IBC INNOVATION FACTORY BY SCHMIDT HAMMER LASSEN

The IBC Innovation Factory is designed to support new ways of learning. The 12,800 square metres educational building is the result of a refurbishment project of the paint manufacturer GORI’s factory from 1978, which set new standards for factories at the time.

In the spirit of the original factory, schmidt hammer lassen architects, in collaboration with International Business College (IBC) Kolding, has created the settings for a ground-breaking and creative learning environment, aiming to become the world’s best.

The ambition is to be a training camp for future innovators. With the acquisition of the GORI factory in the summer of 2010, the IBC gained access to a unique physical environment characterized by an impressive pioneering spirit and vision.

It was the first factory plant in Denmark to unite production and management in one large room, allowing visual connection between the two. The large paint tanks were decorated by the French artist Jean Dewasne, in the conviction that art in the workplace would inspire employees and provide a better working environment.

The same idea inspired the incorporation of badminton courts and Ping-Pong tables on the production floor for the employees. The main task for schmidt hammer lassen architects has been to preserve and emphasize the building’s existing qualities and transform the facilities into an innovative learning environment.

By using six elements – fire, water, greenery, light, sound and air – the concept for the new Innovation Factory was developed with an emphasis on stimulating the users’ senses.

A central teaching facility in the shape of an indoor ‘landscape furniture’ designed in Douglas pine wood incorporates a variety of learning spaces and experiences. 

The wooden structure, which seems to float above a surface of water, has an auditorium, places for open study, an amphitheatre, and closed podiums for group work or quiet study time. There are green plants, the sound of trickling water, birds in aviaries and plenty of daylight from the skylights above.

Location: Kolding, Denmark 
Architects: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects 
Engineer: Rambøll A/S 
Consultants: Alectia 
Main Contractor: MT Højgaard a/s, Odense 
Area: 12,800 m2 
Year: 2012 
Client: IBC International Business College, Kolding 
Photographs: Adam Mørk

TORI TORI RESTAURANT BY ROJKIND ARQUITECTOS AND ESRAWE STUDIO

Considered one of the best Japanese restaurants in Mexico City and due to its remarkable success, Tori-Tori has now moved to a bigger location in the same area of Polanco, Mexico City.

Although the client’s requirements were oriented towards a Japanese interpretation, it was not literal, he wanted the place to have its own personal expression, contemporary and cosmopolitan, by enhancing its existing spatial conditions through different experiences, the new range of open spaces, its terraces, its sake bar and its own exclusive temple oriented at highly demanding sushi lovers.

‘At rojkind arquitectos we are very rigorous about experimenting with digital design as well as getting things built. That’s why we have specially focused on how to translate complex geometries into very simple and understandable drawings that benefit from local manufacturing, as is the case of working in Mexico City.’ Michel Rojkind, rojkind arquitectos

The façade, which seems to emerge from the ground climbing up through the building, as if mimicking the natural ivy surrounding the retaining walls, is made up of two self-supporting layers of steel plates cut with a CNC machine and handcrafted to exact specifications.

‘We seek in the project a chance for the users to link with the different ambiances and choose their favorites. Each space’s materials, setup and characteristics towards the furniture generate a wide spectrum of options and sensations for its assiduous clients.’ I.D. Héctor Esrawe, ESRAWE Studio

The interior receives and follows the exterior with subtle contrasts. Each room has its own nature and shows a clear relationship with its function. The furniture was inspired and made for Tori Tori and developed with a direct orientation through each space.

The furniture has been specifically developed for a comfortable dining experience. a complete collection of tables and chairs

were created to enhance each interior area connecting the atmosphere and function.

 

Location: Polanco, Mexico City

Architectural Project: Rojkind Arquitectos + Esrawe Studio

Project Team (Rojkind Arquitectos): Tere Levy, Agustín Pereyra, Raúl Araiza, Carlos Alberto Ríos, Isaac Smeke J., Enrique F. de la Barrera, Daniela Bustamante, Daniel Hernández

Project Team (ESRAWE Studio): Ricardo Casas, Basia Pineda, Ian Castillo, Karianne Rygh, Alejandra Castelao, Jorge Bracho, Alejandro Zárate, Marcela Muñoz, Edgar Sánchez, Rodrigo L. Franco

Area: 629 sqm

Year: 2011

Photographer: Paúl Rivera

MARTELLO TOWER “Y” BY PIERCY CONNER ARCHITECTS

Converting a Napoleonic defence tower built in 1808 into a 21st Century private residence was a demanding brief.

Duncan Jackson, the founder-director of Billings Jackson Design, bought Martello Tower Y in Suffolk, England, with the intention of creating his family home.

Early planning negotiations revealed the true scale of this ambitious project. The tower is a Scheduled Monument and is located on a flood plain in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Before work began, it was on the ‘At Risk’ register so the priority in conservation terms was to prevent further damage to the brickwork and to restore it where necessary. English Heritage and Suffolk Coastal District Council were keen to minimise the impact of any works so external interventions had to be unobtrusive.

The tower was built in 1808 to defend the east coast against potential invasion. It was last inhabited in the late 19th century and was derelict at the outset of the project. The only entrance is on the first floor of the building, which houses what was an ammunition store.

