We don’t know about you, but school wasn’t exactly the most inspiring
of places. Concrete bunkers for buildings, concrete tennis courts for
‘recreation’ and food that tasted, well, like concrete. Yes, school did
sound like a brutalist architects dream. But, Reynar Banham was nowhere
to be seen.
This is much the same story for most schools
under the comprehensive banner. Kids are taught in buildings resembling
cell blocks. The only exceptions coming from the private institutions
Britain is famed for. Education it seems, is taught from books not
experienced by what surrounds you.
Recently however, there has been a change of thought when it comes to school design. De Rijke Marsh Morgan Architects (dRMM) are adding the final touches to their overhaul of Kingsdale School in south east London to dazzling effect.
Rather
than the standard dreary courtyard favoured by modernist architects of
the 1950s – a giant atrium now sits under the worlds largest EFTE
variable roof – which has the ability to be cooled and heated to
insulate in winter and cool in summer. The result is a new space for
dining, assembly and a new auditorium sat inside a giant octahedron. A
vast improvement on the cruel inhuman space that stood there previously.
dRMM have also built a new music hall and gymnasium to accompany the
now iconic central space. In the music hall, windows are etched out of
the wooden interior with the material then used to form tables below.
The effect is a wonderful mix of shapes and rays of light that change
and move with the sun. While the sports hall’s dramatic beams rotate
around an invisible axis resembling an Escher drawing. All achieved
without compromising the space’s purpose as a place of play.
What
this school was designed to do was illustrate the importance of the
spaces people exist in. Education for most of the twentieth century was
bereft of any debate about where children should be taught. Hopefully
Kingsdale School will start to change that. By Matt Hussey
Even though the word wireless gets used as often as 'I love you', our
lives still seem inundated with cords at just about every turn. From
the cell phone and iPod charger through to the vibrator and epilady, its
cords, cords, cords. This new wall-mountable charging station
does not eliminate the hordes of wiring that surround these devices, it
simply disguises them. The slim line station stores all the wires
inside it, revealing just a few simple docking slots where your
lifeless devices slip in for a full re-charge. At $35, its the best
'swept under the carpet' routine on the market. By Andy G
Better View is a roll-up black-out curtain by Finnish designer Elina Aalto of Fiasko Design. The perforated city views currently available are Shinjuku, Tokyo, and Kallio, Helsinki. Each piece is custom made by hand.
Better View is part of SAUMA [Design as Cultural Interface], a travelling exhibition produced by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York. SAUMA (Finnish for "seam") presents 20 works of innovative contemporary design from Finland. True to the typically Finnish form-and-function tradition, SAUMA works explore usability, user experience and the design process itself.
SAUMA is at the Los Angeles Architecture and Design Museum till August 28, 2007, and will then move to Helsinki and Paris for 2008. By Tuija Seipell
T-O 12
is a new nightclub on Stuttgart’s notorious “party mile,” Theodor
Heuss-Strasse. Like the street, the club is also named after the late
Theodor Heuss, a fun-loving, dashing man and the first person elected
for a full term as the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Clubbers call the joint either Theo (T O sounds just like Theo in
German) or Theo Zwölf (=Theo 12 in German).
To create the three-story club, the owners hired two Stuttgart-based firms: Architecture and communications firm Ippolito Fleiz Group, and graphic designers i-d buero.
The result is a sleekly mysterious, pitch-dark space with white
furnishings and massive black-and-white murals. The all-black walls,
ceilings and floors together with the huge mirrors and tiny light spots
produce an effect that is vertigo–inducing and fun. Theo would approve.
By Tuija Seipell
While it may look like an optical illusion from the outside, this housing block in Izola on the Slovenian coast offers bona fide affordable options for many young families. The team of Ofis Arhitekti won a national design competition for their design of two apartment buildings each containing 30 units of varying size ranging from studios to three-bedrooms.
Internal spaces may be small, however the unique trapezoidal-shaped balconies accentuate external perspectives and views directly to the sea. Structural elements are located externally as well thereby allowing more spacious living areas while taking advantage of the limited area of each unit and helping to keep the square meter cost low.
