Having spent more than enough time travelling the world, I didn’t think
I’d ever been this excited about yet another art event. But Buenos
Aires and its amazing ArteBA Contemporary Art Fair
have just reminded me how exciting art really can be. Forget the
mainstream Basels and Miamis – this is where the world’s hottest art
event is right now, and this is where the art world is really happening.
Argentineans are an extremely cultured bunch, more than any other
nation, and this is the most important art fair in Latin America.
Absolutely everyone seems to be interested in or involved in art here,
and the massive daily line-ups were events onto themselves. This is
where you meet everybody who is anybody, from artists to collectors to
critics to celebrities to the general public. The entire city and its
incomparable art, cultural and tourism charm is turned fully on and you
are going to love it!
ArteBA is a fantastic meeting point of everything that has to do with
art in the Latin American market – new, avant-garde, exotic,
experimental, traditional; established artists, newcomers and everybody
in between -- you name it, and it is here. Mainly visual artist and
galleries from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia and
Uruguay displayed their best and their hottest art. The venerable,
17-year-old, five-day intensive art event had an attendance of more
than 110,000 people, and it came close to having more energy and eye
candy than I could handle!
Argentineans are extremely stylish with an edge, and it seems they are
all good looking. So, I found myself people-stalking a lot as well,
even at the art events where there was more exciting art than I have
ever encountered in any art event in any city. From now on, this is THE
one art event I will attend every year.
In Buenos Aires, my home away from home was Palermo’s Home Hotel, one of the Hotels included in our latest book World’s Coolest Hotel Rooms.
and also Tailor Made Hotel in Las Cañitas. Palermo Viejo is Buenos Aires's equivalent to New York's Soho and it is
definitely the trendiest neighborhood and way much cheaper than Soho. The cobbled streets are lined
with fashion boutiques, amazing restaurants and design shops, mostly one-off local brands,
the really interesting stuff. I liked Arte Etnico Argentino
that sells textiles, furniture and accessories made in tribal villages.
Another amazing area is San Telmo with its antique stores
and the hugely popular Sunday antique market. This is the way antiquing
is supposed to feel like!
I have never experienced a city more extroverted and exotic in its
fusion of night and day, history and future, foreign and local. My
every sense has been heightened here by the overwhelming richness of
sights, sounds, smells and tastes, and by the endless succession of
nightlife, tango parties, special events, dinners, clubs...I’ve had an
amazing time and I have Astrid Perkins and her great team at Think Argentina to thank for pretty much all of it. I have never been looked after better than here in Buenos Aires!
A big thank you to LAN Airlines business class for flying me to Buenos Aires from New York. By Bill Tikos
Movin’ on up, now more than ever encapsulates stunning design,
impeccable service, effortless living from the time the sun rises to
well after the sun sets. We’ve been noticing a rising trend in the
sheer number of luxury residences - we recently told you about an
exclusive collection of seaside properties in Abu Dhabi. And now from New York to Buenos Aires, and from Moscow to
Beijing, we’ll reveal a few more of the coolest luxury abodes.
Many of us have been accustomed to the stylistic cues offered by W
Hotels across the world – but how many of us will actually have a
chance to pick up the phone from our own kitchens and receive
assistance from the ‘Whatever, Whenever’ hotline? Soon, for those
who jumped at the chance to purchase a W-styled apartment in one of
their newest locations south of the World Trade Centre in New York
City, the possibilities will be limitless.
W Residents may share the building with distinguished hotel guests in
the lower portion of Manhattan, but luxury amenities such as a rooftop
terrace, a fitness centre and spa in the sky, a media screening room
and digital lounge, as well as a separate entrance, will be solely for
those permanently living in the upper floors of the luxury tower.
While the W Hotel New York Downtown will take up the first twenty-two
floors, the upper levels have been split into furnished residences
(Floors 23-30) and customised residences (Floors 33-56). Interior
design exceeds expectations, even by W standards, with sleek and
functional kitchen built-ins to a translucent wall from the bedroom to
a ‘peek-a-boo loo.’
A bit further in the heart of Tribeca,
Five Franklin Place is destined be the epitome of luxury
residences. The 20-storey building will contain 55 one-, two-,
three- and four-bedroom units that will be set up as duplex lofts on
the lower floors; single-level city residents above; plus three triplex
penthouses each with a rooftop terrace and serviced by private internal
lifts.
The building itself, designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkell of
UNStudio, will be wrapped in a series of horizontal black metallic
bands – each of which ungulates as it curves around and hugs the frame
of the structure. The façade is apparently a direct tribute to
the original 19th-century built form of cast iron that shaped lower
Manhattan – and the metallic surface will reflect light while
highlighting the magnificence of the neighbouring buildings.
