Art Architecture Dezign

In this week's comments update, readers aren't sure how to respond to furniture formed from a naked body.

Butt of the joke: designer Nicholas Bentel has attempted to patent his body as a furniture collection, leaving readers concerned.

"If I buy eight of these chairs to go around my dining room table, am I also responsible for feeding the furniture pieces and contributing towards their inevitable retirement?" quizzed a cynical Chris Pietersen.

An equally apprehensive Lauren Thu said: "Love all this eco, sustainable, biodegradable design – although I'd be worried about the finish changing in a few years."

"And the inevitable sagging," agreed Chris_becket.

Commenter Keith Dougal added: "Missed opportunity for a bike parking function, but ballsy move nonetheless."

For one reader, the furniture also doubles up as a decorative accessory:

What do you think of the Corpus Collection? Join the discussion ›

Reaching for the sky: six architects are competing to design Australia's tallest building – including BIG, MAD, UNStudio, MVRDV, Coop Himmelb(l)au and OMA – and commenters can't decide if any of them are impressive.

"From speaking with fellow Melbournians and designers, the consensus is that any of these would be a welcome addition to the city and its culture," said a complimentary Brovelo.

A pleased Chris_becket responded: "It is good that the majority feels that way. It is, after all, your city."

"I feel everyone's trying too hard," offered Steve Hassler, in disagreement.

"Such relentless mediocrity makes it hard to know where to begin. Good luck Melbourne!" added Heywood Floyd.

One reader made it clear which one they liked the least:

Do you have a favourite? Join the discussion ›

Box clever: decluttering guru Marie Kondo has launched a line of shoebox-style boxes and readers are flabbergasted.

"We're being punked, right?" asked Blkbrrry in astonishment.

Chris said sarcastically: "Brilliant concept! How is "box" pronounced, phonetically?"

For some readers, the concept wasn't a laughing matter. "Too much time and too much money. Meanwhile someone somewhere spends another night sleeping in a cardboard box! Time to reorganise priorities!" commented Charlotte_tindle.

Rodrigo Galvan-Duque was also unimpressed: "Sad. We've reached a point where even decluttering is Instagrammable."

For one reader, something else came to mind:

Are the Hikidashi Boxes clever or pointless? Join the discussion ›

Back to the future: graduate Cody Seipp has imagined what Detroit could look like in 2051 if retail giant Amazon took over. It has left readers divided.

"Fabulous! I look forward to the next city makeover!" praised Jb.

Critical agreed: "The project seems to be an amazingly graphic narrative to establish a platform for critiquing starchitecture, the nature of big spending, and the philosophies or urban green spaces. It's a job well done!"

For some readers however, the imaginary investment was injected into the wrong part of the city: "Please, if we're going to spend the time and energy, can we have an imagining of the neighbourhoods," pleaded Jeff.

Zea Newland added: "Stunning illustrations but I don't think Detroit would benefit from being Silicon-Valley'd."

This reader enjoyed one building in particular:

What do you think of this conceptual project? Join the discussion ›

The post "If I buy eight, am I also responsible for feeding them?" appeared first on Dezeen.

This raised wooden structure, designed by Cerejeira Fontes Architects, creates a secluded inner chapel inside an old church in Braga, Portugal.

Braga-based Cerejeira Fontes was tasked with renovating the Imaculada Chapel, a decaying church building built during the second world war.

Rather than focusing on the existing building, the architects decided to instead insert a new tree-inspired structure, the Cheia de Graça Chapel, within its walls. Designed to make use of the chapel's height, this wooden building on stilts creates a sanctuary in the heart of the space.

"The chapel erected in wood creates a balanced structure that manifests as a forest at the entrance of the sacred space," said the design team.

The raised canopy contained within the structure is used by members of the church's seminary as a place to meet or reflect. Meanwhile, the area underneath serves as a divider between the secular and the religious spaces of the chapel.

The architects refer to these two elements as the canopy and trunks of the forest.

"Its canopy creates a space dedicated to the inhabitants of the seminary and its trunks a filter between the profane space and the sacred space, allowing the visitor to surrender to the space," they said.

A concrete vault is installed around the inside of the building's roof, framing the new wooden chapel. Set away from the old stone walls, it has a thickness of 12 centimetres and is supported by a slender steel framework.

The vault screens the windows. But it is punctured by slender openings that allow shafts of sunlight into the space.

"The vault creates a space of absolute 'restless silence' for introspection," added Cerejeira Fontes.

The elongated shape of the concrete vault was designed to provide the space with an improved acoustic quality. This is complemented by an acoustic sandwich panel installed within the Cheia de Graça Chapel, helping to reduce echoes.

Cerejeira Fontes is led by architects António Jorge Fontes and André Fontes, and sculptor Asbjörn Andresen. This isn't the team's first revamp of a religious building – they previously inserted a slatted timber chapel inside a school for friars elsewhere in Braga.

Photography is by Nelson Garrido.

Project credits:

Architects: Cerejeira Fontes Architects
Design team: António Jorge Fontes, Asbjörn Andresen, André Fontes
Paintings: Lisa Sigfridsson

The post Wooden "forest" forms an inner sanctuary inside Imaculada Chapel in Braga appeared first on Dezeen.