ACADEMICVITAL

Works by Fernando Laposse, Paul Cocksedge and Studio Raw Material were among those shown as part of New York gallery Friedman Benda‘s group exhibition highlighting sustainable approaches to design.

Called Under Present Conditions, the show included collectible designs by 11 established and emerging talents from around the world, whose work deals in both social and environmental sustainability; overconsumption and the overexploitation of resources.

“Central to the exhibition is the exploration of materials, as opposed to mass processes of industrialization and extraction,” said Friedman Benda.

“The works presented are personal expressions of and, in some cases, poetic responses to the conditions that we live under. Recycling, upcycling, and reimagining the life cycle of materials are crucial themes.”

Many works included reused materials to change perceptions about waste objects, including a chair made with recycled cardboard by British designer Max Lamb.

Burkinabé designer Hamed Ouattara addressed the issue of waste – as well as the impact of unidirectional global consumption – by repurposing oil drums for a cabinet called Tombouctou II.

According to the gallery, designers also utilised digital technology to develop new processes and identify previously undiscovered material properties.

With the Remolten N1: Monolita Low Chair 15 project, Chilean studio GT2P used both digital tools and handicraft techniques when turning hardened volcanic lava into furniture.

In a similar approach, British designer Paul Cocksedge showcased a wall hanging made completely of coal blocks, which, if burned would take 20 trees a year to offset naturally, presenting a conceptual angle to help visualise carbon usage.

Bringing awareness to the over-extraction of minerals, Israeli designer Erez Nevi Pana dipped wire-structured shapes into the Dead Sea, allowing salt to crystalize around the forms. The pieces are meant to showcase the potential for positive interactions between industrial objects and natural ones, according to the designer.

Other designers used natural processes at one or more stages of construction.

With Cocoon Cabinet #2, French-born designer Marlène Huissoud put multiple silkworks on a base shape and let them form their cocoons together, which created a new solid material they left behind when becoming butterflies.

UK-based Studio Grown combined the natural contour of willow tree branches into the shape of The Goodall Chair, bypassing the need for energy-consumption machinery and reducing waste.

A few projects explored the social aspects of sustainability, by highlighting the impact of the extraction on certain communities.

Mexican designer Fernando Laposse‘s showcased the Branch Joinery System, a modular shelving system made only from the pruned branches of avocados, which would usually be waste.

Laposse is known for his Conflict Avocados project, which was presented as part of Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria’s Triennial exhibition in 2023 and 2024, and raised awareness about the harmful impact avocado farming has had on communities in Michoacán, Mexico.

“For much of my career, I’ve dug deeply into understanding why traditional farmers in Mexico cannot make a living out of the crops they grow,” said Laposse.

“Collectively, these practices represent the field’s panoply of reflections on the circumstances we all share,” said Friedman Benda.

“By seeing how leading designers, consciously or not, approach these themes, we see how material itself tells the story of its own surroundings.”

Other designers in the show included Fernando and Humberto Campana, Joris Laarman and Christien Meindertsma.

The photography is by Izzy Leung.

The Under Present Condition exhibition is on view from 2 May to 15 June at Friedman Benda. For more architecture and design exhibitions visit Dezeen Events Guide.

The post Designers at New York exhibition showcase "poetic responses" to mass extraction appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features the Kunstsilo art gallery in Norway by Barcelona studios Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX and Mendoza Partida. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

The Kunstsilo art gallery in southern Norway is located in a converted 1930s grain silo and was designed by Barcelona’s Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX, and Mendoza Partida.

The aim for Kunstsilo was to preserve and celebrate the architecture of the former grain store, completed by Norwegian functionalist architects Arne Korsmo and Sverre Aasland in 1935.

Commenters praised the conversion, labelling it “an intelligent and quite positive re-use of an industrial structure,” while another remarked, “Love a good adaptive reuse project.”

Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section include a report by the BBC that Saudi Arabia has authorised “lethal force” for Neom land clearances, a house in Dulwich extended by local studio Proctor & Shaw and a shell-like brick pavilion in China by architecture practice HCCH Studio.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

The post Dezeen Debate features "an intelligent re-use of an industrial structure" appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio Brandon Haw Architecture has created a masterplan for a development along the Brooklyn waterfront, which will include five mixed-use residential towers.