The building’s façade is not merely about aesthetics, as the bands will also
create shading from the daylight, deflect heat, and guarantee every
residence will have the highest degree of privacy, and simultaneously frame unparalleled views out across Manhattan.
The Loft Residences on the levels have a double-height
living area that maximises the light entering the space. The height
of the great room continues on through a gallery where a white
lacquered library wall ascends up into the second level.
The upper-tier City Residences feature integrated terraces off the
main living areas, and all units are custom-fitted with B&B Italia
kitchens and built-ins throughout. The master bathrooms feature a
circular sliding wall that allows the bathroom to become part of the bedroom and share its spectacular city views.
And for those at the top, the five ultra-luxurious Sky Penthouses are
unmatched in practically every aspect. Again, B&B Italia has
masterfully crafted the space, including the kitchen. Sweeping
views from every room, even the master bathroom, automatically heighten
the occupants’ awareness of their place in the cityscape and the
surrounding environment.
The skylines of our cities are rapidly changing – ingeniously
designed buildings are competing for our attention. But architectural
beauty alone is not going to provide the type of service we’re growing
accustomed to expecting after spending millions on luxury lifestyle. We
feel that the rise of luxury residences has only just begun – and we
want to know all about it. If you are aware of luxury residences we
should investigate, please let us know. By Andrew J Wiener.
Breaking up can be hard. Clearly, nobody told the Futureheads this
little fact of life. After the ‘heads and their label 679 went
splitsville, the band haven’t slowed down a bit.
On their new
cut, The Beginning Of The Twist, the Sunderland four-piece come off all
perky and energised without the strings attached feel that sometimes
comes with the label world.
That track has their classic
neo-wave jerky guitar sound, ideal for kids in Converse All Stars to
freak to at their local indie disco, all mixed with a twist of big-time
production from the golden fingertips of Youth (Primal Scream, The
Verve).
Here I was thinking they’d disappeared with Kaiser
Chiefs to planet suck, but the Futureheads are back and they sound
better than ever. By Dave Ruby Howe.
At the end of last year we filled you in briefly on the evolution of
office design from autonomous, uninspiring closed spaces to the
ubiquitous cube and finally the latest incarnation of creative,
motivational and dynamic workable environments. And now we’re
back to tell you about one of the latest projects from the architecture
and design firm Camenzind Evolution: Google Zurich.
And what is truly remarkable about this project is that Carmenzind
Evolution delivered exactly what Google desired, while not exceeding
the costs of many conventional interior office fit-outs. The
design team began by working closely with Google through the pre-design
process by interviewing all 350 employees with the intention of
incorporating their ideas into a new workspace. Because many
companies spend excessive amounts on furniture and finishes that have
nothing to do with how the employees work and interact within the
space, the final design resulted in elements from which the so-called
‘Zooglers’ would benefit most.
Stefan Camenzind, the design firm’s founding partner, reveals the
essential considerations that led to the innovative creation for the
new office space in Zurich: staff knows better than a management
committee what works best based on personality types; flexibility of
space allows employees take ownership and feel like they belong;
communal areas can and should be outlandish and inspiring; bold, clean
colour will successfully change the character of the room; cash is
always well-spent on an extraordinary coffee machine rather than on
soda or junk food; and finally, it’s OK and even recommended to splurge
on a few signature items rather than going all out on carpet, furniture
and chairs, all of which can amount to spending too much on the stuff
no one notices anyway.
Keeping all that in mind, let’s dissect Google’s new EMEA Engineering
Hub located within walking distance of Zurich city centre in the
‘Hurlimann Areal.’ The building was originally a brewery that has
been converted in to a vibrant mixed-use development of residential and
commercial spaces, including shops and a spa hotel. The Google offices
comprise seven storeys of 12,000 square metres of floor space for up to
800 employees.
A diverse team of Zooglers was assembled and represented the entire
staff by approving and rejecting nearly every aspect of the interior
fit-out. Carmenzind Evolution was never given a specific design
brief, but instead followed the directions and recommendations given by
the steering committee. Another unique element included in the
design process was the involvement of a psychologist who administered a
survey to each employee identifying both emotional and practical
requirement of the Zooglers.
The final design strategy involved the creation of highly functional,
yet somewhat basic individual workspace surrounded by proportionally
larger, highly stimulating communal areas and meeting spaces.
Open-plan workspaces were created for 8-10 employees, whilst
glass-partitioned offices were built for smaller work teams allowing
for both transparency and light from the outside, as well as creating
the required degree of privacy from within. And because the
average Google worker moves workstations twice a year, each area has to
be exceedingly flexibly and adaptable.
