Tent London 2015

100% norway tent 2015

Facade of 100% Norway at Tent London

 

For some reason, the design trade shows that I attended this year at The London design festival appeared to be quieter than usual. At Tent London, the atmosphere was a far cry from the chaos I experienced last year… not sure if it was the time of the day or if attendees have dropped this year.

As always, one of the biggest stand at the show was 100% Norway with 26 designer/manufacturers exhibiting furniture and products inspired mostly by the country’s nature.

 

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Top: 100% Norway; Bottom left: Constancy and change in Korean traditional craft; Bottom right: Cutting boards by Trefjøla at 100% Norway

 

The main trend of the show was handcrafted designs made of natural materials like wood and clay, and this was evident at the Irish stand, O Design ad craft from Ireland. I was most pleasantly surprised by the simple, beautiful and well crafted work on display. I especially love the range of nature-inspired homeware by Superfolk, the cute wooden toys by Saturday Workshop, and the extraordinary stone sculptures by Helen O’Connell.

 

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Top left: Mourne textiles; Top right: Saturday workshop; 2nd to 4th rows: Superfolk; 5th row: Adam Frew; Bottom row: Stone sculptures by Helen O’Connell

 

This year, there was no sign of Tokyo design week, and the overall Asian presence was less visible than the previous years. The largest stand from Asia was EATAIPEI, an immersive stand that promotes Taipei, which will be the World Design Capital of 2016. One of the most fascinating designs on display was the plastic ceramic tableware by Pili Wu. Inspired by traditional Chinaware from the Song dynasty and disposable plastic wares used in many taiwanese roadside restaurants, the range of plastic tableware could easily be mistaken as ceramics! Cool.

Another Taiwanese stand that caught my eye was Case, a new design studio that raises awareness on environmental and social issues through their thought-provoking products. The ceramic Toxic Tuna sauce dish features a sinking ship and comes with a map of worldwide oil spills, which reminds us of the hidden health risks from consuming the toxic seafood. There are also candles shaped as plastic waste, which reminds us of the poisonous released when plastic is burned. It is encouraging to see new brands like this using design to raise consumers’ awareness, I hope they will continue to keep up with the good work.

 

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Top row: Eataipei – Plastic ceramics by Pili Wu; 2nd row left: Eataipei –  2nd row right: Case project; 3rd row: Suruga from Japan; Bottom row: JiaHao Liao

 

I also spoke to Paris-based Singaporean designer JiaHao Liao, whose furniture and designs express a subtle Eastern influence and detailed craftsmanship. The ‘ADAPTable’ is inspired by the Chinese mahjong table and can be used as either a dinning or coffee table. The ‘1+1+1’ is a 3-piece multi-configuration furniture inspired by traditional Chinese furniture from the Ming dynasty, which can be used as a coffee table, stool, chair or armchair. I particularly like ‘lightscape’, a versatile and playful lamp that is made up of 3 geometric shapes in 3 different raw materials, wood, iron and stone. The design encourages the user to interact with and to compose various “landscapes” resulting in different lighting positions and graphical composition.

 

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Top row: Julian Jay Roux; 2nd left: Sarah Tran’s textiles; 2nd right: Xuezhi Liu‘s ceramics; 3rd row: Tortus Copenhagen; 4th left: Weeds by Karina Marusinska; 4th right: Julian Watts‘ wood carvings; 6th row: Lofstrom; Bottom left: KIWI by Agnieszka Tomalczyk

 

At trade shows like these, the display of the stand is very important as it has to catch the visitors’ attention immediately. I was drawn to Lofstrom‘s stand because of its simple but effective mix of typography and photos its the wall. I spoke to Swedish interior designer Mikael Löfström and learned that it was his first show in London. His new jewellery collection features handmade necklaces composed of various sized and coloured recycled wood with typography on it. The collection reminds me of wooden toys for children, very simple, creative and playful, just like his stand.

 

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Etsy’s ‘Four Corners of Craft’ – 2nd row: Ekta Kaul‘s Embroidered London Map Quilt; Bottom left: BaileyTomlinShop; Bottom right: Ron Arad and Patrizia Moroso at Supertalks

 

It is always entertaining to attend talks by architect/designer Ron Arad. At Supertalks, he was invited to discuss his successful 25-year collaboration with Patrizia Moroso. It was especially ‘entertaining’ to see how he reacted when he was constantly interrupted by journalist Jonn Elledge. The vibe was awkward and I felt embarrassed for the journalist. Was it a good idea to invite the editor of CityMetric and New Statesman to chair a design talk? Maybe not.

 

 

LSE’s Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

 

A few months ago, I walked past a non-orthogonal shaped brick building in Holborn that caught my attention. Later, I learnt that this striking Riba Stirling Prize-nominated building is London School of Economics’ Saw Swee Hock student centre designed by Irish architectural practice O’Donnell + Tuomey (Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey) completed in 2014.

