Architects-archaeologists rediscover the history of a building in Barcelona
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The Catalan studio Agora Arquitectura undresses the interiors of a historic building to reveal the original floors, decorations and materials. In order to renovate the flats of a building dating back to 1872, located in the historic centre of Barcelona, Agora carried out a careful restoration of the existing architectural elements. These were buried under the incrustations of time because of the lack of sensitivity of those who lived in the building year after year. Read full article.
A 30 sqm attic renovated according to urban planning
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Untitled architecture designed a small interior in Milan applying the rules of urban planning, transforming the house into an organic and stratified system. With transversal languages the young studio embodies a profoundly up-to-date way of approaching the project: the author’s anonymity, opposite to the search for identity of (re)designed places. Read full article.
Roof tiles become shoe displays in Camper store by Kengo Kuma
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For the Camper shop in Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona, the Japanese architect was inspired by the Catalan vault and Mediterranean ceramic tiles. “We were interested in the idea of displaying each item separately, with its own space, giving more emphasis to the products.” This is how Kengo Kuma & Associates describes its latest interior design for Camper. Read full article.
Vienna interior tributes Adolf Loos’ American Bar
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The Austrian master’s famous Kärntner Bar has been interpreted in a fresh way by four Viennese architects and artists, who wrap the space in a square pattern. According to the authors it is a replica of the famous Kärntner Bar in Vienna, designed in 1908 by Adolf Loos, but we also see some of the radical abstraction of practices such as Archizoom and Superstudio. Read full article.
Making a forest with an arch: the case of a space for kids with disabilities in Japan
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In Joyo, near Kyoto, an arched ceiling reproduces an indoor forest where children in wheelchairs can play easily. Halfway between a kindergarten and a playroom, Joyo Park is an open space plan designed not only to facilitate movements with a wheelchair, but also to immerse children in a “protected” forest. Read full article.
Kid friendly design restaurant in Dubai
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An allergen-free menu, a reading room and a nursery are the highlights of this holistic restaurant designed to enhance children’s imagination. White and The Bear is a restaurant for kids and it has opened in Dubai with food and a design meant for them (and their parents). The menu, which is made to order and full of vegetarian and anti-allergenic options, was created in collaboration with the internationally renowned child nutritionist Annabel Karmel, while the interiors were curated by Sneha Divias Atelier, an architecture studio specialized in child-friendly spaces. Read full article.
Frosted walls and steel latticework to light up a guest house in Guangzhou
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kooo architects renovated a 7-storey building in the old city center of Guangzhou, enhancing the restoring qualities of the local subtropical climate. The new guest house designed by Japanese firm welcomes visitors into six double-height suites enclosed by a glazed glass facade that allows for natural light to get in. The 7-storey building was divided in half, with the first three floors re-arranged in a single triple-hight hall punctuated by two volumes on the ceiling – each hosting a room – in a puzzle of voids and solids. Read full article.
Eclectic anomalies in a renovated villa in Biarritz
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Zyva studio introduces formal and constructive anomalies on a traditional villa in the French city of Biarritz, in order to activate new forms of appropriation and connection between the user and the architecture. The renovation project involved the creation of three private rooms and the addition of a new entrance body. Read full article.
A cosmetics store halfway between an old pharmacy, an industrial warehouse and a modern boutique
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In the heart of Hong Kong Aim architecture designs the shop window of the virtual cosmetics store Harmay that reflects the dual nature of the online-offline brand. In 2017, online cosmetics retailer Harmay entered the real world with its first store in Shanghai designed by the international architecture firm Aim. Read full article.
Madrid. Metal frames create domestic landscape free from hierarchies
To renovate an apartment in the Spanish capital Zooco Estudio adopts a beam and column system that is independent from the existing structure. The first phase of the intervention consists in eliminating all the divisions of the existing apartment, built in the 20th century and featuring exposed wooden beams and pillars and traditional Catalan vaulted ceilings. Read full article.