Totalling approximately 1 million square feet (92, 903 square metres) across 3.75 acres, Williamsburg Wharf will encompass residential, commercial, retail, and outdoor space and be located on “the last waterfront site in South Williamsburg” with each tower reaching 22 storeys and designed by architecture studios CookFox Architects, Rockwell Group, BHA and more.

Developed by real estate firm Naftali Group in partnership with Access Industries, it will sit at 464-484 Kent Avenue, a plot that lies adjacent to the Williamsburg Bridge.

“Williamsburg Wharf is a high-quality development of five landmark residential towers along the Brooklyn waterfront,” said Brandon Haw Architecture (BHA). “The project shall regenerate the last waterfront site of South Williamsburg.”

“Williamsburg Wharf represents an extraordinary vision for the last developable site along Williamsburg’s East River shoreline,” said Naftali CEO Miki Naftali.

Renderings show two stepped buildings clad in beige materials, with greenscaping running along their bases and along the waterfront.

Open courtyards in the buildings will face the river, while retail space will be located on the opposite side along Kent Avenue. Gardens and public spaces designed in collaboration with New York studio Scape Landscape Architects will create a “strong public realm” and connect the project to the surrounding neighbourhood, according to the team.

The development’s overall design scheme was informed by the surrounding neighbourhood and its waterfront site.

“Drawing upon the early Dutch heritage of the Wallabout Bay area whilst abstracting from the majestic cast-iron buildings found in the neighbourhood, BHA has created a unique and unifying architectural language for the project, emphasising the quality of light that accompanies its west-facing waterfront location,” said the studio.

“Ever changing with the play of the seasons and time of day, the deep shadow lines of cornice, structure and window openings are emphasized by reflective, prismatic detailing, catching the light with varying colour highlights throughout the year,” it continued.

A total of 850 residences are planned for the project and will include “resort-style” wellness and leisure amenities, along with access to open outdoor areas, a dog park and walking and cycling paths throughout the park.

Other design studios slated for the project include Ward + Gray, Studio Munge, Hill West Architects and Future Green Studio.

Construction has begun on the project, with its first phase estimated to be completed in 2025.

“Combining new public space, community amenities and exceptional high-quality residences, the masterplan’s vibrant mix of activities shall invigorate and continue the transformation of the Williamsburg waterfront,” said BHA.

It joins a number of developments recently completed and under construction in Williamsburg, including two porcelain-clad skyscrapers by Selldorf Architects and the Domino Sugar Refinery by local architecture studio Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, which was converted into an office with glass dome.

The images are by Hayes Davidson

The post Brandon Haw Architecture creates masterplan for "last waterfront site" in Williamsburg appeared first on Dezeen.

To kick off our North American Design 2024 series, which highlights independent furniture and object designers in North America, we showcase 10 studios creating unique objects in Detroit, Michigan.

The first piece in our weekly series, which will draw attention to design studios in and around metropoles on the continent, focuses on the “lively and very creative design culture” of Detroit, where studios are making furniture made from the ruins of buildings and 3D-printed objects that draw on Turkish craft techniques.

Michigan has always been a hub for design, with powerhouses of furniture production such as Herman Miller located in the western part of the state. Detroit’s automotive history, and before that ship-making and stove production, is also a continuing influence.

While the large furniture manufacturers of Grand Rapids have continued to produce goods, Detroit’s industrial culture has changed as the city experienced economic downturns in the later 20th century.

“A lively and very creative design culture”

Although Detroit is known for its automobile production, and its carmakers continue to fuel high levels of research and development, the city has a strong handcrafted tradition.

“At the same time the automobile was making Detroit one of the most important cities in the world, the arts and crafts scene supported handcrafted production,” Cranbrook Art Museum director Andrew Satake Blauvelt told Dezeen.

“That’s how you get a place like Cranbrook. Both methods coexist here, both historically and contemporaneously. Detroit seems more ‘both-and’ rather than ‘either-or'”, he continued.

“Today, there is a lively and very creative design culture in Detroit. It seems to be fed more by an artisanal approach to making – limited editions, much of it made by hand.”

