Art Architecture Dezign

This 360-degree video filmed by Dezeen offers a tour of Coal Drops Yard, the new shopping centre that Thomas Heatherwick's studio has completed in London, in a pair of distorted warehouses.

Heatherwick Studio converted two converted Victorian coal warehouses in King's Cross to create 9,290 square metres of shops and restaurants.

The roofs of the two buildings have been extended towards each other and join to form a canopy over the central space, which Heatherwick described as a "new major public space for London," in an interview with Dezeen.

Find out more about Coal Drops Yard ›

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The controversy surrounding the site of Santiago Calatrava's ill-fated Chicago Spire continues, as the city stalls the pair of skyscrapers that SOM's David Childs has proposed for the vacant waterfront plot.

Child's 400 Lake Shore Drive, designed for developer Related Midwest, was rejected by Chicago's vice mayor Brendan Reilly on Monday 22 October 2018 – 10 years after construction on Calatrava's 150-storey Spire was halted.

Reilly announced the news in a letter sent to the community surrounding the Spire Site, which is located where the Chicago River flows into Lake Michigan.

He highlighted a number of issues with the "sister skyscrapers" – including security, the esplanade along the Ogden slip, the height of the podium base, and the inclusion of a boutique hotel – which would need to be addressed before progressing.

"The 400 North Lake Shore Drive proposal will not be moving forward in its current form and is therefore rejected," said Reilly in the letter.

"In the event the developer chooses to address the legitimate concerns regarding their proposal, my office will be sure to provide all impacted neighbours with an update."

In the letter, Reilly details a number of meetings held to address the community's concerns with the projects. These were then listed in a memo sent to Related Midwest on 13 August 2018, but had not been taken these into consideration.

Reilly's rejection of the scheme follows a series of stop-and-starts with the Spire site, which has been left empty since 2008, when Calatrava's project was stopped one year into construction due to the global financial crisis.

Related Midwest took on the site in 2014 and enlisted Childs – designer of New York's One World Trade Center, and chairman emeritus of architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM) – to oversee the new project.

His new proposal revealed in May 2018 features two skyscrapers that are nicknamed sisters because, although similar, they are a different shape and size: the 900-feet-high (274-metre) South Tower is slender and tall, while the shorter 850-foot (259-metre) North Tower is more stout.

The towers were designed at angle to one another, with a large gap left gap between to maintain views from Downtown Chicago to the water.

"We are proposing a new urban destination: two residential towers, iconic both at their base and in the sky, differing in placement, rotation, and height," said Childs in a statement released at the time.

A mix of luxury condominiums, apartments and the controversial hotel were planned for inside. Global firm Gensler proposed similar accommodation for another alternative for the waterfront site, which it released in 2016, but this was never picked up.

The Spire is among a number of Calatrava's projects that have encountered issues. Last year, work on the Greek Orthodox church he is working on at New York's World Trade Center site was suspended indefinitely, while the nearby Oculus transportation hub and a Ysios winery in Spain have sprung leaks in the past.

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Contemporary, greyscale interiors compliment the stainless steel equipment at this brewery in New Hampshire, by Swedish firm Studio Richard Lindvall.

Bad Lab Beer Co brews and serves 16 draft beers on its site in Somersworth, an hour's drive north of Boston.

Housed within an old industrial building, the brewery features concrete floors, exposed ducts and large windows with black steel frames – all of which are highlighted by the pared-back interiors.

Based in Stockholm, Richard Lindvall led the design and drew influences from the architecture. "I wanted to build around the original details, only adding a few other materials to accentuate and compliment the simple and industrial feeling of the space," he said.

The layout includes a spacious dining room with ample natural light, and an open kitchen. Various high-top counters offer places to drink, with brewing facilities and restrooms located in the rear.

Stainless steel kitchen fittings match the brewery tanks, revealed by a glass wall in the dining area.

"My client wanted to create a restaurant and bar that would be a unique community gathering space where guests can interact with the bar and kitchen," Lindvall said.

To separate the main dining area from a beer tasting space near the core of the property, Lindvall installed a 33-foot-long (10-metre) concrete counter, cast in-situ. One side incorporates a bench for dining, with storage on the other.

Light grey engineered wood covers the cabinets and tabletops to create a monochrome effect overall.

Black steel also features prominently: on window panes, three large industrial fans, chairs and table stands.

Bar stools and dining chairs are from Swedish company Massproductions, while a cylindrical pendant lamp was sourced from New York company Roll & Hill.

