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| Mon 13 Oct 2008 |
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Tag: Germany
These items have all been tagged with the tag "Germany", You can see other tags in the Tag Cloud| Dupli Casa Remembers its Past |
| 2008-10-09 16:55:47 |
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Dupli Casa, a private residence by the Neckar river, near the old town of Marbach in South- Western Germany, is a wonderfull example of connection and fluidity. It connects the inside with the outside, up with down, air with ground and — most cleverly — past with present and even future. From the outside, the three-storey concrete villa looks like a bit like some sort of a fiberglass motorboat job gone funny, yet it also manages to look immensely appealing and intriguing. From some angles, the structure appears to be standing upside down — the lower exterior rim spilling onto the lawn and forming a part of a roof structure, if the building were to stand the other way around. It could have been blown there by the wind; it could be a StarWarsian vehicle frozen in place; it could be just taking off to outer space. The outdoor swimming pool and the white surface surrounding it seem like a perfect reflection of the house, almost as if the house had been face down on the ground, and when it was lifted off the ground, the process had left an imprint of a swimming pool on the ground and the large window opening in the house. The views from the inside are amazing, especially from the vast ground-level openings that again, give the sensation of flying, being airborne, weightlessness. Everything is fluid, flowing and smooth. All of this is very much in keeping with the main inspiration for the house. The new residence follows the footprint of the previous dwelling and its numerous extensions. The idea was to let the “family archaeology” continue in the new building. It’s a house that remembers its beginnings in 1984 yet projects boldly into the future. Dupli Casa is the work of Jürgen Mayer H., founder and principal of his cross-disciplinary studio. J. Mayer H. Architekten in Berlin. Other team members include Georg Schmidthals, Thorsten Blatter and Simon Takasak, plus Uli Wiesler’s architecture studio based in Stuttgart. - Tuija Seipell |
| Sand In Your Campers |
| 2008-06-13 00:30:01 |
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In 1877, Antonio Fluxá went all the way from the island of Majorca to England to learn about shoemaking. Whatever he learned there, he put into action immediately and founded a shoe company that his grandson Lorenzo turned into Camper Shoes in 1975. Today, the family's fourth generation is at the helm, the company is still based in Majorca and its shoes are sold worldwide. If you were lucky, you received an invite to this fun-and-games Campy party held in Germany recently, to celebrate the launch of the Spring/Summer 08 collection. AstroTurf, retro gear, great music and sand in your sandals. We're in. By Tuija Seipell |
| Thermal Bad Aibling |
| 2008-02-19 06:21:41 |
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Cool Spas are popping up everywhere as if they had just been invented, but in the Bavaria region of Germany — as in many parts of the world with healing, thermal or mineral springs — baths are part of ancient history. Bad Aibling, located some 35 miles southeast of Munich, has held the official title of a Bad (German for bath, spa, springs) since 1895 but the thermal spas have bubbled up there much, much longer. It is particularly refreshing to see one of the older facilities, Thermal Bad Aibling, receive a complete overhaul and emerge as a viable competitor in the world of spoiled and pampered spa goers. The most striking new feature at Bad Aibling are the large white domes, placed seemingly randomly in the hilly landscape, letting the alpine scenery dictate their placement. Each dome is dedicated to its own treatment, temperature, ambiance and experience. In addition to the fairly standard fare, such as a wide selection of massages, beauty treatments, saunas and different-temperature baths and pools, Thermal Bad Aibling offers a beautifully lit Turkish haman plus something no other spa has — so far. It is an immersive film experience by LivingGlobe where the guests can enjoy a special 360-degree film projection and light show produced specifically for Thermal Bad Aibling. The main outdoor swimming pool areas will open in May 2008, but hot pools are functional, creating the atmosphere of time-tested pleasure of soaking in hot water in cold air and enjoying the view. By Tuija Seipell |
| House on the Fichtestrasse – Biehler Weith Associated |
| 2007-11-13 06:34:17 |
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It’s not often here at the Cool Hunter that we’ll report on something old, but when the architects at Biehler Weith Associated wrapped an aluminium-clad extension around a plain white box built in 1929, something caught our eye. The design team has labelled the House on Fichtestrasse “Atmospheric Metamorphosis,” implying a dynamic, new form has materialised from the original. The house is sited on a hill overlooking rolling vineyards and the town of Heilbronn just north of Stuttgart, Germany. The renovation and addition to the exterior provides dramatic interior spatial configurations. Oversized glazing allows light to penetrate and enhance the stark white living space, while modern furniture and lighting make us forget the fact the original building has been here nearly eighty years. |
| XXS Shop - Focus on Gadgets, Hamburg |
| 2007-10-02 07:16:09 |
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The stark XXS Shop for Mobile Gadgets opened earlier this year in Hamburg’s Innenstadt, at Spitalen Hof 8. It is a minimalist showroom by Hamburg-based Spine Architects for Etronixx-Trading GmbH. The store is void of practically everything else but white surfaces and the merchandise itself. Mobile gizmos appear almost suspended in air, as they rest in small slots within the white expanse of built-in cabinetry that encircles the entire space. It is an excellent example of forcing the customer - in a pleasant way - to focus on the products, not on the props. Spine is a German-English partnership that started between Boris Bähre, J'orn Hadzik, Jan Löhrs and Neil Winstanley in 2001 when they won one of the prizes awarded in the international design competition for Rabin Square in Tel-Aviv, Israel. They are known for their work in several areas, from housing to public places to TV shows, private homes and shops. In September, Spine Architects opened an office in Menlo Park, San Francisco. By Tuija Seipell |
| T-O 12, Stuttgart |
| 2007-07-03 19:00:00 |
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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 |
| BACK ON THE WAGON - MULLER |
| 2006-04-05 11:06:06 |
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German design isn't only about cars (but we're eternally grateful to them for giving us BMW). The clever folk at Muller, a German furniture design company, are moving in on Scandinavian's territory as masters in sleek interiors. All of Muller's pieces are made from sheet metal, which is then painted in an array vibrant colours. We're loving the roller wagons, a range of mobile containers (which come open, with a shelf or closed with a drawer). The wagons come on castor wheels so they're perfect for apartment living. by Billy T |
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