A UNESCO City of Design

In 2015, Detroit was named a UNESCO City of Design – the first in the United States to be given the distinction, alongside other places for production such as Asahikawa, Japan and Turin, Italy.

Coming on the heels of Detroit’s fall into bankruptcy, Satake Blauvelt said that distinction was not a sign of a revival, but more a sign of resiliency for the post-industrial city.

“Art, culture, and design did not disappear from the city and magically reappear,” he said.

“They were sustained, nurtured, and cultivated by the individuals and communities, majority Black like the city itself; those who chose to remain, to care for the city when it seemed like outside forces were conspiring to condemn it.”

Read on for 10 design studios working in the Motor City.

Evan Fay

Trained at schools in Michigan and with studios in the Netherlands, Evan Fay founded his studio in 2023 after eight years of working on his craft. From vases to sofas, his pieces are typically made using metals such as steel and brass. Many of his seating designs feature thin metal tubes wrapped abstractly in foam-filled plastic.

He said that “rational design reasoning” isn’t top of mind, but he seeks to create striking forms that function well in interiors.

“I prefer analogue methods over digital and archaic over modern technologies,” he told Dezeen. “I like to work with materials proven and familiar to furniture like metal and upholstery and intuitively transform them using my body in a way that is expressive and original.”

Woodward Throwbacks

Founded by Bo Shepherd, who previously worked as an automotive designer for GM and has been designing furniture for the past 10 years, Woodward Throwbacks works with local contractors and builders to source materials for small-batch collections, creating pieces from bulletproof glass and plastic liquor store signs.

“The main problem we are trying to solve is the idea of waste,” Shepherd told Dezeen.”We try to design with materials that everyone else discards.”

“It’s our biggest challenge and reward to create something beautiful with something that was unwanted.”

Nicholas Tilma Studio

Trained at the University of Michigan and Cranbrook Academy, Nicholas Tilma got his start working for Detroit-based direct-to-consumer brand Floyd Home, before founding his studio in 2023. Tilma handmakes many of his projects, using a wide range of materials from wood to concrete and epoxy clay, and also teaches at a local architecture school.

His designs have a speculative aspect, aimed at envisioning a different kind of future, and he is open about his production process in order to spread the knowledge of “how to make things”.

“In a world of ever-present unimaginative design and a societal fear of doomsday scenarios, I seek to create otherworldly objects that can help us imagine different possible futures, futures that are rich with imagination and can offer a romanticization of dystopian aesthetics,” he told Dezeen.

Aleiya Olu 

Aleiya Olu has been a force in Detroit’s creative community for years, operating a publicity and marketing firm and running a magazine store in the city. In 2020, she decided to enter the world of design as a maker and released a series of chairs and tables made with wood and upholstery.

She uses black tea, vinegar, and steel wool to achieve an ebonized effect on American cherry wood.

“The wood is rich and has a lot of depth,” Olu told Dezeen. “I wanted to show what wood could do, so I worked closely with fabricators to create a smooth, watery, fluid material from something commonly thought to have hard edges and corners.”

Scott Klinker Design

Scott Klinker has been designing for thirty years, working for world-renowned brands such as Knoll and IDEO, and currently runs the graduate program at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he has worked as a mentor to countless designers.

In 2001, he founded his studio and has been crafting functional and sculptural pieces under that moniker and for larger brands.

“Many of my peers describe themselves as ‘human-centered problem solvers’, but I want to do more than that,” he told Dezeen. “I want my designs to inspire the imagination. In some of my projects I’ve done this through abstract forms that are open to interpretation.”

“In the right context, I prefer forms that read as a question rather than a definitive answer.”

Form&Seek Studio

Form&Seek Studio is operated by Turkish designer Bilge Nur Saltık, who founded the studio in 2013, and shortly afterwards moved to Detroit to carry out the work. The studio draws on the skills and techniques of craftspeople in Turkey to create decidedly modern forms and has recently moved into work using 3D printing.

“I intend to incorporate culture with contemporary design,” she told Dezeen.

