'Gecko goes Kids' by Trix Barmettler, Photo by geeLy, Zurich

With a clear focus on applications within high-value architecture the Swiss textile manufacturer Création Baumann created ‘Gecko’, an adhesive textile sunblind which can easily be mounted directly onto the window.

For the ‘Gecko: Think Forward’ competition Création Baumann invited international architects and designers to find innovative solutions which show the versatility of this novel material.

This month the best works in the categories ‘functionality’, ‘innovation’ and ‘aesthetics’ were awarded.

Flexible sun blind at the Frechdachs Kindergarden in Zurich, Photo by geeLy, Zurich

With her project ‘Gecko goes Kids’, which was awarded in the category ‘innovation’, the Zurich-based graphic designer Trix Barmettler took advantage of the fact that ‘Gecko’ can be used several times, because it leaves no residues and loses none of its adhesive power. Together with the children of the ‘Frechdachs’ kindergarten in Zurich she designed a flexible sun and visual blind which is composed of figurative elements of different dimensions.

'Gecko goes Kids' by Trix Barmettler, Photo by geeLy, Zurich

The Kopenhagen-based architects Mette Ramsgard Thomsen und Aurelie Mossé of CITA – Center for IT and Architecture presented ‘Ice-fern’, a highly poetic and sculptural sun blind, which streches across the windows and walls. It was inspired by the natural phenomenon of the frost pattern and its artful cut and sophisticated pattern gives it a three dimensional appearance and creates an interplay with the surrounding architecture. The Danes received the award for the category ‘aesthetics’.

'Ice-fern' by Mette Ramsgard Thomsen und Aurelie Mossé

The award in the category ‘functionality’ went to Ahrens Grabenhorst Architekten from Hannover, Germany. For the interior design of the liberal Jewish community center in Hanover they used the white ‘Gecko Crypta’ in order to cover the 4,20m windows of the synagogue’s upper floor. “We were looking for a material that would give a certain mysticism to the space”, the architects explain. Thanks to the textiles structure the synagogue is filled with a soft and diffuse light – “a stringent project with  great finesse”, the jury comments.

Synagogue of the Liberal Jewish Community in Hannover, by Ahrens Grabenhorst Architekten

The winners and the jury: Philippe Baumann, Gesche Grabenhorst, Ulrike Kunkel, Trix Barmettler, Daniel Zehntner, Aurel Aebi, Andreas Bründler

to the Création Baumann products @ Architonic

'M-house' by Michael Jantzen

Sustainable architecture, prefabricated housing, CO2- neutral living – all of these are not ideas from the last couple of years, even though the current media attention could create this impression. 

The US of the 1960s – admittedly also due to the rising oil prices – was a hub for forward-looking and alternative architecture. Richard Buckminster Fuller, one could call him the guru of ecological thinking at that time, set new standards with inventions such as the geodetic dome – a masterpiece regarding the relationship between material use and constructive strength.

The Los Angeles-based Michael Jantzen, who met Buckminster Fuller as a student in the 1970s, is one of the few of that generation of architects who have stuck to the idea of revolutionising the traditional way of building and offering new architectural solutions in line with the flexible and impermanent life style we practiced long ago.

Inside the 'M-house' by Michael Jantzen

The M-house is one of Michael’s most expressive architectural works. Here is how he describes it:

“The M-house consists of a series of rectangular panels that are attached with hinges to an open space frame grid of seven interlocking cubes.The panels are hinged to the cubes in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation. The hinges allow the panels to fold into or out of the cube frames to perform various functions.
Some of the panels are insulated and contain windows and doors. These panels can completely enclose spaces that are heated and cooled. Other uninsulated panels fold in or out, over and around, open platforms to shade the sun, deflect the rain, or block the wind. Some of the panels unfold from the face of the cubes to become places to sit, places to sleep, places to work, or places to eat. Most of the slotted panels are oriented over and around these open platforms.
The platforms and the cube frames, are supported by adjustable legs which are attached to load bearing foot pads. In many cases the support frames do not require a foundation, and they can be adjusted to accommodate terrain variations.”

'M2-house' by Michael Jantzen

All of the M-house components are interchangeable and can be increased or decreased in numbers and size. The panels can be made in a curved configuration and from many different types of materials.
The existing M-house panels are assembled with a steel structural frame which supports thin sheets of a concrete composite. All of the exposed surfaces of the structure are painted.
The M-house was designed to function as a single private vacation retreat, or in multiple numbers and configurations, as a complete stand-alone, high-tech resort complex. The house can be designed to be self sufficient, powered by alternative energy sources such as the sun and the wind.
The M-vironments were developed to accommodate a wide range of markets. With different sizes, shapes, materials, and panel types, the system can be used for exhibit structures, pavilions, play environments for kids, retail spaces, office modules, and many other commercial applications.

Here an example of Michael Jantzen older works:

'Super Insulated Dome Cluster House' by Michael Jantzen, 1981

Inside the 'Super Insulated Dome Cluster House', 1981

to the Michael Jantzen website

Blasius Osko and Oliver Deichmann

The two German designers Blasius Osko and Oliver Deichmann have been working as a team for over ten years now. They first attracted international attention with their ‘Pebble’ sofa at Salone Satellite in 2005. A lot has happened since then. ‘Pebble’ is finally in production and osko+deichman have impressed a number of prestigious manufacturers with their reduced and minimalist designs. We met them at their studio in Berlin.

