Like a team of archaeologists, Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei identify physical fragments as remains of the eleven Pavilions built between 2000 and 2011, revealing an astonishing landscape.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei

© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei

© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei

© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei

© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei

© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei

© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

‘The Serpentine Gallery has released plans for the 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei. It will be the twelfth commission in the Gallery’s annual series, the world’s first and most ambitious architectural programme of its kind.
The design team responsible for the celebrated Beijing National Stadium, which was built for the 2008 Olympic Games, comes together again in London in 2012 for the Serpentine’s acclaimed annual commission, being presented as part of the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad. The Pavilion is Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei’s first collaborative built structure in the UK.
This year’s Pavilion will take visitors beneath the Serpentine’s lawn to explore the hidden history of its previous Pavilions. Eleven columns characterising each past Pavilion and a twelfth column representing the current structure will support a floating platform roof 1.4 metres above ground. The Pavilion’s interior will be clad in cork, a sustainable building material chosen for its unique qualities and to echo the excavated earth. Taking an archaeological approach, the architects have created a design that will inspire visitors to look beneath the surface of the park as well as back in time across the ghosts of the earlier structures…’

ARCHITECT: Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland. ARTIST: Ai Weiwei, Beijing, china. CLIENT: The Serpentine Gallery. LOCATION: The Serpentine Gallery, London, UK. DESCRIPTION: Pavilion. DATE: 1 June to 14 October 2012. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The highlight of this building is the seemingly soft mattress-like sculpturesque volumes protruding from its roof. The architects have revamped an existing building by making a unique architectural statement.

©Fred Beaubeau

‘The former Joué-lès-Tours youth centre was a blocky, opaque, inward-looking building that failed to interact with the surrounding public space and no longer met current standards and requirements. The architectural design for the new music facility responds to a three-fold objective: to open the building up to its surroundings, to improve the way the opaque block integrates with existing buildings, and emphasise the festive dimension of the facility by making a unique architectural statement. We chose to situate the new building where the old one stood, and to reinterpret some of the latter’s salient features (such as its prow-shaped auditorium) while offering the space a radically new image by opening it up to its context. With its generously glazed street-side entrance, the building’s exterior features deep projecting eaves and a strongly cantilevered auditorium providing both an impression of lightness and a sense of hospitality vis-a-vis the public space and dwellings nearby. To improve its contextual integration, we have divided the structure into two parts functioning in different registers: a determinedly horizontal 2m50 tall concrete and glass base housing a fluid, open interior space, and a roof with the three main components of the design brief (the two performance areas and the resource centre) bursting through it like opaque excrescences. This duality is emphasised by the use of contrasting materials: hard on the outside (raw concrete, glass, stainless steel) and soft on the inside (membrane stretched over exterior insulation materials). With its complex volumetric and textured outer surface, the new building stands out like a beacon in the urban landscape. The contradictory image we were aiming at is one of a unique yet familiar object that is challenging and yet invites appropriation: a sculptural design that refers to nothing that already exists, but which users can easily engage with, both in functional and symbolic terms.’

ARCHITECTS: Jacques Moussafir with Nicolas Hugoo, Alexis Duquennoy, Narumi Kang, Sofie Reynaert, Jérôme Hervé and Virginie Prié, Paris, France. CLIENT: TOUR(S) PLUS (Tours City Council). LOCATION: 49, rue des Martyrs, 37300 Joue-les-Tours, France. DESCRIPTION: Concert facility to replace the existing youth centre, including a concert space for a standing audience of 650, a 150-seat cabaret-style space, a resources centre, and 3 rehearsal studios with service areas. STATUS: completed. AREA: 1,753 sqm. PARTNER ENGINEERS: A&T (stage designers), Ayda (acoustic designers), Batiserf (structural engineers), LBE (mechanical engineers), Bureau Michel Forgue (quantity surveyor). CONTRACTORS: DV Construction (general contractor), AMG Féchoz (stage machinery), Bideau (stage electrics), VTI (wooden stage flooring), Edmond Petit (stage fabrics). MATERIALS: Colour washed raw concrete, solvent- and plastics-free FPO roofing membrane by Sika Sarnafil, glazed stainless steel, Fibracoustic panels of wood fibre and rockwool, door/window frames aluminium (exterior), steel and wood (interior). . No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

A partially buried volume accommodates two working areas that are lit by a sequence of longitudinal skylights. The interior is sandwiched between two yards that keep sculptures / traces of the surrounding nature in the form of old trees. The project communicates best through its section.

