September 2020

AZURE

An Indispensable Resource for Architects, Designers and the Design-Savvy Public

AZURE2 min read
The Promise of Uncertainty
It’s easy to forget, in the immediate trauma of events such as COVID-19, that history has a way of sneaking up on us. Major changes rarely come with warnings, much less the assurance that the world as we know it will go on. But go on it does, even if
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Azure
Editor Danny Sinopoli Art Director Cristian Ordónez Executive Editor Elizabeth Pagliacolo Managing Editor Kendra Jackson Associate Editor Evan Pavka Associate Art Director Vicky Lee Assistant Art Director Kari Silver Junior Digital Designer Anna Lin
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We Asked…
LEXI TSIEN Co-writer, “The Office as We Knew It No Longer Exists” (page 80) I think the TikTok generation will create some new technologies for collective learning that upgrade Zoom. Social media in general will continue to blur what work is, how it
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Closing the Loop
In the boardroom, the Swurve conference chair is distinguished by its light, elegantly sinuous form. But while the graceful chair boasts a standout design, its sustainable features are equally compelling. A completely carbon-neutral product, Swurve i
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Silver Linings
Don’t touch that. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, every interaction suddenly became a potential vector of transmission — and of heightened anxiety. Fortunately, not all surfaces are created equal. Ceramic and porcelain are inherently bacterio
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Torii Chair
Riffing on the simple form and refined lines of torii, the entrance gates common at Shinto shrines throughout Japan, designer Oki Sato has translated this post-and-lintel structure into an interlocking metal frame that defines his latest collection f
AZURE2 min readPsychology
5 Things We Learned from MUT Design
Sitting among the 12 new prototypes prominently displayed within MUT Design’s al fresco iteration of the annual Das Haus installation at IMM Cologne this January, the influence of the Spanish vernacular resounded. Since establishing their Valencia-ba
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New Twists and Turns
Before COVID-19 had the unexpected consequence of improving global air quality by reducing car, plane and other traffic worldwide, many of China’s urban centres struggled with serious air pollution, a scourge that civic authorities there have tried t
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Feats of Clay
Spanish manufacturer Sancal’s first flat-pack seating range takes its name from the car seat–inspired mechanism that allows its various modules — from armrests to tables — to click into place. The system comes in a variety of textiles and leathers, i
AZURE1 min readFashion
Groovy, Baby
Atelier Alain Ellouz’s latest addition to the Infinity lighting series is a playful trio dubbed Liberty. Each of the three NYCxDesign Award–winning pendants features a leather-wrapped steel suspension system and two bronze or brass rings that hold a
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Soft Launches
Olli is a flexible power and data beam system that can be reconfigured in minutes. Each of the components — pivoting and hanging screens, side and meeting tables, stackable storage caddies, coat racks, planters — features the same slip-slot connectio
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Staying Grounded
“I am inspired by nature,” says New Zealand–born designer Rebecca Richwhite. “Much of my childhood was spent engaging with the land.” That earthiness is reflected in her revamp of London’s The Old Vic Theatre, unveiled late last year. In 2018, the th
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Rock Solid
As a child, Lukas Peet of Vancouver lighting outfit ANDlight was fascinated by river rocks. Decades later, the designer set out to create a collection of glowing glass luminaires that draw on the simplicity, beauty and sense of wonder embedded in the
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House Calls
When the designers at Stockholm’s Note Design Studio first saw the 1920s-era building that The Office Group (TOG) had asked them to transform into a new co-working space, they were initially struck by its distinctive features. Upon entering the edifi
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Into the Fold
When Rand Elliott was tapped to design a new home for Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, he was intent on conceiving a structure that was uniquely of its place. But rather than looking to the region’s vernacular, landscape or cowboy past, the local a
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Flexform For Azure
What does Made in Italy really mean? As a designation, it makes for a compelling selling point, one that lends new Italian-crafted products the cachet of the country’s rich design tradition. But for Flexform, these words represent not only a statemen
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Reading Rainbow
Stacked rows of stylized book spines wrap the sinuous walls of the Leganes Norte Central Library in a witty example of architecture parlante. The sign is redundant: Everyone in the surrounding neighbourhood, a new development on the southern edge of
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Building Blocks
In Monterrey, Mexico, architect Mario Bolivar designed a house with a jagged profile to reference its mountainous surrounding. The exterior is clad in 1,200 square metres of Q_Stone by Provenza, a UV- and extreme temperature–resistant porcelain that
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Pane Relief
First applied by BNIM Architects to the building housing Johnson County Community College’s Fine Arts & Design Studios in Kansas, Lumi Frit specialty exterior glass can be customized with a laminated and etched surface — in this case, an array of fin
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Shingle Minded
Recycled products are usually discussed in terms of percentages. A sneaker composed of 30 per cent recycled ocean waste. Wood flooring that’s 50 per cent recycled wood chips. PrettyPlastic is an outlier. The line’s exterior cladding tiles are made en
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Seeking Maximum Daylight
After years of studying fruit fly cells, three American scientists discovered a vital genetic link that illustrates how living organisms have adapted their biological rhythms to synchronize with the Earth’s rotation. The breakthrough garnered the 201
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Screen Play
