Art Architecture Dezign

Minimalist interiors draw attention to the open kitchen of this Japanese restaurant, which Takenouchi Webb has created inside an old Singapore shophouse.

Decked out with pale timber surfaces and pared-back furnishings, Esora has been designed to give centre stage to the dining experience.

It is located in Singapore's River Valley district, and was formerly a shophouse – a common building typology seen around Southeast Asia that combines a workplace with a residence.

The 26-cover restaurant will serve Kappo-style Japanese food under the guidance of chef Koizumi. Translating to "cut and cook", Kappo involves a chef openly preparing a multi-course meal in front of diners so that they can observe and appreciate the culinary process.

"As the restaurant was to be arranged around the chef's table, this became the centrepiece of the restaurant," explained locally based studio Takenouchi Webb, which was charged with developing Esora's interiors.

"Through our discussions with the chef and the client, we slowly developed the language of materials and form of the space."

The ground floor is now centred by a cooking space, which is enclosed by an L-shaped wooden block of seating.

Part of the flooring here has been lowered so that the chef must step down to use the prep counter, aligning his eye level with diners and fostering a more intimate atmosphere.

Overhead is a semi-circular glazed opening that has been overlaid with Japanese washi paper, diffusing natural daylight in what the studio describe as a "cloud-like" manner.

At the rear of the room is a small kitchen decked out in jade green tiles and a drinks bar crafted from veiny grey marble, where guests can take part in a tea-pairing experience. The bar's curved form, coupled with the arched grooves in the ceiling, is meant to give the restaurant a sense of "underlying calm".

The rest of the restaurant accommodates a couple of four-seater tables and a private dining room that can be completely closed off by sliding gridded screens. Five pendant lamps are suspended from the ceiling in a row, emitting a warm yellow glow.

Decor has been restricted to a few abstract paintings, copper cooking pots, and vases filled with pampas grass and white-budded honesty flowers.

Sinapore's few remaining shophouses are often granted heritage listing, encouraging studios to carry out imaginative refurbishments. Back in 2015, WOW Architects converted one of the buildings into art and design venue, which has rugged brick interiors.

Photography is by Jovian Lim.

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The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, is reopening following an overhaul by Foster + Partners, featuring a roof that curves around an old tree and a botanical garden for sculptures.

British firm Foster + Partners completed the renovation of the museum on Olive Avenue three years after work began on the project.

The scheme aimed to revert the Norton Museum of Art back to its simple axial arrangement, as conceived when it was built in 1941 by architect Marion Sims Wyeth as a series of single-storey, art-deco pavilions arranged around a courtyard. Alterations made over the years, however, had confused this layout.

"The revitalisation of the Norton is rooted in revealing and enhancing the original spirit of the building," said Norman Foster in a project statement.

"Over the years, the museum had lost its sense of identity in the neighbourhood," he added. "The entrance had been moved to a side road, and there was no presence of a museum."

To resolve this, Foster's scheme adds a new 59,000-square-foot (5,480-square-metre) wing to the western side, creating a new entrance and a stronger presence facing the city's South Dixie Highway.

A huge roof on top curves around an 80-year-old Banyan tree. Reaching 43 feet (13 metres) above the ground, the canopy shades the entrance from Florida's harsh sunlight.

Three double-height wings behind bridge the galleries in the existing low pavilions with the three-storey Nessel Wing, which was added to the museum in 2003.

All buildings are covered in horizontally banded white stucco, to match the art deco-style of the older structures.

Inside, the new trio of buildings host an auditorium, a great hall, an education centre, an event space, a museum shop and a restaurant.

"The new design redefines the museum's relationship with its surroundings by providing a main entrance on the original central axis," Foster continued, "while creating new event and visitor spaces that will transform the museum into the social heart of the community; as well as increasing the gallery and exhibition spaces, to engage with a wider audience."

In addition to resolving the layout and extending the museum, Foster + Partners wanted to create plenty of green space to make the most of Florida's warm climate.