‘Placed on the back part of a terrain, a volume is partially buried leaving the visual depth of the existing backyard free, becoming an extension of it.
This volume accommodates two working areas. A service module that contains a bathroom, a storage room and a cleaning area divides them. A manual skylight ventilates the module.
A sequence of longitudinal skylights brings zenith natural light to the interior of the volume.
The interior space is related on its both ends with two yards. One is used as the main access to the workshop with a stair made out of steel and paving stone. The other is placed aside a meeting room in the back part of the project providing light and crossed ventilation.
One side of the project is furnished, and the other one holds the models of the projects developed in the workshop. So when walking through the space one is flanked all the time with these projects. These models bases were originally made with MDF wood. Now all the space is spread with this material. Doors, furniture and worktables are made of this material, generating a unitary language among the objects and the workshop products.
The perimeter structure consists on a retaining wall of reinforced concrete with ‘U’ shape. It holds an intern system of concrete block walls and a metallic cover. Buried double walls in the longitudinal side conform the drain system for rainwater. It also drains the gain water of the adjacent terrain. The water is collected in tanks placed under the patios and is used to irrigate the existing vegetation.
The nature of the materials was left exposed; witch allows the clear observation of the constructive system from inside the building.
The ironwork was handmade, so are the handles and the locks of the metallic frames of the glass doors. These are placed over the ironwork fixed with structural adhesive tape and structural silicone from the outside. This avoids the exposure of the iron, reducing its maintenance.
The access to the roof is made by a metallic sailor stair witch make possible the maintenance of the climate machines placed inside a recycled wooden box.
Some old trees from the nearby landscape invade the space of the workshop. The transparent skylights and windows make a great connection with them. The disposition achieves the shade of the trees and the neighbor’s wall reducing the use of air conditioner.
The architecture of the project is synthetic, reductive on its elements, economic and honest in the materials. But at the same time precise and elegant on its use and collocation.’

ARCHITECT: S-AR stación-ARquitectura, Monterrey, Mexico. CLIENT: S-AR. LOCATION: Monterrey, Mexico. DESCRIPTION: Office / Architecture workshop. STATUS: completed. AREA: 100 sqm. PROJECT TEAM: César Augusto Guerrero Rodríguez, Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal, María Sevilla Gómez, Carlos Raúl Flores Leal. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Jesús González Sáenz. CONSTRUCTION SITE SUPERVISORS: S-AR stación-ARquitectura + Gonzalo Taméz. BUILDING CONTRACTOR: Gonzalo Taméz + Enrique López. DATE: . No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The architects have set a rhythm on the wall with wood wainscoting, which starts on the exterior and travels all the way through the concert hall. The finishes chosen are what dress and articulate the interior of the project.

‘A space conceived to dignify the musical expressions. This project has been executed together with OCESA, Mexico’s leading company in the entertainment industry.
Taking its inspiration from the time period that gave rise to the building, the 50’s, the transition from modernism to post-modernism, it reclaims the value of functionality and applies it to the present time. This project pays homage to music and the cultural expressions that surround it.
In this new purpose of the building, art and architecture project its own comprehensive language.
The existing structure is a multipurpose event hall with 6 levels, a mezzanine and basement. Presently the ground floor has a lobby area, bar, coat room, kitchen, storage rooms, restrooms, and a stage with its backstage dressing rooms and bathrooms. Followed by the house offices, more storage rooms and restrooms, and multiple halls. The existing area measures 17,060 square feet and can host up to 1,500 viewers.
Our participation begins at the building’s outdoor lobby access, by creating three different volumes on the façade– from ticket sales, reception to elevators, and souvenir shop – directly into two corridors which lead to the building’s entrance. The finishes chosen are what dress and articulate the interior of the project, setting a rhythm on the walls with wood wainscoting, which starts on the exterior and travels all the way through the concert hall.’