Although California architect Thomas Ryan had long been a fan of Alvar Aalto’s buildings, it was during a 2006 trip to Finland and Sweden that he became particularly enamoured of the Finnish icon’s recurring use of screens. “There’s something about t
AZURE1 min readArchitecture
Custom Coolers
The second generation of the MasterCool series features a handle-free push-to-open door so the unit can sit flush with the wall, as well as an interior with height-adjustable shelves and bins for flexible storage. Discreet but effective LED strips il
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Make It Personal
Expanding on his 2018 design, Piero Lissoni’s Combine now includes an open metal structure with drawers to connect the cooking and working blocks, a built-in solid oak stave table and a fixed hanging matte black aluminum utensil bar with embedded LED
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Water Features
Referencing the streamlined style of the American Modern ocean liners of the 1930s, designer Michael Berman added industrial knurled detailing to his pull-down faucet. It comes in five monochrome finishes and one (shown) that combines matte black wit
AZURE1 min readMedical
The VIEWS from HERE
Before the Spanish flu pandemic of a century ago, bathrooms were buried deep within households and Belle Epoque opulence reigned. In the wake of the flu and other disease outbreaks, powder rooms for washing up near the entrance to homes became common
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Don’t Count The Physical Office (or Suburbia) Out Yet
Over the past few months, COVID-19 has greatly altered the way we work. Forced into lockdowns all around the world, many of us have abandoned our traditional offices, instead connecting with people through digital services such as Zoom, Skype and Fac
AZURE3 min read
In Cities, Let’s Hit The Rooftops And Build “Urban Microclimates”
Winnipeggers JOHANNA HURME, COLIN NEUFELD and SASA RADULOVIC, partners in 5468796 Architecture, are among the most respected urbanists in Canada. Their creations range from idiosyncratic residential complexes (including 62M, a discus-shaped building
AZURE2 min read
How To Design COVID-proof Schools
Places of learning are by nature interactive, typically involving densely packed classrooms, crowded hallways and communal areas for eating, exercise and assembly. So how do schools adapt to a threat that discourages such activity? “To promote a high
AZURE1 min readMedical
The Importance Of Building Trust
Coronavirus is making people more aware of their built environment, so this is an opportunity for architects and designers to use design to engage on an emotional, spiritual and cultural level. Related to this is the importance of designing for trust
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To Create More Elbow Room, Think Green
More than ever before, urban forestry and agriculture can make the city a more liveable place by including it in a wider ecosystem integrated with protected woods, mountains and rural areas. The challenge is to design smart, green and self-sufficient
AZURE3 min read
At Airports, Look For Soothing Palettes, But Not Security Checks — They’ll Be Invisible
Spanish architect LUIS VIDAL has worked on more than 30 airport designs worldwide, including the award-winning Zaragoza Airport in northeastern Spain and the beloved Queen’s Terminal at London Heathrow. His floor plans are spacious and open-ended, hi
AZURE1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
How To Make Fine Dining Safe Again
“Thinking about the reopening of restaurants right now can be stressful, but not thinking about it can be disastrous,” says globetrotting interior designer Adam Tihany, renowned for his high-end hospitality work. Counting celebrity chefs such as Dani
AZURE1 min readTechnology & Engineering
Let’s Apply Tech To The Greater Good, Not Just Gadgetry
When it comes to the smart city of the future, the most important thing is to use technology for good. And that means ensuring sustainability, which goes hand in hand with health. From a civic point of view, there are three kinds of health: social he
AZURE4 min read
Natural Balance
There are a number of qualities that make Natura — a 2,500-square-metre office and residential complex in the Quito suburb of Tumbaco, about 25 kilometres southeast of the capital — unique among buildings in the country and indeed in South America. F
AZURE1 min read
What We Can Learn From The Resilient North
The advantage of the Northern regions in this period of COVID-19 comes from the fact that they’re isolated. There are no roads or railways that link Nunavik (where we’ve done a lot of work) to southern Quebec (where we’re based). That makes the Inuit
AZURE3 min readArchitecture
Service With A Style
Specializing in database technology, CO-Sol is a Japanese company that provides its clientele with 24-hour support service. To create its new satellite office in Toronto, it turned to the local design studio Uufie, which transformed a compact suite i
AZURE6 min read
The Office As We Knew It No Longer Exists
It’s official: The office has migrated online. The tools that we use for working and communing are now a network of apps and clouds. While it was once an abstract notion for most, working from home is the new normal. During the pandemic, WFH has prov
AZURE3 min read
Baja California High
GABRIEL HUERTA, principal of the Brooklyn- and Tijuana-based design firm Studiohuerta, didn’t get into architecture just to build lavish retreats for the well-to-do. He has a decidedly humanist bent — and a portfolio that includes a postgraduate stud
AZURE2 min read
Surfacing
Caesarstone’s Dark collection is a range of deep quartz surfaces with a subtle textured finish and satin sheen. Designed for kitchens and bathrooms, the four lines comprising the series include Black Tempal (shown), patterned with delicate mineral de
AZURE3 min read
Bathroom
Each of the colourways in this wall tile collection includes a hologram option with a rainbowlike effect to strategically interrupt the pastel palette. Materials Ceramic Dimensions 5.08 × 25.4 (8 mm thick) Colourways Four (Rain Gloss shown) Manufactu
AZURE3 min read
Boldface
Much has happened globally since our 35th Anniversary issue was published in late March. The following enumerates only some of the most recent events impacting architecture and design. For our full coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matte
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On Lookers
In one of my favourite works by Virginia Woolf, the author reflects on the fleeting life of a day moth as it darts from one edge of her window to the other, unable to access the pastoral landscape unfolding just beyond the pane. A similar sense of co

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