Ofis wrapped sunshades in the form of colorful canvas awnings around the blocks balconies. These defining features provide ample external space for each unit, while innovative side paneling allows for both privacy and ventilation. From within, the canvas panels create unique environments in individual apartments. Each coastal-facing apartment is thereby effortlessly adapted to Slovenia’s Mediterranean climate. By Andrew Wiener
Unlike the tourist-tainted landscapes of neighboring Greek Islands; Santorini, Greece provides a seemingly untouched backdrop of
white hills, red beaches and blue seas.
A gem of Santorini, the Ikies Traditional Houses,
sits high atop the archipelago of islands in the village of Oia
(pronounced E-ah). Ikies houses are divided into studios (one bedroom),
maisonettes (loft bedroom), and suites. Each lodging has its own intriguing
name – presumably derived from local occupations – such as artisan, boatman, collector and antiquarian.
The eleven luxury dwellings
are carved out of pumice and designed to blend in with the surrounding
architecture – hence “traditional houses”. Highlighting the theme of bright white, the blue windows, roofs and shutters create a
mesmerizing effect when paired with the Aegean’s cerulean waters and red
clay cliffs.
Ikies makes brilliant use of their surroundings by perching their
apartments on these cliffs, and expanding the space even further with
private patios, Jacuzzis and pools, all of which are carefully crafted
for viewing of Oia’s famous sunsets.
Beyond the intricately
detailed infrastructure, Ikies has become renowned for its obsession
with service. One satisfied review read, “Their staff lives for nothing
more than to refill your cocktail.” Continental breakfast, light fare
and cocktails are all served to your room (or terrace or pool area).
For the romantically-inclined, Ikies also offers a full service
honeymoon package, with champagne breakfasts, flowers, satin sheets and
the works.
With its full-service amentities and uncomparable landscape, Ikies is a
prime example of what this region has to offer. Stay tuned to Coolhunter to learn the ins and outs of the best places to vacation in
Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens as we will be reporting live in
September. By L. Harper
Do & Co Hotel is located in Vienna’s District 1, on the pedestrian-only
Stephansplatz, right in the middle of the most historic part of this
mindbogglingly historic city. The hotel of 41 luxurious rooms and two
suites opened in May on the sixth floor of the famous, glass-walled
Haas Haus building, but it is the view that really takes your breath
away. What you see from the Haus is a straight-on, full-size, real-life
panorama of St. Stephen's Cathedral – Stephansdom -- that has defined
Vienna since 1147 AD. It is the sound of this Cathedral’s massive
Pummerin (big bell) that announces the official arrival of the New Year
in Austria.
The original Haas Haus building was a furniture and interior decor
store, Philipp Haas & Sons. Several reconstructions later, the
grand-daddy of modern Austrian architecture, Pritzker prize winner Hans
Hollein, designed the
current glass-steel-concrete structure. It opened in 1990 with notable
disapproval by traditionalists. Hollein was also behind the latest
upgrade that included the Do & Co hotel.
Do & Co, the hotel’s holding company, is known worldwide for its
first-class airline and event catering business and its Do & Co
Restaurants and Cafes. In the Haas Haus, it operates also Vienna’s hot
spot, the ONYX Bar (pictured above) on the 6th floor, and Do & Co Restaurant (7th
floor), plus luxurious event space on the 8th and 9th floors with
amazing views over Vienna.
The heritage of the company’s Istanbul–born founder and majority
shareholder, Attila Dogudan, is reflected in the colorful touches
interspersed in the Do & Co hotel interior by Amsterdam-based FG
Stijl. The firm’s
partners, British Colin Finnegan and Dutch Gerard Glintmeijer, have
managed to unite Dogudan’s Turkish heritage and Vienna’s prissy past
with understated modern luxury. Your room will come equipped with Kilim
bedspreads, chocolates from Viennese confectionary institution Demel
(also owned by Do & Co), and a Bang & Olufsen flat screen TV.