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE: Esrawe Studio, Mexico and Antonio Muñohierro. CONCEPTUAL BRIEF: Antonio Muñohierro. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT: Antonio Muñohierro + Héctor Esrawe. PROJECT DIRECTION: Jorge Bracho. PROJECT COORDINATION: Joaquín Cevallos. PROJECT LEADER: Nancy Ocampo. TEAM: Gerardo Ramírez, Omar Cortés, David Herrera, Ian Castillo, Cynthia Cárdenas. DESIGN SUPERVISION AT WORK SITE: Nancy Ocampo. ART CONCEPT: Antonio Muñohierro + Francisco Fernandez ‘El Taka, Iván Krassoievitch, Ximena Labra. ART PRODUCTION: Juan Camara, Mariana Fernandez, Polo Castellanos. DATE: 2011. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The design of this modern residence is based on a cross where two volumes, one on top of the other, accommodate the public and private areas respectively. The volumes meet at the centre where the kitchen is placed which acts as the crossing-point for all movements.

‘The house in Melides, on the southern Alentejo Coast, by Pedro Reis, represents the desire for a holiday house as a getaway from the bustle of a big city. The client made the unusual decision to have an architectural competition between three distinct ateliers, allowing a choice from a wider range of possible solutions. This winning proposal presents a reading of the ‘drama’ of the natural countryside, building it on top of a steep hill relatively protected by the surrounding ‘rugged topography’.
Inhabiting this site means ‘founding a place’ by means of a ‘strong geometric imprint’, achieved by two volumes overlapping in the shape of a ‘cross’. The aim of this dialectic strategy is not just to reduce the ‘scale and presence’ of the construction, but also to ‘split’ the programme into two areas, one more ‘exuberant’ and exposed and the other more ‘intimate’ and contained. If the light upper volume recalls the synthetic image of the modern house, with large glass areas open to the scenic countryside, the ‘anchored’ lower volume, clad with sheets of earth-coloured concrete, pre-fabricated in situ, sits on the ground, giving support and stability to the house. In terms of programmatic organisation, the ‘suspended’ upper volume concentrates the main spaces, defining the ‘minimum housing unit’, while the lower volume acts as an ‘expansion zone’, hosting more intimate areas or service areas, allowing increased occupation. The kitchen, as the centre of the home, takes on paramount importance here, acting as the crossing-point for all movements: entering, going through the inside and moving out into the garden, with the long pergola providing shade and a water tank reflecting the pine trees, set under the house into the main bedroom. The experience of this house aims to concentrate on its essence, on being inside and out, on contemplating and lingering, highlighting a enjoyable sense of living, close to the amenities of urban life. ‘

ARCHITECT: Pedro Reis, Lisbon, Portugal. LOCATION: Melides, Grândola, Portugal. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 344 sqm. COLLABORATORS: Tiago Tomás, Isabel Silvestre. LANDSCAPE: Global2 – Inês Norton. STRUCTURE: ARA – Alves Rodrigues & Associados, Lda. TECHNICAL INSTALLATIONS: ACRIBIA – Projectos e Desenho Técnico, Lda. DATE: 2010. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Tinted, desaturated colours and ‘empty’ frames, dominated by the scale of the old walls in the background, highlight the black garments.

Photography: Natasha Ygel. Styling: Caro Merguerian.

VAMP @ Behance

A contemporary building that adds a new layer to the historic layers of the cathedral. Its façade is made of brass alloy a natural material that ages with a rich and living texture, allowing the building to age into its surroundings.