And when I found out the architects were conducting a guide tour of the building followed by a talk as part of the London festival of architecture, I was eager to sign up for this event.

 

Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

 

Given the limitations of the site, the architects did an outstanding job in creating an original building that merges well with its surroundings. At the beginning of the tour, the architects lead us down the adjacent streets and explained how the streetscape played the part in shaping the building.

The multifunctional building accommodates a large music venue, pub, cafe, multi-faith centre, dance studios, careers library, gym and offices. It is designed with accessibility and inclusive design as key considerations.

 

Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Saw Swee Hock Student Centre london view

 

This building can be seen as a homage to brick and bricklaying craftsmanship. There are 46 standard shape bricks and 127 specially designed and shaped ones. A total of 173,377 solid and perforated (allowing daylight in) bricks were precisely mapped on the facade before construction began. Inside, the building is supported by steel columns and concrete, it also feels airy and bright as a result of the floor to ceiling windows.

 

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I especially love the concrete staircases. The angular staircases act as a prominent feature over several floors, but on the top floors and basement, they are replaced by spiral ones. The beauty of concrete is accentuated through the meticulous design.

 

Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey

Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey

 

This building somewhat reflects the impression I received from the Irish couple: humble, unconventional and heedful. Unlike many conspicuous buildings designed by celebrity architects these days, this building pays respect to its surroundings, it is functional, user-friendly and yet original. Our city needs more buildings like this rather than glass skyscrapers that convey the ego and ambition of the property developers, architects and capitalists.

 

King’s Cross Pond Club & the New Horizon pavilions

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The pond club is the new art installation at King’s Cross ongoing redevelopment

 

Last month, I attended a tour of the Of Soil and Water: King’s Cross Pond Club organised by property developmer Argent ( responsible for the regeneration of King’s Cross) as part of the London festival of architecture. If you are not keen on London’s public lidos or the natural ponds in Hampstead Heath, then perhaps this cool new natural pond will appeal to you. The 40-metre man-made fresh water public pond is the first of its kind in the UK. The chemical-free water is purified through a natural, closed-loop process process using wetland and submerged water plants to filter the water and keep it clear.

 

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The pond is designed by architects Ooze (Eva Pfannes and Sylvain Hartenberg) and artist Marjetica Potrč as part of the King’s Cross public art program RELAY. The installation aims to make the public reconsider their relationship with nature, the urban environment and the undeveloped spaces.

Here is a video about the project:

 

 

We were told by the project manager that the project was initially proposed as a permanent installation, but it was rejected by the Camden council due to oppositions from local residents. The project was eventually approved for a trial period of two years, and the developer hopes that its popularity and positive impact will convince the council to extend its lifespan.

 

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Nature in and around the pond

 

What I love about this pond club is its landscape design, not only it is surrounded by seasonal plants and flowers, it also has plants growing inside the pond. Situated next to Global Generation’s Skip Garden, the theme of ecology and sustainability is discernible.

There are 8 changing rooms, outdoor showers and lockers, accompanied by bold red pictogram. Swimmers can pre-book their sessions/slots online, and it is limited to only 163 a day.

I think this project is highly commendable and I hope that it will turn into a permanent feature after the end of its 2-year period.

 

Lewis Cubitt Park

Lewis Cubitt Park and the New Horizon temporary Irish pavilion

 

After the visit to the pond club, I walked over to the Lewis Cubitt Square to see the two temporary pavilions designed collaboratively by four Irish practices: Clancy Moore, TAKA, Steve Larkin and Hall McKnight for London festival of Architecture’s New Horizon_Architecture from Ireland exhibition.

The collaboration was part of ID 2015, the year-long celebration of Irish design. The New Horizon initiative was conceived and curated by Raymund Ryan and Nathalie Weadick, and it explored the theme of the festival, “Work in Progress”, at a city scale.

 

Red Pavilion by TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve LarkinRed Pavilion by TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve LarkinRed Pavilion by TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve LarkinRed Pavilion by TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve LarkinRed Pavilion by TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve Larkin

 

Red Pavilion by TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve Larkin

 

The bright red pavilion was designed by three Dublin practices: TAKA, Clancy Moore and Steve Larkin. Their approach was to emphasise the collective fabric of cities and to doubt arbitrary expression. It acted as a temporary piece of civic infrastructure, drawing people up from the square and enabling them to explore from above.

 

 

Yellow Pavilion by Hall McKnightYellow Pavilion by Hall McKnightYellow Pavilion by Hall McKnightYellow Pavilion by Hall McKnight

Yellow Pavilion by Hall McKnight

 

The Yellow Pavilion designed by Belfast practice Hall McKnight was a homage to brick. The pavilion was manufactured from a kit of pieces cut from boards and assembled in units. Inside it was a collection/installation of bricks that spoke of a city as a work in progress. The architects saw the bricks as a testimony of both the old and new city.