Every floor is individually themed and colour-coded allowing for
effortless orientation. The fifth floor, the history floor, was
designed to resemble an old library parlor. The meeting room has
large overstuffed sofas and chairs, dark, velvet curtains, a fireplace
and a chandelier. The fourth floor is the green floor – the
environment floor. The communal spaces have large, cocoon-like
meeting areas amidst a forest of tree trunks. Zooglers can slide
down a pole from the floor above into the space. And the third
floor’s theme is Switzerland. The floors have carpets that look
like snow, and ski gondolas have been converted into meeting
spaces. Igloo Satellite Cabins allow work teams to close
themselves off to their surroundings and attend videoconferences with
peers around the world.
Other noteworthy communal areas include an aquarium water lounge where
workers can chill out in foam-brick-filled bathtubs; a massage spa and
a games room to play billiards, foosball and other video games; the
Milliways cafeteria accessible via a large spiral slide where chefs use
local produce to offer fresh meals; and a fitness studio offering group
yoga and Pilates classes. And as each communal area is dispersed
throughout the seven floors, Zooglers are encouraged to circulate and
explore thereby increasing their interaction and communication with
co-workers from every department.
We have to admit we’re huge fans of socially-inclusive design processes
– and the design team at Carmenzind Evolution were dedicated to
insuring the wants and needs of each Google employee in Zurich were met
– and usually even exceeded. Google, of course, is a highly
innovative and effervescent company where their new relaxed work
environment will undoubtedly inspire and motivate Zooglers to keep the
company moving forward while conceiving provoking initiatives. By Andrew J Wiener.
If in Barcelona, you’ll have a couple of more days to see MWM’s — aka Matt W. Moore — solo show 20/20 by ROJO magazine at Artspace at Carrer Girona 61 Local 02 in Eixample. But it is worth a view online as well at mwmgraphics.blogspot.com and Flickr.
Moore is a 28-year-old Boston-based graduate of Savannah College of Art
and Design. He is a multitalented artist, illustrator and designer who
has worked with Ecko, Nike, Samsung and many others. Fascinated with
symmetry, math and wild color, he creates retro-spirited, abstract
graphics with a wild, graffiti edge. His typography, type treatments
and icons are featured in his annual b/w book – MWM B:4, and in a
comprehensive solo book Vectorfunk by ROJO. By Tuija Seipell
Antwerp, Belgium-based one-year-old sculp(IT)
is a partnership of two architects, Pieter Peerlings and Silvia
Mertens. They have recently completed a clever office, residence and
studio for themselves in what they call “Antwerp’s narrowest house”
located in Anwerp’s former red-light district. They took a 2.4-meter (7
feet 10 inches) wide space between two buildings, erected a steel
skeleton in it and installed four wooden floors, one each for work,
dining, relaxing and sleeping, plus a bath tub on the roof.
A one-piece staircase connects the floors. The walls are all glass,
allowing light in and creating a feel of space. In a nod to the area’s
“exhibitionist” past, each “window” to the street has a black frame
emphasizing the showcase or display aspect. The multi-color lighting
scheme completes the seedy notion. By Tuija Seipell
If you are in New York, go to the Fulton Ferry Landing by the Brooklyn
Bridge and peer at London with a monstrous telectroscope. If you are
lucky, your buddies in London happen to be on the South Bank by the
Tower Bridge where a similar telectroscope stands. And guess what you
will see? Each other! Why would that be in any way interesting,
considering that we can webcam with anyone any time?
This prehistoric-looking getup is ART created by London artist Paul St.
George. And he, apparently, is only fulfilling the dream of his
great-grandfather, Alexander Stanhope St. George. The elder St. George
dreamt of burrowing a tunnel across the ocean, setting a magnifying
telectroscope at each end so that people could see each other.
If the fake tale isn’t enticing enough, the gizmo itself is worth the
trek. It took two days and nights for the massive contraption to grow
from the river mud and morph from a six-foot, revolving, metallic drill
bit to the final tower of a 37-foot-long telescope. It will be
there until June 15. To set up a viewing date with your buddies at the
other end, go to telectroscope.net. By Tuija Seipell
After becoming one of the world's hottest boutique botanical skincare ranges, the Australian-based Aesop brand
is now making a name for itself in the world of innovative retail
design, injecting a large dose of cool into the concept of
sustainability. If you thought the brand's Melbourne "cardboard" concept store was
clever (all of the merchandising stands were made from recycled
cardboard), you'll love its brand new Adelaide "bottle" boutique. The
store's ceiling is crafted entirely out of recycled bottles, precisely
arranged in a wave pattern. Who said green had to be dowdy?