'Clip Chair' by osko+deichmann

You got to know each other while you were studying in Berlin and started your first company as early as 1998. How did this early cooperation come about? 
Deichmann: Yes, everything actually started during an integrative course of study which was taking place in this form for the last time. We worked very hard in a group of 10 students. As soon as we received our preliminary diploma we decided to set up our own company — in the late 90s there was a feeling that everything was possible and in this spirit we launched ‘Wunschforscher’. 
Osko: during the period of the New Economy everything was very dynamic and you could take risks.

Last year you started a cooperation with the Swedish manufacturer Blå Station. Your ‘Pebble’ sofa, which you presented in 2005 at the Salone Satellite, is now finally in production. It was actually ready for production back then — why was it mothballed for so long? 
In fact it wasn’t mothballed for so long, at least not by us but rather by a number of manufacturers. The original response to the sofa was great and a number of prestigious companies were interested in it. However, the first manufacturer we came to an agreement with simply took too long for us, and the next one withdrew from the project – I no longer know how many hands ‘Pebble’ went through. Blå Station got in touch with us almost 4 years after they had seen the sofa in Milan.

'Pebble' armchair and ottoman

In view of the current economic situation, designers of consumer goods are coming in for a certain amount of criticism. How do you think designers should and could react to this situation? 
Osko: I believe that the keyword is reduction. Quite apart from the crisis, we have always tried to design things at a low level of complexity. Our products are intended to have a clear concept and be as simple to create as possible. It would be nice if the kind of transparency which is being demanded at the political level also managed to to trickle down to the design level. The result would be ‘honest’ products. 
Our design always involves the challenge of saying as much as possible while using the minimum amount of resources. I believe that this type of design will be very much in demand in the years to come, for both economic and ecological reasons.

'Straw Chair' by osko+deichmann, a interpretation of the Marcel Breuer cantilever

continue the interview @ Architonic

more osko+deichman products @ Architonic

Medea scenography for for the Greek Theatre in Siracusa / Italy by Fuksas Architects, Photo by Moreno Maggi

Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas has designed the facility for the dramatic 2009 season of the National Institute of Ancient Drama, the set of “Medea and Edipo a Colono” for the Greek Theater in Siracusa. 

Medea scenography in Siracusa / Italy by Fuksas, Photo by Moreno Maggi

As the landscape and the scenery have changed over time, the intention contained in the set design is the reconstruction of a lost horizon, staged by a “concave blade” that reflects what is going around, which involves the public, which reflects and invites reflection.

Medea scenography, Photo by Moreno Maggi

Medea scenography, Photo by Moreno Maggi

to the Fuksas website

'Two houses' by Cheungvogl

‘Two houses’ in Tokyo is a private development that consists of 2 almost identical houses, occupying 2 identical plots. House 2a is to be occupied by the client, a Japanese-German couple, based in Tokyo. House 2b is for sale. The client’s requirements are clear: Calm, but not sterile. Humble, and yet unexpected. Economical, nothing extravagant. And open space with flexible floor plans including a space to contemplate.

Cheungvogl, a young international, Hong Kong-based architectural practice founded in 2008, describe the project: “The two houses, standing side by side, related and yet separated. Its outline traces back years of history within the context. Simple detailing, rough concrete and aged timber are elements that tie the two houses together. Within them, store calmness.”

'Two houses' by Cheungvogl

“Inside the house, the connection to the outside is reduced down to two linear courtyards. Framing ‘the tree’ standing on a sheet of white gravel, absence from the city’s influence, quietly documenting time. Contrary to the ground floor, the pitched roof is a small space enclosing the stair leading to an undefined open room – the roof itself. Three meter above ground, the city skyline seems almost tangible. Looking back, ‘the tree’ – is standing still.”

'Two houses' by Cheungvogl

seen @ World Architecture News

to the Cheungvogl website

'Voussoir Cloud' by IwamotoScott with Buro Happold

The San Fransisco-based studio IwamotoScott is an interdisciplinary practice founded by the architects Lisa Iwamoto and Craig Scott. 

As a practice committed to pursuing architecture as a form of applied design research, ISAr engages in projects at multiple scales and in a variety of contexts. These include full-scale fabrications, museum installations and exhibitions, theoretical proposals, design competitions and commissions. 

Their latest installation ‘Voussoir Cloud’ is a landscape of vaults and columns consisting of clusters of three dimesional petals, which are formed by folding thin wood laminate along curved seams.  

Each petal has a different geometry

“Each vault is comprised of a Delaunay tessellation that both capitalizes on and confounds the structural logics – greater cell density of smaller more connective modules, or petals, gang together at the column bases and at the vault edges to form strengthened ribs, while the upper vault shell loosens and gains porosity. At the same time, the petals – our reconstituted “voussoirs”, typically defined as the wedge shaped masonry blocks that make up an arch – are reconsidered here using paper thin material”, the architects explain.

The complexity of the installation becomes clear considering that each petal has a slightly different geometry – a computational script was developed to calculate the curvature of each piece.

Thanks to the gallery's architecture this beautiful construction could be experienced from within and above

“In the end, Voussoir Cloud attempts to defamiliarize both structure and material to create conflicted readings of normative architectural typologies. It is a light, porous surface made of compressive elements that creates atmosphere with these luminous wood pieces, and uses this to gain sensorial effects.”

to the IwamotoScott website