An asphalt car park on the southern side of the museum was transformed into green space. This will be used as "outdoor galleries" for the Norton's growing sculptural collection.

"Just like an artist studies a piece of stone before turning it into a piece of sculpture, the transformation of the Norton Museum of Art was inspired by its context – the light and flora of Florida, as well as the setting of the original gallery," said Foster + Partners partner Michael Wurzel.

"The new museum and the surrounding landscape have been delicately interwoven to form a unified ensemble that will be a new landmark for West Palm Beach."

Vegetation, including 272 trees and shrubbery, was selected by Foster + Partners' landscape architect Neil Bancroft to suite the subtropical climate, harsh hurricane winds, and lack of water in drought season.

Tree canopies are intended grow big enough to provide shade for the public to enjoy a dining area in the garden, Bancroft revealed when unveiling the scheme last year. The canopy will also shelter the non-native vegetation, which was added for colour.

"In the past, there was no outside space for visitors to enjoy, but now the perimeter of the museum'As expanded grounds is defined by a new landscape," said Foster + Partners head of design Spencer de Grey.

"The gardens impart a sense of identity to the Norton, connecting it to Florida's lush subtropical vegetation, creating verdant spaces for art that extends the museum beyond its walls."

Six 1920s houses to the south of the garden will also be transformed to create artist residences and a home for the museum's CEO Hope Alswang.

The Norton Museum of Art will open to the public on 9 February 2019. Foster + Partners first unveiled the renovation scheme in 2013, and work began on the extension three years later.

The new wing topped out in June 2017, just before the site was hit by Hurricane Irma. The firm said that the complex received minimal damage and the Banyan tree also survived.

Founded by Foster in 1967, Foster + Partners won the 2018 Dezeen Award for Business Building of the Year for its Bloomberg headquarters in London.

The firm has several projects in North America, including a skinny residential skyscraper and a stepped office tower, both of which are underway in New York.

Meanwhile in Chicago, Foster + Partners completed an Apple Store with a roof shaped like a giant Macbook, and is among five firms in the running to complete the city's new O'Hare airport terminal.

Photography is by Nigel Young.

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Reception desks, carpets and mid-century furniture found in Midtown Manhattan lobbies informed the design of menswear brand Jack Erwin's flagship store in New York.

Jack Erwin and architecture studio Milliøns designed the space at 488 Madison Avenue, in an area synonymous with advertising companies – a reputation cemented by hit TV series Mad Men.

In response, the team created the backdrop for the men's shoes, sneakers and leather goods to draw on details associated with corporate office spaces.

"Jack Erwin's first retail space repurposes and reimagines familiar aspects of the corporate office to create an environment altogether new," said the brand in a project description.

"The store pairs familiar workplace materials – powder-coated aluminium, commercial-grade carpet, teal glass, for example – and bright, bold colours to create a fresh and enlivening backdrop for elegant leather shoes."

Among the details used to enhance this aesthetic are the powder-coated, blue-teal aluminium curtains, which are intended to reference office blinds and partitions, and a bold blue square of "commercial-grade carpet" on the floor.

Sparse furnishings, such as the dark blue Brno chairs designed by mid-century architect Mies van der Rohe, and waxy tropical plants are used to allude to the minimal decor of Midtown lobbies.

The ribbed, white concrete shop counter at the rear of the space, which wraps around a glass cabinet for leather products, is also "inspired by the forms of reception stations", according to the team.

Matching this feature, a large central, concrete platform is detailed with diagonal markings. It provides a spot for customers to sit and try on shoes, with mirrors running along the understand to reflect the blue carpet beneath.

Modular, white cubes are set on top to provide a display case for shoes, while matching aluminium blocks are also arranged along one wall in the store.

Jack Erwin, which was founded by Lane Gerson and Ariel Nelson in 2014, has also continued the workplace aesthetic to the shopping bags. These are adorned with gridded patterns that take cues from Excel spreadsheets.

