otto » Interiors

Eye Candy: BBC Worldwide by Thoughtspace

otto — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:38 +0000

BBC Worldwide’s Sydney, Australia office by Thoughtspace.

Eye Candy: Sticks by Emmanuelle Moureaux for Issey Miyake

otto — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:08:38 +0000

Sticks by Emmanuelle Moureaux for Issey Miyake in Tokyo. The exhibit was inspired by the Japanese children’s game Mikado.

[via Dezeen]

Eye Candy: Collector’s Loft by UNstudio

otto — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:00:10 +0000

Collector’s Loft by UNstudio in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, a cross between living space and art gallery.

[via Designboom]

HMFH Design Named Model Elementary School in Massachusetts

otto — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:17:26 +0000

HMFH Architects announced that the East Fairhaven Elementary School in Fairhaven, Massachusetts was named one of the four model elementary schools by the Massachusetts School Board Authority (MSBA) at its July 28, 2010 board meeting.

MSBA’s pilot Model School Program began in 2009 with the identification of two successful recently constructed high schools. The elementary school program continues the agency’s goal to deliver effective schools by capitalizing on proven solutions and perpetuating design and construction best practices. According to the MSBA, adapting these proven school designs will compress the design/bid schedule, reduce construction changes orders and limit the impact of cost inflation.

HMFH’s design of the East Fairhaven Elementary School was cited for its highly efficient floor plan, as well as its adaptable and flexible use of space. The 74,630 SF school serves 475 students in pre-K through fifth grade. The school has a straightforward plan that simplifies navigation for its young users and bright colors and strong patterning to reinforce the child-centric environment.

Eye Candy: W Hotel Vieques Island by Patricia Urquiola

otto — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:58:26 +0000

W Hotels Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island, by Patricia Urquiola.

[via The Contemporist]

Shaw Contract Group Design Is… Award Winners

otto — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:39:10 +0000

In its fifth year, the Shaw Contract Group Design Is… Award program honors firms using a broad definition of design to shape our surroundings and improve life for the better. Through these winners, design is teaching, inspiring, healing, and uniting. The following six firms are the Design Is… Award winners for 2010:

Westparks+Associates: Cara Operations

id+s Design Solutions: Heenan Blaikie

Perkins + Will

EwingCole: AtlantiCare Cancer Care Institute

Richärd + Bauer: Prescott Valley Public Library

Cynthia Urbanik Interiors: Dress for Success

Cynthia Urbanik Interiors also received the People’s Choice Award. Voting for the People’s Choice Award was conducted at shawcontractgroup.com where 12 finalists were profiled. Over 350,000 votes were cast during June and July.

Eye Candy: Yo! sushi by Philip Watts Design

otto — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:15:30 +0000

Yo! sushi in Bath, England, by Philip Watts Design. Fittings by SLIDE.

Eye Candy: Kitchen Center by Nicolás Lipthay

otto — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:17:15 +0000

Kitchen retailer Kitchen Center by Nicolás Lipthay / Kit Corp in Santiago Chile.

[images by Nicolas Saieh via Arch Daily]

Kripalu Annex by Peter Rose + Partners

otto — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:31:12 +0000

Architecture firm Peter Rose + Partners has completed the Kripalu Annex, the first step in the firm’s master plan to reshape the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. The project has recently been declared a winner of the prestigious AIA National Housing Award in the category of Specialized Housing.

Tucked into 300 acres of dense forest in the Berkshire Mountains, Kripalu is the largest and most established yoga retreat in North America. For over 30 years, Kripalu has been teaching skills for optimal living through experiential education for mind, body, and spirit, and this holistic approach was the starting point for the innovative plan that secured Peter Rose the Kripalu commission in 2004.

Using simple, robust materials integrated into a streamlined design, the building does its work with efficiency and a quiet, lasting beauty, then slips out of the way to give a cherished landscape center stage.

A similar ethic imbues the entire Peter Rose + Partners’ Kripalu master plan. Proposed changes include renovations to existing campus buildings, landscape improvements, and new buildings to increase capacity, and together create a serene, ecologically sensitive environment and a model of environmental responsibility.

[Photos: Matthew Snyder]

Project Buzz: University of Amiens by Serero Architects

otto — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:32:36 +0000

Paris-based Serero Architects has won a competition for the new library and auditorium of the University of Amiens.

The building envelop is designed as a “smart” skin, which controls internal spaces ambiance as well as views. The facade system is inspired by pine cone scales, which open or close according to the level of humidity in the air. The full height glass curtain wall is protected by wooden sun-shading, which angles changes along the facade according to the orientation of spaces. This system allows a gradual transition from protected zones to opened and transparent zones. This sun-shading is vertical for a better answer to the main western orientation of the building.