The new roof follows many of the curves within the original building while the 3 metre thick solid bonded brick walls (originally designed to withstand cannon fire from the North Sea) create a massive base from which the new roof is tethered.

The building is vaulted internally, at the roof and the floor, with a central column supporting the structure. The original brief called for a minimum of three bedrooms and a new roof-level main living space.

The condition of the tower made it difficult to go into more detail initially, so the design evolved over time through intense collaboration between architect and industrial designer. 

The curving roof extension is not only sensitive to the monument and its setting, it echoes the sculptural interior of vaulted brickwork creating a congruency between contemporary and historic.

The success of the project is due entirely to the collaboration and commitment of all team members. Ultimately, it took the determination of this team to satisfy the authorities without compromising design vision, leading Philip Walker of English Heritage to describe the design as “an exemplary and unique conversion of this type of building.”

Location: Suffolk, England 
Architect: Piercy ConnerArchitects 
Project Team: Jackson Design, Sam Lucas (Joinery), Commercial Systems International Limited (Steelwork), Billings Design Associates (Facade Design) 
Structure: Price & Myers, JP Chick and Partners 
Year: 2010 
Award: RIBA Award for the Eastern Region in March 2010

HONEYCOMB RESTAURANT BY SAKO ARCHITECTS

Honeycomb si trova si trova nel distretto Nanshan di Shenzhen in  Cina all’interno del “Poly Cultural Center”, un edificio commerciale che comprende un cinema, negozi, una pista da pattinaggio ed altre attività.

Il nome del ristorante da subito l’idea di trovarsi in un favo di un alveare con uno spazio definito da grandi superfici bianche, ondulate e forate, che mantengono visivamente unificato lo spazio e delimitano i diversi ambienti.

 

 

L’idea di fondo è quella di adattarsi alla clientela sia in situazioni di gruppi che per una cena tête-à-tête con diverse combinazioni di spazi e tavoli, risultando così uno spazio accogliete, elegante e non ordinario.

Il ristorante è un volume doppio, di 9 metri di altezza, con 6 strutture principali ondulate e forate che delimitano il piano superiore accessibile da una scala a chiocciola, anch’essa con il parapetto realizzato con lo stesso motivo.

La scala ha una struttura autoportante, ancorata al piano ed a terra, con al  centro una scultura luminosa composta da 25.000 sfere acriliche che pendono dal soffitto.

Le sei strutture ondulate caratterizzano la grande sala al piano inferiore con i loro volumi tridimensionali che determinano un gioco di luci ed ombre e di pieni e vuoti  con un’estetica elegante e piacevole.

Un effetto che ben si integra con lo spazio attraverso un efficace cromatismo dove i piani orizzontali neri, del pavimento e del soffitto, sono in contrasto con i volumi bianchi delle superfici forate.

Una combinazione molto semplice ma che crea uno sfondo moderno e semplice, ideale per mostrare il concept creativo dell'architetto attento a ricreare uno spazio molto adatto se esposto alla luce solare.

Una nota di colore è data dagli arredi, usata in modo alternato nei vari spazi, con sedute nere e tavoli rossi nella grande sala e tavoli neri e sedute rosse nelle sale riservate.

Tutti gli elementi del ristorante, come logo, biglietto da visita, menu, tovagliamenti e le uniforme del personale, sono appositamente progettati per una immagine raffinata e coordinata.

 

Location: Shenzhen, China

Architects: SAKO Architects  

Project team: Keiichiro Sako, Takeshi Ishizaka , Keigo Miyaichi

Lighting Design: Masahide Kakudate Lighting Architect & Associates,Inc.

Structure: Plusone

Area: 1,300 sqm

Project Year: 2008

Photographs: Courtesy of SAKO Architects

DESIGN COLLECTIVE BY NERI & HU DESIGN

The new Design Republic's Design Collective is located in the outskirt of Shanghai in a town called Qingpu. Neri & Hu inherited an existing building and was given the task to completely redesign both the exterior and the interior without demolishing the existing structure.

Their interpretation of this was to cover the original building in order to create a new exterior identity and to fabricate an introverted spatial platform to create a new identity for the Design Collective, a group of furniture retail initiatives in the city.

The existing building has been completely covered with an opaque graphic wrapper made with carbon fibre panel to create an introverted spatial condition in order to showcase the furniture of Design Republic dynamically.

The main entry features a geometric staircase which the designers call a “steel funnel”, running through the three-storey open atrium, serving as a transitional element from the exterior urban context to the exhibition space inside.

The entry tube also serves as a means of emphasising the expectancy of visitors’ arrival into the 3 storey exhibition hall.

The staircase wrapping the interior of the main exhibition space takes the visitor through the multiple levels of display where the furniture can be viewed from varying angles and vantage points.

The visitor then climbs higher through the gallery levels, admitted by seven large openings in the roof which serve to allow daylight into the exhibition space whilst simultaneously generating a moment of ‘visual release’.

The building is owned by Design Collective, a furniture retail initiative. It includes a 2000-sq-m showroom and shop for its brand Design Republic, which seeks to explore the relationship between people and the objects they use in everyday life.

 

Location: Qingpu, China

Architects: Neri & Hu Design

Area: 2,000 sqm

Year: 2012

Photographs: Shen Zhonghai