“Pairing the old with the new, I work with traditional craftspeople, tapping into their age-old techniques and knowledge – and introducing them to new materials and fabrication processes. This intersection produces unexpected results and design products.”

Chris Schanck

After attending Cranbrook Academy, Chris Schanck founded his eponymous studio in 2011, working in Detroit and drawing materials and inspiration from the industrial local. His pieces sometimes incorporate discarded objects that he and his team coat with resins and composites in his studio.

Schanck told Dezeen that recently he has been called to step away from the “market demands” that have “poisoned” his creativity, and says he plans to start creating public seating and buckets.

“I appreciate a good bucket and think I could contribute something,” he told Dezeen.

“It’s not just about disengaging from the superficiality of the art world,” he added. “It’s a desire to reconnect with the core of what it is I love to do most, bring form to thoughts.”

Thing Thing

Thing Thing is a Detroit-based project made up of three designers – Rachel Mulder, Eiji Jimbo and Simon Anton – who create objects from plastics gathered from industrial and consumer sources throughout the city. Each of the studio’s projects involves different methods of recycling and recasting plastic, from rotational molding to casting and extrusion.

“The problem we are engaged with is the widespread proliferation of plastic waste, though it would be too grandiose to suggest we are trying to ‘solve it’ rather than to creatively find opportunities for discovery, growth and criticality within this context,” Thing Thing co-founder Anton told Dezeen.

“While working with waste plastic over the last ten years, critical conversations keep evolving as we understand more and comprehend the complexity of the problem. In this way, the practice evolves.”

Ayako Aratani

Japanese designer Ayako Aratani studied at Cranbrook Academy and has been creating sculptural furniture pieces in Detroit for the last eight years. Her work includes explorations in metal, wood and fabrics, and many are modelled on natural forms to create warm atmospheres in domestic spaces.

“I find it meaningful to use handcraft skills to transform raw materials into functional objects, and creating my work from scratch is crucial,” she told Dezeen.

“Detroit is a maker town with various kinds of suppliers and fabrication companies and I outsource some processes, such as laser cutting and powder coating.”

Donut Shop 

Ian Klipa and Jake Saphier met in Ann Arbor and then moved to Detroit, where they worked in automotive industries and fabrication shops before founding Donut Shop in 2017. Focusing on wood and metal, the studio has carried out small-scale design projects and large-scale build-outs of interiors.

The pair told Dezeen that their work focuses on an aversion to “throwaway culture” and focuses heavily on assembly and disassembly as well as the use of “common materials”.

“I think our work is also a kind of personal protest, a kind of Luddite-esque response to a world we see as increasingly automated and artificial,” Klipa told Dezeen. “Creating a career for ourselves where we could be creative and make things seemed like a no-brainer.”

North American Design 2024

This article is part of Dezeen’s North American Design 2024 series selecting independent furniture and product design studios from cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The first edition of this series is created in partnership with Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office, award-winning design studios based in London and now in New York. Their expansion into the US is part of The New Standard, a collective formed with Made Thought.

The post Ten studios leading Detroit's design scene in 2024 appeared first on Dezeen.

Terracotta-coloured facades and warm wood-lined interiors define Mid Terrace Dream, a terraced house in north London renovated and extended by local studio Collective Works.

Collective Works has expanded the home, which it said was previously “run down”, with two adjoining pitched-roof volumes at the rear and a full dormer to expand its loft.

The extensions are each finished with terracotta-hued walls and interiors of pale wood and coloured tiles, which aim to “nod to both Scandinavian and Mediterranean design”, drawing on the client’s heritage.

“They wanted a home for their future family that reflected their heritage and personality, and a place that would have low energy demands and be a light touch on the environment,” said Collective Works.

The rear extension of Mid Terrace Dream expands the previously undersized kitchen into a large kitchen and dining area. It is topped by skylights in its wood-lined pitched ceilings and overlooks the garden from a large window box with a seat.

While the first floor is largely unchanged, the expanded loft above contains an ensuite bedroom that is also illuminated by skylights and large windows overlooking the garden. Externally it is distinguished by its terracotta-coloured metal cladding.

“As we hoped it would, the window seat has become a favourite place in the house, for morning coffee, or quiet contemplation,” said the studio’s partner Siri Zanelli.

