The Dutch designer Ineke Hans presented the new coat stand ‘Corner Guy’ for the Dutch manufacturer van Esch and decorative acoustic panels for the Swedish manufacturer Offecct. We had the chance to get some personal explanations from her about these works. Enjoy!
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Frans van der Wielen's 'Living Wall' for Dutch design manufacturer Ahrend, as shown at Interieur 2010 in Kortrijk

Dutch design manufacturer Ahrend’s ‘Living Wall’ caught our eye at the Interieur 2010 design biennale in Kortrijk. The pleasingly graphic, modular nature of the panel system, which serves both an acoustic function and allows the user to incoporate function-specific elements (such as seating, storage and phoning) into it, looked particulary striking in-situ at Ahrend’s stand.

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LED wall at the Reconstruction of the Congress and Concert Hall in Moscow by OTASH studio

The ‘State Kremlin Palace’ in Moscow was built in 1961, under Nikita Khruschev, as a modern arena for Communist Party congresses and conferences, performances and concerts. The main part of the building is one of Europe’s biggest and finest auditoriums with 6000 seats, used mostly for concerts and ballet performances today. It is also the scene of the Kremlin Ballet Theatre and the second stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. Almost 50 years after its construction Russian authorities decided to give a new contemporary look to the buidling and upgrade its performance. The Moscow and Belgrade based OTASH studio created a new interior concept for the the concert hall.

LED wall by OTASH studio

Here is what the architects explain:

“The basic concept of the architecural team was to preserve as much of the previously existing geometry of the Hall and, with the use of Led lighting integrated into the wall panelling, to create the effect of large screens so that the whole interior would actively participate in the scenic experience, allowing a director vast possibilities in the conceptualization of plays. Such use of technology gives this reconstructed Hall multifunctionality, which was main task the architectural team was presented with.”

LED wall by OTASH STUDIO

“Applying the new acoustic solutions to the design of the interior was a particular challenge, as it required the sheathing of all surfaces with specially designed acoustic panels (high frequency and low frequency). For these panels to act properly, the sheathing before them had to be more than 50% sound permeable, which was accomplished by different manners of perforation and the use of acoustic materials. Precisely these facts had a significant effect on the final appearance and characteristics of the Hall, which is now included among the most technologically advanced halls in the world.”

Applied acoustic panels, by OTASH STUDIO

The auditorium was inaugurated on 4th of November 2009, in the presence of distinguished state and public representatives.

Concert Hall

Authors: Dejan Otasevic, Ivo Otasevic, Uros Otasevic

Project architectural team: Slobodan Damjanovic, Pavle Bogdanovic

Associates: Marija Simsic, Dragana Mijatovic

Conceptual plan: 2007

Main Project: 2008-2009

Reconstruction implemented: 2009

to the OTASH studio website

'PARCS' by PearsonLloyd for Bene, photo © Bene

The Austrain manufacturer Bene recently presented this new family of office furniture designed by the British PearsonLloyd.

‘PARCS’ is the result of collaboration between Bene and PearsonLloyd that started at Orgatec 2006 in Cologne, Germany. An informal meeting revealed the first notions for New Meeting Environments – a research project initialised by Pearson Lloyd and Bene. They discussed a different kind of furniture for the middle zone: these new zones and areas in today’s office are a counter point to traditional workstations.

'PARCS' by PearsonLloyd for Bene, photo © Bene

PearsonLloyd initially played the elimination game – identifying the territory that was definitely not part of New Meeting Environments. It was agreed that the formality of the boardroom or the acoustic privacy of an enclosed meeting room was outside the project’s remit, as was fixed, desk based activity. Six months later, PearsonLloyd presented their findings and a project proposal.

'PARCS' by PearsonLloyd for Bene, photo © Bene

The result of this intense collaboration is a range of monolithic elements which create spaces that facilitate different types of activities without defining precisely how people are going to use them.

'PARCS' by PearsonLloyd for Bene, photo © Bene

“The subtlety of getting the right signals that will engage with people; where it will have the right sense of where technology works with it, where space works with it; where light works with it – these are not things you can ask questions about in order to get a didactic answer. We tried to find out what will trigger an emotional response in people that will make them feel like using a space in a certain way or go to a place for a particular need.” says Tom Lloyd, PearsonLloyd.

'PARCS' by PearsonLloyd for Bene, photo © Bene

more Bene products @ Architonic

more PearsonLloyd products @ Architonic

to the PearsonLloyd interview @ Architonic

Wosk Theater, Museum of Tolerance, wall panels designed by Kathryn Walter, Felt Studio

The Canadian designer Kathryn Walter created these wall coverings made of felt strips for the Wosk Theater inside the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, which was designed by Yazdani Studio in 2007. Layers of felt in different thicknesses and varying shades of gray are applied on the round walls in order to improve the room’s acoustics. A delicate solution unlike the oftentimes rather dry appearance of standardised acoustic panels.

Detail

What the designers say:

Working with designers from the Yazdani Studio, Kathryn Walter adapted her Striation series wall panels to these rounded walls. Site measurements were taken prior to production. Then typical panels were fabricated, and site-specific panels were made to fit around features such as projection windows, lighting units and the screen, integrating these structural elements into the continuous treatment.

Wall coverings designed by Kathryn Walter, Felt Studio

Felt is a material which is experiencing a renaissance. Not just in fashion but nowadays also in product design and architecture, more and more creative spirits are exploiting the potential of this material. In the area of tension between archaic material and norm product, between handicrafts and industrial production, its textile character requires very special handling. Architonic presents an up-to-date and comprehensive review.

find more felt products @ Architonic

to the Felt Studio website