To add colour and warmth, Lindvall selected dark brown leather for a built-in bench, as well as natural decorative objects like tree branches. Sunlight also softens the brewery with its warm glow.

"When the sun comes through the windows and reflects on the kitchen it makes the steel warm and throughout the day it gives different effects depending on how light travels," he said.

Lindvall has designed several other eateries, including a pale restaurant housed in a former sausage factory, and a greyscale bar with copper accents – both in Stockholm.

Photography is by Johan Annerfelt.

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Apple has launched a MacBook Air with a 100 per cent recycled aluminium alloy shell, reducing the carbon footprint of the computer by almost half.

Introducing the new computer in New York, Apple said that creating a casing for the computer from entirely recycled aluminium was "one big goal that we've had for many years."

"We use aluminium because it has incredible strength, durability and for its sheer beauty. To achieve that we've had to rely on mining high purity ore," said Laura Grove, Apple's vice president of hardware engineering.

The MacBook Air will now be assembled with a shell made from a custom alloy created by the company's material team. "Apple's metallurgy team has designed an aluminium alloy that uses excess aluminium from the production process," said Grove.

"It's designed to use fine shavings of recaptured aluminium that are re-engineered down to the atomic level. This new alloy is as beautiful and robust as any we've used before," continued Laura Metz, Apple's senior product manager.

The alloy makes construction of the computer possible "without mining any new aluminium from the earth," according to Apple. The use of 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the casing has been verified by UL, a global safety consulting and certification company based in Illinois.

The recycled aluminium can itself be recycled. "This helps reduce the carbon footprint of the new Air by nearly 50 per cent and makes it the greenest Mac ever," continued Metz.

The new computer has 47 per cent lower carbon emissions compared with the previous generation of the same product. The calculation was made on the basis of total greenhouse gas emissions of 176 kilograms of CO2 over the lifecycle of a computer.

"With all the care and attention that we put into design and engineering, our teams work just as hard to ensure that our products are environmentally friendly," said Grove.

The MacBook will also feature 100 per cent recycled tin in its motherboard, and the designers have "significantly increased the amount of post-consumer recycled plastic in our internal components, such as the speakers," according to Grove. The amount of recycled plastic in the model now stands at 35 per cent.

The promotional material for the computer states that it has a mercury-free LED-backlit display, arsenic-free display glass, is beryllium and PVC-free and comes in eco-friendly packaging.

The updated version of the Air is also 10 per cent thinner than the previous version, and weighs 340 grams less, at 1.25 kilograms.

During the launch at Brooklyn's Academy of Music, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that there are 100 million Macs currently being used. "51 per cent of Mac buyers are buying their first one, rising to 76 per cent in China," he said.

Last month Apple showcased three new smartphone models at the Steve Jobs Theater at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California.

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This beachfront retreat in Costa Rica, by local studio Laboratory Sustaining Design, includes a waterfall that flows between the outdoor pools stepped down its steep site.

Casa Cascada is located in Tamarindo Beach, a destination on the Pacific Ocean known for its quality surf. The home was built as a rental property for a local developer by Laboratory Sustaining Design (LSD), which has its offices in the small beach town.

The residence is named after the water feature that cascades from a pool on the first floor to its counterpart at ground level.

The four-storey home encompasses 450 square metres and is nestled into a steep slope overlooking the ocean. To maximise views of the nearby Tamarindo and Langosta beaches, the architects distributed the living areas over four different levels, giving every bedroom waterfront views.

The main entrance is on the third level, within an open-concept kitchen, living and dining room. This area is fronted by floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, which open onto a wraparound terrace facing the ocean.

"The layout of this house and the design of the windows give natural cross ventilation and natural illumination to all the spaces of the house, enhancing the experience of the tropical climate," LSD said in a project description.

Rich wooden furnishings contribute to the tropical feeling of this space, which sits just above the tree line and features an outdoor area for grilling, next to the interior kitchen.

A minimal staircase with no handrail leads to the master suite, which occupies the entire upper level. Similar to the floor below, this space is also fronted by a generous terrace on the ocean-facing side of the home.

The two lower floors contain the remainder of the home's six bedrooms. Three rooms are laid out along a corridor on the higher of these, while the bottom floor contains two more.

The first storey features the upper pool on its terrace, which is accessible from within the home, and also features an exterior shower and a shaded area with lounge chairs on its wooden deck.

An opening in the edge of the pool creates the cascade down to another basin on the ground floor. This lowest level is accessible via an exterior metal staircase with wooden treads.

