CONTEMPORIST

Illy Temporary Shop by Caterina Tiazzoldi

Posted: 06 Dec 2011 06:56 AM PST

Caterina Tiazzoldi has designed a temporary shop in Milan, Italy for the coffee brand Illy.

The concept is conceived for a reconfigurable store, characterized by different modulations of a single element, a "cube" which is 45x45cm-squared base.

Using a parametric device, it becomes possible to manipulate the cube physical properties by editing depth, thickness, opacity, length and explosions. The combinatory logic – inspired by genetic algorithms process – permits to perform over 3000 configurations of the same object.

The shop is created by 200 cubes and specifically designed to adapt to different dimensional composition of Illy Café products.The same unit is used for the table, desk counter, storage, lighting system, video frames, communication, and recycling bins.

By reconfiguring the different modules according to the performances required, (accessibility of the products from the outside, number of item to display, level of transparency desired, product size) it becomes feasible to represent different characteristics of the Illy products, while the solution also allows fitting it into different locations.

The system engender from the walls and the ceiling, creating a disoriented expansion. The differentiated space dimensions appears to become one, transforming it into a game where user's sight shifts from an object to another discovering the inside.

Design: Caterina Tiazzoldi

Team: Lorenza Croce, Federico Rizzo, Roberta Musso, Alessio Primavera, Monica Pianosi,
Mauro Fassino, Zsofia Ujhelyi

Haus W by Kraus Schönberg Architects

Posted: 06 Dec 2011 04:26 AM PST

Kraus Schönberg Architects designed the Haus W in Hamburg, Germany.

This is an affordable prefabricated low-energy house for a young couple and their two children. The family wanted a house which felt like a connected space, but which would also offer individual freedom to the occupants. The building is separated into an upper and a lower part.

The upper volume consists of rooms of various heights corresponding to their individual function. Bedrooms, bathrooms, the dressing room and the rooms for the children all require different heights and project into the lower living areas. This common space is organised by these staggered volumes without being interrupted by partitions.

Walking around the house takes one through a variety of rooms on the upper level, which are orientated to the garden as well as to the inner atrium. The openess allows the user to combine rooms and functions in various ways. The walls and floors of the individual upper rooms are built of sustainable CNC-cut timber panels. These do a variety of things: they constitute the finish; define spaces and functions; help insulate the building; are recyclable; create a comfortable internal environment; and offer a cost-effective building solution.

The lower ground floor is cut into the ground creating direct views into the garden while standing up, or offering a feeling of security while sitting down. The various heights of the ceiling above indicate the individual rooms of the upper level.

Visit the Kraus Schönberg Architects website – here.

Photography by Ioana Marinescu