In the November issue 952, Domus takes on the theme of Extremity, beginning with the global scope of OMA's practice on the occasion of new projects and the influential Postmodernism show at the V&A. We present an obituary for the person who designed our modern design/technology sensibility, Steve Jobs, and consider the ever-proliferating biennales as their own design labs. Extreme projects from Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior III media vessel, Luca Gentilcore and Stefano Testa's Bivacco Gervasutti sub-zero module, and Susmita Mohanty's spaceship designs push the very frontiers of the industry. Paola Antonelli's monthly survey of design practices takes on the amazing and sometimes disturbing field of biological design, Hans Ulrich Obrist talks to Mahendra Raj, and we get a glimpse of Yona Friedman's library.
Contents:
Cover 952
Saturday 15 October, 00:15
hours, Grandes Jorasses:
the newly installed Gervasutti
hut, designed by Luca Gentilcore
and Stefano Testa, gleams
in the moonlight.
Photo by Francesco Mattuzzi
Editorial
Joseph Grima
Op-ed: Steve Jobs (1955–2011)
Kazys Varnelis
Mixtape: Tel Aviv
Erez Ella, Ofer Meiri. Curated by Daniel Perlin
Journal
Edited by Elena Sommariva
Photoessay
Ariel Huber
OMA Reloaded
Two newly inaugurated buildings and a retrospective
exhibition in London offer a multifaceted insight into
the present state—and remote origins, in the heyday
of Post-Modernism—of an office that redefined the
practice of architecture. Texts by Florian Idenburg, Sam Jacob. Photography by Iwan Baan, Lyndon Douglas, Philippe Ruault. Edited by Laura Bossi
Frontier parkland
Playa Vista Park, designed by Michael Maltzan, is an attempt to rethink
the idea of collective spaces in newly urbanised areas of Los Angeles.
Designed for public use, it is a sequence of parallel scenarios, each designed
for specific activities. Text by Lucia Tozzi. Photography by Iwan Baan. Edited by Laura Bossi
ARCHITECTURE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
Learning from the void
As formerly inaccessible locations
become everyday destinations for work
and pleasure, new design challenges—and
opportunities—emerge. The new Bivacco
Gervasutti projected by Luca Gentilcore and Stefano Testa, a replicable prototype anchored
to the side of Mont Blanc, opens our review
of architecture in extreme environments. Text by Michele Calzavara. Photography by Francesco Mattuzzi. Edited by Rita Capezzuto
ARCHITECTURE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
Destination zero-gravity
Now that space tourism is no longer
a dream, architects and designers are
finally wresting the design of space-based
environments from engineers. Susmita
Mohanty, spaceship designer and orbital
entrepreneur, explains. Edited by Rita Capezzuto
ARCHITECTURE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
Reindeer ahead!
A remote, windswept Norwegian plateau may seem
an unusual location to test 1:1 scale digital fabrication,
but Snøhetta's reindeer observation pavilion proves
advanced production techniques aren't incompatible
with inhospitable climates. Photography by Ketil Jacobsen, Snøhetta. Edited by Rita Capezzuto
ARCHITECTURE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
Rainbow Warrior III. Greenpeace's media
assault vessel
Purpose-designed to remain impenetrable
to hostile forces while conducting actions in
high seas, Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior III by Dykstra & Partners
heralds the birth a new naval typology:
the media battleship. Text by Clemens Weisshaar. Photography by Armin Linke. Edited by Loredana Mascheroni
The biennale as design lab
Following a visit to the design biennials of Gwangju
and Lisbon, Domus outlines a map of the emerging
and rapidly growing phenomenon of biennials in the
age of global design. Text by Rosanna Ambrosetti. Edited by Elena Sommariva
Network: Martino Gamper
Francesca Picchi
Network: Bouroullec Textile Field
Silvia Monaco
Letter from Istanbul
With this year's tightly curated edition of the Istanbul Biennial, Jens Hoffman and
Adriano Pedrosa step outside the usual circles, highlighting numerous lesser-known
artists. Meanwhile, outside the Ryue Nishizawa-designed exhibition spaces, the streets
pulsate with the energy and turmoil of a city poised between Islam and secularism. Text by Massimiliano Gioni. Edited by Loredana Mascheroni
Cool clay
Over the last ten years, a potter from the Indian state of Gujarat with a background
in tile manufacturing has developed an economical yet innovative line of clay-based
domestic products. The latest invention of his company, Mitticool, is a clay refrigerator
that exploits the cooling properties of terracotta, allowing it to operate without electricity. Text by Kalyani Majumdar. Photography by N. Bhati. Edited by Loredana Mascheroni
Five case histories
The fact that the recession is prompting new design considerations is borne out by
the stories of five new design enterprises with differing approaches but common traits:
an international make-up, identities developed around global and local cultures, and a
preference for the small scale and diversification. Domus looks at Auerberg, Colé, Punkt and
Valsecchi 1918, outlining their origins, the products they offer, and their plans for the future. Text by Cecilia Fabiani. Photography by Ramak Fazel. Edited by Loredana Mascheroni
Network: François Dallegret
Roberto Zancan
Network: Pipilotti Rist
Loredana Mascheroni
States of Design 07: Bio-design
Bio-designers are turning their attention to familiar organisms like plants and animals. In some
cases they examine the less accessible world of bacteria and cells, while in others they pursue the
creation of new living systems by directly manipulating DNA. This endeavour requires collaboration
and interaction among different disciplines and is carried out chiefly in groups, raising implications
that collide with our deepest beliefs. Text by Paola Antonelli. Edited by Francesca Picchi
Mahendra Raj. Engineering a nation
When India gained independence in 1947, a generation of architects was tasked with
expressing, through their buildings, the identity of a new and modern nation. The
most inventive and pioneering among these projects shared a common feature: the
engineering genius of Mahendra Raj. Hans Ulrich Obrist interviews one of the founding
fathers of Indian modernity. Interview by Hans Ulrich Obrist. Edited by Francesca Picchi
Unpacking my library: Yona Friedman
Countless books line the walls of Yona Friedman's famous studio-apartment
in Paris, expressing the multiplicity of their owner's interests: from architecture
to literature and from anthropology to sociology. But for the standard-bearer of
architecture mobile what really counts is "that which one's memory wishes to retain". Interview by Gianluigi Ricuperati. Photography by Benoit Pailley. Edited by Rita Capezzuto
Rassegna: Office
Edited by Laura Bossi
Panorama
Edited by Guido Musante
Horoscope: Scorpio
By Dan Graham, Jessica Russell. Edited by Elena Sommariva
domus 952 in newsstands now
View Article details
- 04 November 2011
- Milan