‘The site of the new cathedral forum is central Lund, in direct connection to the cathedral itself. On the site is situated the existing ‘Arken’ house, which is a building of historical value.
The new building aims to integrate itself in the urban fabric in a natural way, by adapting to the scale and lines of the surrounding cityscape. At the same time our vision has been to create a contemporary building that adds a new layer to the many historic layers that characterize the urban environment of central Lund.
The shape of the building creates new adjacent public spaces: The entrance plaza towards Kyrkogatan street, the entrance passage facing the cathedral, and a triangular square towards Kungsgatan street. In addition to the welcoming exterior spaces an internal atrium is created, as well as an interior courtyard, shaped by the existing and the new building.
The central public space in the building is the entrance hall that is reached from both entrances. The entrance hall is formed as a meeting space; a general and generous which can hold various activities like reception, exhibitions and a cafe. A two-storey atrium allows daylight to enter from above, while visually integrating the public spaces with the congregational facilities on the second storey. The auditorium is conceived as a unique space, with its skylight pointing up towards the cathedral towers.
The exterior is a simple yet characteristic volume, its lines playing with the surrounding buildings. Towards Kyrkogatan street the roof lines of the Arken house are continued over the entrance plaza. Towards the cathedral the entrance is signaled by the characteristic skylight.
The facade of the building is made of a brass alloy, a natural material that ages with a rich and living texture, allowing the building to age into its surroundings; at the inauguration it shimmers like gold, but in a couple of years it will have oxidized into a deep and matte bronze color.
The interior of the building is cast in concrete with form of wooden boards. The massive and heavy character of the material is balanced by the play of light in the interior spaces.’

ARCHITECT: Carmen Izquierdo Arkitektkontor AB, Stockholm, Sweden. CLIENT: Domkyrkrådet i Lund. LOCATION: Lund, Sweden. DESCRIPTION: Religious. STATUS: completed. AREA: 1617. PROJECT MANAGERS: Carmen Izquierdo & Andreas Hiller. COLLABORATING ARCHITECTS: Andreas Hermansson, Erik Törnkvist, Isabel Gonzaga, Malin Belfrage. LANDSCAPE: Carmen Izquierdo Arkitektkontor, Ateljé Landskap. PROJECT LEADER: Lars G Gustafsson. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Jan Lövgren. CONSTRUCTION FORM: Partnering- General entreprenad. MECHANICAL ENGINEER: Patrik Holmquist. ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Ronny Sjöholm. ACOUSTICS: Anna Swanberg, Maria Carlsson. LECTUREHALL ARTWORK: Anita Christoffersson. BUILDING CONTRACTOR: PSG. BUILDING CONTRACTOR: PSG. DATE: 2011. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

BIG’s residential towers in the Yongsan International Business District revitalize the Han riverfront into a new commercial and residential center for the citizens of Seoul.

‘Situated at the south-east edge of the Yongsan master plan designed by Studio Liebeskind for the Korean development group Dreamhub, BIG’s Cross # Towers will contribute to the developing skyline of Seoul and become a recognizable marker of the new cultural and commercial center of the city. BIG was selected to submit a design proposal for Yongsan International Business District among 19 international offices, including SOM, Dominique Perrault, REX and MVRDV.

The 21 000 m2 site is positioned next to the existing urban fabric in the future development zones of the Yongsan master plan. BIG’s design includes two elegant towers with a height of 214 and 204m. To meet the height requirements of the site, the exceeding building mass is transformed into an upper and lower horizontal bar, which bridge the two towers at 140m and 70 m height. The two towers are additionally connected through the arrival bar at the ground level – and a courtyard below ground.