Other design-focused retail spaces that have recently opened in New York include shoe brand Gray Matters' showroom in Brooklyn, which features a series of trompe l'oeil mirrors, and Claus Porto's boutique complete with a crinkled tunnel.

Photography is by Matthew Johnson.

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College graduate John Quick has created a collection of donut-shaped pipes, with ceramic glazes to resemble frosting, for smoking marijuana.

The collection of Donut Pipes is hand-made by fine-arts student Quick, who attended Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Designed to resemble the popular fried snacks, each fits in the palm of the hand and is roughly the same shape. The pipes are finished with colourful glazes to resemble plain, sprinkled, iced and chocolate donuts.

Although first appearing decorative, the objects are intended for smoking cannabis. The rings are hollow and feature air holes at either end, allowing smoke to pass through both sides at the same time.

On one end is a small crevice for placing the weed, with three small air holes in the shape of a triangle that provides an even burn while lighting the bowl. Users inhale the smoke from the opposite end.

"It's important to be delicate and precise when making this form because inconsistency will lead to problems with function," Quick told Dezeen.

The designer has worked with donut forms for a while. "I had always found it such an intriguing shape to make on the wheel," he said.

Quick makes all of the pieces one by one, and uses his hands to measure the approximate size of the pipe. "They are thrown to the length of my middle finger," he explained.

After having some time to harden, Quick then alters each one and adds the bowl, mouth hole, and carb hole.

"The process of making my donut-shaped pipes is long and delicate," he said. "I first begin by throwing a batch of the small donut-shape on the wheel. They are thrown as a hollow form and later trimmed to remove weight and refine the donut shape."

The pipes are sold exclusively by Yield design studio, which is also based in Saint Augustine and co-founded by another Flagler alum. Yield has helped promote Quick's creations, and also designs its own line of furniture and homeware.

As cannabis legalisation spreads across North Americas, several designers have jumped to create products for the burgeoning market. They include a pink stack by Castor and a bright blue design by Jamie Wolfond – both made of glass rather than ceramic.

Photography is by Kelsey Heinze.

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Atlanta is gearing up to host the 53rd Super Bowl this weekend, so we've put together a guide to the Southern US city's most interesting buildings in case American football isn't your thing.

High Museum of Art by Richard Meier, 1983, expanded by Renzo Piano, 2005

Known to locals as The High, this minimalist museum found its home in Meier's 135,000-square-foot (12,500-square-metre), white-concrete edifice the year before the New York architect won the 1984 Pritzker Prize.

It was later expanded by fellow Pritzker laureate Piano to add more exhibition space. The museum now houses an impressive collection, and hosts a rotating series exhibitions and installations by international designers, who have recently included Daniel Arsham, Jaime Hayón and Yuri Suzuki.

Hyatt Regency by John Portman, 1967

A soaring atrium – which allegedly provided a model for Star Wars' Death Star – sits at the heart of this 22-storey hotel, one of the first of its kind completed by late American architect John Portman.

Created as part of his major downtown redevelopment called the Peachtree Center, the Hyatt Regency's central space is surrounded by balconies and features futuristic elevators, all illuminated by a translucent skylight.

Photograph by Darren Bradley.

Atlanta-Fulton Central Public Library by Marcel Breuer, 1980

Breuer's monolithic Central Library bears similarities to his famous Manhattan museum, with large expanses of flat external surfaces, punctured sparingly by small inset openings.

The Hungarian Bauhaus member and teacher died shortly before the building was inaugurated. His structure came under threat from demolition in 2016, but was saved by preservations and will now undergo renovation works instead.

191 Peachtree Tower by Johnson/Burgee Architects, 1990

Architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee completed this 50-storey office building in 1990, comprising conjoined towers wrapped in granite and grey-tinted windows.

Each is topped with a decorative crown that is illuminated at night, creating a pair of beacons to signal the city's current fourth-tallest skyscraper.

