by way of differing shades of greens, browns, textures and lustre. Eventually, the plants will provide a lush frame for the spine as they climb along it. Lim says they deliberately avoided a manicured look, “Rather, the aesthetics of
/ PHOTOGRAPHY 之KHOO GUOJIE
FLOOR PLAN
the greenery draws inspiration from the tropical rainforest and was intentionally designed to be on the wild side, reflective of the flora in this region.” Aesthetics aside, he points to how the verdant spine helps to define work zones and circulations, while co-existing with wild nature. “It is an architectural datum to distinguish between the more private working spheres from the public circulation. This spine gathers all the necessary storage and printing needs by compacting them into a single element, placing them in close proximity to each respective work sphere, thus enabling an efficient workflow. “For example, the storage shelves for the admin staff are placed within an arm’s
length, the meeting niche was placed at a short distance from the main meeting room to enable small meetings to take place, such as the signing of documents.”
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/ FEATURE /
/ WORDS LOW SHI PING
AS YOU LIKE A private tour of the factory of Italian furniture manufacture LEMA impresses with its production process fine-tuned to cater to customised orders.
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t is 11am on an early spring day and the sky over Alzate Brianza in the province of Como is a brilliant, cloudless blue. We have just pulled up at the entrance of Italian furniture manufacture LEMA, an hour out from Milan. On the agenda is a tour of its sprawling 50,000m2 facility, which also includes its headquarters, main factory and showroom, and a chat with its current president Angelo Meroni. This is one of two sites that it has – the other sits on 30,000m2 of land located 15 minutes away in Giussano.
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These facts allude to the capabilities of LEMA, founded in 1970. To date, it has a presence in 65 countries and close to 1,000 dealers. Supporting them are almost 250 employees. TAILOR MADE For the uninitiated, LEMA was the first Italian company to develop made-tomeasure, custom-built closets. This it calls “Armadio al Centimetro”, or “Wardrobe by the Centimetre”, which debuted in 1981. Using a series of basic modules, customers can decide on the height, width
and depth. Freedom is also had in the selection of doors – hinged, folding or sliding – and the interior fittings (drawers, glass shelves, shoe racks etc.). All this is available in an assortment of finishes spanning thermally-treated oak, carbon oak, tobacco oak, glass, leather and hide. These can be presented in more than 40 glossy or matte lacquered colours. The modules are also suitable for use as bookcases that can double up as room dividers, or even sideboards. This means that the LEMA factory is not your run-of-the-mill production
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/1 Aerial view of LEMA’s factory in Alzate Brianza, measuring 50,000m2.
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/ 2-3 The factory is made up of different sections that support the production of customised wardrobe orders.
facility. In fact, it requires a sizable preproduction team to support the high degree of customisation. Housed in a room to one side is some 35 staff that make up the technical department. According to Meroni, theirs is the most challenging part of the process. “This team receives the drawings of the wardrobe from our clients and translates them to ensure the factory floor understands the order. They also ensure we can meet the requirements of what the client wants.” As proof of how important LEMA views this step in the process, staff working here are required to train for one year, before they are allowed to work independently. ON THE FACTORY FLOOR As soon as an order is ready, it gets sent to the factory to be fulfilled. This is a cavernous space abuzz with activity.
In the section nearest the main entrance, the raw materials get prepared to be assembled into the basic modules. It is from this that the unit gets assembled. Each order has a unique bar code with details such as the dimensions and finishing required of it, the client’s name and the address where the piece is to be installed. Walk deeper into the factory and there are sections such as the veneer production. Made from sustainably sourced oak from Germany and Canada, the pieces are carefully chosen to ensure uniformity. Depending on the order, they will be stitched together to fit bigger panels, and can even be finished with lacquer, or thermal treated for a darker colour. An area is dedicated to water-based lacquering, with up to 40 colours available. Orders of more than 50 pieces will be fulfilled by a machine, while anything less than that is done manually.
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/ REPORT /
/ WORDS MICHELE KOH MOROLLO
SALONE DEL MOBILE 2019 The 58th edition of the world’s most important furniture fair saw many new products and collections that combined expertise from different fields. Here are six of the most interesting trends we spotted this year.
The Lullaby lounge chair has a distinctive configuration and inclination that mimics the effect of a cradle or rocking chair. Designed by Nicola Gallizia for Porro, the chair has reversed L-shaped wooden legs and a V-shaped body, with the angle of the V resting on the floor. With its ash wood frame covered in light, blue fabric, and small supporting feet in champagne painted metal, the Lullaby pays homage to the Bauhaus ideal of formal purism and functionality with its cleanlined, solid shape.
/ ANGLES AND GEOMETRY / Cutting, angular silhouettes, bevelled surfaces and unusual asymmetrical or irregular geometric forms were seen in many new designs.
From Molteni&C comes Surf, a structured but plush sofa designed by renowned Canadian designer duo George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg. Gently curved edges and rounded, organic forms soften the rigid lines of this elegant, rectilinear sofa. The modular system includes a chaise lounge with a slightly protruding backrest for improved ergonomics and corner and terminal elements. Available in a variety of textiles and leathers from the Molteni&C collection, a complementary “dumb waiter” side table can also be included to complete the setup.