‘The Cross # Towers constitute a three-dimensional urban community of interlocking horizontal and vertical towers. Three public bridges connect two slender towers at different levels – underground, at the street and in the sky. Catering to the demands and desires of different residents, age groups and cultures the bridges are landscaped and equipped for a variety of activities traditionally restricted to the ground. The resultant volume forms a distinct figure on the new skyline of Seoul – a ‘#’ that serves as a gateway to the new Yongsan Business District signaling a radical departure from the crude repetition of disconnected towers towards a new urban community that populates the three-dimensional space of the city.’ Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
Both the upper and lower bridge introduce rooftop sky gardens accessible to residents, allowing for outdoor activities, while a courtyard at the heart of the development is an integral part of the overall architectural design. Dramatic views towards the neighboring towers and visual connections across the courtyard from the retail zone create an exciting space for the residents and visitors. The outdoor landscape is envisioned to draw from the charm of traditional courtyards combined with the modernity of the project. Pedestrians at the arrival deck which connects the towers at ground level can enjoy impressive views to the bridges above and to the submerged courtyard below.

‘The typical tower inherently removes life from the city it occupies. Circulation is linear and social interactions occur only in lobbies or awkward elevator rides. We propose a building that triples the amount of ground floor – triples the amount of social interaction and reintroduces the idea of neighborhood within the tower complex.’, Thomas Christoffersen, Partner in Charge, BIG.

The development will offer over 600 high-end residences and amenities, including a library, gallery space and a kindergarten. BIG’s design ensures that the tower apartments have optimal conditions towards sun and views. The bar units are given value through their spectacular views and direct access to the roofscapes, activating the outdoor realm. The exterior facades are developed to correspond to the different orientations and solar conditions, creating a diverse façade which varies from the viewer’s vantage point and the position of the sun. ‘

ARCHITECT: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Copenhagen, Denmark. CLIENT: Dreamhub. LOCATION: Seoul, Korea. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: Design Phase. AREA: 96.534 sqm. COLLABORATORS: Arup Dublin (SMEP, Façade) & Amsterdam (Lighting), Martha Schwarz Partners (MSP), SIAPLAN (Local Architect). ARCHITECT TEAM (BIG): Partner in Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen, Finn Nørkjær. Project Director: André Schmidt. Project Leader: Kamilla Heskje, Cat Huang. Project Team: Buster Christensen, Jeppe Ecklon, Tobias Hjortdal, Jakob Sand, Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard, Camila Luise de Andrade Stadler, Lorenzo Boddi, Karol Borkowski, Igor Brozyna, Eduard Champelle, Erik de Haan, Shun Ping Liu, Enea Michelesio, Daram Park, Lucian Racovitan, Teresa Fernandez Rojo, Tiago Sá, Julian Salazar, Laura Youf, Seung Hyun Yuh, Paolo Venturella. ENGINEERS’ TEAM: Arup Dublin (SMEP, Façade) & Amsterdam (Lighting). Project Director: Rory McGowan. Project Manager: Aidan Madden. Structural Team: Peter Flynn, Aidan Madden, Salam Al-Sabah, Conor Hayes, Barry Cullen, Michael Day, Cathal Quinn Nevin Keane. MEP Team: Susan Cormican, Luke Stewart, Alborada Delgado, Tadhg O Broin, Paul Collins, Daniel Roe, Chris Behan, Gerry Banks, Stephen Kendal, Carol O’Riordan. Facades: Pat Duffy, Javier Iribarren. Lighting: Simone Collon, Mieke Van Der Velden, Ewelina Schraven, Siegrid Siderius. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT’S TEAM: Martha Schwarz Partners (MSP). Principal: Martha Schwartz. Design Director: Markus Jatsch. Project Manager: Nigel Koch. Lead Landscape Architect: Aigars Lauzis. Project Team: Ceylan Belek, Salvatore Tabone, Nicola Albertin. LOCAL ARCHITECT’S TEAM: SIAPLAN. Project Manager: Yun Sang Bang. Project Architect: Sang Min Lee. Project Team: Jimin Lee, Kyungmo Yang, Kyungmin Yue, Sangsuck Park. DATE: . No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Piscine du Fort was conceived as a praxis of lucidity, transparency and architectonic fluidity, where natural light defines the spatial experience.