These new Australian stores are part of a big phase of expansion for
Aesop, which has also just opened boutiques in Paris and London's
swanky Mayfair. By Lisa Evans
There’s a new planet in the solar system and it’s called Luxury.
Actually, it is here on earth, on a little-known island called Nurai,
located northeast of Abu Dhabi city.
The 130,000-square-meter island is about to be transformed into an
achingly glamorous and luxurious resort and exclusive private
residential estate, comprised of one boutique luxury hotel resort with
60 suites, 31 beachfront estates and 36 water villas.
The mammoth project is a collaboration between New York based Studio Dror, led by Dror Benshetrit, that has designed the residences, and the Paris-based firm AW2 are responsible for the design of the hotel.
The sheer scale of the project is awe-inspiring; the incredible
multi-storey water villas alone will span 515 square metres each,
comprising of three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a private rooftop garden
with spa pool, private infinity pool, multiple decks, outdoor barbeque
area, gourmet kitchen and concealed service quarters. No doubt Tom
& Katie are making their reservations already.
As for the private “Seaside” residences (which are sure to be snapped
up by Saudi Princes and oil shieks because they will probably be the
only ones who can afford them), the five bedroom-six bathroom estates
span across between 3,000 – 6,050 square metres.
Each “Seaside” estate will include a private beach and garden, rooftop
garden with spa pool, infinity swimming pool, indoor reflecting pools,
concealed service quarters, entertainment patios, outdoor dining areas,
chef and show kitchens and outdoor showers.
The resort is due to open in 2010 and residences start at €20 million. By Lisa Evans
Some of us think that our far off ancestors lived in the trees – and
during our childhood, when our thoughts and memories are most pure, we
yearn to climb trees growing in our gardens, in our parks, in our
cities. As we get older, the urge to climb trees subsides as we
ride elevators up to our offices in the sky and look out across the
cities where we live. Yet occasionally, as we’re sealed up tight
in our artificially climatic spaces, we long for a breath of fresh air.
At a German company called baumraum
an architect, a landscape architect, an arbologist, and a craftsman
design modern, natural and solidly constructed treehouses. Each
treehouse project is assessed individually. The team takes into
consideration both the condition of the environment and of the tree,
with the size and features the clients desire.
baumraum offers a range of wood-types as well as options for insulated
walls. Treespaces can be outfitted with sitting and sleeping
benches, storage spaces, a mini-kitchen, heating, glass windows,
lighting, as well as a sound system for multimedia. Every piece
is pre-fabricated in a workshop, and then brought together on site.
Sound like something you’ve been wanting? The baumraum team
offers free consultation where they can talk you through every option
available as you put together your dream treehouse. The
treehouses can span multiple levels and sit among several trees.
Treehouses are mostly secured with ropes, thereby minimising the impact
of stress to the tree or trees on which the house is placed. And
if a tree is particularly weak, or even if a treehouse is wanted where
there is no suitable tree, stilts are used to guarantee people
everywhere can once again climb trees. By Andrew J Wiener.
If you were led to a department store’s make-up and perfume floor blindfolded, would you know where you are when the blindfold came off? What store, what city, what country? Probably not, as one looks just like the other. Unimaginative, predictable, boring. Not so at Berlin’s 100-plus year-old Kaufhaus des Westens, one singular store known by Berliners as KaDeWe. Specializing in luxury, style and indulgence, KaDeWe has never shied away from swanky design or striking displays. This time, they’ve allowed Hamburg-based Bilen & Born GbR to create two radically different areas on the ground-floor perfume department. One is a white space-agey multi-label area inspired by the act of breathing in fragrances, where spirals and rounded shapes draw the visitor in. The other is a baroque-inspired space with a contemporary twist. With its glass mosaic floor, studded pillars and ceiling with more than 8,000 Swarovski crystals, these surroundings are memorable even if the brands are the same as everywhere else. By Tuija Seipell
The work of Belgium’s Rotor Group
is popping up in more and more visible places. Rotor covers a wide
range of projects, from basic design, branding and packaging, to
events, lighting planning, interiors, showrooms, products, trade shows
and art. We especially like the work they have done with Belgian
lighting firm Modular Lighting Instruments
creating events, showrooms and surroundings that defy definition. A
great example is Rotor Designer Toon Stockman’s retro-futuristic
showroom for Modular that pays homage to Modular’s Beam Squad and
consists of six enormous cages supported by a skeleton of fluorescent
tubing. The wild narrative for this installation — a typical Rotor tale
— tells of life-destroying peril but luckily, all will be well and in
about 2069, lighting will be manufactured in peace again. By Tuija Seipell
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