By Tuija Seipell.
Retro video game iconic heroes have been making a come back for some
time now. From T-shirts through to shoes, we have seen the likes of
Mario, Donkey Kong and dare we say their rival, Sega's Sonic The
Hedgehog plastering their pixelated faces all over some funky
wears.
Hot on the heels of this fad, gaming giant Nintendo have promoted their
latest baby Wii in Italy with this interesting wall display created by a series
of posted notes. Behind each not lies a message inviting
the recipient to relive the 80's through some classic games
available on Wii. The post it notes make a nice 3D representation of a
2D pixel. Cute. By Andy G
The Hamptons's idyllic surroundings seem to attract the wealthy, the
beautiful, and the inebriated. It's estimated on any given weekend
evening that half of those driving on Hamptons's thoroughfares are
legally drunk.
To remedy this dangerous situation – without ruining anyone's good time
– Englishman William Heath came up with an ingenious,
schoolyard-inspired solution: scooter bikes.
William Heath came up with the idea for Lilybug after
the tragic death of his friend, Lily, after a collision with a drunk
driver. Lilybug donates a percentage of their proceeds to Lilybug
Foundation – which financially aids families hurt by drunk drivers –
and MADD.
The service (which currently only operates in Southampton, Hampton
Bays, Shinnecock, North Sea, Watermill, Bridgehampton and East Hampton)
rents scooter bikes to sloshed partygoers for $40 an hour. Lilybug also
goes above and beyond a simply renting their wheels: The company
provides on-the-spot chauffeuring assistance whereby Lilybug drivers
scoot over to where you’re drunkenly carousing and bring you and your
car safely home (they fold up their scooter in your trunk). The
scooters can also be found outside hotspots at weekends
including...Pink Elephant, Dune, Star Room, Nellos and Stereo by the
Shore. Lilybug’s
scooter bikes are DiBlasi R7Es that are said to fold up to a diminutive
30.7 x 14.5 x 24 inches. By L. Harper
Consider it an antidote to the mass-produced “designer” fashions of
Target and Wal-Mart. CoLab, an eyewear accessory collaboration, hand
selects talented “street artists” from all over the world to become
CoLab professors. These wisemen of design infuse their artistic
aesthetic into the humble sunglass frame, creating a tantalizingly
unique summer accessory.
CoLab is a brand-new venture out of Australia with the aim of creating matchless art disguised as fashion. For the
Spring/Summer 2007 season, CoLab invited Perks and Mini (PAM) of
Australia, EBoy of Germany, Geoff McFetridge of the US, Rockin’
Jellybean of Japan, and Neasden Control Center of the UK into their
“Colaboratory” to create inspired eyewear. Each pair will be sold as a
limited edition, with no more than 1000 pairs of each design sold. Come
next season, CoLab will select an entirely different slew of artists.
Each artist has contributed anywhere from three to five designs,
culminating in a CoLab portfolio of 20 sunglass designs. Despite the
commerciality of fashioning art into sunglasses, the project is
inherently appealing to the underground artist as CoLab dictates:
“There is no constraint, no rules to follow, no target market to
appease.”
The designs intimately reflect this freedom, from blue goggle-shaped
“Eyes” frames by PAM, to decal-ridden EBoy shades, to vintage inspired
oglers by Rockin’ Jellybean.
The tragically hip lenses can be found through worldwide stockists,
most notably, Paris’s Colette, which became CoLab’s first global
stockist in January of this year.
In its distinctive pursuit, CoLab has created a brand without a brand –
a welcome respite to those beleagured by the choice: Ray-Bans or
absurdly-priced “designer” shades. By L. Harper
To categorize the new Indigo Patagonia hotel and spa in Puerto Natales, Chile, as a cool place is to make use of the word cool in both its old and new meaning.
The old cool — as in somewhat coldish, refreshingly chilly — is a
fitting description of the six-storey, 28-room block of a building. It
is also a perfectly appropriate way for the hotel to be here in the
middle of Patagonia’s fresh magnificence.