‘Piscine du Fort was conceived as a praxis of lucidity, transparency and architectonic fluidity, where natural light defines the spatial experience.
Programmatic elements are organised as sweeping curvilinear forms immersed within the spatial continuum of the project. The composition of elements simultaneously creates a porosity, allowing light to flood the interior, whilst delineating separate functions within the structure with strong individual identities.
The swimming pool is lit by numerous rounded roof lights. The roof is accessible via a ramp and is used as a solarium.
The façades, fabricated from undulating golden timber, express the circular motions of water, making reference to energy circulation and centripetal flux.
The building envelope has been worked and molded to soften the linear effect of the volume, and introduces variation in the perception of the form.’

ARCHITECT: Mikou Design Studio Architects, Paris, France. LOCATION: Issy les Moulineaux, France. DESCRIPTION: leisure / swimming pool . STATUS: Competition winning entry. AREA: 4000 sqm. DATE: 2012. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Black-and-white photography and innocent sensuality that reminds of the careless mood of the 50’s and 60’s. This lingerie fashion shoot, featuring model Rachel Eten on a New York rooftop, is definitely inspired by classic …and saucy, photo shoots of Hollywood’s golden age sex-symbols.

rachel on the rooftop @ Behance

The designer duo Serra y de la Rocha has collaborated with 666 BARCELONA, being in charge of design and creative direction in the creation of a series of strikingly modern watches. With their original concepts, these freshly pop watches differentiate themselves from traditional wristwatch design aesthetics.

666 BARCELONA watches @ Behance

Kai Stania created a very contemporary and universal-purpose recliner chair with a light shape.

The cushions look as if they are lying loosely on top of the frame of the chair, which gives an impression of comfort. The cushions and the frame have a unique pointed “pillow stitch seam” finish on the sides to accentuate the slim design. In addition, the concept behind the armrests incorporates the shape of a pillow that appears to be attached to the chair, which enhances the overall feeling of comfort. At the same time, when viewed from the side, a gap was left at the bottom back of the armrests to prevent the chair from appearing too heavy or bulky. The result is a recliner chair with an innovative and elegant design.

As with all recliner chairs in Durlet’s range, this chair is available as a low or high model, on a metal star-shaped base or a (leather-clad) solid wooden disc base, and with a synchronous reclining system or a three-step reclining system for television watching.

A new function has been added to the reclining system for television watching! The lefthand armrest of the recliner chair can be replaced by a metal arm to which a small swivel table is attached. The table provides extra space for a laptop or tablet PC, a magazine or a book, or a remote control. Our previous recliner chair models were difficult to fit next to a table or other surface area due to their swivel base, which is one of the key features of these chairs. This issue is now solved thanks to the integrated table, which at the same time addresses the modern-day trend of multitasking from a chair.

Albert Ledner’s previous 1966 design was preserved; the porthole window used in the original design created a new façade and loosened the rigidness of the previous design.