Cannon Chapel by Paul Rudolph, 1981

This brutalist chapel at Emory University is most recognisable for its tiled barrel roofs, arranged in rows at different heights, and the tall concrete panel that bears a crucifix.

Inside, the curved ceilings are exaggerated by exposed beams, and wooden surfaces add warmth to the otherwise austere material palette.

Photograph by Mary Ann Sullivan.

Michael C Carlos Museum by Michael Graves, 1993

Elsewhere on the Emory campus, postmodernist Graves created a 40,000-square-foot expansion to a Henry Hornbostel-designed law school that his studio previously renovated into museum galleries and classrooms.

The new wing was completed in 1993, visually reinterpreting elements of the original building in a more simplistic and streamlined way.

Photograph by Mary Ann Sullivan.

Playscape by Isamu Noguchi, 1976

Japanese sculptor Isamu Noguchi formed this children's playground – one of several he designed throughout his career – with equipment made from simple geometric shapes and coloured with primary hues.

Triangular red climbing frames, oversized 3D Tetris blocks and a blue slide spiralled around a cylindrical tower are among his objects clustered together within Atlanta's Piedmont Park.

AmericasMart Atlanta by John Portman, 1957

Another section of Portman's huge Peachtree development, the seven-million-square-foot (650,000-square-metre) AmericasMart is one of the world's largest permanent wholesale trade centres.

Comprising three buildings connected by pedestrian bridges, the complex hosts several major trade shows each year, and retailers can rent permanent showroom spaces that open year-round.

Photograph courtesy of International Market Centers.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights by Phil Freelon and Marc Johnson, 2014

This 42,000-square-foot (3,900-square-metre) facility was constructed on land donated by the Coca-Cola Company – at the heart of the city's tourist district – and acts as an educational and community hub for the past, present and future of the Human Rights Movement.

The building's multi-toned metallic panels are intended to represent different skin colours, while its angled curving walls mimic protective hands.

Photograph by Marco Correa.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium by HOK, 2017

For sports fans or not, HOK's 71,000-seat venue that plays home to the Atlanta Falcons NFL team is a spectacle – built from huge faceted plates that overlap to surround the central bowl.

The stadium's most notable feature is its retractable roof, formed from eight ETFE "petals" that slide past each other like a camera aperture to open or close.

Find out more about Mercedes-Benz Stadium ›

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This week we've selected five companies with plenty of job opportunities available on Dezeen Jobs, including a number of vacancies at sportswear giant Nike and Beijing architecture studio MAD.

Jobs at Nike

Global sports giant Nike is recruiting for a number of technical design roles at its world headquarters based in Portland, including jobs as apparel computational designers and algorithm designers. The company recently unveiled its flagship store Nike House of Innovation 000.

View more job vacancies at Nike ›

Roles at MAD

This mixed-use complex in Nanjing, China, features supertall towers with cascading white louvres that will house offices, hotels, shops and apartments. MAD is seeking architects of all levels, interior designers, landscape designers and various roles in PR and marketing in Beijing, China.

View more job opportunities at MAD ›

Vacancies at Grimshaw

Grimshaw has grown rapidly over the past 30 years, expanding its offices from London to Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Sydney, Doha, Dubai and more. The firm is seeking architects, urban designers and interior designers to join its London and Los Angeles offices. The studio recently completed the National Ecology Center in South Korea.

Visit Grimshaw's company profile ›

Opportunities at Dezeen

Work with us at Dezeen! We are recruiting for a number of positions in London and New York, including roles in editorial, digital, sales, internships and someone to lead our hugely successful awards programme.

View the latest roles at Dezeen ›

Positions at Studio Fuksas

Italian architects Studio Fuksas has opportunities for interior designers, product designers, BIM coordinators and roles in business development. The studio designed the Rhike Park's music theatre and exhibition hall in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Browse all company profiles on Dezeen Jobs ›

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