“It’s light and comfortable, and feels like a special extra room in the house,” she told Dezeen.

The living spaces are predominantly finished with pale but warm paint colours and wooden panelling, while the bathrooms provide moments of vibrant colour and texture through the use of gloss and matte tiles.

All the materials choices were guided by a desire to “mimic nature”, with a mix of natural materials and others that reference colours and textures found in the outside world.

“We didn’t only use natural materials in the main building envelope, but also textured, varied and natural interior finishes,” Zanelli told Dezeen.

“Biophilic design isn’t just about filling a space with plants, but using palettes and a degree of variety that can be found in nature,” she added.

Mid Terrace Dream is designed to have low energy requirements, with insulation added to the roof, floors and external walls to ensure energy efficiency while solar panels fitted to its roof help provide electricity for the home.

Other recent house extensions in London include Aden Grove, which Emil Eve Architects clad in terracotta-coloured tiles, and Sonn’s “monolithic and sculptural” addition to a Hackney residence.

The photography is by Jim Stephenson.

The post London extension by Collective Works blends Scandinavian and Mediterranean influences appeared first on Dezeen.

Following the opening of the Kunstsilo art gallery in Norway last week, we spotlight six examples of industrial silos that have been adaptively reused around the world.

Used for the storage of materials such as grain or coal, silo structures are typically built with robust tower-like forms made from concrete or metal.

However, these utilitarian buildings are also being embraced by architects as the basis for adaptive reuse projects, with many converted into unusual homes and cultural spaces.

In an interview last week with Dezeen, the architect behind Kunstsilo Magnus Wåge said that industrial structures like silos make ideal backdrops for art galleries in particular.

“For architecture today, I think it’s good to be able to work with something existing because somehow you have to relate to that and that gives you surprising answers,” Wåge explained.

“That makes a good backdrop to art, particularly, as it enhances creativity,” he said. “And industrial buildings have that spatial quality that contemporary art likes very much.”

Read on for six examples of converted silos:

Kunstsilo, Norway, by Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX and Mendoza Partida

The interiors of 30 interconnected silos in Kristiansand were hollowed out to create the sculptural atrium of Kunstsilo, a gallery containing the world’s largest private collection of modern Nordic art.

Once used to store grain, the remains of the rough concrete edifice are left exposed to deliberately contrast the clean-cut, pared-back finishes of the surrounding galleries.

It is designed by Mestres Wåge Arquitectes with BAX and Mendoza Partida to resemble a “basilica-like” space.

Find out more about Kunstsilo ›

Zeitz MOCAA, South Africa, by Heatherwick Studio

On Cape Town’s waterfront, British designer Thomas Heatherwick‘s studio converted a grain silo to create Zeitz MOCAA – South Africa’s biggest art museum.

The structure has been carved out to create a network of 80 gallery spaces, but its centrepiece is a vast foyer that the studio based on the shape of a single grain and that was described by Heatherwick as “a vaulted cathedral”.

Find out more about Zeitz MOCAA ›

MKM Museum Küppersmühle, Germany, by Herzog & de Meuron

Bridges span the gaps between these steel storage structures, which Herzog & de Meuron incorporated within the extension of MKM Museum Küppersmühle in Duisburg.

Herzog & de Meuron’s aim was to celebrate the silos as “industrial monuments” and the studio has crowned them with a viewing gallery for the public.

Find out more about MKM Museum Küppersmühle ›

Zwarte Silo, the Netherlands, by Wenink Holtkamp Architecten

This food market in Deventer sits within a storage building that dates back to the early 20th century. Wenink Holtkamp Architecten‘s ambition was to reestablish it as a landmark for the city after it had stood empty since the 1990s.

Its high-ceilinged interior was repurposed as the main dining hall, with its rugged concrete structure was left bare and juxtaposed by wooden furniture and soft furnishings.

Find out more about Zwarte Silo ›

The Silo, Denmark, by Cobe

Architecture studio Cobe accommodated 38 individual residential units within this former grain silo in Copenhagen.