The home's structure was built with concrete walls for the lower floors and a light steel frame towards the top. The middle portion uses a hybrid structure that takes advantage of both systems. LSD Architects was responsible for the project's design, but also participated in the building process.

The studio chose materials that lend themselves to the area's tropical climate, making abundant use of richly textured wood. "We prefer local materials, techniques, and manpower," said the firm's website.

Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination thanks to its beaches and surf, and therefore home to many retreats, lodgings and guesthouses along its coast. Several new properties have been designed by San Jose-based Studio Saxe, including The Gilded Iguana surf resort and the Mint Santa Teresa hotel with pavilion-like guest rooms.

Photography is by Fernando Alda.

Project credits:

Architects: Laboratory Sustaining Design (LSD Architects)
Principals: Luis Mauricio Solis, Rodolfo Tinoco
Collaborators: Misael Rodriguez, Daniel Bermudez
Engineering: CJ Ingeniera Electromecanica, Ing. Estructural Roberto Riggioni
Builder: Consgrup SA, LSD Architects

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Dezeen promotion: French designer Philippe Briand has applied superyacht styling to a residential project in Hong Kong for New World Development.

The Pavilia Bay is the first residential project designed by Briand, a yacht racer who has designed thousands of vessels for his marine architecture company Vitruvius Yachts.

Connected by a podium, the two towers of the building are designed to evoke the mast of a yacht under full sail. Naval architectural elements are found throughout the waterfront development, with communal areas decked out in a style more likely to be found on a luxury yacht.

Interiors evoking the glamour of contemporary cruising were chosen to help create a "stay-cation ambience" for the residents without them ever having to leave dry land.

The podium facade is constructed from 75 tons of steel, with 650 plates welded together like the hull of a yacht. According to the developers, the "superfine" fabrication of the bespoke steel plates and the individual welding are among many artisanal touches that the project features.

Lights surrounding the podium are designed to create the illusion of being lit from underwater, with railings on the upper levels lit up like those on a yacht. Meanwhile walking alongside the podium is intended to feel like striding towards a docking superyacht.

Blue Pavilion, the residents' clubhouse, has custom-built specialised decking of the kind normally used in superyachts and imported from the Netherlands.

It's non-slip qualities are particularly appropriate for the area around the infinity pool, which offers panoramic views out over the Rambler Channel.

Carbon fibre – a strong and light material prized by boatbuilders, but rarely used in residential projects – has been applied by Briand in the design of The Pavilia Bay.

Multiple complicated steps were required to mould and cast these unique carbon-fibre elements, in a process that took a year and a half to complete.

A map of the world, handcrafted by artisans, wraps around the walls of the spiral staircase. The aim is for residents to imagine they are on an "ocean odyssey around the globe at the helm of a superyacht".

Exclusive models of Briand's superyachts are on display in the function room, which has glossy white walls and wood veneer dining tables designed to evoke the interior of a luxury vessel.

Based in Hong Kong, New World Development was first established in 1970. The company recently completed an apartment tower designed to cater to "urban bohemians" with shared kitchen and dining areas in copper and glossy black tones.

The developer has also worked with Dutch studio Concrete to create a rooftop playground for millennials.

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British textile brand Christopher Farr celebrates Bauhaus pioneer Anni Albers with its latest range of rugs and fabric designs.

The designs are part of an ongoing collaboration between Christopher Farr and the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, which has been running for 10 years.

The latest collections are named Orchestra and Temple.

The pattern for Temple was developed from 1956 studies for the Ark hanging panels, produced for the Jewish Temple Emanu-El in Dallas. Albers created the geometric pattern by painting stripes across fabric, cutting it into strips and then playing with the arrangement of these vertical pieces.

Orchestra was inspired by Anni's childhood visits to the Berlin Opera in the 1920s. It consists of quadrilateral shapes organised in a seemingly random pattern.

"The shapes and colours evoke the instruments tuning up, the elegant velvet and lace dresses of the women attending the performance, and other memories," said Christopher Farr.

Albers is one of the most celebrated talents to emerge from the Bauhaus school, regarded as the most influential art and design school in history.

She was well known for her pioneering role as both designer and textile artist, and for revolutionising the traditional craft of weaving with her experimentation and modern design. As well as her weavings, she also made pieces of jewellery, prints and drawings.

"I first came across her work in the mid-1980s, when I became interested in the work of the Bauhaus," said Michal Silver, one of the Christopher Farr co-founders.

"But the real awakening came many years later when I was able to visit the Albers' foundation, spend time in the archives and delve through her work which resulted in a collection of five prints and weaves that we launched in 2012," Silver continued.

