Project
From a stylish Viennese bakery and a playful flagship store in Shanghai to a self-sufficient home and inspiring retail and office concepts, these five projects showcase the versatility and innovation of contemporary architecture and interior design. Here are five outstanding works that stand out for their strong ideas, clear design language, and great attention to detail.
ÖFFERL JOSEFSTADT
Foundation Three
The Viennese craft baker Öfferl opens a new shop in the upscale 8th district of its home city with an interior that reflects the high-end expectations of the location – travertine furniture and counters are paired with custom lighting fixtures, to start. But paired with the fancy look are a few gestures toward openness: a freely accessible water fountain and a ‘show bakery’ where bakers work on full display to visitors. ‘A confident and refreshing use of colours and materials for a bakery environment,’ noted Djurdja Milutinovic, director of store design and development at Karl Lagerfeld.
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SANRIO SHANGHAI FLAGSHIP STORE
Spider Creative
Iconic Sanrio characters are embedded into the spatial structure of the Sanrio Shanghai flagship, from the colours that they are associated with to giant 3D installations of the characters themselves. ‘Every single detail follows the same narrative,’ said Djurdja Milutinovic, ‘from the lighting fixtures to the shelving units and decorative elements. The result is a highly coherent and consistently articulated design.’
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AMAMI HOUSE
Sakai Architects
This project ‘delivers modern comfort rooted in its cultural heritage,’ writes John Naranjo, associate principal and design director at Arcadis. A favourite of the February jury, Amami House was built by the architect to house his own family. Moved by the acceleration of environmental decline, he built a solar-powered house in an urban area but cut it off from the national grid. ’A thoughtful celebration of local heritage and culture,’ says Rania M. Hamed, founder and principal at VSHD Design. ‘The spatial arrancement fosters a beautiful connection between the volumes, between people, and between the house and its landscape.’
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NICE RICE CONCEPT STORE
Say Architects
The interior of this Chengdu clothing store is inspired by the way a true Chengdu local spends their leisure time: resting under the shade of trees. Clothing displays are kept to the perimeter of the space, while in the centre of the store is a seating area surrounded by wooden columns, simulating a bench under tree trunks. Overhead, a membrane lets dappled light through as if through a tree canopy, and frosted glass lets plenty of natural light through while obscuring the busy city outside.
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DAIKI OFFICE
Shirotokuro
Daiki Office is ‘an artistic translation of brand identity into spatial design achieved without compromising functionality or adaptability,’ writes Elena Ma, regional workplace interiors sector leader at Woods Bagot. The office space is conceptualized around the themes of ‘unkown and margin,’ where the ‘margin’ spaces are conceived as zones of expansion, while the work areas are layers with materials that have dynamic textures and energies: marble, sculpted mortar and ceramic panels made form volcanic ash.
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