The interiors are animated by its tactile concrete structure, which has been left exposed in many areas for a raw industrial feel, while the exterior has been given a more contemporary makeover, cloaked in angular galvanised steel panels.

“We wanted to retain the spirit of The Silo as much as possible – both in terms of its monolithic exterior and majestic concrete interior,” said Cobe founder Dan Stubbergaard.

Find out more about The Silo ›

Silo Living, the Netherlands, by Stella van Beers

Designer Stella van Beers also used an old silo to create a residential project – though significantly smaller in scale.

Playfully named Silo Living, the seven-metre-high agricultural structure contains a micro home with a living area and sleeping zone above.

The goal of the project was to inspire new uses for these disused structures, which are readily available in the Netherlands but costly to dispose of and difficult to recycle.

Find out more about Silo Living ›

The main image is by Iwan Baan. 

The post Six industrial silos repurposed as unusual homes and public spaces appeared first on Dezeen.

Sportswear brand Nike has designed the Metamorph Poncho, a lightweight multi-layered raincoat that can be reconfigured as a tent for camping.

Designed by Nike, the two-tone grey garment is constructed as a water-repellent hooded cape that can be zipped up at the front.

The machine-washable Metamorph Poncho features a backpack-style, Swoosh-branded pocket that holds collapsible poles.

To transform the clothing from raincoat to tent, users simply lay the poncho flat and insert the poles into its various flaps to create a simple tent or sunshade.

Once the tent is erected, the pocket becomes an extra rain cover that can be draped over the top.

“This hybrid piece from our ISPA collection adapts to your environment,” said Nike.

The Metamorph Poncho features an internal, dark grey layer with flower-like cutouts that create a pattern on the inside of the raincoat or tent and are subtly revealed through the translucent outer layer.

According to the brand, the clothing is made from a mix of cotton and “at least” 75 per cent recycled plastic fibres including Nike’s recycled nylon made out of surplus fish nets and old carpets.

“Garments that use materials made from recycled nylon reduce carbon emissions by up to 50 per cent compared to virgin nylon,” said Nike.

The Metamorph Poncho is also fitted with integrated instructions for pitching the tent.

Previous examples of multi-functional clothing include Urbanella, a rainproof cape by Studio Mesh that packs away into a handy bag, and a collection of metamorphosing garments by Ukrainian fashion house DZHUS, including a dress with a statement collar that can be folded down into bag-shaped carriers.

Recently, Nike announced another project – the development of a generative AI model to design products using the brand’s vast bank of athlete data.

The photography is courtesy of Nike. 

The post Nike's Metamorph Poncho transforms from coat to camping tent appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio WilkinsonEyre has unveiled its proposal for the redevelopment of the Tavern and Allen stands at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

It follows WilkinsonEyre‘s redesign of the Compton and Edrich stands, which it completed in 2021 on either side of the Stirling Prize-winning Media Centre by Future Systems.

The proposal has been approved by Westminster City Council’s Planning Committee and the ground’s owners Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), with construction expected to begin in September. The current completion date is scheduled for 2027.

It will see the addition of a tier to both the Tavern and Allen stands – increasing the historic sports venue‘s seating capacity by 1,100.

“We are delighted to achieve approval for the sustainable revival of these stands at Lord’s, and continue our successful partnership with MCC,” WilkinsonEyre founding director Jim Eyre said.

“The new designs will add great value to this world-famous sporting venue, modernising and improving the existing facilities for its members.”

The project will see the complete demolition of the existing Allen stand, which dates back to the 1930s, along with the relocation of the scoreboard.

An existing concrete bridge connecting the Allen stand to the neighbouring Grade II*-listed pavilion building by architect Thomas Verity will also be demolished and replaced with a glass version.

Meanwhile, the Tavern stand will be stripped back to its steel framework and extended with the addition of an upper-floor seating level, hospitality boxes, a restaurant and a roof terrace.

A sculptural roof structure that mimics an upturned slip cradle – a device that cricketers used to practice taking catches – will provide shelter for these news spaces.

The renders also reveal an updated exterior, with a facade wrapped with white fins and views of the roof extending above the stand’s upper level.

Previous renovations of the Lord’s Cricket Ground include Populous’s overhaul of the Warner stand, which is finished with a fan-shaped roof.