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With its smooth prismatic top and pyramid-like metal and marble legs, the Amadeus table looks like a modern, masonry sculpture that’s both functional and poetic. Designed by Roberto Lazzeroni for Giorgetti, its rectangular, beautifully-grained marble top is accented with a bevelled Canaletto Walnut trim that’s available in three colours, and enhances the table’s gemlike character.
Alivar’s avant-garde Shanghai bookcase designed by Bavuso Giuseppe has a unique, eye-catching design that enlivens a room with its sophisticated style. Inspired by the interior of a beehive, the bookcase has shelves designed in a net-like formation that highlights the geometric pattern created by the lines and voids. Shanghai is available with an external frame in oak or matt lacquered MDF, and an inner frame in DULVER, clad in either spatulated concrete “HD grey 111” or lacquer.
/ MADE TO LAST / The growing concerns about environmental degradation were not lost on many brands, which championed a sustainable, eco-friendly approach to furniture-making.
Japanese graphic designer Rikako Nagashima collaborated with Kinnasand Lab to create SCRAP curtains for Kvadrat. Nagashima often thinks about how she can incorporate upcycling in her work and says, “For this collaboration with Kinnasand Lab, I took scrap paper from various projects at my graphic design practice and highlighted the ink stains and print errors as a serendipitous design pattern.” The curtains are made of 100 percent recycled polyester produced from recycled plastic bottles, and have a matt and sandy appearance and crepe-like texture.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of their original classic aluminium 1006 Navy Chair, Emeco has introduced a new addition of the chair in sustainable wood. Crafted in collaboration with the brand’s Amish neighbours in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the chair is available in solid white oak, black-stained oak, and walnut wood sourced from sustainablymanaged forests. Thoughtfully engineered with the Navy Chair’s signature H-stretcher holding the legs in place, this stable and strong chair is versatile and extremely durable.
e15 introduced the Basis modular work station – a multipurpose, smart but relaxed desk system that’s flexible enough to be used for both entertaining and work. Designed by British architect David Chipperfield, the Basis has a streamlined rectangular top made from flat, wide European oak planks. A high table with a round or square top can be added on to enlarge it. Like other e15 furniture, all materials used in the construction, including the wood from sustainable forests, are recyclable and degradable.
Made out of 100 percent recyclable polypropylene fiber, which transpires and warms like wool, Woodnotes’ Lake, Pond, Rain and River Outdoor Carpets hold up well even in moist and humid conditions, and can also be used indoors. With a high level of colour fastness even in sunlight, these carpets are resistant to abrasion and damage caused by sea or swimming pool water, making them the perfect choice for balconies, terraces or pool decks.
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/ MIXED-USE /
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URBAN CENTRE IN THE EAST Jewel Changi Airport is a one-of-a-kind architectural project resolutely designed for the people.
Moshe Safdie, Safdie Architects
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esidents of and visitors to Singapore have a new playground: Jewel Changi Airport. Since the project opened to the public on 17 April 2019, it has been swamped with people coming from all over the island to experience the mixed-use development. Sited on a former open-air carpark and designed by Moshe Safdie, it rises 37m from ground level between the iconic air traffic control tower and Terminal 1. On first glance, it is easy to mistake the massing to be a dome, but it is not. Instead, the 10-storey Jewel is a torus with a roof measuring approximately 200m long and 150m wide. It is a contiguous gridshell held up by 14 tree-like columns and a ring beam at its edge. More than 9,000 special, highperformance architectural glass panels are used to form the façade. The glass was selected for its ability to transmit daylight, be energy efficient and minimise
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heat gain – an important factor given the tropical weather. Additionally, there is a 16mm air gap between the glass panels (this is sandwiched by an outer layer and a double-laminated inner layer) to insulate against noise from the aircraft in the surrounding terminals. DERAILED PLANS Off centre of the torus is an 11m-wide oculus, the HSBC Rain Vortex. Into this pours rain water that falls 40m down, first through Jewel’s five-level indoor garden, and then two basements, at a rate of approximately 10,000 gallons per minute during high flow. The water free falls around 25m between the roof to Level 1 and then a further 15m down to Basement 2. An acrylic structure encloses it in Basements 1 and 2, and separates the waterfall from the spaces around it.
/ PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO PERIPHERY
/1 Jewel Changi Airport is a torus with an 11m-wide oculus off centre of it.
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/ COMMERCIAL /
/ WORDS SASHA GONZALES
LIVING LOUNGE Simple and modern with a hint of understated luxury, the new ZUGORAMA and V Dining is more than a showroom for Swiss brand V-Zug’s premium appliances.