"For many years her work was overshadowed by her husband Josef Albers or other people she is associated with. The passing of time has allowed her to be understood and appreciated as the great and prolific artist she was, a genius with magic hands that transformed simple materials into gold."

In previous collections of Anni Albers rugs, Christopher Farr has worked with small scale, one-colour patterns. For the new collection however, Silver found himself drawn to Albers' larger-scale colourful designs.

"She is inspiring. I find her fascinating, incredibly innovative, ahead of her time, eclectic in a very disciplined manner," said Silver. "She trained at the Bauhaus school but was able to keep to the essence and interpret the Bauhaus ethos in a very personal way which is relevant to what we are doing today."

When working with an archival collection, Christopher Farr aims to remain as true to the spirit of the design as possible, using the original colour, pattern and size of the motifs. Colours and base cloths are only changed to offer diversity in the range.

"Her work in print especially is a continuous research and exploration in form, colour and space," said Silver. "Whether she is working in a one-colour small-scale geometric pattern or large-scale fluid shapes there is always the thread that connects her to her Bauhausian roots."

As well as designs using patterns and fabrics designed by Albers herself, Christopher Farr has also produced rugs from the works of Albers' mentor Gunta Stolzl, who was head of weaving at the Bauhaus school and the only female faculty member, as well as rugs by Albers' husband Josef.

In January 2019 the brand will launch a further six rugs for the Editions range, three by Gunta Stolzl, two new designs from the Josef Albers archives and one from Anni Albers' work.

The exploration of Bauhaus work at Christopher Farr began in 1995 when a San Francisco-based textile designer called Jack Lenor Larsen suggested the brand use the designs of Gunta Stolzl for a new collection.

Christopher Farr then worked extensively with the Stolzl archives, and subsequently began working with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.

The launch of Orchestra and Temple was timed to coincide with the celebration of the Bauhaus centennial and with an exhibition of Anni Albers work at Tate Modern in London.

The fabrics and rugs were displayed for the first time at the Christopher Farr showroom during London Design Festival 2018. The Anni Albers exhibition at the Tate Modern runs until 31 January 2019.

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Fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld is presenting his first ever exhibition of sculptural works at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris.

Tables, fountains and mirrors are among the marble objects being presented in the show, called Architectures, which was developed with in collaboration with architect Aline Asmar d'Amman.

Lagerfeld, who is creative director at Chanel, cites antiquity, Greek architecture and the golden ratio among his inspirations for the designs.

The German creative said that for him, antiquity refers to the "origin of beauty, culture and modernity".

The monochromatic collection also includes gueridons (circular side tables), lamps and consoles. Each piece is carved from a carefully selected block of rare Arabescato fantastico or black nero marquina marble.

Arabescato fantastico is a vibrant white marble with dark grey veins, which has not been quarried for more than 30 years, while black nero marquina marble features brush stroke-like, milky white veins.

According to Lagerfeld, the designs were improvised, with the aim to highlight the beauty of the material.

"I love things that aren't planned," explains Lagerfeld in a film made to accompany the exhibition. "The process is not as premeditated as you think. I'm totally improvised, I improvise."

"The marble workshops in Italy, you can't imagine the beauty of their work," he continues. "These are precious stones. It's black and white, but a black and white with striation, almost grey. It's not a hard contrast of black and white."

Several objects in the collection feature elements that resemble the decorative columns of Classical architecture.

The table lamps come with hand-painted shades, and also diffuse a specific temperature of light particularly appreciated by Lagerfeld.

"The ensemble materialises the perfect balance of classical foundations with a present-day vibe, like a modern mythology," said Carpenters Workshop Gallery about the collection.

"Shifting between the antique and the contemporary, the icons of classics and the finest present skills, the black and white architectonic creations embody Karl Lagerfeld's timeless monochromatic style."

Architectures has been produced in a limited edition, with eight pieces in each marble colour, plus four artist proofs. It will be show at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris until 23 December 2018.

The gallery, which already has outposts in Paris, London and New York, recently opened a new branch in San Francisco, located in a former church.

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A mash-up of different styles is used to decorate this hotel in Washington DC, which New York firm INC Architecture and Design created inside an old church.

The Line DC hotel is located in an 110-year-old church in Washington DC's Adams Morgan neighbourhood. The neoclassical marble-clad structure is fronted by pillars and features 60-foot (18-metre) vaulted ceilings, millwork and brass detailing inside.

INC Architecture and Design overhauled the historic building to create the hotel's lobby, two bars and two restaurants, while a new mid-rise masonry construction at the rear accommodates 220 guest rooms.