In the new main hotel building, Chile’s favorite modern architect Sebastian Irarrázavalhas
managed to encase a balance between understated Northern European
luxury and a straight-forward humility toward the surrounding
environment.
Indigo is not a product of indulgent architecture that attempts to take
over the scenery. It is an honest, almost college-dormish building that
fits in its place as if it had always been there while also standing
out as something one wants to explore. That has also been the appeal of
Patagonia to adventurers, mountaineers, kayakers, trekkers and
nature-lovers for decades. With its ancient ice fields older than time
itself, fjords deeper than anyone can fathom, air and sky clearer than
seems natural, and vistas more humbling than you can be prepared for,
Patagonia makes you feel a bit like an intruder and yet you are unable
to resist its lure.
At Indigo, the new cool is evident both outside and in. The red
corrugated-metal facade sports huge white lettering that indicates the
various floors and spells out “indigo.” This creates an almost
surreal effect, as if the facade were a fake prop onto which the
lettering is being magically projected. All the while, the building
looks way more industrial than residential.
Inside, touches of luxury and attention to detail are everywhere. From
the natural materials — wood, basketry, cotton and linen — to the
neutral color palette and ever-present vast windows, everything helps
you ease into the main attraction of Patagonia: the natural world.
The new Indigo Patagonia hotel is a fusion of the three owner’s ideas.
Climber and publicist Hernán Jofré’s brought along his love of nature,
chemical engineer Ana Ibañez contributed impeccable taste (we can thank
him for the elegance of the interior), and Olivier Potart added vision
and fantasy. The Chilean, Spaniard and Frenchman dreamt up the concept
of the new hotel and converted the eight-year-old original Concepto
Indigo hotel into the new hotel’s restaurant. The two buildings now
cozy up to each other spectacularly unmatching yet happily at home
as part of the town’s low and semi-vacant skyline.
Perhaps it was the owners’ international backgrounds that affected
Indigo Patagonia’s particular mix of mountain chalet and safari hut and
then balanced it harmoniously and meticulously by the over-arching
touch of northern calm. The rooms exude comfort and simplicity and the
large windows everywhere let you see where you are.
Nowhere is it more evident that you are in the lap of luxury and rather
close to heaven, than in the top-floor spa. The sauna and two massage
rooms are great, but soaking in one of the three outdoor Jacuzzis
overlooking Fiordo Última Esperanza (Fjord of Last Hope) when you
really know you’ve found bliss.
The town of Puerto Natales (pop. 18,000) in the province of
Última Esperanza is on the mainland but connected to the sea by
channels. You can get there, for example, by taking one of the daily
flights from Santiago de Chile to Punta Arenas and then driving 250 km
to Puerto Natales. The area is best known for the Perito Moreno
glacier, Fiordo Última Esperanza, and for Torres del Paine
National Park that is on the UNESCO world heritage site tentative list. By Tuija Seipell
These days Prada isn’t just a name in fashion. The venerable Italian
fashion house has its elegant fingers in several other pies including
mobile phones and staging mammoth events.
Last month the label hosted one of the parties of the year in the city
of Valencia in Spain to celebrate the America’s Cup. As principal
sponsors of one of the participating yachts, Luna Rossa, Prada spared
no expense at its lavish VIP do held at the Central Market which is
normally home to a buzzing produce market.
The event attracted a slew of local and international celebrities who
lapped up the unique ambience – organizers left a lot of the stalls
intact including fruit stalls and delis, and guests were invited to
sample the produce on offer. One deli housed the event’s DJ, who mixed
tunes amid the Parma ham and anchovy tins, while other stalls where
converted into mini showcases of Prada accessories; with belts and bags
hanging from hooks as if they were pieces of fruit. In one deli stall
Prada even displayed its silk turban range.
Dinner was served on a series of intimate dining tables that were
scattered through out the venue, giving party goers the feeling that
they were at an elegant dinner party. By Laura Demasi.
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