Peter Tay, Peter Tay Studio
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tep into ZUGORAMA at Scotts Square in Singapore and the first thing one might notice is how well-thought-out the space is. More than just a showroom, this new flagship is also where consumers can look at, and learn about, cutting-edge kitchen and laundry appliances from V-Zug, the luxury Swiss appliance company. At the heart of ZUGORAMA is V Dining, the first restaurant in the world opened by the brand. Famed interior designer Peter Tay of his eponymous studio was chosen to fulfil the brief: to create a space where people could experience V-Zug’s products firsthand, through live demonstrations. Tay was also asked to design V Dining such that it would not just function as a restaurant, but also a place where chefs could demonstrate the quality and durability of the appliances in an open-concept
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kitchen (all the dishes served at V Dining are prepared using V-Zug appliances). “I came up with the concept of a ‘living lounge’, where existing and potential customers can gather to discover how V-Zug appliances benefitted their daily lives,” says Tay, who has worked with celebrities like Zhang Ziyi, Zoe Tay and Stefanie Sun, as well as on projects for top brands like Armani Casa and luxury showflats for SC Global and Hotel Properties Limited (HPL). “The restaurant component is a novel way to play up that interactive aspect between showroom and dining experience.” FOCUS ON PRODUCTS When conceiving the layout, Tay first looked at how the space would best represent the brand and its products. He wanted the appliances to stand out and be, as he says, the “jewels of the
/1 Tay designed ZUGORAMA and V Dining to resemble a home, complete with kitchen, lounge and walk-in wardrobe.
kitchen”. He wanted people walking into the showroom to notice and appreciate even the smallest details on every product. “More importantly, the area needed to tell the history of V-Zug, which has been around since 1913 – that’s 106 years,” he adds. “My main objective was therefore to maintain the heritage of the brand throughout the entire space and figure
out how I could use design to make the products the main focus.” To this end, Tay created different areas or zones that were separate yet somehow related to one another. For example, walking into the showroom from the entrance, one has to pass the kitchen, which flows to the lounge and then the walk-in wardrobe. “This makes people feel like they are
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/ HOSPITALITY /
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/ PHOTOGRAPHY WISON TUNGTHUNYA
/1 Monumental yet calming, Raya Heritage’s lobby area celebrates its lush riverside setting using modern construction methods and a vernacular spirit.
/ WORDS MAX CROSBIE-JONES
NATURAL DIALOGUE A boutique hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand expertly weaves soul, culture, the elements and the principles of Le Corbusier.
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hile Thai property developer Premier Assets specialises in real estate projects mostly in Bangkok, its sister company Premier Resorts & Hotels Co. has created a handful of esteemed luxury hotels, including Krabi province’s Rayavadee Resort and Chiang Mai’s Tamarind Village. The third hotel in its portfolio is a serene, crafts-filled 33-suite resort abutting North Thailand’s Ping River, on a verdant slice of land 8km north of Chiang Mai’s city centre. The developer turned to Bangkok-based architect Boonlert Hemvijitraphan and his firm Boondesign (whose previous projects include Premier Assets’ 99 Residence, an upmarket housing development on Bangkok’s Rama 9 Road). According to Hemvijitraphan, the brief for what was to be his first hotel project was thin. “Initially, they just wanted to build a hotel in Chiang Mai,” he says. “Later, they came up with the idea that it should connect to traditional northern Thai, or Lanna, culture.” Faced with this open-ended wish list, he channeled what he calls “the mystery of the past” and let the 7,200m2 site, which stood empty save for several mature trees, dictate the flow of the design. The focal point is a transition space centering around an old neem tree. Guests,
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/ ABODE /
/1 The undulating curves of Villa Stgilat Aiguablava mimic the contours of the hilly landscape along the Spanish coast.
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/ PHOTOGRAPHY GREGORI CIVERA; JORDI ALCALÁ, ITOT PRODUCCIONS
/ WORDS PEARLIE TAN
REINVENTING THE CATALAN VAULT A modern case study demonstrates experimental sustainable building techniques inspired by the Costa Brava.
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/ DINE /
/1 Singaporean graffiti artist Has. J was commissioned to create a 10m-by6m graffiti mural that reflects the city-state’s vibrant street culture.
/ WORDS PRAISE POH
MODERN NOSTALGIA Occupying a double-storey façade, Black Tap at Marina Bay Sands has a black-and-white palette that references 1980s and 1990s New York, hip hop and pop art.
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he opening of Black Tap in Singapore marks many firsts for the burger joint sensation, which made its debut in SoHo New York in 2015. Not only is it the brand’s first flagship project in Asia, it is also the first to be located inside a retail mall, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. To cater to different groups of diners, Black Tap Singapore features banquette seating, booth dining and bar counters, with seating extending into the atrium, under a freestanding pavilion that can accommodate about 80 people. Speaking about its location, Julie Mulligan, partner and head of development and design at Black Tap, remarked that it is a perfect fit for Black Tap’s first Asia flagship. Besides the advantages of being within close proximity to the central business district and other iconic tourist attractions, she absolutely enjoys the waterfront view from where Black Tap Singapore is located and the ample natural daylight it receives. An architect herself, Mulligan worked closely with American architecture and design firm Rockwell Group to translate her vision and ideas into reality. In fact, she is responsible for the ideation of all Black Tap locations.
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