Inside, mismatched furnishings are placed together to convey an old-meets-new design. Inside the lobby, church organ pipes have been repurposed as an architectural chandelier, and pews act as seating. Curvy, cobalt sofas fill the spacious entrance.

Other pieces include upholstered leather dining chairs and writing desks evocative of a lawyer's office, alongside hexagonal Moroccan coffee tables, and minimal wood and chrome designs.

"The Line DC is the ultimate mash-up of old-school homage and vanguard progressiveness," said a project description from INC Architecture and Design. "A bipartisan aesthetic, if you will."

Throughout the hotel, walls are kept white so as not distract from the eclectic mix of furnishings, while herringbone wood floors are a nod to the site's historic features.

Each room has a custom brass bed frame, a solid oak writing desk, and a variety of side tables and other furniture that convey a juxtaposition of old and new.

Also included are mini libraries populated with volumes from neighbourhood store Idle Times Books, and granite bookends by local furniture maker and musician Jonah Takagi.

For food and drinks, guests can pick from the choice of A Rake's Progress restaurant and bar, The Cup We All Race 4 coffee shop, American restaurant Brothers and Sisters, and Japanese eatery Spoken English.

The Line DC also boasts a fitness room, a spacious rooftop, and its own radio station – a feature also found at the city's Eaton Workshop hotel.

This is the third hotel in the Line chain to open in the US, following outposts in Austin and Los Angeles – all managed by Sydell Group.

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Foster + Partners' new airport for Mexico City has been cancelled mid-way through construction, following a public referendum that resulted in a majority vote against the project.

Mexico's president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that he will respect the outcome of the referendum, which saw 70 per cent of participants vote in favour of scrapping the partially built New Mexico City International Airport.

"The decision taken by the citizens is democratic, rational and efficient," López Obrador announced yesterday, 29 October 2018. "The people decided."

Public vote is binding

Despite the fact the airport has been under construction since 2015, a proposal to cancel the project had formed a key component of López Obrador's presidential campaign earlier this year. He was critical of overspending, corruption and environmental concerns surrounding the construction.

After wining the election with 53 per cent of the vote, López Obrador announced that a binding public vote would talk place in October 2018 to decide the fate of the airport – which British firm Foster + Partners designed with Mexican studio Fernando Romero Enterprise (FR-EE).

Reports stated that only one out of every 90 registered voters took part in the referendum – a total of one million people.

López Obrador concerned about project's cost and environmental impact

The New Mexico City International Airport, or Nuevo Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (NAICM) was spearheaded by outgoing Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto. The new airport was intended to replace the current Mexico City International Airport – officially Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez – in order to accommodate increasing numbers of passengers.

López Obrador, who will take office in December 2018, was particularly concerned about the expected $13.3 billion (£10.30 billion) cost. Sixty per cent of this was to be funded by the Mexican government, with the remaining 40 per cent made up from bank loans and debt security.

He suggested that a cheaper alternative would be to expand the city's existing 1970s-built airport – which is currently operating at capacity – onto an existing military base nearby. This may come to fruition now that Foster and Romero's scheme project has been nixed.

Another issue with the new scheme is its location northeast of Mexico City in Texcoco, on part of a dry lake bed, which caused many problems construction. It is also close to Lake Nabor Carrillo, which offers refuge to migratory birds that might be killed or deterred by the aeroplanes.

Partially built airport could become "sports and ecological centre"

López Obrador said the outcome of the vote was "a triumph for the environmental movement" and has suggested using the unfinished build to create "a big sports and ecological centre", the Washington Post reported.

Foster and Romero designed the airport in response to a competition, and were selected as winners in 2014. The proposal comprises a lightweight gridshell structure that forms the walls and roof of a 555,000-square-metre terminal, serving six runways.

The lightweight glass and steel roof is shaped to resemble an X as a reference to the letter in the country's name, while its vaulted form draws on traditional Mexican architecture and symbolism.

The first phase – including a terminal to accommodate 68 million passengers per year, and three runways – was expected to open in 2020. The second phase would have provided two more terminals.

Foster's firm has a host of experience with airport design, with completed projects in London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Amman and Kuwait. It also unveiled plans for an additional terminal building for Marseille Provence Airport last year.

Foster + Partners' other projects in Mexico City include a skyscraper currently under construction, while its partner FR-EE is also behind the capital's anvil-shaped Museo Soumaya.

Dezeen has contacted Foster + Partners for comment, but is yet to receive a response.

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