‘Dream Downtown Hotel is an 184,000 SF boutique hotel in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York City. The 12-story building includes 316 guestrooms, two restaurants, rooftop and VIP lounges, outdoor pool and pool bar, a gym, event space, and ground floor retail.
Dream sits on a though-block site, fronting both 16th and 17th Streets, and is adjacent to the Maritime Hotel, which sits adjacent to the west. In 1964, the National Maritime Union of America commissioned New Orleans-based architect Albert Ledner to design a new headquarters for the Union, on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. Two years later, he designed an annex for the headquarters on the site where Dream currently sits. A few years later, Mr. Ledner designed a flanking wing for the annex, which would eventually be converted to the Maritime Hotel. In the 1970s, the Union collapsed and the buildings were sold and used for various purposes in the years that followed. In 2006, Handel Architects was engaged to convert the main annex into the Dream Downtown Hotel.
The otherness of Ledner’s 1966 design for the National Maritime Annex was critical to preserve. Along the 17th Street exposure, the sloped façade was clad in stainless steel tiles, which were placed in a running bond pattern like the original mosaic tiles of Ledner’s Union building. New porthole windows were added, one of the same dimension as the original and one half the size, loosening the rigid grid of the previous design, while creating a new façade of controlled chaos and verve. The tiles reflect the sky, sun, and moon, and when the light hits the façade perfectly, the stainless steel disintegrates and the circular windows appear to float like bubbles. The orthogonal panels fold at the corners, continuing the slope and generating a contrasting effect to the window pattern of the north façade.
The 16th Street side of the building, previously a blank façade when the building served as an annex, was given new life. The skin is constructed of two perforated stainless steel layers, its top sheet of holes a replication of the 17th Street punched-window design and the inner sheet a regular perforation pattern. The outer rain screen is punctured with porthole-shaped Juliet balconies for the guestrooms and peels up at the ground level to form the hotel canopy and reveal the hotel entrance.
The original through block building offered limited possibilities for natural light. Four floors were removed from the centre of the building, which created a new pool terrace and beach along with new windows and balconies for guestrooms. The glass bottom pool allows guests in the lobby glimpses through the water to the outside (and vice versa) connecting the spaces in an ethereal way. Light wells framed in teak between the lobby, pool and lower level levels allow the space to flow. Two hundred hand blown glass globes float through the lobby and congregate over The Marble Lane restaurant filling the space with a magical light cloud. Fixtures and furnishings were custom designed for the public spaces and guestrooms to complement the exterior design and to continue the limitless feeling of space throughout the guest experience.
Handel Architects served as both architect and interior designer for the project.’

ARCHITECT: Handel Architects, New York, NY. LOCATION: Chelsea, New York City, NY, USA. DESCRIPTION: Hospitality. STATUS: completed. AREA: 17,000 sqm. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

This impressive minimal residence is conceived as a transparent box where the inside space is filled in with clearly defined boxes and volumes and incorporate the structural elements.

‘Villa Roces is integrated in an oblong terrain of about 70m long and 30m wide, situated in the forest surroundings of Bruges. The concept consists of a 50 m long and a 4.20 m high wooden wall flanking 6 m wide glass box is disposed.
The house is built along a wall with the intention to meet the lack of light and reflect the presence of the forest, the verticality of the trees, etc.
The 54m long wall functions as a background for the transparent volume in front.
The wall is not only visible at the outside, but also continuously visible at the inside.

As the transparent volume is conceived as a box, the inside space is filled in with clearly defined boxes and volumes and incorporate the structural elements.

The glass box is indented at three sides:
- One to give access to the underground parking place
- One to develop the half underground swimming pool
- And one to give access, at the backside of the house, to the master bedroom and annex bathroom

The plan concept is very simple:
- On the level of the garden there is the income, kitchen, dining room and fireplace situated. The kitchen can be separated from dining room with a big sliding door.
- The bedroom section of the children and the master bedroom are situated one above the other and put in split-level with the living room which has one and a half height
- In front of the master bedroom we have a secondary sitting room which spatial makes the conversion to the handled levels.
- A slope guarantees the connection between the living room and the bedroom section of the children.
- By handling the explained levels and heights we could maintain a continuously horizontal box which was of main importance to be put in contrast to the verticality of the trees.
- Under the living room and kitchen is the underground parking situated. To put this underground was also of main importance in order to reduce the build volume above the ground level, this in relation to the disposable space and give the house the visual impression of a big pavilion.’

ARCHITECT: Architectuurburo Govaert & Vanhoutte bvba, Bruges, Belgium. CLIENT: Benny Govaert & Martine Neirynck. LOCATION: Belgium, Bruges (Sint-Andries) Doornstraat 292a. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 532 sqm. PRINCIPAL ARCHITECTS: Benny Govaert. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Claeys Engineering Bvba. CONTRACTOR: Eddy De Mey Oostende. DATE: 2011. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

A Gucci special featuring model Kolfinna Kristofersdottir. Shot by Jamie Morgan at Films plus studios, this set of images featured in POP Mag, March, 2012, and was a show case for Gucci highlighting the art deco style and strong lines that shine through in this fine collection.

Photography: Jamie Morgan. Model: Kolfinna Kristofersdottir . Post production: brandammo.

Gucci @ Behance