Other recent projects by WilkinsonEyre include the redevelopment of the iconic Battersea Power Station in London and a skyscraper wrapped in “three-dimensional diamonds” in Toronto.

The renders are courtesy of WilkinsonEyre. 

The post WilkinsonEyre reveals plans for latest Lord's Cricket Ground redevelopment appeared first on Dezeen.

Architect Minsuk Cho discusses his design for this year’s Serpentine Pavilion in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen for Serpentine.

Cho is the founder and lead architect of Mass Studies, an architecture practice based in Seoul, South Korea. He is the 23rd architect to be chosen for the Serpentine commission, and the pavilion will be his first building in the UK.

“This request felt like we were given a great riddle to demonstrate what this pavilion can do at this point,” Cho told Dezeen.

“We understand architecture itself is not a beginning-to-end narrative, but is part of a larger act that is in between many befores and afters” said Cho.

Named Archipelagic Void, the pavilion is set to take the form of five structures or “islands”, arranged in a constellation around a central void. Each of the five structures will have a separate purpose, such as a tea house, auditorium and play tower.

Cho told Dezeen how he took reference from traditional Korean architecture when designing the pavilion, especially in the use of negative space. The architect told Dezeen how the central void connecting each of the separate structures was informed by Korean madang, small courtyards found in traditional Korean homes.

“[The madang] serves activities ranging from individual every day, to larger collective rituals,” he explained.

“Its an absence for people to converge in.”

Cho also discussed how the pavilion was designed to be a multi-facted site, with the aim that visitors could use the structure in many different combinations.

“One of the recurring themes [to] our Serpentine Pavilion is multiple conditions united as a singular whole,” he explained.

“There’ll be no single prescribed sequence to experience the pavilion. Rather we look forward to various people coming from all directions and choosing and composing their own unique moments, experiences and sequences.”

The interplay between connection and separation explored in the design of the pavilion can also be seen in Mass Studies‘ previous architectural work.

Mass Studies was previously  commissioned to create the Won Buddhism Wonnam Temple, located in Seoul. Similar to Cho’s design for the Serpentine Pavilion, the temple’s complex is made up of a cluster of smaller buildings, arranged around a central open courtyard space.

“We felt that we need to connect the temple complex with the surrounding neighbourhood, so it’s making a separation and the connection at the same time,” Cho said.

Won Buddhism is a subset of modern Korean Buddhism. Altars and worship rituals are centered around the Ilwonsang, a large circle representing reality, rather than traditional Buddhist icons.

Throughout the temple, complex interiors make use of curved and circular details to reflect this, and to give a sense of uninterrupted flow as visitors travel through the space.

This sense of flow can also be seen in Mass Studies work on the O’Sulloc Tea Museum.

The studio was commissioned to create a series of pavilions as part of an extension of the museum. Located in Jeju Island in South Korea, the pavilions were designed to blend in with the volcanic landscape that the island is known for.

“The topography is so exciting and the nature surrounding [the museum] is so beautiful,” said Cho.

“Most [of the] buildings are meant to be almost invisible, until you go close to it. So it’s almost like a hidden place that you find through walking through a forest. It was quite rewarding.”

The studio created eight structures in total for the museum between 2011 and 2023, including teaching spaces, galleries and a cafe, and were designed not to obstruct the natural landscape.

The first pavilion, named Tea Stone, used polished dark concrete to reflect the surrounding landscape, while the Innisfree shop and cafe building is glazed on all four sides in order to allow views of the neighbouring tea fields.

Cho’s pavilion follows last year’s À table, which was designed by French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh. Previous Serpentine Pavilions have been built by architects such as Frida Escobedo, Bjarke Ingels and Sou Fujimoto.

The pavilion will open to the public on 7 June and will run until 27 October. During the summer the pavilion will host a series of events as part of the Park Nights programme, including musical performances, poetry readings and dance.

The Serpentine Pavilion will be open to the public from 7 June to 27 October at the Serpentine Galleries in London. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for the Serpentine Galleries as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Serpentine Pavilion "a great riddle" says architect Minsuk Cho appeared first on Dezeen.